Methodist Church to have its first ever General Secretary
TheMethodist Church in Britain is to have a General Secretary for thefirst time in its history.
The Rev David Deeks has beenconfirmed in the new role and will take up office later in theyear.
The Methodist Conference,meeting this week in Llandudno, has today voted to accept thereport 'Leadership in the Methodist Church' which included thenomination of Mr Deeks as General Secretary for the six-years from1 September 2003.
The General Secretary, who will also be Secretary of theMethodist Conference, will be executive leader of the Church'sConnexional Team and will work alongside other senior officersincluding the Methodist District Chairs in developing the keystrategic decisions for the Church in Britain.
The General Secretary will work alongside the annually-appointedPresident of the Methodist Conference, who remains the seniorspokesperson for the Church.
Mr Deeks, who is 60, is currently Methodist Co-ordinatingSecretary for Church and Society. He is a former theology tutor atWesley House, Cambridge, and has previously served at churches inMaidstone and Bristol, during which he was university chaplain. Heis married with three children and has a family home inBristol.