Denominational

Bishops Tracy S. Malone and Ruben Saenz Jr. preside over a memorial service on April 26 during the bishops’ spring meeting in Jacksonville, Fla. Saenz is the new Council of Bishops president and co-convener of the 2026 Leadership Gathering’s design team. Malone, the council’s immediate past president, said the Oct. 20-24 event is part of the bishops’ commitment “to providing strategic, visionary, inclusive, innovative and missional leadership for the church.” Photo by Paul Gómez, United Methodist Communications.

Survey gives shape to Leadership Gathering

United Methodists participating in the Leadership Gathering got a preview April 25 of what they will be working on when they meet in October.

Church History

A protester holds a sign seeking an end to racial segregation in the Methodist Church during the 1968 General Conference in Dallas. The conference merged the denomination with the Evangelical United Brethren Church, creating The United Methodist Church, and did away with the racially segregated Central Jurisdiction. A new book by the Rev. Bonnie McCubbin details the long road for Black Methodists to get full equality in the denomination. Photo courtesy of United Methodist Commission on Archives and History.

Mapping the Black United Methodist pilgrimage

The Rev. Bonnie McCubbin, a historian, details the long road — with some setbacks and detours — for Black Methodists to get full equality in the denomination.

General Church

The Rev. Moses Kumar, top executive of the United Methodist General Council on Finance and Administration, speaks on April 24, 2024, at the United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C. Kumar is retiring at the end of March after more than 17 years as head of the denomination’s finance agency. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.

Kumar looks back on helming finance agency

The Rev. Moses Kumar, retiring after 17 years, shepherded the denomination’s finances during a tumultuous time.

General Church

The final webinar in a series discussing The United Methodist Church’s new vision statement examines the Wesleyan understanding of ecclesiology and the call to “lead courageously.” Graphic courtesy of United Methodist Communications.

How does the church lead courageously?

In a webinar, United Methodist leaders explored how the church can create space for churchgoers to bravely go wherever the Holy Spirit leads.

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