Rev. Randy Wild named superintendent

1/28/2010

Bishop Mike Lowry announced Jan. 24 the appointment of Rev. Randy M. Wild to superintendent of the Mid-Cities District of the Central Texas Conference. Rev. Wild is currently in his sixth year as senior pastor at the 1,900-member St. Barnabas United Methodist Church in Arlington. His new position is effective in June with the retirement of Rev. Connally Dugger who has served as Mid-Cities superintendent since 2003.

Rev. Wild comes to the Cabinet at a time when the conference will soon take action on aligning its resources to better serve local churches in their critical role of making disciples of Christ for the transformation of the world.
When asked about the biggest challenges before the church today, Rev. Wild believes change itself can be a challenge.  “We don’t trust God … or perhaps we only trust God up to a certain point,” he says. “For way too long we have been resistant to change. Old habits and old strategies won’t just die by themselves. We must give them up,” he said.
“Ministries that once worked, ideas that once bore much fruit, practices that at one point were cutting edge, have become crutches to cling to the familiar of yesterday instead of letting go and experiencing the anxiety of the unknown of today and tomorrow,” he states.
“We must learn to place our trust in the Lord’s leading and not give in to our own fears and anxiety. In the end, we need to trust that the eternal God is at work in our lives and in our churches so that what God wants becomes our dream as well,” he states.
Rev. Wild earned his B.B.A. in management at Texas Tech University, his Master of Divinity at Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University, and did post-graduate work at Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. His earliest appointment was to Couts Memorial United Methodist Church in 1977, followed by appointments to First Hurst where he was associate pastor and then senior pastor, First Midlothian, Richland Hills and then Genesis United Methodist Church before his current appointment at St. Barnabas.
 “I bring to this new position a deep and abiding love for the The United Methodist Church in general and for the people and churches of the Mid-Cities District in particular,” he said, recalling personal memories.
“The Mid-Cities District is sacred and holy ground for me … it’s family … it’s home. In its churches my wife Katy and I were baptized, confirmed and married. In its churches we have held funerals for Katy’s mom, my parents, grandparents, a sister and my daughter. In its churches I began my ministry, have served 18 of my 35 years in ministry, and have pastored three of its congregations,” he recalls.
Rev. Wild cites several other commitments he brings to the superintendency: “I bring a hunger to be faithful in living out the gospel and sharing it among all people. I bring willingness, and I believe a responsibility, to push the envelope of current ministry practices. And I bring a sense of joy to everything I do.”
Congregations in the Mid-Cities District will come to experience these deep commitments and his passions. “Overall, I have a passion in ministry for excellence — not perfection, but excellence,” he states. “We serve a God that gave us the best gift he had to offer in his son, Jesus Christ. We were loved enough by Jesus Christ to give us his best and ultimate gift when he died on the cross for us. In response, we must give our very best selves in all of life as evidenced through our worship, prayer, evangelistic efforts, and in and through every ministry.
“I have a passion for people,” Rev. Wild likes to say. “I yearn for everyone to experience and live the awesome and amazing grace and love of a forgiving God.”