Barbara Jones Resigns
Rev. Barbara Jones has submitted her resignation to the Board of the Great River Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Her resignation is effective July 31, 2015.
On July 31, Rev. Jones will complete 20 years as Executive Regional Minister to the Great River Region. She will be moving to Kansas City to be able to assist with her parents, and will seek a ministry position there.
Jones was called originally to serve as the Executive Regional Minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Arkansas. After 6 years of growth in the region, she and other leaders in Arkansas worked on a transition team to explore the creation of a new region that could bring together Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi Disciples into something new.
That new entity, the Great River Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), came into being Sept 1, 2002, and Jones served as Co-Executive with Rev. William B. McKnight until his retirement in January of 2004. Throughout 2004 the region became staffed as envisioned by the “LAM.LTD: Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi – Living Toward Discipleship” Transition Team, just in time to be ready to respond to the disasters of historic proportions, Hurricane Katrina, the flooding of New Orleans, and Hurricane Rita.
Regional pastors, staff, congregational members and pastors, General Ministry partners, individuals throughout the Disciples of Christ, and volunteers from all over the country responded for over 5 years with continuing donations of dollars, materials, labor, time, and God’s love. Congregations who sent volunteers were changed by their involvement in recovery of the Gulf Coast.
The Great River Region became a network of individuals and congregations committed to bringing God’s love to the point of greatest need, and they grew deeper and differently than originally envisioned.
“Critical Presence” shaped Jones and the region. She has been known for her passion for governance, mission, youth ministry, and to “get there” when and where needed. Now, as her parents need her closer, it’s time for her to pass the baton of leadership to a new generation. Though chomping at the bit to know what’s next in ministry, Jones remembers the words preached at her ordination on January 1, 1984: “Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfector of our faith” (Heb. 12:1b-2a).