news article
2028 General Conference headed to Minneapolis
May 12, 2025 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Mark your calendars. General Conference (GC) is headed to Minneapolis May 8-18, 2028. The Commission on the General Conference made the announcement after the conclusion of the Commission's spring virtual meeting. General Conference is the top policy-making body of The United Methodist Church, which meets once every four years.
The three-week event will be held at the Minneapolis Convention Center. “The selection of Minneapolis as a General Conference location dates back to 2013. There was a significant investment of time by the former host committee and members, planning, along with financial investments that required the Commission to give strong consideration to naming Minneapolis for 2028,” explained the Rev. Dr. Aleze Fulbright, secretary of the General Conference.
Despite beginning with a $1.8 million budget shortfall amid a period of reduced Church funding, the new Commission is taking deliberate steps to lower expenses without compromising the core elements of the gathering. They have also engaged the General Council on Finance and Administration to seek sponsorships to help close the funding gap.
Why May? The Commission states the selection of dates was largely driven by logistical considerations, particularly the availability of meeting space and hotel accommodations in Minneapolis.
“When planning for the General Conference the availability of the convention center/meeting space and local hotels dominate the decision on the dates for when General Conference can be convened. The General Conference event spans at least three weeks, to include: setting up the infrastructure, before GC meetings, the convening of GC and move out of the facilities post event. There must be adequate space and lodging to accommodate this major gathering for a large number of people,” shared Rev. Dr. Fulbright.
Why not a location outside the U.S.? The Rev. Andy Call, Commission chair, explained that while there is a strong desire to hold a future General Conference outside the U.S., the timeline and logistical challenges made it impractical for 2028.
“When we met in November, we named a desire to hold a General Conference outside the United States as soon as possible. We also had a thorough conversation about the logistical challenges with planning a General Conference outside the U.S. and the time it would take to adequately prepare for that. We determined that it was not feasible to adequately prepare for that to happen in 2028, but we are committed to exploring every possibility for 2032, to secure a location that is welcoming to all and able to hold a gathering of 3,000 people, with minimal visa challenges,” said Rev. Call.
The Office of the General Conference and the Commission is actively working through key logistics, including visa planning, delegate representation, and contingency strategies. In light of ongoing developments within the Church, the Commission has chosen to delay announcing the final delegate count until more information is available.
Looking beyond 2028, the Commission is already considering how to adapt and improve its processes to meet the needs of the future United Methodist Church. The executive committee and subcommittees will continue meeting throughout the year, with the full Commission scheduled to reconvene in person this November.
The General Conference of The United Methodist Church last met April 23-May 3, 2024 in Charlotte, NC. Click here to read more from the Commission of General Conference.