Amid the decline of nearly all U.S. Protestant denominations, both liberal and conservative, the new Global Methodist Church (GMC) has emerged and last week convened its first governing general conference in Costa Rica. Although about 80 percent of its 4,733 congregations are in the U.S., the approximately 350 delegates met outside the U.S. to stress the new church’s international identity and to facilitate visas by African delegates.
Mark Tooley is president of The Institute on Religion & Democracy (IRD). He is also editor of IRD’s foreign policy and national security journal, 'Providence.'
