South Carolina Annual Conference
Encyclopedia
The South Carolina Conference is an Annual Conference
(regional episcopal
area, similar to a diocese
) of the United Methodist Church
. This conference serves the state of South Carolina
with its administrative offices and the office of the bishop
(currently Mary Virginia Taylor) being in Columbia, South Carolina
. It is part of the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference.
The South Carolina Conference provides funding to four institutions of higher learning:
The SC Annual Conference is further subdivided into 12 smaller regions, called "districts," which provide further administrative functions for the operation of local churches in cooperation with each other. This structure is vital to Methodism
, and is referred to as connectionalism
. The Districts that comprise the South Carolina Conference are:
Annual Conference
An Annual Conference in the United Methodist Church is a regional body that governs much of the life of the "Connectional Church." Annual conferences are composed primarily of the clergy members and a lay member or members from each charge . Each conference is a geographical division...
(regional episcopal
Episcopal polity
Episcopal polity is a form of church governance that is hierarchical in structure with the chief authority over a local Christian church resting in a bishop...
area, similar to a diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
) of the United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The 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...
. This conference serves the state of South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
with its administrative offices and the office of the bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
(currently Mary Virginia Taylor) being in Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
. It is part of the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference.
The South Carolina Conference provides funding to four institutions of higher learning:
- Spartanburg Methodist CollegeSpartanburg Methodist CollegeSpartanburg Methodist College is a private, two-year institution of higher learning, or junior college, located in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It is the only independent, regionally-accredited, residential two-year college in South Carolina....
http://www.smcsc.edu -- Spartanburg, South CarolinaSpartanburg, South CarolinathgSpartanburg is the largest city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest city of the three primary cities in the Upstate region of South Carolina, and is located northwest of Columbia, west of Charlotte, and about northeast of... - Claflin UniversityClaflin UniversityClaflin University is located in Orangeburg, South Carolina, United States. Claflin University was founded in 1869 and is the oldest historically black college or university in the state of South Carolina.-History:...
http://www.claflin.edu -- Orangeburg, South CarolinaOrangeburg, South CarolinaOrangeburg, also known as "The Garden City," is the principal city in and the county seat of Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city is also the fifth oldest city in the state of South Carolina. The city population was 12,765 at the 2000 census, within a Greater Orangeburg... - Columbia CollegeColumbia College (Columbia, South Carolina)Columbia College is a private liberal arts women's college in Columbia, South Carolina. The school is affiliated with United Methodist Church and has more than 1,500 students...
http://www.columbiacollegesc.edu -- Columbia, South CarolinaColumbia, South CarolinaColumbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan... - Wofford CollegeWofford CollegeEstablished in 1854 and related to the United Methodist Church, Wofford College is an independent, Phi Beta Kappa liberal arts college of 1,525 students located in downtown Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. The historic campus is recognized as a national arboretum and features “The...
http://www.wofford.edu -- Spartanburg, South CarolinaSpartanburg, South CarolinathgSpartanburg is the largest city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest city of the three primary cities in the Upstate region of South Carolina, and is located northwest of Columbia, west of Charlotte, and about northeast of...
The SC Annual Conference is further subdivided into 12 smaller regions, called "districts," which provide further administrative functions for the operation of local churches in cooperation with each other. This structure is vital to Methodism
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
, and is referred to as connectionalism
Connectionalism
The term Connexionalism is today most commonly used to describe the theological understanding and foundation of Methodist polity, as practised in the British Methodist Church and the American United Methodist Church...
. The Districts that comprise the South Carolina Conference are:
- Anderson http://umcsc.net/anderson
- Charleston
- Columbia http://www.midnet.sc.edu/coldistumc/index.htm
- Florence http://www.florencedistrictumc.org
- Greenville http://www.greenvilleumc.org
- Greenwood http://www.umcsc.net/greenwood
- Hartsville http://www.gbgm-umc.org/hadist
- Marion
- Orangeburg
- Rock Hill http://rockhilldistrictumc.org
- Spartanburg
- Walterboro http://www.gbgm-umc.org/walterborodistrictsc