Annual conferences of the United Methodist Church

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An annual conference in the United Methodist Church is a regional body that governs much of the life of the "connectional church".[ further explanation needed ] Annual conferences are composed primarily of the clergy members and a lay member or members from each charge (a charge is one or more churches served by a minister under appointment by the bishop). Each conference is a geographical division. In general, the smaller states in the United States hold one conference each, while larger states often include two or more conferences. Several annual conferences are held in other nations as well.

The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a mainline Protestant denomination and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelicalism. The present denomination was founded in 1968 in Dallas, Texas, by union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church. The UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley in England, as well as the Great Awakening in the United States. As such, the church's theological orientation is decidedly Wesleyan. It embraces both liturgical and evangelical elements.

Clergy leaders within certain religions

Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the terms used for individual clergy are clergyman, clergywoman, and churchman. Less common terms are churchwoman and clergyperson, while cleric and clerk in holy orders both have a long history but are rarely used.

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Role and composition

The annual conference is the primary unit of denominational government. Regional groups of conferences within the United States make up the Jurisdictional Conferences, and outside the United States they make up the Central Conferences. The entire group of all annual conferences makes up the General Conference which meets every four years. Only the General Conference can speak officially for the church.

United States Federal republic in North America

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country comprising 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.

The annual conference is composed of an equal number of clergy and laity. Each charge conference elects as many lay members to the annual conference as they have ministers appointed to that charge. In most cases that is one. The Lay Member must, at the time of election, be a professing member of the United Methodist Church for at least two years and four years an active participant in the church. This requirement may be waived for those under 30 years old in the Central Conferences, and is waived for newly organized churches. The annual conference also consists of a number of "at-large" members, also known as "additional lay members," the number of at-large members being the number necessary (after the members elected by charge conferences are seated) so that the laity and the clergy are equal in number. First seated among at-large members are lay persons holding certain lay positions or offices designated by the Book of Discipline or by the annual conference itself. Among those officers are the lay leaders of the conference and each of the districts within the conference, as well as the Conference presidents of the United Methodist Men, United Methodist Women, the young adult organization, the college student organization and the youth fellowship. Also all the diaconal ministers, home missioners and the deaconesses under Episcopal appointment are lay members. When there are multiple congregations in a charge conference, members from each congregation in that charge are encouraged to become at-large members. After all lay members who hold their seat by virtue of office or position are seated and if additional lay members are needed the annual conference will elect any active United Methodist lay person who is interested in holding that position.

The Book of Discipline constitutes the law and doctrine of the United Methodist Church. It follows similar works for its predecessor denominations. It was originally published in 1784, in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and has been published every four years thereafter following the meeting of the General Conference, which passes legislation that is included in the Book of Discipline. The most recent edition is that of 2016.

Among their other duties the annual conference elects delegates to the general, jurisdictional and central conferences, and votes on amendments to the church constitution. Its executive committee, composed of its ordained clergy members, authorizes the ordination of clergy, also disciplines and hold accountable its members.

List of annual conferences

The following is a list of the annual conferences of the United Methodist Church (including the current Resident Bishops in each Episcopal Areas).

Annual conferences in the jurisdictional conferences (inside the U.S.)

The conferences are also grouped into jurisdictions that appoint bishops for conferences within that jurisdiction. These jurisdictions are listed as follows: ()

North Central Jurisdiction

According to the UMC website , the North Central Jurisdiction consists of the following annual conferences:

Northeastern Jurisdiction

According to its website , the Northeastern Jurisdiction consists of the following annual conferences:

Southeastern Jurisdiction

According to its website, The Southeastern Jurisdiction consists of the following annual conferences:

South Central Jurisdiction

According to its website , the South Central Jurisdiction consists of the following annual conferences:

Western Jurisdiction

According to its website , the "Western Jurisdiction" of the UMC consists of the following conferences:

Annual conferences in the central conferences (outside the U.S.)

Outside the United States the church is divided into seven central conferences in three continents:

Africa Central Conference

  • Eastern Angola Episcopal Area : Bishop Jose Quipungo
    • Eastern Angola Annual Conference
  • East Africa Episcopal Area : Bishop Daniel A. Wandabula
    • East Africa Annual Conference (includes Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan and Uganda)
  • Mozambique Episcopal Area : Bishop Joaquina Filipe Nhanala
    • Mozambique North Annual Conference
    • Mozambique South Annual Conference
    • South Africa Provisional conference
  • Western Angola Episcopal Area : Bishop Gaspar João Domingos
    • Western Angola Annual Conference
  • Zimbabwe Episcopal Area : Bishop Eben K. Nhiwatiwa
    • East Zimbabwe Annual Conference
    • West Zimbabwe Annual Conference

Congo Central Conference

  • Central Congo Episcopal Area :Bishop David Kekumba Yemba
    • Central Congo Annual Conference
    • East Congo Annual Conference (Previously Northeast Congo)
    • Kasai Provisional Annual Conference
    • Kivu Provisional Annual Conference
    • Oriental and Equator Annual Conference (Previously Upper Congo & Equator)
    • West Congo Annual Conference
  • North Katanga Episcopal Area : Bishop Nkulu Ntanda Ntambo
    • North Katanga Annual Conference
    • Tanganyika/Tanzania Annual Conference
  • South Congo Episcopal Area : Bishop Kainda Katembo
    • Lukoshi Annual Conference
    • North-West Katanga Annual Conference
    • South Congo Annual Conference
    • South-West Katanga Annual Conference

West Africa Central Conference

  • Liberia Episcopal Area: Bishop John Innis
    • Liberia Annual Conference
  • Nigeria Episcopal Area Bishop John Wesley Yohanna
    • Southern Nigeria Annual Conference
  • Central Nigeria Annual Conference
  • Northern Nigeria Annual Conference
  • Sierra Leone Episcopal Area: Bishop John Yambasu
    • Sierra Leone Annual Conference
  • Cote d'Ivoire Episcopal Area: Bishop Benjamin Boni
    • Côte d'Ivoire Annual Conference

Central and Southern Europe Central Conference

Germany Central Conference

Northern Europe Central Conference

Philippines Central Conference

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "AWFUMC: Bishop Graves Assigned to AWF Conference". www.awfumc.org. Retrieved 2016-07-26.
  2. ↑ "Bishop R. Lawson Bryan assigned to South Georgia". www.sgaumc.org. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  3. ↑ "Mountain Sky Outlook". Mountain Sky Area of The United Methodist Church. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
  4. ↑ "Mountain Sky Outlook". Mountain Sky Area of The United Methodist Church. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
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