How does the church lead courageously?

Key points:

• United Methodist leaders explored how the church can create space for churchgoers to bravely go wherever the Holy Spirit leads.
• They were participants in a webinar that focused on the United Methodist vision statement’s call to “lead courageously.”
• Panelists discussed how the denomination’s distinctive connection can help foster leadership. At the same time, they said, church leaders must sometimes go beyond institutional norms to answer the Spirit’s call. 

Faced with an ever-changing and challenging world, United Methodists should remember that God has not left them with a spirit of fear.

Angela Pupino, student ministries coordinator at National United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C., offered this reminder as part of a March 21 webinar on what it means for the church to “lead courageously.”

“I think one of the most powerful ways that the church can respond to the division, the war, violence, any of the concerning things that are going on in our world, is not living and not leading in a spirit of fear,” Pupino said.

“There’s a lot of insecurity in our denomination right now — just because of some of the realities that we are entering into, the new cultural realities. And Christ-centered leadership is not anxious. It is not fearful. It is brave.”

Pupino was among the panelists in the last of the three webinars discussing the denomination’s vision statement. The online discussions are part of the preparation for the Leadership Gathering that the United Methodist Council of Bishops has planned for Oct. 20-24 in Calgary in Alberta, Canada.

The renewed vision of The United Methodist Church, after a painful season of church disaffiliations, is to form “disciples of Jesus Christ who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and worldwide connections.”

Previous webinars focused on how “love boldly” fits with the Wesleyan understanding of theology and how “serve joyfully” fits with the Wesleyan understanding of mission.

The March 21 webinar focused on how the third pillar of the denomination’s vision — “lead courageously” — fits with the Wesleyan understanding of ecclesiology. That’s a big, fancy word for the study of church life.

In practical terms, the leaders’ discussion focused on how The United Methodist Church can create space for its members to go without fear wherever the Holy Spirit leads.

“In the United Methodist tradition, ecclesiology emphasizes connectionalism, shared mission and mutual responsibility,” said Bishop Ande Emmanuel, who leads United Methodists in Nigeria, Cameroon and Senegal.

“Importantly, ecclesiology must remain dynamic. It must respond to changing contexts while remaining rooted in Scripture and tradition. In my context across Nigeria, Senegal and Cameroon, ecclesiology is lived out in diverse cultures, requiring both faithfulness and adaptability,” he continued. “Ultimately, ecclesiology reminds us that the church does not exist for itself, but as God’s instrument for transforming the world.”

Part of what makes The United Methodist Church distinctive is its connection — the network the binds together United Methodist leaders and congregations across continents in a shared covenant of support and accountability.

In his ministry, Dave Uriel Angelo Rombaoa said he has seen the importance of the connection but also its limitations. He is the national youth fellowship president in the Philippines and youth co-chair of the denomination’s newly created Young People’s Connectional Network. He also is the connectional conversations chair for the Connectional Table, a leadership body that coordinates ministry across the denomination.   

“The Spirit works through connectionalism, forming leaders in community, but also beyond it, especially when systems become slow to respond or struggle to include emerging voices,” he said. “I’ve seen young leaders step up in moments where formal structures were not enough, during disasters, in digital spaces and in grassroots ministries.

“Courageous leadership, then, is knowing how to remain rooted in the connection,” he added, “while also being open to where the Spirit is moving ahead of it.”

Pupino, a student at Wesley Theological Seminary, said she is learning that a certain amount of conformity to institutional norms can be healthy. After all, as a candidate for ordained elder, she is seeking to follow traditions that John Wesley himself first established for his preachers.

“But our history is also full of leaders who pushed against areas of institutional stagnation,” she said. “And I wonder if courage also means teaching each other to discern the places where the Holy Spirit is calling us to take a stand or challenge a narrative or cycle.”

Later in the discussion, she added that she is learning that all leadership carries risk.

“Even bad or cowardly leadership is risky,” she said. “Saying ‘yes’ to everyone or allowing injustice also risks serious consequences. God’s call, Christ’s model and the Holy Spirit’s movement will show us the right way to lead.”

Rombaoa also urged United Methodists not just to think of ordained or highly visible figures in talking about courageous leadership.

“In the Philippines, I’ve seen young people lead ministries, respond to crises and build communities of faith in ways that are deeply courageous, even without recognition. If we do not name these stories, we unintentionally shape a narrow vision of who leadership is for,” he said.

Courage is not always loud or visible, he said. Instead, its characteristics often include faithful, consistent everyday service.

“If we are not listening to voices at the margins, we may be missing where the Spirit is already at work,” he said.

Stephanie Henry, a United Methodist leader from the Pacific Northwest Conference, concluded the webinar with prayer. Henry, alongside Horizon Conference Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr., is co-convener of the design team organizing the Leadership Gathering.

“May we be emboldened to love, be joyful and to lead as your Spirit leads us,” she prayed. “In your Son’s holy name, we pray. Amen.”

Hahn is assistant news editor for UM News. Contact her at (615) 742-5470 or [email protected]. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free UM News Digest.