Dakotas Delegation
The Dakotas Conference delegation will join 860 other delegates elected from around the world to set policy and direction for the church, as well as handle other important business. Meeting every four years, General Conference is the only entity that speaks for the denomination. The United Methodist Book of Discipline, updated every four years, incorporates changes made by General Conference.
The four-member delegation, elected at the Dakotas Annual Conference Session in June of 2019, includes the following. Kara Heagel is a member of Watertown First UMC in Watertown, South Dakota, and a graduate of Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. She is the head of the delegation and the lay delegate for the Dakotas Conference. Rev. Rebecca Trefz, Southeast District superintendent and the executive director of ministries for the Dakotas Conference, is the clergy delegate. Beata Ferris, a member of Pierre First UMC in Pierre, South Dakota, is the reserve lay delegate. Rev. Sara Nelson, senior pastor at Sioux Falls First UMC in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is the reserve clergy delegate.