Announcement: RMN’s Rev. Emily Bagwell Appointed to Centenary UMC in Richmond, VA
With deep gratitude, we share that Rev. Emily Bagwell, RMN’s Director of Resource Management & Development, will be shifting from full-time to part-time with us as she responds to a call to serve a local church in Richmond, Virginia.
Beginning July 1, Emily will serve as the pastor of Centenary UMC – a Reconciling Church that is ready to receive her steady, bold, and collaborative leadership.
Emily first joined the RMN team in the wake of the 2019 General Conference. She came to us under the Pacific Northwest Conference’s Safe Harbor provision, a pathway that allowed Emily to keep her clergy credentials intact while she lived out her call in ministry beyond the local church. The Reconciling movement has been richly blessed because of that provision — and because of Emily.
During her time leading our resource management and development efforts, Emily helped build and organize the crucial educational resources that RMN has offered over these past six years. She not only oversaw the creation of these resources, but she also mobilized countless Reconciling United Methodists to first take part in their creation, and then to use them. Through her leadership, congregations and individuals across the connection are equipped with meaningful and theologically grounded tools for the work of kin-dom building.
It is no surprise to us – or to anyone with the pleasure of knowing her – that Emily’s heart is still rooted in pastoral ministry. As Emily returns to her vocational core, we give thanks for the developments in our Church that make her return possible. Emily’s contributions to the Reconciling movement thus far have helped clear the way for other LGBTQ+ people to step into ministry with courage in our changing denomination.
Photos by Corbin Payne
We’re grateful that Emily isn’t going far. Her continued presence in a part-time capacity is a gift to both our staff and the movement. As she steps into this new pastoral role, we send our prayers with her — for a smooth transition, for deep joy in ministry, and for the people of Centenary about to be blessed by Emily’s leadership.
Laura Young will transition into the role of Director of the LGBTQ+ Center for Resource Development and Congregational Engagement, and Emily will support her in that role.
Thank you, Emily, for the faithful, grace-filled witness you offer in every field of ministry you encounter. We’re cheering you on with love.
