Dear Friends in Jesus Christ,
I am deeply humbled and honored to be assigned as bishop of the Northwest Texas Conference. I grew up in the conference and served my entire ministry within the bounds of the conference. I have many friends and colleagues here. In many ways, this assignment is a return home.
After my election to the episcopacy in 2016, I have been serving the Oklahoma Area within the Southcentral Jurisdiction. The Area is comprised of the Oklahoma and Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conferences. I am blessed to continue serving those conferences, even as I undertake the assignment here. I will be serving each conference as an individual conference. I am not assigned to lead a merger between one or more conferences.
As you know, since 1968, the Northwest Texas and NewMexico Conferences have formed an episcopal area and shared a bishop. Bishop Robert Schnase has been assigned to serve New Mexico. Bishop Schnase and I will be in close conversation as we serve the area. I am confident that we will be able to serve the churches of the area, navigate the changes, and appoint our colleagues in ministry in the appropriate contexts in which they may serve.
I look forward to being in each district next month to meet many new people and to renew old friendships. Watch for the meeting time and place that is most convenient for you to attend.
When beginning something new, I revisit the nature and context of my own call to ministry. Eight simple words define my call and my hope for the church: “Love God, love people, make disciples, make a difference.” Those four things change lives, especially my life.
Love God. This is grounded in the greatest commandment of Jesus, to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.” I am here today because I love God. I am “going on to perfection”, a term John Wesley used to describe a Christian’s truest intentions. What do I really want? I really want to love God. What we really want shows who we really are.
Love people. Just as the command to love God with all that we are is grounded in the words of Jesus, so also is the command to love people. Jesus said, “love your neighbor as you love yourself.” I have been profoundly blessed by my wife, Mary, my children, and my grandchildren. Love is an expression of a relationship. The blessing in the marriage ceremony asks God to establish our home as a haven of blessings and a place of peace. Love for people extends beyond our family, into our community, and even to the world. Loving people demands sacrifice without counting the costs. It creates havens of blessing and places of peace.
Make disciples. Love motivates discipleship. It is actually the Holy Spirit who makes disciples, not us. Our mission is simply to point people to Jesus. Discipleship is forged when the soul yields itself to God. The goal of a disciple is not to have an easy life, but to live a Christ-like life. We must repent of our sin and empty ourselves to make space for God. When we make space for God in our lives, we grow as disciples. We die to ourselves and live to God. A disciple finds significant meaning and purpose, not alone, but in community.
Make a difference. If we only answer the need that is immediate, we will never answer the call to make a difference. The difference I seek to make is rooted in Jesus. Making a difference requires that we first look back and “remember.” Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” While the specific context of those words is within the sacrament of Holy Communion, remembering Jesus places us in the appropriate spiritual posture to make a difference. Once we remember Jesus, we see the world around us through the eyes of Jesus and ask the question, “Jesus, what difference are you calling us to make in this chapter of our lives?”
What are a few important words that express your faith?
Blessings,
Bishop Jimmy Nunn