Connectional Ministries


Rev. Dr. Jorge Luiz F. Domingues

As the Executive Director of Connectional Ministries Rev. Domingues will, in partnership with the Bishop, Cabinet, program staff and the elected leadership of the Conference, serve as the steward of the vision of the Conference, including the development, clarification, interpretation and embodiment of the vision; providing leadership in the continuous process of transformation and renewal necessary for the conference to be faithful to its Christian identity in a changing world; ensuring the alignment of the total resources of the conference to its vision; and ensuring strong connections among congregations, district, conference, and general church ministries for the purpose of networking and communicating their shared ministry.
 
Rev. Domingues is a recognized leader in our global denomination. For the past year, he has been studying and working in the area of global migration with Mediterranean Hope-Refugees and Migrants program in Rome, Italy.  For twenty-one years, Rev. Domingues served in various capacities for the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) most recently as the Deputy General Secretary for Strategic Engagement, Mission Theology, Evaluation, and Mission and Evangelism.  Other GBGM positions include: Associate General Secretary for Mission Context and Relationships, Evangelization and Church Growth, Community and Institutional Ministries, and Mission Education; Assistant General Secretary for Global Networks, Ecumenical Relations and Administration-Mission Context and Relationships, Mission Education; and Executive Youth and Young Adults—Mission Contexts and Relationships. 
 
A Brazilian native, and ordained elder in the Methodist Church in Brazil, he has been a professor in the humanities department of Bennett Methodist College, and a researcher at the Institute for Studies on Religion both in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  Rev. Domingues holds an Executive Masters in Public Administration from New York University/University College in New York City and London, a Master of Science in Management of International Public Service Organizations from New York University, a Master of Arts in Sociology from Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences also from Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and Bachelor of Arts in Theology from Methodist Seminary Cesar Dacorso Filho in Rio de Janeiro, and a Doctor of Divinity from International Institute of Higher Education in Mexico City, Mexico. Rev. Domingues is fluent in Portuguese (his native language), English, and Spanish.
 
Rev. Domingues brings to us knowledge, skills, and relationships as we continue envisioning where God is leading us as a conference in our United Methodist connectional family. He understands the global nature of The United Methodist Church and has been a representative at many global tables and gatherings of our denomination. Since 1997, he has served on the board of trustees for the World Student Christian Federation, and on the board of directors for Methodists Associated Representing the Cause of Hispanic Americans (MARCHA).  He coordinated the GBGM delegations to the 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 General Conferences.  He participated in the World Council of Churches Assemblies in 1991, 1998, 2006, and 2013 serving in various capacities including as agency representative, workshop presenter, youth advisor, and delegate. 

He is married to the Rev. Rosángela Oliveira who serves as the Executive Director of the World Day of Prayer International Committee. They are the parents of an adult son, André, who works at an educational non-profit farm in New York State. 

Rev. Dr. Jorge Luiz F. Domingues
Executive Director of Connectional Ministries
(916) 374-1517

Dr. Mary Cheng
Director of Leadership Development
(916) 374-1527

Amanda Garcia
Leadership and Congregational Development
(916) 374-1526

Jacey Johnson Pickens-Jones
Interim Associate Director of Camping and Young People’s Ministry
(916) 374-1515

April Sousa
Interim Associate Director of CLM & Lay Church Planting Coordinator
(707) 839-5691

Steve Elliott
Conference Disaster Response & UMVIM Coordinator (Director)
(925) 640-9797

Cathy Evangeline Love
Interim Associate Director: Long Term Recovery

Jessie Conklin
Young People’s and Camping/Retreat Ministries and Disaster Response/Volunteers in Mission
(916) 374-1528