Church

General Church
A multigenerational choir and praise band help lead worship Oct. 4 at the 100th anniversary celebration of First United Methodist Church in Portland, Texas, a city on the Gulf Coast. The church offers an example of the growing number of professions of faith through confirmation that U.S. United Methodist churches saw last year. Photo by George Banda, Rio Texas Conference.

Amid decline, US professions of faith rise

The United Methodist Church continued to see its U.S. membership slide in 2025. But data collected by the denomination’s administrative agency also shows signs of growth.
Church Growth
The Rev. Anjie Peek Rivers officiates at a baptism Aug. 9 for the Nichols family at Atlanta’s Eastside Church, one of nine small, thriving United Methodist congregations featured in a new report by Wesleyan Impact Partners. In “Flourishing Small Congregations,” the Texas-based nonprofit challenges The United Methodist Church to see small churches as assets. Eastside also celebrated its 15th anniversary Aug. 9. Photo by Karina Aragon-Buchanan, Eastside Church.

How small congregations can flourish

Small churches are an asset for The United Methodist Church, argues a new report from Wesleyan Impact Partners. The report profiles nine U.S. congregations that are outsized in their community impact.
Congregations
Worshippers sing traditional Shona hymns during a revival organized by the Women’s Fellowship of The United Methodist Church’s United Kingdom District, July 2-5 in Blackpool, England. The annual Chiringanyanza Revival brings together Zimbabwean United Methodists from across the U.K. for worship, fellowship and spiritual renewal. Photo by Priscilla Muzerengwa, UM News.

Church keeps UK Zimbabweans connected to home

The United Methodist Church’s growing United Kingdom District demonstrates that when faith crosses borders, it does not lose its roots.
Immigration
Friends and relatives in Bucaramanga, Colombia, hold a vigil July 14 for Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a Colombian national who was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Maine. The Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition said Durán Guerrero was legally authorized to work in the U.S. Photo by Jaime Moreno, AP.

Amid ICE killings, churches defend immigrants

United Methodists are caring for frightened neighbors after federal immigration enforcement fatally shot two people in less than a week. Church leaders also are trying to help people who have seen their legal status stripped.

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