Three Named to Represent HTC at 2026 Bishops’ Leadership Gathering

Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr., on behalf of the Horizon Texas Conference, has named three representatives to participate in the 2026 Council of Bishops (COB) Leadership Gathering, a historic, worldwide event designed to help envision the future of The United Methodist Church. 

The 2026 COB Leadership Gathering is for a new generation of leaders to listen deeply to voices from across our worldwide connection to where the Spirit is moving, leading the UMC to love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously.  

Representing Horizon Texas will be Melissa Clay of DeSoto, Rev. Dr. Chad Johnson of Amarillo and Rachel Shipley Blackwell of Lubbock. 

The gathering, scheduled for October 2026 in Alberta, Canada, will bring together bishops, General Secretaries, clergy and laity, from around the world to prayerfully discern a shared vision for the United Methodist Church through 2050 and beyond. 

 “These three leaders bring faithfulness, imagination and passion, to the work ahead,” said Saenz, resident bishop of the Horizon Texas Conference and co-convener of the event’s design team. “Their experiences reflect the diverse, dynamic and deeply hopeful spirit of the Horizon Texas Conference.” 

Each of the three Horizon Texas representatives brings a distinct perspective to this work of connectional visioning, rooted in their own ministries and experiences of renewal across the conference. 

Melissa Clay

Melissa Clay: Preparing the Church for the Next Generation 

Melissa Clay, a longtime educator and lay speaker at The Village United Methodist Church in DeSoto, described her selection as both surprising and meaningful. “When I got the email, at first I thought it was a scam,” she said with a laugh. “But to be chosen—it’s incredible. I’m excited to be part of something that can make a real shift for the church.” 

Clay said she is eager to join United Methodists from around the world to “come together and work together to strengthen the church,” taking what they learn back to impact the world.  

Deeply involved in children’s and youth development, Clay said her heart for ministry is rooted in helping young people grow as leaders who can carry the church forward with confidence and faith. For her, that includes honoring tradition while expanding into new spaces. 

“We can honor our traditions while finding balance—thriving in different spaces and reaching people where they are,” she said. “Everything doesn’t have to be done the same way it’s always been done.” 

Rev. Dr. Chad Johnson

Rev. Dr. Chad Johnson: Visioning the Church of 2050 

A lifelong Methodist raised at Bridgeport United Methodist Church, Johnson now serves as senior pastor of Amarillo UMC. Johnson, who holds a Doctor of Ministry from Perkins School of Theology and is pursuing a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling, said he looks forward to conversations about how the denomination can live more deeply into its mission in the decades ahead. 

“The bishop told us our work will be to envision the church for 2050,” Johnson said. “That’s profound—and it’s what excites me most. I can’t wait to be around other United Methodists who are thinking not only about the church we are now, but the church we’re becoming.” 

Johnson sees deep connections between the church’s future and the conference’s strategic priorities, particularly embracing diversity and maximizing care and healing. 

“If we can envision a church that is a hub for care and healing—a place people turn to in times of struggle—we’ll be living out our calling,” he said. “And as we embrace cultural diversity in all its forms, we’ll find new ways of understanding God together.” 

Rachel Shipley Blackwell

Rachel Shipley Blackwell: A Young Voice for an Inclusive Future 

At 26, Rachel Shipley Blackwell is among the young adult delegates to the 2026 Leadership Gathering. A lifelong United Methodist and director of youth ministries at St. John’s UMC in Lubbock, Blackwell said she’s still processing the honor. 

“It’s hard to fathom how my name came up,” she said. “Out of all the young people in the Horizon Texas Conference—including so many I look up to—being chosen for this conversation feels deeply meaningful.” 

For Blackwell, the work ahead connects closely with her passion for championing children and youth and pursuing and embracing diversity. 

“Our kids and youth pursue diversity so radically,” she said. “They just see it as the right thing to do—and that challenges me to look at things in new ways, too.” 

Blackwell hopes to bring back stories, ideas and practices that can help churches across Horizon Texas grow in openness and belonging. 

“The United Methodist Church has always been about community—about saying things together because we believe them together,” she said. “That collective faith and voice is what gives me hope.” 

Looking Ahead 

The three will embark on 18 months of work, with plans to preview the COB Leadership Gathering with the broader conference during the 2026 Annual Conference gathering in Wichita Falls, and to share reflections on their experience at the 2027 Annual Conference.  

 “Their insights will help shape how we, as a conference, imagine what it means to be one United Methodist connection—one with Christ, one with each other throughout the world, and one in ministry to the world,” Saenz said. 

Together, Johnson, Clay and Blackwell represent the emerging identity of the Horizon Texas Conference—clergy and laity, seasoned leaders and fresh voices—united by a shared hope for the church’s future. Their participation signals the conference’s commitment to transmitting a robust faith the next generation will cherish and uphold.