Day 1 Sees Surprise in Episcopal Nominations and Beginning of Holy Work
By Rev. Dr. David Wesley Donnan
South Georgia Conference Global Methodist Church Communications Director
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA — Day 1 of the Global Methodist Church’s General Conference began Sunday, August 30, with worship, prayer, singing, and a reminder that the work before the delegates is about much more than legislation.
For those of us representing the South Georgia Conference, the day also brought unexpected news concerning our episcopal leadership.
Beginning With Worship
Brandon Jones, Lay Delegate from Twin City Methodist receives communion from Terry Westbury, Lay delegate from Plains Methodist Church.
General Conference opened with rousing worship led by Tesia Mallory, a familiar face to many South Georgia Global Methodists. Tesia served as the worship leader at our very first South Georgia Annual Conference in 2023.
Bishop Kenneth Livingston preaches during opening worship.
Bishop Kenneth Livingston brought a powerful message that helped set the spiritual tone for the week. He reminded delegates that our first concern cannot simply be getting legislation right, but getting our hearts right before God.
“We do not say, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy’ about our committee work,” he reminded us. We say it about God.
That message seemed especially appropriate as hundreds of delegates from around the world prepared to spend the coming days debating, discerning, voting, and determining important matters for the future of our young denomination.
This is important work—but we were reminded from the beginning that it must also be holy work.
Bishop Jones Calls the Church to Be Spirit-Led
During the first plenary session, Bishop Scott Jones delivered the episcopal address and frequently turned to the great hymns of our faith to help tell the story of who we are as Global Methodists.
He began by leading the conference in singing And Are We Yet Alive, a hymn with deep roots in the Methodist tradition.
Bishop Jones then offered eight terms to describe the Global Methodist Church:
“We are a Bible-believing, Jesus-following, Spirit-led, grace-filled, global, Wesleyan, mission-focused movement.”
He emphasized that the Global Methodist Church is also a creedal church, rooted in the historic Christian faith.
“These affirmations align us with the larger Christian family of believers who proclaim the faith of the apostles,” he said.
He also emphasized the importance of the Articles of Faith and the theological work before this General Conference. But once again, the focus was not merely on getting words onto paper. Bishop Jones called for the Holy Spirit to guide the work.
“I want this General Conference to be Spirit-led,” he said, expressing his desire for the Spirit to be present in all our deliberations and for that same fruit to be evident throughout the life and ministry of our local congregations.
At another point, Bishop Jones led us in singing Love Divine, All Loves Excelling.
Then came a line that received a strong response from the delegates:
“Friends, we are no longer in a denomination where factions are at war with each other. Amen. Instead, we are at war with the devil. Amen.”
He later led the gathering in Captain of Israel’s Host and Guide.
When technical difficulties slowed portions of the gathering, Bishop Jeff Greenway helped fill the gaps by leading delegates in hymns. It was another reminder that even the technical challenges of bringing together a church from across the globe could become an opportunity to worship.
A Surprise for South Georgia
The biggest news of the day for our South Georgia delegation came during the episcopal nomination process.
The voting process begins for current bishops to be nominated to serve another term.
Current bishops seeking to serve another term first had to receive the required support of the General Conference through a qualifying ballot. Bishops John Pena Auta, Carolyn Moore, and Leah Gregory were among those considered.
Bishops Auta and Moore advanced through the qualifying process.
Bishop Gregory did not.
That means Bishop Gregory’s service as bishop of the South Georgia Conference will conclude on October 31, 2026.
The result was a surprise and, understandably, a disappointment for many of us in South Georgia who have come to know and appreciate Bishop Gregory’s leadership.
Following the vote, Bishop Gregory shared the following on social media:
“Today, my standing for election as a bishop came to an end on the qualifying ballot. My term as bishop will end October 31st.
While there is certainly disappointment, there is also deep gratitude and peace. I will return home to MidTexas as Conference Superintendent—a role I love, among people I love, seeking to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.
The prayer remains the same: ‘Put me to what Thou wilt.’
I’m grateful for the journey, this past two years has been an honor of a lifetime. Grateful for the prayers, and excited to see what God has in store for my family, my ministry and MidTexas in this next season.
We have much more to do at this General Conference. Praying for all of those continue in the process of standing for election. Show us your glory Lord!”
There will be time in the weeks ahead for South Georgia to process what this transition means and to celebrate Bishop Gregory’s ministry among us. For now, I invite you to join me in praying for her, her family, and all those involved in the episcopal election process.
The Global Church Around One Table
Following the plenary sessions, delegates moved into several sessions of committee work.
This is where much of the detailed work of General Conference happens. Petitions are examined, debated, amended, recommended, or rejected before eventually making their way to the full General Conference.
Rev. Allen Cason making friends during a break.
For South Georgia delegate Rev. Allen Cason of Metter Methodist Church, the committee work provided a remarkable picture of just how global the Global Methodist Church has become.
Allen shared this reflection on social media:
“Today was awesome and humbling. Today made me so much more keenly aware of how ‘global’ The Global Methodist Church really is! We sang a beautiful rendition of ‘How Great is Our God’ in multiple languages. It had to be a glimpse of Heaven!
We then started the legislative work this afternoon. I am on the Local Church Committee and I am the chair of Subcommittee B (pictured). Our subcommittee began meeting and we have members from Congo, Nigeria, India, Bulgaria and America.
The delegate from the Congo only spoke French and we didn’t have a translation device for our subcommittee. So, my techie self, downloaded Google Translate on my phone, downloaded French on the app, gave her one of my AirPods and turned on Live Translation. It worked! She was able to follow along and understand our decisions.
God is God! All the time!”
Looking Ahead to Day 2
Day 2 begins Monday morning with worship before delegates return to their committees for a full day of legislative work.
Much remains before us.
Please continue praying for Bishop Leah Gregory and her family, for our South Georgia delegation, for delegates who have traveled here from across the world, for those continuing through the episcopal election process, and for everyone entrusted with making decisions that will help shape the future of the Global Methodist Church.
Most importantly, pray that through our worship, conversations, disagreements, decisions, and votes, God will be glorified.
We came here with important work to do.
May it also be holy work.
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