Dear Pacific Conference,

As I begin this adventure of being the Pacific Conference Superintendent I am keenly aware that I am less than perfect. I can't do everything Randy did, and if I tried I probably wouldn't be that successful because I'm not Randy. 

On superintendent election day, back in August, I recalled when I first became a pastor many years ago. I was in my 20's and was told to pastor a church and I knew I was in over my head. I hung on for dear life to the story from Genesis 41 where Pharaoh brings Joseph to interpret his dream. Joseph had interpreted a dream before and the word got to the king of Egypt. Joseph was summoned to interpret the dream for the Pharaoh, and Joseph's response was, "I can’t do it, but the God I serve can.” 

I have experience and education, but I know that isn't enough and I cannot do this job under my own power, but the God I serve can. I hope you'll give me a little bit of grace and let me learn how to be a superintendent. Sadly, my normal way of learning is typically the hard way. 

What I want the Pacific Conference to know is that I love you. I love this conference. I love our history and our story together. We have yet to have a perfect pastor in this conference, but I love all of them because they have put themselves out there saying "yes" to God and being willing to serve. That's huge. Over the years I've been way too quick to complain about the superintendent and the conference, so I'm pretty sure it will happen to me too. Just know that even to those who complain the most, I love you and I'm for you and not against you. 

I also need you to know that your part in the conference is incredibly important. 1 Corinthians 12:22 says that each part of the body is necessary. You are a necessary part of the Body of Christ. We are a group of churches working together to share the Good News with a lost and hurting world that desperately needs to hear the gospel message of salvation. 

We are all about the authority of Scripture. It is not a nice book of suggestions, it is our rule of life and the primary way God speaks to us. We are all about the centrality of Jesus. Everything we do is because of Jesus who changed our lives and it is still in the business of changing lives. And we are all about the Great Commission. We are not just to "keep the faith," we are to share the faith. Many things about society and culture and ministry are changing, but what does not change is the mission of the conference. George Millen said in 1968, “Its mission is to proclaim the New Testament gospel of free and full salvation,” and this is just as true today as it was then.

Superintendent Brian Hotrum