United Methodist Church Selects US, Zimbabwe for Historic 2028 General Conference
The United Methodist Church (UMC) will convene its 2028 General Conference at two locations simultaneously for the first time in the denomination’s history, bringing together delegates in the United States and Africa for its highest legislative assembly.
The UMC Commission on the General Conference announced Tuesday that Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Harare, Zimbabwe, will jointly host the gathering. The arrangement aims to address visa restrictions and travel difficulties that have prevented some African delegates from attending meetings in the United States.
Harare was chosen for its strong United Methodist presence, the denomination’s expanding membership across Africa and visa policies that make travel more accessible for delegates from neighboring African countries.
The two venues will function simultaneously, enabling representatives on both continents to deliberate and carry out denominational business in real time.
The UMC ordinarily holds its General Conference every four years to consider churchwide policies and other matters. However, the conference originally scheduled for 2020 was delayed until 2024 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Interim General Conference Secretary Emily Allen acknowledged “the hard work done by the staff and Commission to research and review possibilities on multiple continents, then choose the final location.”
The decision comes amid a significant shift in the denomination’s global membership. Although the UMC has experienced declining membership and fewer congregations in the United States over recent decades, its presence in Africa has continued to expand.
The denomination also faces theological differences between its regions, with many African United Methodists maintaining more conservative positions on sexual ethics than their North American counterparts.
Those divisions became particularly evident following the 2024 General Conference, when delegates voted to eliminate restrictions on same-sex wedding blessings and the ordination of gay clergy who are not celibate. African bishops subsequently reaffirmed their support for the previous prohibitions.
In November 2025, the UMC approved an amendment granting regional conferences authority to modify certain provisions of the Book of Discipline for their respective regions. The change allows African churches to retain their traditional teachings on sexual ethics while remaining within the denomination.
