United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is the largest Methodist denomination in the United States. As a Methodist denomination, it is part of Protestant Christianity. In 2004 worldwide membership was about 11 million members: 8.6 million in the United States, 2.4 million in Africa, Asia and Europe.
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The United Methodist Church (UMC) was formed in 1968 as a result of a merger between the Evangelical United Brethren and the Methodist Church which were themselves the results of mergers. The Methodist Church was formed in 1939 as the result of a merger of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and the Methodist Protestant Church.
The UMC is organized into conferences. The highest level is called the General Conference and is the only organization which may speak officially for the UMC. The General Conference meets every four years (quadrennium). Legislative changes are recorded in The Book of Discipline which is revised after each General Conference. Non-legislative resolutions are recorded in The Book of Resolutions which is published after each General Conference.
Beneath the General Conference are Jurisdictional and Central Conferences which also meet every four years. Their chief purpose is to elect and appoint bishops to serve the UMC. The United States is divided into five Jursidictions: Northeast, Southeast, North Central, South Central and Western. Outside the United States the UMC is divided into seven Central Conferences: Africa, Congo, West Africa, Central & Southern Europe, Germany, Northern Europe and Phillipines.
The Annual Conference is roughly the equivalent of a diocese in the Episcopal Church and the Roman Catholic Church. The term Annual Conference refers to the geographical area it covers as well as the frequency of meeting. Annual Conferences are further divided into Districts, each served by a District Superintendent.
The chief administrators of the UMC are the bishops, who serve Episcopal areas consisting of one or more Annual Conferences. The Annual Conference cabinet consists of the bishop and the district superintendents.
The clergy includes men and women who are ordained by bishops as elders and deacons and are appointed to various ministries. Elders in the UMC are part of what is called the itinerating ministry and are subject to the authority and appointment of their bishops. They generally serve as pastors at local congregations. Deacons make up a serving ministry and may serve as musicians, educators, business administrators, and a number of other ministries.
It is considered one of the more liberal and tolerant denominations with respect to race, gender, and ideology. Its official positions on homosexuality remain conservative, despite a number of leaders disagreeing with its official position. Attempts to change its position at each General Conference since the merger, beginning in 1972, have generated considerable controversy between liberal and conservative members.
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