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Lay and clergy leaders from four continents gathered in Canada and online to begin the work of praying, listening and striving for The United Methodist Church of the future. But first they had to grapple with the denomination’s realities of the present.

[Anglican Communion News Service] The Anglo-Roman Catholic International Commission held a virtual plenary meeting concluding the second phase of its latest work, which began in 2019. The commission is the principal theological dialogue between the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church. It brings together theologians and church leaders to deepen their shared understanding of Christian faith, with the goal of restoring full, visible unity. During the meeting, commission members approved the final draft of the agreed upon statement for this phase of their work, called “While They Were Talking and Discussing: Learning to Do Moral Discernment in Communion.” Read the full article here.

[Religion News Service] Growing numbers of people in Britain are defining themselves as Christian nationalists, according to a new survey — but the majority of them are not churchgoing Christians.   The report, “Beyond Christian Nationalism — Measuring Attitudes to Christianity and Britishness Today,” published by the reputable think tank Theos, surveyed 1,765 people. It shows that more than 10% of those surveyed identify as Christian nationalists.   The movement is relatively new in Britain but has caused concern, including among bishops who have tried to disassociate the established Church of England from it following large demonstrations and some well-known far-right, anti-migrant activists saying that they have become Christians. According to the Theos study, about 11% of those surveyed — more than 1 in 10 Britons — have views that resemble those of Christian nationalists. These people embody an ideology that merges national identity with their idea of Christianity and believe that it should be central to British culture and given prominence over other faiths and secular views.   The 11%, termed “identity integrationists” by the study, had a strong identification with Christianity, yet just 13% reported attending church weekly, only slightly above the 11% average for church attendance across the whole survey. There was much more enthusiasm from them, however, for the Bible — just under half of them expressed an interest in it — and just under a third said they prayed every week.   This group showed hostility to Islam and were disinclined to follow church doctrine on welcoming the stranger: Only 19% agreed that Christianity requires supporting asylum seekers. The report shows that their Christianity is cultural rather than doctrinal and that they are “deeply, indeed viscerally, culturally Christian.”  They are overwhelmingly white, and although not poor, they tend not to be highly skilled and more likely to live in rural areas.   Another group, termed “belief integrationists,” holds stronger religious beliefs in the nationalism-Christianity equation and are considerably less hostile to immigration. Almost half (48%) agreed that Christian values require welcoming and supporting asylum seekers. These “belief integrationists” made up 13% of those surveyed. Among this group, 31% attend church every week, 46% pray weekly and 62% expressed an interest in the Bible. They are more likely to be younger, male, poorer, urban and non-white, with conservative moral values and traditional ideas about masculinity.   Despite being less hostile to asylum seekers, the report says that “a remarkable two-thirds of this group hold to the Great Replacement Theory (of white people being replaced by immigrants).”  Nick Spencer, a senior fellow at Theos and one of the report’s authors, said: “Until now there has been little research done in Britain on whether Christian nationalists go to church. This shows that the keenest nationalists don’t go to church very often.  “When we asked these people about the white population being deliberately replaced, it’s off the scale among Christian nationalists.”   In the past two years, demonstrations put on by the Unite the Kingdom organization have drawn thousands of people, with wooden crosses and the English flag (called the flag of St. George, with a red cross on a white background) being carried by the large crowds. Tommy Robinson, one of Britain’s most well-known anti-Islam, anti-migrant activists, spoke at a Christmas concert last season after he converted to Christianity in prison. Robinson told concertgoers, “Something great is happening. I’ve seen it at each one of our Unite the Kingdom events as I saw the cross start being prevalent.” Bishops in the Church of England have warned about the co-opting of Christian symbols and rhetoric to support anti-migrant views. In July a working group of the Church of England’s bishops urged its General Synod to focus on national unity. The group, led by the Bishop of Leicester, Martyn Snow, urged Christians to model a healthy sense of patriotism and reclaim symbols like the St. George’s flag as a sign of unity rather than division. The flag has traditionally been strongly associated with the Church of England as it flies from its churches’ towers.   The Theos report has been welcomed as one of the first major studies delving into Christian nationalism in Britain. John Heathershaw, professor of international relations at the University of Exeter and research associate at the Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence, said that until now there has been little robust research into the topic. “The survey is useful because Christian nationalism is not a coherent ideology, and not a social and political movement but a cluster of attitudes,” he said.   Heathershaw called “belief integrationists” the most interesting group identified by the survey. In a recent Substack, he wrote:   “My guess is that many of them are charismatic evangelicals, the largest growing group in the UK and across much of the world. Forgive the caricature, but one typical belief integrationist may be a Nigerian Pentecostal man in his 30s or 40s. While they may be a small minority nationally, they are an increasingly significant part of the Christian faith. Although 54% of this group say they are proud that Britain “is predominantly white” (p.118), they are by far the least white group of all five identified by Theos. Of course, racialized views are not exclusively held by the racial majority.”  The most worrying aspect found by the survey, Heathershaw told RNS, is the sizable number of people who believe that there is a concerted effort to replace Britain’s population with another group.   “It shows right across the survey that 37% of people support the Great Replacement Theory. That is remarkable and troubling,” he said. The report also highlights how divided Britain is over the role of Christianity. Sizable numbers of people want it to have no public role — despite the nation having an established church, with 26 Church of England bishops sitting in the Parliament’s second chamber, the House of Lords. About half the population wants to keep Christianity out of politics, with 34% of those surveyed saying […]

[Episcopal News Service] The Diocese of Easton, which includes congregations in eastern Maryland, mostly on the Chesapeake Bay’s Eastern Shore, announced Oct. 21 that the standing committee had nominated Delaware Bishop Kevin Brown to serve Easton as bishop provisional during its leadership transition. An election with Brown as the sole nominee is scheduled for the Easton Diocesan Convnention on Feb. 26 and 27 in Cambridge, Maryland. The standing committee expects to provide additional details soon. Brown has served as bishop of the neighboring Diocese of Delaware since 2017. He will continue to serve as Delaware’s bishop diocesan if elected bishop provisional of Easton. “The Diocese of Easton is in a season of transition and discernment, considering what its future may hold and how best to move forward,” Brown said in a letter to his diocese that was shared by the Easton standing committee. “During this time, its leaders are asking for stability, pastoral care and episcopal leadership that will allow them to continue their ministry while thoughtfully discerning their next steps.” Easton has been without a bishop diocesan for about a year, after former Easton Bishop Santosh Marray stepped down at the end of October 2025 to take three months of vacation and sabbatical and then retiring at the beginning of February 2026. During the transition, the standing committee formed a steering committee to work with the Rt. Rev. Mary Gray-Reeves, a trained conflict mediator, to plan listening gatherings across the diocese to support reconciliation and healing. In July 2023, Marray was the subject of a disciplinary complaint alleging inappropriate behavior, according to information posted in May 2024 to The Episcopal Church’s website. Few details have been released publicly about the allegations, other than that “multiple complainants” made allegations of “inappropriate public statements and behavior” by Marray. A separate complaint was filed in February 2024 by a single complainant alleging “inappropriate public statements and misrepresentations.” Under the church’s Title IV disciplinary canons, a reference panel issued determinations in January 2025 concluding both matters with pastoral responses. No other information was provided about the cases’ resolution. The Diocese of Easton also has said previously it would consider engaging with other dioceses as it navigates its leadership transition, to “determine whether our participation in God’s mission could be strengthened by collaborating or partnering with another nearby diocese.” Brown, in his letter to the Diocese of Delaware, said he remained committed to leading his home diocese. “At the same time, I believe there are moments when we are called to look beyond our own borders and consider how we might serve the wider church,” he said. “Easton is our neighbor and our sister diocese. When our neighbors need help, we have an opportunity to respond with generosity, compassion, and faith. “I believe this is one of those moments. … I ask that you keep the people of Easton, our own diocesan community, and me in your prayers as we move forward.” The Diocese of Easton separated from the Baltimore-based Diocese of Maryland in 1868. Today, the Diocese of Maryland, at 26,000 members, is nearly four times as large as the Diocese of Easton, with fewer than 7,000 members, according to the church’s most recently released diocesan totals from 2023. The Diocese of Washington, with about 31,000 members, also includes some congregations in Maryland just north and south of the U.S. capital. Delaware reported just under 7,000 members. The Diocese of Easton engaged in a previous period of discernment a decade ago. At that time, it considered partnering with another diocese but decided to remain independent. It elected Marray as its bishop in 2016. – David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at [email protected].

The national House of Bishops, which held its latest meeting from Oct. 5-9 in Niagara Falls, Ont., is a biannual gathering for bishops of the Anglican Church of Canada to meet as colleagues and offer mutual support for episcopal ministry.

The post Inside the House of Bishops appeared first on Anglican Church of Canada.

Male clergy from New York and Connecticut (US) led a public discussion on an alleged gang rape at Cornell University—and on why men cannot remain silent. 

A coalition of faith groups, including United Methodists, has grounds to sue to curb immigration enforcement activities at houses of worship, a federal appeals court ruled.

Rev. Dr Ibrahim Wushishi Yusuf, coordinator of the World Council of Churches Africa Regional Programme Office in Abuja, received the Father of Faith Award from the Christian Association of Nigeria.

The Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA) has named Geena DeWeerd as its new director of communications. In this role, DeWeerd will oversee the denomination’s communications staff and work across the agency communications teams of Thrive, Resonate, and ReFrame. “The CRCNA is an organization with a lot of important ministry priorities in the communications and marketing space. We believe Geena is well equipped for this role and will bring a breadth of experience, both professionally and as a devoted member of the CRCNA,” said Brian Geers, director of Resonate’s marketing and communications team, who has also been serving as the denomination’s interim communications director. Professional Background DeWeerd brings 10 years of experience in communications and public relations. Most recently...

When delegates gathered for the Classis Lake Superior meeting in September, their agenda included an outing that took them beyond the meeting room and into the heart of urban Indigenous ministry. Nearly 30 delegates and guests visited the Indigenous Family Centre (IFC) in the North End of Winnipeg, Man., for a guided tour, a shared meal, and an eye-opening conversation about reconciliation, community, and ministry on the ground. The visit marked the first time a classis group officially toured the facility. Shannon Perez, director of the Indigenous Family Centre, admitted that the high level of interest took her by surprise. “I wasn’t expecting that many people,” Perez said. “I was thinking it would be about 10 people for the first...