by Chris Ritter

The convening General Conference of the Global Methodist Church decided we will operate under the General Superintendency of bishops. This “back to the future” move is a decided reversal from the slow drift toward residential and compartmentalized episcopacy over the past century of legacy Methodist denominationalism. We have restored episcopal accountability and selection to the General Conference. Thanks be to God.

We also overwhelmingly approved a new way of electing and deploying bishops for 2026 and beyond. Two representatives from each conference (those to serve on the various area committees on episcopacy) will gather under the leadership of the Global Episcopacy Committee Chair to form our episcopal areas of around 6-8 conferences each. These areas need not be geographically contiguous and their composition will be reconsidered every six years. Episcopal areas thus constituted provide an opportunity for conferences to group together as best serves the mission of the Global Methodist Church. International delegates, in person and on Zoom, spoke in favor of this arrangement. (African conferences will normally need ready access to African bishops, etc.) There are also opportunities for international groupings that may help build global connections.

Once the episcopal areas are created, the individual area committees on episcopacy will meet to interview candidates for the episcopacy and those bishops eligible for re-election. They will have access to confidential background information provided to them by the Global Episcopacy Committee. Each area committee will produce a ranked list of candidates they believe would best serve their area as general superintendents of the entire GMC. This ranking data will be provided to the delegates of General Conference and each bishop will be elected to serve the whole church in a specific set of conferences.

An esteemed friend took to the floor of General Conference and characterized our approved means of deploying bishops as jurisdictionalism. I disagree. GMC episcopal areas are neither jurisdictions nor “regions.” UM jurisdictions are bodies that elect and handle complaints against bishops. In the GMC, those functions are given to the General Conference and the Global Episcopacy Committee. Regions, in UMC parlance, are crafted to operate under their own sub-disciplines. This is not true of GMC episcopal areas which have no shared structures beyond the area committees on episcopacy and do not conference separately in any way. Episcopal areas are temporary, whereas the borders of UM jurisdictions are ensconced in the UM constitution. The composition of episcopal areas may change every six years, as needed to keep us one tribe.

Also on Day Five, the General Conference approved a plan to elect six interim, part-time bishops at this General Conference. An amendment offered by Scott Pattison, president of the Great Lakes Conference, was approved which restored all previously nominated candidates and allowed any conferences that did not have the opportunity to nominate to do so. We also stated that candidates must be present to be elected. (As of the morning of September 25, there are 22 eligible candidates).

Other highlights of Day Five:

  • Luther Oconer, President of the Mega Manila Conference, opened the morning with a Spirit-filled message which concluded with yet another flooded altar. The Holy Spirit is at work. Please check the livestream archive to find this anointed message.
  • In a historic moment, the General Conference approved the constitution for the Global Methodist Church. The vote was 327 to 2.
  • Day Four ended with shared worship service between GMC delegates and members of the Evangelical Methodist Church of Costa Rica. The GMC was presented with a large plaque that celebrates the Gospel partnership between these two bodies. It was yet another glorious time of passionate worship, followed by prayer at the altar.