March 15, 2026 — Desert Southwest Conference The Desert Southwest Conference of the United Methodist Church (DSCUMC) announced the Conference-Wide Christian Practices & Leadership Listening Project March 2026, an online initiative running throughout March 2026 to collect congregational insights on how Christian practices support spiritual formation, leadership development, and discipleship, particularly among those serving children, youth, and young adults.
The Conference-Wide Christian Practices & Leadership Listening Project March 2026 involves a brief 3-5 minute survey and optional one-hour Zoom focus groups facilitated to explore practices such as faith sharing, prayer, Bible study, worship, service, justice, and rest.
Leadership Team
The Conference-Wide Christian Practices & Leadership Listening Project March 2026 is led by Conference Lay Leader Alberta Farnsworth, Leadership Task Force Chair Ev Taylor, Spiritual Formation Committee Chair Rev. Mike Wilkerson, and Conference Director of Faith Formation and Leadership Development Rev. Joel Bullock. Findings from the project will inform a summary report and DSCUMC’s application for a Lilly Endowment Christian Practices Grant.
Thank you for helping shape the future of discipleship in our Conference.
Participation Details
Participants can complete the survey at https://dsc-reg.brtapp.com/ChristianPracticesLeadershipListeningSurvey or register for focus groups via https://dsc-reg.brtapp.com/ChristianPracticesLeadershipListeningFocusGroups. The announcement, published March 6, 2026, appears in several DSCUMC newsletters, including Clergy and Lay Leadership Development, East District, and others.
The Conference-Wide Christian Practices & Leadership Listening Project March 2026 aims to identify strengths and growth areas in congregational life to cultivate trained discipleship leaders. As of March 15, 2026, the effort has not received coverage on major UMC sites or national outlets.