The Rev. Dr. Greg Bergquist, General Secretary of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) of the United Methodist Church, announced his retirement in October 2023. He also informed that GBHEM and the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) would be moving toward greater collaboration, having Roland Fernandes as the common General Secretary after Bergquist’s retirement. GBHEM, GBGM, and UMCOR would remain as separate entities, but this articulation will enable them to collaborate more effectively, as they announced jointly in June 2023. Read the joint announcement here.
Having served as General Secretary of GBHEM since 2019, Bergquist concluded his tenure having led the organization through a challenging time, which included dramatic changes in the United Methodist Church after the 2019 General Conference, a global pandemic of COVID-19 which started in 2020 and affected many countries for at least three years – resulting in the death of millions of people worldwide, including important educational leaders connected to IAMCSU – and a new economic reality which led to the sale of GBHEM’s headquarters, the introduction of remote work, adaptation of the workforce, and a reimagination of the future work of the Board. As part of this process, Bergquist affirmed the importance of the partnership between GBHEM and IAMSCU, especially as both organizations seek to reaffirm the Wesleyan and Methodist tradition of education, but with attention to regional contexts and the search for worldwide connections. Thus, Bergquist initiated the transition to his retirement by issuing a joint statement in June 2023, coinciding with the celebration of the 320th birthday of John Wesley (1703-2023) and affirming that GBHEM would continue to work with IAMSCU.
In 2024, Bergquist is completing 40 years of ministry and getting ready for the next phase of his career. He was trained in Industrial Engineering, studied Theology at Candler School of Theology at Emory University and Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University. He served as Pastor in Florida, Georgia and California kin the United States, served as Faculty at Pacific School of Religion in California, and was Conference Superintendent for leadership development with the Warner Brown and Bishop Minerva Carcaño. Together with his wife, Connie Marshall Bergquist, he will dedicate more time for studies, travels, and family, before focusing on some other projects, including the continuity of his services to GBHEM and the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) as a Special Assistant to the General Secretary. More details can be read on the agencies’ websites: www.gbhem.org and www.umcmission.org.