Connexional Council Meeting 10 February 2026

The Connexional Council met at Methodist Church House in London on Tuesday 10 February. The meeting started with worship led by the Revd Mucha Chisvo.

The Council responded to the recent death of the 3Generate Event Manager, Chris Parker, and signed a book of condolence which will be given to his family.

Connexional Council Strategic Work

The meeting started with a discussion about the strategic work the Council has been undertaking. The Connexional Secretary, Doug Godfrey-Swanney, and the Chair of the Council, the Revd Sonia Hicks had presented the strategy work to a meeting of the District Chairs and the Warden of the Methodist Diaconal Order. The Connexional Secretary presented the feedback to the Council, saying there had been a rich sharing of thoughts in the 90-minute session.

Points that had been raised included the widespread anxiety arising from our sustained numerical decline over many decades and how any work on strategy can add to that anxiety. There was a sense that many in the Connexion feel overburdened with work and are unable to give this the time and energy which is needed, particularly around the area of compliance. There was a question about how these roles are simplified and reduced. The Council heard a call to be clear about who we are as Methodists and how we can maintain the priority of the ‘spreading of scriptural holiness’ while not being overburdened.

The Council discussed how to balance offering support for compliance issues for the Connexion in order to free up ministers and churches, whilst not removing local decision-making. They acknowledged the pressures on local churches and how to help local trustees to understand why compliance is important. The Council’s strategy work will continue with an update to the Conference later in the year.

Methodist International Centre Limited

The Council was asked to approve funding of £1.2m to improve the Euston Road building in London from where one of the Wesley Hotels operates.  They heard the money will be used with other funding sources to update and make the building more sustainable. The Council heard that the money reflects a lack of investment over the last decade and will support work on decarbonization and sustainability measures at Wesley Euston in line with the Methodist Church’s aspirational Net Zero 2030 target. Council members were told that the money would come from the MIC Trust - a connexional fund that receives the profits from MICL.

The Council approved the grant along with resolutions to replace the current Memorandum of Understanding and update the Deed of Covenant.

Other reports

The Council received a report from the Resourcing Committee and from the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee.

Annual Report and Accounts

The Chair of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee (ARAC), Keith Hickey, presented the Annual Report to the Council thanking the Finance and Audit teams for their work. The Annual Report and Accounts have been scrutinised by ARAC. The Council received and approved both.

Eco Church partnership

The Council was asked to approve a partnership with Eco Church, an organisation that was set up in 2018 with the aim of providing important information and guidance to churches who are looking to reduce their carbon footprint and measuring those who have been successful with projects. The Council was told that Eco Church has played a critical role in the Methodist Church’s aspirations towards net zero which has created significant work for the charity.

The Council approved the resolution which will see the Methodist Church consolidate the working relationship providing £15,000 per annum to Eco Church for an initial three years. This partnership will now allow Eco Church to continue to provide support to Methodist churches, as well as further development of Eco Circuit and Eco District awards; providing greater support to churches on their Eco Church journey.

The meeting closed with prayer – the next scheduled meeting will be March 21 – 23 2026 at the Wesley Hotel in London.