SCJ Committee on the Episcopacy Delays Decision on Number of Bishops to be Elected in 2020
South Central Jurisdiction Episcopacy Committee expects to make it final recommendation on the number of bishops to be elected in late June 2020.
Feb. 27, 2020
One of the committee’s duties is to recommend the number of bishops to elect. Due to myriad unknown factors that could impact that recommendation, including actions taken by General Conference this May 5-15 and subsequent annual conference sessions, the committee decided to delay its final recommendation until many, if not all of those variables have been settled. The committee’s final recommendation will be developed prior to the SCJ Jurisdictional Conference, probably in late June.
The committee did affirm the following:
The committee did affirm the following:
- Jurisdictional Conference will be held in The Woodlands, Texas, July 15-18, 2020 (https://www.txcumc.org/jc2020 for more information);
- During the Conference, three retiring bishops - including the CTC's own Bishop Mike Lowry - will be celebrated, up to three new bishops will be elected, and episcopal assignments will be made;
- The Episcopacy Committee will meet again, along with the College of Bishops, on June 23, 2020 to discuss the decisions of General Conference and any relevant actions of the constituent annual conferences. At that meeting, the committee will discern the exact number of elections to propose to the Jurisdictional Conference. The Jurisdictional Conference will decide the final number to elect on the opening day of the conference;
- Episcopacy Committee members will meet with their conference delegations in the coming weeks to share more about possible scenarios and to receive input;
- The committee remains open to the possibility that a special session of the Jurisdictional Conference may be needed in 2021 or 2022 if further elections are needed.
The SCJ Committee on the Episcopacy also stated that prayers for our bishops and our committee in the months ahead are needed and welcome.
The South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church is one of the five geographic regions of the United Methodist Church in the United States. Founded in 1968, the Jurisdiction is composed of 10 bishops who oversee 12 annual conferences covering eight states, nearly 5,500 churches, and over 1,500,000 members. The Jurisdiction also supports local educational ministries and disaster response ministries in its geographic area. For more information, visit scjumc.org.
The South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church is one of the five geographic regions of the United Methodist Church in the United States. Founded in 1968, the Jurisdiction is composed of 10 bishops who oversee 12 annual conferences covering eight states, nearly 5,500 churches, and over 1,500,000 members. The Jurisdiction also supports local educational ministries and disaster response ministries in its geographic area. For more information, visit scjumc.org.