- Global Methodist Church Elects Its First Full-Time Assembly of Bishops
For the first time, the Church has elected a regular, full-time Assembly of Bishops to serve six-year terms. Under the theme “the Beauty of Holiness,” the Global Methodist Church reconvened for the Wednesday afternoon plenary of the 2026 General Conference in Johannesburg,… Read more: Global Methodist Church Elects Its First Full-Time Assembly of Bishops - Godless and Providential?
The Godless Constitution and the Providential Nation by Steven D. Smith is timely reading for America’s 250th birthday, especially amid increasing debates over Christian Nationalism. Even as American religious practice has declined over several decades, more religious voices are paradoxically clamoring… Read more: Godless and Providential? - IRD in ‘The New Yorker’
An article last week in The New Yorker mentioned our Institute on Religion & Democracy. Bill McKibben, a longtime climate activist and a United Methodist, highlights Mainline Protestants running for public office as a sign of Mainline Protestant revival, of sorts. He mentions… Read more: IRD in ‘The New Yorker’ - ‘Christian nationalism’ already failed America once
It is easy to look around America today and feel like something vital is slipping away. Families feel fragmented, institutions look hollowed out, and an aggressive anti-Christian “secularism” seems determined to scrub every trace of faith from public life. For… Read more: ‘Christian nationalism’ already failed America once - Bedford County church files federal suit against United Methodist Conference over disaffiliation
BEDFORD COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — Queen Memorial Church has filed a federal lawsuit against the Susquehanna Conference of the United Methodist Church. They say the conference violated the congregation’s constitutional rights by refusing to allow it to disaffiliate from the… Read more: Bedford County church files federal suit against United Methodist Conference over disaffiliation - Resurrecting Wesleyan Evangelism: The Necessity of Field Preaching Today
Statistics and anecdotal evidence suggest we are moving into a post-Christian era in North America. If this is the case, it is imperative that the church recapture a sense of missionary calling and method. There is no magic bullet to… Read more: Resurrecting Wesleyan Evangelism: The Necessity of Field Preaching Today - Still Methodist?: Connectionalism and Potential Deficits of Independent Methodism
I have lived most of my life in West Texas, where the air is usually so hot and arid that if I need a shower in the morning and evening, my towel will have completely dried during the day. I… Read more: Still Methodist?: Connectionalism and Potential Deficits of Independent Methodism - Days 2 & 3 – General Conference of the GMC
The best part of the day was a time spent with Diane Ury, a saint of the Salvation Army, with the distinguished title of “National Ambassador for Holiness.” A year or so ago, I went on a search for a… Read more: Days 2 & 3 – General Conference of the GMC - Sanctification and the Sacraments: Encountering the Transforming Presence of God
One of the great challenges facing the modern Church is that many Christians have come to think about holiness or sanctification primarily in moral terms. Sanctification becomes reduced to “being a good person,” avoiding certain sins, or trying harder to… Read more: Sanctification and the Sacraments: Encountering the Transforming Presence of God - Doctrine, Spirit, and Discipline
I spent part of my Wednesday morning watching the livestream of the Global Methodist Church’s General Conference meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa. What a joy it was to see a room filled with people from all over the world gathered… Read more: Doctrine, Spirit, and Discipline - Pastors report rising worship attendance, but fewer new commitments to Christ: study
While most pastors report increased church attendance, a recent study finds that the share of attendees who are new converts or previously unchurched has declined sharply over the last decade. Lifeway Research posted a report on Tuesday finding that 54% of more… Read more: Pastors report rising worship attendance, but fewer new commitments to Christ: study - Dad can forbid child from attending church with mother, Maine high court rules
Maine’s highest court has ruled that a father can prevent his daughter from attending a Calvary Chapel with her mother in a contested custody case after a lower court accepted an expert’s claim that the congregation is akin to a… Read more: Dad can forbid child from attending church with mother, Maine high court rules - Andrew Sullivan, “Harmony of the Arminian Faith: A Proposal to the Global Methodist Church” (Full Thesis)
John Wesley left the people called Methodist a trio of doctrinal standards: The Twenty-Five Articles of Religion of the Methodist Church, the Fifty-Two Standard Sermons and his Notes on the New Testament. This trio of doctrinal standards have always been our official doctrinal standards. The Articles being… Read more: Andrew Sullivan, “Harmony of the Arminian Faith: A Proposal to the Global Methodist Church” (Full Thesis) - Considering Johannesburg – “So…Are We Charismatics Now?” – Panel 10
Methodism has always had a primary concern with the person and work of the Holy Spirit. John Wesley’s sermons revolved around a robust pneumatology (theology of the Holy Spirit) with great regularity. Yet over the course of a couple of… Read more: Considering Johannesburg – “So…Are We Charismatics Now?” – Panel 10 - Not Irrelevant!
“My point in saying all of this is straightforward: Orthodox Protestantism is on the decline; the supposed “Anti-Catholic” articles of the Methodist Articles are more relevant than ever. ” ~ On April 1st of this year, 2026, the Global Methodist Church put forward a new confession,… Read more: Not Irrelevant! - Does Methodist connectionalism serve large and small churches equally?
The battle between Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas and its regional governing body in The United Methodist Church may boil down to whether large and small churches in the denomination can continue to operate by the same governing rules.… Read more: Does Methodist connectionalism serve large and small churches equally? - Teaching the Faith as an Act of Love | Dr. Tesia Mallory | It’s Elementary Podcast Ep.
Why is it so important to teach the Christian faith to the next generation? And what happens when the Church stops doing it? In this episode of It’s Elementary, Dr. David Watson and Dr. Tesia Mallory explore the importance of… Read more: Teaching the Faith as an Act of Love | Dr. Tesia Mallory | It’s Elementary Podcast Ep. - Say the Name ~ Why the Global Methodist Church Needs a Distinct Public Identity
I love the Global Methodist Church. I don’t say that casually. I wasn’t raised Methodist. I was raised in the Baptist Church, and I remain deeply grateful for the pastors, musicians, teachers, and congregations that formed my Christian faith there.… Read more: Say the Name ~ Why the Global Methodist Church Needs a Distinct Public Identity - Considering Johannesburg – “The Role of Laity in the GMC” – Panel 9
To some degree, Methodism has always been a lay-led movement. Without the proactive engagement of laity, clergy never would have gotten very far. In an early colonial setting in America, with circuit riders giving intermittent care to congregations, it was… Read more: Considering Johannesburg – “The Role of Laity in the GMC” – Panel 9 - 2026 General Conference Livestream
The 2026 General Conference of the Global Methodist Church will be livestreamed here and through the Global Methodist Church’s official YouTube channel. Please return when General Conference begins to watch the official broadcast—and invite your congregation, family, and friends to join… Read more: 2026 General Conference Livestream - 2026 General ConferencePreliminary Schedule
- Joburg Journal: Welcome to South Africa!
STG is excited to bring you news, travelogue, and reflections throughout the happenings of General Conference 2026. Please subscribe, follow, and tune in wherever you listen to podcasts! Below are links mentioned in this conversation - Considering Johannesburg – “Church Discipline” – Panel 5
Some legislation before the coming General Conference is more theological or theoretical than other legislation. One category of legislation is more immediately practical than perhaps any other: How are we to govern our churches? Specifically, how will we protect one… Read more: Considering Johannesburg – “Church Discipline” – Panel 5 - Considering Johannesburg – “What Kind of Holiness?” – Panel 7
Holiness is a primary concern, not just of the Wesleyan/Methodist tradition, but of the Bible. Without holiness, no one will see the Lord. Our Lord is holy, and He has called us to be holy as He is holy. Even… Read more: Considering Johannesburg – “What Kind of Holiness?” – Panel 7 - Considering Johannesburg – “Judicial Administration” – Panel 6
Yesterday’s panel on Church Discipline figured a good deal into the conversation around judicial administration. The rules we already have in place may or may not be sufficient for protecting good order in our covenant body. The reality of our… Read more: Considering Johannesburg – “Judicial Administration” – Panel 6
