Mexican church affirms United Methodist ties

Key Points:

• The Methodist Church of Mexico reaffirmed its historic relationship with The United Methodist Church by continuing the concordat covenant between the two churches.
• During the Methodist Church of Mexico’s General Conference, delegates also elected leaders and set priorities for the next four years.
• California-Pacific Conference Bishop Dottie Escobedo-Frank led a United Methodist delegation at the assembly. She celebrated the denominations’ shared Wesleyan roots.

With a theme focused on unity and growth, clergy and lay delegates of the Methodist Church of Mexico came together for the denomination’s 25^th General Conference to define priorities and map a ministerial path for the coming years.

During the eight-day assembly, held May 15-22 in Ciudad Juárez, the Methodist Church of Mexico also reaffirmed its relationship with The United Methodist Church by continuing the concordat covenant between the two churches.

“For 58 years we have developed a depth of connection and a respect for the work we do together and in our own contexts,” said California-Pacific Conference Bishop Dottie Escobedo-Frank, who served as one of two United Methodist delegates to the assembly, in a statement. “Informed by the Mexican bishops, the spirit of unity and the history of our connection were emphasized and then approved.”

Earlier in the week, delegates heard a proposal to change the concordat relationship, but delegates rejected it.

“They duly and properly ended all conversation entertaining the removal or altering of the concordat relationship with The UMC and furthermore rejected a proposal to engage with other offshoots of Methodism within the U.S.,” Escobedo-Frank said. “We rejoice in the continuance of relationship between us. We need each other in order to be a unified Church.”

The United Methodist Church has concordat relationships with the Methodist Church of Mexico and three other Methodist denominations: the Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas, the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico and the Methodist Church in Britain.

Though independent of one another in practice, each concordat partner sends at least two delegates (one clergy and one lay) to the other’s general conference. These delegates have both a full voice and vote at every General Conference.

Escobedo-Frank was joined by lay delegate Paul Gómez of the Desert Southwest Conference as a voting delegate. Gómez also is connectional ministries lead for United Methodist Communications. UM News is part of United Methodist Communications.

The bishop and Gómez acknowledged that communication between the two denominations could have been stronger following The United Methodist Church’s 2024 General Conference, which brought big changes, particularly the removal of constraints on ministry with and by LGBTQ people.

Moving forward, the denominations are committed to walking the Wesleyan way together, they said.

“At a moment when so much of the world is running from one another, the Methodists of Mexico loved boldly. They walked through a door God opened toward us, not away,” Gómez said. “The truest part of the week wasn’t a vote. It was the shared cup of communion, and being received not as guests but as their own. The bishops, the delegates, the whole body claimed us as kin. You don’t walk away from family.”

Cristian Schlick, United Methodist Board of Global Ministries missionary, and the Rev. David Martinez with the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry also attended the legislative assembly, along with representatives from the Council of Evangelical Methodist Churches of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Methodist Church of Mexico Bishop Rodolfo Edgar Rivera de la Rosa opened the conference with a sermon titled “A Church Using Its Gifts in Community.”

During the gathering, delegates of the denomination’s six annual conferences — Mexico, Norcentral, Noroeste, Oriental, Septentrional and Sureste — reviewed internal legislation, received national reports, elected leaders and set priorities for the next quadrennium. Prompted by regional membership declines, delegates agreed to prioritize local discipleship, active evangelism and spiritual formation.

Bishop Escobedo-Frank praised the peaceful nature of the legislative sessions. She highlighted the hospitality of Mexican Methodist families as a practical living out of Christian witness and said The United Methodist Church could learn from the depth of work The Methodist Church of Mexico, and the Latin American and Caribbean Methodist churches, have done with immigrants and with migration.

“The Methodist Church of Mexico is doing excellent work in caring for immigrants from the south and the north, in living lives of social holiness, in preaching and teaching the Wesleyan way of life, and in bringing the Gospel of Christ to those who suffer much. Their reports reflected this depth of Gospel living,” she said in the statement.

“We could learn from the warmth of hospitality that welcomes all strangers and friends in especially difficult political times. We do have need of each other.”

Missionary Schlick presented greetings from Global Ministries and reviewed four years of joint work. Key projects included the John Wesley Seminary in Monterrey, Mexico; mission action in the remote Sierra Tarahumara region, and programs for migration flows and youth ministry.

He reminded the assembly that both churches have shared mission for over 150 years. He thanked Bishops de la Rosa, José Antonio Garza Castro and Agustín Altamirano Ramos for their connectional dialogue, affirming a commitment to continued collaboration.

Bishop Juan de Dios Peña, president of the Council of Evangelical Methodist Churches of Latin America and the Caribbean, preached a message titled “The Warming Heart: An Effective Experience for Our Time.” He warned against prioritizing administrative structures over spiritual life, arguing that true unity means communion in the same Spirit.

Peña praised the contribution of Mexican Methodism to the region and noted that its diverse annual conferences are a strength for developing leadership. He affirmed that the relationship is close and hopeful, urging greater collaboration to face regional challenges like migration, violence and secularization.

The conference finalized its work by voting on legislative reforms, approving growth goals and renewing international alliances and the historic concordat bonds.

“Our spirits were renewed as we saw the light of Christ at the General Conference of the Methodist Church of Mexico,” Escobedo-Frank said. “We are grateful for the decisions made, the hospitality shown, and the promise of a future together. May God’s light shine in our unified love for Christ and for the people we are called to serve.”

Vasquez is coordinator of Hispanic-Latino Relations at United Methodist Communications. For inquiries to UM News, contact (615) 742-5470, [email protected] or [email protected]. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free UM News Digest.