Nashville, TN – The General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA) Board of Directors met in Nashville August 6 - 9 to organize the new board of directors and provide orientation for their work for the quadrennium. The GCFA Board consists of 21 members – 16 nominated by the Council of Bishops and elected at General Conference and 5 selected by GCFA.
Tennessee-Western Kentucky resident Bishop Bill McAlilly conducted the organizing session. The elected officers of the board are: Bishop David Graves as Board President, Rev. Reggie Clemons, Senior Pastor at First United Methodist Church Pearland, as Vice-President, and LaToya Redd Thompson of the Mississippi Annual Conference as Recording Secretary. The Board elected Moses Kumar to serve as GCFA’s General Secretary and Treasurer.
“Our first board meeting was fruitful as we begin to organize, focus, and set plans for how to move our administrative ministry forward,” said Bishop David Graves, GCFA President. “The professionalism and commitment of the Board and staff reassures me that our church leadership is focused on how to equip the Connection to fulfill our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ.”
The Board of Directors also discussed and approved several key recommendations related to the employee benefits for the General Agencies of The United Methodist Church (GAUMC). For 2025, the Board approved a 12.9% increase in medical benefit premiums. This is the first time in seven years that employee premiums have been raised, during which time domestic medical inflation has risen by more than 25%. The Board also approved adding a hospital indemnity policy and an option of permanent life insurance with a long-term care benefit for employees.
The Board received information that Sharah Dass, currently serving in GCFA’s Episcopal Services Department, has accepted the role of the Business Manager of General Conference.
The Board of Directors also voted on a two percent increase in episcopal office allowances and voted for no increase in the episcopal housing allowance. Any changes in episcopal salaries will be considered at the November meeting in alignment with reviews of general Church spending plans.
Moses Kumar, General Secretary and Treasurer of GCFA on the organization of the Board said, “The Church is blessed with leaders who faithfully lend their time and talents to the connectional ministries of our board and agencies. We praise God for the principled Christian leaders who have agreed to serve on our board and committees and we look forward to developing the ministry of administration with them.”