Love Alike: We Can Do Hard Things - A Recap of the FXUM National Gathering 2025

There was a moment in the middle of the Fresh Expressions United Methodist National Gathering when we realized how much we had let go. There were no printed schedules, hour-by-hour agendas taped to the walls, or PowerPoint slides counting down the minutes to the next session. Instead, there was a room full of people willing to trust the Spirit and lean into what was unfolding.

This year’s Gathering theme was Love Alike: We Can Do Hard Things. The theme was not just something we talked about from the stage. It was something we lived.

If you were there, you probably felt it in the way the days didn’t follow a rigid plan but instead took shape around the needs, the conversations, and the relationships forming. Each day, we listened, adjusted, and made room for what was happening rather than what had been planned extensively months in advance. It was an event that refused to be a conference in the traditional sense, and that’s what made it so powerful.

The Spirit-Led Flow of Discipleship

From the start, we decided to hold the National Gathering with an open hand rather than a tightly gripped itinerary constricting any interruptions. We had a public flow and—behind the scenes—a detailed schedule we continually adapted. We intentionally stepped into a prayerful space where something real could emerge. In this gathering, people could bring their whole selves, and the event could evolve in response to what was happening.

There was a shift that changed everything. On day one, a call to prayer and surrender changed the flow of the event and brought forth a raw, authentic presence of disciples. This shift continued throughout the event in the way we adapted, in the way we co-created, and in the way leaders emerged as an unplanned Spirit called.

This was not an event where we rushed from one session to the next, barely absorbing what was happening before moving on. We stayed in this space—physically, emotionally, spiritually—because the conversations mattered. It challenged us all to step outside our comfort zones and let down walls we didn’t even know we were keeping.

Love Labs, Connectives, and Deep Relationships

One of the defining elements of this gathering was the shift away from traditional conference workshops. Participants engaged in various formats that encouraged interaction, collaboration, and practical applications that fostered deep relationships.

The Love Labs became a space where teams weren’t just listening to theory but building something together, testing ideas, wrestling with tensions, and dreaming about what loving first could look like.

The “Connectives” were another core part of the experience, replacing the standard breakout sessions with something more relational. Instead of hearing from an expert at the front of the room, disciples sat together and shared what they had learned, asked hard questions, and built relationships that felt less like networking and more like the kind of community the connectional church is supposed to be.

And then, there was “Deep Time.”

If you’ve been to previous gatherings, you know that “Deep Time” has become a cornerstone experience, where the intersection of entrepreneurship, sustainability, and Fresh Expressions is explored in practical and hopeful ways. This year was no different. There was no abstract theorizing about what could be done someday. There were real stories, real examples, and real leaders actively reimagining how faith communities can sustain themselves in creative, Spirit-led ways.

A Different Kind of Worship

Worship grounded this gathering, but not in the ways we often think about it. The Well led us in worship that wasn’t just something to listen to or sing along with. We were able to step in with our whole selves.

Throughout the gathering, worship unfolded in music, art, movement, silence, and reflection. Worship wasn’t a program to consume but a practice to enter.

Worship wasn’t about filling time between sessions. It wasn’t about creating a polished experience. It was about opening up space to engage God with our whole selves, to breathe, reflect, create, and connect.

This Gathering Would Not Have Been Possible Without Our Partners!

A movement like this doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens through deep partnerships, through people and organizations who believe in what Fresh Expressions is about and invest in making it happen.

We are deeply grateful for our partners:

• Wesleyan Impact Partners
• Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas
• Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, DC
• Methodist Theological School in Ohio
• Educational Opportunities Tours, Lakeland, Florida
• Candler School of Theology at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
• Gammon Theological Seminary, Atlanta, Georgia
• United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio

And a huge thank you to Peachtree Road United Methodist for hosting us with incredible generosity.

We talk a lot about Fresh Expressions United Methodist as a movement, and this gathering was a reminder that movements are never the work of one person, team, or church. They happen through networks of people who show up, invest, and create space for new things to emerge.

Looking Ahead

We walked away from this gathering with a sense of something unfinished— in the best possible way. These conversations aren’t over, and the work isn’t complete. We all know that the Spirit has not finished moving.

This wasn’t just a gathering where people came to learn something new and then returned home to their regularly scheduled ministry. This was a space of activation, a place where new relationships were formed, new ideas were birthed, and where the movement's next steps were already taking shape. We are not done.

Next year, we will gather again in Ocala, Florida, February 26-28, 2026, at First United Methodist Church, Ocala.

What happens between now and then?

If there’s one thing this gathering reminded us, it’s that we can do hard things. We can love alike, even when we do not think alike. We can build communities that hold tension rather than avoid it. We can step into spaces of discomfort, creativity, innovation, and deep relationships and stay there, even when it’s challenging.

So, as we move forward, let’s not wait for the next event to see what God is doing. Let’s keep listening. Let’s keep building.

Because this is only the beginning.