Snapshot of the Racial and Ethnic Diversity of U.S. Bishops
Currently, the Council of Bishops outpaces U.S. church membership regarding racial and ethnic inclusion.
What happens if some bishops retire and new elections are postponed?
United Methodist Church law stipulates that each U.S. jurisdiction elects new bishops every four years, usually a few months after adjournment of the General Conference, the denomination’s top legislative assembly. During the past 25 years, those elections have increased the number of women and people of color to the church’s top leadership table.
The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent shut-down required the church to postpone the 2020 session of the General Conference and jurisdictional conferences—probably until at least 2022. These delays present financial and logistical challenges concerning episcopal elections.
Recently, U.S. delegates to the United Methodist General Conference and jurisdictional conferences met via webinar to discuss churchwide logistics and finances, including the state of the church’s Episcopal Fund (which pays for the salaries, office spaces, housing, meetings, and travel expenses of all United Methodist bishops).
The pandemic-related downturn in overall giving in local congregations has resulted in a potential lack of adequate funding for the number of bishops currently serving. Simultaneously, the delay of the General Conferences and jurisdictional conferences have required eligible bishops who can retire to keep working until the election of their replacements. In light of this, the Council of Bishops recommended to delegates that no new bishops be elected for now. Part of the rationale for this suggestion is due to financial and denomination uncertainty.
Although the full Council of Bishops has forwarded this recommendation, each U.S. jurisdiction must decide for itself whether or not to elect new bishops.
Our U.S. membership is 90%[1] white, even though People of Color comprise 40% of the U.S. population. The U.S. contingent of the Council of Bishops is 41% People of Color, demonstrating some progress in racial equity and inclusion. As we view the potential composition of the U.S. bishops, we must also consider how our episcopal leaders reflect the racial and ethnic community and how their presence models Christian anti-racism. Does having a racially diverse Council of Bishops affect the denomination’s commitment and actions toward addressing institutional and systemic racism?
Race and the U.S. Bishops: Overview
According to the 2019 U.S. Census, the United States population is composed of 60% white, 19% Latinx/Hispanic, 13% Black, 6% Asian, 1% Native American, and 0.2% Pacific Islander. Additionally, the nation is 51% female and 49% male.
If U.S. United Methodists hope to build a denomination that reflects a Christian communion that resembles the nation, the U.S. jurisdictional conferences must elect more People of Color and women. To date, not one jurisdiction has elected bishops from the Native American and Pacific Islander communities.
Variations Among Jurisdictions
The number of bishops elected by a jurisdiction is based on the numerical membership in that jurisdiction (¶ 404.2 in The 2016 Book of Discipline[2]). With the anticipated retirement of bishops and the proposal of not electing bishops, how will this impact missions and ministry between the jurisdictions? Will this cause some jurisdictions to hold elections while other jurisdictions do not?
If the anticipated number of U.S. bishops retire this year, there will be a 35%[3] total drop in episcopal leaders. Of those remaining, the North Central Jurisdiction will have the highest percentage of remaining bishops (78%), followed by South Central (70%), Northeastern (67%), South East (62%), and Western (40%[4]).
Conclusion
The delegates will need to decide if they will elect bishops, and if so, how many and who they will be? With the decline in membership and in revenue within the denomination, it is more critical now that we have bishops who can guide our churches and denomination. This is the moment for the delegates and the church to discern if elections should occur (or not) and what type of episcopal leadership is needed during this period.
For specific information about the data, please click here.
[1] General Council of Finance and Administration. (2020) 2018 Membership by Ethnicity and Gender. Nashville, TN: The United Methodist Church.
[2] The United Methodist Church. (2016). The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church. https://www.cokesbury.com/book-of-discipline-book-of-resolutions-free-versions
[3] List of anticipated retirements: https://www.umnews.org/en/news/scrutinizing-the-proposed-hold-on-new-bishops
[4] Please refer to the prior chart for actual numbers.