Episode 116
Transition and Transformation: Bishop Trimble's New Role as General Secretary of Board of Church and Society in the UMC
Bishop Julius C. Trimble is the Resident Bishop of the Indiana Area of the United Methodist Church.
Bishop Trimble has the personal mission to encourage all people with the love of Jesus Christ to rise to their highest potential. It is his commitment to his personal mission that led Bishop Trimble to create the “To Be Encouraged” Podcast along with co-host Rev.Dr. Brad Miller.
Bishop Trimble says, “I am compelled by Jesus to share with you an encouraging word or two about Jesus, theology, the Bible, the pandemic, the environment, racism, voting rights, human sexuality, and the state of the United Methodist Church.”
To Be Encouraged with Bishop Julius C. Trimble is to be published weekly and is available at www.tobeencouraged.com and all the podcast directories.
https://www.inumc.org/bishop/office-of-the-bishop/
### Show Notes for Episode 116 of "To Be Encouraged" Podcast
**Episode Title:** "Transition and Transformation: Bishop Trimble's New Role as General Secretary of Board of Church and Society in the UMC"
Hosts:
* Bishop Julius C. Trimble
* Rev. Dr. Brad Miller
In this soul-stirring episode of "To Be Encouraged," Rev. Dr. Brad Miller engages in a profound conversation with Bishop Julius C. Trimble as he transitions from his role as the Bishop of the Indiana Area United Methodist Church to becoming the General Secretary of the Board of Church and Society. Recorded during the summer of 2024, Bishop Trimble shares his journey, highlighting God's new plans for him and shedding light on his passionate commitment to social justice and peacemaking.
### Summary:
Rev. Dr. Brad Miller welcomes Bishop Julius C. Trimble for a heartfelt conversation focusing on what lies ahead for the Bishop. Known for his unwavering encouragement and spiritual leadership, Bishop Trimble expresses his eagerness to continue serving God, albeit in a different capacity. As he transitions from overseeing the Indiana Area United Methodist Church, he steps into the significant role of General Secretary of the Board of Church and Society.
### Key Takeaways:
1. **A Life of Encouragement:**
Bishop Trimble reflects on his long-standing role as an instrument of encouragement, stating his intent to continue uplifting various communities. His personal mission to inspire others aligns seamlessly with his new responsibilities, providing hope and advocacy through the Board of Church and Society.
2. **Purposeful Transition:**
Towards the end of his tenure as the Bishop, Trimble sought divine guidance on how to serve next. His new role was a surprising yet fitting next step, bridging his leadership experience and passion for social justice. This transition illustrates the importance of remaining open to God's plans, even when they diverge from expected paths.
3. **Impactful Work of the Board of Church and Society:**
Bishop Trimble delves into the vital work of the Board, dedicated to living faith, seeking justice, and pursuing peace. He emphasizes the Board’s role in advocating for the marginalized, addressing issues such as hunger, civil rights, climate care, and more. His experience as a former board member and community activist uniquely positions him to lead these efforts effectively.
4. **Prophetic Voice and Local Church Engagement:**
One of the central themes of the discussion is the prophetic role of the church in modern society. Bishop Trimble encourages local church leaders to not shy away from social issues, providing concrete examples of how they can integrate these concerns into their ministries. He underscores the need for churches to act on their stated values, moving beyond words to actionable faith.
5. **Encouragement and Vision:**
Finally, the episode closes with a word of encouragement from Bishop Trimble, drawing from the prophet Micah. His message calls for humility, service, compassion, and the pursuit of justice, resonating deeply in today’s often tumultuous world. It’s a touching reminder that no one should be left behind in the spiritual and social mission of the church.
Join Rev. Dr. Brad Miller and Bishop Julius C. Trimble as they explore these meaningful transitions and the work ahead in this inspiring episode of "To Be Encouraged." Listen in to find encouragement and guidance for both individual and communal spiritual journeys.
Transcript
Bishop, welcome to our conversation, as we start to talk about
Speaker:what's next for you. Thank you, Brad. God is always doing a
Speaker:new thing, as the prophet Isaiah said. So we ought to we
Speaker:ought to we ought to stay ready for whatever god has in store for us,
Speaker:and I'm looking forward to what's next for me.
Speaker:And and I I hope to continue to do something that I've been
Speaker:doing for a number of years, and that is being a an an instrument of
Speaker:encouragement for all of the populations that I'm privileged to
Speaker:encounter. Well, one of the things that has happened to you
Speaker:is we're in this transition period as we record this,
Speaker:in the summer, on July 30, 2024. You just probably
Speaker:got about another month or so to go as a bishop of the Indiana
Speaker:Area United Methodist Church. But what happened in this tran in this
Speaker:transition period a few months ago, you were elected as a
Speaker:general secretary of the Board of Church and Society. So we know that's one
Speaker:of the things that's next for you. You're not really you're
Speaker:relieving the episcopacy, but you're not retiring. You're moving on to some something else
Speaker:here. So tell us a little bit about how that came
Speaker:about, and then we'll talk for a second about, you know, what that's gonna
Speaker:mean. How'd that come about? Well, even even when I was
Speaker:approaching my final my 8th year as the
Speaker:resident bishop of the Indiana Conference, I began to pray to to the
Speaker:Lord and have conversation with my partner in marriage and ministry
Speaker:for over 40 years. You know? I know God has something for
Speaker:me to do to continue. Is it to serve as a as a
Speaker:visitation pastor or interim minister or or to teach
Speaker:part time at one of our colleges or work with the hospital
Speaker:system as a as a chaplain or prison ministry.
Speaker:I I knew that I wanted to continue to stay busy,
Speaker:certainly not working the kind of schedule that a residential
Speaker:bishop would have. But I I asked god, lord, whatever you would open
Speaker:doors for me to do, let it be something I could be passionate
Speaker:about, and I can bring some value to that work in that
Speaker:ministry. And as it as it were, the General
Speaker:Board of Church and Society opportunity opened itself. It
Speaker:was announced in April that the board had actually elected
Speaker:me, and I had been encouraged by several people to consider
Speaker:applying for this position. And it's a bit unusual that a bishop
Speaker:would retire and then take a full time position
Speaker:doing just about anything. Right. But but something other
Speaker:than the local church ministry. I had served, for an
Speaker:8 for 8 years on 2 terms, 2
Speaker:quadranton on the General Board of Churches Society as a board
Speaker:member sometime ago prior to me being elected a
Speaker:bishop. In fact, right right up to the time before I was elected bishop,
Speaker:actually. And so that's 16 years
Speaker:ago when I was really on the on the board of church
Speaker:and society as a board member. So I was aware of the work
Speaker:of social justice and peacemaking and the opportunity
Speaker:to encounter elected congressmen and senators
Speaker:at at at the cap Capitol Hill. I was
Speaker:aware. I've been to the United Methodist building, which is right across the
Speaker:street from the Capitol building and right next door to the Supreme
Speaker:Court building. I had been there on several occasions and had been
Speaker:there for board meetings as well. And had been there,
Speaker:Brad, because I had been involved with the Council of Bishops immigration
Speaker:task force team. So we had several meetings and several protests
Speaker:in Washington DC around comprehensive
Speaker:immigration reform. So this is on one
Speaker:sense, it's it's a surprise for a lot of people that I would take this
Speaker:position, but my wife and others know know that
Speaker:this is very much ally in alignment with some of the work
Speaker:that I have passion about. And you aware of that too in terms
Speaker:Absolutely. Well the churches where the church interfaces
Speaker:the society and our communities in the area of
Speaker:peacemaking and social justice. Well, it did just say just a little more about
Speaker:that, about the actual kind of the work that the JIRP board the
Speaker:Board of Churches and Society does, kinda why it exists,
Speaker:and why it's important to local churches. And, just say a little bit more
Speaker:about that so can people can have a little better understanding what it does. The
Speaker:Genp for the Church and Society is dedicated to the work of living faith,
Speaker:seeking justice, and pursuing peace. It it's called to
Speaker:seek the implementation of the social principles and whatever
Speaker:other policies that are passed by the general conference
Speaker:regarding Christian social concerns. So in our book of
Speaker:discipline, the General Board of Church and Society is mandated
Speaker:to carry out our social principles and those
Speaker:those initiatives that are passed by general conference that relate
Speaker:to our work on Christian social social
Speaker:concerns, relating the gospel of Jesus Christ to communities
Speaker:in which they live, showing their reconciliation
Speaker:involves personal, social, and civic righteousness. We we
Speaker:work with ecumenical and interfaith organizations in
Speaker:the area of peacemaking, in the area of
Speaker:advocating on behalf of the poor,
Speaker:eradicating hunger, addressing civil and human
Speaker:rights issues so that people might experience
Speaker:equality across the board. More than
Speaker:30 social issues on which the United Methodist Church has claimed a
Speaker:position, whether it's the right to
Speaker:bargaining for workers, whether it's climate
Speaker:concern and climate care. Those are all things that that are that are
Speaker:involved. Rather than the political basic human rights like health
Speaker:care, addressing, for example, right now, addressing
Speaker:the whole issue of of the unhoused homelessness.
Speaker:So the General Board of Church and Society on behalf of the United
Speaker:Methodist Church and in conjunction with other faith
Speaker:based and nongovernmental organization, works to address the things
Speaker:that that really impact the marginalized communities
Speaker:across the globe. Yeah. And it seems like it it exists also that
Speaker:intersection where where faith based communities,
Speaker:the church, comes into play with things like,
Speaker:government and business and other societal concerns, both in our
Speaker:country and around the world, and how you can have some influence
Speaker:on policy making and things of that nature. Is it is that a
Speaker:part of what you're about? Absolutely. So so, yeah,
Speaker:we would we would invite and we we help to assist
Speaker:local churches and annual conferences and individuals in their
Speaker:efforts to make an impact with their elected
Speaker:officials in their low local communities and across the
Speaker:globe on matters that really would make for a
Speaker:better communities for all of us that would advance what I call the
Speaker:common good Mhmm. For all of creation. Sure. So Whether
Speaker:it whether it's the dignity of work or whether it's corporate
Speaker:responsibility or human trafficking and slavery
Speaker:and poverty and income in inequality, all of these
Speaker:all of these matters of things that we think Jesus would want us to
Speaker:be engaged in. Certainly, John Wesley would want us because he
Speaker:he he wrote a lot about his
Speaker:concern for those in that experience poverty. Well, what do you bring
Speaker:to the table here, Bishop? What is your vision for the Border Church and
Speaker:Society moving forward? And, you know, what do you have to offer
Speaker:here that can move the mission along and maybe
Speaker:expand it or take it to different directions? Well, I think that
Speaker:well, I what I bring is a passion and and a an ability, I
Speaker:think, to communicate and to connect communities. I started
Speaker:actually prior to becoming an ordained minister. I was a
Speaker:community organizer in Chicago briefly and a social worker.
Speaker:My major was sociology with an emphasis in social work in
Speaker:in my undergrad studies. So that was the, you
Speaker:know, several years before I started seminary at Garrett Evangelical
Speaker:Theological Seminary. So I believe that a lot of good
Speaker:can be done when we are engaged in relationships in our communities,
Speaker:and we do those we we are able to do good when we do it
Speaker:in in conjunction and in collaboration
Speaker:with the persons who are in those communities. So I think I bring
Speaker:together both experience, a passion,
Speaker:and and my experience as a bishop of being able to connect with persons
Speaker:across the globe. So I already bring a certain number a
Speaker:certain number of portals of relationships that can help
Speaker:us advance. So the work of the social principles and the work of the things
Speaker:that we have on paper. Brad, you know, for for this for a fact,
Speaker:methodists are good at putting together good statements and Oh,
Speaker:okay. And resolutions. But I think
Speaker:our challenge is always, how do we take those words that are on paper
Speaker:and help people live that out in their Christian witness? So my
Speaker:hope is to come and work alongside a a fantastic,
Speaker:talented, mostly young young staff, and to
Speaker:help help accentuate that work that's already being done. So a piece
Speaker:of this is application and implementation of some of the
Speaker:policies and opportunities that are in place. So I know I
Speaker:know that in the press release regarding your election, it was mentioned
Speaker:about your own personal mission statement and about the mission statement of the
Speaker:church. And in both your personal mission statement,
Speaker:you talk, you know, you talk about helping people reach their highest
Speaker:potential, encourage their highest potential. And then the church
Speaker:mission statement, it talks about, you know, to transform the world. It seems
Speaker:to me that those are places where implementation
Speaker:are stated, and we need to be
Speaker:true to that statement. Can you say a word about that, maybe about
Speaker:your your need to encourage people but also to help them rise to their
Speaker:level and our church mission statement and how that how this position
Speaker:may be ideal for you to, implement some of these things.
Speaker:Thank you, Brad. That was a that was a a good segue to, you know,
Speaker:basically saying that my mission to encourage really is a
Speaker:good connecting point for the mission of General Board of Church
Speaker:and Society to help congregations impact their
Speaker:communities. To encourage also means to challenge.
Speaker:So to challenge us not to just be, you know,
Speaker:readers of the word, but to be doers of the word,
Speaker:the challenge is not just to complain maybe about the things
Speaker:that we find are wrong or or not just to pray, as I said
Speaker:in my sermon, the jurisdictional conference, that pray that line
Speaker:from the serenity prayer. Lord, help me accept the things I
Speaker:cannot change. We really need to also pray, Lord,
Speaker:help me to change the things that we should not accept, and you
Speaker:don't accept the exclusion of people, the oppression of
Speaker:people, the the human trafficking and exploitation
Speaker:of people. Those are things that Jesus would not does not want
Speaker:us to accept accept,
Speaker:and we should help people realize that there are ways that we can
Speaker:demonstrate our faithful discipleship and witness by engaging
Speaker:and making sure those things no longer happen and reduce
Speaker:reduce the amount of pain and suffering that so much of the world
Speaker:community experienced. Sure. Sure. But when you were elected to
Speaker:this position at Fortive Church and Society, you were quoted as saying
Speaker:there is no this is no time for United for the United Methodist Church to
Speaker:press the mute button on our prophetic witness for a more
Speaker:just and humane world. I would encourage our churches to speak
Speaker:out boldly on social issues from the solid
Speaker:theological biblical foundation of our church's social
Speaker:principles. I'd like you to say a word about that, about how we can take
Speaker:these things. And what you and I often do in our conversations is make sure
Speaker:we take it home to the local church and to the local pastor. How can
Speaker:we take those things and not be mute in
Speaker:our local churches and in as local church pastors to
Speaker:the matters lifted up in the social principles.
Speaker:I just had a meeting, about a week ago with pastors.
Speaker:I was in the process of giving away some of the many books on my
Speaker:bookshelf. Was was marginally
Speaker:successful, but we had a great conversation. And part of what
Speaker:I said was one of the question was,
Speaker:how do we how do we express in our congregations the things
Speaker:that we believe as a denomination or as Christians,
Speaker:particularly when when some people might see that they're crossing the
Speaker:line of our religious practice and
Speaker:dipping over into political
Speaker:expression. And, what I said was I I
Speaker:I acknowledged that from my seat, it as
Speaker:a bishop, it has been a lot easier for me to feel
Speaker:less pressure, and we even expressing more
Speaker:what I thought were prophetic statements consistent
Speaker:with what the Bible and our social principles say, then it would
Speaker:be as as a local church pastor. But what I encourage
Speaker:pastors to do was to continue to preach
Speaker:the from the bible and lectionary if you use the lectionary's
Speaker:readings, but also share with people
Speaker:some aspect of teaching what it means to be
Speaker:United Methodist, and included in that are our social
Speaker:principles. Excuse me. So you're
Speaker:not really you shouldn't be on thin ice if you're
Speaker:if you're preaching from the bible, preaching from the lectionary.
Speaker:I said in a good way to do that is is a sermon series.
Speaker:Yeah. What does it mean to be United Methodist? Sure. I've been
Speaker:in some of the churches that were doing that. Sure. You know, what does
Speaker:it mean, during the particular season of the Christian
Speaker:calendar Yeah. Which then also and I have
Speaker:to admit when I look back, I did very little of sharing
Speaker:from our social principles. Sometimes I quoted a piece in the
Speaker:midst of a sermon, but in all of the years of my ministry,
Speaker:I always thought there was somebody else's job, so I'd assume that That was the
Speaker:general board of church and society, and there you go. Then I realized that
Speaker:we were we were really shortchanged in our laity because they didn't
Speaker:really know unless they were a mem unless they were unless they were a
Speaker:member of unless they were a member of comp conferences,
Speaker:they did not get a chance to know much about the policy of our
Speaker:church. That's one of the things I wanted us to kinda unpack what it's all
Speaker:about and why local churches, local pastors should
Speaker:be aware of that resource that's there, and then be
Speaker:engaged. We'll just wrap it up with I wanna say this, and then I want
Speaker:you to wrap it up with a thought about, you know, how this
Speaker:about where we're gonna go in society and church
Speaker:and society. I just wanna say that, the prophetic the
Speaker:prophetic voice is still profound and still so important,
Speaker:and you do have that spiritual quality about
Speaker:it, about you, that spiritual gift. And I do think I wanna
Speaker:congratulate you on your election to the Border Church and Society and look
Speaker:forward to seeing that prophetic gift
Speaker:be manifested not only in that office, but how it then
Speaker:rings out in the halls of congress and in the United Nations,
Speaker:any place else in the world that have actual impact on
Speaker:policies that have to do with poverty, with women's
Speaker:health issues, with, war and peace, and look
Speaker:forward to see a kind of a, a amplified
Speaker:voice in that area. And I just wanna congratulate you on that and wish you
Speaker:well in this next step in your journey. And just wanna see if you have
Speaker:any final words around this issue that you wanna share to
Speaker:be a word we always ask you to give a word of encouragement to people
Speaker:to conclude our our podcast episodes. So what's a word of encouragement
Speaker:for a society in a world that's often, you know,
Speaker:upset and and on fire where we
Speaker:can speak to them with a word of how the church can
Speaker:speak to their circumstances. The
Speaker:the, prophet Micah, I I I often say that the words of
Speaker:god echo through the words of the bible. And what
Speaker:does the lord require of us? And echoed throughout the
Speaker:ages from the old to the new testament are the words from
:8. What does the lord require of us
:but that we do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with
:god? This is a season where we need not
:walk away from the gift of humility,
:the gift of service, the gift of compassion, the gift of love,
:but also to do justice and to love mercy.
:And no one needs to be left out or left behind in that process.
:I love where where the Bible says, how can we say
:that we love God whom we have not seen
:and yet we refuse to love our neighbor whom we see
:every day. That's awesome. Well, thank you for sharing that.
:Some good words and some prophetic words from bishop Julius c Trimble
:here on the to be encouraged podcast. We look forward to hearing more from
:him and his role as the general secretary of the Board of Church and
:Society. We thank you for listening to the to be
:encouraged podcast, the podcast where we look to offer an encouraging
:word to an often discouraged world. I'm your cohost,
:reverend doctor Brad Miller.
