Staff

The Reverend David Anthony Gilmore is an ordained elder of The United Methodist Church. Rev. Gilmore answered the call to ministry in 1998 where he began serving as Ministries Assistant at Bethany UMC in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 2000, Rev. Gilmore was appointed to Swope Park UMC in Kansas City. At the time of his appointment, the church reported a membership of 47. By the grace of God and under Rev. Gilmore’s spiritual guidance and able leadership, the church’s membership increased to 270 and included a music ministry that expanded to include five choirs and three praise groups. In his next appointment at The Historic Centennial UMC, from 2008 to 2016, the church received more than 300 new members, nurtured five candidates into the ministry and planted an offsite campus with the purpose of engaging the community beyond the community. From 2016-2020, Rev. Gilmore was appointed to the Cabinet of the New York Conference as the Director of Congregational Development and Revitalization. In this role, he was responsible for planting new churches; identifying, recruiting, equipping and empowering emerging leaders (clergy and laity); supporting and nurturing the creation of new ministries; offering one-on-one consultations with churches; and offering diagnoses and prescriptions for churches seeking to become vibrant. In his four years of serving, Rev. Gilmore facilitated the start/restart of 10 churches and initiatives.
In July 2020, Rev. Gilmore returned home to the Missouri Conference and is currently appointed to the Cabinet as the Northwest District Superintendent. In this role he serves as:

• Chief missional strategist of the Northwest District.
• Member of the appointive cabinet responsible for the appointments and assignments of ordained and licensed clergy, qualified and trained laypersons, and lay ministers or lay missioners.
• Working with the district committee on ordained ministry, responsible for recruitment and examination of candidates for ordained or licensed ministry, and ongoing oversight of persons approved for licensing.
• Establish working relationships with staff/pastor-parish relations committees, clergy, district lay leaders, and other lay leadership, to develop faithful and effective systems of ministry within the district.
• In a supervisory capacity offer support, care and counsel to clergy concerning matters affecting their effective ministry.
• In consultation with the Bishop and Cabinet, work to develop the best strategic deployment of clergy possible in the district, including realignment of pastoral charges (when needed) and the exploration of larger parishes, cooperative parishes, multiple staff configurations, new faith communities, and ecumenical shared communities.

Rev. Gilmore is a Lewis Center Community Leadership Fellow and the recipient of the 2009 Harry Denman Evangelism Award for the Missouri Conference. More importantly, Rev. Gilmore is married to Kimiko Capri Black Gilmore. He’s the father of Kenneth, who resides in Jacksonville, Florida; Victor, who resides in Dallas, Texas; Latesha, who resides in Huntsville, Alabama; Lauryn, who resides in Brooklyn, New York; and Moneshia, who resides Kansas City, Missouri. He is the grandfather of two precious grandchildren, Charitye Rose and Denise Alexis.