In the lead up to the gathering, the Council of Bishops is working with United Methodist Communications to host a series of three webinars open to all United Methodists. These webinars will focus on how the vision statement’s call to “love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously” connects back to the denomination’s mission and Wesleyan theology. The webinars are free and recordings will be made available publicly. Each will be roughly an hour and half in length.
The second webinar is themed "Serve Joyfully" and examines Wesleyan approaches to mission, with attention to mutuality, formation, and decolonial perspectives. Participants will engage how mission is practiced in relationship, shaped by context, and grounded in a call to serve with humility and joy.
The webinar is scheduled for February 21, 2026 9:00am Central Time. A recording of the webinar will be available to the public.
Hosts & Speakers
Rev. April Casperson (moderator)
Rev. April Casperson serves as Director of Enrollment Management at Methodist Theological School in Ohio and is an ordained deacon in The United Methodist Church. She is passionate about diversity and inclusion, vocational discernment, and the systems that recruit, educate, and equip leaders for thoughtful, intentional ministry. She previously served as Director of Diversity and Inclusion for the West Ohio Conference and as Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Methodist Theological School in Ohio. Rev. Casperson holds degrees from Otterbein University and Methodist Theological School in Ohio and has completed doctoral coursework in higher education administration at Ohio University.
Rev. Mark W. Lewis
Rev. Mark W. Lewis serves in Denmark as a pastor and missiologist, including congregational leadership in Copenhagen and service connected to the Danish Methodist missions board. He holds degrees from Guilford College, Duke University, and Asbury Theological Seminary and teaches as an adjunct with the European Methodist e-Academy. His intercultural ministry integrates pastoral leadership, theological education, mission strategy, and music.
Rev. Shandon Klein
Rev. Shandon Klein is a womanist scholar, pastor, spiritual coach, and theological ethicist, and a Ph.D. candidate in Religious Ethics. Her research explores the ethic of risk in Black women’s lives and seeks to bridge academic theology with the lived faith of Christian communities.
Darlene Marquez-Caramanzana
Deaconess Darlene Marquez-Caramanzana serves with Global Ministries as Area Liaison for Asia and the Pacific, strengthening mission partnerships, supporting regional collaboration, and equipping churches for faithful, community-centered engagement across diverse cultural contexts.