Missouri Annual Conference

The Rev. Eric Kalumba Nkulu, a Global Ministries missionary assigned as a church planter in Madagascar, receives the first stone of a new United Methodist church building from a local construction worker in Sambava, Madagascar. The church will be home to a growing congregation in the northern part of the country. Photo by Rosette Viviane, UM News.

New churches take root in Madagascar

United Methodists continue evangelism efforts on the island nation, breaking ground on two new buildings for congregations in the north and west.

Church Leadership

UM News is the official news gathering agency of The United Methodist Church. Map courtesy of Pixabay; graphic by UM News.

Probe ends of pastor who worked for Epstein

The Missouri Conference has reached a resolution with a United Methodist pastor who briefly worked as a property manager for the convicted sex offender.

Teens clap and sing during one of two UNITE youth retreats sponsored by the Missouri Conference in July 2025 at Central Methodist University in Fayette, Missouri. United Methodist conferences in the U.S. are seeing growth at annual youth retreats after years of slowdown following the COVID pandemic. File photo by Schaefer Photography.

Conference youth retreats make comeback

Promoting youth involvement in leadership and maintaining yearlong connections beyond the United Methodist events have been keys to success.

Social Concerns

Map courtesy of Pixabay; graphic by UM News.

Probe underway of pastor who worked for Epstein

United Methodist leaders learned this week that an ordained elder from Missouri worked briefly as a property manager for the convicted sex offender.

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