Members of the Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma may no longer be required to pay fixed church levies as the Church plans to move towards voluntary giving and find other ways to support itself financially.
This is one of several major changes being proposed by the President of the Methodist Church in Fiji, Reverend Dr Semisi Turagavou, as the Church prepares to enter its 2027–2028 period of liberation and reformation.
While addressing the 2026 Annual Conference, Turagavou says for many years, congregations have carried the weight of compulsory levies, where fixed amounts are demanded, tracked and enforced.
He says giving should instead come from the heart and be based on a person's faith, rather than members giving because they fear a members are embarrassed when their names are called out for falling short.
Turagavou says the Church should erase the mentality and practice of the levy system and every division, circuit and church should begin transitioning towards what he calls "heart and faith giving".
He acknowledges this will not happen overnight and will require teaching and trust.
Turagavou says the change must also go hand-in-hand with making divisions, circuits and churches more self-sustaining so they do not continue placing the financial burden on their congregations.
He is calling on individual churches to look at the land, buildings, properties and other opportunities available to them and consider whether they are being properly developed to support the work of the Church.
Turagavou says investments undertaken by the Church headquarters are already generating returns and have allowed national-level levies to be reduced.
He says the ultimate goal should be self-sustaining and self-reliant divisions, circuits and churches where they no longer need to demand money from their congregations and whatever members give is offered freely.
The Church's business arm has also moved ahead with several major investments.
Its first service station was opened at Davuilevu following an investment of about $3.6 million, marking the Church's first venture into the fuel retail industry.
Work is also continuing on a 10-storey commercial complex beside the Reverend John Hunt Building, which Turagavou says is the Church's largest commercial investment to date and is targeted for completion around October this year.
Planning and paperwork are also progressing for a new Methodist Church conference centre, with Turagavou hoping the 2027 Annual Conference can be held there.
Another major change proposed by Dr Turagavou is for every Methodist lay preacher to abstain from smoking from January 2027.
He says there are issues affecting the credibility of lay pastors and preachers, including their appearance, speech, work ethic, relationships, excessive consumption of yaqona and smoking.
Dr Turagavou says lay preachers are messengers of God and people see God through their words and actions.
He says giving up smoking will save money and, more importantly, save lives, adding that Church leaders cannot preach freedom while remaining bound by habits they have not given up.
He says those who preach must live what they preach for the Church's mission to remain effective.
Dr Turagavou is also calling for a change in the practice of presenting and drinking yaqona with ministers and lay preachers immediately after church services.
He says while the practice is deeply rooted in custom, it does not serve the spiritual health of ministers or reflect the discipline expected of their calling.
He says traditions of hospitality and respect should continue, but not at the expense of the wellbeing of those called to lead the Church.
The President is also proposing significant changes to the structure of the Methodist Church, including reducing its number of divisions from 59 to 40.
Turagavou says reducing the number of divisions is part of his vision to strengthen Church operations and its monitoring system.
Under the proposal, assistant superintendent positions would also be created to help with meetings, pastoral activities and the overall operations of the Church.
He is also proposing changes to how the Methodist Church Annual Conference is held.
Turagavou says instead of holding a full conference every year, the Church could consider having a full conference after every two to three years of mini-conferences.
He believes the change could strengthen commitments within Church divisions and save money for Church operations.
There could also be changes to the role of Church headquarters in supporting superintendents.
Dr Turagavou says he hopes the annual stipend of all Methodist Church superintendents can eventually be paid by the Church's head office rather than placing that responsibility on members.
He hopes the scheme can be activated during the 2027–2028 financial year and says it would reduce the responsibilities placed on Church members.
Changes are also being proposed for the Church's divisional schools.
Dr Turagavou says there needs to be a change in mindset towards these schools and believes visionary leaders are needed to revive them.
With increasing psychological and social issues affecting communities, he is proposing that divisional schools become "reformative centres for holistic salvation".
He says this could provide a practical way of addressing drugs and other issues affecting communities through greater collaboration between the relevant institutions.
Dr Turagavou has also proposed demolishing Jubilee Hall and replacing it with an apartment development.
He says the apartments could accommodate conference delegates and also become an income-generating investment to support the Church's general operations and its mission locally and overseas.
Another area he wants reviewed is the selection of the Church's Deputy General Secretary.
Dr Turagavou proposes opening the position to both clergy and lay people based on their credentials.
He says the person appointed should have strong administrative and communication skills, which could also help reduce the workload of the General Secretary.
Looking further ahead, Dr Turagavou wants the Methodist Church to continue growing and reach 195,000 members by 2030 and 200,000 members by 2035, when 200 years since the arrival of Methodism in Fiji will be celebrated.
He also wants confirmed members to make up 64 percent of the Church's total membership by 2028.
Turagavou also stressed that while the Methodist Church's relationship with Fiji's traditional structures must remain respectful, the Church should never become so bound to traditional or cultural structures that it loses its own voice.
He says the Church must work in partnership and mutual respect with traditional structures while remaining clear that its first allegiance and identity belong to Jesus Christ and the Church.
Meanwhile, Turagavou is requesting confirmed Methodist Church members to demonstrate their unity through a freewill offering during the 2027 Conference.
He says the money collected through the voluntary offering will go directly towards financing the new conference centre.
Turagavou says the changes ahead will require courage and the Church will have to let go of some practices it has held onto for a long time, including things that have become normal and comfortable.
He says liberation and reformation must begin within the hearts and habits of members and within the structures of the Church before it can take that message to the wider nation.
The Methodist Conference will commence the Festival of Praise 2026 which will be held at the Vodafone Arena from 4pm today.
