"We are called to be like Christ as we call, equip, send and support spiritual leaders
to make disciples and grow at least 600 Acts 2 congregations by 2012."
The Baltimore-Washington Conference is made up of about 200,000 members in nearly 700 United Methodist churches in Maryland, Washington, D.C., the eastern panhandle of West Virginia and Bermuda. We are a global church -- one of 68 conferences, or regions, that make up this denomination, totaling 11 million members.
Some facts about the Baltimore-Washington Conference:
- Methodism was founded in America in Baltimore in 1784. As the birthplace of the denomination, this region has been a leader within the denomination, known for its unique mixture of spiritual devotion and social action.
- The conference’s headquarters is in Columbia, Md., where more than 50 people work to help equip local churches for mission and ministry.
- The conference has an operating budget of more than $30 million. Our churches’ collective budgets for programs and administration total more than $99 million.
- The conference is home to 989 United Methodist pastors. Among the active clergy, 301 are women, 229 are African American, 7 are Hispanic and 30 are Asian.
- The conference has covenant partnerships with United Methodists in South Korean and Zimbabwe.
Episcopal Leader: Bishop John R. Schol
Conference Lay Leader: Delores Oden
About the United Methodist Church
Methodism was founded in 1729 by John Wesley, an Anglican priest, in England. Baltimore became the cradle of Methodism in America in 1784 when the church was officially organized at a conference during Christmas at the Lovely Lane Meeting House in Baltimore. After several splits and mergers, The United Methodist Church was born in 1968 when Methodists merged with the Evangelical United Brethren.
United Methodism is a mainstream Protestant religion. It is distinctive in its emphasis on grace being available to all people. United Methodists combine personal holiness with social witness and action, believing that the love of God is always tied to love of neighbor, a passion for justice and renewal in the life of the world.
United Methodists are a connectional people, linked together across the globe in their organization and financial life, and in collective prayer, witness and service.
Information about the conference is available on this Web site or by contacting the Office of Communications at 800-492-2525, Ext. 455.
For any questions you may have about The United Methodist Church call InfoServe at 800-251-8140 or visit http://www.umc.org/.
