In the lead up to the gathering, the Council of Bishops is working with United Methodist Communications to host a series of three webinars open to all United Methodists. These webinars will focus on how the vision statement’s call to “love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously” connects back to the denomination’s mission and Wesleyan theology. The webinars are free and recordings will be made available publicly. Each will be roughly an hour and half in length.
The first webinar is themed "Love Boldly" and explores the foundations of Wesleyan theology and how they shape United Methodist identity today. Participants will reflect on core theological commitments, shared beliefs, and how theology informs who we are as Wesleyans and as The United Methodist Church.
The webinar is scheduled for January 24, 2026 9:00am Central Time. A recording of the webinar will be available to the public.
Hosts & Speakers
Bishop Ruben Saenz
Bishop Ruben Saenz serves as resident bishop of the Horizon Texas Conference. He brings extensive pastoral, episcopal, and connectional leadership experience to the church’s ongoing theological reflection and institutional discernment. Bishop Saenz offers a global and relational perspective on leadership, discipleship, and the shared future of the denomination. He also serves as the President-Designate of the Council of Bishops.
Dr. Ashley Boggan
Dr. Ashley Boggan serves as General Secretary of the General Commission on Archives and History of The United Methodist Church. A historian and theologian, she provides leadership for the denomination’s work in historical preservation, research, and theological reflection. Dr. Boggan regularly contributes to conversations shaping United Methodist identity, doctrine, and connectional life, grounding the church’s future in its theological and historical foundations.
Rev. Dr. Erika Stalcup
An ordained deacon in the Switzerland–France–North Africa Annual Conference, Rev. Dr. Erika Stalcup serves Village Mosaïque UMC in Lausanne, Switzerland. She coordinates the Methodist e-Academy and teaches Methodism and liturgy at Cliff College in the United Kingdom. Her ministry and scholarship focus on Methodist identity, worship, and theological formation in diverse and international contexts.
Rev. Marian Royston
Rev. Marian Royston is an elder in the North Alabama Conference. She serves as the first female pastor of the historic St. Paul UMC in Birmingham, Alabama. In addition to her pastoral ministry, she serves as a Cultivator through the Conference’s Office of New and Renewing Churches, supporting congregational vitality and leadership development.
Rev. Prof. Peter Mageto
Rev. Prof. Peter Mageto serves as Vice Chancellor of Africa University, a United Methodist–related institution in Mutare, Zimbabwe. Ordained in The United Methodist Church, he holds a Bachelor of Divinity from St. Paul’s United Theological College in Kenya, and both a Master of Theological Studies and a Ph.D. from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Illinois, USA. With more than 25 years of experience in ministry and higher education, he was inaugurated in October 2022 as Africa University’s fifth Vice Chancellor.