Rev. Ron Johnson gives a message to 15 children on Sunday, June 8, 2026. Photos courtesy of Gayville-Volin UMC.

Gayville-Volin United Methodist Church stands in a rural community in Southeast South Dakota. Their average worship attendance is 25-30. The church is not served by one pastor, but by a team of four who lead worship and other ministries.

The church recently celebrated the ministry of one of the team members, Rev. Ron Johnson, who travels from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to Gayville, a 150-mile round trip, to lead worship and serve communion.

Even though Johnson has been in ministry for decades, his enthusiasm reigns. “The passion is still there. He has not lost one ounce of enthusiasm. I admire that,” said Rev. Jeff Vore, lead pastor for the Gayville-Volin UMC ministry team.

Celebrating Rev. Ron Johnson’s ministry

Sunday, June 9, 2026, Rev. Ron Johnson preached his final sermon at Gayville-Volin United Methodist Church as he retires once again. Rev. Johnson has been serving part-time since his retirement in 2020, with a pastoral team that shepherds the congregation. For the past few years, he has led worship with communion on the first Sunday of each month.

“We knew it was Pastor Ron’s last service with us, so we put the word out. People came from Yankton, where he once served. There were parishioners from Gayville and Volin. We hoped there would be enough places for everyone to sit,” said Pam Bye, Gayville-Volin UMC Administration Chair. “We ended up with 87 people. He was humbled by the number of people who were present.”

Johnson, 75, will continue his ministry at Keystone Treatment Center and spend more time with his grandchildren. The worship service was followed by brunch. It was a time to gather and thank Pastor Ron for his service.

“I had prepared 60 bulletins. I was surprised by the numbers that came. It was a good day for Pastor Ron and us,” said Bye.

Rev. Ron Johnson with the 2026 high school graduates.

This year, Johnson gave the baccalaureate message for four high school seniors. “It was a special tribute to Ron that three of the four high school seniors came to see him on his last Sunday. They were inspired by Ron,” shared Pastor Jeff.

Johnson is a humble leader and a people person. “It is often said that when pastors in an itinerant system are appointed to a new church, they will please 100 percent of the people: One-half of the people are pleased when the pastor comes; one-half of the people are pleased when the pastor leaves. But in Ron’s case it was even more. 25-30 showed up each week, and 87 came to wish him well as he retired. That speaks volumes,” said Pastor Jeff Vore.

How the Team Model works

The team ministry model began in 2019.  Blaine Wilson, a certified lay minister, led the team at the beginning. Wilson passed away in 2021. Pastor Jeff Vore, a retired licensed local pastor, currently leads the team. The model has worked well for the rural congregation.

“In 2019, Pastor Jo Watkins wanted to retire. The conference proposed having different pastors come in each Sunday. We had been yoked with Yankton UMC for a while. The Associate Pastor from Yankton would lead worship three Sundays each month, and the lead pastor would lead worship once a month. That is how we first met Pastor Ron,” describes Bye. “Then we were yoked with Vermillion UMC.  So, when the team model was proposed, we thought, ‘We will go with the flow.’ We would try it. It has really worked well.”

Members of the team included: Rev. Ron Johnson, Rev. Jeff Vore, Curtis Dorfman, and Rev. Carly Steffes. In June, both Johnson and Dorfman will leave. Johnson will retire. Dorfman has been assigned to serve Montrose United Methodist Church. New members of the team will be Rev. Christa Ducker and Pastor Chad Setter.

“The congregation is grateful for the team. I have heard nothing but praise from everyone. Occasionally, there is an issue that we work through, but not very often,” said Pastor Vore. “The congregation is very receptive to the team approach.”

Each Sunday, a different pastor leads worship. Communion is served on the first Sunday of the month. Bye prepares the bulletins with the order of worship, announcements, and music for worship each week. She has a template set up for each of the team's pastors. The pastor leading worship emails the information to Bye, who then pastes the information into the worship bulletin.

Once-a-month preaching benefits the members of the ministry team. “It is a lot less stressful to prepare for a service once or twice a month versus every week. You can really focus on the message,” said Pastor Vore.

Care ministry is handled by location or geography. Pastor Jeff Vore visits or cares for people in health care facilities in the Sioux City and Yankton areas. Pastor Carly Steffes provides support for people in health care facilities in the Sioux Falls area.

For funerals, the family requests that one of the team pastors lead the service. Sometimes a previous pastor will return to lead a memorial service.

“We allow the family to ask or request someone. We have had Pastor Carly lead a recent funeral service. One of our families asked Rev. Dar Berkenpas, who once served at our church, to lead the service. We kind of go by a wing and a prayer,” stated Bye.

Curtis Dorfman, right, with the confirmands.

The congregation has created a Facebook group for communication. Announcements happen on the Facebook group page. For example, if the weather is bad and the pastor cannot make it to lead worship, worship continues with lay leadership. The pastor can email their sermon notes, which are read from the pulpit. If the weather is bad in both locations, worship is canceled.

The congregation has moved to a one-committee leadership model. One administrative committee serves as the Pastor-Parish Relations Committee, Board of Trustees, Finance, and Education.

“We don’t have a ton of people. We have one group that meets to handle matters. We have volunteers who help with the building, education, and worship. It works well for us,” said Bye.

Youth ministry was led by Curtis Dorfman. He taught confirmation and led the youth group. “The kids really appreciated Curtis. He did a wonderful job,” shared Pastor Jeff.

The model works for this rural congregation

“The team model works for us. It comes down to being flexible and honest. You need to share what isn’t working or sitting well with people. Be honest, be flexible, and communicate,” said Bye.

The conference support and model are appreciated by the congregation. The model is supported by the Dakotas Connection Initiative. It might work well for others.

“The congregation is so gracious to all members of the team. They are grateful for the Conference support,” describes Pastor Vore. “They have responded to the model well. It could be replicated in other rural churches.”