About

The Southwest District of the South Georgia Conference is one of six districts in the South Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church.  
 

It is comprised of 17 counties – Crisp, Turner, Lee, Worth, Colquitt, Brooks, Thomas, Grady, Mitchell, Dougherty, Calhoun, Clay, Baker, Early, Miller, Seminole, and Decatur.

Rev. Doreen Smalls serves as the District Superintendent of the Southwest District.

Rev. Smalls was born and nurtured in Ehrhardt, S.C. She received a Bachelors of Science degree in Management and Finance from the University of South Carolina. Her professional career primarily consisted of healthcare management and finance.
 

She relocated to Columbus, GA and continued a career in healthcare as a Medicare fraud investigator. After accepting God’s call into ordained ministry, she entered The Interdenominational Theological Center/Gammon Seminary in Atlanta, GA to engage in further theological studies. She completed her studies with academic honors in 2005 and graduated with a Masters of Divinity in Pastoral Care/Psychology of Religion. She was ordained an elder in full connection in the South Georgia Conference in 2008.

She has served as the senior pastor St. Mary’s Circuit (Carnegie UMC, Greater Trinity UMC and Pinkney Chapel UMC) and Grace United Methodist Church. Additionally, she was appointed as an Associate Director of Office of Connectional Ministries as well as Conference Secretary of Global Ministries for the South Georgia Annual Conference. In 2012, she was appointed to serve as senior pastor of Asbury UMC until 2018 when she was appointed as the Southwest District Superintendent. In 2023, Rev. Smalls also became the superintendent of the Northwest District.