The Mountain Plains District is a family of churches throughout Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Louisiana, united by our mission to be the church that goes into their communities to invite others to know and follow Jesus.
Who are the Wesleyans?
More than half a million Wesleyans worship Jesus Christ every week. The Wesleyan Church has a ministry presence in nearly 100 countries, more than 6,000 congregations globally and about 1,600 churches in North America. Pastors and laity minister together in their churches and communities. Every person is valued. Every person is invited to belong. Every person deserves to know the love of Jesus Christ.
Beliefs...
Wesleyans believe in one God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and the Savior of all who put their faith in him alone for eternal life.
We believe that those who are made new in Christ are called to be holy in character and conduct and can only live this way by being filled with the Lord’s Spirit.
We believe in the Bible and its sufficiency to establish our faith and conduct.
We believe God wills for people everywhere to know him and be made new in Christ.
We believe that the purpose of the Church is to worship God in spirit and in truth, and to reach a lost and fallen world with the gospel of Jesus Christ through its worship, witness and loving deeds.
History...
Our earliest beginnings were in 1843 when our leaders organized to address social issues through The Wesleyan Methodist Connection of America. Those issues included slavery, women’s rights and child labor atrocities. We were one of the first denominations in America to ordain women and were at the forefront of giving laity significant roles in church leadership.
John Wesley, a Church of England priest, was the inspiration and founder of the Methodist movement. Our name “Wesleyan” honors him. Wesley was an outstanding Oxford scholar, yet regarded himself as “a man of one book,” the Bible. It was while studying the Bible that Wesley received assurance of his salvation through faith. It was the Bible that motivated his vision for offering Christ to the common people of England and which eventually led to the nation’s greatest spiritual revival.
Biblical truth inspired Wesley to develop a school for orphans, job programs and medical assistance for the poor, efforts to reform inhumane prisons and arguments for the abolition of slavery. Confidence in the Bible as “the only and sufficient rule for Christian faith and practice” (to use Wesley’s own words) remains a hallmark of The Wesleyan Church today.
For more information, go to www.wesleyan.org.
District Superintendent...
Billy Wilson is the District Superintendent of The Mountain Plains District. He has pastored churches in Pierre, SD; Olathe, KS; and Gillette, WY. His broad experience includes leading a small-town church, planting a church, and leading a large, multi-staff church. Billy and his wife Kim (married in 1994) live in Dallas, Texas. Kim is the district office administrator. They have four adult children and six grandchildren. Billy's education includes an education degree from MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, KS, a master of arts in theological studies from Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City, MO, and a doctor of ministry in semiotics and future studies from George Fox University (Portland Seminary), in Portland, OR.
Assistant District Superintendent
Arlynn Ellis has over 20 years of work experience in Nonprofit Management. She worked for over 10 years for Methodist Healthcare Ministries as their Director of Family Wellness and Facilities Operations and 1 year for SA Youth as their VP of Operations. Arlynn is the founder and president of Acts of Hope. She has two sons and has been married for over 20 years. Arlynn loves seeing people live transformed lives. Arlynn is also an ordained minister of the Wesleyan Church. Education: International Business Administration & Marketing -Bachelor's Degree from the University of Alabama,. Nonprofit Management Certification from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Masters in Business Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.