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Dear Justice-Seeker, The United Methodist Church has opened a rare window for broad participation in shaping its future. Through a denomination-wide survey and a series of webinars connected to the 2026 Council of Bishops Leadership Gathering, people across the global church are being asked to share their hopes, concerns, and long-range vision for where the church is headed. This process is being framed as an effort to listen deeply across cultures, generations, and contexts. Church leaders have publicly committed to weaving a significant portion of what is gathered through the survey and webinars directly into the Leadership Gathering itself. In other words, this is a moment when what people say has a real chance to shape what comes next. For the Methodist Federation for Social Action, that matters. MFSA has long understood the church as a public body with moral responsibilities—to speak clearly in times of injustice, to center those most affected by harm, and to align faith with action in the world. Moments like this raise important questions: What kind of leadership does the church need now? What should courage look like in practice? And how does the church remain accountable to the people it claims to serve? Participating in the survey is one way to name those convictions plainly and to ensure they are part of the shared record shaping the church’s future. Justice-seeking perspectives are too often treated as optional or peripheral; this is an opportunity to make them visible, grounded, and unavoidable. MFSA invites you to take part in the Leadership Gathering survey and to respond honestly, drawing on your own experience of church, community, and public witness. |
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We also encourage you to share the survey with others in your congregation or networks. A wide range of voices strengthens the possibility that this process leads to meaningful clarity rather than vague consensus. The survey takes approximately 10–12 minutes to complete, is voluntary, and does not collect identifying information. Responses are reviewed only in aggregate. Optional webinars are available for those who want to engage the process more deeply or communally. Thank you for continuing to invest your voice in the ongoing work of shaping a church that is not only reflective, but responsive to the world it inhabits. In hope and solidarity, |
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Bridget Cabrera (she/her/hers)
Executive Director
Methodist Federation for Social Action |
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You make our collective work possible by your witness for justice every day in your church, community, and Annual Conference. MFSA does not receive any financial support from the United Methodist Church's giving channels. 100% of our budget is funded through your membership donations and your generosity in giving. |
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