New President of the Methodist Church in Ireland
Rev Alan Wardlow, President of the Methodist Church in Ireland 2025-26.
At its 2024 annual Conference, the Rev Alan Wardlow was designated as President of the Methodist Church in Ireland for 2025-26. He will be installed as President during the opening service of the two hundred and fifty-sixth Conference of the Methodist Church in Ireland taking place this year at Thomas Street Methodist Church from Thursday 5th June until Saturday 7th June 2025.
Alan grew up in Knockbreda in Belfast in the 1970s and although his parents were not church-goers they did send him along to Sunday School at St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. Through his involvement there, he remembers making a commitment to Christ as a child. He was educated at Cregagh Primary School and Knockbreda High School, and when he left school he joined the Civil Service briefly before studying English and Politics at the University of Ulster.
It was during a service at Thomas Street Methodist that Alan heard an audible voice saying, ‘I want you to become a Methodist minister’.
Following a number of years of Bible teaching, reflection and training in evangelism at Cliff College in Sheffield, he completed his studies and then went on to become a local preacher in training.
Alan served in a number of evangelism and pastoral roles within in the Church, both in Ireland and in London; and in 1989 he was welcomed as a candidate for the ordained ministry in Ireland. He completed three years training at Edgehill College in Belfast and was ordained at Conference in 1994 in Portadown.
Currently Superintendent of the Portadown Circuit, through the years Alan has served on the Londonderry Mission, Newtownards, Dublin South, Cregagh and Glenburn and South East Leinster Circuits. Alan currently serves on the Board of Education, the Ministries Policies and Procedures Committee and as Wesley College Governor.
Alan has described being appointed as President Designate ‘a truly humbling experience’, and one he did not expect.
The Connexional theme for the twelve month’s Alan is in office is, ‘Compelled’, which stems from the passage in 2 Corinthians 5:11-21, where it says, ‘Christ’s love compels us’.
Speaking ahead of his installation, the Rev Wardlow said:
“What I will be saying is, people need Jesus. We need to share Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit. We need to be unflinching in offering Christ, and the Holy Spirit will help us find ways of doing this.”
As the Methodist Church in Ireland continues to focus on evangelism and growth in the year ahead; upon approval of Conference, the Church plans to appoint the Rev Dr Stephen Skuce (currently District Superintendent of the North Western District) in a new stationed post as Growing Churches Officer (Ireland) beginning this September.
In his inaugural address on the evening of Thursday 5th June, the Rev Alan Wardlow will encourage the Church, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to continue to proclaim Christ with boldness.
Elaine Barnett, Lay Leader 2024-26
He will ask the Church:
“Would it not be a different Church if all who profess faith and have a living relationship with Jesus Christ witnessed to it, shared it and preached it?”
He will affirm that true and lasting spiritual growth begins within the individual, and his prayer is that each of us would feel a ‘deep, compelling urgency’ to take intentional steps to share the message of Jesus to see many come to faith or experience a renewed commitment in the year ahead.
He will conclude by saying:
“All of us can do something. Growth begins with us all who are Christians, engaging in a personal relationship with Jesus, witnessing ourselves and joining with others to share the good news with urgency and love.”
The Service of Installation of Rev Alan Wardlow as President will take place on Thursday 5th June, 7.30pm at Thomas Street Methodist Church, Portadown and will also be live streamed on YouTube.
At Conference in 2024, Mrs Elaine M Barnett was installed as Lay Leader of the Conference for 2024-2026 and will therefore continue in her role throughout the 2025-2026 Connexional year.
Follow the link above for the latest information on Conference 2025
Conference will be live streamed, beginning with the Installation Service for the Rev Alan Wardlow at 7.30pm on Thursday 5th June.
The Ordination Service will take place on the Friday evening at 7.30pm and Conference will end around 7pm on Saturday 7th June.
Watch and listen to the Living Wholeheartedly Podcast where General Secretary, the Rev Dr Heather Morris sits down with our President and Lay Leader to talk about life, ministry and what it looks like to live wholeheartedly.