Rev. Cammy Gaston Announces Retirement Plans

Gaston to retire January 1, after more than three decades of service in the North Texas Conference

After more than 35 years of dedicated service, Rev. Cammy Gaston has declared her intention to retire from active ministry in The United Methodist Church, effective January 1, 2024.

Gaston’s ministry journey began in 1980 at an International Methodist Youth Conference where she experienced the diversity and breadth of The United Methodist Church and claimed it for herself.

She started her ministry with youth in 1982, served as the Coordinator for CCYM from 1990-1993 and was on the launch team for Perkins School of Youth Ministry. Her ministry in the North Texas Annual Conference has included appointments to FUMC Allen and FUMC Richardson, planting Church of the Disciple in 1993, and serving as chaplain at Methodist Hospitals of Dallas, director of the Denton Wesley Foundation Campus Ministry and as Metro District Superintendent. Since 2018, she has served as the director for The Center for Leadership Development.

“I first had the pleasure of working with Cammy more than 20 years ago, when I served United Methodist congregations in East Dallas and Oak Cliff,” said Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. “She has always been an innovative and compassionate servant-leader, committed to lifting up and preparing the next generation of leaders in The United Methodist Church. I appreciate her commitment to equipping our clergy for their work in the mission field, and I’ll certainly miss her voice on the Cabinet.”

An important aspect of Gaston’s ministry has always been mentoring and empowering Christian leaders. One of her goals as a District Superintendent and as director for The Center for Leadership Development was to strategically engage and empower more young and diverse candidates for ministry through attentive processes and mentorship. In 2021 and 2022, these efforts bore fruit, as the North Texas Conference had the youngest percentage of clergy under 35 in the United States.

“It gives me so much joy to pour into the lives of new ministers in the North Texas Conference,” Gaston said. “I am continually encouraged and inspired by the energy I see in our young clergy and candidates for ministry. I know that they are going to be crucial in carrying The United Methodist Church into the future in a way that is relevant and meaningful, and I’m grateful to have been able to play a role in their paths to ministry.”

Gaston will continue in her current role through the end of the year, and the entire Center for Leadership Development team is prepared to continue the important work of supporting, encouraging and equipping NTC clergy in the transition.

In her retirement, Gaston plans to coach and mentor, serve as a delegate to General Conference and be of service in the community. She is looking forward to pursuing her creative hobbies, connecting with her family and friends across the country and supporting husband Matt, who serves as the lead pastor at FUMC Plano and is not ready to retire yet.

“Serving the North Texas Conference has been such an honor and a gift,” she said. “And while it makes me smile to look back on all that I’ve been able to be a part of, I’m even more excited about what’s next for the North Texas Conference and the direction we’re heading. We have incredible leaders in Bishop Saenz, our NTC Cabinet and our conference’s clergy and laity. I’m truly looking forward to this next chapter and getting to invest in the church in a new way.” 

Published: Wednesday, August 9, 2023