Leadership

Lay leader Ed Zinkiewicz leads the congregation of West Nashville (Tenn.) United Methodist Church in prayer. Photo by Kathleen Barry, United Methodist Communications.

Ask The UMC: Who may hold office in a local church?

Those who may hold office in a local church depends on the office in question.

The ordination of Bishop Francis Asbury performed by Bishop Thomas Coke in Baltimore, Md., at the Christmas Conference, the historic meeting establishing the Methodist Episcopal Church of the United States in 1784. An engraving by A. Gilchrist Campbell from a painting by Thomas Coke Ruckle, 1882. Courtesy of the Drew University Methodist Collection (Madison, New Jersey) via Wikimedia Commons.

Ask The UMC: What influence did Francis Asbury have on the role of bishops?

Francis Asbury set the precedent for the work of Methodist bishops as organizers of ministry, as a source of unity, and in developing consensus.

Human Rights

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone of the East Ohio Conference offers a video welcome to the Do No More Harm website, saying the church “is committed to responding to clergy sexual misconduct in a way that holds all parties accountable and promotes healing.” Malone is president of the Commission on the Status and Role of Women. Screenshot of commission video by UM News.

Guidance for sexual harassment survivors

A new website from the United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women is designed to help people navigate the process for addressing sexual misconduct in the church.

General Conference

With The United Methodist Church facing a proposed split, multiple groups have events lined up to inform church members about their options. The groups include the Connectional Table, the Wesleyan Covenant Association and the Alabama-West Florida Reconciling Ministries Network. Road photo by Larisa Koshkina, courtesy of Pixbay; graphic by Laurens Glass, UM News.

Conversations address going separate ways

With The United Methodist Church facing a proposed split, multiple groups have events planned to help churchgoers discern where they might feel most at home.

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