This story was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Heart.
RUWA, ZIMBABWE — United Methodist clergy and laity excitedly greeted Zimbabwe bishop Rev. Present T. Machinga, welcoming him and his imaginative and prescient for the Southern African nation.
Machinga, elected in March, is anticipated to proceed main a unified Zimbabwe church. The identical can’t be mentioned for different African nations, the place confusion and disagreement about legislative modifications within the denomination have fractured giant parts of congregants.
Bishop Rev. Present Machinga speaks to delegates in the course of the second day of the United Methodist Church Zimbabwe East Annual Convention in Ruwa, Zimbabwe, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025.
However Machinga and his predecessor, retired bishop Rev. Eben Nhiwatiwa, have undertaken great training campaigns to make sure their peoples’ dedication to the United Methodist Church (UMC). A joyous celebration of Machinga on the UMC Zimbabwe East Annual Convention throughout an Oct. 25 gathering mirrored that push for United Methodist constancy had sunk in.
Shortly after, the 637 delegates voted on whether or not to ratify a plan to restructure the denomination. The outcomes of this convention’s vote, for a plan referred to as regionalization, is unknown till all regional conferences in an ongoing worldwide vote are tallied by early November.
Delegates maintain accomplished ballots whereas voting on a plan to restructure the denomination, referred to as regionalization, in the course of the second day of the United Methodist Church Zimbabwe East Annual Convention in Ruwa, Zimbabwe, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025.
Regionalization’s potential passage is seen as a essential step to sustaining the UMC’s world communion following a expensive splintering — together with over disagreements about LGBTQ+ rights. The plan to restructure the traditionally Nashville-based UMC will permit United Methodists throughout the globe to keep up insurance policies and practices that align with native customs and legal guidelines.
Regionalization permits the UMC to stay “one huge household however have totally different understandings based mostly on totally different areas,” delegate Tazvionepi Nyarota mentioned on the Zimbabwe East Annual Convention. Nyarota represents a particular delegation of Zimbabweans residing abroad who’re nonetheless aligned with their UMC convention again dwelling. She’s from Canada, however there are different Zimbabwe immigrant church buildings in the UK, United Arab Emirates and Australia.
Many Zimbabweans see regionalization as a chance to craft their very own distinctive id inside the UMC. But it surely’s not the one cause United Methodism is interesting.
In a displays earlier Oct. 25, delegates heard plans for a newly fashioned enterprise growth arm of the bishop’s workplace. The brand new arm, an autonomous enterprise with its personal board of administrators and workers, will hunt down various earnings sources past parishioners’ tithing. This contains renting out conference-owned property for workplace area or leasing different church-owned property for agriculture or mining. This extra money movement will assist different strategic initiatives, a plan for which convention management introduced Oct. 25.
Delegates take a short recess in the course of the second day of the United Methodist Church Zimbabwe East Annual Convention in Ruwa, Zimbabwe, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025.
“We at the moment are going to get pleasure from life, we’ve got suffered sufficient,” a delegate sang in Shona, a part of the Bantu household of languages spoken in most elements of Zimbabwe, following the enterprise growth presentation.
Total membership in Zimbabwe church buildings has declined lately. The 2 Zimbabwean conferences recorded a complete membership of 146,023 in 2025. However the conferences additionally add new church buildings yearly, which they determined to do on the Oct. 25 gathering for the Zimbabwe East Annual Convention.
“Whereas they’re petitioning to shut (UMC) church buildings elsewhere, we’re petitioning to open church buildings,” Machinga advised the delegates.
Rev. Taurai Maforo, communications director for Machinga’s workplace, supplied translation companies for The Tennessean from Shona to English.
Different reporting from Zimbabwe: ‘Whoo whoo, our elephant!’ United Methodists in Zimbabwe unify forward of historic resolution
Liam Adams covers faith for The Tennessean, a part of the USA TODAY Community. Attain him at ladams@tennessean.com or on social media @liamsadams.
This text initially appeared on Nashville Tennessean: United Methodists in Zimbabwe have a good time bishop, vote on restructuring
