Guide to pastoral transitions


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The Rev. Adam Hamilton has led Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, for 36 years. Hamilton is currently running for the U.S. Senate. Photo courtesy of hamiltonforkansas.com.

Hamilton honored for connectional leadership

The Rev. Adam Hamilton, United Methodist pastor and Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, was honored for leadership on Aug. 4 during the 2026 installment of Discipleship Ministries’ School of Congregational Development.
Discipleship
Participants toss beach balls around in a time of fellowship during the SCD 2026 — RISE UP: Love, Serve, Lead conference, held Aug. 2-5 at the Hyatt Regency in Columbus, Ohio. Discipleship Ministries’ biennial event help equip clergy and lay leaders to plant, revitalize and innovate local churches. Photo by Scott Hughes, Discipleship Ministries.

Church called to ‘rise up’ amid loneliness, AI

Pastors and lay leaders gathered Aug. 2-5 for the RISE UP conference, a biennial event to help equip clergy and lay leaders to plant, revitalize and innovate local churches.
Annual Conferences
Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference delegates have unanimously supported a plan to unify the North Georgia and South Georgia annual conferences into one. The newly united Georgia Conference will begin operations in January 2027. Maps courtesy of the South Georgia Conference, adapted by UM News.

Georgia unification gains final approval

The United Methodist Church’s Southeastern Jurisdiction has approved the union of the North Georgia and South Georgia conferences.

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