Election

The United Methodist Church is getting a new map in Africa. When the Africa Central Conference meets March 13-17 in Johannesburg, the central conference will split to form the Southern Africa and East Africa central conferences. Central conferences are responsible for electing bishops and making adaptations to the Book of Discipline for their missional context. Graphic by Ben Ward, UM News.

Church gears up for new bishops, new map

Four United Methodist central conferences are scheduled in the coming months. By the time they conclude, United Methodists expect to have eight additional new bishops and one more central conference.

Bishops

Retired Bishop Warner H. Brown (left), interim bishop of the Sierra Leone Area, bestows the episcopal pin on the Rev. James Boye-Caulker after he was elected bishop on Dec. 7 at The United Methodist Church’s West Africa Central Conference at the Best Western Premier Hotel in Accra, Ghana. Boye-Caulker, who has served as district superintendent of Sierra Leone’s Western District since 2016, was the second bishop elected at the Dec. 5-8 gathering. Photo by Eveline Chikwanah, UM News.

Boye-Caulker elected as Sierra Leone bishop

The longtime district superintendent was the second bishop elected at the West Africa Central Conference.

Bishops

Bishop John Schol (right), who has been serving as the lead bishop of the Nigeria Episcopal Area since August, speaks after the Rev. Ande Ikimun Emmanuel is elected bishop on the first ballot during The United Methodist Church’s West Africa Central Conference meeting at the Best Western Premier Hotel in Accra, Ghana, on Dec. 7. Photo by Eveline Chikwanah, UM News.

West Africa elects Ande Ikimun Emmanuel as bishop

The longtime leader in the Southern Nigeria Conference was the first bishop elected at the West Africa Central Conference.

Central Conferences

Newly elected Bishop Ruby-Nell Estrella, the first woman elected bishop in the Philippines, receives her episcopal pin from Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton (right) during the Philippines Central Conference in 2022. Central conferences in the Philippines, Africa and Europe plan to hold bishop elections in the coming months. Estrella and her fellow Filipino bishops face re-election when the Philippines Central Conference meets Nov. 18-22. Photo by Gladys P. Mangiduyos, UM News.

Preparing for bishop elections outside US

United Methodist bishops are praying for the elections of colleagues in the Philippines, Africa and Europe. Their hope is that any new bishops are committed to the denomination.

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