About Us

What Is The Free Methodist World Conference ?

 

The Free Methodist World Conference is the overarching international body of the Free Methodist denomination.  It was formally inaugurated on June 30, 1999 in Anderson, Indiana with the election of its first Executive Committee.

The World Conference “exists to facilitate communication and harmonious relationships among the leaders of the general conferences and the area fellowships and to facilitate the resolution of constitutional issues.”

The Free Methodist World Conference meets every four years in a different part of the world. During the quarennium, it also provides for the meeting of The Executive Committee, The Council of Bishops, and several area fellowships in Asia, East-Central Africa, Europe, Latin America, North America, Southern Africa and West Africa.

Prior to 1999, the Free Methodist denomination had a “Free Methodist World Fellowship” (an informal international gathering of Free Methodist leaders) and a “Free Methodist Constitutional Council” (a formal body that dealt with constitutional matters).  A brief history has been written of the early years of the Free Methodist World Conference and of how these two bodies were merged to form it.

The Free Methodist World Conference has the following goals and responsibilities:

  1. To provide for worldwide fellowship among Free Methodist bodies and regularly convene a global assembly of representatives of the Free Methodists bodies for coordination and planning of worldwide ministries;
  2. To encourage the expansion of the Kingdom of God by the Free Methodist Church in existing conferences and in new fields through evangelism that is in harmony with Wesleyan doctrine and practices;
  3. To assume legislative and judicial authority in matters relating to the Free Methodist Constitution and to monitor the integrity of every Free Methodist institution under the provisions of The Common Constitution of Free Methodism;
  4. To maintain and administer an international scholarship fund for the development of Free Methodist leaders grounded in biblical theology and Wesleyan doctrine.

Since 1999, the Free Methodist World Conference has met in Harare, Zimbabwe (2003); Sao Paulo, Brazil (2007); Bujumbura, Burundi (2011); Port Shepstone, South Africa (2015); and Sao Paulo, Brazil (2019). The next World Conference is slated to be held in Kigali, Rwanda: October 25–28, 2023.

Executive Committee

 

World Conference Executive Committee Members:

Bishop Samuel Kayinamura – President

Bishop Cecilio Inocencio Osoria Ureña – Vice-President

Mr. Mark Dowley – Secretary/Treasurer

Mr. Celestine Sindibutume – Lay Member

Ms. Joy Mohala – Lay Member

Bishop Hector Perez – Clergy Member