Jonathan LeMaster-Smith

It seems that we need a reminder on what different conferences do related to bishops and annual conference borders. (Scroll down to the word BASICALLY if you this is long).

Under the responsibilities of General Conference:

¶16.10. To fix a uniform basis upon which bishops shall be elected
by the jurisdictional conferences and to determine the number of
bishops that may be elected by central conferences.
¶16.12. To change the number and the boundaries of jurisdictional
conferences upon the consent of a majority of the annual
conferences in each jurisdictional conference involved.

These are the only responsibilities of the of the General Conference related to Bishops and Central Conferences.

The General Conference is allowed to determine:
-how many bishops the Central Conferences are allowed to elect.
-how the jurisdictions get to elect bishops (they determine how many they elect).
-the determine the boundaries of the Jurisdictional conferences.

They do not determine the boundaries of annual of the annual conferences or how the bishops are assigned within their Central and Jurisdictional Conferences.

Under the Responsibilities of Jurisdictional Conferences:

¶ 27.2. To elect bishops and to cooperate in carrying out such plans for their support as may be determined by the General Conference.

¶ 27.4. To determine the boundaries of their annual conferences,
provided that there shall be no annual conference with a membership of fewer than fifty clergy in full connection, except by the consent of the General Conference.

Also, in ¶ 524.3.b)[The Jurisdictional Committee on the Episcopacy shall]Recommend boundaries of the episcopal areas and the assignments of the bishops.

and ¶ 524.3.d) [The Jurisdictional Committee on the Episcopacy shall] Determine the number of effective bishops eligible for
assignment.

The Jurisidictional Conferences determine the number of bishops, the boundaries, names, and number of annual conferences they have.

Under the Responsibilities of the Central Conferences:

¶31.2. To elect the bishops for the respective central conferences in number as may be determined from time to time, upon a basis fixed by the General Conference, and to cooperate in carrying out such plans for the support of their bishops as may be determined by the General Conference.

and also,

¶ 543.3 When a central conference shall have been authorized to elect bishops, such elections shall be conducted under the same general procedure as prevails in the jurisdictional conferences for the election of bishops. A central conference shall have power to fix the tenure of bishops elected by the said central conference.

¶ 543.8. A central conference shall fix the boundaries of the annual conferences, provisional annual conferences, missionary conferences, and missions within its bounds, proposals for changes first having been submitted to the annual conferences concerned as prescribed in the Discipline of The United Methodist Church.

They get to assign their bishops, they get to determine boundaries of the annual conferences, and create but the General Conference sets the numbers of bishops.

BASICALLY:

General Conference determines how the Jurisidictional Conferences elect bishops but not how many elect or how they are assigned.

General Conference can determines how many bishops the Central Conferences can elect, and they elect in essentially the same way as the Jurisidictional Conferences.

Central and Jurisdictional Conferences determine their own annual conference names, boundaries, and how bishops are assigned.