Church Council &
Leadership Structure
As United Methodists, we believe that each of us is indeed a minister called through our baptism to the work of mission or ministry in all areas of our lives. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to be lifelong learners, encouraged to use our influence to transform lives, and moved to action in our communities through service.
At Stilwell UMC, we organize our mission and ministries to meet the needs and contexts of our community through the work of the Church Council which meets at least once every month.
It is through the intentionality, prayer, and cooperation of the Church Council that we strive to provide for the planning and implementing all nurture, outreach, and worship ministries. The Church Council also provides for the administration of the church, its temporal life, and oversees the use of church resources in glorifying God and transforming the world. The Church Council functions as the administrative agency of the Charge Conference and is responsible for envisioning, planning, implementing, and annually evaluating the missions and ministries of the church.
This year's ministry leaders have affirmed a new structure for the 2024 Church Council. To view the organizational documents and information about the 2024 Single Leadership Board Model, please click here.
The guiding verse for our local vision and mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ is:
“We love, because he first loved us.” - 1 John 4:19
The Vision - "Love God, Live Love"
Stilwell UMC is called to make disciples of Jesus Christ who pursue the love of God and live to share God’s love. Our vision is the picture of the church God has called us to become and all action of leadership is filtered through our vision.
2024 Church Council
JoAnn O'Roark, Recording Secretary
Patti Gardner, Lay Leader
Steve Kirkeby, Lay Member to Annual Conference
Randy Sellers, Finance Committee Chair
Phil Wise, Finance Member
Bret Pilney, Finance Member & Interim Chair
Marc Samuelson, SPRC Chair
Barb Reinke, SPRC Member
Pam Clark, SPRC Member
Tim Gnau, Trustee Chair
Mike Groves, Trustee
Pete Burton, Trustee
Carol Davis, Nurture Ministry Chair
Dianna Heffernon, Outreach Ministry Chair
Jennifer Ruhnke, Worship Ministry Chair
Click Here to access past minutes of the 2024 Church Council Meetings:
Click here to access past minutes of
2023 Church Council Meetings.