Sage & Columbia District Superintendency team to start July 2026
Bishop Cedrick D. Bridgeforth intends to appoint Rev. Dr. Troy Lynn Carr, Rev. Melissa Harkness and Rev. Dr. Rob Walters to a superintendency team overseeing the Sage and Columbia Districts in the Oregon-Idaho Conference, July 1, 2026. Rev. Karen Hernandez will continue to serve as Columbia and Sage District Superintendent through the next appointment year before ending her tenure in the role.
Another person will be named to this superintendency team soon.
All members of the Columbia and Sage District Superintendency team are expected to continue their appointments to churches in the respective districts. However, the new appointment will reduce the time allotted to their pastoral duties when it arrives in 2026.
Rev. Carr will continue to be appointed at Gresham UMC in Oregon; Rev. Harkness will continue at her new appointment to Tualatin UMC in Oregon, which begins on July 1; and Rev. Walters will continue at Nampa First UMC in Idaho.
In December, Bishop Bridgeforth announced that he would initiate a new supervision model for the Greater Northwest Area. The superintendency team for the SeaTac District (PNW), the first district to shift into this model, was announced in February. The Crest to Coast Superintendency Team, also expected to begin in 2026, was announced in March. And the Puget Sound team was announced in April.
When sharing the news of these new appointments with their current churches, Bishop Bridgeforth expressed gratitude for the clergy moving into these roles, as well as the local congregations they serve leaning into this new model as well.
When he first announced the new superintendency model in December, the bishop promised to share the anticipated transitions of the district superintendents across the Oregon-Idaho and Pacific Northwest Conferences. He also expressed his desire to announce superintendency appointments that will be fixed this June and in 2026, as he did.
With this announcement, Bishop Bridgeforth is taking the next step in naming leaders who will move into these roles. This will give those beginning their service in 2026 additional time to prepare and learn from those who will first live into this new model this appointment year.
This new model of shared superintendency continues our area’s commitment to innovation in leadership and care for local churches, offering both continuity and creativity in service as we share the good news in a Wesleyan way.
Rev. Dr. Troy Lynn Carr expressed her goal in this new role:
“My commitment to the church and community is at the heart of my collaborative ministry approach,” she said. “I trust the Holy Spirit is the author of this new way, and I am honored to be part of the movement.”
Although this is a new model, Rev. Harkness said she’s inspired by the roots of Methodism in this work:
“One thing that continues to inspire me most about early Methodism is the deep connectionalism that created spaces of belonging and accountability,” Harkness said. “While still rooted in a local church and community, I am excited to help shape a new model of superintendency that cultivates greater connection and deeper discipleship in these divisive times.”
Rev. Dr. Rob Walters sees this as an opportunity to build better relationships:
“This model reimagines the focus of superintendency by fostering closer relationships between the cabinet, conference staff, clergy, lay ministers and very vital lay leadership in local churches. It’s through contextual connection that we help each other grow and it’s my hope this model will move us into where God is calling us through enhanced collaboration.”
Incoming Sage & Columbia District Superntendency Team
Rev. Dr. Troy Lynn Carr, an ordained elder in the PNW Conference, currently serves Gresham UMC just outside of Portland, but she has also led churches in the PNW and has contributed to the General Commission on Religion and Race for the UMC. She holds bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in social work, divinity and non-profit leadership. She’s a proud member of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, a community-conscious and action-oriented organization.
Rev. Melissa Harkness is a pastor’s kid who grew up in the Oregon-Idaho Conference. She has lived in Oregon and Idaho and for the past two years has serve rural and urban churches across Oregon, starting July 1, she will be appointed to Tualatin UMC in Oregon. She’s is an advocate for the marginalized communities and has worked with churches and non-profits around LGBTQIA+ education. She shares her home with her child, Andy, and two cats.
Rev. Dr. Rob Walters, an ordained elder in the Oregon-Idaho Conference after transferring from the Great Plains, said he first serves his spouse, Renee, one teenage son and an adult daughter. Walters spent the first parts of his career as a teacher and police officer, but always served on the staff of his local congregations since he was 16. He has specialized in restorative justice and worked with others to launch the Tusonge Children’s Ministries in Uganda.