“I think The United Methodist Church needs men who are totally committed to Christ, totally committed to the church with all the church's beauty, but also with all the scars.” — Bishop James Swanson, interim chief executive of United Methodist Men.
NEWS AND FEATURES
Bishop aims big in short tenure at UM Men
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UM News) — Retired Bishop James Swanson wants United Methodist Men to go beyond pancake breakfasts and prioritize getting out into the community and committing to authentic Christian discipleship. He has a small window to impact the commission as the interim top executive after the resignation of Greg Arnold. Swanson plans to stay on through General Conference. Jim Patterson has the story.
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UM News: UM Men is on the move
South Carolina Conference
Grants donated in honor of United Methodist
CHARLESTON, S.C. — A community foundation in South Carolina’s Lowcountry recently made grants to 16 organizations on the five Sea Islands of Charleston in honor of longtime United Methodist servant-leader Linda Gadson. She was the director of Rural Mission Inc. for more than 45 years until the United Methodist ministry closed its doors. Jessica Brodie has the story.
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Religion News Service
Help for Black church preservation
WASHINGTON — The National Trust for Historic Preservation has provided $4 million in grants to help 31 Black churches care for their historic buildings. Grants range from $50,000 to $200,000. St. Peter’s United Methodist Church in Oxford, North Carolina, and Central United Methodist Church in Jackson, Mississippi, are among the recipients. Adelle M. Banks reports.
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COMMENTARIES
UM News includes in the Daily Digest various commentaries about issues in the denomination. The opinion pieces reflect a variety of viewpoints and are the opinions of the writers, not UM News staff.
Challenge, opportunity for United Methodism
ATLANTA (UM News) — The United Methodist Church is facing major change and with it comes a challenge and an opportunity, writes Dr. David W. Scott. He believes the challenge is to shift from U.S. dominance in the church and the opportunity is to reflect better the multinational, multicultural nature of the church universal. Scott is the director of mission theology in the Office of the General Secretary at United Methodist Global Ministries.
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RESOURCES
Hartford Institute for Religion Research
The pandemic and clergy discontentment
HARTFORD, Conn. — The Hartford Institute for Religion Research has released a study finding high levels of discontentment among Christian clergy in the U.S. The report, “I’m Exhausted All the Time: Exploring the Factors Contributing to Growing Clergy Discontentment,” includes survey data from about 1,700 religious leaders gathered in the fall of 2023 and is part of the larger Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations project. United Methodist Communications is assisting the ongoing research. The Hartford Institute also is hosting a webinar series to explore the latest church research. The next one is at 11:15 a.m. U.S. Central time Jan. 18.
Learn more
Register for webinar
Missouri Conference
Helping church leaders move ‘Beyond’
COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Beyond conference, slated for Feb. 26-27 in St. Louis, will offer training and inspiration for church leaders who are ready to move beyond the hardships and uncertainty surrounding the future of the denomination. The event aims to reclaim and renew Methodism “as a vibrant and compelling community of faith that is truly for all people.” Cost to attend is $199, with discounts for early bird, student and group tickets.
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Learn more and register
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