CHHSM Board Member Goodwin Appointed Midwest Bishop-Elect of The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries

The Rev. Darrell Goodwin

The Rev. Darrell Goodwin, associate conference minister for the UCC’s Iowa-Nebraska-South Dakota Conferences and a CHHSM board member, is the Bishop-Elect of the Midwest regional office of The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries (TFAM). A formal installation and consecration service will be held at the TFAM Convocation in Atlanta in 2021.

Goodwin says he is excited about the new role. “I will continue to serve as associate conference minister and add my new duties in the fellowship to my portfolio of service,” he says. Goodwin also is director of the Ministers’ Financial Vitality Initiative of the Pension Boards-UCC.

TFAM was founded in 2000 by UCC minister the Rev. Yvette Flunder as a multi-denominational group of primarily African American Christian leaders and laity representing churches and faith-based organizations. The Midwest regional office includes the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio. Its purpose is to support religious leaders and laity in moving toward a theology of radical inclusivity which, by its very nature, requires an equally radical social ministry reaching to the furthest margins of society to serve all in need without prejudice or discrimination. It works to help members develop a safe space for personal authenticity and open, honest exchange and gradually adopt a more inclusive theology.

In his new duties, Goodwin sees a parallel with his work in the UCC. “In many respects, my TFAM role mimics my goal as associate conference minister in offering clergy and congregational care and connection,” he says. “I will also be responsible for helping to recruit and welcome new TFAM churches and ministries, as well as stewarding the process for ministerial standing for new ordinands and folks who desire dual standing or a transfer of their current ministerial standing.”

Additionally, Goodwin will develop a communications plan for the Midwest region. Although TFAM includes both less and more progressive groups, many churches are UCC. “I believe I will use my conference ministry skills to strengthen TFAM churches, and help current TFAM/UCC churches to better leverage and partner within their UCC identity,” he says.

“We congratulate Darrell on this new role within TFAM,” says Michael J. Readinger, CHHSM president and CEO. “We deeply appreciate his gifts in CHHSM, and know he will bring the same insights and blessings to TFAM’s Midwest region.”

“Bishop Yvette Flunder has created a dynamic organization that has been groundbreaking in radical inclusion for the past 20 years,” Goodwin adds. “It’s an honor to continue this legacy and work with her in this critical endeavor in the Midwest.”