An annual conference is a regional decision-making body within various Methodist denominations.

Conference A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main p ...

s are a key characteristic of the

connectional Connexionalism, also spelled connectionalism, is the theological understanding and foundation of Methodist ecclesiastical polity, as practised in the Methodist Church in Britain, Methodist Church in Ireland, United Methodist Church, Free Method ...

system of government in Methodism. Annual conferences are composed primarily of the

clergy 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 ter ...

members and a

lay Lay may refer to: Places *Lay Range, a subrange of mountains in British Columbia, Canada *Lay, Loire, a French commune * Lay (river), France *Lay, Iran, a village * Lay, Kansas, United States, an unincorporated community People * Lay (surname) ...

member or members from each charge (a charge is one or more churches served by a minister under appointment by the

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

). 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.

Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Church

With regard to the membership of Annual Conferences of the

Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection The Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection (AWMC), originally the Wesleyan Methodist Church (Allegheny Conference), and also known as the Wesleyan Methodist Church (WMC), is a Methodist denomination within the conservative holiness movement prim ...

, the 2014 Book of Discipline states:

Evangelical Wesleyan Church

In the

Evangelical Wesleyan Church The Evangelical Wesleyan Church, formerly known as the Evangelical Wesleyan Church of North America, is a Methodist denomination in the conservative holiness movement. The formation of the Evangelical Wesleyan Church is a part of the history of ...

, two annual conferences exist, the Eastern Annual Conference and the Western Annual Conference. It is presided over by a

. Annual Conferences in the EWC are invested with the responsibility of reviewing candidates for holy orders.

Free Methodist Church

¶200 of ''The Book of Discipline'' of the

Free Methodist Church The Free Methodist Church (FMC) is a Methodist Christian denomination within the holiness movement, based in the United States. It is evangelical in nature and is Wesleyan–Arminian in theology. The Free Methodist Church has members in over 100 ...

states that:

United Methodist Church

Role and composition

The annual conference is the primary unit of denominational government. Regional groups of conferences within the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

make up the

Jurisdictional Conferences The Jurisdictional Conferences are a collection of Annual Conferences of The United Methodist Church located inside the United States. The constitution of The United Methodist Church established five jurisdictions within the United States and i ...

, 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. 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 The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelica ...

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 A Book of Discipline (or in its shortened form Discipline) is a book detailing the beliefs, standards, doctrines, canon law, and polity of a particular Christian denomination. They are often re-written by the governing body of the church concerned ...

'' 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 The ministry of a deaconess is, in modern times, a usually non-ordained ministry for women in some Protestant, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Orthodox churches to provide pastoral care, especially for other women, and which may carry a limited l ...

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. 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

(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 liste

as follows:

North Central Jurisdiction

Northeastern Jurisdiction

South Central Jurisdiction

Southeastern Jurisdiction

Western Jurisdiction

=North Central Jurisdiction

= According to the UMC websit

the North Central Jurisdiction consists of the following annual conferences: * Dakotas Conference—Bishop Bruce R. Oug

* Minnesota Conference - Bishop Bruce R. Oug

* East Ohio Conference—Bishop Tracy S. Malon

* Indiana Conference—Bishop Julius C. Trimbl

* Northern Illinois Conference (United Methodist), Northern Illinois Conference—Bishop Sally Dyck (Chicago

* Illinois Great Rivers Conferenc

��Bishop Frank Beard (Illinoi

* Iowa Conference—Bishop Laurie Haller (Iowa

* West Ohio Conference—Bishop Gregory V. Palmerbr>
* Wisconsin Conference—Bishop Hee-Soo Jun

* Michigan Area Conference—Bishop David Alan Bar

=Northeastern Jurisdiction

= According to its website, the Northeastern Jurisdiction consists of the following annual conferences: * Baltimore-Washington Conference - Bishop Latrelle Easterling (Washington

* Susquehanna Conference - Bishop Jeremiah Park (Harrisburg

* Eastern Pennsylvania Conference—Bishop Peggy Johnson (Philadelphia
www.epaumc.org
MRC-1 James Lee

*Greater New Jersey Conference. This conference serves approximately 560 congregations in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

and parts of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, and

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. The conference's administrative offices and the office of the

are located in Neptune, New Jersey. GNJ is part of the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference and is one of 57 annual conferences in the United States and 76 additional annual conferences internationally. The resident bishop is John R. Schol. Website
United Methodists of Greater New Jersey
* New England Annual Conference—Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar (Boston Area

* New York Annual Conference—Bishop Thomas Bickerton (New Yor

* Upper New York Annual Conference—Bishop Mark Web

* Peninsula-Delaware Conference— Bishop Peggy Johnso

* West Virginia Annual Conference—Bishop Sandra Steiner Bal

* Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference—Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi (

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

= Southeastern Jurisdiction

= According to its website

the Southeastern Jurisdiction consists of the following annual conferences: * Alabama - West Florida Annual Conference— David Graves (bishop), Bishop David Graves (Alabama West-Florida) * Florida Annual Conference—Bishop Kenneth Carter (Florida

* Holston Conference—Bishop Mary Virginia Taylor (Knoxville

* Kentucky Conference—Bishop Leonard Fairley (Louisville

also Bishop of the Red Bird Missionary Conference. * Memphis—Bishop William T. McAlill

also Bishop of the Tennessee Conference. * Mississippi Annual Conference—Bishop James E. Swanson (Mississipp

* North Alabama annual conference, North Alabama Conference—Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett (Birmingham

* North Carolina Conference—Bishop Hope Morgan Ward (Raleigh

* North Georgia Annual Conference, North Georgia Conference—Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnso

* Red Bird Missionary — Bishop Leonard Fairley (Louisville) * South Carolina Conference—Bishop Jonathan Holston (Columbia

* South Georgia Conference—Bishop Lawson Bryan (South Georgia) * Tennessee Conference—Bishop William T. McAlilly (Nashville

* Virginia Conference—Bishop Sharma Lewis (Virgini

* Western North Carolina Conference—Bishop Paul Leeland (Charlotte

=South Central Jurisdiction

= According to its websit

the South Central Jurisdiction consists of the following annual conferences: * Central Texas Conference—Bishop J. Mike Lowr

* Great Plains Conference—Bishop Ruben Saenz, Jr. (Kansas/Nebraska

* Louisiana Conference—Bishop

Cynthia Fierro Harvey Cynthia Fierro Harvey (born 1959) is an American bishop in the United Methodist Church and president of its Council of Bishops. She is the first Hispanic woman to lead the Council of Bishops. Harvey is the Resident Bishop of the Louisiana area ...

(Louisiana Area

* Missouri Conference—Bishop Robert Farr (Missouri)

Arkansas Conference

Bishop Gary Mueller
(Little Rock

* New Mexico Conference—Bishop W. Earl Bledsoe (Northwest Texas/New Mexico

* North Texas Conference—Bishop Mike McKee (Dallas

* Northwest Texas Conference—Bishop W. Earl Bledsoe (Northwest Texas/New Mexico

* Oklahoma-Indian Missionary Conference—Bishop James G. Nunn (bishop), James G. Nunnbr>
* Oklahoma Annual Conference, Oklahoma Conference—Bishop James G. Nun

* Rio Texas Conference—Bishop Robert Schnase (San Antonio

* Texas Annual Conference, Texas Conference—Bishop Scott Jones (Houston)

Note: During its jurisdictional conference in early November 2022, new episcopal appointments were announced which will be effective January 1, 2023: Louisiana Conference: Bishop Dee J Williamson (newly elected) Great Plains Conference: Bishop Dr. David Wilson (newly elected) North/Central Texas Conferences: Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. (From Great Plains) Texas Annual Conference: Bishop Cynthia Fierro-Harvey (From Louisiana) Arkansas: Bishop Laura Merrill (Newly elected)

=Western Jurisdiction

= According to its websit

the "Western Jurisdiction" of the UMC consists of the following conferences: * Alaska Conference—Bishop Elaine JW Stanovsky (Seattle

* California-Nevada Conference—Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño (Sacramento

* California Pacific Conference (UMC)—Bishop Grant J. Hagiya (Pasadena

* Desert Southwest Conference—Bishop Robert T. Hoshibata (Phoenix

* Mountain Sky Conference—Bishop Karen Oliveto, Karen P. Oliveto (Denver

* Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference—Bishop Elaine JW Stanovsky (Seattle

* Pacific Northwest Annual Conference—Bishop Elaine JW Stanovsky (Seattle)

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 * Congo Central Conference * West Africa Central Conference * Central and Southern Europe Central Conference * Germany Central Conference *

Northern Europe Central Conference Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...

* Philippines Central Conference

=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

= *''Central and Southern Europe Episcopal Area'': Bishop Patrick Streiffbr>
**Austria Provisional Annual Conference **Bulgaria Provisional Annual Conference **Czech and Slovak Republics Annual Conference **Hungary Provisional Annual Conference **Poland Annual Conference **Serbia-Montenegro/Republic of Macedonia Provisional Annual Conference **Switzerland-France Annual Conference (includes Algeria District)

=Germany Central Conference

= *''Germany Episcopal Area'': Bishop Harald Rückertbr>
**Germany East Annual Conference **Germany North Annual Conference **Germany South Annual Conference

=Northern Europe Central Conference

= *''Eurasia Episcopal Area'': Bishop Eduard Khegay

**Central Russia Annual Conference **Eastern Russia and Central Asia Annual Conference **Northwest Russia Provisional Annual Conference **Southern Russia Annual Conference **Ukraine and Moldova Annual Conference *''Nordic and Baltic Episcopal Area'' : Bishop Christian Alste

**Denmark Annual Conference **Estonia Annual Conference **Finland-Finnish Provisional Annual Conference **Finland-Swedish Provisional Annual Conference **Norway Annual Conference **Sweden Annual Conference

=Philippines Central Conference

= * ''Baguio Episcopal Area'': Pedro M. Torio Jr. **Central Luzon Philippines Annual Conference **North Central Philippines Annual Conference **Northeast Philippines Annual Conference **Northern Philippines Annual Conference **Northwest Philippines Annual Conference **Pangasinan Philippines Annual Conference **Tarlac Philippines Annual Conference **Northeast Luzon Philippines Annual Conference * ''Davao Episcopal Area'': Bishop Cery Francisco **East Mindanao Philippines Annual Conference **Mindanao Philippines Annual Conference **Northwest Mindanao Philippines Annual Conference **Southwest Philippines Annual Conference **Palawan Philippines Annual Conference **Visayas Philippines Annual Conference * ''Manila Episcopal Area'' : Bishop Rudy A. Juan **Bicol Philippines Provisional Annual Conference **Bulacan Philippines Annual Conference **Middle Philippines Annual Conference **Philippines Annual Conference **Quezon City Philippines Annual Conference - East **Rizal Philippines Annual Conference - East **Southern Tagalog Provisional Philippines Annual Conference - East **Pampango Philippines Annual Conference **West Middle Philippines Annual Conference

References

*'' The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church 2008'', ¶¶ 32, 251.2, 601-656. * Conferences and bishops are fro
UMC.org Website
and are current as of April 2008 or as updated. * Context for Jurisdictions versus Conference

{{United Methodist Church United Methodist Church Church organization

Conferences A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main ...

United Methodist Annual Conferences Dioceses by denomination Dioceses in the United States