Social Principles 2025-2026

We affirm the dignity, worth and rights of migrants, immigrants and refugees, including displaced and stateless people. In so doing, we acknowledge that the world today is facing an unprecedented crisis related to the displacement of vast numbers of people due to such factors as ongoing wars and other hostilities, foreign interventions, widespread famine and hunger, global warming and climate change, and the failure of nation-states to adequately protect and care for their people.

 We recognize that displaced people are particularly vulnerable as their in-between status often provides them with few protections and benefits, leaving them open to exploitation, violence and abuse. We urge United Methodists to welcome migrants, refugees, and immigrants into their congregations and to commit themselves to providing concrete support, including help with navigating restrictive and often lengthy immigration policies, and assistance with securing food, housing, education, employment and other kinds of support.

 We oppose all laws and policies that attempt to criminalize, dehumanize or punish displaced individuals and families based on their status as migrants, immigrants or refugees. Additionally, we decry attempts to detain displaced people and hold them in inhumane and unsanitary conditions. We challenge policies that call for the separation of families, especially parents and minor children, and we oppose the existence of for-profit detention centers for such purposes.

We support the rights of indigenous, native, and aboriginal communities and affirm that like all people they must be afforded the basic rights set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We condemn acts of genocide against indigenous peoples and call for  government treaties and contracts with native and aboriginal peoples to be honored and enforced.

We join with indigenous peoples and tribes to demand that their rights to exercise national sovereignty be upheld by governments and courts. We support the efforts of indigenous people to revitalize their languages and cultures in the face of concerted efforts to assimilate them into mainstream societies. We acknowledge that indigenous, native, and aboriginal peoples are entitled to control their land, water and other resources, and we decry any attempts to forcibly seize these resources or to forcibly remove indigenous people from their territories.

Colonialism, Neocolonialism, and their Consequences

We acknowledge that the tangled and complex legacies of colonialism and neocolonialism hang heavily over the global fellowship of United Methodists. Colonialism refers to the practice of establishing full or partial control of other countries, tribes, and peoples through conquest and exploitation. Neocolonialism continues the historic legacy of colonialism by maintaining economic, political, and social control of formerly colonized nations and peoples. 

Some of us belong to countries and groups that have richly benefited from the 

subjugation of whole peoples and from the seizure of lands and other resources. Others of us live in countries or are a part of communities that continue to struggle with the ongoing history and impacts of all forms of colonialism, including social, economic, and political instability; widespread malnutrition; illiteracy; disease; and continuing infringements on indigenous and tribal lands.

We recognize that far from being innocent bystanders, the church has often been 

deeply involved in colonialism and neocolonialism. We, therefore, call on individuals and congregations to educate themselves about the troubling legacies of colonialism and, where appropriate, to seek repentance for our continued involvement. We urge United Methodists to find ways to support those still suffering from colonial legacies, including tangible acts of reparation and active support for sustainable development initiatives.

Globalization

We believe that global cooperation often contributes to human and environmental flourishing. However, we lament that globalization has created significant obstacles to achieving economic justice in too many instances. Globalization is marked by the growing integration of national economies and the emergence of multinational corporations that play 

an outsize role in global market systems. 

While globalization undoubtedly has provided certain financial and other benefits, it has also undermined established wage and labor standards, weakened environmental protections, and accelerated the concentration of the world’s wealth in the hands of a relative 

few. Additionally, globalization has increased overconsumption due to the ready access of cheaper goods and has undermined indigenous land rights in a rush to acquire raw materials necessary for expanded production. 

As a church, we recognize the importance of creating just, equitable, and sustainable economies that benefit all members of society, especially marginalized and vulnerable peoples. Further, because globalization transcends the capacity of any single individual, community or government to manage, we call on international bodies, including the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund, and others, to hold multinational corporations and national governments accountable to provide for economies that promote people over profits and protect the environment.

As United Methodists, we follow in the footsteps of our founder, John Wesley, who sought to improve the lives of those who suffered from debilitating conditions such as poverty, starvation, illiteracy, imprisonment, slavery, addictions and disease.

We decry the widening gap between the rich and the poor and the concentration of wealth in the hands of ever smaller percentages of the global population. We lament that too many of the world’s people lack the basic resources necessary for survival and pledge ourselves to work toward the eradication of the roots and effects of poverty. We further lament the multiple causes of poverty, such as war, famine, diseases and desertification.

We reject religious teachings that view the accumulation of wealth as a sign of God’s favor and poverty as a sign of God’s disfavor. We confess that we have not always heeded the words of Jesus, who preached good news to people living in poverty, taught that they were not far from God’s coming reign, and challenged the rich young man to give up all that he had to follow him (Luke 6:20; Matt. 19:23–25).

We commit ourselves to be in active ministry with impoverished communities by sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and by supporting their efforts to secure equal opportunities and meet human needs, including food, water, health care and education. We reject preferential treatment in the church on the basis of wealth and income. We also commit to work toward eradicating unjust practices, policies, and systems that have condemned entire generations to live in unrelenting poverty.

Health Care

We affirm health care as a basic human right and vow to work toward expanded access to all forms of medical treatment, including preventative, therapeutic, and palliative care. Half the world’s population lack access to health care, and a growing number of people who do have access face increased medical expenses for themselves or their loved ones, pushing them toward poverty. To confront these painful realities, we urge United Methodists to join efforts aimed at creating systems that provide comprehensive health protections for all. Additionally, we believe that everyone has a right to decent living conditions, including adequate food and water, safe housing and a healthy environment.

Health care as a human right also means that clinics, hospitals, and medical services and treatments must be accessible, affordable and of good quality. They must also be available when and where they are needed and be provided on an equitable basis. We call on governments, businesses, churches, and civil society institutions to work cooperatively to ensure that every human being has access to medical services and treatment.

Additionally, we call on national governments and international health organizations and medical groups to work cooperatively and expeditiously to address global pandemics such as HIV/AIDS, as well as outbreaks of contagious diseases that threaten the health and well-being of entire countries and regions. As a church, we support other measures and initiatives to improve human health, including investments in preventative care, good 

nutrition, continuing research in infectious disease prevention and treatment, pre- and postnatal health, and substance abuse treatment on demand. We commend churches that are involved in community-based health care ministries.

Reproductive Health & Abortion

We support the provision of comprehensive, age-appropriate education for sexual health, as well as access to consistent, effective, and affordable contraception. We also affirm ministries and initiatives aimed at promoting reproductive health and enhancing the quality of life for women and girls. Because of the dangers and risks involved in childbearing, we believe that women and girls should have consistent access to gynecological care. We, 

therefore, urge governments, businesses, churches, and other civic institutions to make access to prevention education, medical check-ups, treatment, and counseling high priorities for women and girls of childbearing age.

Our commitment to the sanctity of human life makes us reluctant to condone abortion. We unconditionally reject it as an acceptable means of birth control or a mechanism for gender selection and other forms of eugenics. We support measures requiring parental, guardian or other responsible adult notification and consent before abortions can be performed on girls who have not yet reached the age of legal adulthood, except in cases of alleged incest. 

We oppose late-term or partial-birth abortion, a process also known as dilation and extraction. We call for the end to this practice, except when the life of the mother is in danger, no other medical treatments are feasible, or when severe abnormalities threaten the viability 

of the fetus. We recognize that these and other tragic conflicts of life with life may justify decisions to terminate the life of a fetus. In these limited circumstances, we support the legal option of abortion and insist that such procedures be performed by trained medical providers in clean and safe settings.

We urge all those considering abortions to seek appropriate medical advice and pastoral counseling and to engage in searching, prayerful inquiries into other alternatives, such as making babies available for adoption. We pray for those facing unintended pregnancies and offer our prayers and support as they attempt to discern God’s will and seek God’s wisdom and guidance. Regardless of the circumstances in which someone might get an abortion, we do not condone bullying or shaming people for their decisions or actions. 

We acknowledge that young women of childbearing age frequently report that they lack the ability to make meaningful life choices or exercise effective control over their own lives. We challenge pastors, congregations, campus ministries, and others to be at the forefront of efforts to empower these young women. Additionally, we support resource centers that offer compassionate care and help women explore alternatives to abortion.

We recognize that access to reproductive health services is too often limited by economic factors. Women living in poverty are often unable to make choices about when to become pregnant or about the size of their families. They also lack access to safe prenatal and postnatal care. Such a lack of agency perpetuates cycles of poverty by restricting the ability of women to participate in the workforce and by increasing the strain on scarce family 

resources. We support policies and programs that extend reproductive health services to women in economically challenged areas. 

We support the use of a variety of reproductive strategies for those desiring to have children, including fertility treatments, in vitro fertilization (IVF), embryo or sperm donation, surrogacy, and others. We believe the decision whether to use reproductive alternatives is best left to those considering the use of these options, in consultation with their health care providers. In all instances, the use of reproductive alternatives should be in keeping with the 

highest ethical standards, prioritizing the health and well-being of both women and children

Church and Governments

We affirm that both church and state have vital and distinct roles to play in relation to the larger society. Though the formal relationships between religious communities and governments vary from country to country, we generally affirm the independence and integrity of both institutions, and we advocate for a relationship of mutual respect in which neither institution seeks to dominate or unduly influence the other.

We affirm that every form of government stands under God’s judgment and must therefore be held accountable for protecting the innocent, guaranteeing basic freedoms and liberties, protecting the natural world, and establishing just, equitable, and sustainable economies.

We urge those elected or appointed to public posts or holding other positions in government to act as responsible leaders and stewards of the authority and resources entrusted to them. We call on all government officials to aspire to the highest standards of professionalism, honesty and integrity. Furthermore, we urge all governments to adopt policies and practices that guarantee accountability and transparency in fostering and maintaining the trust of the public.

We reject governmental use of threats, extortion, unlawful detentions, extrajudicial killings, and other forms of coercion to silence political opponents and those objecting to unlawful or immoral government policies and practices. In keeping with international laws and ordinances, we vehemently protest the use of torture, slavery, genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and crimes of aggression by any government and call for the strictest international sanctions to be imposed in such cases. 

While we do not believe churches should affiliate with particular political parties, we do encourage churches to speak out boldly on social issues from a Gospel perspective. We further believe churches have a right and a responsibility to educate and equip their members to be effective advocates for justice in the wider world. 

Civil Disobedience

We support those who, acting under the constraints of moral conscience or religious conviction and having exhausted all other legal avenues, feel compelled to disobey or protest unjust or immoral laws. We urge those who engage in civil disobedience to do so nonviolently and with respect for the dignity and worth of all concerned. We also appeal to all governmental bodies, especially the police and any other institutions charged with protecting public safety, to provide appropriate training and to act with restraint and in a manner that protects basic rights and prevents emotional or bodily harm to those engaged in civil disobedience.

Restorative Justice

The Gospels place a premium on the restoration of right relationships (Matt. 18:15–20). When relationships are violated or broken through crime or wrongdoing, such restoration is critically important. We, therefore, urge governments to develop systems that emphasize restorative justice, which requires people who have committed crimes to make amends for their offenses, and allows victims, if they elect to do so, to share with offenders how they have been harmed. Restorative justice seeks to prioritize the victim and the victim’s family. It also seeks to repair damages, right wrongs, and bring healing to the victim, the offender, families and the community. 

We urge congregations, governments, and businesses to support diversion programs that allow those who have committed offenses to receive counseling, education, skills training, community service, and other assistance to help them become fully contributing members of society. We encourage citizens to partner with law enforcement personnel in local communities to create alternatives to practices that emphasize retribution rather than restoration

Graft, Bribery, & Corruption

We oppose graft, bribery, and other forms of corruption as breaches of the public trust and impediments to the creation of just and equitable societies. We deplore the involvement of government officials, business executives, church leaders, and other people of authority in these practices, not only because of their illegality but because such practices erode public confidence in legitimate forms of authority. Additionally, they subvert basic principles related to equality under the law and serve as obstacles to establishing just and equitable economies. The consequence is the diversion of public funding and manipulation of public contracts that undermine projects and services that could benefit the entire society

We condemn human trafficking and slavery as profound violations of the inherent dignity and worth of every person and of their fundamental rights related to autonomy, including the ability of every individual to make personal life choices. We understand slavery to be a repudiation of the basic Christian understanding that all people are created in the image of God.

Human trafficking entails the buying and selling of human beings for purposes of forced or indentured labor, including private and commercial sexual exploitation. We consider such trafficking to be abhorrent because it violates basic human rights and exploits the vulnerabilities of the weakest members of society. Those who are especially vulnerable include minor children and women, migrants, displaced people and others living in poverty.

We support the abolition of human trafficking and slavery of any kind. We commit ourselves to work toward the elimination of the social and economic inequities that provide fertile ground for the flourishing of these evils. We also reject the practice of using enslaved, indentured, imprisoned or coerced laborers in extractive industries or in the production of commercial goods. We urge individuals, families, congregations, and retailers to practice socially responsible consumerism by educating themselves about the sources of labor and the working conditions involved in production processes.

Global Warming and Climate Change

Global warming and climate change are already creating extreme conditions that threaten the entirety of life on earth. Over industrialization, widespread deforestation, and overreliance on fossil fuels are but some of the human activities that have contributed to the buildup of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide in the earth’s atmosphere. 

A sharp upsurge in greenhouse gases over past decades already has resulted in a steady rise in sea levels, growing acidification of the world’s oceans, increased droughts and famines, and the intensification of extreme weather events. Climate scientists warn that the window of opportunity for reversing the negative effects of global warming and climate change is rapidly closing. Without concerted action by individuals, churches, communities, shareholders, businesses, governments, and international organizations, the negative effects will become irreversible.

Affirming Traditional Science and Wisdom

We affirm the value of science and reason in providing deeper understandings of the origins and functioning of the cosmos. We also acknowledge that like all human endeavors, science can be misused and abused. We, therefore, urge all those involved in scientific investigations to adhere to the highest ethical standards in conducting research and applying their findings.

We also affirm the traditional wisdom found within indigenous communities, particularly the emphasis that native and first peoples have placed on living in harmony and balance with the earth and other animals as well as the need to protect the air, land and water.

We support freedom of public expression, which encompasses freedom of the press and the right of all societal members to share their perspectives and opinions. We also insist that all media companies operate with civility and respect and adhere to established journalistic standards. We affirm the positive roles that media and communication technologies play in educating the general public, holding government and other societal leaders accountable, and promoting the common good. 

We are concerned about media monopolies and the tendency of media control to rest in the hands of a few large corporations, and we encourage individuals, communities, and governments to be vigilant in the enforcement of antitrust policies. 

We also recognize that, like every other human endeavor, the media can be used by unscrupulous people to manipulate public opinions, distort facts, and spread misinformation, hostility and fear. We deplore the proliferation of hate speech across social media, broadcast and print news, and other platforms, and we call upon citizens and regulators to do all in their power to eliminate it. We also encourage individuals to take care when expressing their views on social media, recognizing the need for compassion and the harm that can be done to others when such compassion is lacking.

Further, media and other communication technologies lack adequate or diverse representation of marginalized communities, including women, ethnic groups, people with disabilities, impoverished people and others. We believe that media and communications technologies should be open and accessible to all, foster norms that promote civility and respect, and protect the dignity and worth of all people, including society’s most vulnerable.

 We affirrm human sexuality as a sacred gift and acknowledge that sexual intimacy contributes to fostering the emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being of individuals and to nurturing healthy sexual relationships that are grounded in love, care and respect.

Human sexuality is a healthy and natural part of life that is expressed in wonderfully diverse ways from birth to death. It is shaped by a combination of nature and nurture: heredity and genetic factors on the one hand and childhood development and environment on the other. We further honor the diversity of choices and vocations in relation to sexuality such as celibacy, marriage and singleness. 

We support the rights of all people to exercise personal consent in sexual relationships, to make decisions about their own bodies and be supported in those decisions, to receive comprehensive sexual education, to be free from sexual exploitation and violence, and to have access to adequate sexual health care.

Sexual Orientations and Gender Identities

Because all people are of sacred worth and certain basic human rights are due to everyone, we are committed to supporting the equal rights, liberties and protections of all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. We see clear issues of equality and justice in protecting the rightful claims of those with shared material resources, pensions, guardian relationships, mutual powers of attorney, and other lawful claims typically attendant to contractual relationships that involve shared contributions, responsibilities and liabilities, and equal protection before the law. Moreover, because in many countries sexual and gender minorities are disproportionately impacted by social stigmas, discrimination, coercion and violence, we call on churches, governments, businesses, and civic organizations to do all in their power to combat such unjust treatment and to promote equal rights and protections for all.

Gender Equality & Diversity

We support both gender equality and gender diversity as important goals for ensuring that the aspirations of women and girls are taken seriously and guaranteeing that paid positions and leadership opportunities are distributed equally for all. We decry the persistence of sexism and misogyny in the church through its practices and theological teachings, as well as in the broader society. We regret that such prejudices have too often led to the denigration and dismissal of women’s leadership and participation. 

Consequently, we reject any beliefs, policies or practices that envision women and men as unequal in either religious or secular settings. We exhort congregations, pastors, boards of ordained ministries, bishops, and other church officials to implement concrete efforts to nurture and promote the leadership of all people, regardless of gender. We also urge governments, businesses, and civil society to enact laws and policies to ensure that all members of society are afforded equal access, opportunities and protections

Food systems that are ecologically sustainable, locally oriented, and equitably distributed are urgent priorities. We endorse policies and practices designed to ensure access to healthy nourishment and clean drinking water, especially for communities that have been subjected to environmental degradation or deprived of adequate resources to produce or purchase their own food. 

We also affirm food sovereignty, which promotes the rights of all people to healthy, culturally appropriate food, produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods.We support local control of food production, which entails providing opportunities for local communities to participate meaningfully in decisions about the kinds of livestock to be raised and crops to be grown. We reject agricultural policies and practices that make food inaccessible to agricultural workers and the communities in which the food is produced. We advocate for strong protections of the land, food, and water rights of indigenous peoples.

We oppose the patenting of seed varieties and other organisms traditionally used in farming and agriculture. The rapidly expanding practice of patenting seed varieties and charging farmers for their use has reduced access to traditional crops and increased the indebtedness of subsistence and smaller-scale farms. Consequently, we support cooperative, open-source efforts aimed at making traditional seed varieties available to those who need them.

We also call for the creation of policies that reduce carbon-intensive agricultural methods, which increase climate change. Producers must be responsible for their adverse impact on food packaging, distribution and transport, and seek the safety and well-being of agricultural and food processing workers.