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Facing ongoing global instability, the boards of Higher Education and Ministry and Global Ministries invest in strengthening mission and ministry, prepare for organizational change, and affirm a vision of hope.
Methodism has a long history with the concept of perfection. In 18th-century England, perfection or perfectionism was understood the same way it is today. Perfection meant something without error or blemish. John and Charles Wesley, and the early leaders of the Methodist movement, understood perfection differently. In their practice, perfection was related to the Greek term teleio, which conveys maturity, wholeness, and completion.
Sometimes, the road to Damascus passes through Breezewood, Pennsylvania. There at the intersection of Interstates 70 and 76, the Rev. Bruce Maxwell, a United Methodist deacon who serves as an endorsed chaplain at the travel plaza, cares for truckers, travelers, or anyone passing through.
The EXPLORATION discernment event is unlike any other event with its goal of helping people discern and not pushing them into ordained ministry or into a particular form of Christian service. EXPLORATION helps participants discern and be open to what God may be asking of them and how they are called to use their gifts and graces to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
"What inspired me to become a deacon is to be able to share the love of God with individuals who may not ever enter the church," says the Rev. Jacob Penvose, a deacon in full connection from the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference.
Upcoming Events
Join fellow UMEA clergy for a restorative retreat in Nashville, where we will explore how Scripture, story, and song can sustain us in ministry. Throughout the Bible, God’s people have turned to music when ordinary words could not carry the weight of grief, hope, joy, or suffering. As chaplains serving in military, healthcare, correctional, and other ministry settings, we encounter these realities every day.
Exploration 2026 creates sacred space for adults, 18 and older, to be in meaningful fellowship, passionate worship, theological reflection and practical workshops as they discern whether God’s call on their life is to ordained ministry in The United Methodist Church and what faithful steps they can take in response.
