Dan Curran for UMC Global Ministries
September 9, 2020 | ATLANTA

Roland Fernandes, a dedicated servant leader and experienced administrator, has begun his term as general secretary of the General Board of Global Ministries, the worldwide mission agency of The United Methodist Church. In this role, he will also serve as general secretary of the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). 

A layman originally from India, Fernandes was elected to serve as general secretary (chief executive) of Global Ministries by the agency’s directors on March 20, 2020. Fernandes succeeds Thomas Kemper, who chose not to stand for reelection and has returned to his native Germany to be with his family. Kemper, who will continue as staff of the agency until the end of the year, will work with WesPath and the pension program for the United Methodist central conferences. 

Over the last 27 years, Fernandes has been involved in every aspect of the work of Global Ministries and UMCOR. He has been treasurer of UMCOR since 2000 and has served as executive director. For two decades he played a key leadership role in the UMCOR nongovernmental organization/International Programs unit, which included 15 field offices until the last of the field offices was transitioned into a local NGO at the end of 2019.

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