A cooperative spirit prevails as Judith Pierre-Okerson (center), a deaconess and lay delegate from the Florida Conference to the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C., presides over a legislative committee during the gathering. On the left is Bethany Amey, a lay delegate from the Greater New Jersey Conference. Both are members of United Women in Faith, and Amey serves as secretary for the group's board of directors. On the right is Jesi Lipp, a lay delegate from the Great Plains Conference. (Photo by Paul Jeffrey/UM News)
What's Ahead for The United Methodist Church? by Cynthia B. Astle