United Methodist Church Holds First Leadership Gathering: More Than 280 Leaders Meet in Calgary to Discern the Denomination's Future
The United Methodist Church held its first-ever Leadership Gathering on October 20 to 24 at Knox United Church in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, with 281 invited leaders attending in person and 46 more joining online for holy listening and discernment about the future of a denomination with more than 11 million members in over 100 countries.
One-third of the participants were aged 35 or younger. They came from seven episcopal areas in Africa, three annual conferences in Europe, three in the Philippines and 37 in the United States, and they were joined by all active bishops, three retired bishops and the top executives of the church's 13 general agencies. 'The church is not the source of that transforming power,' Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr., president of the Council of Bishops and a co-chair of the gathering, said in the opening sermon. Design team co-chair Stephanie Henry said the meeting centered on the denomination's vision: love boldly, serve joyfully, lead courageously.
The gathering was non-legislative, taking no votes and passing no resolutions. Bishop Sandra K. Olewine said the concept had evolved over two and a half years from discussions about a possible special session of the General Conference. The Council of Bishops will reflect on the gathering at its November meeting, and a Leadership Gathering report will be shared with the wider church by January 2027.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 位于南卡罗来纳州哥伦比亚市的卫斯理联合卫理公会教堂（资料图）。Eastward Gypsy 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Wesley United Methodist Church in Columbia, South Carolina (file photo). Photo by Eastward Gypsy, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
