The Global Methodist Church adopted a set of Articles of Faith and elected eight bishops to its first regular Assembly of Bishops during a General Conference that closed Saturday (Sept. 5) at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, the denomination said.
It was the second General Conference in the history of the denomination, which launched in May 2022 as a theologically conservative alternative to the United Methodist Church, and the first held on the African continent. Delegates, both clergy and lay, met under the theme "The Beauty of Holiness" and acted on 451 petitions.
The denomination announced the adoption of the articles in a social media post on the final day, saying they had passed with overwhelming support and describing them as a shared expression of the faith uniting the connection. It said the full adopted language would be released later.
Doctrinal statement adopted
The text was developed by the Discipleship, Doctrine and Just Ministry Commission with input from church members and refined through the legislative process. The Doctrine and Sacraments Legislative Committee used the commission's report, listed as Petition 1441, as its base text during meetings in Johannesburg.
According to a statement issued by the denomination, the articles address teaching on God, Scripture, humanity, salvation, the church, the sacraments and the Christian life. The Global Methodist Church said the aim was to state the beliefs held in common across its congregations in a form consistent with the historic Christian faith and the Wesleyan tradition.
The 451 petitions were first handled by eight legislative committees — Doctrine and Sacraments; Social Witness; Local Church; Ministry; Superintendency; Conferences; Constitution, Connectional Organization and Finance; and Judicial Administration — before advancing to the full conference. They covered material throughout the Book of Doctrines and Discipline, including clergy and lay ministry, episcopal leadership, annual and local church life, connectional governance and finance.
A complete record of adopted legislation and other official actions will be released after final review and certification by the General Conference secretary, the denomination said.
Eight bishops elected
The Global Methodist Church said the bishops were elected over five ballots and consecrated on the final day of the conference. They will serve as general superintendents for the 2026-2032 term, which begins Nov. 1.
Those elected were Luther Oconer, Johnathan Lee, Mark Webb, Lyndol Loyd, Jerry Kulah, Eduard Khegay, Paul Lawler and Carolyn Moore, each assigned to one of eight episcopal areas. The areas combine annual conferences from different parts of the world, an arrangement the denomination said reflects its understanding of bishops as teachers and superintendents of the whole church rather than regional administrators.
The vote replaces the interim episcopal structure adopted at the 2024 Convening General Conference in San José, Costa Rica. Bishops whose active service is ending are John Pena Auta, Kimba Evariste, Jeffrey Greenway, Leah Gregory, Scott Jones and Kenneth Levingston.
In a letter released with the conference statement, the Assembly of Bishops said the handover will take place Oct. 31, with outgoing bishops stepping down that day. The letter asked members to pray for the incoming assembly and said the outgoing bishops "will be missed."
Delegates also elected members of the Connectional Council, commissions and other connectional bodies.
Rapid growth since 2024
The Rev. Mike Schafer, the denomination's connectional operations officer, reported that the church has grown from roughly 4,700 congregations after the 2024 General Conference to 7,250, according to the statement.
The number of annual conferences rose from 36 to 55 over the same period, Schafer said, with six additional emerging areas that may become annual conferences. The denomination said the number of annual conferences outside the United States has more than doubled.
The figures continue a pattern reported earlier this year. Christian Daily International reported in February, citing The Christian Post, that the denomination had passed 7,000 member congregations worldwide, four months after announcing it had reached 6,000.
Bishop Mark Webb said at the time that the milestone reflected "the faithfulness of God and the willingness of His people to boldly follow the Holy Spirit's leading and God's call."
Covenant with Korean Methodists
The conference unanimously approved a covenant of understanding with the Korean Methodist Church, which the Global Methodist Church said builds on more than a century of shared Methodist history. The document was signed in Johannesburg in the presence of President Bishop Kim Jung-seok and a delegation of Korean Methodist bishops and leaders.
Separately, participants took part in a Mission Experience in communities across Johannesburg and Soweto, working with local congregations on evangelism, prayer, leadership training, health ministries, children's ministry and discipleship. Those taking part included church workers from South Africa, Liberia, Zimbabwe, Fiji and the United States.
Origins in the United Methodist split
The Global Methodist Church says it was formed by Christians seeking to preserve the doctrinal integrity of the historic Christian faith, particularly the authority of Scripture, and that it is grounded in the Wesleyan tradition and guided by its Book of Doctrines and Discipline.
Its formation followed a long dispute within the United Methodist Church over rules in that denomination's Book of Discipline prohibiting the blessing of same-sex unions and the ordination of noncelibate homosexuals. In January 2020, a group of 16 United Methodist leaders backed a proposed separation protocol that would have created a path for disaffiliation and set aside funds for a new theologically conservative denomination, The Christian Post reported.
The United Methodist General Conference that was to consider the protocol was postponed repeatedly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizers announced in March 2022 that they would launch the Global Methodist Church that May without waiting for approval.
Thousands of congregations subsequently left the United Methodist Church, with most joining the new denomination and others becoming nondenominational, according to The Christian Post. The United Methodist General Conference voted in 2024 to remove the contested rules, while allowing regional bodies and local congregations to continue applying them.
