Every four years, the leadership of the United Methodist Church gathers for what is know as General Conference. At that two week meeting, decisions are made about any number of issues from our stance on key theological, moral, and social concerns to "mechanical" matters of how we are organized as a denomination.
In keeping with the current economic state of the connection and in response to changes in membership patterns (i.e. our continued decline in the United States,) the decision was made for the South Central Jurisdiction (which runs from New Mexico over to Louisiana and up to Nebraska) to consolidate episcopal offices, thus reducing the number of Bishops in our conference from eleven to ten.
To make that happen, the College of Bishops voted to let the Nebraska Annual Conference share a Bishop with the Kansas East and Kansas West Annual Conferences.
While this decision will not have much if any impact on those of us at Tyler Street, it is good for us to stay informed about what is happening in the United Methodist Church at large.
And as a people of prayer, this presents us a fine opportunity to lift up our brothers and sisters in Nebraska and Kansas as they prepare for this transition. Let's pray that in the midst of this re-alignment, a renewed passion for the Gospel and a new desire to introduce people to Jesus Christ as savior and lord will invigorate United Methodist churches in those three annual conferences.
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