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 five-day event will include worship, keynote speakers, covenant group conversations, 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.
The Leadership Gathering does not make decisions; it offers reflection for the wider church.
Q: What will participants do in Calgary?
A: Participants will move between worship, plenary presentations, and covenant group conversations. Each participant is assigned to one of five covenant cohorts: Discipleship, Leadership, Impact, Stewardship, and Accountability. Each cohort includes three smaller covenant groups, where much of the discernment will happen. Over three days, the groups will name what is true about the church and the world right now, begin to respond with new ways of living out the church’s mission, and imagine what could be possible.
On the first day, participants will be invited to affirm a covenant that guides how they share their experience of the gathering. Read A Covenant for Conversation & Sharing and watch the video series on how participants will listen and discern together.
Q: Who is coming?
A: The gathering is expected to have approximately 300 participants, including:
- all active bishops
- three retired bishops who serve as Council of Bishops officers
- top executives of the denomination’s 14 general agencies
- 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
- 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 the list of confirmed participants
Q: Will there be observers or visitors to the Leadership Gathering?
A: Due to space limitations and the inability to allocate a small number of observer spots equitably, attendance is limited to invited participants and event staff. Worship and large group sessions will be livestreamed.
Q: How can I watch the Leadership Gathering?
A: Worship and large group sessions will be livestreamed. Viewing details will be posted on this page before the gathering.
Q: How can other United Methodists and ecumenical partners get involved?
A: Although the Leadership Gathering has limited attendance, the Council of Bishops is encouraging engagement among members of the worldwide church.
- Pray for the gathering. On the Way to Calgary offers weekly devotions and prayers written by seven United Methodist bishops from across the connection.
- Explore the survey findings. A global survey gathered the priorities, concerns, and hopes of 12,292 United Methodists across nine world regions, in five languages. See the summary of findings.
- Watch the webinars. Recordings and discussion guides are available for the three webinars on the UMC’s vision statement’s call to “love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously.”
- “Love Boldly” webinar on theology, January 24, 2026
Theme: “What is Wesleyan theology? Who are we as Wesleyans? Who are we as United Methodists?” - “Serve Joyfully” webinar on missiology, February 21, 2026
Theme: Wesleyan missiology, mutuality, decolonial mission, formation - “Lead Courageously” webinar on ecclesiology, March 21, 2026
Theme: Wesleyan ecclesiology, the connection, shared leadership, reimagining church life
- “Love Boldly” webinar on theology, January 24, 2026
- Follow the livestream. Worship and large group sessions will be livestreamed during the gathering.
- Give. Support the Leadership Gathering.
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 U.S. 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:
- major donors
- large churches
- annual conferences
- foundations
- 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.
Support the Leadership Gathering
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.