Carness Vaughan

CLERGY PROFILE

Clergy members willing to be considered for election as a Arkansas Annual Conference delegate to General or Jurisdictional Conference are asked to complete the following profile information and attach a photo for inclusion in the Clergy Profile Booklet which will be distributed with our Pre-Conference Journal in late April 2011.

Name: Carness Vaughan

Current Appointment: Senior Pastor, Central UMC Rogers

Year of Ordination: 1997

Current District: Northwest

Status: Full Elder

Race: Anglo American

How has your involvement at the Local, District, Conference, General or Jurisdictional level prepared you for serving as a clergy delegate to the 2012 General or Jurisdictional Conference?

I have been on many different district and conference committees during my sixteen years of ministry. A couple of my current places of service have done much to prepare me for serving as a delegate. The first is with Ozark Mission Project. I am on the Steering Committee and I serve as the Chair of the Personnel Committee. Every year we hire 8-10 college students to lead the camps throughout the summer, and many of these young people have gone on to full-time ministry in the United Methodist Church. I feel like it’s given me a good perspective on what we need to do as a denomination to recruit, train, and develop young pastors. The second is the Board for the Order of the Elders. I serve as the Northwest District Representative on this board, and it’s given me a great opportunity to better understand our connection and our need to be in covenant with one another as pastors. Both of these issues will come before us at General Conference, and I look forward to being a part of the conversations.

In 200 words or less, state why you would be an effective delegate to General or Jurisdictional Conference.  Please note some of the challenges you believe are facing the church.

I first sensed my call to ministry while an active member of a Wesley Foundation. I have served small, medium, and large churches in South, Central, and Northwest Arkansas. I love the United Methodist Church. I love our theology of grace and our passion for holiness, both personal and social. I love our commitment to the whole person, caring for those who need to know Jesus Christ as the Bread of Life, and for those who need a loaf of bread. I love our devotion to the Bible and our desire for community. This love for the church makes it even more difficult for me to see our declining numbers as a denomination. Every number represents a person, and every person, created by God and loved by God, deserves the chance to know that love. Whether it’s one who is lost, struggling, hurting, wandering, uncertain of which direction to go or who to turn to, we have a story to tell and a message to share. I want to do anything I can to help us make sure our mission remains strong and our focus is crystal clear: To make disciples of Jesus Christ.