Rev. Davis Anderson

"I think some of the high points in my call story were how included and at home I felt in the church," said Rev. Davis Anderson, one of the clergy who was commissioned as an elder at the Dakotas Annual Conference session this past June. Pastor Davis graduated in May from Perkins School of Theology in Dallas, Texas, and started his first clergy appointment at Unite, the United Methodist Church in Salem, South Dakota.

Pastor Davis grew up in Pierre, South Dakota, and was an active member of First United Methodist Church. During high school, he served on the Dakotas Conference Council on Youth Ministries. His involvement in the church and the people who poured into him during his youth were very formative to his calling and faith journey.

"Specifically, the youth leaders [at Pierre First] who helped me to feel included – they showed me that even though I was maybe kind of a shy kid – maybe a little bit awkward and weird – that I had a lot to offer in these spaces," shared Pastor Davis.

Perhaps because of the significant influence of youth leaders, Davis finds joy in having the opportunity to walk alongside young people in their faith journey as a pastor at Unite.

"I really love the kids and spending time with the kids," said Pastor Davis. "Especially here, they've got a lot of kids who are really bright and a whole lot of fun to be with on Sunday morning. They're thinking about their faith and taking it seriously."

Pastor Davis also worked in youth ministry during his undergraduate studies at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, South Dakota. He served as an Elisha Intern at Spearfish (S.D.) United Methodist Church, helped out with youth ministry at Fusion, the United Methodist Church on DWU's campus, worked as a summer chaplain at Lake Poinsett Camp, and served as a lay ministry at the United Methodist Church in Ethan, South Dakota.

Pastor Davis with youth and other leaders at confirmation camp.

"I've done confirmation both at Ethan and at Fusion, and even during my time down in Dallas. It's just kids taking their faith seriously and starting to understand stuff that's just a lot of fun and really cool to watch," said Pastor Davis. 
As someone who has been so active in the church throughout his life, transitioning to one who is called to equip and empower has been a challenging aspect of pastoral ministry.

"Being the person who's expected to generate volunteers has been difficult," explained Pastor Davis. "I'm a very independent person and was raised with the outlook of that, in my family, we're the helpers and we're the people who step up. I'm not really used to asking others to help out in other spaces."

Even as he acknowledges this challenge, he also realizes its importance in being a leader in the Body of Christ, helping people grow in their discipleship and use the gifts God has given them.  

"I absolutely can't do it all, nor am I equipped to do everything well and as well as other people do," said Anderson.
As he begins this new chapter of ministry, Pastor Davis is encouraged by the spirit of possibility that he feels in the Dakotas Conference.

Pastor Davis leading worship at Lake Poinsett Camp.

"Some things that give me hope are the energy that's in the Dakotas and the excitement about faith that people have," shared Davis. "COVID did a lot of weird things where we had people walk away, and those who were left were kind of distraught and down and out about it. But now that we're past that a little bit, that energy has risen again and people are excited about things." 

This new chapter also brought another new beginning – marriage. Davis and his wife, Anna, were married earlier this summer. They are settling into the parsonage as Anna prepares for a new chapter of schooling in Mitchell this fall.

When asked how his Dakotas UMC family could be praying for him and Anna in this coming year, Pastor Davis replied, "You can pray for me and my family and that we keep living out God's call and that we are energized to live out God's call."