Reverend Michele Slott

The opportunities for ministry in The United Methodist Church are many, from layperson to licensed local pastor, to deacon, to becoming a full elder. One of the major steps toward becoming an elder in the UMC is commissioning. Before being commissioned, candidates are first examined and approved by the Board of Ordained Ministry for the work of an elder. This traditional path to candidacy is widening, with new, less traditional ways for servants to follow their calling to ministry. One such candidate is Rev. Michele Slott.

On June 11, 2021, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, four pastors were commissioned during the Celebration of Life in Ministry worship service. One of those commissionees is Reverend Michele Slott. Pastor Michele has been serving as the associate pastor at Rapid City First UMC for the past three years. In 2020, she has taken on additional responsibilities as lead pastor at Rapid City Open Heart UMC, just a few miles away.

Pastor Michele began her faith journey to become a pastor just a few years ago. Before answering the call to full-time ministry, she worked in graphic design and marketing and was busy raising a family. In 2018, Michele was appointed to serve as associate pastor at Rapid City First UMC, which was a new position at the time. During that time, she continued to study through the Kairos Project at Sioux Falls Seminary.

The pastorrs commissioned at Annual Conference on June 11, 2021 are, left to right, Revs. Quaya Ackermann, Julie Gregg, Michele Slott, and Rodney Knock. Photos by jlynnstudios.

The Kairos Project was just getting started, and she was among the first students to embark on this experimental path to ministry.  Kairos offered her an alternative to the traditional seminary-to-ministry path, allowing her to keep living with her family in Rapid City and gain experience by serving her appointment at Rapid City First UMC. In 2019, Michele graduated with a Master of Divinity degree through the Kairos Project.

“My faith has gotten deeper because ministry is a challenge,” said Michele. In the three years she’s been serving as a pastor she has found how challenging at times it can be. Michele reflected, “Without challenging my faith I wouldn’t be able to do it. The challenges help me grow.”

Michele recognizes how blessed she is to have mentors so close to her to help her navigate some of those challenges. Ministry mentors in her life include Doug Diehl, Sharla McCaskell, John and Kristen Britt, and many others. Being a part of a covenant group not only helps Michele spiritually but also gives her people whom she can go to with her praises and prayers. She values the accessibility to other pastors in the Dakotas and our almost familial connection, adding, “Being in a smaller conference provides an opportunity to develop relationships with people.”

Michele can see God’s love and grace in action through her congregants, and see that love grow to bear fruit. “I love being able to see people heal and see them forgive themselves about their past. I also love being able to see those people help others in their faith journey,” said Michele.

Pastor Slott’s hopes and prayers for the future are that the churches and parishioners she serves will find fruitfulness and strength in God and one another and grow to share God’s love with others around them.

Celebrating Michele Slott's commissioning with her are, left to right, her mother, Kay(Vallery) Young, sister Lynette (Vallery) Dobberpuhl, Slott, Rev. Doug Diehl, and Dawn Diehl.

One way her parish at Rapid City Open Heart UMC is sharing that love is through seeking new ways to serve in mission, and this Sunday a new chapter begins with the open house of their new Solar Oven Partners workshop at the church. Pastor Michele has made the success of the workshop a ministry goal, especially the recruiting of mission teams and volunteers to serve in Rapid City. It’s another challenge in ministry she’s facing head-on, armed with her faith and support from mentors and volunteers.