As members of the North Alabama Provisional Annual Conference Delegation to the Convening Conference of the Global Methodist Church, we enthusiastically endorse the General Superintendency Plan for Episcopacy. We firmly believe that this plan, submitted by the Transitional Leadership Council (TLC), accomplishes the following: (1) it positions our bishops as the spiritual leaders of our burgeoning denomination; (2) it protects against a top-heavy institutional bureaucracy; (3) it provides maximum flexibility in annual conference structure and administration; and, (4) it provides the greatest defense against excessive costs associated with conference administration.

We believe the Hybrid Model/Florida Plan for residential bishops would create a structure that too closely replicates that of our previous denomination, which was rife with episcopal abuse. We also believe that the Hybrid Model’s move to residential bishops would create an Assembly of Bishops that is too large to lead effectively and that such a model would create an institution that is burdened by bureaucratic imbalance. Additionally, we believe that the Hybrid Model would radically disrupt the way we do ministry in North Alabama by substantially increasing our annual conference administrative costs and, consequently, requiring a significant increase in annual conference connectional funding.

We hope delegates from across the globe will join us in public support of the TLC’s General Superintendency Plan. Together we can work to guarantee a future for the Global Methodist Church that is free from excessive bureaucracy and unnecessarily high connectional funding, while maintaining a connectional structure that is both accountable, sustainable, and effective for years to come.