PANAMA CITY — “It is a large Methodist family that is gathered here today, with many members, each with our own personality,” said Roland Fernandes, general secretary for the general boards of Global Ministries and Higher Education and Ministry, addressing the 86 participants assembled for a mission consultation for Latin America and the Caribbean, held July 21-23 in Panama.

Bishops, pastors and laity from across the Methodist connection in Latin America, the Caribbean and several other countries discussed the future of mission collaboration and connectional relationships with Global Ministries, Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM), the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church (UMC), the Council of Evangelical Methodist Churches in Latin America and the Caribbean (CIEMAL), the Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas (MCCA), and other individual churches and mission partners. The full assembly of participants represented 40 partners across the region, including seven regional partners and seven pan-Methodist partners.  

“Just as a good family makes room for all and allows each one to share his or her gifts with the others, so Methodism in the Americas has room for each of us to contribute our own gifts to the mission of God,” said Fernandes.

Recognizing the diversity that has always characterized Methodism in the region, participants considered what they could do together, all offering what they can for the sake of God’s mission in Latin America and the Caribbean and beyond.

Pre-consultation conversations focused on eight themes: mission; youth and young adults; gender-based violence and child protection; education; climate justice and health; poverty and migration; financial accountability; and peacebuilding. These discussions laid the groundwork for continued dialogue at the consultation, where attendees explored ways to support faith formation among young people, promote justice, enhance regional communication and strengthen intergenerational leadership, among other topics.

“We needed and believed it was very important to be able to meet as a region and be able to identify strategies, identify important things for the development of the mission in our country and in Latin America,” said Bishop Pedro Araúz Valdéz of the Evangelical Methodist Church of Panama (IEMPA).

There was broad agreement that the strength of Methodist churches could be enhanced by fostering a regional presence and a connected infrastructure through dialogue and ecumenical cooperation. This could provide an opportunity to rethink the roles of regional organizations, such as CIEMAL and the Council of Bishops of CIEMAL.

The desire to better listen to and build relationships with partners has been a hallmark of Fernandes’ leadership since he became general secretary of Global Ministries in 2020 and Higher Education and Ministry in 2024. The agencies organized major mission consultations in Africa and the United States in 2023. “Having a consultation with mission partners in Latin America and the Caribbean seemed the next essential part of this process,” he said, as he expressed the agencies’ desire to learn from those in attendance. 

This consultation was the most expansive meeting of Methodist mission partners in the region in recent decades. Acknowledging that partnerships are shaped by the past, Fernandes recalled two key themes from a similar 2007 Panama meeting: 1) redefining and deepening connectionality to strengthen relationships and support the church’s mission and 2) fostering open communication.

Coming together as Methodists throughout the Americas fits with work that the Council of Bishops of the UMC has been doing through its Ecumenical Office to strengthen and renew relationships with the church’s autonomous affiliated sister churches. This work also aligns with a desire by CIEMAL to strengthen and renew relationships in the region following disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone, president of the UMC Council of Bishops, spoke of a new era emerging for the church. “God is calling us to grow and form disciples of Jesus Christ, to develop Christlike leaders, to stand in solidarity with the poor.” She spoke of Jesus’ call to bring good news of hope and salvation to a world yearning for God’s grace, mercy, love, compassion, justice and peace and to live humbly with the oppressed and marginalized.

Daily worship brought prayer, reflection and familiar hymns played with joyful Caribbean rhythms. Participants paused in reverence to honor those who had gone before them, lighting candles in memory of lives whose enduring light continues to illuminate the path forward.

Inspired by Luke 10:1, in which Jesus “…sent them on ahead in pairs to every city and place he was about to go,” participants discussed common challenges for their individual contexts and opportunities for greater collaboration among their respective churches.

“The task and mission of the church is to go beyond the four walls, to go where the need is, to seek out the man who is living, the woman who is experiencing moments of difficulty,” said Bishop Jorge Merino Riffo of the Methodist Church of Chile. “I believe that this is the task and the mission that the church in Latin America, the Methodist Church, must continue to fulfill, transforming itself into a space of hope amidst despair.”

Bishop Héctor A. Burgos-Núñez of the Upper New York and Susquehanna conferences of the UMC said, “This has been a time of building and strengthening relationships, learning together about our missional realities and beginning to dream together our next fateful steps.”

Bishop Lizzette Gabriel Montalvo of the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico praised the active listening throughout the consultation, suggesting it must now be followed by concrete actions. “This is not just another meeting. This is a blessed moment that can be fruitful. I trust that in the near future we can return through connectionality as witnesses of God’s mission in all our contexts,” she said.

In closing remarks, Fernandes noted that listening and learning are key aspects of mutuality in mission. He offered thanks for the active dialogue and ideas exchanged throughout the consultation and committed to facilitating the next meeting follow-up, including soliciting feedback on the gathering and issuing a full report documenting key takeaways to serve as a blueprint for prioritization. “We have been called to this,” he said, referencing the disciples’ joyous return in Luke 10:17.

Fernandes thanked the event facilitators, staff organizers and hosts — Bishop Valdéz of IEMPA and Bishop Antonio Miguel Trottman Migar of the Panama/Costa Rica District of MCCA, as well as the support of Bishop Montalvo, president of the Council of Bishops of CIEMAL, Bishop Juan de Dios Peña as the president of the Executive Committee of CIEMAL, and Bishop Malone, president of the Council of Bishops of the UMC and all other distinguished bishops and church leaders in attendance and joining online. (Legal restrictions and visa challenges forced participants from Venezuela and Haiti to virtually attend the consultation and concurrent MCCA women’s meeting.)

During closing worship, an agape meal included the sharing of sweet milk and bread in the tradition of the early church. And as worship concluded, participants joined hands in friendship, celebrating the presence of God felt throughout the gathering, a presence that will continue to guide next steps.

Susan Clark is the chief communications officer for Global Ministries and Higher Education and Ministry.

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SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — On June 30, 2025, a centennial celebration was held at Lee Sam Bong Hall at Ewha Womans University to honor the 100th anniversary of Methodist mission work in Korea.

The commemoration highlighted the century-long legacy of three foundational legal bodies that significantly shaped Methodist mission in Korea. In 1924, the American Methodist Korean Women’s Mission Foundation was established to support women-led mission initiatives. This was followed by the founding of the Foundation of Southern Methodist Church in Korea in 1925, which expanded the institutional and property base of mission work. In 1926, the Foundation of Methodist World Mission-Korea was formed to unify and strengthen the growing infrastructure of Methodist mission. These three organizations were instrumental in establishing more than 400 churches, schools, hospitals and social service centers across Korea, and later played a pivotal role in the formation of the Korean Methodist Church in 1930.

Methodist mission in Korea began in 1883 with the first donations toward missionary efforts, which led to the arrival of the first missionaries in 1885. Over the past 140 years, more than 700 missionaries have served in Korea, contributing to spiritual, educational and social development across the country.

Distinguished international guests attended the celebration, including Bishop Gregory V. Palmer, executive secretary of the UMC Council of Bishops; Jana Jones, president of United Women in Faith; and Sally Vonner, general secretary/CEO of United Women in Faith. Their presence symbolized the enduring partnership between the Korean Methodist Church and The United Methodist Church community.

This historic event celebrated the legacy of past mission efforts and reaffirmed a shared commitment to future ministry and collaboration.

The Rev. Paul Kong is the Asia Pacific Region Representative for Global Ministries.  

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ATLANTA – Did you know that The United Methodist Church (UMC) empowers local leaders worldwide to deepen mission engagement through Global Ministries’ Nationals in Mission (NIM) program?

NIM grants enable Global Ministries’ mission partners to identify leadership roles they deem critical for the church to flourish and then employ skilled, local leaders to fill those roles. Because NIMs are native to the country where they serve, they bring a deep cultural and contextual understanding to the ways they build relationships, address needs, and implement and lead sustainable ministries.

Recognizing the vital role that NIMs play in deepening the impact of mission in today’s global context, Global Ministries awarded grants totaling nearly $1.25 million to the program in 2024.

“By investing in indigenous leaders through the Nationals in Mission program, The United Methodist Church honors the importance of agency for our mission partners worldwide to provide sustainable leadership for critical ministries,” said the Rev. Dee Stickley-Miner, executive director for mission engagement for Global Ministries.

Currently, more than 300 NIMs are serving around the world, working in various areas including education, health care, community development, pastoral leadership, evangelism and social justice. Many also partner with UMC conferences, ecumenical organizations, or Methodist-affiliated institutions to expand their reach.

A NIM grant opened an opportunity for a church worker to focus on human rights with partner organization Centro Ecuménico Popular para América Latina de Comunicación (CEPALC) in Colombia. And in Pakistan, a NIM grant enabled a student to return to his home country to answer a call to ministry: counseling survivors with the kind of trauma and terror his own family experienced in a deadly bombing.

You can support the NIM program through a gift to Advance #12122L.

Sara Logeman is the senior manager of content and marketing for Global Ministries.

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The Africa Mission Partners Consultation, held April 17-19, 2023, in Maputo, Mozambique, was the first in a series of events planned over the next year as Global Ministries engages in critical strategic conversations to discern how God is leading United Methodists in mission. In reflecting on the event, General Secretary Roland Fernandes noted his strong desire to work with mutual respect and accountability to approach mission and build interdependence in doing God’s work. He hoped that the gathering would help to guide future expressions of mission through The United Methodist Church. Eveline Chikwanah covered the consultation for UM News.

By Eveline Chikwanah
May 3, 2023 | MAPUTO, Mozambique (UM News)

More than 80 delegates and partners from Africa met with United Methodist Global Ministries staff to discuss the future of mission on the continent, as the denomination moves from being a missionary to a missional church.

The agency’s top executive, Roland Fernandes, said the April 17-19 Africa Mission Partners Consultation in Maputo was one of several conversations planned for this year that will focus on the agency’s programs. Six bishops from around Africa attended the consultation.

“The meetings will look at what we are doing (and) what should we be doing as we look at 2024 and beyond,” Fernandes said. “We can only do that by listening to and learning from our partners; we cannot do that on our own. The whole purpose is for us to be able to listen and engage our partners in Africa in the true spirit of mutuality.”

He said it is important for the agency and its partners “to treat each other as equal partners and see what both have to shift together to continue to define mission in the future.”

“We are already transforming to being missional if you look at the work we do with the health boards,” Fernandes said. “We don’t run the health boards; they are being empowered by Global Ministries. Even with the Yambasu Agriculture Initiative, it’s local programs which are being supported. The conferences have their own strategic plans and the meeting was to discuss how we can work together and support them.”

The Rev. Reggie W. Nel, dean of the Faculty of Theology at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, said while the missionary church was in charge of all programs, a missional church is “missio Dei” (the mission of God) and led by the Holy Spirit. He emphasized it is time to decolonize the church and get rid of the “mother church and daughter church” concept established by pioneer missionaries.

“A fundamental question is whether we as children of a colonial missionary ecclesiology are willing to open ourselves up to the deep work of God as the Holy Spirit, or are we stuck in a superficial and perhaps an elusive second-hand performance of our own agents in building God’s kingdom?” Nel asked.

“Missiologically I would argue that, in the first place, we must consciously accept that we all come from a place with a personal and social history (collectively as an organization or community) that needs to be acknowledged and affirmed and held in creative tension,” he said. “It is not the one (personal) or the other (social), or the one over the other.”

Nel said grieving was important during times of turmoil such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Rwandan genocide. “There remains a place for bouncing back before bouncing forward.  I would also add in between these backward and forward bouncing movements, the notion of digging ‘deep’ to simply allow the depths of the grief to overwhelm us, to let us fall deep.

“This is also relevant in our quest for discerning an appropriate missional ecclesiology for our time — a time of the plague and therefore, disruption, trauma, loss. The moment was not only personal, individualistic; it was communal, social,” he said.

Bishop Daniel Wandabula of the East Africa Episcopal Area thanked Nel for analyzing the situation prevailing in Africa. “It’s not an easy task getting to understand where we are, how we got here and how we can get out of this situation.

“We must be a church that belongs to the Lord and does his will. We are part of the whole story of creation from beginning to end,” he said.

Bishop Mande Muyombo, who leads the North Katanga Area that encompasses parts of Congo and Tanazania, said the African church wanted to be decolonized and make its own decisions.  “(The late) Bishop Muzorewa (of Zimbabwe) said we have to preach the gospel that decolonizes the mind because for so long we have been going through a traumatic experience.

“The need for grief work is critical,” Muyombo said. “We have to make mental health of our leadership a priority. If we are going to influence our people, we need to be liberated in our own leadership style. I am so proud of my colleague bishops because, despite the challenges, churches are being built and a lot of work is being done.

“As Africans it is difficult to live outside of our own cultural values,” he said. “In the Congo, we will continue to be faithful to our cultural values as marriage is defined in our own cultural heritage.  But at the same time, we do not want to be used as proxies. Ubuntu requires us to recognize human dignity in every human being who has been created by God,” he said, alluding to the human sexuality debate within the denomination.

Other bishops attending the event were John Wesley Yohanna of Nigeria, Warner Brown Jr. of Sierra Leone, Daniel Lunge of Central Congo and Joaquina Nhanala of Mozambique.

Global Ministries is engaged in supporting missionaries, evangelism and church revitalization, global health, and humanitarian relief and recovery — and is running 17 programs. 

The Maputo meeting is not the first time Global Ministries has called a consultation of its partners throughout Africa, though it is the first in a few decades. It held consultations with African partners in 1961, 1974 and 1977. The 1960s and ’70s were a time of great challenge for the church and societies in Africa.

Fernandes noted that a write-up of the 1961 consultation said, “It was held in a time of uncertainty when it would seem that no sure future lay before the church.”

Chikwanah is a communicator of the Zimbabwe East Conference. 

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Agencies meet in formal consultation for first time in more than 20 years. 

By Susan Clark 
August 18, 2022 | Atlanta, GA 

The General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church (Global Ministries) and the Korean Methodist Church (KMC) mission board held a consultation at Global Ministries’ headquarters on Aug. 15-17, 2022, in Atlanta, Georgia. The two-day meeting, which included the presidents of the councils of bishops of both churches, represented the first time the two boards have met together in formal consultation since 2001. The consultation was called to discuss mutual partnership opportunities for mission throughout the world, building on the shared history and current realities facing both organizations.  

The consultation was composed of delegations from both agencies, resource people and guests from Global Ministries’ executive committee and staff. At the consultation’s opening banquet, Bishop Thomas Bickerton, president of the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church and the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), noted the deep-seated commitment to mission that brought the delegations together and expressed his hope that the meeting would offer an opportunity to live into a shared gospel. “My prayer is that we will be guided by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the example of Jesus Christ himself who called us to be one in the spirit even as we work for the transformation of the world,” he said. Bishop Chul Lee, president of the Korean Methodist Church, shared his hopes for cooperation, noting that, though cultures and ways of thinking for both churches are different, the Korean Methodist Church and The United Methodist Church can act in harmony and unity, called by God.  

Bishop Hee Soo Jung, president of Global Ministries’ board of directors, expressed hope that The United Methodist Church and Korean Methodist Church might fulfill a shared mission to transform the world through a serving church and community. He expressed hope that “we will share wisdom today with the passion to spread this peace and joy to all parts of the world,” further noting that “we can be glad in the abundant peace of Jesus Christ” and “let gentleness show.”  

Throughout the two-day meeting, delegates heard a series of presentations, including an historical overview of mission cooperation between the KMC and UMC and reviews of several mission efforts in areas of Asia and Africa. They also discussed longstanding challenges and opportunities for peace and reunification efforts on the Korean Peninsula, work paused by the global pandemic but which remains foremost on the minds of many Koreans because of the ongoing and painful separation of families and rising military tensions in the region.   

Roland Fernandes, general secretary of Global Ministries and UMCOR, reinforced the long-standing practice of collaboration in mission at Global Ministries. “We form partnerships that foster our goals of mission, which historically and today include evangelism, that is, making disciples for Jesus Christ, church development, building up the household of faith, alleviating suffering, and seeking justice, freedom and peace,” he said.  “The overarching goal is faithful, joyful participation in the missio Dei – God’s mission.”  

Bishop Chung Suk Kim, chair of the KMC Board of Mission, acknowledged several common challenges facing world churches today – declining youth interest in the religious faith, polarization and resulting conflicts, and issues of peace. He acknowledged the long impact of The United Methodist Church in Korea and suggested that the KMC and UMC act as brothers and sisters in mission to build on their history of collaboration.  

As the consultation concluded, leaders from both entities offered their hope for the future, agreeing to continue their consultation and work together to deploy a concrete list of opportunities for cooperation. Both groups acknowledged the mutual respect for one another and love of God that facilitated prayerful and thoughtful conversations throughout the two-day meeting. 

The Korean Methodist Church Board of Mission establishes and implements mission policies in domestic, social and global mission areas, including church planting and growth; peace, reunification and humanitarian help for North Korea; global missionary policy, training and support; and mission relationships with other churches and denominations; among other responsibilities. 

The General Board of Global Ministries, which includes the United Methodist Committee on Relief, is the worldwide mission, relief and development agency of The United Methodist Church, working with partners and churches all over the word to equip and transform people and places for God’s mission. Global Ministries connects the church in mission through the sending of missionaries, evangelization and church revitalization, global health and humanitarian relief and recovery. 

Susan Clark is the chief communications officer for Global Ministries and UMCOR.

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When The United Methodist Church in Nigeria sought to develop a strategic plan that would be effective in the current political and socio-economic climate, a mission roundtable helped more than 50 stakeholders from Nigeria and the United States to cast the vision and coordinate resources. The resulting six-year plan gave the church a clear mission statement and goals to propel them into their next phase of mission.

Mission roundtables are gatherings that bring together people from a variety of roles and contexts within the church to live out mutuality in mission. Working together to find new ways forward, participants can range from bishops, church and agency leaders to pastors, lay people and community members. Global Ministries U.S. Regional Office on Multicultural Ministries, based in Atlanta, has developed a Mission Roundtable Program, which trains facilitators to guide a group in dialogue that crosses the boundaries of identity, theology and worldview. “Even though not everyone agrees, we are all coming together from various backgrounds to address needs,” explains Joy McLeod, a Mission Roundtable facilitator from Atlanta who has been involved in roundtables in the Philippines and Mozambique.

A mission roundtable can be formed to create a long-range plan for an episcopal area, such as Nigeria, or to overcome a conflict or barrier in a ministry. The facilitators work to create a safe space and ensure all parties are heard. They work to build bridges across boundaries within the group and cultivate a sense of common mission and purpose. “Roundtables are all about mutuality, respect and listening to one another. And as a facilitator, I am responsible for creating a space in which these things can happen,” explains Barbara Oppliger, a Mission Roundtable facilitator from Switzerland who has been involved in roundtables in South America.

Two Mission Roundtable facilitators help keep these two- to three-day gatherings on track and ensure that every voice is heard. “Participants partake in visioning together,” says Paul Kong, Asia regional representative for Global Ministries, who has attended two roundtables in the Philippines and has helped bring training to Asia to increase the pool of facilitators available in the region. He notes that at the heart of any mission roundtable is the question: “How do we continue and progress and build up the body of Christ?”

Kong has seen how the quadrennial plan forged during the mission roundtable held with the Davao Episcopal Area of the Philippines in early 2019 is now shaping nearly every part of the church’s work. The strong investment of people involved in all different aspects of the church has made this possible. “It’s not just one person’s vision. I think that’s the beauty of this,” reflects Kong.

Another result of the Davao Mission Roundtable was an effort to better coordinate and strengthen sustainable livelihood programs throughout the region. Later in 2019, the three Philippine episcopal areas will meet in Manila. They are inviting nongovernmental institutions, United Methodist agency personnel, local business owners in related fields and individuals who participate in this ministry from each episcopal area. They will survey existing programs, look at best practices and find new ways to work together to improve ministries that serve the poor throughout the country.

The Mission Roundtable Program is available to all levels of The United Methodist connection through Global Ministries’ regional offices. This resource gathers people with diverse thoughts and ideas and creates a sacred space to discover new ways of being the church in the world. Together.

Invitation-only facilitator trainings help continue and grow the program, with the next training taking place November 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. A facilitators’ summit will immediately follow the training to further equip new and experienced facilitators. The summit is organized in partnership with the Mission Roundtable training team, Global Ministries’ U.S. Regional Office on Multicultural Ministries, the General Commission on Religion and Race and the Circle Process Program at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology.

Okabayashi is a freelance writer for Global Ministries.

If your church, conference or district is interested in hosting a mission roundtable or if you would like more information on the upcoming facilitators’ summit, contact info@umcmission.org.

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