Original story shared by the Great Plains Annual Conference and UNNews.
February 29, 2024, Little Rock, AR: In a recent statement, the South Central Jurisdiction’s Committee on Episcopacy announced that it will be recommending that no new bishops be elected for the jurisdiction in 2024. This recommendation followed consultation with the jurisdiction’s College of Bishops and will be presented to delegates at the South Central Jurisdictional Conference, to be hosted by the Arkansas Conference in Rogers, July 10-12.
The committee and the college have agreed to recommend that Arkansas Area Bishop Laura Merrill provide coverage to the Oklahoma Conference and the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference in addition to her current assignment to Arkansas. Currently, Bishop Jimmy Nunn is the episcopal leader for the Oklahoma and Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conferences. He has announced his intention to retire, effective August 31.
The recommendations will be voted upon by jurisdictional delegates from the following conferences: Arkansas, Central Texas, Great Plains, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, North Texas, Northwest Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma Indian Missionary, Rio Texas, and Texas.
Rev. Mark Norman and Ms. Karon Mann, Arkansas delegation leaders, shared a joint statement saying, “Representing the Arkansas Conference delegation, we see the multi-coverage area as a faithful step for budgetary and geographical reasons. There is no discussion at this time to turn this coverage into a merger.” Each conference would maintain its current structure and processes but would share a bishop.
Bishop Laura Merrill added, “I look forward to working with United Methodists in the Oklahoma and Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conferences. I am glad to have established a warm and productive relationship with the people of the UMC in Arkansas, and I know God will pave the way for new relationships in Oklahoma and across the OIMC as well. I trust that we will find unexpected connections that will help us all bear good fruit for God in our communities as we joyfully share the gospel of Jesus Christ with our neighbors.”
The Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church has over 300 churches, and The Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference has over 80 churches. The Arkansas Conference has over 400 churches. If approved by the South Central Jurisdictional Conference, the three conferences would fall under the coverage of Bishop Merrill beginning September 1, 2024.
To learn more about the Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church, https://arumc.org/
To learn more about the Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church, https://www.okumc.org/
To learn more about the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference of the United Methodist Church, https://www.umc-oimc.org/