Structuring North Georgia for 2024 and Beyond

Introducing a New Conference & District Structure

The North Georgia Conference will implement important changes in the months ahead. The changes take into consideration stewardship, mission, connection, and the work of The United Methodist Church in 2024 and beyond.

Background

Conference leadership has worked diligently to develop positive changes to our district and conference structure that reflect the current needs of The United Methodist Church in North Georgia. These proposals have been endorsed by the Conference Council on Finance & Administration (CF&A). The changes will be formally presented to the members of the 2024 North Georgia Annual Conference.

Members of the Annual Conference will consider a reduction in the number of districts from eight to five, effective July 1, 2024.

Read on to learn about the five proposed districts and new Conference structure.

Five Districts

Introducing Five Districts

The five proposed districts are

North East District

Banks, Dawson, Forsyth, Franklin*, Fulton*, Gwinnett, Habersham, Hall, Lumpkin, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, and White Counties

North West District

Bartow, Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Cobb, Douglas, Fannin, Floyd, Gilmer, Gordon, Haralson, Murray, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, Walker, and Whitfield Counties

South Central District

Butts, Clayton, Dekalb, Henry, Jasper, Lamar, Monroe, Newton, Pike, Rockdale, Spalding, and Upson Counties

South East District

Baldwin, Barrow, Clarke, Columbia, Elbert, Franklin*, Greene, Hancock, Hart, Jackson, Lincoln, Madison, McDuffie, Morgan, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Putnam, Richmond, Taliaferro, Walton, Warren, and Wilkes Counties

South West District

Coweta, Fayette, Fulton*, Harris, Heard, Meriwether, and Troup Counties

*Note that for the purpose of better balancing the number of churches, Franklin County has churches in two districts (the district line follows the I-85 corridor) and Fulton County has churches in two districts (the district line follows zip code lines, just north of Sandy Springs).

Meet the District Staff

North East District
Douglas Gilreath, District Superintendent
Michele Lancaster, Administrative Assistant
Minho Chung, Regional Developer

North West District
Jessica Terrell , District Superintendent
Josie Hickom, Administrative Assistant
Ash McEuen, Regional Developer

South Central District
Michael McQueen, District Superintendent
Mozelle Mitchell, Administrative Assistant
Heather M. Jallad, Regional Developer

South East District
Beth Sanders, District Superintendent
Administrative Assistant, to be named
Alissa Rothschild, Regional Developer

South West District
Byron Thomas, District Superintendent
Denise Wilson, Administrative Assistant
Keya J. Hillman, Regional Developer

District Q&A

Q How were the new lines determined?

The new district lines were drawn with a few guideposts:

Each district will have a similar number of churches and full-time clergy.
With a few exceptions, district lines follow county lines (those exceptions include Fulton County and Franklin County).
Each district includes large churches, medium-sized churches, and small churches.
There are areas of population growth in all five proposed districts.
Community patterns, like shopping and healthcare, were considered. (Where do you “go to town?”)
Traffic patterns were considered.
Each district includes a United Methodist-related college or university.

Q What will the new district names be?

District names continue to be geographic: North East, North West, South East, South West, and South Central.

Q Does Annual Conference need to vote on district restructuring?

The members of Annual Conference will vote on changes in Standing Rules to adjust the number of districts from 8 to 5. Our Book of Discipline states that the annual conference decides the number of districts and the bishop, in consultation with the cabinet, draws the lines for the districts (¶415.4).

Q What is the timeline?

We will work to accelerate moving into this new structure by July 2024.

Q What are the financial implications?

We estimate that the change from 8 to 5 districts will reduce the conference apportionment budget by just under $1 million annually. This re-alignment takes into consideration the fiscal reality of the conference with the current local church footprint, while maintaining administrative coverage and missional engagement with every area of the annual conference.

Q How many churches will there be in each district?

North West: 95
North East: 71
South West: 89
South East: 67
South Central: 99

Q What is my new district?

The new districts are primarily divided along county lines with two exceptions. Find your county below to find your district.

North East District - Banks, Dawson, Forsyth, Franklin*, Fulton*, Gwinnett, Habersham, Hall, Lumpkin, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union and White Counties

North West District - Bartow, Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Cobb, Douglas, Fannin, Floyd, Gilmer, Gordon, Haralson, Murray, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, Walker, and Whitfield Counties

South Central District - Butts, Clayton, Dekalb, Henry, Jasper, Lamar, Monroe, Newton, Pike, Rockdale, Spalding, and Upson Counties

South East District - Baldwin, Barrow, Clarke, Columbia, Elbert, Franklin*, Greene, Hancock, Hart, Jackson, Lincoln, Madison, Mcduffie, Morgan, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Putnam, Richmond, Taliaferro, Walton, Warren, and Wilkes Counties

South West District - Coweta, Fayette, Fulton*, Harris, Heard, Meriwether, and Troup Counties

Q When did we last re-district?

In 2020, the conference moved from 12 districts to 8 districts. That change went smoothly, and we project this change will as well.

Q What’s next?

There is work ahead as we prepare for the upcoming transitions, including the election of new district leadership and planning for district office locations. Visit www.ngumc.org/structure for the latest information.

A New Conference Staff Structure

The multi-talented staff and conference-wide ministries of the North Georgia Conference will be re-structured with stewardship, mission, and connection as priorities.

The Conference structure will be organized into five ministry areas.

Bishop’s Office
Treasurer’s Office
Connectional Ministries
Center for Clergy Excellence
District Offices

Conference Structure Q&A

Q How was the new structure developed?

Bishop Dease shared the foundation of this new structure in a video message this January (watch it here):

Conference leadership has to regularly assess our effectiveness and prayerfully discern the path forward. Over many months, we have been assessing and analyzing our ministry, celebrating our strengths, and seeking truth in our weakest areas.

There have been on-going conversations with the Conference Council on Finance and Administration (CF&A) and other leadership in our conference. All of us have been in deep prayer and discernment asking the questions:

Who is it that God is calling us, as North Georgia United Methodists, to be/become?
How can we be more effective disciples of Jesus missionally while using our resources more efficiently?
What changes can we make to give us the best opportunity to accomplish God’s mission through us?

One of those truths we face is that the North Georgia Conference has seen a significant decline in church membership. The pandemic, church closures, and disaffiliations have all contributed to this decline. In consultation with CF&A we have concluded that restructuring is necessary.

Q What are the main takeaway findings in this new structure?

This re-structuring proposal represents a reduction in the apportionment budget and seeks to enable the Conference to be more effective and more efficient.

The changes are positive and exciting. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Conference and district staff will work together as one team.
The bishop and conference leadership will continue to regularly assess our effectiveness and prayerfully discern next steps.
Expect to be collaborative, connectional, and to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ in the months and years ahead.

Q Will there be staff changes?

Yes. Because of our itinerate system and changing missional priorities, staff at the United Methodist Center shift on a yearly basis. While there will be personnel changes (reflected in the projected appointment announcements), there will be no staff layoffs. The changes include the naming of a Director of Connectional Ministries and a shift in the work of congregational development to the districts. Additionally, several areas of the conference operating departments have incorporated staff reductions through attrition over the last two years by thoughtfully and creatively reengineering processes and deliverables.

Q What will be the role of Connectional Ministries?

The title Director of Connectional Ministries is familiar to the North Georgia Conference. Our Book of Discipline outlines the responsibilities (paragraph 608) of Connectional Ministries and of the director.

The Office of Connectional Ministries will oversee our Conference-wide ministry focus, including age-level ministries, Safe Sanctuaries, campus ministries, disaster response ministries, relationships with our related agencies and camping ministries, and more. In alignment with the Book of Discipline, the director will:

steward the vision of the conference;
serve as leader of the continuous process of transformation and renewal necessary for the conference to be faithful to our Christian identity in a changing world;
ensure alignment of the total resources of the conference to its vision;
ensure the connections among the local, district, conference, and general Church ministries for the purpose of networking, resourcing, and communicating shared ministry.

Q What will be the role of the Regional Developers?

Building on the legacy of excellence in church development, we will soon be deploying developers into our communities. Five district-based regional developers will come alongside congregations to help revitalize churches, rebuild, cast vision, re-purpose facilities, replant churches, and more. This work will be carried out in close collaboration with local churches, District Superintendents, District Strategic Growth Teams, and the Executive Assistant to the Bishop.

This change in strategy comes as we acknowledge that there are fewer of us, but the mission field is ever growing.

Q Do the members of the Annual Conference need to vote on conference restructuring?

No, the structure of conference and district ministry work is set by the bishop in consultation with the cabinet, CF&A, and other leaders. However, the structure will be formally presented to the members of the 2024 North Georgia Annual Conference.

Q What is the timeline?

We will implement this new structure beginning July 2024.

Q What are the financial implications?

It is estimated that these changes in structure, paired with the reduction in districts from 8 to 5, will together reduce the North Georgia conference apportionment budget by approximately $1.85 million annually.

Q What do these changes mean for the local church?

These changes are meant to be an asset to local churches and pave the way for an even more connectional and collaborative approach to our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Your local church should expect to know and be known by district and conference leadership in life-giving ways!