Plan Now: Worldwide Regionalization and Ratification Webinar

UM & Global blogmaster Dr. David W. Scott will present on “Theology of Regionalization” as part of an upcoming “Worldwide Regionalization & Ratification Webinar.”

The webinar will be on February 20 at 8am PST/9am MST/10 am CST/11am ET. The webinar is expected to last about 3 hours long. Dr. Scott will be second on the agenda.

The webinar is organized by the denomination’s Regionalization Task Force and presented by United Methodist Communications. It represents a collaboration among UMCOM, the Connectional Table, the Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters, members of the Christmas Covenant writing team and The Council of Bishops

According to the event description, “This session will examine the significance of worldwide regionalization in The United Methodist Church, its implications for the U.S. church and the consequences of inaction. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the ratification process, engage with key leaders, and explore how regionalization fosters adaptability, equity and mission effectiveness.” The webinar will conclude with a live Q&A.

Interested readers can register here.

Recommended Event: World Methodist Conference

The World Methodist Conference starts today, August 14. The conference is generally held every 5 years, but because of COVID delays, the World Methodist Conference has not met since 2016. The World Methodist Conference is a project of the World Methodist Council, the ecumenical body bringing together churches in the Methodist-Wesleyan tradition. The Conference then has thousands of participants coming from dozens of Methodist bodies all around the world.

The website for the World Methodist Conference has more information about the theme of the conference, "On the Move." This includes sub-themes of Migration, Pilgrimage, and Guiding Lights. You can also read more about the conference's schedule, including presentations around the theme. Look, too, for coverage of the conference on various church-related (social) media accounts.

Recommended Viewing: American Society of Missiology 2024 Conference Plenary Videos

The American Society of Missiology, the premier ecumenical professional organization dedicated to mission studies in North America, held its annual meeting a couple weeks ago. This year's theme was “Mission with Children, Youth, and Young Adults.” The theme was chosen by 2023-2024 President (and Association of Methodist Professors of Mission member) Rev. Dr. Benjamin L. Hartley.

The conference included a schedule of plenary presentations and paper presentations, all focused on the yearly theme. The plenary presentations were videotaped and have been posted on the society's YouTube channel. They are well worth viewing, especially Hartley's fine presidential address.

Benjamin Hartley: John R. Mott amidst the Students

Dwight Radcliff, Jr.: Remixing the Center

Andrea Toledo Baker: Sacred Spaces

Up Next: Episcopal Elections in Central and Southern Europe and the Philippines

For many United Methodists in the United States, attention was focused this past week on episcopal elections in the five US jurisdictions. Although those elections are now completed, that is not the end of United Methodist episcopal elections this year. Up next are elections in the Central and Southern Europe Central Conference and the Philippines Central Conference.

The Central and Southern Europe Central Conference will meet November 16-20 in Basel. The Central Conference will elect one bishop, with balloting to begin on Thursday, Nov. 17 and continue to Friday, Nov. 18 if necessary (full agenda here). Unlike in the United States, the Central and Southern Europe Central Conference does not provide information about publicly declared candidates prior to the election, a function of its smaller size with more personal connections and differing cultural understandings.

In addition to its episcopal election, the central conference will also discuss its round table process to address the future of the central conference in the light of varying views of sexuality and departures from the denomination (for more, see this article and this fact sheet, both in German).

Next, the Philippines Central Conference will meet November 24-26 to elect three bishops. All three episcopal seats in the Philippines are up for vote in every episcopal election. There are numerous declared candidates for the episcopacy in the Philippines, and the National Association of Filipino American United Methodists and the Philippines Central Conference College of Bishops organized candidates forums so that Filipino United Methodists can learn more about those candidates. Videos of full forums are available here: [1], [2], and [3], and excerpts from each of the candidates are available in this playlist. 

Note the role of the US-based National Association of Filipino American United Methodists in organizing a candidates' forum for the Philippines. This is a clear indication that many Filipino American United Methodists still have strong ties to their home country and the church there. Episcopal elections always have implications beyond the boundaries in which candidates are elected, and in some instances, this is especially so.

Recommended Viewing: Fresh Expressions Webinars

Discipleship Ministries is sponsoring a year-long series of monthly webinars on Fresh Expressions, the movement to start new forms of church in new places for new people. According to the description, "Fresh Expressions UM is a distinctly Wesleyan Spirit-led movement of new Christian communities that serve the present age. We are seeking to cultivate inclusive, accessible, transformative, and connectional communities of love and grace for people currently neglected by the church."

The announcement notes, "The structure of the symposium is a series of free live-streamed events using Zoom. Each speaker will consider a core theological distinction that needs to be reappropriated to “serve the present age,” and then respond live to your questions. The recordings from these conversations will be made available with a study guide for your teams to work through together."

The webinars will occur the first Thursday of each month. The first webinar will be Nov. 3, featuring Michael Beck talking about "The new 'field preaching': Intercultural hermeneutics and dialogical preaching" and Brian Russell talking about "Idolatherapy: Reading Scripture for Deep Formation in the Love of God, Neighbor, and Self." Registration for the entire series can be found here.

Recommended Viewing: Panel on the Challenges of Methodism in Latin America

Over the past several weeks, UM & Global has been running a series of posts about mission and evangelism in Latin American Methodism originally published by the Centro Metodista de Estudios Wesleyanos (CMEW) of the Iglesia Evangelica Metodista Argentina (IEMA, Evangelical Methodist Church Argentina). The posts were originally published in Spanish and have appeared here in translation through the permission and support of CMEW. Two more translations remain to be published on UM & Global, but the Spanish-language versions are now all available.

As a follow-up to that series of posts, CMEW and IEMA are hosting a free online panel (in Spanish) on the topic of "The Challenges of Methodism in Latin America." The panel will be hosted by Revs. Claudio Pose and Viviana Pinto (both of whose essays in the series will appear on this site soon). It features as panelists Rev. Dr. Daniel Bruno of CMEW along with Rev. Dr. Miguel Ulloa Moscoso of Chile, Director of the Methodist Seminary of Chile, and Dr. Nancy Cardoso of Brazil, Professors of the Study of Religion and Theology at the Methodist University of Angola. The conversation should be excellent.

The panel will be at 7:30pm CST this Friday, September 30. Free online registration can be found here.

Plan Now: Ukraine Webinar

The Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference is hosting a webinar at 12pm EDT on Friday, May 27th entitled "A Faithful Response to the War in Ukraine: It’s Impact and What Makes What Peace?" The webinar will feature Rev. Oleg Starodubets, the UMC district superintendent for Ukraine; his wife, Rev. Julia Starodubets, also a UMC pastor in Ukraine, and Rev. Bill Lovelace, a UMC missionary in Europe, current assigned to work with migrants, formerly serving in Lithuania, Ukraine, and Russia. The webinar will be of interest to United Methodists who have been following events surrounding Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the church's response. Registration is free but does require the creation of an account.

Plan Now: UMVIM Roving Listener Training

UMVIM is sponsoring a training on October 23 at 9am Central/10am Eastern entitled "Roving Listeners: Shining Light of the Gifts of Our Neighbors." Roving listeners are a central component of the asset-based approach to mission developed at Broadway UMC in Indianapolis. DeAmong Harges, the originator of the roving listener approach, has gained wide-spread recognition for that work. This training will feature Rev. Alicia Baker and Rev. Aaron Hobbs from Broadway UMC. The training should be highly relevant for anyone seeking to move their mission practice, especially their local mission engagement, in the direction of asset-based approaches to mission. Those interested can register here.

Plan Now: Anti-Racism, Environmental Justice Webinars This Week

This week brings two webinars on topics covered by this blog:

On Tuesday, August 24th at 8pm EDT, the Asian American Language Ministry Plan of Global Ministries, the New Federation of Asian American United Methodists, and Church and Society will jointly host the next “Raise Up Your Voice Against Racism” webinar on “Racism and the Criminal Justice System.” Rev. John Oda of the Asian American Language Ministry Plan describes the import of these webinars in a piece entitled "Hate is the other pandemic." Rev. Oda also wrote a piece for UM & Global earlier this year on a related topic: "Why Asian American Should Speak Out about Racism." For more information about the webinar, contact Oda at joda (at) umcmission.org.

On Thursday, August 26th at 7pm EDT, Church and Society will host a webinar entitled "Environmental Justice Day: A Just and Equitable Vision for Creation Care." A four-member panel will "equip attendees to deepen their perspective on Environmental Justice that centers equity and justice and raises awareness on the importance of honoring the past, present, and future of the Environmental Justice movement." To register for the webinar, visit this link.

Plan Now: Irish Methodist Mission Course

The Methodist Church in Ireland is offering a hybrid course on mission for church members and leaders. The course, entitled Joining with God's mission, seeks to answer the question, "What does it mean to join in with the Mission of God in the 21st century?" The course comprises six monthly groups and two in-person day-long conferences over the course of the next year. The online component of the course will be hosted on the TheologyX platform and thus be a good demonstration of what that platform can do to bring theological education to multiple audiences within the church.

Plan Now: Webinar on “Misogyny, Racism and Asian American Women”

The following event announcement comes from Rev. John Oda, Program Manager for the Asian American Language Ministry Plan at the General Board of Global Ministries. You can read a previous UM & Global piece by Rev. Oda about Asian Americans and race here.

The Asian American Language Ministry Plan, the New Federation of Asian American United Methodists, and the General Board of Church and Society are co-sponsoring webinars called "Raise Up Your Voice Against Racism." This month’s webinar will explore “Misogyny, Racism and Asian American Women.” The webinar will be held May 25^th at 5:00pm PST / 8:00pm EST.

A report from Stop AAPI Hate found that 68% of the Anti-Asian violence against Asian Americans since March 2020 has been against women. We must never forget that on March 16, 2021, a gunman killed eight people in three Atlanta spas, six of whom were women of Asian descent: Daoyou Feng, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, Soon Chung Park, Xiaojie Tan and Yong Ae Yue.  The authorities recently named these murders as hate crimes. These killings were part of a long history of violence, hatred and misogyny against Asian American women in the U.S and must viewed in this context.

Panelist: Rev. Sung Yeon Choimorrow is an Ordained Clergy person in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Executive Director of the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF). NAPAWH works to build power with Asian American and Pacific Islander women and girls to create a more just world. Rev. Sung Yeon was born in South Korea and spent her childhood in Singapore and India. She came to the U.S. at the age of 18 to study Political Science and Urban Studies at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL and earned an M.Div from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. She has been featured in and quoted by: the New York Times, NBC, CBS This Morning, CNBC, Yes Magazine, Ms Magazine, Al Jazeera News English and more.

As a first generation immigrant working mom, Rev. Sung Yeon is passionate about building power to create change so her daughter can live in a world that is more just than the one that she inherited.

Moderator: Elizabeth Chun Hye Lee serves as United Methodist Women’s Executive for Economic and Environmental Justice and Climate Justice Lead. Her primary area of work is around advancing climate justice with members, church, and society, through trainings, program development, partnerships, corporate engagement, advocacy, and solidarity. Her approach to climate justice is through gender, human rights, and theological analyses. Prior to UMW, Liz served as the Director for Young Adult Mission Service at Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church, spearheading the redesign of the historic US-2 and Mission Intern programs into the Global Mission Fellows program while developing over 100 global and national partnerships.

Plan Now: Green Evangelism webinar

The Methodist Church in Britain's Evangelism and Growth Team is sponsoring a series of webinars this spring. On Thursday, March 25th, the team will sponsor a unique learning opportunity on "Green Evangelism," exploring the question, "What does climate justice have to do with sharing our faith?" The webinar will run from 7-8:30pm GMT (3-4:30pm EDT). Speakers include Elaine Heath, Jack Wakefield, and Phoebe Parkin. The webinar is free of charge.

Recommended Viewing: Unmasking the Evil of Colonialism

The Methodist Federation for Social Action and United Methodists for Kairos Response are co-hosting a webinar next Wednesday, Feb. 10th at 10am EST entitled "Unmasking the Evil of Colonialism." The webinar will explore the impact of colonialism on Turtle Island (a traditional Native American term for North America), the Philippines, Africa, and Palestine. According to press materials, the webinar will help viewers wrestle with the question, "How can we meaningfully reject the sin of settler colonialism and support these indigenous peoples' liberation struggles?" Interested readers can register at the above link.

The webinar will feature a panel of four presenters: Rev. Alvin Deer - Retired Clergy in Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference, UMC; Rev. Lloyd T. Nyarota – Clergy in the Zimbabwe East Conference, UMC; Rev. Armando Arellano - Filipino Clergy in the East Ohio Conference, UMC; and Ata Manasra - Director of the Wadi Foquin-Narjes Community Development Project, former Mayor of Wadi Foquin, West Bank, Palestine. It will be moderated by Michelle Dromgold-Sermen, former UMKR Intern and PhD candidate in sociology, University of North Carolina.

Lloyd Nyarota in particular has been an outspoken critic of colonialism within The United Methodist Church. Given his presence on the panel and given the generally United Methodist flavor of the event, it is likely that the discussion of colonialism will include a discussion of colonialism within the church as well as within secular realms.

Recommended Viewing: Mission Beyond COVID-19 Webinar on COVID-19 and the Health of Communities

Video of the fifth and final episode of Global Ministries' monthly webinar series, "Mission Beyond COVID-19," which examines aspects of mission theology in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, is now available online. This webinar occurred last week, with Dr. David W. Scott facilitating a conversation with Tatenda Mujeni of Global Ministries, Dr. Tendai Manyeza of Kissy United Methodist Hospital, and Dr. Katelin Hansen of United Methodist Church & Community Development for All People on "COVID-19 and the Health of Communities." The video is just over a half hour.

Viewers who find this discussion interesting may also be interested in the upcoming All People Conference, Oct. 24-26, hosted by United Methodist Church & Community Development for All People of Columbus, OH. The theme of this year's conference is "Abundant Health for All." The conference will feature keynote speakers and workshops on topics related to health and asset-based approaches to mission and ministry. UM & Global blogmaster David Scott will present and host a discussion in a plenary session on Monday, Oct. 26. The conference can be attended virtually or in person. A paid registration is required for either option.

Plan Now: North Central Jurisdiction Mission Academy

The North Central Jurisdiction has long held a Mission Academy for congregational and annual conference leaders interested in improving their mission skills and knowledge. Like many events, this one has been moved online this year. But one of the benefits of the move to virtual participation (as with so many events this year) is that it makes that participation more widely possible. Anyone, regardless of whether they reside in the North Central Jurisdiction or not, is welcome to participate in a series of mission-related webinars throughout the month of October.

For a short list of the webinar topics and dates, see here.

For a fuller description of the webinars and instructors, see here.

For a registration link, see here.

Plan Now: Season of Creation

Tomorrow begins the Season of Creation, the yearly time for ecumenical prayer and action on behalf of the environment. As these two recent articles make clear, the need for Christians to act on creation care has never been as pressing. Climate change is nothing something that will happen if we do not take action. It is something that is already happening and will get much, much worse without significant action.

To participate in the Season of Creation, see the following resources:

The Season of Creation website

The WCC announcement about the Season of Creation

The WCC 2020 Season of Creation Celebration Guide

Details about a global ecumenical prayer service for the Season of Creation that will be held tomorrow, Sept. 1st

For United Methodist-specific resources about climate care, see the following:

Creation Care resources from umc.org

Climate Justice resources from UMW

UMC Creation Justice Movement

UMC Caretakers of God's Creation

Plan Now: Methodist Mission Bicentennial Conference

The General Board of Global Ministries will be celebrating its past, present, and future in mission as part of the 200th anniversary of its founding. This anniversary, which it will commemorate in 2019, honors the 1819 founding of the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the earliest forerunner of Global Ministries.

As part of that celebration, readers are invited to participate in “Answering the Call: Hearing God’s Voice in Mission Past, Present, and Future,” a global conference co-hosted by Global Ministries and Candler School of Theology, Emory University.

The conference will begin at 5pm on Monday, April 8, 2019, and run through the evening of Wednesday, April 10, 2019. It will be held at the Emory Conference Center Hotel, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.

To register for the conference, readers may visit https://www.eiseverywhere.com/gmbicentennial. On the initial page of the registration site, please select the ALL OTHER PARTICIPANTS category.
Please note that there will be a registration fee of $400 to cover the costs of food and meeting space at the conference. The conference will include a banquet dinner Monday night and light morning refreshments, lunch, and dinner on Tuesday and Wednesday. Guests desiring a full breakfast may purchase one at the conference center hotel or a nearby café.


The conference will include a banquet dinner Monday night at 5pm on Monday, April 8, 2019, and readers may select to attend this portion of the conference as a stand-alone event. This banquet will be a time of celebration, worship, thanksgiving for the past two hundred years of Methodist mission, and inspiration for the next two hundred. It will feature a keynote address by Rev. Dr. Arun Jones, Dan and Lillian Hankey Associate Professor of World Evangelism at Candler School of Theology, Emory University.

To register for the banquet only, readers may visit https://www.eiseverywhere.com/gbgmbqt. Please note that there will be a registration cost of $75 to cover the food, service, and event space.

For more information about the conference, visit https://methodistmission200.org/bicentennial-conference/.

Plan Now: Methodist Mission Bicentennial Conference

The Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the oldest denomination-wide mission organization in American Methodism, was founded on April 5, 1819. That means the 200th anniversary of its founding will happen in just under a year.

As part of the celebration of this milestone in Methodism, Global Ministries, in collaboration with Candler School of Theology of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, will be hosting a Methodist mission bicentennial conference called “Answering the Call: Hearing God’s Voice in Methodist Mission Past, Present, and Future.”

The conference will celebrate Methodism’s mission heritage and look to the future of Methodist mission. Rev. Dr. Arun Jones, Bishop Mande Muyombo, and Rev. Dr. Elaine Heath will be featured speakers. Joy Eva Bohol will present a youth address.

The conference will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, at the Emory University Conference Center Hotel, April 8-10, 2019.

Those interested in attending can indicate their interest here. The application found through this link is a non-binding pre-registration. An official registration system will be available later.

For academics, students, and mission practitioners, a call for papers is available here. The deadline for submissions is June 30, 2018, and selected papers will be announced after that.

Act Now: Share Your Mission Story

2019 marks the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the first denomination-wide mission society in any of The United Methodist Church's predecessor bodies.

Global Ministries is coordinating several components to celebrate this milestone. One is collecting and sharing stories of Methodists in mission throughout our history. These stories are intended to help us understand who we have been in mission and propel us forward into a new age of mission.

The story collection process is open to anyone. You can submit your story here: http://methodistmission200.org/mission-stories/submit-your-story/

As the website indicates, the stories should answer the questions: "What has God done through Methodists in mission historically in your area? How is God moving in mission among Methodists in your area today?"

In continues, "You are encouraged to share short written stories of mission pioneers, persons who brought Methodism to a new area; mission exemplars, individuals, institutions, movements, and events that represent a significant aspect of Methodist mission; and mission lessons learned from current or recent mission projects. These stories can be illustrated by photos and video."

You can read the stories collected here: http://methodistmission200.org/mission-stories/

Plan Now: Global Migration Sunday

Migration is one of the most significant social forces shaping the world, and The United Methodist Church seeks to be in ministry with migrants around the world. To highlight these efforts, the UMC is calling on its congregations and members around the world to celebration December 3, 2017, as Global Migration Sunday. United Methodists are asked to be in prayer for migrants and to contribute to a special offering which will be used for ministries with migrants.

The UMC has set up a special website with resources to help United Methodists celebrate this Sunday: https://umcmigration.org/

In addition, the following UMNS news articles give a history of plans for the special Sunday:
An initial request by the bishops
Affirmation of the idea by the Connectional Table
Current plans for Global Migration Sunday