A pastoral letter on the United Methodist Church General Conference

Dear church,In 1 Corinthians 12:26 the apostle Paul reminds us that “if one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.” For 15 years we have accompanied our full-communion siblings in the United Methodist Church (UMC) through joyous and challenging times. We know firsthand the pain of debate, disaffiliation and division that they have experienced. Yet we also know the hope-filled renewal of Christ’s church.

Last week the UMC General Conference, postponed since 2020, concluded in Charlotte, N.C. With each day’s news we witnessed our partner church emerging strengthened, revitalized and united. Several actions will shape the future of the UMC. These include the adoption of a plan for worldwide regionalization to restructure the UMC as a truly equitable, diverse and global church, which now goes to annual conferences for ratification. Read letter in its entirety here.