DELAND — The Rev. Mont Duncan, superintendent of the DeLand District, was appointed director of New Church Development and Church Redevelopment last month by Bishop J. Lloyd Knox. Duncan replaces the Rev. Charles Courtoy, who is retiring in June.

"I’m excited," Duncan said. "To me, it’s God opening the door on something I’ve wanted to do, I’m called to do, and I’m glad to have the chance to do it."

Duncan said his most recent spiritual gifts inventory showed he has gifts for dealing with churches in groups and starting new faith communities. He said the first gift helped him in his work as a district superintendent. The second will be the focus of his new job.

Although Duncan has never been the pastor of a church start-up, he said his experience helping Pine Ridge Fellowship United Methodist Church in Deltona work through the process of becoming a church, from purchasing land and selecting a pastor to chartering, helped kindle his passion.

Duncan has also been part of the Florida Conference’s New Church Development and Church Redevelopment committee from its inception. He was appointed the first cabinet representative to the committee in 1997 and has continued to hold that position.

Duncan says the future of turning the church around is new church starts. "In a new church, people are already open to reaching out beyond themselves," he said.

Duncan’s vision for New Church Development and Church Redevelopment is three-fold. His first priority, he said, is to work closely with the cabinet and district committees on Mission and Church Extension to target areas of the conference that are under-churched.

He’ll also focus on starting more culturally diverse missions and churches, working closely with the new City Ministry Plan in Miami.

His third priority is expanding the conference’s church redevelopment efforts. Duncan said he plans to explore what other annual conferences have done to redevelop churches and then develop a new approach to redevelopment in the Florida Conference.

"I think we need to tweak, to come up with a different approach to church redevelopment," he said. "It only happens with a change of heart within the laity and pastoral leadership…to reclaim the vision of the church as being for those not already part of the church, then asking questions like, ‘What are the needs of those not part of the community of faith.’ "