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| GENERAL CONFERENCE NEWS & UPDATES | |
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General Conference Commission Announces Legislative Committee Assignments
It is the General Conference Commission’s responsibility to approve a list of the membership of the eight legislative committees that meet at the General Conference to review petitions aligned with their areas of responsibility. After the legislative committees act on the petitions, they go to the plenary session for final action. The Commission has done its work to assign all 420 delegates to a legislative committee.
All delegates could submit up to three legislative committee preferences by May 5. Those preferences were considered in the legislative committee assignments. Fully 90 percent of the delegates were assigned to their first choice of legislative committee, which is an improvement on 2024, when 86 percent received their first choice.
The next step is for these committees to convene digitally over the next two months to elect officers and receive training. Delegates should watch for a Doodle poll to help identify when the committee can meet with the most delegates present. Please continue to pray for the important work these legislative committees do in considering all the over 400 petitions submitted for General Conference consideration.
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Join us for our next Connectional Conversations on June 1 to learn about the latest version of the Global Methodist Church's Articles of Faith. The updated version prepared by the Discipleship, Doctrine, and Just Ministry Commission reflects the valuable feedback we received from our members across the globe.
Tune in to hear from Bishop Scott Jones, Matt O'Reilly, Jason Vickers and David Watson as they speak to the adjustments, the heart behind them, and the discernment process involved in revising our Articles of Faith.
View the proposed Articles of Faith.
| | 2026 Episcopal Nominees Announced | | |
With the nomination period now closed, the Global Methodist Church releases the official list of episcopal nominees for the 2026 General Conference. As of May 15, 2026, 24 individuals have accepted nomination, including five current active bishops and 19 additional nominees brought forward by Annual Conference delegations.
Global Methodist bishops are traveling, apostolic leaders set apart for a ministry of visionary servant leadership, general oversight, and supervision in support of the church’s mission. They lead the temporal and spiritual life of the church, defend the faith, and deploy the clergy. According to the Book of Doctrines and Discipline, “Nominees for the episcopacy should have a strong record of effectiveness in leading the church in evangelism, discipleship, and mission.”
| | Nominations Committee Announces Councils & Commissions Slate | | |
The General Conference Nominations Committee has announced its recommended slate of members for the seven commissions and two councils of the general church. The slate is drawn from over 600 nominees submitted by the annual conference delegations. Note that the Global Episcopacy Committee nominees were chosen by the Connectional Council, as prescribed by the Book of Doctrines and Discipline.
While the slate is the list of recommended members, delegations may submit additional nominees, and the General Conference plenary session will decide the final makeup through an election process. Besides those elected at the General Conference, the Connectional Council may appoint additional members for most of the commissions to fill in needed skills, experience, or diversity.
| | | | Proposed Episcopal Areas for 2026-2032 Released Ahead of Historic Plenary Gathering | |
The Global Episcopacy Committee of the Global Methodist Church shared the proposed episcopal areas for the 2026–2032 sexennial ahead of the upcoming Plenary Gathering scheduled for May 30, 2026.
It is important to note that the areas being released at this time are proposed episcopal areas only. The final episcopal areas will not be officially established until action is taken by the Plenary Gathering on May 30, 2026.
Watch the latest Connectional Conversations to learn more.
| | | | Pray for General Conference | |
The General Conference Prayer Guides, available in all six of our official languages, are designed to inform and enrich your prayers as we seek the Lord to empower, strengthen and lead our Global Methodist movement, all to His great glory.
Follow these guides and pray with us through May, June and July.
| | | | General Conference Mission Experience | Learn about the mission opportunities in South Africa. We invite you to support mission efforts–your contribution helps provide meals, health and hygiene kits, children's programming, evangelism training, work projects and more. | | |
Staff Spotlight: Mike Schafer
Connectional Operations Officer
| | As our Global Operations staff works to further the movement and mission of the Global Methodist Church, we want to serve you. Each month, learn about staff members on the Global Operations team and their areas of expertise and service. We strive to be an accessible and trusted resource and are excited for you to learn more about the team. | | | | |
Mike cares for the functioning of the Connectional Council and commissions as they work to fulfill the mission of the GMC and the mandates set forth by General Conference. He works closely with the Connectional Council chair, the Assembly of Bishops, and the commission/committee chairs, providing operational support. Mike also leads the GMC global staff to resource local churches and annual conferences.
A West Texas Methodist pastor for over 30 years, Mike worked with small rural congregations, county seat churches and larger city ministries. Mike and his wife Sandy served on the staff of SonScape Retreats for 8 years working with people in full-time ministry, teaching on spiritual and emotional self-care.
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Annual Endorsement Gathering in Pella, IA
Endorsed leaders from across the Global Methodist Church gathered in April at the Vermeer Global Pavilion in Pella, Iowa, for a two-day training and fellowship event focused on strengthening ministry, building relationships, and encouraging those called to serve Christ beyond the walls of the local church.
Hosted by GMC Endorsing Ministries in partnership with Vermeer Corporation, the event centered on the theme Faithful Presence: Courage, Calling, and Care in Endorsed Ministry.
Forty participants represented a broad range of ministry settings, including military chaplaincy, healthcare, corrections, counseling, coaching, corporate chaplaincy, first responder ministries, and other specialized contexts where ministry often takes place outside traditional congregational life.
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Subscribe to "Across the Globe: The Podcast"
Stay connected by tuning in to "Across the Globe: The Podcast"—a space to unify, inform, and tell the stories of God’s work through the Global Methodist Church. Each episode is designed to encourage, equip, and connect us as one body as we continue to grow together.
In case you missed our May episodes—now is the perfect time to catch up.
If you haven’t tuned in yet, these are conversations you don’t want to miss.
Be sure to like, subscribe, and follow so you never miss an episode—and share with your community to help others stay connected.
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Western States
Annual Conference
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Multiplying Disciples Across the Frontier
How Western States is Expanding the Gospel Across the West and Beyond
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The Western States Annual Conference embodies a pioneering, mission-driven spirit across one of the largest and most geographically diverse regions in the Global Methodist Church. Stretching across nearly five million square miles, and now extending internationally into Fiji and Australia, the conference is embracing its identity as both a connectional family and a mission field where new churches, leaders, and disciples are being raised up in remarkable ways.
Conference leaders describe the West as a place that requires a “missionary mindset.” Many congregations do not own buildings, and several church planters serve bi-vocationally while planting and leading ministries in communities where a strong Gospel witness is urgently needed. Rather than focusing on maintaining institutions, churches across the conference are prioritizing disciple-making, evangelism, multiplication, and intentional Christian community.
| | WESTERN STATES AT A GLANCE | | |
The Western States Annual Conference serves:
Alaska, Arizona, Australia, California, Fiji, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New Zealand, Oregon, Utah, and Washington
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Episcopal Leadership
Bishop Carolyn Moore
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Conference Superintendent
Mark Maddox
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Catch the Western States Annual Conference on "Across the Globe: The Podcast"
The Western States Annual Conference expands its global reach as District Superintendent Mark Maddox shares his vision for leading a territory that now spans more than 5 million square miles. Learn about the challenges and opportunities of guiding a rapidly growing conference while fostering connection, leadership, and mission across diverse cultures and continents.
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A Closer Look at Kingdom Advancement
In May, we highlighted the work of the Kingdom Advancement Commission. This commission resources local churches, annual conferences and the general church to fulfill the GMC’s mission to “make disciples of Jesus Christ and spread scriptural holiness across the globe,” focusing specifically on evangelism, church multiplication, mission mobilization, unreached people groups and disaster response.
Learn more about the commission, access Methodist and Wesleyan resources, and read the articles below to discover the impact of Kingdom Advancement.
Keep an eye out for the final article of Kingdom Advancement month featuring the disaster response team.
| | Each of our connectional councils and commissions has its own dedicated webpage, making it easier than ever to learn about their purpose, leadership, and ongoing initiatives. Explore these pages, review the available minutes, and check back often as content continues to expand and reflect the faithful work being done across the connection to support local churches and advance the Kingdom. | | 2026 ANNUAL CONFERENCE GATHERINGS | | |
As Annual Conference season moves forward, many conferences across the denomination are gathering or preparing to meet. We invite you to join us in praying for our clergy, lay leaders, and congregations as they come together to worship, discern, and carry out the important work of the church in their regions.
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Mississippi West Tennessee, May 28-39
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North Alabama, May 28-30
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Virginia, May 28-30
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Korean American, June 1-4
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Heartland, June 3-6
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Trinity, June 4-6
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North Georgia, June 4-6
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Western States, June 3-6
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Florida, June 5-6
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MidSouth, June 7-9
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Great Lakes, June 10-12
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Northeast, June 11-13
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West Plains, June 12-13
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North Carolina, June 17-20
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Upper Midwest, June 19-21
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Allegheny West, June 24-27
Visit your Annual Conference website for more information about your annual conference.
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The Global Messenger and Bold Witness features devotionals and reflections submitted by members and friends of the Global Methodist Church. These messages offer a glimpse into how the Holy Spirit is moving in the life of the Church and in the hearts of our people around the world.
Please note: These writings are individual submissions and do not necessarily reflect the official positions or theological interpretations of the Global Methodist Church. They are shared to encourage, inspire and foster connection across our global body.
| | If you have a testimony, story, or reflection to share, we would love to hear from you. Use the link below to submit your story. | | |
Petros Network
Petros Network is a faith-based organization that partners with world-changers to equip indigenous leaders to share, show, and spread the Good News of Jesus among their own people and end spiritual and physical poverty.
From Africa and beyond, Petros Network carefully selects church planters and provides three years of training, empowering them to be change agents in every facet of their communities.
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Grab a t-shirt to represent the Global Methodist Church wherever you go! Shop for official Global Methodist Church merchandise at The GMC Store—thoughtfully designed for everyday use. Conferences and local churches can also request custom orders to meet their specific needs.
Every purchase helps support the work we’re doing together. Take a moment to browse for yourself or find a meaningful gift for someone else.
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WE ARE HERE FOR YOU!
communications@globalmethodist.org | 540.898.4960
www.globalmethodist.org
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