Kathleen Baskin-Ball

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Kathleen Baskin-Ball is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church. She was ordained as deacon and probationary member of the North Texas Conference in 1983 and as elder and full member of the North Texas Conference in 1988. She has received national recognition for her preaching, especially to youth. She was a keynote speaker at Youth2007, the international youth conference of the UMC. She is also recognized regionally as the first clergywoman in North Texas to demonstrate high membership and worship attendance growth while serving as Sr. Pastor of a large church. She has an extraordinary career record of growth in membership, worship attendance, and persons joining by profession of faith.

Rev. Kathleen Baskin-Ball preaching at Suncreek United Methodist Church(Allen,TX) in 2007
Rev. Kathleen Baskin-Ball preaching at Suncreek United Methodist Church(Allen,TX) in 2007

Contents

[edit] Churches served

[edit] Education

Baskin-Ball earned a B.A. degree in Psychology from North Texas State University in 1981 [1] and a M.Div. degree from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University in 1986.

[edit] Clergywoman milestones

In 1981, Rev. Kathleen Baskin-Ball was the first clergywoman in the North Texas Conference of the UMC to enter seminary immediately after completing her undergraduate education. (Between 1965 and 1982, all the women ordained by the North Texas Conference were entering ministry as a second career.)

In 2002, Rev. Kathleen Baskin-Ball had a Profession of Faith/Worship Attendance Index value of 17.73. (Worship attendance: 440, Profession of Faith: 78) This index denotes how many persons joined by profession of faith for every 100 persons in worship each week. This is the highest value ever recorded for a clergywoman serving a large United Methodist Church. [2] [3]

In 2003, Rev. Kathleen Baskin-Ball was the first North Texas Conference clergywoman serving a local church appointment to be elected as a Delegate to General Conference. (This election was for the 2004 General Conference.)[4]

In 2004, Rev. Kathleen Baskin-Ball was the first clergywoman in North Texas to serve as the Senior Pastor of a church with average annual attendance of 500 or more. This occurred at Suncreek United Methodist Church in Allen. [5]

Through 2007, Rev. Kathleen Baskin-Ball had a total cumulative average annual worship attendance gain of 548 persons for her three appointments as Sr. Pastor (Nueva Esparanza – 81, Greenland Hills UMC – 168 and Suncreek UMC – 299). This appears to be the highest gain for any clergywoman in the history of the United Methodist Church. (Gains in worship attendance are calculated by taking the final or most recent full year that a pastor served a church and subtracting the church’s worship attendance for the year prior to their appointment.) [6] [7]

In 2007, Rev. Kathleen Baskin-Ball was the first clergywoman in the 140 year history of the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church to be elected to lead the conference’s clergy delegation to the General and Jurisdictional Conferences.[8] [9]

By early 2008, membership at the three churches Rev. Kathleen Baskin-Ball has served as Sr. Pastor had grown by a total of more than 1400 persons during her tenure. Every church at least approximately doubled in size. Membership at Suncreek UMC had tripled at the end of her sixth year of service at the church. She has done this despite being appointed as Senior Pastor to relatively small churches (0, 301, and 469 members). The membership gain of 993 persons at Suncreek through the end of 2007 represents the highest gain ever achieved by a clergywoman at one church in the United Methodist Church. [10] [11]

[edit] Preaching

Rev. Baskin-Ball preached at Children's Ministries Forum '08, the United Methodist Church's three-day national children's ministries conference.[12]

Rev. Baskin-Ball was a keynote speaker at Youth2007, "the Youth Gathering of The United Methodist Church," a four-day international youth conference.[13]

In 2005, Rev. Baskin-Ball preached at SpiLiRa, a Spiritual Life Rally for youth that was sponsored by the South Central Jurisdiction of the UMC (8 state region).[14]

Rev. Baskin-Ball has preached at several large conference youth events, including events in the Texas and Central Texas Conferences. She was the featured preacher at the 21st Annual Youth Rallyin the Peninsula-Delaware Conference in early 2008 that included about 5,000 youth and adults.[15]

Rev. Baskin-Ball has preached at a number of gatherings for youth workers including Perkins School of Youth Ministry.[16] [17]

Rev. Baskin-Ball was the preacher/speaker for the 2008 Hopkins Lectures at First UMC Denton, TX. She was a Rejebian Lecturer at Highland Park UMC (Dallas, TX). [18] [19] [20]

Rev. Baskin-Ball has preached at a number of clergy events. In early 2009, she will preach at a clergy retreat for the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the UMC.[21]

In 2007, Rev. Baskin-Ball received the Award of Excellence in Word and Worship. It was presented by Lovers Lane United Methodist Church. [22]

(See links to video of sermons in External Links listing below.)

[edit] Other Content of Interest

Rev. Baskin-Ball was elected as Chair of the Ministry and Higher Education Legislation Committee for the 2008 General Conference of the United Methodist Church. [23] [24]

Rev. Baskin-Ball was named Best Pastor in Collin County in the 2006 Reader’s Choice Awards sponsored by Star Community Newspapers.[25]

In mid-1989, Rev. Kathleen Baskin-Ball was appointed to start a new Hispanic church in West Dallas. The location was a very impoverished neighborhood that the Dallas Morning News called one of the poorest in the nation with “adjusted per capita income” less than “poverty-stricken Mexico.” She knew little Spanish so she took an intensive 5-week Spanish course in Cuernavaca, Mexico. She lived in the community and went door to door to start the church. A vibrant multi-ethnic congregation was formed with predominately Hispanic and African American members. Rev. Baskin-Ball preached on Sundays in both English and Spanish. They grew to a membership of 130 and were constituted as a United Methodist Church in April of 1994. [26] [27] In 2008, she was awarded the Hattie Rankin Moore Leadership Award by Wesley-Rankin Community Center to recognize work and leadership within the community of West Dallas. [28]

Rev. Kathleen Baskin-Ball is one of the four founders of Perkins School of Youth Ministry (est. 1998), a national training event for youth ministers. [29]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Spring 2005 Class Notes", University of North Texas. Retrieved on 2007-09-18. 
  2. ^ "United Methodist Clergywomen Milestones and Records", Glorybe.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-18. 
  3. ^ "Growing Churches Led by Clergywomen", Glorybe.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-15. 
  4. ^ George, (Editor), Rev. Larry W. (2003). The Journal of the 2003 North Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. North Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. 
  5. ^ "Women Worth Watching", January-March Edition of The Flyer, Article on page 12: General Commission on the Status and Role of Women in the United Methodist Church. Retrieved on 2007-09-10. 
  6. ^ "United Methodist Clergywomen Milestones and Records", Glorybe.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-18. 
  7. ^ "Growing Churches Led by Clergywomen", Glorybe.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-15. 
  8. ^ Bearden, (Editor), Rev. Leighton H. (2007). The Journal of the 2007 North Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. North Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. 
  9. ^ "North Texas Annual Conference", Newscope, United Methodist Publishing House, 2007-07-15, pp. 8, see p.5. Retrieved on 2007-09-09. 
  10. ^ "United Methodist Clergywomen Milestones and Records", Glorybe.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-18. 
  11. ^ "Growing Churches Led by Clergywomen", Glorybe.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-15. 
  12. ^ Children's Ministries. Children's Ministries Forum '08. Children's Ministries, General Board of Discipleship, the United Methodist Church. Retrieved on 2007-08-25.
  13. ^ Speakers. Youth 2007. Young People's Ministries, General Board of Discipleship, the United Methodist Church. Retrieved on 2007-06-12.
  14. ^ SpiLiRa. SpiLiRa. South Central Jurisdiction, the United Methodist Church. Retrieved on 2007-08-25.
  15. ^ 21st. Annual Youth Rally in Ocean City MD. Events. Young People's Ministries, Peninsula-Delaware Conference, the United Methodist Church. Retrieved on 2007-10-24.
  16. ^ Featured Speakers, Perkins School of Youth Ministry. Perkins School of Youth Ministry. Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. Retrieved on 2007-09-12.
  17. ^ PSYM Free-For-All. Perkins School of Youth Ministry. Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. Retrieved on 2007-09-12.
  18. ^ Rev. Kathleen Baskin-Ball returns to First UMC, Denton as 2008 Hopkins Lecturer, See page 8. North Texas Conference United Methodist Church. Retrieved on 2008-03-14.
  19. ^ 2008 Hopkins Lectures at First UMC Denton, TX. First United Methodist Church of Denton, TX. Retrieved on 2007-12-16.
  20. ^ Returning faith: Church’s former pastor comes to First United Methodist to speak. Denton Record-Chronicle. Retrieved on 2008-04-03.
  21. ^ Mid-Winter Retreat. Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the UMC. Retrieved on 2007-02-16.
  22. ^ Pastor Honored at Several Summer Events. Dallas Morning News. Retrieved on 2007-08-18.
  23. ^ Baskin-Ball chairing key committee at UMC's General Conference. Dallas Morning News. Retrieved on 2008-04-25.
  24. ^ Legislative Process. United Methodist Church. Retrieved on 2008-04-25.
  25. ^ Best Pastor. Star Community Newspapers. Retrieved on 2007-12-16.
  26. ^ West Dallas Community. Wesley-Rankin Community Center. Retrieved on 2007-09-10.
  27. ^ Wesley-Rankin Historic Events Timeline (see 1989). Wesley-Rankin Community Center. Retrieved on 2007-09-10.
  28. ^ Hattie Rankin Moore Leadership Award. Wesley-Rankin Community Center. Retrieved on 2008-04-02.
  29. ^ Perkins School of Youth Ministry. Perkins School of Theology. Retrieved on 2008-01-16.

[edit] External links