Jurisdictional Conferences (United Methodist Church)
Encyclopedia
The Jurisdictional Conferences is a collection of Annual Conferences of The United Methodist Church located inside the United States
are organized into Jurisdictional conferences.
The constitution of The United Methodist Church established five jurisdictions within the United States and it specifies which states will be a part of each. Each jurisdiction is responsible for boundaries of annual conferences within those states and electing its own bishops.
Equal numbers of laity and clergy, elected by the annual conferences, will be delegates to the 2008 jurisdictional conferences, July 16-19. Jurisdictional conferences are held once every four years, in the same years as the General Conference meets.
While Central conferences—groups of annual conferences in Africa, Europe and the Philippines—follow similar procedures to elect and assign bishops, some meet in different years.
At present, each jurisdiction having 500,000 church members or fewer is entitled to six bishops. Another is elected for each additional 320,000 members. More may be elected if episcopal areas (one or more annual conferences) average more than 55000 square miles (142,449.3 km²).
Within each jurisdiction a committee on episcopacy (one clergy and one lay person from each annual conference) reviews the bishops' work and assigns them to their areas. The Jurisdictional Conference may affirm or reject the assignments and request a new one.
The Book of Discipline 2004 requires bishops to move after two four-year terms in the same area unless a two-thirds majority of both the jurisdictional committee on episcopacy and jurisdictional conference approves a third term. The Task Force to Study the Episcopacy would like to see General Conference 2008 enact legislation that would make a 12-year stay in an episcopal area more of the norm than the exception.
All assignments for active U.S. bishops begin on Sept. 1 following the jurisdictional conference.
In rare cases, an Inter-jurisdictional Committee on Episcopacy, elected by General Conference delegates, can transfer bishops across jurisdictional lines if the bishops and the jurisdictions consent.
Candidates are generally nominated by an annual conference or endorsed by jurisdictional conference delegates. Any United Methodist ordained elder may be elected bishop by any jurisdictional conference.
Each jurisdiction establishes the percentage of votes needed for election. Voting by ballot continues until someone receives the required number of votes.
Newly elected bishops are consecrated in worship services at the end of each jurisdictional conference.
Bishops are required to retire if they reach age 66 on or before July 1 in the year of jurisdictional conferences, but General Conference is considering changing the age to 68. If so, it could affect the number of bishops to be elected in July.
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United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
are organized into Jurisdictional conferences.
The constitution of The United Methodist Church established five jurisdictions within the United States and it specifies which states will be a part of each. Each jurisdiction is responsible for boundaries of annual conferences within those states and electing its own bishops.
Equal numbers of laity and clergy, elected by the annual conferences, will be delegates to the 2008 jurisdictional conferences, July 16-19. Jurisdictional conferences are held once every four years, in the same years as the General Conference meets.
While Central conferences—groups of annual conferences in Africa, Europe and the Philippines—follow similar procedures to elect and assign bishops, some meet in different years.
At present, each jurisdiction having 500,000 church members or fewer is entitled to six bishops. Another is elected for each additional 320,000 members. More may be elected if episcopal areas (one or more annual conferences) average more than 55000 square miles (142,449.3 km²).
Within each jurisdiction a committee on episcopacy (one clergy and one lay person from each annual conference) reviews the bishops' work and assigns them to their areas. The Jurisdictional Conference may affirm or reject the assignments and request a new one.
The Book of Discipline 2004 requires bishops to move after two four-year terms in the same area unless a two-thirds majority of both the jurisdictional committee on episcopacy and jurisdictional conference approves a third term. The Task Force to Study the Episcopacy would like to see General Conference 2008 enact legislation that would make a 12-year stay in an episcopal area more of the norm than the exception.
All assignments for active U.S. bishops begin on Sept. 1 following the jurisdictional conference.
In rare cases, an Inter-jurisdictional Committee on Episcopacy, elected by General Conference delegates, can transfer bishops across jurisdictional lines if the bishops and the jurisdictions consent.
Candidates are generally nominated by an annual conference or endorsed by jurisdictional conference delegates. Any United Methodist ordained elder may be elected bishop by any jurisdictional conference.
Each jurisdiction establishes the percentage of votes needed for election. Voting by ballot continues until someone receives the required number of votes.
Newly elected bishops are consecrated in worship services at the end of each jurisdictional conference.
Bishops are required to retire if they reach age 66 on or before July 1 in the year of jurisdictional conferences, but General Conference is considering changing the age to 68. If so, it could affect the number of bishops to be elected in July.
List of Jurisdictional Conferences
The conferences are also be grouped into jurisdictions that appoint bishops for conferences within that jurisdiction. These jurisdictions are listed http://archives.umc.org/directory/umcusa.asp?mid=556&xmid=556&Action=Find+Regional+Officesas follows:
- North Central Jurisdiction
- Northeastern Jurisdiction
- South Central Jurisdiction
- Southeastern Jurisdiction
- Western Jurisdiction
List of Annual Conferences in Jurisdictional Conferences
(see Annual Conferences in the Jurisdictional Conferences (Inside the U.S.)Annual Conferences of the United Methodist Church
The following is a list of the Annual Conferences of The United Methodist Church .-Annual Conferences in the Jurisdiction Conference :...
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See also
- United Methodist ChurchUnited Methodist ChurchThe United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the 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...
- Conferences of the United Methodist ChurchConferences of the United Methodist ChurchThe following is a list of the Conferences of The United Methodist Church.-Conference Listings:There are several kinds of Conferences of The United Methodist Church.*General Conference is the highest deliberative body for the United Methodist Church....
- General conference (United Methodist Church)General conference (United Methodist Church)The General Conference of The United Methodist Church is the denomination's top legislative body for all matters affecting the United Methodist connection...
- Central Conferences (United Methodist Church)Central Conferences (United Methodist Church)The Central Conferences is a collection of Annual Conferences of The United Methodist Church located outside the United States are organized into central conferences, much like Jurisdictional Conferences.-List of Central Conferences:...
- Annual Conferences
- Annual Conferences of the United Methodist ChurchAnnual Conferences of the United Methodist ChurchThe following is a list of the Annual Conferences of The United Methodist Church .-Annual Conferences in the Jurisdiction Conference :...
- List of Bishops of the United Methodist Church
- Episcopal AreaEpiscopal AreaAn Episcopal Area in the United Methodist Church is a basic unit of this denomination. It is a region presided over by a resident bishop that is similar to a diocese in other Christian denominations. Each annual conference in the UMC is within a single episcopal area; some episcopal areas...