North Central Jurisdiction to realign
The United Methodist Church (UMC) North Central Jurisdiction (NCJ) College of Bishops announced its decision today on how it will reduce the number of Episcopal Areas from 10 to nine in 2012. Effective September 1, 2012, the Dakotas Annual Conference and Minnesota Annual Conference will be served by only one bishop, but maintain their current boundaries and structures. No other boundaries of annual conferences or episcopal areas will be affected by this decision.
The reorganization comes as a result of action at the 2008 General Conference of the UMC. Four of the five jurisdictions in the United States are each required to phase out one episcopal area by 2012.
"We regret that financial considerations have forced us to make this decision," said Bishop Jonathan D. Keaton, president of the NCJ College of Bishops. "Regardless, we know that nothing will prevent us from our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world."
In exploring this issue, The NCJ College of Bishops consulted with the NCJ Committee of the Episcopacy and considered input from lay and clergy leaders at the most recent Jurisdictional Conference in 2008.
"We will be forming a joint transition team in the next couple of weeks to begin our planning," said Bishop Sally Dyck of the Minnesota Area.
Bishop Deborah Kiesey of the Dakotas Area said that she hoped that all United Methodists in the jurisdiction will support each other during this transition. The Bishops will request an immediate grant of $40,000 from the NCJ Mission Council to cover initial transition costs, as well as ongoing support for the conferences forming the new episcopal area.