(Article reposted from the Argus Leader, September 17, 2012)

By Steve Young, Argus Leader

The newest shepherd of The Methodist church in the Dakotas and Minnesota says he wants to help develop the next generation of young clergy, emphasize mission work and increase what he calls congregational vitality.

The Rev. Bruce Ough was installed as bishop Sunday afternoon in a ceremony at First United Methodist Church in downtown Sioux Falls, having served the past 12 years as bishop of the Ohio West area.

While the Dakotas already do a good of identifying and calling forth young leaders, said the 61-year-old Ough, “We have a long way to go.”

When he entered the ministry in 1976, 25 percent of The United Methodist clergy were younger than 35. Today, that figure is 5 percent, Ough said.

“I hope my legacy as bishop will show that I was able to help the conference call forth the next generation of both lay people and clergy to lead the church,” he said.

Ough is the bishop of Vietnam, Laos and Thailand and has served as president of the General Board of Global Ministries in recent years. When he was in Ohio, he said they worked with the growing Methodist church in the Congo, Russia, Mexico and Southeast Asia.

Their work overseas has included founding congregations, building churches and forming orphanages, and he’d like to stay involved in that in his new role.

“We’re building the church and transforming the world,” he said. “When you talk about mission work, you’re talking about Christ’s mission, too. I understand that to be calling people into a personal relationship with the living God.”

Along with building the worldwide church, Ough said he will focus on congregational vitality here at home. It’s true not only of the Methodist churches but many mainstream denominations that aging congregations and changing demographics are affecting the vitality of some congregations, he said.

“We’re looking for evidence of the church being alive and being fruitful,” Ough said, not just on Sunday mornings in the pews but outside the walls in a broader role of discipleship and mission work.

These installation events that are going on as well in North Dakota and Minnesota — Ough will be based out of Minneapolis — include plenty of symbolism. As part of Sunday’s ceremony, the new bishop was presented gifts meant to symbolize his new leadership role on the Glacial Lakes prairie.

Among those items was a pitcher to hold the water that typifies the many streams and rivers in the area, a basket with corn in it to represent the agricultural roots of many Methodist congregations, a piece of concrete to represent the roads that connect rural South Dakota to its cities, and a map symbolizing Ough’s call to lead the people into the world in ministry and mission work.

“As a servant of the whole church,” the Rev. Rebecca Trefz of Brandon told Ough, “you are called to preach and teach the truth of the gospel to all God’s people, to lead the people in worship, in the celebration of the sacraments, and in their mission of offering prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness to make disciples to transform the world.”