The North Carolina Conference staff position in Christian Formation and congregational renewal is being filled by Dr. Christine Harman. Among the responsibilities of the role is transforming congregations into vital centers of mission and spiritual formation.

“Harman comes with extraordinary gifts and experience to join the Conference Connectional Ministries team as coordinator of Christian Formation,” said the Rev. Carol Goehring, conference executive director of Connectional Ministries and Church Revitalization in announcing the staff addition.

A lay member of the Kentucky Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church, Dr. Harman is the former associate director of Discipleship Development for that conference. In that role she provided coaching for clergy and congregations for improvement in disciple-making strategies.

She also provided leadership training for clergy and laity, focusing on team development, conflict management and leading change. As discipleship development director she co-led training for pastor-lay teams for revitalization of local congregations.

“The role in the NC Conference staff will be similar to the work Harman did in Kentucky. Coaching and development of discipleship and spiritual formation opportunities in the church are significant aspects of the job,” Goehring said.

In addition, Harman will relate to the Christian Formation team of the Connectional Table (the vision, assessment and decision-making leadership core for the Conference) and the boards and committees that make up the ministry area, including Evangelism, Congregational Development, Church and Society, Education (Children, Youth, Young Adults, Older Adults, Camp and retreat ministries, Higher Education and Campus ministry, and Archives and History), Spiritual Life and Worship.

Prior to her years on the Kentucky Conference staff, Harman had an 18-year career in banking. She worked as an employee trainer and as a consultant in quality-improvement in the industry.

Harman is a member of the denomination’s General Board of Discipleship. In Kentucky she served as Conference Lay Leader from 1989-1996 and represented the Conference as a lay delegate to General Conference in 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008. She has been an active member of local congregations and UMW throughout her adult life.

In 2008, Harman completed a Doctor of Education with a focus on Human Resource Development at Vanderbilt University. In addition, she holds a Masters in Education from Vanderbilt and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Evansville in Indiana.

Harman will relocate to Raleigh and begin her work in the NC Conference July 1.