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General Church
The Rev. Christopher T. McAlilly prays during morning worship Oct. 22 at the United Methodist Leadership Gathering at Knox United Church in Calgary, Canada. Participants spent their second full day together moving from naming the realities facing The United Methodist Church to reflecting on practices to help it thrive. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.
The Rev. Christopher T. McAlilly prays during morning worship Oct. 22 at the United Methodist Leadership Gathering at Knox United Church in Calgary, Canada. Participants spent their second full day together moving from naming the realities facing The United Methodist Church to reflecting on practices to help it thrive. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Gathering explores new practices for church
Participants at the Council of Bishops Leadership Gathering spent their second full day together moving from naming the realities facing The United Methodist Church to reflecting on ways to help it thrive.

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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.
General Church
From left, Bishop Chungsuk Kim, president bishop of the Korean Methodist Church; the Rev. Byung-bae Hwang, general secretary of its General Board of Missions; Roland Fernandes, top executive of United Methodist Board of Global Ministries; and Bishop Rosemarie Wenner, an ecumenical officer of the United Methodist Council of Bishops, mark the signing of a mission cooperation covenant Oct. 14 in Sokcho, South Korea. The agreement commits the churches’ mission agencies to annual consultations and deeper cooperation. Photo by the Rev. Thomas E. Kim, UM News.

United Methodists, Korean church renew ties
Building on 141 years of shared missionary heritage, leaders of The United Methodist Church and the Korean Methodist Church signed a new covenant committing their mission agencies to regular dialogue and deeper cooperation.
Annual Conferences
Annual Conference Reports

2026 United Methodist annual conference reports
UM News posts the official summaries filed by annual conferences from around the connection. Find the latest reports on our archive page.

Latest News

General Church
Ashlee Vitz (left) and Teri Watanabe raise their arms in praise during opening worship Oct. 21 at the United Methodist Leadership Gathering at Knox United Church in Calgary, Canada. The event, which continues through Oct. 24, brings lay and clergy from around the world together to imagine a new future for The United Methodist Church. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Gathering begins to imagine church yet to be
Immigration
Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi (from left), Bishop LaTrelle Easterling, the Rev. Erica Robinson-Johnson and other faith leaders participate in a public witness for immigrant justice near the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Feb. 25. United Methodist leaders are cheering an Oct. 20 U.S. federal appeals court ruling that allows faith groups, including United Methodists, to move forward with a lawsuit to stop a Trump administration policy that allows immigration enforcement within houses of worship. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Court revives suit to block ICE from churches
Theology and Education
This year marks the 25th anniversary of a special consultation in Bristol, England, focused on “Las Obras de Juan Wesley,” the Spanish translation of John Wesley’s works. The publication of “Las Obras” in 1998, and the 2001 consultation were both aimed at supporting Latino and Hispanic pastors and congregations. Photo courtesy of the Wesley Heritage Foundation.

Rediscovering the works of John Wesley, in Spanish
Church Leadership
Bishop Ande I. Emmanuel (second from left) and other episcopal leaders try out the newly acquired motorcycles at a handover ceremony in Jalingo, Nigeria. Built to handle rugged terrain, the vehicles will make it possible to reach isolated villages to plant churches, win souls and support pastoral work more effectively. Photo by Joseph Dauda Idris Balasa, UM News.

Motorcycles strengthen ministry in rural Nigeria
General Church
The Council of Bishops Leadership Gathering is set to take place Oct. 20-24 at Knox United Church in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Logo courtesy of United Methodist Communications.

What to know about the Leadership Gathering
Mission and Ministry

Living the vision
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Local Church
The Rev. Roslyn Lee poses with a costumed Robert Festa, while the Rev. Won Tack Lee snaps a photo. Festa is a volunteer at the Restless Souls Haunted House, a ministry of West Hills United Methodist Church on Long Island, N.Y. Photo by Lilla Margiza, UM News.

Haunted ministry welcomes ‘Restless Souls’
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Evangelism
Stephen Ministers from First United Methodist Church of Haddonfield, N.J., discuss how to share and use information gained during a celebration and learning event for the ecumenical ministry Sept. 26. While the church has 17 active Stephen Ministers and two supervisory Stephen Leaders, it hopes to recruit more to meet growing needs in its community. From left are Dan Gendron, Michael Persons, Betty Jo Zeno, Bud DelCamp and Stephen Ministry Co-Leader Lou Schopfer. Gendron joined the ministry after appreciating the care his late wife received from a Stephen Minister. Photo by John W. Coleman, UM News.

Stephen Ministries marks 50 years of training caregivers
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Social Concerns
Giovanni Tapang, a scientist and spokesperson of Advocates of Science and Technology for the People, speaks to an ecumenical gathering in Quezon City about the proposed Pax Silica development in New Clark City, Tarlac, and its possible implications for communities, Indigenous Peoples, natural resources and Philippine sovereignty. Photo by Donna Mae Delfin, National Council of Churches in the Philippines.

Filipino United Methodists question AI hub
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Mission and Ministry
Volunteers from the United Methodist Committee on Relief’s Disaster Management Office in the East Congo Episcopal Area supervise the sorting and distribution of food in the courtyard of Amani Parish in Goma, Congo. The monthly assistance program provided aid to 300 vulnerable United Methodist households affected by armed conflict in North Kivu. Photo by Jolie Shabani Mulebinge, UM News.

Church supports families affected by war in Congo
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General Church
The Baltimore-Washington Conference Center stands in Fulton, Maryland. An appellate court ruled in favor of the conference in a suit filed by 37 churches seeking to leave The United Methodist Church with property. Photo courtesy of the Baltimore-Washington Conference.

Trust clause sees big win in Maryland court
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Commentaries

The Rev. Paul Seay. Photo courtesy of the author.

Leadership Gathering should focus on local church
The Rev. Dr. Luan-Vu “Lui” Tran. Photo courtesy of author.

A vision for funding regional conferences
The Rev. Dr. Lloyd T. Nyarota and The Rev. Albert Otshudi Longe. Photos courtesy of the authors.

An invitation to reflect on the denomination’s future
Ännä White. Photo courtesy of the author.

Be brave enough to let the light find you
The Rev. Lindsey B. Freeman. Photo by Adam Bowers.

Walking the journey of calling
This blog appears in the Blogs and Commentaries section of UM News. UM News is a ministry of United Methodist Communications.

Suicide is a public health crisis. How can faith communities respond?
James H. Salley. Photo courtesy of the author.

James Laney had big impact on Africa University
Jay Cardwell. Photo courtesy of the author.

Remembering 9/11 at John Street church
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Multimedia

Mission and Ministry
A member of a United Methodist Volunteers in Mission Disaster Response Team from Virginia works to clear a flood-damaged home in Western North Carolina during the days following Hurricane Helene in 2024. Photo by Lilla Marigza, UM News.
A member of a United Methodist Volunteers in Mission Disaster Response Team from Virginia works to clear a flood-damaged home in Western North Carolina during the days following Hurricane Helene in 2024. Photo by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

50 years of turning faith into action
From disaster zones to mission fields around the world, United Methodist Volunteers in Mission marks a half-century of making a difference.

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Social Concerns
Graphic by Ben Ward, photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Atlanta: Connection across difference
Graphic by Ben Ward, photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

UM News Podcast Season One
Discipleship
Pastor Dean Roush (right) and volunteers from Mora United Methodist Church in Minnesota sing with residents of a nursing home as part of the church’s community outreach. A free bread giveaway and weekly coffee chat also provide opportunities for church members to be in fellowship with their community. Video image by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

Church finds joy in bread, coffee and communion
Faith Stories
The Rev. Andrea Byer Thomas makes therapeutic soaps and creams to soothe skin allergies. Photos courtesy of Handmade Luxuries.

A ministry of healing
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