To United Methodists from the Rev. Dr. Jerry Kulah, Central Conference Coordinator, UMC Africa Initiative (Liberia Annual Conference), and The Rev. Evariste Kimba, Coordinator, French & Kiswahili Region, UMC Africa Initiative (Democratic Republic of Congo). Dearly beloved, On behalf of our global church, we wish to invite you, your local church, district, annual and provisional annual […]

Key questions in the Oliveto case On July 15, 2016, during the session of the South Central Jurisdictional Conference, Dixie Brewster, a delegate and lay member of the Great Plains Annual Conference, asked that the delegates to request a declaratory decision from the Judicial Council on the following matter: “Is the nomination, election, consecration, and/or […]

By Steve Beard Unbeknownst to him, Professor Thomas C. Oden was the prime agitator to the agony and ecstasy of my seminary experience. It was wading through 1,400 pages of his three volume systematic text books that introduced me to his dear friends Athanasius, Basil, John Chrysostom, Gregory Nazianzen, as well as Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine […]

As a pastor in The United Methodist Church, I write to share some happenings in our connectional family that merit a word. One of the great gifts of my life is being the Lead Pastor at Reynoldsburg United Methodist Church. I love our congregation, and it is out of love that I write today. Whether […]

The Rev. Dr. Karen Oliveto, senior minister of Glide Memorial United Methodist Church in San Francisco, has been elected as a bishop by the Western Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church. She is the first openly married lesbian to be elected bishop within the denomination. After two other candidates withdrew concluding the 16th ballot, Oliveto’s […]

By Ravi Zacharias As we mourn this week’s tragic events in Louisiana, Minnesota, and now Dallas, it is evident that we need God now more than ever. My prayer on this day of shock and heartbreak: God, our heavenly Father, our minds go back to the day when Jesus knelt beside his beloved city and […]

An Open Letter to the People of The United Methodist Church: As clergy and lay leaders of healthy, vibrant orthodox United Methodist congregations, and as teachers preparing the future clergy leaders of our denomination, we welcome the creation of the Wesleyan Covenant Association. In these times of great uncertainty about the future of The United […]

Two United Methodist clergypersons who came out publicly as LGBT religious leaders in a May letter to General Conference delegates have been endorsed as episcopal candidates from their annual conferences. The Western Jurisdiction will elect one new person to replace Bishop Warner Brown, who is retiring from the California-Nevada conference. The California-Pacific Annual Conference endorsed […]

With all United Methodists across the nation, we mourn the death of the 49 victims in the Orlando terrorist attack. Whether they were gay, straight, bisexual, or transgender, they were the children of parents who will never again be able to hug and kiss them and assure them of their love. In a news cycle […]