Connexional Council Meeting 21–23 March 2026

The Connexional Council held a weekend residential meeting at the Wesley Hotel, Euston in London.

Saturday

Economic Justice Working Group

The Council received the interim report of the Connexional Economic Justice Working Group presented by the Revd Ian Rutherford.

He outlined the purpose of the group which includes reviewing the funding of ministry and mission where the need is greatest or the reserves are depleted, or where the ‘income’ is comparatively less due to poverty and economic marginalisation.

Mr Rutherford told the Council that we are responding to the principle for justice that God consistently shows a bias to people experiencing poverty and those who are excluded.

Council members heard that working out this theological principle throughout every part of the Methodist Church will enable us to act justly in our deployment of ministry, our funding of projects, our engagement in mission, our unlocking of reserves and our acting and advocating on poverty.

The final report of the Group will be brought to the Conference in 2027.

Housing Memorials

The Connexional Secretary, Doug Godfrey-Swanney, presented the Housing Review to the Council.

The review was commissioned following memorials to the 2025 Conference affirming that the provision of genuinely affordable homes and of emergency accommodation is an integral part of the mission of the Methodist Church and can further the purposes of the Methodist Church as an outworking of our commitment to be a justice-seeking Church.

The Council received the report and referred further consideration of this to the Economic Justice Working Group, which will report to the Conference in 2027.

Ministries Committee

The Chair of the Ministries Committee, Barbara Easton, presented an update of the work of the committee.

She noted that there are currently several large pieces of work being undertaken, including the follow-up to the Stationing Review discussions and the review of Worship: Leading and Preaching.

Ministerial Flourishing strategy

The Director of Ministry Development, Dan Bishop, presented the paper on the Ministerial Flourishing Strategy.

In recent years there has been concern for the wellbeing of those in ministry (lay and ordained) and their flourishing in the context of the increasing demands placed upon them by the rapidly changing context of ministry.

This strategy sets out work that has already started to understand the current state of ministerial wellbeing and flourishing and the plans to address issues in the future.

These include coaching, bespoke digital resources, co-support groups, workshops, development of information sharing and culture change and building.

Methodist Academies and Schools Trust (MAST) governance review

The Council heard from Dan Bishop, Director of Ministry Development, who started by giving the Council some background to Methodist state schools.

There are currently 66 Methodist or joint Methodist/Church of England schools, mostly primary, and mostly with successful SIAMS reports.

Some are small and will have to make a decision about academisation to safeguard their future. The Council heard that it is a critical time for Methodist state schools: the education landscape is very different from when MAST was created 14 years ago and the governance around it therefore needs to be updated.

The Council received the report, and directed work to redraft the MAST Articles of Association and relevant Standing Orders, and to review and update the terms of reference of the Methodist Schools Committee to ensure that appropriate oversight is in place.

3Generate venue

The Connexional Secretary, Doug Godfrey-Swanney, updated the Council on work to secure a venue for the youth assembly 3Generate over the next few years.

He reported that negotiations have been successful and a hall at the National Exhibition Centre has been secured to 2031 (with a year break clause). The Council thanked members of the Connexional Team for the work that went into securing the venue and received the report.

Sunday

The Connexional Council travelled to Wesley’s Chapel to join their Sunday morning service and had the opportunity to look round the museum and take a tour of John Wesley’s house.

The service was led by the Revd Dr Claire Potter with the Revd Canon Dr Jennifer Smith preaching. Among the congregation was a group of ordinands from the New York and New England Conferences of the United Methodist Church who were visiting with Bishop Thomas Bickerton.

Resourcing Committee

Business resumed in the afternoon with a report from the Resourcing Committee presented by the Executive Director of Finance and Resources, Matt Tattersall.

The Council discussed plans to close the Guy Chester Centre in London and received an update on the conversations that are now happening with students and staff at the centre.

The Council directed the Resourcing Committee to explore how the value of the North Bank Estate can be best released for the mission of the Church, noting that the Council does not have a missional need for the site.

The Council also approved the establishment of a task and finish group reporting to the Resourcing Committee to make recommendations for the future of the North Bank Estate and whether a short-term tenant can be found while the future of the site is decided.

Budget

The Council recommended to the Conference the proposed Connexional Central Services Budget for 2026/27. The budget includes changes to the Assessment formula that will support the Church’s commitment to Economic Justice.

The Council noted the good progress made in reducing costs following a listening exercise with districts in 2025. However, the Council also noted with concern the scale of the financial challenge that remains as the Assessment continues to fall in real terms.

Mission Committee

The Chair of the Mission Committee, the Revd Dr Jo Cox-Darling, presented the report from the Mission Committee which included updates on the Methodist Modern Art Collection (MMAC) and the progress of work on reparative justice.

The Chair highlighted the work on contested art, giving particular mention to the Sans Gill: Surviving an Artist film about the work of the Methodist Survivors Advisory Group to exhibit an artwork by Eric Gill which is owned by the MMAC.

The Council expressed its thanks to Professor Ann Sumner for her leadership of the Methodist Modern Art Collection Management Committee and her longstanding service in supporting and promoting the MMAC. The Council agreed that work should begin to seek a new chair for the Committee who has a strongly missional bias.

The Chair told the Council that there will be a Methodist Day of Outreach on 12 August 2026.

The Council also agreed to establish a task group to begin plans for celebration of the centenary of Methodist union in 2032.

Monday

Reparative Justice

The Chair of the Mission Committee, the Revd Dr Jo Cox-Darling, presented a paper on the progress of the reparative justice work. Dr Cox-Darling opened by saying “This work is hard and costly” and told the Council that the work continues with global partners including speaking to west African partners in Togo in May.

An interim report will be brought to the Conference later in the year.

Justice, Dignity and Solidarity (JDS) Update

The Chair of the Justice, Dignity and Solidarity Committee, the Revd Charity Tozivepi-Nzegwu, presented an update on the JDS strategy. It has been five years since the strategy was adopted by the Conference, and the Council heard that while some progress has been made, there is still work to be done.

The JDS committee will work alongside the Director for Inclusion to plan the next tranche of work.

The Council received the report and reaffirmed its commitment to embedding the JDS strategy as an expression of the Church’s discipleship and mission, recognising that discussions around Equality, Diversity and Inequality are becoming increasingly contested and polarising in society.

Special Sundays

The Secretary of the Faith and Order Committee, the Revd Dr Mark Rowland, presented a paper proposing an updated list of those Special Sundays which are formally marked by the Methodist Church.

The report proposed that other Sundays might be listed on the website as themed days which churches may be encouraged to observe. Dr Rowland explained that the days have been updated in line with the Methodist Church’s priority areas and links with the church.

The Council agreed to recommend the list of Sundays to be approved as Special Sundays under Standing Order 129B which will be brought to the Conference for a final decision.

In the afternoon the Council celebrated Holy Communion, during which the President and Vice-President shared their reflections on their year so far.

Their theme for the year is ‘Our Story, Our Song’ and the Vice-President, Matt Forsyth, reflected on the brutal and beautiful year which he was experiencing. He talked of the incredible stories he had heard on his visits and the sense that ordinary people were coming together and demanding change in the name of the church.

He mentioned specific projects such as the soft play at Cheddar, the Oasis lunch club in Newcastle and sitting on a sofa on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh talking to people during the Fringe Festival. He talked of the ‘rich and beautiful moments’ in the year and said he was optimistic for the future of the Methodist Church.

The President of the Methodist Conference, the Revd Richard Andrew, said the year had been an ‘extraordinary privilege’. He talked of the cultural anxiety he had witnessed on visits and described a visit to a mosque in the Bedfordshire, Essex and Hertfordshire District with Methodist colleagues.

He commented on the important role and trusted role our churches play in society and how we can enable conversation and offer solidarity. He asked how we might create an inclusive, non-judgemental space in our communities in the midst of our noisy world.