BISHOP JOHN PENA AUTA REPORTEDLY NAMED COORDINATING BISHOP OF GLOBAL METHODIST CHURCH IN NIGERIA
…New leadership role follows conclusion of his service in GMC’s interim episcopacy
By Zuppai Ibrahim | September 5, 2026
Bishop John Pena Auta has reportedly been named Coordinating Bishop of the Global Methodist Church (GMC) in Nigeria, following developments at the denomination’s 2026 General Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The reported decision represents a significant development for the Global Methodist Church in Nigeria and comes as the denomination restructures its episcopal leadership following the election of its first regular, full-time slate of bishops.
Bishop Auta has been one of the most prominent Nigerian figures in the emerging Global Methodist Church and was among the six interim bishops elected at the denomination’s 2024 Convening General Conference in San José, Costa Rica.
He subsequently exercised episcopal oversight across several areas of the global denomination, including the Northeast Nigeria and Southern Nigeria Annual Conferences, as well as North Georgia in the United States and other areas outside Nigeria.
His international responsibilities made him one of the Nigerian leaders with the broadest episcopal assignments in the young denomination.
At the 2026 General Conference, Bishop Auta was among the serving interim bishops seeking election into the GMC’s new regular episcopacy.
He successfully crossed the required three-fourths threshold in the qualifying process for interim bishops, alongside Bishop Carolyn Moore, thereby advancing to the main episcopal ballot.
The General Conference ultimately elected eight bishops to constitute the denomination’s first regular, full-time episcopal leadership, with their six-year terms expected to begin in November 2026.
Bishop Auta was not among the eight eventually elected to the new full-time episcopacy.
However, his reported emergence as Coordinating Bishop in Nigeria would give him a significant leadership responsibility in coordinating the affairs of the denomination within the country during the next phase of its development.
The development is particularly significant given Nigeria’s growing presence within the Global Methodist Church.
Bishop Auta has played a central role in that transition. Before the Johannesburg conference, he served as an active bishop of the denomination, providing oversight to the Northeast Nigeria and Southern Nigeria Annual Conferences alongside assignments in other parts of the global church.
The GMC’s official records also show that Bishop Auta served within the Assembly of Bishops with responsibility for Finance and Administration during the 2024–2026 transitional period.
The Johannesburg General Conference, held from August 30 to September 5, brought together delegates and church leaders from across the world to deliberate on the future structure, doctrine, administration and leadership of the denomination.
The conference also marked a transition from the interim episcopal arrangements established at the 2024 Convening General Conference to a more permanent leadership structure.
For the Global Methodist Church in Nigeria, the reported appointment of Bishop Auta as Coordinating Bishop could provide continuity as the Nigerian conferences adjust to the denomination’s new global episcopal structure.
Further details are expected regarding the precise responsibilities attached to the position and how the coordinating role will relate to the newly elected bishops assigned episcopal oversight of Nigeria.
Bishop Auta’s emergence is nevertheless being celebrated by his supporters in Nigeria as recognition of his leadership and contribution to the growth of the Global Methodist movement.
