Global United Methodism: Bishop Malone’s Insights on Vibrancy Across Continents

Philip Amerson [00:00:01]:

Greetings, everyone. This is Phil Amerson again with the Be and Do podcast. And this podcast is one that I've been looking forward to for quite a while. It's with a good friend, Bishop Tracy Smith Malone, the area bishop for Indiana, but so much more. And we've been friends for a long time. I tried to figure it out.

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone [00:00:29]:

Tried to.

Philip Amerson [00:00:29]:

Tracy and I, I, I'm not that good with numbers.

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone [00:00:34]:

Yeah, since 1990. 1990 is where we first met.

Philip Amerson [00:00:38]:

Is that right? Wow. Well, it's, it's great to have you with us today. And first of all, I want to say thank you for being our bishop. Oh my. We're so pleased to have you here. And tell us not everyone who listens to these podcasts knows about you. So tell us a little bit about yourself and your family and your background.

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone [00:01:09]:

Sure. Well, I am Tracy Smith Malone, and I was born and raised in our beloved United Methodist Church. I am a pk. I'm a preacher's kid. My father was a second generation United Methodist pastor and my mother was both an RN nurse and a school teacher. I was raised alongside my five siblings. I'm one of six. I'm the oldest girl in the family and we were raised in the church.

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone [00:01:42]:

And so I've given my total life to the church. I am married to Derek Malone. We met in college. We've been married for 32 years. And we have two wonderful daughters. Alexis, she is married, living in Columbus, Ohio, finishing up her PhD in clinical psychology. And she has one child, our one and only grandchild, our grandson, C.J. charles Anthony Woolery III.

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone [00:02:15]:

And we also have, our youngest daughter is Ashley, and she's a social worker and mentor, Ohio. And she was recently married. I had the gift of officiating her wedding literally a month ago. And so, yeah, so we're, we're just so blessed and so thankful. And both of our girls are still very active in the life of the church. And so that, that, that just makes my heart happy.

Philip Amerson [00:02:45]:

Well, these are wonderful years for you and your family. New marriages, new grandbabies. C.J. what, what a terrific time.

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone [00:02:56]:

One years old.

Philip Amerson [00:03:00]:

Well, I was thinking about it this morning and I was aware again that you are the first female Episcopal leader in Indiana. And we're the last of the conferences in the north central jurisdiction to have a woman Episcopal leader. And people who do not know United Methodist history wouldn't know that the very first woman Episcopal leader was Marjorie Matthews, and she was elected in 1980. And then in 1984, Leontine Kelly, teeny Kelly was elected and the same year Judith Craig was elected.

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone [00:03:44]:

Yeah. The first African American female elected.

Philip Amerson [00:03:48]:

That's right, Leontine. And I can still hear her, hear her singing. How great a foundation, you saints of the Lord. So we've been blessed to have wonderful women from the north central part of the US Although Lian Taine was from the southeast, but was elected in, in the west western jurisdiction.

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone [00:04:15]:

Yes.

Philip Amerson [00:04:16]:

We're very blessed. Yeah. And so thank you for coming and helping us finally in Indiana have a female leader. Many of us were praying and I.

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone [00:04:30]:

Will tell you, as I have moved across the state, state from both men and women and especially from the younger women, there's so much celebration around that. And I receive notes and even words and expressions when I'm present with people of how excited I'm genuinely excited and honored, not just for Tracy Smith Malone and my leadership, but, but to have a female Episcopal leader. It's a gift.

Philip Amerson [00:05:06]:

And you not only have leadership responsibilities for Indiana, but you're the president of the Council of Bishops for the entire denomination.

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone [00:05:18]:

Yes.

Philip Amerson [00:05:19]:

And I, I watch your Facebook posts and other posts and I'm tired just seeing all the travel you do.

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone [00:05:31]:

Yes. Sometimes I wake up and wonder where am I and what time zone am I on?

Philip Amerson [00:05:40]:

Well, I've seen, I've seen recently and, and I, there may be more, but I know you've been to Africa at least twice this year.

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone [00:05:48]:

Yes. Yes.

Philip Amerson [00:05:50]:

And, and there was a consultation on Latin America and there you were.

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone [00:05:55]:

Yes. Yeah. One of the privileges that I do have as a bishop of the United Methodist Church and in my role as the president of the council that I do do a lot of travel on behalf of the church. And I'm so privileged to be able to move across our worldwide connection and be a part of these conversations and ministries and to witness firsthand, you know, how the spirit of God is moving and what the witness is of the church in these many and varied places.

Philip Amerson [00:06:26]:

Well, for those of us that are old timers in Indiana, it feels like you're bringing back an emphasis on the global church that's always been here. But I remember especially in the 1960s and 1970s, a number of folks from Africa and from Latin America who came, we actually had positions for mission interpreters that would come and spend time in the conference. And so I know many of the people who are listening would be interested in your take on what's happening in the international scene. I know we hear so much about the tragedies in Somalia or Gaza or other places, but you've been able to see the church in other settings. Tell us what you see and understand to be happening in United Methodism.

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone [00:07:31]:

Thank you for that question, Phil. The United Methodist Church. Let me begin by saying that we are a worldwide church and I like to refer to the United Methodist Church literally as a global enterprise. We have mission and ministries all across the continent of Africa, across the continent of Europe. We have many churches in the Philippines, we have ministries in Korea, we have ministries all throughout Latin America and also the the Caribbean ministries in Europe. We are a worldwide church and I do spend a lot of time in Africa. And of course more recently I was there in the Congo on behalf of the Council of Bishops to preside over the elections of three new episcopal leaders and also serve on the Africa University Board. So I'm there in Zimbabwe area twice a year.

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone [00:08:34]:

But even being at those board meetings because you have bishops and leaders who represent other parts of the continent, I am always at least three times a year in the presence of what is happening on the continent of Africa. And the church is growing on the continent at an extraordinary pace. Not just in numbers, but just the depth of discipleship I witnessed even a few months ago when I was in the Congo. There is such a hunger for God's word. The worship is so vibrant and full and talk about a praying people like fervently praying people spending hours in prayers. There is such vitality on the continent of area of Africa, so much so that the general church passed legislation for us to be able to elect more bishops for Africa because of the rapid growth. And what strikes me so much particularly about that region is that even in the midst of great challenge, even in the midst of war and famine, where resources are scarce, there is a profound sense of hospitality and generosity and disciple making. There's this vibrancy and.

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone [00:09:59]:

And I would say that the African church teaches us, and when I say us, particularly us Americans, what it means to fully depend on God's grace and God's power because we see it at work. When I was in Latin America, we had bishops and leaders from all across Latin America, from different parts of the Caribbean. And to hear the conversations we were in a consultation to hear how they are living out the gospel, addressing poverty, addressing injustice, addressing violence. And with such courage and faith, I mean, you get to witness firsthand how their ministry and how their witnesses transforming communities and how they're standing alongside the marginalized. The church is alive and vibrant in Latin America, in the Philippines. Oh my gosh, I was there last November again presiding over the elections. When I say vitality a contagious vitality, especially among the young people in both the urban and in the rural areas. They're planting congregations, they're strengthening the schools, they're raising up leaders.

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone [00:11:20]:

They're passionate about evangelism and mission. I mean, when I say the church is alive and well in the Philippines and the same thing in Europe. In Europe, they may be smaller in numbers and they're operating in highly secularized context, but United Methodists are faithfully living out the gospel and often with the minority voice, but they're leading in ministries of justice and reconciliation. So the church is alive and well across the worldwide church.

Philip Amerson [00:11:54]:

What. What I love about what you're sharing is you're talking about the churches in these other parts of the world being the subject of ministry and not the objects of our mission.

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone [00:12:09]:

Amen. Amen.

Philip Amerson [00:12:11]:

You know, there was a wonderful article in the Christian Century recently by Sam Wells, who. Who's Anglican pastor at St Martin in the Field, and Sam's a terrific theologian, preacher. But Sam said those of us in the west who've been so used to paternalism need to know that that hospitality is good, but we maybe need to learn, as he said, there's not a good English word for it, but let's call it guest ability.

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone [00:12:46]:

Amen.

Philip Amerson [00:12:46]:

What is our ability to be present and to. And to learn and to see what the Holy Spirit is about in other places.

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone [00:12:56]:

Yeah.

Philip Amerson [00:12:56]:

And it sounds like that's a bit of what you're reporting in terms of what you're seeing around the world.

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone [00:13:04]:

That's right. Even in the midst of all of the change that has happened in our denomination, the mission of the United Methodist Church is alive and vibrant, and lives and communities are being transformed. And I get to witness that, and I'm so grateful for it.

Philip Amerson [00:13:25]:

That's great. That's great. And we see in our own annual conference more and more international persons that are in leadership.

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone [00:13:37]:

Yes. And as we have opened ourselves. And that's one thing, too, that I love about the United Methodist Church. We're truly a connectional church, and we share and we exchange clergy all across the world. You have clergy from the US Serving in multiple places around the world. And we also have clergy from all parts of the connection serving here in Indiana in particular, but also in other parts of the usa. And they have brought to us just a fresh expression of vitality, the energy, the wisdom, the experience that they bring to us. They infuse us with this level of vibrancy that's really unexplainable.

Philip Amerson [00:14:25]:

Well, I think I've got this right, and you can correct me if I'm not, but I believe we have the first female African bishop that has been elected.

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone [00:14:35]:

Yes, yes. In the Congo. And when I say how exciting and powerful. Oh, my gosh, yes, we're very fortunate. History making.

Philip Amerson [00:14:50]:

And I've told you before, I think one of my students from many years ago when I was at Claremont School of Theology, is a new bishop in Zimbabwe. And that's Gift Machinga. Yes, and Gift and his wife Margaret. Oh. Oh, they're the best.

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone [00:15:11]:

Amen. Amen. And Bishop Nyala was the first African bishop. But the blessing is that we have a new bishop, Bishop Machinga, who has just been elected. And so we're. We're very thankful.

Philip Amerson [00:15:29]:

So I'll tell you a quick story about Margaret. Mats Matveita. I think. Matsvita. I was there many years ago. I think it was at the dedication of Africa university for the 10th year, and I was their guests. And we were driving in a truck along a road going to worship, and she pulls over and stops and starts down a path under a bridge. And she looks back and says, are you coming? And so I got out of the truck and followed her.

Philip Amerson [00:16:08]:

And about that time, six little boys came running up the path, all shouting, mama, Mama, Mama.

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone [00:16:15]:

Yes.

Philip Amerson [00:16:16]:

And she was picking them up for church. And they were boys that were orphaned because of the AIDS epidemic that was so prevalent at the time. And here Margaret had developed a ministry on her own just to care for these children and that caring for them, living under a bridge, moved to having a house and nearby where they could stay, the churches. And those little boys climbed in the back of the truck and we went to worship. And it was clear that congregation was loving all over them.

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone [00:16:53]:

Oh, yeah. And that's one thing that you really see is the. The church is where the people are. The church is where the needs are. The street ministry, if you will, but yet connecting them, loving them into the faith. You. You see that everywhere you go. I mean, you really see ministry with the poor and ministry with the marginalized with people who would be considered the untouchables.

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone [00:17:20]:

You see the church reaching and being the body of Christ, the face of Christ in these communities and with these people, God's people.