Former Heartland District Superintendent Bill Dobbs officially took office as the clergy assistant to the Bishop on July 1. Reporter Editor RJ Walters recently caught up with him to see how he was adjusting, what he prides himself on, and what vision he has for the Michigan Area conferences.
Q: Did you ever aspire to be the clergy assistant to the bishop or was it something that just kind of came out of left field?
A: “The short answer to that is no, I never envisioned myself in this place and in this position. My whole vision for myself was focused on service to the local church and I was surprised when Bishop Keaton asked me to serve as a district superintendent in the Heartland District. I was planning on retiring from that position and looking forward to it — until the day in his office when he asked if I would be willing to stay on for a few more years to do this position. After prayer, we agreed.”
Q: Having had a few weeks to look around, what does the Michigan Area look like from the top of the mountain compared to being a DS, which you could say is halfway up the mountain? Are there any major surprises early on for you?
A: “The biggest difference is how much bigger the mountain is. The Heartland District was a fair-sized district geographically, but it was still only one part of the mountain, so I have a lot of new names and places to learn. I have an advantage in that I grew up in the Detroit Conference; my home church is Cass City and I served in as an officer in the youth fellowship in the Port Huron District back in the MYF days. I know some pastors and some place because of great memories, but I’m having to learn all new faces and new people — and that’s the steepest (part) of the learning curve as it’s attached to this job.”
Q: Just an individual, what are a few things you would like people to know about you that you feel helps define who you are?
A: “The first thing that some people who know me know and I would like others to know, is I am committed to family. I have four children and six grandchildren, I love spending time with them. I love music — I was a high school band director in a former career. And I love to be part of making music, interestingly enough not as a soloist, but as part of an ensemble; either a quartet or larger group where we can make music in harmony. And I love the church because it gives me the opportunity not only to make music, but to see so much of what we do in harmony.
Q: So when can we expect you and the Bishop to start musically collaborating together?
A: “We love to make music together. As part of both cabinets I look forward to being able to sing harmony to the Bishop.”
Q: In your Dean’s Report at the West Michigan Annual Conference you talked about stepping out in faith during a time many people in the state simply want to go back to old times, when things were “better.” What leadership tools will you use to inspire positive forward thinking in your position?
A: “I think that the way to lead is first to spend a lot of time in prayer and secondly, to step out in faith and to invite others to go with you on the journey. The reference I made at annual conference in the Dean’s Report, stepping into the water or sea of change is equally true for both sides of the state. We are at a point where we’re facing great challenges, but the way to the future is forward.”
Q: In your first few weeks on the job, what have you learned about the Bishop that you did not know?
A: “First of all, people need to understand we’ve worked together as Bishop and cabinet for the last five years, so I have already seen aspects of the Bishop that many persons may not have observed. Things like his deep passion for the church, and his pain over the church’s struggles. What I have seen in this job is the real depth of his concern for making disciples and transforming the world. That’s not just a phrase, not just a slogan. It is what he’s about and everything he seems to do is couched in that vision.
Q: What kind of sage advice did Terry Euper give you before you took on the position?
A: “I think the advice that Terry gave me was to take my time, to not feel like it all had to be done in the first 10 minutes. To take my time and get my feet under me. It was great advice. It’s hard to follow someone like Terry. He did a great job in this position in the years he was here and on the one hand it’s hard to live up to that kind of person. The other sense however is that he made it easy because he set such a good path that it’s easy to follow in his footsteps
Q: Are there any tangible goals or specific missions you would like to make happen in your new position?
A: “The vision on one hand is already set for us. The General Conference sets our mission before us, “Making disciples for Jesus Christ and transforming the world.” It gives us a vision of how we’re going to do that through doing things like providing new places for new spaces and ministry to the poor. But the other side of that, you always have to hold that mission and vision with attention to the needs of the immediate. It can change from day to day and moment to moment. We have this vision of what it is to be a church engaged in making disciples in the 21st century…in that sense we also have to adapt to the needs of the moment.
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