UMARC affirms the Christmas Covenant because it seeks to decolonize our church structure, allowing for regions of the church around to world to engage in effective and vital contextual ministries, as we continue to build missional connectional relationships worldwide.

African bishops called for unity in The United Methodist Church while condemning traditionalist advocacy groups looking to break up the denomination. The bishops released a statement Sept. 8 denouncing the Africa Initiative and Wesleyan Covenant Association, which they say "are wrongly influencing God's people in our areas." The statement was released at the close of the Africa Colleges of Bishops retreat. .

The bishops released a statement Sept. 8 denouncing the Africa Initiative and Wesleyan Covenant Association, which they say “are wrongly influencing God’s people in our areas.”

The launch of the Global Methodist Church without the passage of the Protocol has led to multiple attempts at what some have called dual membership, being United Methodist while at the same time being part of the Global Methodist Church. It has to be clearly spelled that one can’t be a member of two denominations, and that false sense of assurance this duplicity provides doesn’t serve them well.

The Judicial Council, The United Methodist Church's top court, ruled that current church law does not allow annual conferences in the U.S. to withdraw from the denomination. The ruling answers questions from the United Methodist bishops, who are dealing with the ramifications of a splintering denomination.

The Virginia Conference’s delegates to General Conference have unanimously endorsed the Christmas Covenant, a legislative package submitted to the lawmaking assembly. The proposed legislation would transform central conferences in Africa, Europe and the Philippines into regional conferences and create a U.S. regional conference. The legislation aims to create a more equitable global structure.

United Methodists are anxiously waiting this week to learn whether General Conference will meet this year in August, or whether it will be again postponed until 2024.

The Wesleyan Covenant Association announced plans to raise funds to ensure General Conference delegates in Africa, Eurasia and the Philippines have access to vaccines. However, bishops and other United Methodist leaders challenge the ethics of that plan. Heather Hahn reports.

Dealing with the pandemic has not been easy. It has revealed deep inequalities among nations when it comes to questions of access to healthcare and also to what extent some are prepared to put a price tag on human life in pursuit of their desired course of action.

Proponents celebrate the second anniversary of the Christmas Covenant legislation submitted to General Conference. The Christmas Covenant is a set of legislation and constitutional amendments aimed at establishing regional equity in the structures of the church while maintaining unity in connection. In a video, Bishop Rodolfo Juan of the Philippines explains his support for the plan.

Based on the decisions made and reports issued by the Commission thus far, its strong preference seems to be for an in-person meeting that a broadly representative swath of delegates are able to attend. The main factors then become whether delegates from around the world are able to travel to Minneapolis, MN to attend.

As the denomination edges toward some form of separation, bishops offer a narrative to describe their hopes for the continuing United Methodist Church. The bishops’ narrative aims to paint a picture of a church where all have a home.

As discussions about denominational separation ramp up, bishops started their fall meeting focused on the continuing United Methodist Church and anti-racism work. In this fractious time, Council of Bishops President Cynthia Fierro Harvey urged leaders to stay focused on loving God and neighbor. The bishops also elected new officers.

The California-Pacific Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church endorses the Christmas Covenant legislation, including the creation of a U.S. Regional Conference, and urges all California-Pacific delegates to General and Jurisdictional Conference, including alternates, to support the Christmas Covenant and to make such legislation a priority for the delegation.

The Rev. Dr. Jean Claude Masuka Maleka, a missionary in Côte d’Ivoire, said that separation in the church could affect Africa more than any other continent, and United Methodists must work to keep the unity of the Body of Christ. “The American church should resolve the issue without including Africans in the debate of traditionalists or centrists,” he writes.

Baptism invites the believer and the whole Body of Christ to resist and abolish the evil of racism and white supremacy. Breaking down racial barriers and lifting up equity to privilege the oppressed is explicit in our baptismal vows.

History is always bound to repeat itself unless we learn lessons from the past and take actions to avoid similar outcomes. The end of colonialism in its direct approach gave rise to neo-colonialism that seeks to attain the same objectives of suppressing and oppressing others through different means

Nearly 300 Filipino United Methodists joined a virtual conversation to talk about the Christmas Covenant and other plans for the future of the UMC. It was the first in a series of informational sessions for central conference delegates and church leaders.

Regionalizing its structure and electing gifted leaders as bishops will be key for The United Methodist Church of the future. The Rev. Stanley R. Copeland outlines a vision for the new United Methodism.

With these confusions and threats happening both in the local and international panorama of discussions on the issue of separation and disaffiliation, the Manila Episcopal Area Cabinet, have issued a Statement of Unity