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LEADERSHIP IN ACTION

Leaders of our Church are active participants in communities across the globe. While our worldwide connection includes approximately 12,800,000 members, the impact of our work goes well beyond.

 

Throughout the denomination, we are preparing individuals to deal with worldwide problems together. Theological education prepares church leaders to be community leaders - people who will be trusted - that can have an impact and address spiritual, social and economic needs of our world.

 

Many potential leaders have been dissuaded by the challenges they face in obtaining a theological education in the central conferences, resulting not only in missed opportunities to develop future leaders of our church, but also countless missed opportunities to make disciples of Jesus Christ.

Following are some examples of the transformative work of our Church in the world - examples that would not be possible without the leadership of clergy:

In a new church started in Sibiu, Romania, the pastor, together with a professional musician, has built a community with young skaters who were not aware of the Christian faith previously.

In the Ivory Coast, the UMC has expanded its Christian radio program which became a voice of peace and reconciliation in times of high political tensions.

In the Philippines, the local churches of the UMC, under the leadership of their pastors, were among the first to reach out to neighbors in need after the natural disasters.

This video from Spring of Life UMC in Kiev, Ukraine, illustrates how United Methodist pastors serve as trusted community leaders responding to the needs of their community even when they and the congregation they serve are struggling.

In Liberia, scholarships for theological studies have enabled the UMC to build a new generation of teachers after the devastation of civil war.

In Sierra Leone, the UMC bishop was among the very first leaders to alert authorities to the rising Ebola crisis before it made headlines in the news.

Thousands of stories like these take place across our global connection. In order to minister effectively and be prepared to serve as leaders for the challenges of the world, we must provide our clergy with the necessary tools and resources to be successful through education in the Wesley tradition.

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