2018 Serbia-Macedonia Provisional Conference

The Rev. Daniel Sjanta was appointed as the new superintendent of The United Methodist Church in the Serbian District during the Serbia-Macedonia Provisional Conference, which was held April 12-15 in Kisač, Serbia.

Sjanta follows the Rev. Ana Palik-Kunčak in this leadership position.

Palik-Kunčak has been leading witness and service of The United Methodist Church in Serbia since her appointment as superintendent by Bishop Heinrich Bolleter in 2003. A woman superintendent was unusual in the Balkans at that time.

However, in the years after World War II, the church could only survive thanks to the strong leadership of women, said Central and Southern Europe Area Bishop Patrick Streiff, a former historian.

Palik-Kunčak has also led the largest congregation in the district during the 15 years she has been superintendent.

Streiff said Palik-Kunčak had accomplished both tasks calmly and faithfully. "Over the course of these years she has accompanied a younger generation entering the pastoral ministry of the church. But she also had to experience – and sometimes to take painful decisions in this regard – that the church can only support and further develop those who are willing to agree with its spiritual principles and polity, and that in some cases the church had to part with candidates for ordained ministry," the bishop said.

On the closing Sunday, Pastor Daniel Sjanta, 33, was appointed as the new superintendent of The United Methodist Church in Serbia.

In addition to his new leadership position, he will also continue to serve Kovačica United Methodist Church, a Slovak-speaking church about 40 kilometers north of Serbia's capital,  Belgrade. During the official celebration of the change, Streiff said it was encouraging sign for The United Methodist Church in Serbia "that there are people of a younger generation who do not emigrate but who stay in the country and serve the church."

However, the statistics nevertheless show that the church is affected by a general development in society, as well: many people leave Serbia in order to find a job in a neighboring country of the European Union and make a better living there. This is also true for Macedonia.

The Rev. Wilfried Nausner, superintendent of The United Methodist Church in Macedonia, said in his report that people leaving is and will remain a huge challenge in the Balkans.

"The United Methodist Church in Macedonia is affected, as well. Many young people, from all local churches, left their home country and went abroad, which means that the church is, more than usual, subject to fluctuations," Nausner said.

It continues to be a great prayer concern for both Serbia and Macedonia that more people are called into the ordained ministry and that they are willing to contribute their God-given gifts and talents for joining in God's mission and building up the Church. Several pastors said: "I have the most wonderful profession I could imagine" in spite of many difficulties in the everyday life of pastors. But they said they consider themselves as workers in the kingdom of God who can impact the lives of other people in a meaningful way.

Thanks to the financial support of Connexio, the network for Mission and Diaconia of The United Methodist Church in Switzerland and France, pastors' salaries were raised in 2018 for the first time after many years. Local funding has increased, as well – in spite of the most difficult economic circumstances.

The conference members also heard a report on the development of The United Methodist Church in Albania, which is also under Nausner's supervision but not yet structurally attached to one of the annual conferences of the Central and Southern Europe. Mustafa Isufi, one of the committed indigenous workers of The United Methodist Church in Albania, was admitted as pastor on probation.

The next gathering of Serbia-Macedonia Provisional Conference will take place from April 11-14, 2019, in Macedonia. The location must still be decided.

--Central and Southern Europe Area Bishop Patrick Streiff