General Agencies

Washington Street United Methodist Church in Petersburg, Va., is back open after closing for two weeks in January as it searched for new insurance coverage. Washington Street was among the United Methodist churches that got higher premium notices just before Christmas from United Methodist Insurance, a subsidiary of the denomination's General Council on Finance and Administration. Photo courtesy of Washington Street United Methodist Church.

Premium hikes have churches scrambling

Churches and conferences are unhappy about higher premium notices from United Methodist Insurance that arrived just before Christmas.

General Church

The Rev. Kennetha J. Bigham-Tsai attends a Connectional Table meeting in 2015. Bigham-Tsai, who was a Connectional Table member before becoming its top executive, helped develop the recommended allocations of the 2021-24 general church budget. File photo by Kathleen Barry, UMNS.

Group proposes how to divide slashed budget

A Connectional Table team recommends substantial cuts for some church organizations and programs while holding the line for others in the 2021-24 church budget.

Mission and Ministry

A Sunday collection is taken up at the Tongan United Methodist Church in West Valley City, Utah. Twenty-six U.S. conferences in 2018 paid full apportionments, including the Tongan congregation’s home conference. Photo by Kathleen Barry, UMNS.

After record giving, mixed news in 2018

A lower number of conferences paid 100 percent of requested giving, but the general church received a slightly higher amount of total dollars.

General Church

United Methodist missionary Tawanda Chandiwana (left foreground) is embraced by Thomas Kemper, head of the denomination’s Board of Global Ministries, at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, Philippines, after Chandiwana was released from a detention center and allowed to leave the country in July, 2018. The 13 agencies of The United Methodist Church are pursuing further accomplishments in 2019. File photo courtesy of Thomas Kemper, GBGM.

United Methodist agencies: 2018 was productive year

The denomination’s agencies also share priorities for 2019.

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