Today

Daily Church News Briefing — Wednesday, 21 October 2026

By The FaithDaily Desk

Good morning. The most serious item came from Myanmar. Charisma News reported that the country's military destroyed two churches within days of each other this month, bombing a Presbyterian church and burning a Baptist church alongside nearby homes. The report attributed the account to Christian Solidarity Worldwide and described the attacks as the latest against Christian communities.

Two legal matters drew attention in different jurisdictions. Anglican Ink reported that the Zambian government has told the court it will oppose bail for Bishop Trewvor Mwanda and the other defendants arrested with him, citing the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation; the report said Bishop Mwanda will remain in custody unless the court rules otherwise. In Nigeria, Anglican Ink reported that the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has called on its clergy, laity and the public to remain calm and respect ongoing ecclesiastical and judicial proceedings concerning the Diocese of Awka.

In the United States, United Methodist News reported that a federal appeals court has revived a suit brought by a coalition of faith groups, including United Methodists, seeking to curb immigration enforcement at houses of worship. Separately, Charisma News reported that staff at Noah's Ark Christian Academy in Illinois found a large piece of metal outside a United Methodist church during Monday morning security checks, and that the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating whether it is an aircraft part.

The Episcopal Church featured heavily. Anglican Ink reported that its Executive Council, meeting Monday, 19 October at the church's New York headquarters, adopted the church's strategic plan and authorised officers to negotiate the sale of its Manhattan headquarters. In opening remarks reported by Anglican Ink, House of Deputies President Julia Ayala Harris said, "The church was never promised permanence; it was promised the presence of God."

Church of England governance also moved. Anglican Ink reported that the Bishop of Oswestry was elected to the General Synod, and that the CEEC described the 2026 General Synod elections as the most hotly contested in recent years. Anglican Ink further reported that the Bishop of Chelmsford, the Right Reverend Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, told The Mirror that Nigel Farage's proposed five-year asylum ban "betrays Britain's proud history".

Finally, United Methodist News reported that lay and clergy leaders from four continents gathered in Canada and online to begin imagining the denomination's future, while Anglican Ink covered the Council of Churches in East Asia bishops' meeting hosted by the Diocese of Seoul and the Archbishop of York's address to the Perth Synod.