Vitality Specialists announced
As the BWC begins to live into its new structure, and the churches of the Baltimore-Washington and Peninsula-Delaware Area continue to grow in discipleship, three new specialists have been hired to help them become more vital.
“God is truly doing a new thing in our midst,” said Bishop LaTrelle Miller Easterling. The United Methodist Church is stepping into God’s preferred future with a new mission statement: "The United Methodist Church forms disciples of Jesus Christ who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and worldwide connections."
“Everything we are undertaking positions us to do just that: love boldly, serve joyfully and lead courageously," the bishop said. "Our new vitality specialists will help lead the way.”
Leading the team of specialists will be the Rev. Bill Brown, who will serve as the Area’s Director of Congregational Excellence. His goal, he said, will be “to help every congregation – regardless of size, location, or current level of vitality – take its next faithful step toward God’s preferred future.”
Assisting him will be one vitality specialist in the Peninsula-Delaware Conference, where the job search is ongoing, and three specialists in the Baltimore-Washington Conference. They are the Rev. Lauren Jones, who currently serves as the BWC’s Congregational Development Coordinator; Timothy “T.J.” Mount, a consultant on church leadership and organizational transformation, and currently pastor of Lisbon UMC; and Dr. Bessie Hamilton, currently associate director of Connectional Ministry for New Faith Communities and Multi-Ethnic Initiatives in the Oklahoma Annual Conference.
The specialists, Brown said, will be “frontline companions” for local churches. They will bring a “fresh sense of holy curiosity and imagination, inviting congregations to ask not just how do we grow, but why are we here? Vitality specialists will offer theological grounding, cultural insight and practical tools to help churches shift from maintenance to mission.”
Each of the specialists brings a unique set of skills, gifts and perspectives to their role.
Before coming to the BWC to serve with its New Faith Expressions ministries, Jones worked as the communications manager for the Quixote Center in College Park, as a freelance writer, as the executive assistant to the dean at Wesley Theological Seminary, and in various positions in local AME churches.
“The Lord called me when I was 22 years old. I’ve learned over the last 24 years that there are ebbs and flows in ministry and many different seasons – including seasons of discouragement and seemingly stalled growth. I want churches to know that if we keep fanning the flame of our faith, cling to our ‘first love,’ and keep our hands to the plow, we will reap a mighty harvest for Christ,” she said, citing Luke 9:62; 2 Timothy 1:6-7; Revelation 2:4-5.
Before serving as pastor of Araby UMC in Frederick beginning in 2016, and at Lisbon UMC, beginning in 2021; Mount worked in the finance industry and as a soldier in the U.S. Army. He is also the founder and CEO of T.J. Mount, LLC in Germantown, a coaching and consulting business for faith-based leaders.
In his ministry, one of the most important lessons Mount says he has learned is that “discipleship doesn’t begin with a program — It begins with people. Every church is different, and every disciple’s journey is unique, so growing in discipleship starts by listening: to God, to one another, and to your community. Discipleship is about helping people live and love like Jesus in everyday life. That means it must be relational, intentional, and contextual … and aligning everything with a deep understanding of what it means to follow Christ.
With a Doctor of Education in Interdisciplinary Leadership and a Master of Theological Studies, Hamilton has served a wide array of leadership positions within The United Methodist Church, including associate director of Connectional Ministry for New Faith Communities and Multi-Ethnic Initiatives, coordinator of Multi-Ethnic Initiatives, campus pastor of the Wesley Foundations at Langston University, co-pastor, and new church planter.
Hamilton said she is excited about the opportunity to journey alongside congregations in the Baltimore-Washington Conference. For her, vitality and discipleship start with relationship. “Discipleship is deeply relational — rooted in intentional connection with God and with others,” she said. “I've learned that when churches listen well, center community stories, and create safe spaces for growth and grace, discipleship flourishes. Programs come and go, but transformational ministry begins with authentic, consistent presence and a willingness to walk alongside people through every season of life.”
Vitality, the specialists all stress, is a centerpiece for Area congregations. “Vital churches are not merely surviving; they are thriving through adaptability, authenticity, and a clear alignment with God’s vision,” they say.
Like Brown, they share a vision of the Area becoming a movement of mission-shaped congregations, in which every community of faith, regardless of size or setting, is thriving in its context, making disciples who make disciples, and living out the Gospel in tangible ways.”
“As we embrace our identity as a connectional church,” Brown said, “I believe we will see renewal rise not from the center but from the grassroots — from the small, bold, Spirit-led experiments of churches who believe that God is not done with us yet.”