Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. has announced that the Rev. Chad Anglemyer, pastor of St. Luke United Methodist Church in Omaha, will join the cabinet of the Great Plains Conference on July 1 as the new Missouri River District superintendent.
Anglemyer will replace the Rev. Dr. Dan Flanagan, who is retiring after 47 years of ministry, the final seven as a district superintendent.
Anglemyer became a provisional member of the former Kansas West Conference in 1988 and a full member in 1990. He served churches in Utica-Arnold and Hays in Kansas, as well as First UMC and St. Luke UMC in Omaha. He served as executive director of Together Inc., a nonprofit organization that assists the homeless in the Omaha area, and he also served as director of connectional ministries in the former Nebraska Conference.
“More than anything, I am excited about the possibilities of working with a large number of pastors, lay leaders and congregations to share with them in their visions and to help resource and support them in their ministries,” Anglemyer said.
Bishop Saenz said Anglemyer demonstrated fruitfulness and effectiveness in ministry over the years.
“He is respected by his peers and he has a diverse ministry background that has prepared him for this role,” Bishop Saenz said. “The Missouri River District has strong churches and strong leaders. And it needs a superintendent who expresses the joy of Christ for ministry, that can start new churches, lead the congregations to accomplish their mission and who understands the realities of urban, suburban and rural contexts.”
Anglemyer’s background as a member of the Great Plains Conference’s New Church Development committee and his time as director of connectional ministries prepared him for the role as DS of perhaps the conference’s most economically, culturally and ethnically diverse district.
“I think serving as the director of connectional ministries was helpful in that it empowered me to see the church in a broader spectrum on a bigger canvas,” Anglemyer said. He said while he will miss seeing the people with whom he built relationships at the local church, including his two stints that combined for 11 years at St. Luke – first as an associate and the past seven years in his current assignment as the lead pastor – he looks forward to meeting even more people in an effort to work together to spread the message of hope found in Christ.
That expanded view beyond the local congregation will serve Anglemyer well in his new role, Bishop Saenz said.
“Chad can see things holistically, both the ministries in the district in and of itself and then how those ministries connect to the conference and beyond,” Bishop Saenz said. “Chad will be a strong team member on our cabinet. His gifts will continue to build upon Dan Flanagan’s ministry.”
Flanagan met with the Staff-Parish Relations Committee of St. Luke on Sunday, Jan. 22, to inform the congregation about Anglemyer’s new role. A pastor will be assigned to St. Luke to replace Anglemyer, who will remain in the lead pastor role at the church until his appointment there concludes June 30.
Todd Seifert is communications director for the Great Plains Conference. Contact him at tseifert@greatplainsumc.org. Follow him on Twitter, @ToddSeifert.
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