Deadly violence in Nigeria linked to breakup of United Methodist Church over LGBTQ policies

AP A religious schism has turned deadly in Nigeria, with a church member fatally shot and two young children killed as homes were set ablaze, according to United Methodist News Service. The news service said the reported violence on Sunday stemmed from a schism in the worldwide United Methodist Church over its decision to repeal […]
World Methodist Council’s new president talks about what holds a fracturing church together

RNS In August, the World Methodist Council, an umbrella group of Methodist denominations, meeting in Gothenburg, Sweden, elected the Rev Debra Wallace-Padgett president of the council. Wallace-Padgett has been a bishop of the United Methodist Church since 2012 and has led both the denomination’s North Alabama Conference and, since 2021, its Holston Conference, in eastern […]
After United Methodist Church approves same-sex marriage, unrest breaks out in Liberian church

Nairobi, Kenya RNS The United Methodist Church in Liberia has been roiled in recent days over its position on marriage for same-sex couples after the global denomination, based in the United States, voted to strike a 40-year-old condemnation of homosexuality from its governing document. Clergy and lay members of the 150,000-member Liberian church have been […]
Washington landmark: United Methodist Building celebrates a century of presence on Capitol Hill

JACK JENKINS, of Religion News Service, reports that the landmark building, built in 1923, was funded entirely by women….
The Global Methodist Church will meet in Costa Rica. Sexuality is not on the agenda

United States RNS Sexuality won’t be on the agenda when members of the nascent Global Methodist Church convene for the first time from 20th to 26th September in San Jose, Costa Rica. The breakaway denomination established by departing United Methodist churches two years ago will instead adopt a constitution and iron out its governance structure. […]
More than 200 Christian leaders sign letter calling for ceasefire in Gaza

Washington DC, US RNS More than 200 Christian leaders from an array of traditions have signed a letter calling for a permanent cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war and the release of hostages taken by Hamas, as well as a list of other measures aimed at providing relief in Gaza. “We speak out as Christian leaders […]
Church insurance: How a perfect storm sent rates skyrocketing in the US

BOB SMIETANA, of Religion News Service, reports that the same factors that have caused a crisis in the homeowner’s insurance market in the US are also affecting churches, who have to choose between paying for insurance or running programs…
United States: Bills to enhance religion in schools spur fights between faiths

JACK JENKINS, of Religion News Service, reports that as lawmakers push faith-focused education bills, the statutes are facing pushback from an unexpected source: other religious people…
United Methodist Church regrets Ivory Coast’s split from the union as lifting of LGBTQ ban roils Africa

Harare, Zimbabwe AP Leaders of the United Methodist Church expressed regret over last week’s decision by the branch in Ivory Coast to leave the union following the church’s decision to repeal a long-standing ban on LGBTQ+ clergy but pledged to accept it. The developments were the latest in a series of ripple effects in conservative Africa, […]
Monastic expressions: With strawberries and goats, a ‘farmastery’ reaches out to its neighbours

Part of the new monastic movement which began three decades ago among lay Protestants, Spring Forest is a model for how Christians can work, eat and worship as a community. YONAT SHIMRON reports…