Minnesota ‘Wisdom Council’ lifts all voices

By Lilla Marigza
March 13, 2026 | MINNEAPOLIS (UM News)

Members of the Minnesota Conference Wisdom Council meet regularly with conference leadership to discuss items on the liturgical calendar. The Wisdom Council is a panel designed to make sure historically underrepresented people have a say in the work of the Minnesota Conference. Image from video by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

Bishop Lanette Plambeck says she saw an opportunity for “transformational leadership through deep listening” to inform the work of her episcopal areas in Minnesota and the Dakotas. UM News reporter Lilla Marigza takes us inside a meeting with the “Wisdom Council,” a group of people who bring viewpoints from historically underrepresented voices.

The council reflects many points of intersection and diversity, including licensed local pastors, deacons, elders, Asian American Pacific Islanders, African Americans, persons with disabilities and the LGBTQ community. The group meets monthly with Appointive Cabinet to shape the work of the Minnesota Conference.

Watch video

Marigza is a multimedia producer for UM News. Contact her at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umnews.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free UM News Digest.

Sign up for our newsletter!

Subscribe Now

Annual Conferences

Asbury United Methodist Church’s Wheelchair Ramp Ministry assists community members in need in Bossier City, La. Asbury is one of the churches benefiting from the Louisiana Conference’s new Jubilee Initiative, which will invest $15 million into local churches to help erase debt and support mission and ministry. Photo courtesy of Bryleigh Smith Photography.

Louisiana Conference invests $15M in churches

As part of its new Jubilee Initiative, the Louisiana Conference is helping local churches to pay off debt, fund ministries, expand staffing and more.

Social Concerns

An upswell of joy

Decades after enduring painful events as a closeted teen, writer Tammy Evans recounts feeling buoyed by her United Methodist pastor celebrating Pride.

Annual Conferences

Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference delegates have unanimously supported a plan to unify the North Georgia and South Georgia annual conferences into one. The newly united Georgia Conference will begin operations in January 2027. Maps courtesy of the South Georgia Conference, adapted by UM News.

Georgia unification gains final approval

The United Methodist Church’s Southeastern Jurisdiction has approved the union of the North Georgia and South Georgia conferences.

Related Tags

Sign up for our newsletter!