Q: When and where will the 2026 Leadership Gathering be held?
A: October 20–24, 2026 at Knox United Church in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Q: What is the purpose of the gathering?
A: Bishops, church leaders, lay, and clergy from around the globe will come together to discuss today’s challenges and begin to co-create the church of tomorrow. The 5-day event will include worship, keynote speakers, workshops, and collaboration. Participants will center conversation, prayer, and discernment around living into the vision of The United Methodist Church to form disciples of Jesus Christ who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and worldwide connections.
Q: Who is coming?
A: The gathering is expected to have approximately 300 participants, including:
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all active bishops
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three retired bishops who serve as Council of Bishops officers
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top executives of the denomination’s 14 general agencies
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three leaders from each of the denomination’s episcopal areas chosen by the bishop in consultation with the lay and clergy leaders in that area
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50 additional people selected by the Council of Bishops to include young people, theologians, and others who can bring diverse areas of expertise to the discussion
See list of confirmed participants?
Q: How can other United Methodists and ecumenical partners get involved?
A: Although the Leadership Gathering will have limited attendance, the Council of Bishops is encouraging engagement among members of the worldwide church.
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Participate in a survey of United Methodists around the globe. Your voice will help inform how the church listens, discerns, and leads together in the years ahead. Estimated completion time: 10–12 minutes. The information gathered from the survey will be reported to the general church in the months leading up to October Leadership Gathering.
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A series of three webinars oriented around the UMC’s vision statement’s call to “love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously.” Webinar registration and recordings can be found at resourceumc.org/LeadershipGathering
Date: January 24, 2026 - 10:00-11:30 AM ET
Theme: "What is Wesleyan theology? Who are we as Wesleyans? Who are we as
United Methodists?"
Date: February 21, 2026 - 10:00-11:30 AM ET
Theme: Wesleyan missiology, mutuality, decolonial mission, formation
Date: March 21, 2026 - 10:00-11:30 AM ET
Theme: Wesleyan ecclesiology, the connection, shared leadership, reimagining church
life
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Online livestream panel discussion on April 25, 2026. The four-hour event will feature United Methodist leaders from the U.S., Philippines, Europe, and Africa as well as Catholic and Protestant ecumenical partners. Details will be available at resourceumc.org/LeadershipGathering
The Design Team has committed that 80% of survey and webinar input will be visibly integrated into the October Gathering’s content. Session descriptions will explicitly reference the community voices they address.
Q: Why meet in Canada?
A: Knox United Church, the host of the Leadership Gathering, is part of The United Church of Canada. The Canadian denomination, as a fellow member of the World Methodist Council, has strong ecumenical partnerships with The United Methodist Church. The bishops see this as an opportunity to strengthen those ties. Additionally, of the many options discussed, Canada provided the greatest amount of safety and assurance for international travelers due to the socio-political environment in the US and elsewhere over immigration concerns.
Q: What if some participants cannot travel due to visa issues?
A: The Council of Bishops is working to ensure that all invited from Africa, Europe, and the Philippines can obtain any required visas.
Q: How is this different than General Conference?
A: The Leadership Gathering is not a legislative body like General Conference, nor a place for conflict resolution. This is a first-of-its-kind representative gathering of the church to pray, to listen, and to envision the move of the Spirit for the church of tomorrow. While it may have influence upon General Conference, It is not intended to undermine nor supersede the critical work and function of General Conference. Rather, the hope is that the Leadership Gathering will inspire and encourage the church to rekindle the Spirit’s gifts within it.
Q: How is this funded?
A: The goal is to raise at least $1.2 million for the Leadership Gathering as expenses will not be covered by the 2025-28 denominational budget, which was approved before plans were made for the gathering. The Council of Bishops is requesting donations from:
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major donors
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large churches
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annual conferences
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foundations
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fellow United Methodists
Speaker honorariums are budgeted at $8,000 for eight presenters. The Episcopal Fund will cover the travel expenses of bishops attending, but not their spouses.
Q: What happens after the gathering?
A: Key takeaways from the Leadership Gathering will be compiled into a report expected to be released to the wider church in January 2027. The hope is that the report will inspire and encourage the church at every level to live out the vision to love boldly, serve joyfully and lead courageously into the future through the power of the Holy Spirit.