Global Methodist Church Holds First General Conference in San José, Costa Rica, Stressing Pentecostal Roots

The Global Methodist Church will hold its first General Conference from Sept. 20 to 26 in San Jose, Costa Rica, according to Religion News. The gathering is expected to focus on adopting a constitution and refining the denomination’s governance structure. Religion News reported that sexuality, which had been a central point of contention, is not on the agenda at this time. An estimated 350 delegates were expected at the Costa Rica Convention Center, where they would choose between two plans for selecting bishops.

The denomination was formed two years ago by churches that departed from the United Methodist Church, Religion News reported. It now includes 4,715 congregations, many of them located abroad. The Rev. Keith Boyette, the denomination’s transitional connectional officer, said the church has been operating with “extremely wet cement” for 2.5 years, a reference to its unfinished foundational structures.

Christianity Today reported on the gathering in San Jose as the church’s first General Conference, though its account did not give dates. Around 900 attendees took part in a worship experience with contemporary hymns, personal testimonies and expressions of faith in the Holy Spirit. The two reports describe different groups, with Religion News citing expected delegates and Christianity Today citing worship attendees, and neither report reconciles the figures.

Christianity Today reported that Luther Oconer, a professor at Asbury Theological Seminary and a third-generation Global South minister, preached a sermon encouraging a “New Testament church” rooted in Pentecostal experience. He emphasized the importance of being “born again,” and attendees responded enthusiastically with the phrase “I’m born again.” The report said the event drew comparisons to “old-time Methodism,” characterized by field preaching, circuit riders and conversion experiences.

Steve Beard, editor in chief of Good News, described the gathering to Christianity Today as a return to Methodist roots. The report said some Global Methodists worried that a growing emphasis on evangelism and spiritual experience might lead the church toward a more generic evangelicalism. According to the same report, the denomination does not explicitly label itself as evangelical in its founding documents, but it has embraced elements of evangelical theology and practice.

The sources present the church’s plans and its worship life from different angles, and each account is attributed to its reporter. Religion News focused on the constitution, governance and the bishop-selection options, while Christianity Today focused on the worship and preaching at the gathering. A church spread across many countries, with congregations abroad, is a picture of unity (John 17:21).