A group of persons who have joined together to devise policies and positions appropriate to the concerns of the group and who jointly act to advocate for that group and to influence larger entities to respond to their requests and respond to their issues. In The United Methodist Church, a number of caucuses have been formed both denomination-wide and in the Annual Conference. These are unofficial bodies in that they have not been established through action by the General Conference or the Annual Conference and are not accountable to those bodies. Among the oldest and most prominent caucuses are the four which have formed to relate to the issues and concerns of four racial and ethnic groups in America: Black Methodists for Church Renewal (BMCR), Methodists Associated Representing the Cause of Hispanic Americans (MARCHA), Native American International Caucus (NAIC), and National Federation of Asian American United Methodists (NFAAUM).
Source: A Dictionary for United Methodists, Alan K. Waltz, Copyright 1991, Abingdon Press. Used by permission.
