We, as the United Methodist Church, are privileged to live as one connectional church located in over thirty-eight countries.  The Council of Bishops and Connectional Table jointly present this report and its petitions for consideration by the General Conference.

This website makes available to you the report that led to the actions taken last Spring. Those bodies amended the proposals, most notably suggesting that central conferences be renamed “regional conferences.” Thus, there are now 24 petitions advocating changes in the Constitution. Please note the portion of our report that tells you what this proposal does not invite us to do:

• It does not change the number, purpose or function of Jurisdictional Conferences
• It does not change the way bishops are elected or assigned
• It does not change the purpose, number or scope of any general agency
• It does not change the size or power of General Conference
• It does not change the way the Social Principles are decided upon or amended
• It does not change the way money is apportioned or allocated

It does do three things:

• Makes constitutional changes of the terminology central conference to regional conference
• Makes constitutional changes allowing a future General Conference to create structures for regional and jurisdictional conferences that are the same everywhere in the United Methodist Church
• Provides for continued study and a report to the 2012 General Conference by the Connectional Table and Council of Bishops

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