Meet Our Leaders: Linda Settles

For the next year, each month, we will feature a different Conference board, committee or team by highlighting a member and their connectional experience of serving beyond the local church.

Trustees Board (Missouri Standing Rule 125.00)
The Missouri Annual Conference Board of Trustees shall be incorporated as a nonprofit organization in the State of Missouri. The Board of Trustees shall be organized and perform those duties outlined in 640 and 2512 of the 2016 Book of Discipline. The sole corporate member of the corporation shall be the Missouri Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. The directors shall be the individuals elected by the session.

The Board of Trustees shall receive and hold in trust for and on behalf of the Annual Conference all real or personal property acquired by the Annual Conference with the exception of Missouri Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church; The Board of Pensions of the Missouri Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church; or any other incorporated boards of affiliated entities with the Board of Trustees of The United Methodist Church. {Membership: 12}

Featured Committee Member: Rev. Dr. Linda Settles
Rev. Dr. Linda Settles is senior pastor of Green Trails UMC in Chesterfield. She has served on the Trustees Board since 2018 and is the former chairperson of the Values Team. What do you enjoy about serving on this board, committee or team?

The sense that the board is stewarding God's assets that have been entrusted to our care. Why does the work on this board, committee or team matter? It matters because to have healthy ministries that bear fruit and make disciples, it's important to have a healthy structure that undergirds and supports it. Good policies and procedures ensure the accountability that is needed so that churches are free to minister to their communities in healthy ways.

What do you wish others knew about serving beyond the local church on a Conference committee?
What I wish folks knew is that it is not overwhelming but rather affirming to serve beyond the local church andto have a voice at the table. I feel that my participation helps to make a difference in the shaping of the MOAC. Plus, I've made friends and acquaintances I would not have made beyond St. Louis.

REV. DR. LINDA SETTLES, SENIOR PASTOR, UMC OF GREEN TRAILS