Arunan Appointed Associate Ministerial Director for Chesapeake Conference

Story by Evan Knott

Members of the Chesapeake Conference Executive Committee recently voted to appoint Shelvan Arunan as associate Ministerial director, creating a new position aimed at providing additional support and training resources for pastors and local church leaders.

Arunan, an experienced pastor, chaplain and counselor, with doctorates in Pastoral Counseling and Family and Organizational Psychology, most recently served as the pastor of the Calvary Southern Asian and Mizo churches in Burtonsville, Md.

“As the conference has grown, so have the needs of our pastors, churches and lay members when it comes to leadership training, mentoring and equipping people for ministry,” says Jerry Lutz, conference president. “In recent years, the scope of the work has exceeded the ability and availability of one person to continue to effectively meet the demands of our pastoral team and the nearly 18,000 members they serve in our 102 church entities.”

Arunan brings decades of ministry, counseling and leadership experience, including 36 years in the health care system. His new responsibilities will include teaching Clinical Pastoral Education courses, providing crisis and trauma intervention training, and conducting conflict management training and intervention. He will also serve as the conference’s Prison Ministries coordinator.

Lutz adds, “With the addition of Dr. Arunan to the department, not only will current pastoral needs be better addressed, but new opportunities may be explored and pursued to further advance the mission of our conference.”