Appointments made for District Superintendent, Administrative Services

Rev. Ellen Alston	Rev. Dr. Van Stinson	Rev. Dr. Ralph Ford

Several appointments have been made for District and Annual Conference leaders for the 2013-14 conference year. All of these appointments start July 1, 2013. Rev. Ellen Alston, currently the Alexandria District Superintendent, will move to serve as the Monroe District Superintendent.

The Alexandria District is being eliminated and those churches currently in the district are splitting and moving into the Acadiana, Lake Charles, Monroe and Shreveport districts. Rev. Alston replaces Rev. Lynn Malone, who will serve as senior pastor of First United Methodist Church in Monroe.

Rev. Dr. Van Stinson, currently serving as senior pastor for University UMC in Baton Rouge, has been appointed as the new Baton Rouge District Superintendent. He replaces Rev. Dr. Ralph Ford, who is moving into the position of Director of Administrative Services for the Louisiana Annual Conference.

Rev. Ford takes over this position from Rev. Larry Miller, who will serve as senior pastor for University United Methodist Church in Baton Rouge. 

During the 2012 session of Annual Conference, conference members approved budget cuts related to reports from the Strategic Vitality Task Force and the Conference Council on Finance and Administration. The elimination of one district was part of the budget cuts that are now being implemented.