The United Methodist Church has ecumenical relationships with other Christian denominations. These relationships are a reflection of our core belief in one holy catholic (universal) church made up of all Christ’s followers. They are also a marker of our distinct Wesleyan theology, which has borrowed from numerous traditions and has always placed Christians’ shared mission to make disciples for Jesus Christ above narrow disagreements on doctrine.
Our ecumenical partnerships with other denominations take three distinct forms: concordat relationships, affiliated autonomous relationships and full communion relationships.
Concordat relationships
- The Methodist Church of Great Britain
- The Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas
- The Methodist Church of Mexico
- The Methodist Church of Puerto Rico
Affiliated autonomous relationships
- Evangelical Methodist Church of Argentina
- Evangelical Methodist Church in Bolivia
- Evangelical Methodist Church of Costa Rica
- Evangelical Methodist Church of Panama
- Evangelical Methodist Church in the Philippines
- Korean Methodist Church
- Methodist Church in Brazil
- Methodist Church of Chile
- Methodist Church in Cuba
- Methodist Church of Hong Kong
- Methodist Church in India
- Methodist Church of Indonesia
- Methodist Church of Malaysia
- Methodist Church of Peru
- Methodist Church in the Republic of China
- Methodist Church in Singapore
- Methodist Church of the Union of Myanmar
- Methodist Church of Uruguay
Full communion relationships
- The African Methodist Episcopal Church
- The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
- The African Union Methodist Protestant Church
- The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
- The Union American Methodist Episcopal Church
- The Uniting Church of Sweden
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
- The Moravian Church of North America
- The Episcopal Church (pending final approval in 2027)
Concordat relationships
The United Methodist Church maintains concordat relationships with four Methodist denominations with which we have a shared history and ongoing collaborative ministries. Though independent of one another in practice, each concordat partner sends two delegates (one clergy and one lay) to the other’s general conference. These delegates have both a full voice and vote at every general conference.
Concordat partners fully embrace each other as part of one holy catholic (universal) church, recognize one another’s sacraments and ministerial orders as legitimate and allow clergy from one denomination to serve an appointment in the other. Each denomination is also a member of the World Methodist Council.
Affiliated autonomous relationships
The UMC also has affiliated autonomous relationships with other Methodist/Wesleyan denominations across the world. These denominations are fully self-governing. They are allowed to send two non-voting delegates to general conference.
These denominations began as missions organized by British or American Methodists sometime in the Late 19th Century or Early 20th Century and were at one time part of The UMC or one of preceding denominations such as The Methodist Episcopal Church or The Methodist Church.
Like our concordat partners, affiliated autonomous denominations fully embrace each other as part of one holy catholic (universal) church, recognize one another’s sacraments and ministerial orders as legitimate and permit clergy from one denomination to serve an appointment in the other.
Full communion relationships
The United Methodist Church also has full communion with a wider spectrum of Christian denominations. Some churches in full communion are also Methodist in their theology and practices, while others fall outside the Methodist/Wesleyan umbrella.
Full communion means each denomination fully embraces the other as part of one holy catholic (universal) church, recognize one another’s sacraments and ministerial orders as legitimate and allow clergy from one denomination to serve an appointment in the other.
The UMC is in full communion with the five historically African American Methodist denominations. These denominations trace their origins back to Black preachers who left the Methodist Episcopal Church or Methodist Episcopal Church South sometime in the 19th Century. These denominations are The African Methodist Episcopal Church, The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, The African Union Methodist Protestant Church, The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, and The Union American Methodist Episcopal Church.
The UMC also is in full communion with The Uniting Church of Sweden, a denomination that formed in 2011 through the merger of several pre-existing Swedish Protestant denominations, including the former United Methodist Church of Sweden.
In 2009, The UMC officially entered into full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELC). The ELC was the first denomination outside the Methodist tradition to enter full communion with The UMC. In 2018, The Moravian Church of North America also ratified a full communion agreement with The UMC.
At the 2024 General Conference, The UMC passed a resolution approving full communion with The Episcopal Church (TEC). While this agreement still requires the approval of TEC General Convention that is set to meet in 2027, it is the result of years of dialogue and close partnership between both denominations. Both denominations are descended from the same Church of England in which John Wesley was ordained and served throughout his entire life.
The United Methodist Church is and always has been an intrinsically ecumenical denomination, continuing to strive for greater unity and cooperation among different Christian traditions. To learn more, visit the Council of Bishops website.
This content was produced by UMC.org on May 13, 2024. Philip J. Brooks is a writer and content developer at United Methodist Communications. Contact him by email.
