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Human Sexuality

Jan Lawrence addresses Reconciling Ministries Network’s convocation held July 24-27, 2025, at First United Methodist Church in downtown Madison, Wis. Lawrence is retiring after serving as Reconciling Ministries Network’s executive director for nearly a decade. Many United Methodists credit her with helping to lead the denomination to a new day. File photo by Joscie Cutchens, UM News.

LGBTQ leader retires after pivotal changes

Jan Lawrence kept United Methodist advocates organized after the denomination strengthened bans against LGBTQ people and helped lead the way toward the longtime bans’ repeal.

Editor's Picks

Judicial Council

The Book of Discipline contains the church law and procedures of The United Methodist Church. The Judicial Council, the denomination’s top court that responds to questions about church law, has launched a new e-filing system intended to make its work more accessible. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Church court moves to broaden accessibility

The United Methodist Church’s Judicial Council is launching a new e-filing system with the goal of making its work more efficient, transparent and readily available to church leaders around the globe.

Mission and Ministry

A student signs for her classmates as Michael Pius (standing in black shirt), a United Methodist health officer, provides information to Deaf students at Buhongwa Secondary School in Mwanza, Tanzania, in 2021. Part of the Tanzania Conference’s Yatosha Deaf Ministry, the outreach includes spiritual guidance and teaching practical skills that empower Deaf students to live healthier and more fulfilling lives. File photo by Robert Aloyce, UM News.

Deaf ministry advances inclusion in Tanzania

The goals of the United Methodist program are to restore dignity, build confidence and empower parents to understand and communicate with their Deaf children.

Annual Conferences

Annual Conference Reports

2026 United Methodist annual conference reports

UM News posts the official summaries filed by annual conferences from around the connection. Find the latest reports on our archive page.

Latest News

Theology and Education

A statue of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, stands in the center of campus at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky. The United Methodist Church’s University Senate has decided to no longer list Asbury and Northeastern Seminary in Rochester, N.Y., as approved theological schools for preparing United Methodist pastors. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Leaders drop Asbury from approved seminaries

Theology and Education

Rosemary Nyarugwe, the first female principal of The United Methodist Church’s Nyadire College of Education in Zimbabwe, is being remembered as a faithful and dedicated church leader and advocate for education in Africa. She died June 22 at age 64. Photo by Munyaradzi Matura for TV Ebenezer.

Leader of United Methodist teachers’ college dies

Lab technician Arike Joel (right) conducts HIV testing during a soccer tournament hosted by The United Methodist Church at Imvepi Settlement in Arua, Uganda. The medical testing is part of the church’s Kick Out HIV campaign, which focuses on HIV prevention and self-care in refugee camps. While players battled for victory on the pitch, health workers offered confidential HIV testing and counseling on the sidelines. Photo by Juma Denis Daniel, UM News.

Church uses soccer to ‘kick out HIV’

Mission and Ministry

Girls involved with Parkview Kitengela United Methodist Church’s No Girl No Cry initiative dance at the church in Nairobi, Kenya. The ministry offers spiritual guidance and practical training to vulnerable girls in the community. Photo by Kudzai Chingwe, UM News.

Ministry transforms girls’ pain into purpose

Social Concerns

Gloria Kache (left) paints Clementina Kalunde’s nails at Parkview Kitengela United Methodist Church in Nairobi, Kenya. Kache is a beneficiary of the church’s No Girl No Cry initiative, which empowers young girls in the community through education and mentoring. She now volunteers with the church’s Mumo Educational Center. Photo by Jackline Mwende.

From dumpsite to determination

Theology and Education

Mykal Jones (right) recalls how short Isaac Sakala (center) was when he and wife Traci Jones (left) last saw him 10 years before. The Joneses, who are from Dallas, Texas, supported Sakala’s education from primary school through his graduation at Africa University in Zimbabwe on June 6. Sakala is a beneficiary of the Excel Beyond program run by Family Legacy, a Zambian organization caring for orphans and disadvantaged children and youth. Photo by Eveline Chikwanah, UM News.

From foster care to Africa University grad

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More Headlines

Bishop Daniel Lunge (center) of the Central Congo Episcopal Area speaks during a roundtable on communication in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, as East Congo Bishop Antoine Kalema Tambwe (left) and North Katanga Bishop Mande Muyombo look on. The bishops emphasized that communication is an essential tool for making disciples and building peace in geographically complex and conflict-ridden areas. Photo by Chadrack Tambwe Londe, UM News.

Charting new path for African communication

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United Methodist Bishop Dottie Escobedo-Frank, episcopal leader of the California-Pacific Conference, hugs the Rev. Edith Molina during the Methodist Church of Mexico’s General Conference, held May 15-22 in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. During the assembly, the Methodist Church of Mexico reaffirmed its concordat covenant with The United Methodist Church. Photo by Paul Gómez, United Methodist Communications.

Mexican church affirms United Methodist ties

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Social Concerns

The Rev. Lovett H. Weems Jr. has released “An Aura of Hope: United Methodism’s Next Chapter in the United States,” which offers advice for rebuilding the post-disaffiliation church. Book cover courtesy of Abingdon Press, graphic by Laurens Glass, UM News.

Scholar offers guide for growth after division

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Mission and Ministry

Church members from Ebenezer Temple of the Methodist Church of Togo greet Africa Methodist Council visitors after Sunday worship service on May 17 in Aného, Togo. Ebenezer, built in 1895, is the church’s oldest sanctuary. The council gathered leaders of Methodist denominations in Africa to discuss challenges on the continent and strengthen cooperation to help position the church as a prophetic voice for justice and peace. Photo by Eveline Chikwanah, UM News.

African Methodists pledge to speak out against injustice

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The United Methodist Council of Bishops and leaders of The United Church of Canada have approved an interim covenant between their denominations. The agreement includes their intent to bring a full communion proposal for the approval of the United Methodist General Conference and the United Church’s General Council, which are both scheduled to meet in 2028. Logos courtesy of United Methodist Communications and with permission of The United Church of Canada.

United Methodists bolster ties in Canada

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Commentaries

Pastor urges halt to troops’ presence in DC

Love of neighbor drives advocacy in political spaces

Another United Methodist way to look at high court’s voting decision

Helping people ‘hear the Gospel’ in new ways

The Rev. Christopher P. Momany. Photo by Kristen Schell.

For every righteous ‘no,’ there must be a holy ‘yes’

Grace doesn’t grab: Why consent belongs in worship

What comes next after ‘Faithful Resistance’ march?

Winter guard meets Wesleyan warmth

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Multimedia

Mission and Ministry

Holly Petti and her dog Paisley chat with people entering the Sanctuary at Pinnacle View United Methodist Church in Little Rock, Ark. The church has a designated dog greeter every Sunday in addition to numerous pet outreach ministries the congregation offers. Image from video by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

Dog church welcomes people and pets

A United Methodist church in Little Rock celebrates Earth Day by recognizing God’s care for his people and the pets they love.

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Image by sebastiano iervolino from Pixabay; graphic by Laurens Glass, UM News

Social media graphics from UM News

Participants stretch during a yoga class at First Church Fort Pierce, a United Methodist Congregation in Florida. Photo by Lilla Marigza UM News.

Yoga ministry stretches beyond church walls

Social Concerns

Recipients of sun-powered ovens learn to adapt local recipes to the new cooking method. This photo was taken during a United Methodist Solar Oven Partners workshop for new oven owners in Bo, Sierra Leone, in December 2025. Photo courtesy of Solar Oven Partners.

Solar oven ministry changes lives

Social Concerns

Christians from many faith denominations join a Palm Sunday march through the streets of downtown Nashville, Tennessee, on March 29, 2026. The rally was one of about 30 events across 16 states. Image from video by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

United Methodists put faith into action on Palm Sunday