The Wall
United Methodist US Membership Fell by About 174,000 in 2025, Report Shows
The denomination's finance agency counted about 3.8 million U.S. members, but professions of faith rose and fewer churches closed than the year before.
THE WATCHMAN MINUTE
Today's headlines in 3 minutes
Friday, October 23 · 2:51 · Share it with your church
- Trump Signs Clergy Act, Giving Ministers a Way Back Into Social Security
- Eastern Star Church to Withdraw Demolition Request for Historic Indianapolis Church
- United Methodist US Membership Fell by About 174,000 in 2025, Report Shows
- Pope Leo XIV Needs No Further Treatment After Lung Surgery, Doctors Say
- Pastor's Son Freed After More Than a Year in Sudan's Kobar Prison
- Goa Shelves Proposed Anti-Conversion Law After Lawmakers Object
- Nigerian Christian Mother Reportedly Sentenced to 14 Years After Sharing Her Faith
- Hundreds Protest Approved Church Construction in Indonesia's West Java
- Supreme Court to Hear Colorado Catholic Preschools' Challenge Nov. 3
Pray for the Persecuted
KHARTOUM, Sudan
Pray for Amin Ismail's safety in Khartoum, for his wife, and for his father, Pastor Ismail Azzaz, and the believers he left behind.
BORNO STATE, NigeriaPray for Liyatu Samuel Dawa in prison, for her husband Amos Suleman in hiding, and for their family.
PURWAKARTA, IndonesiaPray for the GKPS congregation in Purwakarta, that they may worship in peace, and for local officials to act fairly.
Sunday, Nov. 1 is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.
The Wall
All The Wall →
The Wall
United Methodist US Membership Fell by About 174,000 in 2025, Report Shows
The denomination's finance agency counted about 3.8 million U.S. members, but professions of faith rose and fewer churches closed than the year before.
The Wall
Trump Signs Clergy Act, Giving Ministers a Way Back Into Social Security
Pastors who opted out of Social Security early in their ministry, a choice that used to be permanent, will get a two-year window to opt back in starting in 2029.
The Wall
Supreme Court to Hear Colorado Catholic Preschools' Challenge Nov. 3
Can a state make religious schools accept its nondiscrimination rules to join a taxpayer-funded program? The justices will weigh it in St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy.
Persecuted Church
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Persecuted Church
Pastor's Son Freed After More Than a Year in Sudan's Kobar Prison
Amin Ismail was arrested the day after he came back to Khartoum to see his wife. Advocates say the courts kept finding him innocent.
Persecuted Church
Nigerian Christian Mother Reportedly Sentenced to 14 Years After Sharing Her Faith
An advocacy group says a Borno State court jailed Liyatu Samuel Dawa after a Muslim woman she spoke with converted. The court record has not been made public.
Persecuted Church
Hundreds Protest Approved Church Construction in Indonesia's West Java
A West Java human rights office says the congregation completed its administrative requirements. The regent has urged calm while residents press for a review.
Hoosier Watch
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Hoosier Watch
Eastern Star Church to Withdraw Demolition Request for Historic Indianapolis Church
The 113-year-old former St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church on the old Martin University campus will stand for now while the congregation talks with preservationists.
Hoosier Watch
Indianapolis Picked to Host 2029 National Eucharistic Congress
The Catholic gathering returns to the city five years after the 2024 congress drew thousands of pilgrims downtown.
The Trumpet
All The Trumpet →
Opinion · The Trumpet
The Last Trump: Why the Watchman Listens for One Trumpet, Not Two
Scripture names the trumpet that gathers the saints, and tells us when it sounds. So did the church's earliest teachers.
Opinion · The Trumpet
Why We Are Called the Watchman
A word from the editor on Ezekiel 33 and what this newsroom is for.
📖 The Watchman's Library: reading for those watching for His appearing →