Thousands of Methodist men gather in front of the Indiana State Soldiers and Sailors Monument for a 1913 national gathering. Built between 1888 and 1901, the monument honors Indiana veterans who served in earlier wars.

Return to Indianapolis

In 1913, thousands of Methodist men gathered in Indianapolis for a national meeting, and in 2017, United Methodist Men will return to that city for a similar gathering.

Featured speakers for the July meeting include: Mississippi Area Bishop James Swanson, president of the General Commission on United Methodist Men; South Carolina Bishop Jonathan Holston; Shan Foster, national director of MEND, a YWCA program combatting domestic violence; and Dr. Kevin Watson, assistant professor of Methodist and Wesleyan Studies at Candler School of Theology.

The theme of the event will be “Discipleship––The Contact Sport.” Sessions will be held in St. Luke’s UMC, located 26 miles north of the Indianapolis Airport. Several motels and hotels are located nearby.

This is the 12th quadrennial national conference since the first UM Men gathering in 1969. In 1973 there was a laity gathering but no men’s gathering. The first nine events were held at Purdue University; the last two conferences were held in Nashville. This will be the first event in Indianapolis since the creation of the UMC in 1968.