UMC bishops call for Leadership Gathering instead of Special Session in 2026

Bishop Tracy S. Malone, Council of Bishops president, preaches on May 3, 2024, the final day of the 2020/2024 United Methodist Church General Conference in Charlotte, N.C. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Council of Bishops
The United Methodist Church
Press Release for immediate release
September 5, 2024

WASHINGTON, D. C. - The Council of Bishops (COB) of The United Methodist Church (UMC) is announcing a Leadership Gathering for 2026 that will advance the positive momentum of the 2020/24 General Conference and prepare the denomination for the 2028 General Conference.


The bishops will hold the Leadership Gathering instead of calling a Special Session of General Conference as it was earlier announced.

“The Council of Bishops determined that a Leadership Gathering is the best arena for building on the good work and progress made at the General Conference and it allows for greater collaboration with leaders across the denomination as we move forward together,” said COB President Bishop Tracy S. Malone.

The purpose of the Leadership Gathering will be threefold.

  1. To maintain momentum regarding implementation of the various components of the regionalization legislation. This could include developing adaptive strategies to respond to ratification results as they become known.

  2. To gather hope, vision, and imagination for the future of the UMC from across the connectional landscape.

  3. To initiate preparations for the 2028 General Conference by identifying programmatic, financial and structural adaptations that may need to be considered in order to maintain momentum. This should include consultation/collaboration with the Commission on General Conference regarding the design of the General Conference.

The Leadership Gathering participants will include all active bishops and COB officers; three leaders from each Episcopal Area selected by the bishop in consultation with the lay and clergy leadership of the Episcopal Area; and the general secretaries.

Approximately 50 additional leaders from across the denomination will be invited by the COB. This group will include emerging young leaders, theologians, innovative leaders, missional champions and retired bishops with particular experience or expertise.

The Leadership Gathering will be a five-day event held in April or May 2026. Bishop Malone will appoint a Design Team to implement the Gathering. Specific dates and the venue will be announced at a later date.

“God continues to be on the move through The United Methodist Church. There is a renewed spirit and a renewed hope grounded in the recent decisions of the General Conference and in what the future holds for the next vital expression of our denomination,” Bishop Malone said.

She added: “This leadership gathering will provide the discernment space where intergenerational and interdisciplinary spiritual leaders will assemble to do generative, missional, innovative and strategic thinking together. This will be an intentional space to reimagine a more agile and efficient church, a more diverse and inclusive church, a more contextually relevant church and a more evangelistic church that maintains its focus on our core mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”

 

Media Contact:

Rev. Dr. Maidstone Mulenga

Director of Communications

Council of Bishops

The United Methodist Church

(202) 748-5172

Welcome Bishop Saenz to NWTX!

Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. serves as resident bishop of the Central and North Texas Conferences of The United Methodist Church, assigned in January 2023. Before these assignments, Saenz served as the interim bishop of the Central Texas Conference (2022) and resident bishop of the Great Plains Conference (2016-2022). As of September 1, 2024, he now serves as resident bishop for the Northwest Texas Conference along with Central and North Texas Conferences as these three conferences move towards unification to become the new Horizon Texas Conference on January 1, 2025.

As the episcopal leader in Kansas and Nebraska, Bishop Saenz notably led three former annual conferences to complete a unification process that began in 2014. Under his leadership, the Great Plains Conference embraced a unified vision grounded in four pillars: Love God. Proclaim Christ. Serve Others. Do Justice. 

In 2023, he began similar unification work for the Central, North and Northwest Texas Annual Conferences, casting a vision and laying the groundwork for a new, unified conference that will harness and direct resources and efforts to reach a rapidly growing and diversifying mission field.

Before his election to the episcopacy, Saenz served as director of conference connectional ministries and executive director of the Rio Texas Conference’s Mission Vitality Center, overseeing the conference’s missional strategies and objectives for congregational vitality, new church starts, clergy and lay leadership vitality and community transformation. He also served as the Southwest Texas director of congregational and new church development, helping to start 11 new churches.

As a pastor, Saenz focused on intentional spiritual practice and formation, developing a lay apostolate and giving people the tools and encouragement to move out of generational poverty. He has served congregations in East Dallas, Dallas’ Oak Cliff neighborhood, El Paso, and at Edinburg’s El Buen Pastor, the largest Hispanic American United Methodist Church in the country during his tenure.

Saenz is a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University and a South Texas native. Before his call to ministry, he worked as a high school teacher and football coach, as well as in the business world. He earned his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. He now serves on the boards of Perkins School of Theology, the Texas Methodist Foundation and the Methodist Health System. Saenz is also the President Designate for The United Methodist Council of Bishops.

Bishop Saenz and Mayé have been married since 1981. They have four children and 10 grandchildren.

Bishop Names Final Member of Horizon Texas Cabinet, Additional Conference Hires

Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr., episcopal leader of the Central and North Texas Annual Conferences of The United Methodist Church, along with the CTC and NTC cabinets and the Personnel Committee, has named two individuals to positions in the new Horizon Texas Conference.

Christine Peirce will serve as director of child and youth empowerment effective September 1. In this role, she will establish an environment for the spiritual, emotional and social growth and development of children and youth across the conference. This will involve providing support and training for children’s and youth ministry staff in local churches to ensure they have the knowledge, skills and resources for effectiveness and growth. Pierce will collaborate with denominational leaders, child welfare agencies, community organizations and stakeholders to create partnerships and networks that support and advocate for the well-being of children, youth and their families in our communities. Prior to this role, Peirce served as the student ministries director and coordinator for the Central Texas Conference and as the student ministries director at Arlington Heights UMC. 

“I have a passion for understanding the moments and experiences that connect our children, students, graduates and young families to the United Methodist faith and the church’s work in the world. To be able to use my energy and experience in this area to serve the Horizon Texas Conference is a real gift,” said Peirce. “As we create and shape an entirely new annual conference, I’m looking forward to understanding what makes the church relevant to our children and young people, and to building strategically in those areas as we create a church future generations will value and value.”

"Throughout the past two and a half years, I have seen Christine's incredible dedication and passion for children's and youth ministry, both within the local church and at the conference level," said Saenz. "Children were at the heart of Jesus' ministry. Forming and advocating for children and youth will continue to be a priority for the Horizon Texas Conference. With Christine's leadership in this area, we will develop a vision for the spiritual, emotional, mental, relational and social well-being of the young people in our communities, and we will utilize the strengths of our new, unified conference to achieve that vision.”


Kofi Williams has also been named to serve as an administrative assistant specializing in event planning. Williams brings 30 years of executive and C-suite administrative experience, having served as executive assistant at the United Way of Tarrant County and as executive assistant to the provost at The University of Dallas. Williams is also an ICF-certified personal development and wellness coach and inspirational speaker. Her role with the Horizon Texas Conference began August 14.

“As of just a few months ago, the Horizon Texas Conference had vacant staff positions represented by mere circles on an organizational chart. Today, our conference is fully staffed with gifted and talented individuals,” said Saenz. “The Horizon Texas Conference will experience great encouragement and inspiration in the remarkable people who make up this team. It's worth noting that each of them was carefully discerned and fervently prayed for before assuming their roles. Today, these exceptionally gifted individuals are embracing their respective callings and responsibilities and are poised to lead us into this exciting new chapter as the Horizon Texas Conference.”

More information about the unification process can be found at www.nwtxconf.org/unification.

pictured left to right are Christine Pierce and Kofi Williams

Bishop Names Communications, Leadership Hires for Horizon Texas Conference

Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr., episcopal leader of the Central and North Texas Annual Conferences of The United Methodist Church, along with the CTC and NTC cabinets and the Personnel Committee, has named three laypeople to positions in the new, unified conference.

In the Center for Multiplication, Camale Allen will serve as leadership coordinator, implementing training programs for clergy and laity, coordinating the Simplified Accountability Structure and supporting boards and committees, including the Board of Ordained Ministry, among other responsibilities. Allen previously served as a program coordinator at Collin College and began her work with the conference on July 29.

In the Communications department, Dustin Kaps has been named to serve as media production specialist, managing the Horizon Texas Conference’s audio/visual productions, including podcasts, videos and other emerging media. Kaps has previously served as videographer and digital media specialist for the Central Texas Conference and continues his work, effective August 1.

Trey West will also serve in the Communications department as a communications associate, leading social media efforts and supporting the work of storytelling across the Horizon Texas Conference. West currently serves as director of communications at University Park UMC and has previously served at Keller UMC. His work with the conference begins August 13.

"With these hires, our Horizon Texas Conference staffing is nearly complete, and I am impressed and encouraged at the gifts and expertise our new conference staff brings," said Saenz. "Each person on the team – including these new members of the Multiplication and Communications departments – brings the necessary knowledge, skills and experience to move us forward with efficiency and impact as we seek the loving, just and free world God imagines for all people."

More information about the unification process can be found at www.nwtxconf.org/unification.

Bishop Names Director of Diversity and Cultural Engagement for Horizon Texas Conference

Dr. Major L. Boglin brings deep experience in DEI, organizational development to serve the new conference

Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. has named Dr. Major L. Boglin to serve as director of diversity and cultural engagement in the Horizon Texas Conference, effective August 1, 2024. Boglin joins the conference with more than three decades of experience in organizational development, team building and diversity, equity and inclusion culture change.

 

Since 2001, Boglin, a licensed marriage and family therapist, has served as executive director of Genesis Center for Christian Counseling in Dunwoody, Ga. In this role, he guides organizational strategy and supervises a team of diverse therapists, delivering affordable mental health services and supporting individuals, couples, families and committees on their journey toward healing and growth.

 

Boglin has also worked as an external consultant in diversity, equity and inclusion since 2010 and serves as an adjunct professor of marriage and family therapy at Abilene Christian University. He holds multiple degrees and certifications, including a doctorate in family therapy from Texas Woman’s University, master’s degrees in religious education and marriage and family therapy from Abilene Christian University, a bachelor’s degree in biblical studies from Texas Christian University and a Certified Diversity Professional (CDP®) certification from the Institute for Diversity Certification.

 

“In a conference like the new Horizon Texas Conference, which encompasses a wide range of rapidly diversifying communities within its geographic bounds, it is a missional imperative that we bring on the best experts and leaders to guide our work in pursuing and embracing diversity,” Saenz said. "Dr. Boglin has a profound biblical understanding of diversity; he embodies the gifts of teaching, and he has the expertise we need for this important work. His experience as an external consultant and a Certified Diversity Professional will enable our conference to intentionally create and enhance welcoming environments where people from different racial, ethnic, socio-economic and cultural backgrounds can worship, serve and grow together in Christ. This will expand our capacity to better fulfill our mission of multiplying disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world."

 

“I am eager to assist the new Horizon Texas Conference in developing the intercultural capacity to bridge our significant differences and commonalities,” said Boglin. “By creating complete unity in our diversity, we present a more authentic witness to the world. Jesus prayed for this type of inclusive unity to exist in the church, where all are valued, respected and engaged in the ministry. This means helping the conference foster a climate of inclusion woven into all policies, practices, and procedures. I look forward to working with colleagues across the conference to realize this goal.”

 

The following individuals have also been hired for positions in the Horizon Texas Conference, to begin on August 1:

Glennis Eckels, currently serving as administrative assistant/hospitality for the CTC, will join HTC as an administrative assistant specializing in statistics.

Vicki McCarthy, who currently serves as NTC controller, will serve as HTC controller in the finance department.

 

Audrey Thompson, who currently serves as Ministry Center coordinator for the NTC, will be the HTC’s general administrative assistant.

Scot Yarbrough, currently staff accountant in the CTC, will join HTC as a senior accountant in the finance department.

 

More information about the ongoing unification process can be found at www.nwtxconf.org/unification.

Special Call for the Unifying Conference - September 28, 2024

Dear Clergy and Laity of the Northwest Texas Annual Conference,

 

In accordance with our standing rules and ¶603.5 of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church, I hereby call for a special session of the Northwest Texas Annual Conference to convene on September  28, 2024, beginning at 9:30 a.m. CDT.  The special session will be conducted in person at the Abilene Convention Center (1100 N 6th St, Abilene, TX 79601) and shall include the following business:

  • Act on the recommendations in the Unification Plan for the Central, North, and Northwest Texas Annual Conferences, which was affirmed at nearly 100% by all three annual conferences, to form the Horizon Texas Conference.

  • Consider and act on a report from the Transitional Nominating Committee.

  • Consider and act on a 2025 budget for the Horizon Texas Conference.

Further information regarding the session and its business will be sent to the members of the Northwest Texas Annual Conference and posted on the conference website in the coming weeks.

Peace,

Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr.

South Central Jurisdictional Conference Approves Unification

On July 10, at the first business session of the 2024 South Central Jurisdictional Conference, the Boundaries Committee presented and the delegates unanimously approved unification of the Central, North and Northwest Conferences. 

"I am grateful for the work and support of our South Central Jurisdictional Conference, and I am enthusiastic about this new chapter," said Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. following the historic vote. "Our joint efforts will bring countless blessings and strengthen our unity as we spread the teachings of the gospel, multiply Jesus’ followers, champion children and youth, maximize care and healing, pursue and embrace diversity and tell our story of the transforming love and grace of God." Hear from Bishop Saenz below.

Delegates and guests from Central, North and Northwest Texas Conferences ready to move forward as the Horizon Texas Conference!

Episcopal Assignments
In its first business session, the South Central Jurisdictional Conference also affirmed episcopal assignments, as presented by the SCJ Committee on Episcopacy. These assignments are:

  • Great Plains - David Wilson

  • Missouri - Bob Farr

  • Arkansas - Laura Merrill

  • Oklahoma - Laura Merrill

  • Oklahoma Indian Missionary - Laura Merrill

  • Louisiana - Dee Williamston

  • Horizon Texas (Central/North/Northwest Texas) - Ruben Saenz Jr.

  • Texas - Cynthia Fierro Harvey

  • Rio Texas - Cynthia Fierro Harvey

The New Mexico Conference assignment is temporarily open.

"We are leaving the New Mexico Annual Conference open, anticipating that the Council of Bishops will be able to provide a tremendous episcopal leader from another jurisdiction, in order to provide for their episcopal needs," said Rev. Amy Lippoldt, chairperson of the SCJ Committee on Episcopacy. "We are not announcing that person at this time, out of respect for the assignment and election process happening in other jurisdictions. We anticipate being able to make that announcement following the close of all jurisdictional conferences."

On the second day of the conference, the body opened with worship, and Bishop Jimmy Nunn led the body through business. Bishop Nunn and Bishop Schnase were honored for their retirement and dedication to the United Methodist Church. Both will officially retire on September 1. During the afternoon, delegates heard updates from jurisdictional ministries like Lydia Patterson Institute and SMU/Perkins along with LED talks from representatives from different conferences.

Save the Date for the Horizon Texas Unifying Conference

Mark your calendar!

All clergy and laity of the future Horizon Texas Conference are invited to join us for:

Unifying Conference

September 28, 2024 | 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Abilene Convention Center - 1100 N. 6th Street, Abilene, TX 79601

Registration details for the conference and optional events will be coming soon.

We look forward to seeing you in Abilene!

Looking for more ways to connect?

  • Clergy Retreat (September 26-27): Deepen your faith and fellowship with a dedicated retreat for clergy members. Check-in opens Sept. 26 at 1:30 p.m., event starts at 2 p.m. Separate lodging details, including special Clergy Retreat hotel blocks, to follow.

  • Laity Gathering (September 27, 3-5 p.m.): Join fellow United Methodist lay members for an afternoon of connection before the main conference.

  • Welcome Reception (September 27, 7 p.m.): Tour the new Garrison United Methodist Campus Center and enjoy a warm welcome at an evening reception, hosted by McMurry University. Children and families welcome!

Book your stay!

The conference has secured room blocks at four area hotels:


Check out the Abilene Convention Center visitor guide for details on additional accommodations throughout Abilene.

Need childcare?

The conference will coordinate childcare during the Unifying Conference on September 28, which requires advance registration. There will not be conference-provided childcare during the optional pre-conference events.