Reflections on the 2025 Methodist Conference in Telford

The Methodist Conference 2025 has now drawn to a close, and I find myself reflecting on what has been a full, powerful, and moving week. Gathering in Telford, hundreds of us from across the Connexion came together to confer, pray, reflect, and discern the way forward for our Church. This year, I had the privilege of attending as a voting member, and as a Presbyter, I arrived early to take part in the Presbyteral Session.

One of the most memorable moments of that session was hearing Bishop Christian Alsted speak so poignantly on “Fractured World, Fractured Church.” His words offered a sobering reminder of the brokenness we see all around us — and often within our own Church. The conversation that followed was rich and challenging, calling us back to the urgent work of healing and reconciliation, both within the Body of Christ and in the world we are called to serve.

Sunday’s ordination services, held in various churches across the region, were a joyful celebration — a moment of real hope and encouragement as new Presbyters and Deacons were received into full Connexion. I felt the Spirit move powerfully in those services, not only in the lives of those being ordained but in the hearts of families, friends, and communities cheering them on.

At the opening session of Conference, the Revd Richard Andrew and Mr Matt Forsyth were elected and inducted as President and Vice-President for 2025/26. Their addresses set the tone beautifully for the week, introducing us to this year’s Presidential theme: “Our Story, Our Song.” It’s a deeply resonant theme — reminding us that we are each part of God’s ongoing story of love, and invited to live and sing that story with joy and purpose.

One session that particularly impacted me was the report and discussion on justice for people seeking asylum and refuge. It was encouraging to hear the work already being done by local churches, and humbling to consider how much more we are called to do in welcoming the stranger and offering sanctuary. The questions posed challenged us to think deeply about how justice is lived out in our worship, service, and witness.

We also received key reports including “Hope in God’s Future,” which continues to shape our understanding of discipleship in the context of climate change. We engaged with vital topics such as healing ministry and neurodiversity — subjects that invite us to broaden our understanding of what it means to be whole, inclusive, and Christlike in our communities.

I left encouraged by our growing relationship with global fellowships, and the solidarity being expressed through the Church’s various networks. But I also left with concerns — especially around representation. Looking around some District tables, it was clear that, apart from the London District and a couple of others, most were not reflective of the ethnic diversity we long to see in our Church. The recent voting results for President, Vice-President, and Business Committee members also revealed a significant lack of ethnic diversity. I don’t believe this is born of deliberate racism, but it could suggest unconscious bias and systemic imbalance that needs addressing.

Fair representation (Racial, Disability, Women, All Ages, LGBT+) isn’t just about optics; it’s about justice, belonging, and ensuring all voices are heard in shaping the future of our Church. I believe District Synods can play a vital role in encouraging fairer nominations and empowering a wider range of people to take part in our decision-making processes — including those leading worship and those shaping our public voice.

Professor Anthony Reddie’s Beckly Lecture, “Whiteness is the Sea, Not the Shark,” was both challenging and enlightening. His postcolonial critique of British Methodism cut deep, asking questions we can no longer avoid. I’d strongly encourage everyone to watch the lecture here.

I’m grateful, too, for the work of the Solidarity Circles — for Disability, for LGBT+, for Racial Justice, and for Women. These networks provide vital spaces of support and challenge, and my hope is that, over time, they will become more interconnected — not isolated conversations, but part of a shared journey of justice and wholeness, joined like the Olympic rings.

As Matt Forsyth so beautifully put it in his address:

“Our theme, ‘Our Story, Our Song,’ reminds us that we are part of something far greater than ourselves. We are woven into the ongoing story of God’s love in the world, and invited to sing that story with our lives.”

Every Conference begins with Charles Wesley’s stirring hymn, “And Are We Yet Alive?” — a line that always makes me smile, especially towards the end of a long week! But more than a ritual, it’s a profound theological question: Are we alive to each other, to the Spirit, to the world’s pain and promise? Are we truly seeing one another’s faces?

Despite our flaws, I left Conference encouraged. The Church is not perfect — but God is not finished with us. As disciples, we’re called to keep showing up, to keep singing our song, and to keep telling the story of God’s redeeming grace. As Revd Richard Andrew reminded us:

“Maybe we need to learn to dance again, to tell our story in a different way, to sing our song as a great testimony of God’s love for us and of our calling to respond to that in love of neighbour and in seeking a new heaven and a new earth. Someone once said that hope is hearing the melody of the future and faith is dancing to that melody now.”

Or as Bruce Springsteen put it — and perhaps Methodists can take this to heart: