Bishop Gregory V. Palmer is pleased to announce the appointment of Rev. Dr. Timothy L. Bias as a Conference Superintendent assigned to the Capitol Area South district beginning July 1, 2016. Rev. Bias will follow Rev. Kathleen Brown who begins a new appointment as Director of the West Ohio Conference Office Ministry in July.
With 42 years of appointive history, Tim brings to the ministry of superintending an exceptional range of experience in rural and urban pastoral ministry as well as district, conference and denominational leadership. He is a visionary leader, strategic thinker, teacher and author who feels passionately about the importance of developing relationships to further ministry and make disciples for Christ.
"I am heartened by the gifts and skills for ministry that Dr. Bias will bring to the ministry of superintending. He will enrich the team of Conference Superintendents and the Capitol Area South District with his passion for the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Tim is a strategic thinker who has led congregations in connecting with their communities through mission and evangelism. He has a thoroughly Wesleyan approach to Christian discipleship that sees no daylight between personal and social holiness." --Gregory Vaughn Palmer, Resident Bishop
Tim has served as General Secretary of Discipleship Ministries in Nashville since 2014. Prior to his position at Discipleship Ministries he was Senior Pastor at Hyde Park Community United Methodist Church in the West Ohio Conference. Since 2010, he has been Director of the Appalachian Local Pastors School, a ministry of Red Bird Missionary Conference in southeastern Kentucky, where he has taught preaching, pastoral care, evangelism and theology since 1991. Ordained in the West Virginia Conference, Tim has also served in the Illinois Great Rivers Conference and was the General Board of Discipleship's (now Discipleship Ministries) Director of Proclamation Evangelism from 1995-1999, where he was instrumental in convening the Large Church Initiative. He is also a past recipient of the Harry Denman Evangelism Award from the Foundation for Evangelism.
"All appointments are a privilege and I am very excited to be invited to return to West Ohio and work with Bishop Palmer and the Cabinet. I bring with me my heartfelt belief that the most important work we have in the church is making disciples of Christ who make a difference everyday in the communities in which we live." --Rev. Dr. Timothy L. Bias
A graduate of Marshall University, Tim received his Master of Divinity from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in 1980 and his Doctor of Ministry from United Theological Seminary in 1991. He was ordained as an Elder in The United Methodist Church in 1981.
Tim is married to Kimberly Raynes and they have two children and three grandchildren. Please be in prayer for Tim and his family as they prepare to transition to West Ohio.