Randall C. Ganues to retire as Director of Connectional Ministries
Randall C. Ganues, who has served as the Tennessee Annual Conference Director of Connectional Ministries since 1997, will retire in June of 2007 after more than 43 years of active ministry. During his 43 years in ministry Ganues served as pastor of small congregations as well as of some of the conference’s larger churches, including Smithville First, St. Mark’s, Cookeville First, and Shelbyville First. He was serving as District Superintendent of the Murfreesboro District when Bishop Kenneth Carder appointed him to the Connectional Ministries position.
During Ganues’ ten years as Director of the Conference Council on Connectional Ministries there have been major changes in The United Methodist Church and the Tennessee Annual Conference. This meant that he had to provide definitive leadership within the Conference to transition from a programmatic Council on Ministries to a much broader Connectional Ministries Office that was responsive to the changing needs of local congregations and the entire Annual Conference. Even as he prepares for retirement he is chairing a special task force that is studying the structure of the CCOCM to make it increasingly effective in 2007.
Ganues was a major source of assistance in locating and remodeling of the new Tennessee Conference Center, and while he has been CCOCM Director, major remodeling and new construction has occurred at historic Beersheba Springs Assembly. He has endeavored to help local churches understand that the Council on Connectional Ministries is an extension of local church ministry and is responsive to the needs and concerns of the local church and not a bureaucracy unto itself.
Some of the changes during Ganues’ shepherding of the Office of Connectional Ministries were seemingly mundane – for example moving from isolated/independent use of computer technology to a common database used by Conference, Episcopal, and District offices. He also provided strong leadership in times of chaos – from the sequence of tornadoes that struck middle Tennessee at the end of the 1990s, to the consequences of the Tsunami and 2005’s hurricanes that left the Gulf Coast in Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, and Florida devastated, reeling from the destruction of homes, utilities, and community super-structure. He has also shown strong support for the concept of an Annual Conference Common Table where all agencies of the conference are represented – a rare blending of perspectives, lay and ministerial. The Common Table is currently involved in sponsoring “Town Hall” meetings in each district to gather perspectives on the proposed direct billing of local churches for ministerial pensions and health care. This reflects his ongoing vision of his work with the conference – that the different entities of the conference wouldn’t be in competition but would be working as one to realize Thy kingdom come.
Friend and colleague Vin Walkup, Director of the Nashville Area Foundation, reflected recently on his relationship with Randall Ganues: “I have known Randall Ganues since 1964 when my father, Elbert Walkup, was his District Superintendent and Randall served the Barren Plains Charge. He and I became very good friends in the mid-70’s when he served with Dad at Tullahoma First United Methodist Church. He continues to be like a second brother to me, a very special relationship of mutual appreciation. His greatest gift to me has been his ability to be honest and supportive in every aspect of our relationship. I value his wisdom gained through the experiences of his life, and I am grateful for the contributions he has made to our conference. My fondest wish for Randall and Brenda in this next phase of their lives is that they will enjoy retirement as much as Dad and Mom did.”
Randall is married to Brenda Nall Ganues, and has three children: daughter Leigh Anne Brown; and sons, Randall C. Ganues, Jr., and Bradley A. Ganues. He and Brenda are also the grandparents of 5 grandchildren, and one goal of his retirement is to be able to spend more time with the younger generation. He also plans to do some traveling, play plenty of golf, and work on his hobby of restoring and refinishing furniture.
During Ganues’ ten years as Director of the Conference Council on Connectional Ministries there have been major changes in The United Methodist Church and the Tennessee Annual Conference. This meant that he had to provide definitive leadership within the Conference to transition from a programmatic Council on Ministries to a much broader Connectional Ministries Office that was responsive to the changing needs of local congregations and the entire Annual Conference. Even as he prepares for retirement he is chairing a special task force that is studying the structure of the CCOCM to make it increasingly effective in 2007.
Ganues was a major source of assistance in locating and remodeling of the new Tennessee Conference Center, and while he has been CCOCM Director, major remodeling and new construction has occurred at historic Beersheba Springs Assembly. He has endeavored to help local churches understand that the Council on Connectional Ministries is an extension of local church ministry and is responsive to the needs and concerns of the local church and not a bureaucracy unto itself.
Some of the changes during Ganues’ shepherding of the Office of Connectional Ministries were seemingly mundane – for example moving from isolated/independent use of computer technology to a common database used by Conference, Episcopal, and District offices. He also provided strong leadership in times of chaos – from the sequence of tornadoes that struck middle Tennessee at the end of the 1990s, to the consequences of the Tsunami and 2005’s hurricanes that left the Gulf Coast in Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, and Florida devastated, reeling from the destruction of homes, utilities, and community super-structure. He has also shown strong support for the concept of an Annual Conference Common Table where all agencies of the conference are represented – a rare blending of perspectives, lay and ministerial. The Common Table is currently involved in sponsoring “Town Hall” meetings in each district to gather perspectives on the proposed direct billing of local churches for ministerial pensions and health care. This reflects his ongoing vision of his work with the conference – that the different entities of the conference wouldn’t be in competition but would be working as one to realize Thy kingdom come.
Friend and colleague Vin Walkup, Director of the Nashville Area Foundation, reflected recently on his relationship with Randall Ganues: “I have known Randall Ganues since 1964 when my father, Elbert Walkup, was his District Superintendent and Randall served the Barren Plains Charge. He and I became very good friends in the mid-70’s when he served with Dad at Tullahoma First United Methodist Church. He continues to be like a second brother to me, a very special relationship of mutual appreciation. His greatest gift to me has been his ability to be honest and supportive in every aspect of our relationship. I value his wisdom gained through the experiences of his life, and I am grateful for the contributions he has made to our conference. My fondest wish for Randall and Brenda in this next phase of their lives is that they will enjoy retirement as much as Dad and Mom did.”
Randall is married to Brenda Nall Ganues, and has three children: daughter Leigh Anne Brown; and sons, Randall C. Ganues, Jr., and Bradley A. Ganues. He and Brenda are also the grandparents of 5 grandchildren, and one goal of his retirement is to be able to spend more time with the younger generation. He also plans to do some traveling, play plenty of golf, and work on his hobby of restoring and refinishing furniture.
