Bishop Julius Calvin Trimble has announced that the Rev. Scott Hibben will be appointed Lead Pastor of Ankeny First United Methodist Church, beginning July 1, 2014.
Rev. Hibben is currently the Leadership Development Minister for Evangelism and New Ministry Development. In that role he has played a primary role in leading the Healthy Church Initiative; worked with the Standing Committees on Parish Development and Hispanic/Latino Ministries; coached congregations and pastors as they have planned and developed new ministries; and guided the Connectional Ministries Council’s Committee on Planning and Research.
Prior to his service as a Leadership Development Minister, Rev. Hibben was the founding pastor of Oakwood United Methodist Church in Pleasant Hill. He also has served in the conference as pastor to Ivy Centennial, Primghar, and Morgan-Bradford-Lee Center.
“Scott brought to his Leadership Development ministry a passion for sharing the love of Jesus Christ with the world," said Rev. Karen Dungan, Assistant to the Bishop for Connectional Ministries. "His faith, skills and knowledge enabled our Conference to make significant progress in assisting congregations in both renewing their desire to extend their witness for Christ into their communities and acting on that desire. We will miss his presence and his leadership, but we also wish him every blessing as he leads the saints in Ankeny. We know that he will use his many gifts to strengthen and grow the significant and fruitful ministries that already are happening in and through that congregation.”