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Church Growth
Taeron Flemming, a mime and community pastor at The Well Church in Washington, D.C., performs Feb. 26 during the Fresh Expressions United Methodist National Gathering 2026 at First United Methodist Church in Ocala, Fla. Flemming teaches mime as a Fresh Expressions ministry. Photo by Brian Rose, Church of the Restoration in Reston, Va.
Taeron Flemming, a mime and community pastor at The Well Church in Washington, D.C., performs Feb. 26 during the Fresh Expressions United Methodist National Gathering 2026 at First United Methodist Church in Ocala, Fla. Flemming teaches mime as a Fresh Expressions ministry. Photo by Brian Rose, Church of the Restoration in Reston, Va.

Fresh Expressions movement gains momentum
United Methodist ministries set in tattoo parlors, yoga studios and restaurants are reaching people outside the sanctuary.

Editor's Picks

Immigration
United Methodists and other faith leaders march toward the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 25 during “Faithful Resistance: A Public Witness for Immigrant Justice” in Washington. Holding the left end of the banner are United Methodist Bishops Minerva Carcaño, LaTrelle Easterling and Cynthia Moore-Koikoi. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

United Methodists lead witness for immigrants
More than 2,000 people of faith marched around the U.S. Capitol to witness to the Christian faith and to let immigrants know that they do not stand alone.
Social Concerns
Mei Vader and her grandmother participate in “Faithful Resistance: A Public Witness for Immigrant Justice” in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 25, 2026. Vader is the daughter of the Rev. Stephanie Vader, pastor of Capitol Hill United Methodist Church. The church served as a host for the event. Image from video by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

United Methodists take immigration concerns to DC
United Methodists traveled great distances to Washington, DC to stand in witness for the rights of immigrants.
Church Leadership
Bishop Antoine Kalema Tambwe (center) and his wife, Ngole Kitete Charlotte, greet guests in front of Bethel Cascade United Methodist Church in Bangui, Central African Republic. At left is newly ordained pastor the Rev. Christ Noël Yakizi, who serves the remote village of Cantonnier on the Cameroonian border. Photo by Chadrack Tambwe Londe, UM News.

Central African United Methodists celebrate 33 new pastors
The United Methodist Church’s ordinations in the country mark a spiritual renaissance for communities long deprived of clergy.

Latest News

Social Concerns
United Methodist youth leaders hold up a joint statement they prepared at the end of a training workshop in Uvira, Congo. The participants committed to promoting and restoring peace in their communities. Photo by Philippe Kituka Lolonga, UM News.

Church trains young people to promote peace
Church Leadership
The Rev. Daniel Hawkins (left) leads service at Martin United Methodist Church in Bedford, Texas. About a third of the congregation is Tongan and they lean toward traditional theology and politics, Hawkins says. He calls Martin a “purple church” with a blend of red (Republican) and blue (Democrat) members. “We have been comfortable with the idea of being unified without being uniform.” Photo courtesy of Martin United Methodist Church.

Pastors walk a political tightrope
Local Church
Graphic by Ben Ward, photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Podcast: Finding unity in diversity with the Rev. Daniel Hawkins
Social Concerns
The Rev. Mariah Tollgaard, senior pastor of Hamline Church United Methodist in St. Paul, Minn., testifies March 4 before the U.S. House of Represenatives Oversight Committee. Also testifying were Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison. Screen shot from U.S. House of Representatives Oversight Committee hearing via YouTube by UM News.

Minnesota pastor testifies to U.S. Congress
Social Concerns
The Rev. Noé Gabriel López, director of social impact and belonging in the Eastern Pennsylvania and Greater New Jersey conferences, and his wife, Iliana López Matos, who serves as the Cultural Competency Consultant for the conferences’ Bridges program, take part in “Faithful Resistance: A Public Witness for Immigrant Justice” Feb. 25 in Washington, D.C. The Rev. López chartered buses so church members from the conferences could join in the United Methodist-led event. Photo courtesy of the Rev. Sarah Borgstrom Lee.

With DEI dismantled, ministries still work for diversity
Church Leadership
The Rev. Stephen Handy (center) sits with Tommas Bolton (left) and Kevin Haas during a community meal at McKendree United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tenn. “We sit with them,” Handy said. “We want to know the names; we want to hear the stories.” Handy has been pastor at McKendree since 2009 and also supervises about 20 urban churches between Nashville and Memphis, encouraging them to get out in their neighborhoods. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Dare to take risks to move church forward, pastor says
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Local Church
The Rev. Colleen Bookter, a United Methodist, dances in New Orleans Mardi Gras parades as a member of the dance krewe Sassyracs. “There is nothing like hundreds of thousands of people in the crowd cheering you on and dancing along with you,” she said. Photo by Nkechi Chibueze, courtesy of Bookter.

Pastor dances with joy in Mardi Gras parades
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Evangelism
The Rev. Ken Suhr, director of leadership and congregational vitality for the California-Pacific Conference, delivers the keynote address on the “DNA of Growing Churches” during the 2026 Growing Church Conference at First United Methodist Church of San Diego. Photo by the Rev. Thomas E. Kim, UM News.

Growing Church Conference calls leaders back to discipleship
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Social Concerns
The Rev. Mark Lewis, a retired United Methodist pastor who grew up in the U.S. but spent the bulk of his ministry in Denmark, shares with United Methodist leaders the impact of U.S. threats to seize Greenland on transatlantic relations. Lewis, an expert on Wesleyan mission, also is scheduled to be a panelist on the “Serve Joyfully” webinar scheduled for 9 a.m. U.S. Central time Feb. 21. Photo by Heather Hahn, UM News.

US threats to Greenland challenge church
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Mission and Ministry
The second of three webinars discussing The United Methodist Church’s new vision statement examines Wesleyan approaches to mission and the call to “serve joyfully.” Graphic courtesy of United Methodist Communications.

Commitment to serve joyfully defines church
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General Church
Bishop Harald Rückert recites 1 John 4:20-21 during opening worship for a Feb. 6-9 meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, that brought together members of the Committee on Faith and Order, the Connectional Table, the Study of Ministry Commission and the Standing Committee on Regional Conference Matters Outside the USA (previously the Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters). Rückert, who has retired after leading The United Methodist Church in Germany, chairs the standing committee that is leading the work to develop a globally relevant Book of Discipline. Photo by Heather Hahn, UM News.

Making regionalization a reality for the church
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Commentaries

Susan Clark. Photo courtesy of the author.

Winter guard meets Wesleyan warmth
The Rev. Dr. Javier A. Viera. Photo by Brian McConkey Photography, courtesy of the Rev. Dr. Viera.

Church must do messy work of restoring community
The Rev. Dr. Michael L. Bowie Jr. Photo courtesy of the author.

A clean page for a critical time
The Rev. Mike Hickcox. Photo courtesy of the author.

Celebrate Black History Month by listening to historic voices
The Rev. Christopher P. Momany. Photo by Kristen Schell.

In troubling times, look to ‘higher law’

The Rev. Dr. Jefferson M. Furtado. Photo courtesy of the author.

Martin Luther King Jr. and the work we haven’t finished
The Rev. John Wagner. Photo courtesy of the author.

A plea for ‘costly solidarity’ in Middle East
Andrew “Andy” Q. Hendren. Photo courtesy of Wespath.

Compass provides sustainable retirement plan for clergy
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Multimedia

Social Concerns
Mei Vader and her grandmother participate in “Faithful Resistance: A Public Witness for Immigrant Justice” in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 25, 2026. Vader is the daughter of the Rev. Stephanie Vader, pastor of Capitol Hill United Methodist Church. The church served as a host for the event. Image from video by Lilla Marigza, UM News.
Mei Vader and her grandmother participate in “Faithful Resistance: A Public Witness for Immigrant Justice” in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 25, 2026. Vader is the daughter of the Rev. Stephanie Vader, pastor of Capitol Hill United Methodist Church. The church served as a host for the event. Image from video by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

United Methodists take immigration concerns to DC
United Methodists traveled great distances to Washington, DC to stand in witness for the rights of immigrants.

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Social Concerns
The Rev. Shelby Slowey, pastor of South End United Methodist Church in Nashville explains how United Methodist Social Principles apply to current proposed legislation related to the death penalty in Tennessee. Over 200 United Methodists participated in United Methodist Day on the Hill at the Tennessee Capitol. Image from video by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

Churchgoers take Social Principles to lawmakers
Faith Sharing
Photo by Josh Applegate, courtesy of Unsplash; graphic by Laurens Glass, UM News

Social media graphics from UM News
Mission and Ministry
Filipino United Methodists living in the United Arab Emirates gather in Dubai for an annual meeting and celebration that included special choir performances and worship. Screenshot from video by the UAE Media Team.

Filipino United Methodists celebrate mission in Middle East
Mission and Ministry
Sister Confianza, a member of the Amigas del Señor (Women Friends of the Lord) Monastery in Limón, Honduras, rides her bike through the village alongside a neighbor. Originally from the United States, Sister Confianza founded the monastery with another woman in 2006. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.

2025: The year in photos
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