The Methodist Church's Connexional Council gathered for a residential meeting this week, and the agenda reflected the breadth of concerns that animate Methodist life in 2026. Economic justice, ministerial flourishing, and reparative justice all featured prominently — a reminder that for Methodists, the life of the church and the life of the world are never entirely separate concerns.

Among the practical outcomes was the recommendation of the 2026/27 budget and the securing of the National Exhibition Centre as the venue for 3Generate, the Methodist youth assembly, through to 2031. That long-term commitment to a flagship youth event speaks of a denomination investing in its future with intention and hope.

The discussion of reparative justice reflects a wider reckoning across many UK denominations with historical harms, and the Methodist Church's willingness to place this on the Connexional agenda signals a seriousness of purpose. These are not easy conversations, but they are necessary ones for a church that takes its own theology of grace seriously.

For those who sometimes wonder whether denominational governance is merely administrative, meetings like this offer a different picture — one of a community of faith trying to discern, together, how to be faithful in a complex world.