Bishop James E. Swanson (left) will serve as president of the General Commission on United Methodist Men along with Bishop Gary E.  Mueller as vice president

NASHVILLE, Tenn.–– Mississippi Bishop James E. Swanson Sr., will serve as president of the General Commission on UM Men for the 2017-2012 quadrennium, a position he has held since 2013.

Swanson was elected at the August 11-13 organizational meeting of the commission, which was convened by retired Bishop Joe Pennel, a member of the first commission created by the 1996 General Conference. He chaired the Scouting Committee of the 1997-2000 board.

Bishop Swanson

A graduate of Southern Bible College, Houston, and C. H. Mason Seminary, ITC, Atlanta, Swanson was ordained as an elder in the South Georgia Conference. He served as pastor of St. Mary’s Road UMC in Columbus, Ga., for 14 years, where the church grew from 16 active members to 950 with 525 in average worship attendance. In 2001, he became superintendent of the Savannah District, and he was elected to the episcopacy in 2004. He served the Holston Area from 2004 to 2012, when he was assigned to the Mississippi Area.

Other officers

Arkansas Bishop Gary E. Mueller, a graduate of the University of Kansas in Lawrence and Perkins School of Theology in Dallas, was elected vice president. Mueller served several churches in the North Texas Conference prior to his election to the episcopacy in 2012. He also served a four-year term as director of connectional ministries for the conference.

Henry Dozier, president of the Southeastern Jurisdiction UM Men, was elected secretary and Glenn Wintemberg, president of the UM Men Foundation, was elected treasurer.

The Rev. Jennifer Wilson will chair the Personnel Committee; Phillip Howard will chair the Scouting Ministries Committee; and Kenneth Hudgins will chair the Men’s Ministry/leadership and Church Renewal Committee.