United Methodist leaders are now grappling with what many call the biggest change to bishop distribution since 1939. That was the year when General Conference — the denomination’s top lawmaking assembly — first established the U.S. jurisdictional system and the related formula for electing bishops.
Ferris, a Dakotas Conference rural ministry consultant, is the convener of what members have taken to calling a “Super Task Force” that has been meeting monthly since last year to analyze the nature and function of bishops’ superintendency. She said the task force has plans to develop recommendations for U.S. episcopal leadership by mid-2026.
Committee Re-examines Bishop Allocation
The task force includes a clergy and lay representative from each of the five U.S. jurisdictions as well as four bishops. It is a subgroup of the Interjurisdictional Committee on Episcopacy (ICOE) that ultimately will review and submit any recommendations, including the proposed number of U.S. bishops, to the 2028 General Conference.
Nevertheless, questions remain about the new way the 2024 General Conference approved for allocating bishops, including whether some changes pass muster under the denomination’s constitution.
Also, math is still a consideration. While the formula is gone, the task force is taking into account the denomination’s finances as The United Methodist Church rebuilds after a season of church disaffiliations and related membership loss.
As a result, Super Task Force members are now looking at possibly recommending changes to U.S. bishop workloads as well as their number — with an eye toward the sustainability of both denominational funds and the episcopacy itself.
“We are an episcopal system. It is a part of the fabric of who we are as United Methodists,” said Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton, who leads the New England and New York conferences. He is among the four bishops serving on the Super Task Force.
“However,” he added, “it is time to look seriously at what we are expecting from our episcopal leaders.”
Why are Bishops important?
The role of bishops is one of the few non-negotiables in The United Methodist Church.
In fact, their general superintendency is mandated in the restrictive rules of the Book of Discipline, the denomination’s policy book. That means for The United Methodist Church, the continued existence of an episcopacy carries as much weight as doctrinal statements such as belief in the Trinity and the resurrection of Jesus.
But even as the episcopacy has stayed a constant, the functions of the office have changed over the centuries.
Even as bishops’ work has grown more complex, the funding for that work has grown more precarious. Since 2019 — before disaffiliations really ramped up — the denomination’s General Council on Finance and Administration has warned that the Episcopal Fund, which supports bishops’ work, is in danger of running out of money.
Trying to shore up the fund, the 2024 General Conference reduced the number of active U.S. bishops to 32 from the 46 previously budgeted by the 2016 General Conference. While the legislative assembly also added two bishops in Africa, the overall number of active United Methodist bishops worldwide has decreased from 66 in 2016 to 52 now. Nevertheless, supporting these bishops still requires dipping into the Episcopal Fund’s reserves.
The reduction in bishops also means the episcopal leaders currently serving are responsible for administering bigger geographical areas.
“Bishops are currently being stretched too thin and are overworked,” said the Rev. Kim Ingram, the interjurisdictional committee’s chair. “The ICOE is trying to address this and to discover ways to stop the crippling effect this stress is putting on the whole system.”
Your Generosity Helps Bishops Provide Mentorship and Leadership
When you support the Episcopal Fund apportionment you help pay the salaries and expenses for United Methodist Bishops and allows them to travel across their episcopal areas providing mentorship and leadership. Please encourage your leaders and congregations to support the Episcopal Fund apportionment at 100 percent.
excerpt from a story by Heather Hahn, assistant news editor for UM News.
This story shows the impact of the Episcopal Fund—one of seven apportionment funds of The United Methodist Church—to sustain the leadership and oversight of bishops who guide our shared mission. Through this fund, the Church provides fair compensation, support, and accountability for episcopal leadership across the connection. Together, we ensure that every conference has the guidance needed to carry out ministry effectively and faithfully.
When your church supports the Episcopal Fund, you uphold the shared leadership that unites our Church in mission and ministry.
