Following pandemic losses, schism, UMC merges 2 Georgia conferences
Two regional bodies of The United Methodist Church are merging into a single entity following the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and the denomination’s recent schism.
The UMC Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference voted 291-0 on Tuesday to approve the merging of the North Georgia Conference and the South Georgia Conference into one body.
Known as The Georgia Conference, the merged body is set to officially launch Jan. 1, 2027, and will have over 215,000 members and 549 affiliated congregations, reported UM News.
The North Georgia Conference was the larger of the two halves, with nearly 197,000 members and 962 clergy. Bishop Robin Dease has overseen both conferences since September 2024.
The merger, which had been overwhelmingly approved by both conferences earlier this year, will drop the number of UMC conferences in the United States from 51 to 50.
The two regional bodies each approved the unification resolution with 96% of the vote in favor at their separate conference meetings back in June, with Dease saying in a statement at the time that she was “excited and can’t wait for the wonderful things that are going to happen across the state.”
Following Tuesday's final approval from the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference, Dease offered a prayer of thanksgiving. "Holy God, we give thanks for these delegates who have cast votes to approve unification," she said. "As this decision now becomes a part of our shared story, turn our hearts upon the future you are preparing for us. Make this unification more than just an administrative change, O God, but make it a holy opportunity to deepen our commitment, to widen our welcome and to strengthen our ministries, so that lives might be transformed for your kingdom's glory."
Back in June, following the two conferences' votes, Dease said, “God is here, and we are going to be about transforming this state and connecting with people all across our connection, sharing the good news of what God is doing here in the state of Georgia.”
From 2019-2023, thousands of churches left the UMC due to its debate over whether to allow the blessing of same-sex unions and the ordination of clergy in romantic same-sex relationships.
For decades, the UMC had prohibited both practices, with efforts to amend the Book of Discipline to remove the bans being rejected by most delegates at General Conference.
However, many progressives within the mainline Protestant denomination refused to either follow or enforce the rules, causing many conservatives and some moderates to leave.
According to numbers compiled by UM News, approximately 7,600 churches voted to disaffiliate from the UMC, with most joining the recently formed Global Methodist Church.
In 2024, delegates at the UMC General Conference would go on to vote overwhelmingly to remove the ban on blessing same-sex unions and the ordination of noncelibate LGBT individuals.
The considerable loss in member congregations and donations has prompted multiple regional bodies to consider merging to better concentrate the resources that remain.
For example, at the start of 2025, UMC Central Texas Conference, North Texas Conference, and Northwest Texas Conference unified into a single body known as the Horizon Texas Conference.
