First Friday Letter The World Methodist Council
September 2026
The WMC Meeting Revealed a Re-energised Council Dear WMC community and friends, The World Methodist Council meeting took place in El Salvador from 13–17 August 2026. During those days, we witnessed a re-energised Council: a functioning, vibrant and healthy communion of Methodist and Wesleyan, United and Uniting churches. Thank you to all who participated in the meeting — delegates and representatives of member churches, affiliated organisations and regional bodies, contributors to the sessions, ecumenical guests and all the many Juan Wesley’s helpers who made our gathering possible. CIEMAL and the Methodist Church in El Salvador welcomed the World Methodist Council with open arms. There were many Juan Wesley’s helpers, music, worship, food and fellowship. We visited local churches and shared in their life and witness. We distributed food in the neighbourhood. We visited the house of Saint Óscar Romero and the chapel of his martyrdom. Through these experiences, we were reminded that the life of the Church is always rooted in particular communities and contexts, and that our Methodist fellowship is strengthened when we encounter one another in those places. We also accomplished a comprehensive review of the life and work of the World Methodist Council through the reports of the different Programme and Operational Committees, affiliated organisations and regional bodies. Alongside this work, we engaged deeply with the theme: “The Kingdom of God is Justice, Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit.” In relation to this theme, we heard powerful testimonies of how Methodist and Wesleyan churches are seeking the Kingdom of God above all things and seeking to embody justice, peace and joy in the midst of the realities of their own contexts. The Methodist-Wesleyan identity was clearly expressed throughout the meeting. We experienced it in our worship, in our singing of Charles Wesley’s hymns, and above all in the sharing of our collective calling to a faith that is able “to serve the present age, our task to fulfil.” The contemporary expressions of Methodist identity can be diverse and fluid, enabling Methodism to adapt and take root in many different terrains. Yet those diverse expressions have roots that are deeply established in the pursuit of holiness, personal and social, and the proclamation of salvation for all. At times, however, that shared identity carries a pierced
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heart when division and judgement become temptations. At our meeting, we heard how different Conferences are living faithfully with difference. We witnessed again that Methodism is one, while having many expressions. We learned from one another how to cope with our differences without falling into the temptation of exclusion. Around 200 delegates representing member churches from around the world were present. The fellowship was joyful and full of the Holy Spirit. We rejoiced with one another in the work God is doing through churches in their different contexts. In the midst of our struggles, we saw God’s assuring presence. In our diversity and difference, we saw the Spirit’s creative response to cultures and contexts. All have their place in the Body of Christ, and all are valued for the gifts and talents they bring. This First Friday Letter contains material emerging from the Council meeting. In particular, you will find a Pastoral Letter concerning the Social Affirmation adopted by the World Methodist Council 40 years ago, in 1986. You will also find further reporting and reflections from the Council meeting. There will be more to come in the next editions of this Letter. It was a joy to witness the life and mission of the Church in El Salvador, and also the life and witness of Conferences and churches from across the world. The dynamism of the World Methodist Council is certainly sustained by a great deal of organisational work. But organisational work alone can never be enough. Ultimately, the Council is re-energised by the movement of the Holy Spirit among us. We give thanks, therefore, for what we experienced together in El Salvador: a Council renewed in fellowship, strengthened in its Methodist-Wesleyan identity, and encouraged in its calling to serve God’s Kingdom of Justice, Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit. We were also delighted to welcome two new member churches into the fellowship of the World Methodist Council. Their joining us is another sign of the continuing life, growth and reach of our worldwide Methodist and Wesleyan communion. As we return to our different contexts, may the grace of God sustain us, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit unite us, and the love of Christ send us out to serve the present age. With every blessing in Christ, Reynaldo (Leo) Ferreira Leão Neto General Secretary World Methodist Council
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President’s Reflections on World Methodist Council Meeting Dear Friends, I am grateful for the recent World Methodist Council meeting in El Salvador. What a joy to participate in the business of the World Methodist Council, enjoy beautiful El Salvador and be together with Methodist, Wesleyan, United and Uniting members from all around the world. Highlights included: - Powerful worship, presentations and panel discussions around the theme: “justice, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17) - Learning opportunities about the country and culture of El Salvador; - Celebration of the anniversary of the education committee (35th) and Wesley Men (25th); - Visit to St. Oscar Romera’s home and burial place; - Peace Award presented to Dr. Humberto Martin Shikiya;
Most importantly we were reminded that the work of the World Methodist Council, along with our regional bodies and affiliate organizations, is making a difference all around the globe. As we should! After all, we are Christ-followers, rooted in the Methodist way. We are people committed to holiness and justice, personal relationship with Jesus Christ and social transformation, grace and accountability, evangelism and discipleship, worship of God and service for others. We highly value ecumenism and education, social witness and theology, mission, evangelism and connection with one another. Those powerful combinations are central to our Wesleyan identity. Thank you for being a part of the World Methodist Council. It is a privilege to serve alongside you in our ministry together. Blessings,
Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett President World Methodist Council
- Recognition of retirements of two strong leaders in the World Methodist Council: Geneva Secretary Bishop Rosemarie Wenner and Executive Director of World Methodist Evangelism Rev. Dr. Kim Reisman; - Reports and action items from various standing program and operational committees as well as regional bodies and affiliate organizations; - Sunday morning worship in a nearby local church followed by delivery of food to families in the community; - And so much more.
35th Anniversary of the Education Committee celebrated with Rev. Dr. Connie Semy-Mella chairperson of the WMC Education Committee.
Worship in the local church where Bishop Wallace-Padgett preached.
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Welcome Address from the General Secretary to the World Methodist Council Meeting
Dear fellow Methodist, Wesleyan and ecumenical pilgrims in Christ, Welcome! It is a joy and a privilege to welcome you to this meeting of the World Methodist Council.
First, I want to express our deep gratitude to Bishop Juan, to Rev. Adela, to CIEMAL, and to the Methodist Church in El Salvador for the generous welcome and hospitality you have extended to us. And to Tercio, to the liturgy team, to the Juan Wesley helpers, and to all those who have worked so faithfully behind the scenes and alongside us: thank you. You have been co-workers with us in preparing for this Council meeting, and we are deeply grateful. We gather at a time that calls for our witness to the Gospel of love. The world is full of hatred, confrontation and discord. Yet we bear witness to the love of God, who gave his only Son to save humanity and the world.
We gather under the theme: “The Kingdom of God is justice, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Romans 14:17 And so we ask: What is it that makes for justice? What is it that makes for peace? What brings joy to our spirits? What is the role of the Church? Who are the partners on the way to the Kingdom? We gather as Methodists and Wesleyans to reaffirm our belonging to one another: our fellowship, our shared faith and heritage, and our connexion. This communion is almost sacramental. We find God in it. It is an expression of the very Methodist spirit: our connectivity as individuals and the connectivity of the churches and communities we represent. Love has to be at the centre of our life together and of our witness to the world. Here, in this gathering, the World Methodist Council expresses itself as a Connexion of Connexions, as a fellowship of churches. We seek unity, but not uniformity. We learn from our differences. We respect the different expressions of Methodism in the different contexts from which we come. We are many churches, many peoples, many cultures and many contexts — yet we belong to one another
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in Christ.
We gather also to reaffirm our intention to live out and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ: to spread the Good News of the love of God revealed in Jesus, and to make disciples for the transformation of the world.
And we gather to reaffirm our great Methodist calling: “To spread scriptural holiness throughout the world.” Scriptural holiness The Scriptures were given to peoples living in the realities of the Bronze and Iron Ages. But the Word of God comes to us today in the realities of the Silicon Age. The challenge before us is not simply to repeat the Word mechanically, but to speak the Word anew — faithfully and courageously — in the power of the Holy Spirit. And again: scriptural holiness. For us, holiness is both personal and social. Personal holiness means a life of righteousness, integrity of faith — as Charles Wesley prayed in song, “my faith’s integrity maintain” — and a life increasingly shaped by the character, the mind and the love of Christ. But holiness can never be reduced to the private life of the individual.
Social holiness calls us to seek justice for all; to care for those in need; to care for the earth; to welcome and integrate migrants; and to make room for those who are different from us. Holiness therefore has consequences for how we live together, how we order our societies, how we use our economic resources, how we treat creation, and how we receive the stranger. General Secretary Reynaldo Ferreira Leão Neto speaking at a local church in El Salvador accompanied by his wife Allison Leao. Continued on next page...
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Welcome Address from the General Secretary continued... In the words of St Paul, we gather to declare together: “The kingdom of God is justice, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Romans 14:17 This is the Kingdom we seek. This is the Gospel we proclaim. This is the holiness to which we are called. And this is the fellowship into which Christ gathers us. So, sisters and brothers, let us together, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, have a happy, blessed and fruitful time together.
And may everything we do here strengthen our common vocation to be the People Called Methodists, bearing witness to Jesus Christ and to God’s Kingdom of justice, peace and joy. Welcome, all, to this holy fellowship. Welcome to the meeting of the World Methodist Council. Reynaldo Ferreira Leão Neto (Léo) General Secretary World Methodist Council
May our conversation and our discernment be wise. May our fellowship be deepened. May our differences become an opportunity to discover more fully the breadth of God’s love.
Pictured Left to Right: Bishop Juan De Dios Pena, Dr. Humberto Martian Shikiya and Rev. Dr. Reynaldo Ferreira Leão Neto
The band and children from the Methodist School in El Salvador performed for the particpants of the WMC Meeting. This is a ministry through CIEMAL and the Methodist Church in El Salvador.
The Worship & Liturgy Team led by Rev. Dr. Terico Junker that brought life and joy to the Council through Music.
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A time of communion
Bishop Rosemarie Wenner receiving an award for her many years of service to the WMC and for representing the Council as Geneva Secretary since 2016.
Israel Elías Bojorge is a teacher and researcher of Salvadoran culture, dedicated to the preservation, teaching, and promotion of the dances of Indigenous peoples and the ancestral music of El Salvador.
President, Bishop Debra Wallace Padgett conducting the Steering Committee Meeting before the Council meeting begins.
Pictured above is one of the three thematic sessions with Q&A among a panel. The three thematic sessions were on the theme of The Kingdom of God is Justice, Peace & Joy!
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Metodistas del mundo reunidos en El Salvador reivindican la Justicia, la Paz y la Alegría Unas 180 personas de diferentes partes del mundo se reunieron en San Salvador, El Salvador, del 13 al 17 de agosto, para participar en la reunión 2026 del Concilio Metodista Mundial y compartir información sobre sus iglesias miembros, sus ministerios y los desafíos que enfrenta la comunidad metodista mundial.
El encuentro tuvo como tema “El reino de Dios es justicia y alegría”. El Concilio Metodista Mundial reúne a iglesias metodistas, wesleyanas y otras iglesias unidas relacionadas, que en conjunto representan a más de 80 millones de personas en 138 países. La Iglesia Metodista Unida envió aproximadamente 50 delegados/as a la reunión. Entre ellos/as estuvieron tres representantes de la Conferencia del Norte Illinois: la Revda. Megan Tobola, integrante del Comité de Nominaciones del Concilio Metodista Mundial; la Revda. Fabiola Grandon-Mayer, directora de Ministerios Conexionales de la conferencia y exintegrante de la directiva del Concilio; y el Rev. Dr. Tercio B. Junker, quien se desempeñó como director de adoración durante la reunión. “Es inspirador reunirnos con tantas personas metodistas de todo el mundo cuya pasión y compromiso con la justicia, la paz y la alegría son evidentes”, dijo Grandon-Mayer. Durante el encuentro, las personas participantes compartieron información sobre programas e iniciativas desarrollados alrededor del mundo. También recibieron informes de diversos comités dedicados a promover la paz, la colaboración, el entendimiento, la proclamación del evangelio y la preservación del patrimonio metodista. Una mirada a la misión mundial Las conversaciones reflejaron la diversidad de contextos en los que viven y ministran las iglesias metodistas, así como la importancia de fortalecer la colaboración entre ellas. La reunión también permitió abordar asuntos relacionados con la justicia, la paz, la reconciliación y el papel de las iglesias frente a los desafíos sociales y políticos que enfrentan sus comunidades. El encuentro en El Salvador puso especial atención en la realidad latinoamericana y en el legado de quienes han trabajado por la justicia y los derechos humanos en la región. Una de las experiencias significativas de la reunión fue la visita a la catedral católica romana y a la casa de San Óscar Romero, arzobispo mártir de San Salvador, asesinado mientras celebraba la misa en 1980. Romero es reconocido internacionalmente como la “voz de quienes no tienen voz” por su defensa de los derechos humanos y de las personas pobres y vulnerables.
Participants in the World Methodist Council meeting had the opportunity to visit the Chapel of the Divine Providence Hospital, where Bishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero was murdered for his commitment to peace, justice and freedom of the Salvadoran people in times of dictatorship. Photo courtesy of Laura Brewster, RioTexas Annual Conference. Premio de la Paz 2026 Durante la reunión, el Concilio Metodista Mundial otorgó su Premio de la Paz 2026 al Dr. Humberto Martín Shikiya, de la Iglesia Evangélica Metodista Argentina, en reconocimiento a sus esfuerzos valientes, creativos y constantes para promover la paz y la justicia en Colombia. Shikiya ha trabajado durante más de dos décadas con iglesias evangélicas y protestantes, organizaciones de servicio y redes ecuménicas en Colombia. Desde 2023 se desempeña como enviado especial del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias para acompañar el proceso de paz en ese país. Su trabajo busca fortalecer el diálogo, promover la dignidad humana, superar la polarización y contribuir a la construcción de una paz duradera. El reconocimiento del Concilio Metodista Mundial destaca la importancia del acompañamiento ecuménico en los procesos de reconciliación y construcción de paz. La reunión de San Salvador concluyó el 17 de agosto, dejando a las iglesias participantes el desafío de continuar fortaleciendo sus vínculos y trabajando juntas para expresar, mediante la misión, el compromiso del movimiento metodista mundial con la justicia, la paz y la alegría. * La Revda. Fabiola Grandon-Mayer es directora de Ministerios Conexionales de la Conferencia de Northern Illinois. El texto original fue publicado por la Conferencia de Northern Illinois el 17 de agosto de 2026.
Continued on next page in English...
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Methodists of the world gathered in El Salvador claim Justice, Peace and Joy Some 180 people from different parts of the world gathered in San Salvador, El Salvador, from August 13 to 17, to participate in the 2026 meeting of the World Methodist Council and share information about their member churches, their ministries and the challenges facing the global Methodist community. The meeting had as its theme “The kingdom of God is justice and joy.” The World Methodist Council brings together Methodist, Wesleyan and other related united churches, which together represent more than 80 million people in 138 countries.
Peace Prize 2026 During the meeting, the World Methodist Council awarded its Peace Prize 2026 to Dr. Humberto Martín Shikiya, of the Evangelical Methodist Church Argentina, in recognition of his courageous, creative and constant efforts to promote peace and justice in Colombia.
The United Methodist Church sent approximately 50 delegates to the meeting. Among them were three representatives of the Northern Illinois Conference: Rev. Megan Tobola, member of the World Methodist Council Nomination Committee; Rev. Fabiola Grandon-Mayer, director of Connexional Ministries of the conference and former member of the Council’s board; and Rev. Dr. Tercio B. Junker, who served as worship director during the meeting. “It is inspiring to meet with so many Methodist people from all over the world whose passion and commitment to justice, peace and joy are evident,” Grandon-Mayer said. During the meeting, the participants shared information about programs and initiatives developed around the world. They also received reports from various committees dedicated to promoting peace, collaboration, understanding, the proclamation of the gospel and the preservation of Methodist heritage. A look at the world mission The conversations reflected the diversity of contexts in which Methodist churches live and minister, as well as the importance of strengthening collaboration between them. The meeting also addressed issues related to justice, peace, reconciliation and the role of churches in the face of the social and political challenges facing their communities. The meeting in El Salvador paid special attention to the Latin American reality and the legacy of those who have worked for justice and human rights in the region. One of the significant experiences of the meeting was the visit to the Roman Catholic cathedral and the house of San Óscar Romero, martyr archbishop of San Salvador, murdered while celebrating mass in 1980. Romero is internationally recognized as the “voice of those who have no voice” for his defense of human rights and poor and vulnerable people.
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Dr. Humberto Martín Shikiya received the Methodist Peace Award 2026 for his commitment to peace, justice and reconciliation. Since 2023, it has accompanied the peace process in Colombia and promotes dialogue, human dignity and the construction of a lasting peace. Photo courtesy of Revda. Fabio Grandon-Meyer, Northern Illinois Annual Conference. Shikiya has worked for more than two decades with evangelical and Protestant churches, service organizations and ecumenical networks in Colombia. Since 2023 he has been serving as special envoy of the World Council of Churches to accompany the peace process in that country. His work seeks to strengthen dialogue, promote human dignity, overcome polarization and contribute to the construction of lasting peace. The recognition of the World Methodist Council highlights the importance of ecumenical accompaniment in the processes of reconciliation and peacebuilding. The San Salvador meeting ended on August 17, leaving the participating churches the challenge of continuing to strengthen their ties and working together to express, through the mission, the commitment of the global Methodist movement to justice, peace and joy. * The Revda. Fabiola Grandon-Mayer is Director of Connexitional Ministries of the Northern Illinois Conference. The original text was published by the Northern Illinois Conference on August 17, 2026.
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A Pastoral Letter to the Worldwide Methodist and Wesleyan Family On the Fortieth Anniversary of the World Methodist Social Affirmation (1986–2026)
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
As we gather in San Salvador, El Salvador, for the meeting of the World Methodist Council and the commemoration of the fortieth anniversary of the World Methodist Social Affirmation (Nairobi, 1986), we give thanks for the faithful witness of those who came before us. Under the theme “Justice, Peace, and Joy” (Romans 14:17), we draw on that legacy as we seek to renew and rearticulate the social and public witness of Methodists and Wesleyans for a new generation and a changing world. Guided by Scripture, we confess that God is love (1 John 4:16); that we are called to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8); that the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17); that love of God and love of neighbor are inseparable dimensions of Christian discipleship (Matthew 22:37–39); and that Christ came so that all may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10). These convictions continue to animate the social holiness of Methodists and Wesleyans and to inspire our witness in the public life of the world God loves. This Letter is complemented by the World Methodist Council Pastoral Statement marking the Fortieth Anniversary of the World Methodist Social Affirmation. While this Letter offers a pastoral word to the worldwide Methodist and Wesleyan family, the Pastoral Statement more fully develops the theological affirmations, ethical commitments, and public witness that have emerged from our common discernment. Many of the economic, ecological, political, technological, humanitarian, and social concerns confronting the world today form an interconnected polycrisis, with effects felt across communities, nations, and generations, among people of all ages, genders, and abilities. The world is marked by extraordinary advances in knowledge, communication, technology, and cooperation, yet it remains burdened by poverty, inequality, conflict, forced migration, ecological degradation, discrimination, and widening insecurity. The hopes embodied in many national and international commitments to peace, human rights, sustainable development, and flourishing remain only partially fulfilled. This anniversary invites us to renew a distinctly Wesleyan witness grounded in the conviction that there is no holiness apart from social holiness. Faith is never confined to private belief. The gospel of Jesus Christ calls us into relationships of justice, reconciliation, compassion, and hope. It invites us to participate in God’s mission of healing and transformation in the world God loves. Human dignity is God’s gift; human rights are humanity’s protections of that gift. This conviction remains at the heart of our common witness. We affirm an economy of life that places human dignity above profit and advances the common good. Economic systems should be judged not only by what they produce but also by whether they protect human dignity, broaden participation, reduce vulnerability, and enable
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people and communities to flourish. We acknowledge the ongoing effects of poverty, debt, exclusion, colonialism, slavery, racism, and unequal development patterns. We therefore encourage efforts toward reparative justice, equitable participation, and economic arrangements that serve life rather than exploitation. We also embrace an eco-social vision that recognizes the inseparable relationship between peoples and the planet. Environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, climate disruption, and unsustainable patterns of production and consumption threaten both human communities and creation. The burdens of these crises often fall on those least responsible for causing them. We give thanks to Indigenous peoples and local communities whose wisdom and practices illuminate pathways toward sustainable, life-giving relationships with the earth. We call particular attention to the realities of migration, displacement, and human trafficking. Migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, stateless persons, and all uprooted peoples are human beings first. Their dignity does not depend on nationality, legal status, or documentation. We affirm that all human rights are migrant rights. We support efforts to address the root causes of forced migration while protecting those on the move. Consistent with a principle advanced by migrant communities themselves, we affirm that nothing about migrants should be decided without their participation. We reaffirm the church’s vocation to peacebuilding. Peace is more than the absence of war, and security is more than the protection of states. Peace is rooted in justice, participation, accountability, reconciliation, and right relationship. Genuine security concerns the flourishing of peoples and communities. In a world marked by conflict, violence, and polarization, the church is called not only to pray for peace but also to engage in the difficult work of truth-telling, reconciliation, restoration, and transforming the conditions that give rise to conflict. At the table of peace, there must be both bread and justice. We reaffirm the inseparable link between human dignity and human rights. Every person bears the image of God. Human dignity is inherent, universal, and inviolable. Human rights are humanity’s effort to recognize, protect, and uphold that dignity in every sphere of life. We therefore support efforts to strengthen participation, protect civic space, and resist racism, xenophobia, antisemitism, Islamophobia, sexism, ableism, and other forms of discrimination that deny the dignity of persons and peoples. We recognize the growing importance of communications and digital justice. Technologies have expanded opportunities for learning, participation, and connection, yet they also raise profound ethical questions about truth, accountability, power, inclusion, privacy, and public life. Artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies must be evaluated by their effects on human dignity, human rights, participation, and flourishing. Digital space has become civic space. The moral commitments that guide our public life must also guide our digital life. Continued on next page...
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A Pastoral Letter continued...
On the Fortieth Anniversary of the World Methodist Social Affirmation (1986–2026) We further affirm gender justice, intergenerational justice, and health justice as essential dimensions of human flourishing. Human flourishing cannot be realized where women and girls are denied dignity, participation, leadership, protection, or access to justice. Nor can it flourish when the voices and agency of young people are ignored. Future generations must be considered in the decisions made today. Nor can human flourishing be realized where persons with disabilities are denied full inclusion, participation, dignity, and agency in the life of the church and society. We also recognize the ongoing impoverization of health in many communities, where poverty, inequality, conflict, exclusion, and ecological degradation undermine well-being. We are especially mindful of the concerns many young people express today. Across diverse contexts, young people face uncertainty about their future, diminished opportunities, isolation, anxiety, mental health challenges, and a growing sense of exclusion from decisions that shape their lives. We believe young people are not merely heirs of the future but active participants in the present. We encourage churches to become communities of belonging, accompaniment, hope, and purpose, where young people are welcomed, listened to, empowered, and supported in exercising their gifts in service to God’s mission and the common good. We also encourage intergenerational communities in which wisdom and experience are shared across generations, and in which younger and older persons alike participate in shaping our common future. As Methodists and Wesleyans, we continue to affirm seeing the world as our parish. In an age of profound interdependence, many of humanity’s challenges transcend national boundaries and increasingly manifest as an interconnected polycrisis that requires cooperation among peoples, communities, institutions, nations, and regional and global bodies. We therefore affirm a peoples-centered, ethical, and transformative multilateralism rooted in human dignity, justice, accountability, sustainability, participation, and the common good. No nation can address today’s interconnected challenges alone; cooperation among peoples, communities, nations, and international institutions remains essential to the pursuit of peace, justice, sustainability, and human flourishing. Such cooperation should strengthen participation at every level of public life and encourage shared responsibility for our common future, alongside the ongoing contributions of ecumenical and interfaith engagement. Throughout our discernment, several themes emerged repeatedly. We are called to build an infrastructure of welcome and hospitality that fosters belonging, accompaniment, and care. We are called to strengthen an architecture of solidarity and protection that safeguards dignity and rights through accountable institutions and public commitments. We are also called to participate in the healing of bodies—both biological bodies and the body politic. As followers of Jesus Christ, our calling is both pastoral and prophetic. We are called to accompany those who suffer, comfort those who mourn, welcome those who feel excluded, and strengthen those whose hope has
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grown faint. At the same time, we are called to speak truthfully about the conditions that diminish human dignity, perpetuate injustice, deepen inequality, fuel violence, restrict participation, and harm creation. Faithful discipleship requires both compassionate accompaniment and courageous witness as we participate in God’s work of reconciliation, healing, and renewal. Therefore, on this fortieth anniversary of the World Methodist Social Affirmation, we renew our commitment to uphold human dignity, defend human rights, seek justice, strengthen peacebuilding, promote communications and digital justice, affirm gender justice, disability justice, intergenerational justice, and health justice, expand participation, protect civic space, resist all forms of discrimination and exclusion, welcome the stranger, and contribute to God’s healing of the nations and the flourishing of all. This anniversary calls not only for remembrance but also for renewal. Gathering in San Salvador under the theme “Justice, Peace, and Joy,” we recommit ourselves to bearing faithful witness to God’s reign amid the circumstances of our time. We commend the accompanying World Methodist Council Pastoral Statement to churches, congregations, institutions, and individuals for prayer, study, teaching, and faithful action. As we go forward together, may we abide in the love of God; may we seek to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God; may we love God with all our heart and love our neighbors as ourselves; and may we join Christ’s work so that all may have life, and have it abundantly. In this spirit, we renew our calling as Methodists and Wesleyans to participate in God’s healing of the nations, to strengthen an infrastructure of welcome and hospitality, to build an architecture of solidarity and protection, and to bear faithful witness to God’s justice, peace, and love in our time. As Charles Wesley reminded us: 4. Thy mind throughout my life be shown, While listening to the sufferer’s cry, The widow’s and the orphan’s groan, On mercy’s wings I swiftly fly, The poor and helpless to relieve, My life, my all, for them to give. 5. Thus may I show the Spirit within, Which purges me from every stain, Unspotted from the world and sin, My faith’s integrity maintain; The truth of my religion prove, By perfect purity and love. (Jesus, the Divine Gift I Know, Charles Wesley, 1762) May God’s grace continue to sustain us. May Christ strengthen us in faithful discipleship. May the Holy Spirit guide us as we seek justice, pursue peace, protect dignity, and bear witness to God’s love among all peoples and throughout the whole creation. For the world remains God’s creation. And, in the words of John Wesley, we see the world as our parish. San Salvador, El Salvador August 15, 2026
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World Methodist Council Social Affirmation We believe in God, creator of the world and of all people; and in Jesus Christ, incarnate among us, who died and rose again; and in the Holy Spirit, present with us to guide, strengthen, and comfort. We believe ; God, help our unbelief. We rejoice in every sign of God’s Kingdom; in the upholding of human dignity and community; in every expression of love, justice and reconciliation; in each act of self-giving on behalf of others; in the abundance of God’s gifts entrusted to us that all may have enough; in all responsible use of the earth’s resources. Glory be to God on high; and on earth, be peace. We confess our sin, individual and collective, by silence or action: through the violation of human dignity based on race, class, age, sex, nation, or faith; through the exploitation of people because of greed and indifference through the misuse of power in personal, communal, national, and international life; through the search for security by those military and economic forces that threaten human existence; through the abuse of technology which endangers the earth and all life upon it. Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy. We commit ourselves individually and as a community to the way of Christ: to take up the cross; to seek abundant life for all humanity; to struggle for peace with justice and freedom; to risk ourselves in faith, hope, and love, praying that God’s kingdom may come. The kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. Amen. -Adopted by WMC 1986 In Kenya World Methodist Council
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World Methodist Council Pastoral Statement on the Occasion of the Fortieth Anniversary of the World Methodist Social Affirmation (1986–2026)
As Methodists and Wesleyans mark the fortieth anniversary of the World Methodist Social Affirmation, we begin with words that remind us that all faithful witness flows from God’s grace and mercy. The grace we seek inwardly must become the mercy we practice outwardly. 1. Jesus, the gift divine I know, The gift divine I ask of thee; That living water now bestow, Thy Spirit and thyself, on me; Thou, Lord, of life the fountain art, Now let me find thee in my heart.
2. Thee let me drink, and thirst no more For drops of finite happiness; Spring up, O well, in heavenly power, In streams of pure perennial peace, In joy that none can take away, In life which shall forever stay. 3. Father, on me the grace bestow, Unblameable before thy sight, Whence all the streams of mercy flow; Mercy, thy own supreme delight, To me, for Jesus‘ sake, impart, And plant thy nature in my heart. (Jesus, the Divine Gift I Know, Charles Wesley, 1762)
PART I – Foundations for a Wesleyan Social Witness So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. (I John 4:16 NRSVUE) In 1986, in Nairobi, Kenya, the World Methodist Council adopted the World Methodist Social Affirmation as an expression of Methodist and Wesleyan commitment to faithful discipleship in a changing world. As we mark its fortieth anniversary, we give thanks for that witness and draw on it as we seek to review, renew, and rearticulate the social and public witness of Methodists and Wesleyans in response to the challenges and opportunities facing the church and society today. Many of these challenges do not arise in isolation but form an interconnected polycrisis in which economic, ecological, political, technological, humanitarian, and social realities increasingly intersect and reinforce one another.
lamation and service, evangelism and social witness, and worship and public engagement. The good news of Jesus Christ calls people to new life and communities to relationships marked by justice, reconciliation, compassion, and hope. Faithful worship nourishes faithful witness. We further affirm that every person bears Godgiven dignity. Human dignity is God’s gift; human rights are humanity’s protections of that gift. As a worldwide Methodist and Wesleyan family, we rejoice in the diversity of peoples, cultures, languages, and contexts within our communion. Bound together in Christ, we seek to bear a common witness through worship, discipleship, service, mutual learning, and public engagement. Faithful witness requires both speaking and listening, as well as leadership and mutual learning, as we discern God’s calling in our shared life. Because God’s love embraces the whole creation, Methodists and Wesleyans have long affirmed, in John Wesley’s words, that we see the world as our parish. PART II – Signs of God’s Reign and the Work Before Us
He has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8 NRSVUE) We rejoice in the signs of God’s reign already visible among the peoples of the earth. We rejoice wherever human dignity is honored, human rights are protected, communities are strengthened, creation is sustained, peace is pursued, and justice is advanced. We rejoice whenever people of every age and gender, of every nation and circumstance, including migrants and citizens, Indigenous peoples and local communities, participate in shaping a more just, peaceful, and flourishing world. These signs do not represent the fullness of God’s reign, but they offer glimpses of its presence and promise amid history’s unfinished realities.
We affirm that God is the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of all life. The earth and its peoples belong to God, and God’s purpose is the flourishing of the whole creation. We rejoice in the signs of God’s reign wherever dignity is honored, justice is pursued, peace is cultivated, communities are strengthened, and creation is cherished. The Apostle Paul reminds us that the kingdom of God is justice, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). These marks of God’s reign continue to guide our understanding of faithful discipleship and public witness. As Methodists and Wesleyans, we understand discipleship through the lens of social holiness. There is no holiness apart from social holiness.
Yet ours remains a world marked by profound contradictions. Extraordinary advances in knowledge, technology, communication, and productivity coexist with persistent poverty, inequality, violence, forced migration, ecological degradation, exclusion, discrimination, and widening insecurity. The same world capable of unprecedented cooperation remains burdened by war, exploitation, environmental crisis, shrinking civic space, and the denial of dignity and opportunity to many. The hopes embodied in international commitments to peace, sustainable development, and human rights remain only partially realized, even as new challenges test our collective resolve. These realities are increasingly experienced not as separate crises but as a polycrisis, whose interconnected dimensions require integrated responses across communities, nations, institutions, and regions.
We also affirm that faithful discipleship unites proc-
Read more on the World Methodist Social Affirmation
World Methodist Council
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Economy of Life for Peace with Justice
21 participants from 18 countries gathered with leaders of the sponsoring organizations of the NIFEA collaborative and lecturers at this year’s GEM School in Panama City, Panama. GEM stands for Governance, Economy and Management and the school is a training to reflect on the intersection of theology and economy. The World Methodist Council cooperates with the World Council of Churches, World Communion of Reformed Churches, Lutheran World Federation, Council for World Mission and United Society Partners in the Gospel to advocate and work towards a New International Financial and Economic Architecture (NIFEA). Panama, which sits at the crossroads of global trade and finance, was a fitting place to understand how mainline economic models contribute to the wealth of the already rich and exploit humans and natural resources.
Meeting with representatives of indigenous communities, we learned that alternative economic models already exist. Jocabed Solano from Panama shared that for her Gunadule people, poverty is not the absent of capital, but the radical disconnection from Mother Earth, from Nabgwana, and the loss of Anmar Daet, the sacred art of reciprocity. Land is not a resource but a relative. If the river sickens, something in us withers too. Therefore, we humans cannot just take what we want. We need to ask for permission in a process of deep listening and reflection, mindful that we do not possess the earth, but we are part of it. Nine days were too short to explore all of this wisdom, yet GEM School was a transformative journey to understand that economy is not only about money, but about rootedness in creation, recognition of the value of care work, often not paid for, and development of alternatives to overcome inequalities and extraction. Dr Carlos Larrea, professor at Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar in Ecuador, introduced the “Global Justice Report”, which provides a pathway to reconcile planetary habitability and well-being for all in the 21th century if transformation rests on three pillars simultaneously: rapid decarbonization,
sufficiency and inequality compression. Many of the suggestions resonate with learnings that GEM School drew out of bible studies and lectures. The 21 church leaders graduated from GEM School on 24 August and spent the following morning on evaluation. On 26 August, GEM School participants, scholars and church leaders convened for an ecumenical consultation on Economy of Peace, an economy reshaped to sustain peace and dignity rather than fuel conflict. One of the panelists was WMC Peace Award laureate Dr Humberto Martin Shikiya. He spoke about his work as special envoy of the World Council of Churches for the peace process in Columbia. Shikiya stated that the peace agreement signed already 2016 by the government and FARC guerilla groups in Columbia was not the end, but a step on a long journey. Peace needs land reform, education, economic opportunities, and much more, to implement a political vision focused on peace with justice. In the moment, the peace process in Columbia is at stake. President De la Espriella announced the end of negotiations with guerillas and a turn to a security enforced militarized approach to public order and armed conflict. Yet security cannot be established by weapons. Like peace, it depends just and sustainable living conditions that honor the dignity of all humans. Working towards peace with justice requires a clear stand against deadly war economy and the commitment to install economy of life to overcome inequality and to end the extraction of planetary resources. For churches, peace building includes the deconstruction of false theologies which justify supremacy and domination and the reconstruction of life-giving theologies envisioning God’s shalom and leading to confession, communion, and the celebration of hope. Soon, a communique will be issued, which calls for reflection, advocacy and action towards an economy of peace. Bishop Rosemarie Wenner
Participants from NIFEA GEM School and the Consultation on Economy of Peace.
World Methodist Council
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Participants at the World Methodist Council Meeting in San Salvador, El Salvador, August 13-17, 2026.
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