Oklahoma Bishop Laura Merrill leads worship at the conference clergy retreat. (Oklahoma Conference Photo)
Oklahoma Conference | Feb. 11, 2026
When clergy from across the Oklahoma Conference gathered at Canyon Camp Jan. 9–11, they came carrying a wide range of experiences — joy and fatigue, hope and uncertainty, questions about leadership and change. What they found over the weekend was not just a meeting, but a shared space for rest, reflection, learning, and renewed connection.
Gathering for resilience in a changing season
The January gathering served as the conference’s Winter Orders meeting and was shaped around a theme of tempered resilience, with teaching and reflection led by author and leadership consultant Tod Bolsinger. Across worship, conversation, and time spent simply being together, participants explored what it means to lead faithfully in a season of rapid change — and how resilience is formed not in isolation, but in community.
Throughout the retreat, clergy engaged in teaching and spiritual practices centered on abiding in Christ and creating space for renewal that could extend well beyond their time at Canyon Camp. Bolsinger’s sessions focused on three core areas — Leading in a Changing World, From Trust to Transformation, and The Most Important Aspect of Leadership — offering both challenge and encouragement.
Building connection before content
Not by accident, the retreat began not with formal programming, but with connection.
Southern Hills UMC pastor Rev. Tracey Ivy described Friday night as feeling “like a fun family reunion,” with clergy gathering around campfires, playing games, making s’mores, and talking late into the night. That sense of shared life set the tone for the days that followed.
Rev. Keith Bethell, associate pastor at Boston Avenue UMC in Tulsa, said those informal conversations became the most meaningful part of the weekend. Talking with colleagues about where they are seeing God at work — and where they are hoping for renewal — helped remind him that “even though we are spread across the state, we are truly one people” called to shared ministry.
Learning to lead through change
As teaching sessions began, Bolsinger challenged participants to rethink common assumptions about leadership. “Good leadership involves disappointing people at a rate they can absorb,” he said, naming a reality many clergy know well. Leadership, he emphasized, is not about avoiding conflict, but about guiding people through change — even change they may resist.
That message resonated deeply with pastors navigating uncertainty in their own contexts.
Rev. Joey Simpson, Stroud UMC pastor, reflected that the retreat felt like “a spectacular answer to a longing and prayer of clergy to find a way to support one another in Christian love.” Drawing on Paul’s call to unity in Ephesians, he said the weekend offered a tangible experience of what it looks like when leaders are equipped together and grounded in shared purpose.
“The lectures from Todd Bolsinger were like a fresh rain after a long season of drought,” Simpson said. He noted that Bolsinger’s emphasis on relationship-building, self-awareness, and faith in Christ created a learning environment that felt both fresh and deeply pastoral.
Rev. Marla Lobo, director of Project Transformation of Oklahoma, said the retreat reinforced the need for leaders who are prepared not just to respond to change, but to guide others through it. “We must be leaders equipped for adaptive change so that we can guide our communities to a meaningful future,” she said.
Naming identity and honoring relationships
One concept that surfaced repeatedly was the importance of understanding a congregation’s unique identity. Bolsinger spoke about helping churches discover their “charis” — their particular gifts and calling — as a foundation for meaningful change. That idea sparked conversations that affirmed the distinctive stories of local congregations and lifted up the work of laity, especially in a season when many are discouraged.
Rev. Meg Burris, St. Paul’s UMC pastor, said what stood out to her most was the retreat’s focus on discernment around change — when it is needed, when it isn’t, and how to lead it wisely. She reflected on the importance of learning a church’s stories in order to understand its governing values.
“Without change, all systems will wither and die,” Burris said. But positive change, she added, requires recognizing not just what needs to shift, but why.
Burris also highlighted a sports analogy Bolsinger referenced, attributed to Wayne Gretzky — skating not to where the puck is, but to where it is going. For her, it underscored a common challenge in ministry: the tendency to react rather than lead, instead of taking thoughtful risks shaped by long-term vision.
Leading through presence
Relationships, again and again, wove through each session — the warp and weft of teachings, life lessons, and shared experiences.
Simpson described one of the most challenging and encouraging teachings as the call to build relationships, especially when disagreement or tension exists. “We are called to pursue people with a reckless kind of Christlike love,” he said, naming how transformation is often born not through strategy, but through sustained, faithful relationship.
Equally meaningful was the presence of conference leadership throughout the weekend. Time spent with Bishop Laura Merrill and district superintendents — around campfires, over meals, and in informal conversation — helped break down perceptions of distance or bureaucracy.
“By being in the canyon with us on retreat,” Simpson reflected, “our Bishop and superintendents made it clear that they are co-workers with us and the Holy Spirit toward the goal of transforming our churches and communities.”
Grounded in worship and shared hope
Saturday evening worship included a Wesleyan Covenant Service and Holy Communion, grounding the retreat’s leadership conversations in shared spiritual practice.
Drawing on the connection between the retreat weekend and the liturgical observance of the Baptism of the Lord, Bishop Laura Merrill offered a powerful word on pastoral identity.
“Whatever it meant to him, the story of the baptism of Jesus that has been passed down to us is an out-loud reminder that love was where he came from and to whom he belonged,” Merrill said. “As we seek to navigate both this chaotic, violent world and a church that is sometimes itself wounded, I really do believe that it is only by remembering our true identity that we’re going to be able to do the work.
“In turn, identity ends up being the work — standing in the river and reminding other people that the fundamental truth, before any other churchy thing, is that they are beloved, too.”
The weekend closed Sunday morning with a devotional led by Rev. Jeff Jaynes, drawing from Hebrews and offering an encouraging word about perseverance. Challenges and hard times, he reminded participants, are inevitable, but clergy are called to “hold to the unswerving hope we profess.”
Rev. Jinx Barber, pastor at St. Stephens UMC in Norman, said the retreat offered clergy permission to stop — something many rarely allow themselves to do.
“We are often taught that the only way out of the desert is to run until we find water,” Barber said. “But there is a sacred quiet in simply stopping to wait for the rain. To be given permission to stand still is to be given back your soul.”
As clergy returned to their churches and communities, they carried more than notes from lectures. They carried stories of shared laughter and honest conversation, renewed clarity about leadership, and a deeper sense of connection to one another.
Rev. Dr. Derrek Belase, director of connectional ministries, said being together at Canyon Camp offered clergy a meaningful way to begin the new year.
“Being in the beautiful setting of Canyon Camp among my colleagues was a blessing as we begin a new year in ministry,” Belase said. “We are enriched when we spend time together while learning and playing.”
In a season marked by transition, the retreat offered something many didn’t realize they were longing for — space to breathe, to listen, and to remember that resilient leadership is never a solo endeavor.
The Rev. Joey Simpson, Rev. Tracey Ivy, Rev. Meg Burris, and others contributed to this article republished from the Oklahoma Conference website.