Christianity • Protestantism
17-536: A central conference is one of seven annual conferences organized by the United Methodist Church outside of the United States . Composed of equal numbers of lay and clergy members, they connect annual conferences "for common ministry, adapt regulations as the conditions in the respective regions may require, and elect bishops ... and fix their tenure." In the mid 1900s, annual conferences outside of
34-560: 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. With regard to the membership of Annual Conferences of the Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection , the 2014 Book of Discipline states: The voting membership of the conference shall include
51-537: Is a list of the episcopal areas and annual conferences of the United Methodist Church and the current Resident Bishops in each Episcopal Area as of 2023. The Western Jurisdiction is also served by the following active and retired bishops that lead other functions within the jurisdiction: Bishops are elected to four-year term and re-elected for life bishops are elected for life Bishops are elected to four-year term and re-elected for life Central Conferences (United Methodist Church) A central conference
68-460: Is a regional decision-making body within various Methodist denominations . Conferences are a key characteristic of the connexional (connectional) system of government in Methodism. 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
85-476: Is one of seven annual conferences organized by the United Methodist Church outside of the United States . Composed of equal numbers of lay and clergy members, they connect annual conferences "for common ministry, adapt regulations as the conditions in the respective regions may require, and elect bishops ... and fix their tenure." In the mid 1900s, annual conferences outside of the US became autonomous, notably in
102-489: 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,"
119-764: The US became autonomous, notably in the entirety of Latin America, as well as in most regions within Asia. Many of these autonomous churches remain affiliated with the United Methodist Church as affiliated autonomous or affiliated united churches, and continue to send non-voting delegates to the General Conference in the United States. There are seven central conferences, taking place in three continents: Annual conferences within Methodism An annual conference
136-589: The United Methodist Church regarding issues of human sexuality. Numerous United Methodist Congregations voted to disaffiliate from their UMC Annual Conferences and affiliate with the GMC. Structurally, the GMC remains very similar to the UMC. 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
153-571: 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. 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
170-494: The United States, conferences are grouped into the jurisdictional areas: Outside the United States the church is divided into seven central conferences (similar to US Jurisdictions): Each jurisdiction or Central Conference may comprise Episcopal Areas which are groups of Annual Conferences who share a single bishop. In the US, this is often a precursor to a reorganization or combining of multiple Annual Conferences into one due to churches closing or disaffiliating. The following
187-452: The annual conference will elect any active United Methodist lay person who is interested in holding that position. 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. Within
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#1732876093262204-724: 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
221-730: The division has been called. In the Evangelical Wesleyan Church , two annual conferences exist, the Eastern Annual Conference and the Western Annual Conference. It is presided over by a bishop . Annual Conferences in the EWC are invested with the responsibility of reviewing candidates for holy orders . ¶200 of The Book of Discipline of the Free Methodist Church states that: Annual conferences are
238-532: The following: all elders on the stationed, reserve, and superannuated lists; all conference preachers elected to elders’ orders; all conference preachers serving as pastors of organized Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist churches; lay delegates elected by organized Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist churches as provided in The Discipline. In addition, the annual conference shall include such nonvoting members as The Discipline shall provide. The principle of equal representation of
255-427: The ministry and laity in the annual conference shall be maintained. In transacting the business of the annual conference the ministers and lay members shall deliberate as one body; but on the final vote on any question, at the call of one-fourth of the members, the house shall divide, and the ministers and lay members shall vote separately; and it shall require a majority vote of each branch to pass any question upon which
272-470: The normative Free Methodist organization at the regional level that provides for reasonable spans of care for ministers and congregations, as well as the structure for effective kingdom expansion. Each annual conference in the Free Methodist Church shall be a member of a general conference. The Global Methodist Church launched in 2022 following significant differences of opinion and doctrine within
289-458: 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
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