The President and Vice-President of the Methodist Conference

President and Vice-President 2023-24

At the 2022 Conference, the Methodist Conference elected the Revd Gill Newton to serve as President and Deacon Kerry Scarlett to serve as Vice-President, starting their year of office on Saturday 24 June 2023.

The Revd Gill Newton is a life-long Methodist, raised in Cornwall, with experience of circuit ministry and has served as the Sheffield District Chair since 2014. 

Following the announcement of the election results, the Revd Gill Newton said: “I am both humbled and honoured to have been entrusted with this role by the members of the Methodist Conference.  With God’s help and together with the Vice President Designate, Deacon Kerry Scarlett, I look forward to the opportunities we will have to encourage, inspire and challenge the Methodist people during our year of office.” 

Gill Newton chairs the Ministries Committee overseeing the development of the church’s ministry in many varied contexts.  She also serves on the Strategy and Resources Committee and on the Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes Board and has previously chaired the Ministerial Candidates and Probationers Oversight Committee and served as Chair of the Chairs.

Deacon Kerry Scarlett, from the Birmingham District, has a passion for justice and seeks to enable and amplify the voices of others.  Kerry founded ADAVU, an anti-trafficking charity and participated in regional network and anti-trafficking campaigns. 

Speaking following the election, Kerry Scarlett said: “It is an honour and a privilege to have been elected Vice-President Designate. I am very much looking forward to working with Gill Newton, and am very grateful for the opportunity to serve the Methodist Church in this way.”

Kerry has served the church in a number of ways including theological education, the Learning Network, a variety of committees including the Candidates Committee and has contributed to and facilitated complex reviews.   

The role of President of the Methodist Conference is reserved for presbyters and that of Vice-President for lay people or deacons.

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The Secretary of Conference

The Revd Dr Jonathan Hustler has been a member of the Connexional Team since 2014 and was Assistant Secretary of the Conference since 2017. Prior to this he was the Ministerial Coordinator for Oversight of Ordained Ministries in the Connexional Team.

He has a wide experience of ministry having entered circuit ministry after graduating from Wesley House, Cambridge in Theology and Religious Studies during which time he studied as a Finch Scholar in Rome for a year. He was ordained in 1992 and served in three circuit appointments over 20 years, in Leighton Buzzard and Stewkley, Cleveland, and Mid-Lincolnshire (including 10 years as Superintendent). He returned to Wesley House in 2011 as Vice-Principal and Director of Pastoral Studies.

Jonathan obtained his PhD in Mediaeval Ecclesiastical History through part-time study during his first two circuit appointments and has served on a number of committees in the Church and as a District Ecumenical Officer. His involvement in the training of local preachers and ministers has been extensive and he continues to write on pastoral theology, preaching and church history.

Jonathan is married to Lesley and they have two adult children. He is an avid Archers listener and has published articles and spoken about the long-running radio soap.

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The Methodist Church in Great Britain is still organised in a methodical way using many of the structures introduced by its founder, John Wesley. However, the Church is quite pragmatic, and is willing to make changes where they seem desirable. 

Structures exist to enable decision making that takes account of all concerns and views within the Church. No one is given supreme authority, but consultation is vital. At the same time, Churches cannot simply arrange their own affairs, but have some shared disciplines and ways of working. Methodists belong to local churches or ecumenical partnerships, but also feel part of a larger connected community, i.e., the Connexion.

Being connected

This sense of being ‘connected’ makes a difference to how the Methodist Church as a whole is structured. At its heart is an understanding of the Christian community as the 'body of Christ'. Just as a human body contains different limbs and organs that depend on each other, so we should be close and caring enough to feel each other's pain and delight. We should put the good of the whole body before our own individual needs.

When ministers or deacons are ordained in the Methodist Church, they are also 'received into full Connexion.’ Included in the British Methodist Connexion are all the districts of Scotland, Wales and England, along with the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and Shetland.

“Do not allow yourself one thought of separating from your brothers and sisters, whether their opinions agree with yours or not.” (John Wesley)

Find out more here about our calling, our structure, the views and doctrine of the Methodist Church, and more about what makes Methodism distinctive:

http://methodist.org.uk
http://www.methodist.org.uk/about-us/the-methodist-church/views-of-the-church/

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