1939 Methodist Reunion
With the merger of three Methodist denominations in 1939 to form The Methodist Church, jurisdictions were established, in which bishops were elected by jurisdictional conferences and assigned to episcopal areas within each jurisdiction (to itinerate within thereafter). Methodist bishops continued to serve as episcopal leaders of the entire denomination, but with specific residential and presidential duties to the annual conferences within their areas.
Also established in 1939 was the Central Jurisdiction, which provided for African American bishops to preside over African American annual conferences scattered throughout the U.S. These conferences were not necessarily geographically contiguous (as are the other five jurisdictions).
Read more about this topic: Episcopal Area
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—H.L. (Henry Lewis)