North Alabama annual conference
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The North Alabama Conference is an Annual Conference (a regional episcopal area, similar to a diocese) of the United Methodist Church.
This conference serves approximately 300 UMCs in the northern half of the state of Alabama,[1] with its administrative offices and the office of the bishop located in Birmingham, AL. It is part of the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference. The bishop is the Reverend Doctor Debra Wallace-Padgett.[2]
Bishops
[edit]- 1944-1948 Bishop Costen J. Harrell, D.D.
- 1948-1952 Bishop Clare Purcell
- 1972-1980 Bishop Carl Julian Sanders
- 1984-1992 Bishop J. Lloyd Knox
- 1992-2004: Bishop Robert Eugene Fannin
- 2004-2012 Bishop Will Willimon, D.D
- 2012–present: Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett
Districts
[edit]The North Alabama Annual Conference is further subdivided into eight smaller regions, called "districts," which provide further administrative functions for the operation of local churches in cooperation with each other. This structure is vital to Methodism, and is referred to as connectionalism. The Districts that comprise the North Alabama Conference are: Central, Cheaha, Mountain Lakes, Northeast, Northwest, South Central, Southeast, and Southwest.[3] It used to include the former districts of: Albertsville District, Huntsville District, and Gadsden District.
2023 conference
[edit]The 2023 conference saw the official disaffiliation of 132 congregations, following ongoing discussions about the UMC's stance on homosexuality.[4][5] Most of the congregations went on to form the Global Methodist Church.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ United Methodist Church of Northern Alabama website, About Us, retrieved 2024-01-04
- ^ United Methodist News website, 2023 North Alabama Annual Conference
- ^ United Methodist Church of Northern Alabama website, Districts, retrieved 2024-01-04
- ^ Christian Post website 132 North Alabama United Methodist Churches Leave Denomination, article by Michael Gryboski, dated May 15,2023
- ^ 1819 News website, Confusion reigns as North Alabama UMC conference comes to close, article by Allen Keller, dated June 25, 2023
- ^ NBC News website, 1 in 5 United Methodist congregations in the U.S. have left over LGBTQ conflicts, article dated July 6, 2023