Bishop appoints Granite District Superintendent (April 25, 2025)

 

Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton is pleased to announce that he has named Rev. Dr. David Palmer as Granite District Superintendent.

Dr. Palmer currently serves Londonderry (NH) UMC and First UMC in Manchester. His new appointment will begin on July 1, 2025.

“David has demonstrated a strong ability to move the church forward with creativity and purpose. Those skills will be invaluable as he Rev. Dr. David Palmer comes around our table as a Conference Superintendent and as he works with the clergy and laity in the local churches throughout the Granite District,” Bishop Bickerton said.

Dr. Palmer is excited about helping congregations become missionally engaged in their communities. “I want to help congregations look not just at their survival but how they can thrive in the future,” he said.

His doctoral work titled “Institutional to Missional” identifies six key skills that congregations can develop to move into a more fruitful future.

Over the past 20 years, he has worked with district and conference congregational development teams to facilitate training that help churches get unstuck, grow, and develop new innovative ministries.

This work, he said, was “not just for the pastors, but also the laity to really consider ‘What can be done?’ and ‘What is God calling us to outside the church?’” Dr. Palmer said he hopes to be able to bring this experience into his role as the district superintendent.

“I frequently tell our District Superintendents that their primary job is facilitate mission and ministry in the settings where they are appointed. Too often a Superintendent will become consumed with maintenance issues rather than ministry opportunities,” the bishop said. “I look forward to the ways in which David will work with our churches in the Granite District to develop a keen sense of vision as well as a clearly defined ministry plan for the making and nurturing of disciples.”

Dr. Palmer will succeed Rev. Dr. Jacquelyn Brannen, who served as interim district superintendent for the past year; she will return to retirement.

Bishop Bickerton said, “Jackie has done a tremendous job of standing in the gap as an interim District Superintendent. Her experience and wisdom have not only been felt over this past year, but they will continue to have an effect in the years to come. I couldn’t be more grateful to Jackie for her enthusiasm, passion, wisdom and expertise. She will be significantly missed as we continue to do our work as a Cabinet.”

Dr. Palmer said he’s had several “good models of district superintendency,” including Rev. Taesung Kang, who served as superintendent of the Granite District until July 2024. He highlighted Rev. Kang’s prayerful focus, congregational development team, and establishment of cluster groups that encouraged and supported leadership in the district.

That approach, which dovetails well with the bishop’s focus on cooperative parishes, is about “helping churches near each other focus on ministry that is relevant to their area,” he said.

Dr. Palmer was born in Turkey, where his father served in the Army Corps of Engineers. He said he would enjoy exploring Paul’s missionary journey through the churches there. Growing up, his family moved with the military to various bases in Germany and the United States.

He was ordained in 2003 and came to New England from the California-Pacific Conference in 2019. He has served congregations in the northern and southern parts of New Hampshire and looks forward to connecting with the pastors and congregations of the Granite District.

Dr. Palmer and his wife, Beth, met in seminary and will celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary on July 1. She is a marriage/family therapist. Their son Ethan will graduate from high school this year and plans to take a gap year that may include studying abroad. The family also includes two cats, a dog, and a hedgehog who has a bit of a prickly side.

Please join us in offering prayers for the Palmer family, the congregations of Londonderry and First UMCs, Dr. Brannen, and the entire Granite District during this time of transition.