UM News Digest - Jan. 21, 2026

UM News Digest - Jan. 21, 2026

Bishops ask all to help shape church’s future
‘Crazy Lorenzo’ joins other fictional Methodists
Charges dismissed against Filipino pastor
Boy Scouts settlement now final

“Part of this is to cast a vision so compelling that it raises us above the infighting and focuses us on what really matters.” — Horizon Texas Conference Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr., co-convener of the Leadership Gathering design team.

Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr., presides over a session of the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C. Saenz, who leads the Horizon Texas Conference, is co-convener of the design team for this October’s Leadership Gathering. He and other organizers hope to engage all United Methodist in the gathering through a survey and through webinars scheduled January through March. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr., presides over a session of the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Bishops ask all to help shape church’s future
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UM News) — The Council of Bishops is inviting all United Methodists to participate in a historic denomination-wide survey and join in a series of webinars to prepare for this October’s Leadership Gathering. The purpose of the Leadership Gathering is to help The United Methodist Church prayerfully discern its next chapter after a season of upheaval. Heather Hahn reports.

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Fictional characters including Superman and Atticus Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird” have been identified as Methodist over the years. A new novel, “The Deliverance of Barker McRae,” features a fictional character based on 19th-century Methodist circuit preacher Lorenzo Dow (pictured at right). Also pictured (from left) are actors Kirk Alyn, who played Superman in the 1940s, and Gregory Peck as Finch in the 1962 film “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Movie stills courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and Dow photo courtesy of the “Encyclopedia of World Methodism.”

‘Crazy Lorenzo’ joins other fictional Methodists
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UM News) — A new novel, “The Deliverance of Barker McRae,” is set in the world of circuit preaching in the early 19th century and features a character based on the real-life Lorenzo Dow, an “unkempt and filthy” preacher who was too eccentric to be accepted by the Methodist Church despite great popularity. The character, Lorenzo McRae, joins a roster of Methodist fictional characters that includes Superman and Atticus Finch of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Jim Patterson reports.
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UM News: Lorenzo Dow’s ‘crazy’ life

Pioneer of Bible translation in Congo remembered
KAMINA, Congo (UM News) — The Rev. Mbayo Mwepu Maxime, a leader of evangelism in North Katanga who helped translate the Bible into the regional native language, has died at the age of 70. He is described by his peers as a humble, loyal servant who was deeply committed to the holistic mission of The United Methodist Church. Yamba Kisonga Barthélémy has an obituary.
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Church and Society
Charges dismissed against Filipino pastor
MANILA, Philippines — United Methodist leaders welcome that a court in the Philippines has dismissed what it deemed a trumped-up case against the Rev. Glofie G. Baluntong, a United Methodist elder and human rights activist. In a statement, the Philippines Regional Conference Board of Church and Society calls for the Philippines government to end the vilification of individuals and organizations working for peace in society, human rights and environmental justice.
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UM News: Church says clergywoman faces trumped-up charges

Baltimore-Washington Conference
Church baptizes 10 people at end of 2025
GAMBRILLS, Md. — On the last Saturday of 2025, the Rev. Sharon Milton baptized 10 people at Wilson Memorial United Methodist Church. The class consisted of children, youth, young adults, adults and seniors — ranging in age from 4 to 84. Milton shares the stories of the individuals who said, “Yes,” to Jesus.
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South Georgia Conference
FaithWorks: Seeing the least of these
BRUNSWICK, Ga. — FaithWorks is a South Georgia Conference ministry serving coastal Georgia that walks alongside neighbors experiencing homelessness, hunger and crisis. The city of Brunswick recently settled a federal civil rights case with the U.S. Department of Justice and a local civil lawsuit with nonprofit FaithWorks that ends the city’s effort to shutter The Well, FaithWorks’ daytime shelter and hospitality center. The Rev. Stephanie Smith of the South Georgia Conference has an overview of the ministry, and Kim Roberts of MinistryWatch reports on the legal settlement.
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Finance and Administration
Scouts settlement now final
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The United Methodist settlement involving the Boy Scouts of America is final now that the United States Supreme Court has rejected a request to review the BSA bankruptcy case. United Methodist congregations have been one of the largest collections of chartering organizations for Scout troops. The General Council on Finance and Administration has answers to frequently asked questions about what this means for the relationship between the denomination and BSA.
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UM News: New era for church and Boy Scouts of America

Pew Research Center
Polling shows no evidence of religious revival
WASHINGTON — Pew Research Center polling finds that key measures of religiousness are holding steady in the United States, continuing a period of relative stability that began about five years ago. However, Pew polling — along with other high-quality surveys that Pew has analyzed — shows no clear evidence that a nationwide religious resurgence among young people is underway. Gregory A. Smith reports.
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UM News includes in the Digest various commentaries about issues in the denomination. The opinion pieces reflect a variety of viewpoints and are the opinions of the writers, not UM News staff.

Native American Inter-Tribal Caucus
Native American leader reflects on King’s legacy
SELBYVILLE, Del. — On this week when the United States honors the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Ragghi Rain Calentine offers a reflection on behalf of The United Methodist Church’s Native American Inter-Tribal Caucus. “His journey awakened the hearts of many, reminding us that justice is a path we must walk with intention and courage,” she writes.
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Wesleyan Impact Partners
Locke Innovative Leader Award winners named
AUSTIN, Texas — Wesleyan Impact Partners, a national nonprofit and ministry partner, has named the 2026 Locke Innovative Leader Award honorees, spiritual entrepreneurs whose faith-driven innovation is reshaping communities and congregations alike. Among this year’s recipients is the Rev. Lea Matthews, associate pastor at St. Paul and St. Andrew United Methodist Church in New York City and founder of Miracle Mondays. She is also co-founder of Sacred Court Support, an immigration accompaniment program.
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Religion and Race
Grants available to support ministries
WASHINGTON — The United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race is accepting applications from regional conferences in Africa, Europe and the Philippines for grants of up to $10,000. The grants are available for four educational initiatives: conflict resolution, education around oppression, intercultural competency and youth and young adult leadership development. The grants will come from the CORR Action Fund, a program that supports bold, creative and justice-rooted ministries.
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