The Commission of the Central Conference Theological Education Fund (CCTEF) of the United Methodist Church met in Johannesburg, South Africa, on February 12-14, 2026, following the decision of General Secretary Roland Fernandes to have future meetings of this body in Africa because many international participants are having difficulty applying for visas, being issued a visa in time, or being allowed into the United States in view of current policies. The Central Conference Theological Education Fund (CCTEF) was established in 2012, and after the approval of the United Methodist “regionalization process” in 2024 and its ratification in 2025, it was renamed Conference Theological Education Fund (RCTEF).
With regionalization, the United Methodist polity is now polycentric, with several regions in Africa, Asia Pacific (Philippines), Europe, Latin America (Honduras), and North America (United States). Accordingly, the RCTEF Commission includes members from Africa (Angola, Burundi, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Zimbabwe), Asia (Philippines), Europe (Denmark, Germany), and North America (United States). They were led by Bishop Joaquina Nhanala (UMC in Mozambique), who serves as Chairperson of the RCTEF Commission for the 2024-2028 quadrennium.
(RCTEF Commission. Photo: Kimberly Lord)
The RCTEF Commission received hundreds of requests at the end of 2025 and disbursed $1,033, 869 in grants which were distributed to institutions located in various regions. The Mid-Africa Regional Conference received the highest amount ($202,773.80), thus indicating that Africa is a clear RCTEF priority due to the region’s size and many other factors. For the future, the RCTEF Commission will be dedicating more time and energy to strategic discussions about the future of Methodist theological education worldwide.