THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH STRUCTURE

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HOW TO CONNECT WITH . . . . . .
THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH STRUCTURE
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LOCAL CHURCHES DISTRICTS ANNUAL
CONFERENCES JURISDICTIONS GENERAL
CONFERENCE BISHOPS AND EPISCOPAL AREAS GENERAL
CHURCHWIDE AGENCIES JUDICIAL COUNCIL ECUMENICAL
RELATIONSHIPS AND YOU!
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THE KEY TO EVERYTHING!
CONNECTIONALISM
The principle, basic to The United Methodist
Church, that all leaders and congregations are
connected in a network of loyalties and
commitments that support, yet supersede, local
concerns. Source Sharing God's Gifts
Glossary of United Methodist Terms
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• GENERAL CONFERENCE
• Who makes decisions for The United Methodist
  Church if there is no one person in charge? Good
  question. The only body that can set official
  policy for the denomination is the General
  Conference.
• They are the highest legislative body in The
  United Methodist Church.
• It is the only body that can speak officially for
  the denomination.
• The General Conference is an international body
  of nearly 1,000 delegates that meets for 10 days
  every four years.
• The voting membership consists of an equal number
  of clergy and lay delegates elected by the annual
  conferences. General Conference convenes every
  quadrennium (four years) to determine the
  denomination's future direction
• Bishops attend the General Conference but cannot
  vote. Different bishops serve as presiding
  officers during the conference. Other bishops
  cannot speak unless permission is specifically
  granted by the nearly 1,000 delegates.
• During General Conference, delegates discuss and
  vote on
• petitions, resolutions, and legislation proposed
  by individuals,
• agencies, annual conferences, and other groups
  within the
• denomination.

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• These actions result in a revision of the United
  Methodist Book of Discipline, the denominations
  book of law, and Book of Resolutions, policies of
  the denomination on current social issues.
• It is at General Conference where delegates
  wrestle with todays issues in light of
  scriptural teachings and the churchs
  understanding of that teaching. Here is where the
  churchs official stands and church policies are
  made regarding such issues as human sexuality,
  abortion, war and peace, as well as determination
  of ministries and funding.
• General Conferences are held in years divisible
  by 4, such as 2000, 2004, etc.
• JUDICIAL COUNCIL
• Nine persons elected by General Conference who
  rule on questions of constitutionality in church
  law and practice.
• COUNCIL OF BISHOPS
• The United Methodist Church uses an episcopal
  system of governance, which means bishops provide
  the top leadership.
• All bishops (active and retired) are members of
  the Council of Bishops, which is required to meet
  at least once a year. (You may read news stories
  about their meetings from United Methodist News
  Service and Newscope)

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• Bishops are directed to provide oversight of the
  entire church but have specific leadership
  responsibilities in a geographical area, called
  an episcopal area. In the U.S., each episcopal
  area is comprised of one or two annual
  conferences. This is true in the Central
  Conferences (conferences outside the U.S.) as
  well, where there are 18 Episcopal Areas. In the
  Philippines a bishop may preside over as many as
  eight annual conferences.
• Both men and women can be elected bishop. The
  only requirement to be elected bishop is that the
  person is an ordained elder in the United
  Methodist Church. Bishops in the U.S. generally
  serve one Area for eight years (two four-year
  terms) before they are assigned to another Area.
• The council meets twice a year. According to The
  Book of Discipline 2000,
• "The Council of Bishops isthe collegial
  expression of episcopal leadership in the Church
  and through the Church into the world.
• The Church expects the Council of Bishops to
  speak to the Church and from the Church to the
  world, and to give leadership in the quest for
  Christian unity and interreligious relationships.

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• THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE
• When you hear the term annual conference, it
  could be referring to any one of three things
  Regional Body, an Organizational Unit and a
  Yearly Meeting.
• REGIONAL BODY
• The annual (sometimes referred to as regional)
  conference is described by the churchs Book of
  Discipline as the basic unit of the church.
• An annual conference may be an entire state, only
  part of the state, or even parts of two or more
  states.
• There are also three missionary conferences in
  the United States, which rely upon the
  denomination as a whole for funding. (Red
  Bird/Alaska and Oklahoma Indian)
• The United States has 63 annual conferences,
  supervised by 50 bishops.
• There are 59 annual conferences outside the
  United States, which are supervised by 18
  bishops.
• An annual conference is comprised of local
  churches, which are organized into districts. A
  district is a geographical division with
  approximately 50 local churches, but this number
  varies in each annual conference. Each district
  has a district superintendent who provides
  leadership within the district and the annual
  conference.

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• ORGANIZATIONAL BODY
• The annual conference has a central office and
  professional staff that coordinate and conduct
  ministry and the business of the conference.
• It likely has a director of connectional
  ministries, treasurer, directors of program areas
  (such as camping), communications director, and
  other staff as deemed appropriate for the annual
  conference and as required by the Book of
  Discipline.
• Clergy and laypersons may also serve on
  conference boards, commissions and committees.
• ANNUAL CONFERENCE SESSIONS
• Each year, all clergy members and an equal number
  of lay members selected from the local churches
  attend their conferences Annual Conference
  session, which may last 3-5 days. The bishop
  presides over these meetings.

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• THE LOCAL CHURCH
• Most individuals have their initial contact with
  the denomination in the local church.
• Some local church members dont realize that they
  are part of a bigger whole -- the connection an
  annual conference a jurisdiction, the General
  Church, and churches and annual conferences
  around the world.
• The local church is a strategic base from which
  Christians move out to the structures of society.
  (2000 Book of Discipline)
• The Book of Discipline outlines rules and
  organization that local churches must follow but
  there is also room for a local church to express
  its ministry according to the community and its
  congregation.
• While no two local churches are exactly the same,
  there are commonalities. For example, most use
  the official United Methodist Hymnal.

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JURISIDCTIONS
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• ANNUAL CLERGY APPOINTMENT
• United Methodist clergy are members of annual
  conferences, not local churches.
• As such, clergy are subject to annual appointment
  to a local charge (one or more local churches) or
  to other forms of ministry, such as chaplain in
  the military.
• Unique to the United Methodist system, all local
  churches are ensured pastors and all ordained
  clergy in good standing receive appointments.
• An average appointment lasts four years. There is
  not a limit on how long a clergy person can serve
  the same church.
• United Methodists call this an itinerant system
  because the clergy move from place to place. In
  some denominations, congregations call (select
  their own) pastors and may ordain them in the
  local congregation.
• While most clergy primarily serve local churches,
  there is an expectation that they also provide
  leadership in the annual conference, such as
  serving on a conference board.

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• CHURCHWIDE AGENCIES
• To carry out the work of the connection around
  the world, the church has established churchwide
  or general agencies.
• These are boards, commissions, and councils. All
  are currently located in the United States.
• Each general agency (Any council, board,
  commission, committee or other unit established
  to carry out denominational work. General
  agencies are accountable to the General
  Conference.) has its own governing board of lay
  and clergy members.
• The agencies are established by General
  Conference.
• Their purposes are outlined in the Book of
  Discipline.
• For example, the General Council on Finance and
  Administration oversees funds of the church.
• The General Commission on Religion and Race
  reviews and monitors the practices of the entire
  church to ensure racial inclusiveness.
• In addition to their program and supervisory
  work, general agencies have resources available
  to conferences and local churches. 

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• GENERAL BOARDS AND AGENCIES
• The general boards and agencies provide services
  and ministries that are beyond the scope of the
  individual local congregations and annual
  conferences and provide support to the work of
  the local church.
• General agencies are organized by function. If
  you or your church organization need assistance
  in any part of your ministry, a general agency
  stands by to assist you.

Archives HistoryGeneral Commission on Archives
and History
Communications General Commission on
Communication (United Methodist Communications)
Christian UnityGeneral Commission on Christian
Unity Interreligious Concerns
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Educational Materials/CurriculumUnited Methodist
Publishing House
Ethnic ConcernsGeneral Commission on Religion
and Race
FinanceGeneral Council on Finance and
Administration
Higher Education Ministerial TrainingGeneral
Board of Higher Education and Ministry
Leadership TrainingGeneral Board of Discipleship
Men's IssuesGeneral Commission on United
Methodist Men
MissionGeneral Board of Global Ministries
Staff Pension Health BenefitsGeneral Board of
Pension and Health Benefits
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Social IssuesGeneral Board of Church and Society
Women's IssuesGeneral Commission on Status and
Role of Women
When we talk about CONNECTIONALISM we are
relational to these General Boards and Agencies
and we glean from them resources that help us
fulfill our spiritual mandate (The Great
Commission) and our visions and missions at both
the Local, Annual, Jurisdictional and General
Conference level and into the Global Community.
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• So how do we Connect?
• Leaders and their teams should take the following
  initiative and . . .
• Own and read the Holy Bible, Book of Discipline
  and Annual Conference Journal. (Have a devotional
  life)
• Be self-empowered and self-reliant in ones role
  and responsibility. The Pastor cant do it all!
• Have access to the web www.ngumc.org /
  www.umc.org (which lead to all pertinent links)
• Subscribe to magazines and other written UMC
  resources.
• Attend and/or host workshops, trainings.
• Visit the Conference Center at Simpsonwood and
  meet with some of the Conference Leaders.
• Visit UMC sites (Epworth, Nashville, New York).

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KEY RESOURCEBOOKS FOR LEADERS
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SNAPSHOTA Newsletter of Connectional Ministries
North Georgia Conference, United Methodist
Church SNAPSHOT archives are available at
http//www.ngumc.org/cm/nl.cfm
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AND SO WHO ARE WE . . . .
Conference Streams/Agencies Site Map/Contact Data
Connectional Ministry Site Map/Contact Data
About Us
Best Practices/Snapshot
Media Resource Center
Learning Lab/Speakers Bureau/Quick Tours
Forms Resources
Related Agencies
Workshops and Trainings
The four Conference streams Advocacy, Nurture,
Outreach and Witness through the North Georgia
Conference of the United Methodist Church equip
the local church in the fulfillment of the Great
Commission as found in the Gospel of Matthew
2819-20 through providing expertise in key
ministries. Related agencies offer vital services
in fulfillment of our Social Principles.
The Office of Connectional Ministry through the
North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist
Church serves as the steward of the vision of the
annual conference and coordinates the mission and
ministry of the conference with that vision. We
create and nurture relationships and connections
among the local, district, conference and general
church ministries.
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The Office of Connectional Ministry through the
North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist
Church serves as the steward of the vision of the
annual conference and coordinates the mission and
ministry of the conference with that vision. We
create and nurture relationships and connections
among the local, district, conference and general
church ministries.
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Through . . .
Best Practices/Snapshot
Media Resource Center
Learning Lab/Speakers Bureau/Quick Tours
Workshops and Trainings
Forms Resources
MIKE 678-533-1441
PAM 678-533-1442
MELISSA 678-533-1446
SHARI H. 706-867-3101
SHARI R. 678-533-1444
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Related Agencies
The four Conference streams Advocacy, Nurture,
Outreach and Witness through the North Georgia
Conference of the United Methodist Church equip
the local church in the fulfillment of The Great
Commission as found in the Gospel of Matthew
2819-20 through providing expertise in key
ministries. Related Agencies offer vital services
in fulfillment of our Social Principles.
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CAROL SNYPE CRAWFORD
Christian Unity Inter-Religious Concerns Church
Society Disability Concerns Ethnic Local
Church Concerns Native American Concerns Persons
Living in Poverty Religion Race Status Role
of Women
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ALAN SMITH
Conference Related Agencies Conference
Secretaries of GBGM Disaster Response Global
Ministries Health Welfare/Wellness Resettlement
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BETSY HAAS
Adult Ministry Camping Retreat
Ministry Childrens Ministry Christian Education
Fellowship Family Ministry Higher Education
Campus Ministry Young Adult Ministry Youth
Ministry
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LEON MATTHEWS
Archives and History Evangelism Stewardship Vocati
on Career/Life Planning Worship
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BRIAN BUTLER
Related Agencies
Action Ministries/Aldersgate/Murphy-Harpst/UMC
Childrens Home/Wesley Comm. Ctr./Wesley Woods
Sr. Liv. /Wesley Woods CO Emory /Camp
Glisson/Camp Wesley/Simpsonwood/Airport
Chaplaincy/Appalachian Development/Crime Victims
Advocacy Council/Emory Pastoral Services/Georgia
School for the Deaf/Hinton/Interfaith
CMMA/ Mountain Top Boys Home
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CONFERENCE STREAMS DIRECTORY
NURTURE STREAM BETSY HAAS betsy.haas_at_ptcumc.org 77
0-631-4445 WEEKDAY PRE-SCHOOL ASSOCIATION Kathy
Slaton 770-921-8512 ext. 16 kathy_at_mpumc.net Jack
ie Shunick 770-642-7942 jackie_at_roswellpres.org A
DULT MINISTRY Chris Shurtz (w) (770)
786-4293 starrsville_at_juno.com CAMPING RETREAT
MINISTRY Med Roach (h) [phone] mroach_at_newna
n-fumc.org CHILDRENS MINISTRY Elizabeth
Nall elizabeth.nall_at_dunwoodyumc.org CHRISTIAN
EDUCATION FELLOWSHIP TBA FAMILY
MINISTRY TBA EDUCATION Rev. William Griffin,
Jr. (w) [phone] gahied_at_bellsouth.net YOUNG
ADULT MINISTRY Brandon Herder (h) (678)
409-6247 bherder_at_bellsouth.net YOUTH
MINISTRY Charles Gardner (h) (678)
355-6700 charlesgardner_at_prumc.org
OUTREACH STREAM ALAN SMITH das1842_at_bellsouth.net
706-548-8713 CONFERENCE SECRETARIES OF
GBGM Terry Raymond terry767_at_bellsouth.net Shan
Yohan shanyohan_at_aol.com DISASTER RESPONSE Mike
Yoder (h) 770-483-6384 yoderjm_at_yahoo.com GLOBAL
MINISTRIES Joy Magnus (h) 404-299-0416 mjojomagnu
s_at_yahoo.com? HEALTH WELFARE/WELLNESS Renita
Hall-Thompson (h) 404-472-1578 RENITA.Hall-Thompso
n_at_tenethealth.com RESETTLEMENT Shan Yohan (h)
404-294-6795 shanyohan_at_aol.com RELATED
AGENCIES BRIAN BUTLER (h) 706-761-1404 btbutler_at_ho
tmail.com ACTION MINISTRIES ALDERSGATE MURPHY-HAR
PST UMC CHILDRENS HOME WESLEY COMMUNITY
CENTER WESLEY WOODS SENIOR LIVING WESLEY WOODS CO
EMORY CAMP GLISSON/WESLEY SIMPSONWOOD AIRPORT
CHAPLAINCY APPALACHIAN DEVELOPMENT CRIME VICTIMS
ADVOCACY COUNCIL EMORY PASTORAL SERVICES GEORGIA
SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF HINTON INTERFAITH
CMMA MOUNTAIN TOP BOYS HOME
WITNESS STREAM LEON MATTHEWS lnmtthws_at_bellsouth.
net 770-997-6119 ARCHIVES HISTORY Nancy
Watkins (h) [phone] libnhw_at_bellsouth.net
EVANGELISM Dick Williamson (h) (770)
536-9995 rlw1098_at_charter.net STEWARDSHIP Tom
Davis (h) [phone] tdavis_at_duewest.org VOCAT
ION CAREER/LIFE PLANNING Alice Rogers (h)
[phone] p_alice_rogers_at_yahoo.com WORSHIP M
artha Aenchbacher (c) 678-230-9708 martha_at_athensfi
rstumc.org
ADVOCACY STREAM CAROL SNYPE CRAWFORD cscmusic_at_bell
south.net 404-697-5506 CHRISTIAN UNITY
INTER-RELIGIOUS CONCERNS Beth Larocca Pitts (h)
[phone] mblp_at_charter.net CHURCH
SOCIETY Norma Jean Kieffe (h) (770)
889-3155 njak1123_at_bellsouth.net DISABILITY
CONCERNS Dodie Risse (h) [phone] drisse_at_com
cast.net ETHNIC LOCAL CHURCH CONCERNS Patrick
Carmichael (h) [phone] patcarmich_at_msn.com
NATIVE AMERICAN CONCERNS Bruce Cook (h) (770)
433-2530 askcvac_at_aol.com PERSONS LIVING IN
POVERTY Lavell Sanders (o) (770)
474-2570 lsanders_at_bethel-umc.com RELIGION
RACE Frederick Downing (h) (770)
471-8459 downingfrederick_at_bellsouth.net STATUS
ROLE OF WOMEN Nancy Johnson (h) (706)
754-3198 nancyj_at_prumc.org
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Go online and connect with the area chairs and
ministry chairs of Advocacy, Outreach, Nurture
and Witness, Related Agencies and our office to
discover the best fit and place for your vital
ministries. www.ngumc.org www.umc.org
Thank You!