29 January 2020
The Methodist Council has agreed to nominate to the Conference the Revd Dr Jonathan Hustler to serve as the Secretary of the Conference from 1 September 2020. The role is one of the most senior positions of Church leadership in Methodism, alongside the roles of President and Vice-President of the Conference.
Jonathan trained for the Methodist ministry at Wesley House Cambridge from 1987-90, and spent a year prior to his first station at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. His widespread experience of ministry has been gained through serving in a variety of places and roles across the country over the past 29 years including time spent in circuit ministry and as a superintendent. He was appointed to the role of Assistant Secretary of the Conference in June 2017 and took over as Secretary of the Conference in June 2019 on an interim basis. Throughout his ministry, Jonathan has maintained a rigorous approach to scholarship, reading for his PhD while a circuit minister. From 2011-14 he served as Vice-Principal of Wesley House, Cambridge, and from 2014 to 2017 was Ministerial Co-ordinator for the Oversight of Ordained Ministries in the Methodist Connexional Team.
Jonathan said: “It is an immense and daunting privilege to be nominated to be the Secretary of the Conference for the next six years; these are challenging and hopeful times and I look forward to continuing to work closely with my colleagues and the senior leaders of the Church as we respond to the gospel through the outworking of Our Calling.”
The Chair of the Methodist Council, Jill Baker said: “In Jonathan the Methodist Church will have a Secretary of the Conference who holds in tension his wide experience and understanding of how the Methodist Church operates at every level with a prophetic appreciation of how the church needs to reshape for the present and the future. Even more importantly, I believe, is his commitment to live out the life of a follower of Jesus, with grace, humility and enthusiasm and to respond to God’s call upon his life however much that might demand. I commend Jonathan to all our prayers.”
The Revd Loraine Mellor, Chair of the Nomination Panel said: “It was a privilege to share in the process of the appointment of the Secretary of the Conference and all the team felt that Jonathan was a real blessing to listen to and to interview. We felt confident he would bring energy and innovation to the role and in that was inspiring. What was most impressive was the way in which Jonathan talked about the call of God on his life at this time and why he felt he should offer himself to the church to be used in this role and we applauded his discipleship and spirituality.”