United Methodist Clergy Age Trends in 2026
The Clergy Age Report from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership, produced in partnership with Wespath, offers an annual look at the changing age profile…
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Articles
What Clergy Age Trends Tell Us About Church Leadership
What can church leaders learn from the latest Clergy Age Trends report? Jonathan Page identifies three key takeaways for the church: cultivating calls to ministry…
Clergy Age Trends in the United Methodist Church: 1985-2026
Download the 2026 Clergy Age Trends Report. Highlights of the 2026 Report Ages of Elders Rebalancing Except for Young Elders Notice in the chart…
The Gift of the First: A Reflective Commentary from the Installation of Dr. Carla Works
Dr. Shonda Nicole Gladden, Director of Programs and Initiatives at the Lewis Center for Church Leadership, reflects on what it means when a historic first…
Practicing Connection
Jonathan Page explores how the connectional nature of United Methodism provides a model for leadership rooted in shared purpose, intentional relationships, and collective growth. Through…
“Church Renewal in a Changing World” featuring Lovett H. Weems Jr. and Allen T. Stanton
Podcast Episode 185 Is the future of the church dependent on institutional growth, or is faithful discipleship the key? In this episode, Jonathan Page is…
The Myth of the “Stable Church”
Many congregations are asking what faithful ministry looks like in a time of change and uncertainty. Lovett H. Weems Jr. explores recent research on church…
Dramatic Changes Are Ahead. The Small Church Can Guide Us.
Church leaders are facing huge demographic shifts, leading to smaller denominations, fewer resources, and leaner institutions. Allen T. Stanton gives us three lessons we can…
Showing Up with Questions: Listening in a New Setting
Strong leadership in a new ministry setting begins not with quick answers, but with intentional listening. Luke Edwards shares the key questions he plans to…
Clergy Age Trends Remain Relatively Stable in 2025
Lovett H. Weems Jr. highlights the stabilizing numbers of young clergy in the Lewis Center’s annual Clergy Age Trends Report after dramatic declines last year…
The Future of the United Methodist Church: An In-depth Interview with Doug Powe and Lovett Weems
What does the post-pandemic and post-disaffiliation United Methodist Church (UMC) look like? Jessica Anschutz speaks with Lewis Center Director Doug Powe and Senior Consultant Lovett…
“The Future of the United Methodist Church” featuring Doug Powe and Lovett Weems
Podcast Episode 160 What does the post-pandemic and post-disaffiliation United Methodist Church (UMC) look like? In this episode, Jessica Anschutz speaks with Lewis Center Director…
Is There an Ideal Age for Clergy?
Lovett H. Weems Jr. looks at shifting age patterns among United Methodist clergy through the lens of history and newly available clergy age data for…
Does an Aging Population Explain High Clergy Ages?
For most traditions, the disproportionate aging of clergy is a crucial challenge. Lovett H. Weems Jr. highlights some of the findings in the National Congregations…
Should a Church Close?
Sustainability is increasingly difficult for the ever increasing number of churches worshipping small numbers each week. Lovett Weems captures the dilemma for church leaders and…
Restoring Trust in the Institutional Church Requires Allegiance to Our True Purpose
Gil Rendle says all institutions eventually gravitate from serving their stated purposes to satisfying powerful institutional constituencies. The current deep mistrust of the institutional church…
Twenty-Five Percent of Churches Disaffiliated from the United Methodist Church
The Lewis Center has issued a final report on disaffiliating churches in the United Methodist Church covering 7,631 churches approved by annual conferences for disaffiliation…
Some Questions for Further Research from the Disaffiliation Process
The recent disaffiliation process in the United Methodist Church leaves in its wake grief, hope, and many unanswered questions regarding the impact of prior unifications,…
Number of Young Elders in the United Methodist Church Reaches a Record Low Number in 2023
Lovett H. Weems Jr. highlights the decline in numbers of young clergy in the Lewis Center’s annual Clergy Age Trends Report. A dramatic decline in…
Clergy Age Trends in the United Methodist Church: 1985-2023
Download the 2023 Clergy Age Trends Report. Highlights of the 2023 Report Young Elders Reach New Record Low Number The recent decline in the…
Updated Report on United Methodist Disaffiliating Churches
The Lewis Center has issued an updated report on the characteristics of churches disaffiliating from the United Methodist Church that covers more than 6,100 churches…
The Hidden Impact of Rural Churches: An In-Depth Interview with Bob Jaeger and Rachel Hildebrand
What is the economic impact of small congregations on their communities? Jessica Anschutz of the Lewis Center staff speaks with Bob Jaeger and Rachel Hildebrandt…
“The Hidden Impact of Rural Churches” featuring Bob Jaeger and Rachel Hildebrandt
Podcast Episode 126 What is the economic impact of small congregations on their communities? We speak with Bob Jaeger and Rachel Hildebrandt of Partners for…
Leading Voices: “The Power of Presence”
“The Power of Presence” is presented by Rev. Dr. Amanda Stein, South West District Superintendent of the United Methodist Church District Office Center in Wisconsin.…
Lewis Center Report on Disaffiliating Churches through 2022: Similarities and Differences Compared to Other United Methodist Churches
Introduction Approximately 2,000 churches disaffiliated from the United Methodist Church by the end of 2022 following the passing of special disaffiliation legislation in 2019. It…
Number of Young United Methodist Elders Hits Historic Low
The Lewis Center for Church Leadership has released its annual report on clergy age trends in the United Methodist Church. This year’s statistics show that…
Addressing the Root Causes of the Crisis of Younger Clergy
Few doubt that struggles over the United Methodist Church’s stance on homosexuality and uncertainty about the future of the denomination are factors in the recent,…
SPEAKPIPE – Showing Up with Questions: Listening in a New Setting
Strong leadership in a new ministry setting begins not with quick answers, but with intentional listening. Luke Edwards shares the key questions he plans to…
Clergy Age Trends Give Cause for Concern
Lovett H. Weems, Jr., highlights some of the findings in the Lewis Center’s annual Clergy Age Trends report. Of note is a major downturn in…
Lewis Center Adds Two New Video-based Adult Christian Studies to Wesley Ministry Network
News Release LEWIS CENTER ADDS TWO NEW VIDEO-BASED ADULT CHRISTIAN STUDIES TO WESLEY MINISTRY NETWORK The Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary…