Bishop Cedrick D. Bridgeforth has announced his intention to appoint the Rev. Lisa Marie Talbott as Assistant to the Bishop for Equity and Intercultural Competency for the Greater Northwest Area (GNW), effective July 1, 2025. In this position, Rev. Talbott will carry forward the intercultural competency and equity work that Kristina Gonzalez, the former GNW Executive Director for Innovation and Vitality, cared for until her retirement.
“Lisa brings visionary leadership, a deep passion for fostering a culture of equity and inclusion, and a love for the Church and its people that will help us continue to move forward together,” said Bishop Bridgeforth.
“We cannot afford to lose ground on our equity and anti-racism work. Lisa will play a vital part in shaping a more inclusive, just, and transformative church.”
In this new role, Rev. Talbott will equip leaders with the tools to assess and improve their intercultural competencies, build collaborative relationships across denominations and communities, and ensure that justice principles are embedded in all areas of church life. She will continue to be a key collaborator with the bishop and the area cabinet.
Funding for this position will come from monies already allocated to connectional work across the GNW. As the bishop announced during the Special Session in December, an additional position is yet to be announced to care for the GNW Area’s congregational development work in coordination with each conference’s funding boards.
Talbott currently serves as Director of Connectional Ministries for the Alaska Conference (since 2021) and as pastor of Homer United Methodist Church, where she has served since 2013.
“The Alaska Conference is grateful for the leadership and experience that Rev. Lisa brings to the GNW,” wrote Alaska Conference Superintendent Rev. Kristi McGuire. “Lisa has spent her career focused on diversity, equity, inclusion, and intercultural competence as an educator and a pastor. We are grateful that she will continue to live, work and recreate in the land of the Dena’ina that she calls home and that our strong relationship with her will continue in this new role.
Considering this new role, Rev. Lisa Talbott reflected on the profound impact of intercultural competency on her personal and spiritual journey.
“When I first encountered the developmental model of intercultural competency, it was transformational for me,” said Rev. Talbott. “My family is one of secrets, not stories, so I turned to genealogical research as part of my developmental task. When I found the will of my 6th great-grandfather, which bequeathed five people he had enslaved to his son, I was shocked but not surprised. I knew the part of the country we were from, and I knew the racism that was alive in our family system, but seeing the actual primary source document that confirmed how my ancestors participated in and benefited from systems of oppression lit a fire in my heart and soul.”
This discovery became a turning point, shaping her commitment to the work of liberation. “If my family perpetuated oppression, then I was called to the work of liberation,” she explained.
Rev. Talbott also addressed the current challenges facing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, emphasizing the church’s critical role in standing for justice. “In this time of attacks on DEI and equal opportunity, intercultural competence is more important than ever as the church stands for equity and justice for all our neighbors. These days require courage, and I invite us all into the courage of our convictions and the power of our faith to live into God’s beloved community.”
Rev. Lisa Talbott is an ordained elder and member of the Pacific Northwest Conference. She recently completed training to be an Intercultural Development Inventory Qualified Administrator. Additionally, Lisa is the co-owner of Kindred Spirits Weaving Studio, a small business in Homer that focuses on creatively connecting the community through fiber arts. Before discerning a call to ministry, Lisa was a high school and middle school English / Language Arts teacher in the Anchorage School District at some of the most diverse schools in the country. As a mentor teacher, she specialized in classroom management, curriculum development, and authentic assessment.
A lifelong Alaskan, Lisa will continue to live in Homer with her husband Joe, parrot Captain Tony, and Newfoundland Duke.
“I am humbled to be appointed to this position, and I’m grateful to be called to support equity and intercultural competence around the Greater Northwest Area.”