General Church

The Rev. Grace Pak leads a session on cross-cultural theology at the United Methodist Church of the Incarnation in Schaumburg, Ill., during the 2024 CRCC Madang retreat on Aug. 13, 2024. File photo by the Rev. Heewon Kim, the National Association of Korean-American United Methodist Pastors Serving Cross-Racial/Cultural Appointments.

Program strengthens cross-racial ministry

The Madang program focuses on helping the many Korean American United Methodist pastors who are serving in non-Korean congregations.

Bishops

The Rev. Werner Philipp has been elected as a United Methodist bishop by delegates at the Germany Central Conference. Photo courtesy of Klaus Ulrich Ruof; graphic by UM News.

Germany elects Werner Philipp as bishop

The Germany Central Conference elected the 57-year-old district superintendent on the seventh ballot.

Social Concerns

The Rev. April Casperson. Courtesy of Otterbein University.

Amendment would make church more open

The United Methodist Church can be a more welcoming denomination by adding gender and ability to its constitution, clergywoman writes.

General Church

The Rev. Johnsie Whitfield Cogman helps collect the offering during opening worship service of the 2012 United Methodist General Conference in Tampa, Fla. Overall giving to denomination-wide ministries was down in 2024, compared to 2023. But the denomination’s financial leaders are hopeful that the significantly smaller budget approved at last year’s General Conference in Charlotte, N.C., will be much more in line with the denomination’s giving capacity. File photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.

Giving dips in 2024 ahead of smaller budget

Collections for United Methodist general-church ministries dropped in 2024, but financial leaders expect the denomination’s much smaller budget will better align with giving going forward.

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