Altogether Now: Seven Generations and Beyond

What if the church of the future wasn’t sealed behind stained glass but situated in tattoo parlors, gyms, recovery circles, and dog parks? What if laity and clergy, young and old, Lutheran, Methodist, and (fill in the blank) gathered not to sit in rows, but to immerse, co-create, and co-discern the Spirit’s movement on the wild edges of our world?

That’s what we’re inviting you into at the 2026 Fresh Expressions United Methodist National Gathering, February 26–28, 2026, at First United Methodist Church in Ocala, Florida.

Yes, Ocala.

This isn’t a random dot on the map. Ocala has become a national hub of the Fresh Expressions movement—a fertile soil where Spirit-led, trauma-informed, compassion-centered communities are taking root and bearing fruit. From churches converted into recovery housing to microchurches planted in dog parks, yoga studios, burrito shops, rehabs, and neighborhood porches, North Central Florida embodies what it means to be “church for people who don’t go to church.”

This is why we’ve chosen Ocala for the next national gathering. We don’t just want to talk about Fresh Expressions—we want you to experience them. Through immersive site visits and lived-out practices, you'll see firsthand how ordinary people are cultivating communities of grace in extraordinary ways.

Why come? Because the Spirit is still speaking. The church is still reforming. The mission is still unfolding.

Register Here!

2026 Theme

The theme for FXUM 2026, “Altogether Now: Seven Generations and Beyond,” flows from deep theological and historical wells. It draws inspiration from John Wesley’s sermon “The Almost Christian,” where he challenges believers not to settle for surface-level faith or outward religiosity, but to become altogether Christians—those whose hearts are transformed by grace and whose lives are marked by love. In this spirit, our gathering invites the church not just to talk but to be the church in a radically inclusive and generative way.

Bishop David Wilson, the first Native American bishop in The United Methodist Church, expanded our vision in Atlanta through the lens of the Seven Generation Principle—an Indigenous framework that challenges us to think beyond our immediate context and make decisions that bless our descendants for seven generations.

Together, these streams call us into a movement of depth and sustainability that synergizes Wesleyan holiness and Native wisdom in holy union as we build a future church shaped by love, justice, and intergenerationality.

What to Expect

FXUM 2026 will deepen the work we began in Charlotte in 2024 and Atlanta in 2025. Our theme calls us to unite across age, race, and tradition—to dream beyond ourselves and plant seeds for a church seven generations from now. Don’t expect a polished program and an overly rigid schedule. We are cultivating a movement, curating the best thinking and practices from the field, and strengthening our bonds as people committed to this challenging work.

You’ll encounter:

• Jazz-Ensembles: TED-style keynotes that riff and resonate like the first strike of a jazz chord, followed by panels and table conversations that turn ideas into action.
• Connectives: Deep small-group spaces for spiritual formation, relational support, and communal discernment.
• Immersions: Visits to real-life Fresh Expressions in and around Ocala.
• Altogether Worship: Multigenerational, multicultural, and Spirit-soaked gatherings that open space for the whole body of Christ.
• FX 101s: Hands-on FX workshops rooted in listening, loving, and reimagining church from the ground up, led by active practitioners.

No Barriers for Laity

We believe the present-future of the church depends on the leadership of laity. We don’t want money to be a barrier to participation, so we have shifted to a donation-based registration system. Pay what you can. Come as you are. Let’s dream forward together.

The Power of Partnership

This movement thrives because of deep partnerships, especially the one between The United Methodist Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. We are bound by a shared commitment to incarnational mission, adaptive leadership, and the ever-widening circles of God’s love. This gathering will celebrate and strengthen those bonds.

Altogether Now…

Altogether now. Every age. Every race. Every gender. Every mode of church. Every story, scar, song, and sacred breath. Every justice-seeker and doubter. Every pew-sitter and park-bench preacher. Every tradition that still believes love is the way. Every culture, every neighborhood, every wild new expression of grace. Altogether now—because the Spirit is gathering all of us to become the church the world needs now.

So, whether you’re a spiritual entrepreneur, a bishop, a youth leader, or someone who has been on the edge of church for a long time… come to Ocala. Come altogether. Come for all that God has in store.

Register Here!