By MICHAEL CAREY ’27
Updated 11:50 a.m. EDT, 10 April 2026
The Wesleyan Church (TWC) is undergoing a significant transition this year. In Nov 2025, the General Board of TWC voted to recommend Rev. Dr. James A. Dunn as the General Superintendent nominee for the 2026-2030 term.
Dunn brings decades of ministry experience and leadership in both denominational and academic settings at TWC. Dunn’s heart for the local church is demonstrated by his extensive service in pastoral ministry, where he served churches in Indiana and Oklahoma from 1981 to 2004. Dunn has served in a multitude of roles for the denomination at large, including General Director of TWC’s Spiritual Formation department for eight years, Executive Director of TWC’s Church Multiplication and Discipleship for four years, and Vice-President of the Wesleyan Investment Foundation’s Church Relations for three years.
Dunn has been a champion of Christian liberal arts colleges throughout his career, and he believes in the transformative impact the experience can have on students. Dunn taught and served on the boards of multiple Christian institutions, such as Oklahoma Wesleyan University, Wesley Seminary and Indiana Wesleyan University. Most recently, Dunn served as the President of Oklahoma Wesleyan University since 2019, a role that combines his expertise in academic and denominational leadership and his passion for investing in Christian Education.
More important than his resume is Dunn’s heart for the church to thrive. In commenting on the nomination of Dunn for the General Superintendency, President Wayne D. Lewis of Houghton University (HU) said, “Dr. Dunn would bring to the General Superintendency a heart for the church and God’s people and a wealth of ministry leadership experience from various contexts.” Dunn, quoting one of John Wesley’s sermons, said that the rallying cry of TWC is “to save souls. For this I will be spend and spent.” This focus represents the heart of Wesley’s theology and the tradition of the Wesleyan church since its inception.
Intimately linked to that renewed missional focus is the role of Wesleyan institutions, such as HU, which serve as the primary training ground for individuals, both involved in vocational and non-vocational ministry, preparing them for ministry in a changing world. Lewis said that Dunn’s prior experience as the president of a Wesleyan university, “would be beneficial to our universities and to the broader Wesleyan Church.” Lewis said that he looks forward to their “continued Kingdom work together.”
Chair of Religion and Associate Professor of Christian Ministry, Rev. Dr. JL Miller, commenting on the process of election, said that there is “equal representation between clergy and lay” in the delegates who select the General Superintendent. This ensures that those chosen to lead the denomination have a heart towards both clergy and the everyday churchgoer.
If confirmed at the General Conference, Dunn will be installed as General Superintendent at the final session of the General Conference on May 20, 2026, and will succeed Schmidt, after he served two terms from 2016 to 2026. In the announcement of Dunn as the nominee, Schmidt and the executive leadership at TWC encouraged the church to continue praying for Dunn and for the rest of the delegates as they continue the process through the General Conference. ★
