With the announcement of Rev. Dr. David Weatherly accepting the position of President/CEO of the Foundation and Development Fund with the United Methodist Foundation for the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Annual Conference, Bishop McAlilly announces the following effective July 1, 2024:
Rev. Dr. Rob Martin, the current Assistant to the Bishop, will be appointed to become the Metro District Superintendent.
Rev. Dr. Vona Wilson, the current Harpeth River District Superintendent, will be appointed to the Episcopal Office as the Assistant to the Bishop.
Rev. B.J. Brack, currently serving as Ministry Associate in the conference’s Administrative Services Office, will be appointed the Harpeth River District Superintendent.
Biographies for these clergypersons are available below.
Additionally, the Rev. Jefferson Furtado, currently serving as a Ministry Associate and Lead Pastor of the Vine, is projected to serve as the pastor of Hilldale UMC in the Red River District and as a Cohort District Superintendent relating specifically to the work of the Board of Ordained Ministry.
Cohort District Superintendents serve a local church and provide supervision to a specific area of our conference ministry or a smaller number of local churches. As previously shared, this new model of superintendency (Cohort District Superintendent) seeks to offer better support and oversight across the conference while strengthening our connection.
More information about these clergy
Dr. Robert “Rob” Martin has served as the Assistant to the Bishop of the Tennessee-
Western Kentucky Conference since July 1, 2020. “I am excited to return to the Metro District and the Memphis area where I served local churches for the first 17 years of my ministry and will work to strengthen local churches as an extension of the bishop’s office in the Metro District,” said Rob.
Rob has served in the Metro Memphis area as associate pastor at St. John’s (1990 – 1994) and St. Luke’s (1994 – 2001) United Methodist Churches in Memphis and was the founding pastor of Faith United Methodist Church in neighboring Oakland, Tennessee (2001 – 2008). Rob also served as the pastor of First United Methodist Church, Paris, Tennessee (2009 – 2017) and as the Purchase District Superintendent (2017 – 2020).
Rob served as the Co-Chair of the New Conference Guide team that facilitated the formation of the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference (TWK) on January 1, 2022, and currently serves as Co-Facilitator of the TWK Connectional Table. Additionally, he was a delegate to the 2020 General Conference.
Rob is married to Amy, a deacon in the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference, who currently serves Reidland UMC, Paducah, KY. They have two adult daughters, Brittany and Ashley.
Dr. Wilson grew up in rural Western Kentucky and made Tennessee her home all of her adult life. She has over 35 years of leadership experience in the public, private and non-profit sector.
Prior to full-time ministry, she served in a variety of roles, all focused on serving the community and facilitating change. A former paramedic, Vona served as the Director of the Emergency Medical Services in Williamson County. She also served as the Director of Organizational Improvement for Williamson Medical Center and helped facilitate change, strategic planning, and leadership development throughout the hospital.
Dr. Wilson then answered the call of God to take her experiences into full-time ministry. She served on the clergy staff team at Franklin First UMC for 15 years; Bethlehem UMC in Williamson County as Interim Lead Pastor during a midyear pastoral transition; and three years as Chaplain for the YMCA of Middle Tennessee.
Her most recent appointment is serving as the District Superintendent for the Harpeth River District. Vona also leads the Faith and Innovation Team (formerly New Church Development) for the TWK which has helped her work across the conference for the past five years. She will continue to lead this work through the episcopal office in her role as Assistant to the Bishop.
“Leading through change is an area of ministry to which I am deeply called,” said Vona. “The new TWK is in a tender and amazing moment. We are walking across the bridge into the future. Trusting God to provide clarity and wisdom as we step into our life as the beloved community is a wonderful way to serve right now. We are following the Spirit from a grounded and ancient place, while stepping humbly and boldly into the new that God is bringing forth. I look forward to helping us do that with faithfulness and joy.”
Rev. B.J. Brack moved to Tennessee in 1998 after beginning his career as a local pastor in the Kentucky Annual Conference. After moving to Tennessee and being ordained in the Tennessee Conference, he served churches in Davidson and Montgomery counties before serving in the Conference Office the last year as a Ministry Associate in Administrative Services.
Over the course of the last year, he has achieved an Executive Certificate in Religious Fundraising, became a Fellow in Charitable Estate Planning, and worked on a Certificate in Church Administration. He also worked closely with Faith and Innovation to explore alternative building uses for our churches. In an environment where it is getting more difficult to fund operating budgets with tithes and offerings, it is vital that we work to form community partnerships and alternative funding plans so churches can be fruitful in their mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
“I am passionate about the ministry of the local church and equipping ministers with the tools necessary to make disciples in their communities, “ said B.J. “I am excited to serve the church in this capacity.”
B.J. is married to Laura and they celebrated their 28th anniversary this past week. They have two adult children, Alex and Jacob, who live in Nashville. If you are looking for the Brack family during hockey season, you might find them at the rink supporting their favorite team, the Nashville Predators.