Episcopal Elections

The Global Methodist Church held the first ever plenary gathering of annual conference representatives to finalize the episcopal areas for 2026-2032 on May 30. “We have, as a reform movement, restored the election of bishops to the General Conference, which is where it belongs.” said Rev. Chris Ritter, Chair of the Global Episcopacy Committee. “This meeting is designed to happen every six years so that we can take a fresh look at the configuration of our conferences and episcopal areas,” In the Global Methodist Church, bishops act as general superintendents of the entire church and are elected at General Conference. Approved at General Conference 2024, the election processes are intended to ensure that bishops are both effective global leaders and strong missional fits for the conferences they will most directly serve. Prior to the plenary gathering, annual conferences submitted lists ranking up to ten other conferences as their preferred choices for sharing a bishop. The Global Episcopacy Committee received 47 lists from the 51 conferences. Four conferences did not turn in ranked lists. Using these ranked preferences and a weighted matrix, the committee developed proposed episcopal areas–groups of conferences overseen by a bishop. The episcopal areas reflect the global nature of the denomination and are made up of annual conferences from different parts of the world. The bishops do not have jurisdiction over a specific area but instead lead in various countries. To this end, no one episcopal area has more than four conferences from the same continent. “Episcopal areas are established ahead of General Conference so that the Area Committees on Episcopacy can interview, evaluate, and rank episcopal candidates. This allows for the kind of thorough discernment and vetting often associated with an executive search process,” Ritter shared. Bishop Jones shared that the role of the bishop “calls for incredible travel, building relationships and keeping a focus on being a movement that is nimble and able to respond well in lots of different situations.” As directed in paragraph 604 of the “Book of Doctrines and Discipline,” this historic meeting brought together one laity and one clergy member from each annual conference. The group of representatives voted to approve eight episcopal areas across the globe. The meeting was held on KUDO, a web conferencing platform that allows for live translations and captions, enabling our global connection to collaborate in different languages, nations and time zones. Following the plenary gathering, the representatives met as area committees on episcopacy to begin their work to review episcopal nominees’ profiles, complete interviews and rank their top five preferred nominees ahead of General Conference. “I pray for each member of the area episcopacy committees,” Bishop Jones prayed over the group, “that they might do their work faithfully, and they might make the right choices for the people who can lead our church going forward.” View the approved episcopal areas at beautyofholiness2026.org .

With the nomination period now closed, the Global Methodist Church releases the official list of episcopal nominees for the 2026 General Conference. As of May 15, 2026, 24 individuals have accepted nomination, including five current active bishops and 19 additional nominees brought forward by Annual Conference delegations. This official list reflects the global nature of the Church, representing nominations submitted through the established process by delegates across the connection. Its release is intended to support a season of prayerful discernment for Area Committees on Episcopacy (ACE) and delegates, as we call on the entire Church to seek God’s wisdom throughout this process. The next step will take place during the ACE plenary session on May 30, 2026, when the proposed episcopal areas will be presented for consideration. As a plenary session of designated representatives, this is not a public meeting, but a focused working session for those formally assigned to this responsibility. As previously announced, eight full-time bishops will be elected and consecrated at General Conference 2026, taking place August 30 through September 5, 2026, in Johannesburg, South Africa. Those elected will serve six-year terms beginning November 5, 2026. Global Methodist bishops are traveling, apostolic leaders set apart for a ministry of visionary servant leadership, general oversight, and supervision in support of the church’s mission. They lead the temporal and spiritual life of the church, defend the faith, and deploy the clergy. According to the Book of Doctrines and Discipline, “Nominees for the episcopacy should have a strong record of effectiveness in leading the church in evangelism, discipleship, and mission.” We offer this information with gratitude for those who have said yes to being considered and with prayerful anticipation for how the Lord will guide the Church through this discernment process. OFFICIAL LIST OF NOMINEES: Bishop Leah Gregory Bishop Eduard Khegay Bishop Carolyn Moore Bishop John Pena Auta Bishop Mark Webb Andy Postell Brian Ebel Baziel Y. Yoila Danjuma Juji Forbes Matonga Gabriella Kopas Heather L. Sims Isaac Salgado Jerry Kulah Jonathan Lee Jordan McFall Lathem Postell Leo Tae Youl Park Luther Oconer Lyndol Loyd Paul Lawler Peter J. Bellini (Pete) Scott Pattison Tom Mabry To learn more about each nominee, including the Annual Conferences by which they were nominated and to read their bios, visit the Episcopal Nominee page on the General Conference website at beautyofholiness2026.org . This page will continue to be updated as additional materials are submitted and finalized. A Covenant of Unity Among Nominees In a spirit of humility, prayer, and shared commitment to the unity of the Church, the nominees have also collectively developed a covenant that is being shared with the General Church as part of this discernment process. Grounded in John 17:20–24, the covenant reflects a shared desire that the episcopal process would be marked by holiness, unity, integrity, and love for one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. The covenant serves as a reminder that this discernment process is not about personal advancement, but about faithfully seeking the Lord’s will for the future leadership of the Global Methodist Church. The full covenant can be viewed here . Updates and Honoring Bishops Following the release of the preliminary nominee list, several updates are worth noting. Bishop Kimba K. Evariste announced his decision not to seek re-election. Mbingeleli Diko of South Africa, who was included in the preliminary announcement, has since declined the nomination. Additionally, Peter J. Bellini (Pete) was added as a nominee from the West Plains Conference. Bishop Kimba K. Evariste will be honored for his faithful service alongside Bishops Scott Jones, Jeff Greenway, and Kenneth Levingston, who are also not seeking re-election. The Church looks forward to recognizing the impact and legacy of these leaders at General Conference 2026. A Season of Prayerful Discernment As the Global Methodist Church enters this important season of discernment, we invite our global connection to join in prayer for all nominees and for the work ahead. We trust that the Lord will faithfully guide this process as we seek leaders who will help carry forward the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ and spreading scriptural holiness across the globe.

As of March 15, 2026, 28 individuals have been received as episcopal nominees by the Global Episcopacy Committee (GEC) of the Global Methodist Church. This list reflects nominees submitted by Annual Conference delegations by the preferred deadline. Additional nominees may continue to be submitted by Annual Conferences through May 15, 2026. In the spirit of transparency and to support the work of delegations, the Global Methodist Church is releasing this preliminary list to allow delegations to begin their work of prayerful discernment in advance of the Area Committees on Episcopacy (AEC) assignment plenary session scheduled for May 31, 2026. As previously announced, eight full-time bishops will be elected and consecrated at General Conference 2026, taking place August 30 through September 6, 2026, in Johannesburg, South Africa. Those elected will serve six-year terms beginning November 5, 2026. Global Methodist bishops are traveling, apostolic leaders set apart for a ministry of visionary servant leadership, general oversight, and supervision in support of the church’s mission. They lead the temporal and spiritual life of the church, defend the faith, and deploy the clergy. According to the Book of Doctrines and Discipline , “Nominees for the episcopacy should have a strong record of effectiveness in leading the church in evangelism, discipleship, and mission.” We offer this information with gratitude for those who have said yes to being considered and with prayerful anticipation for how the Lord will guide the Church through this discernment. Preliminary List of Episcopal Nominees Six of the current active bishops have offered themselves for re-election: Bishop Leah Gregory Bishop Eduard Khegay Bishop Kimba K. Evariste Bishop Carolyn Moore Bishop John Pena Auta Bishop Mark Webb In addition to those continuing in consideration, the following nominees have been put forward by Annual Conference delegations from across the connection to date: