A new vision
The Vision of The United Methodist Church
Stepping in faith into a new season of ministry
Regional Vision Summaries
Shared Identity and Values
These characteristics emerged as shared themes across the regional discussions and surveys.
Identity
- Grace – understand and show grace; be a church that is grace-filled
- Mission-focused, community-oriented – outreach to meet the community’s needs
- Structures and polity – positives and negatives; good and bad of the democratic process. Book of Discipline.
- Role of women and laity – mostly valued; more so than other denominations
Vision
- Inclusivity – means different things in different contexts – inclusive of diverse opinions, people, cultures.
- Diversity – wide range of thinking; intention there, not always lived out
- Clergy leaders who are identified, nurtured, and prepared
Connectionalism
- Shared resources and methods; structure enables us to have that connection with one another and support and assist one another
- Regionalism – Regional identities are strong; desire for some independent decision making expressed from every region.
- Global reach – commitment to global work; global mission; health & wholeness
- Democratic process – Conferencing is valued and keeps us connected
Mission
- Caring for poor and marginalized
- Social justice – social action and advocacy; strive to live up to Social Principles
REGIONAL DISCUSSIONS
Between 2021 and 2023, "Imagining the Future" conversations were held with more than 1,000 participants across all four continents where The United Methodist Church as a presence.
View the results and highlights of the conversations in each region below.
Five in-person conversations took place from 2021-2023 with a mixed group of clergy and laity.
VIEW HIGHLIGHTS
The Europe Coordinating Group organized and facilitating five conversations in English and German.
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The Philippines Coordinating Group distributed a survey to members of the Philippines Central Conference in addition to holding focus groups.
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The United States Coordinating Group held 54 discussion groups from November 2021 through March 2022.
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