“Our mission is yet alive,” declared Bishop Malone during her Episcopal Address. “Now is the time for us to focus forward. This is a time of remarkable opportunity in the life of The United Methodist Church.”  

The 54th session of the East Ohio Annual Conference met June 8-10 at the John S. Knight Center in Akron. Annual Conference members:

  • approved re-districting the East Ohio Conference from 10 districts to four districts effective January 1, 2024,
  • approved a 5% increase across all pastoral minimum salary categories,
  • approved the 2024 Conference budget of $9,428,531, which is a reduction of 3.5% from the 2023 budget,
  • approved the disaffiliation agreements of 237 churches effective the end of June 2023, and
  • approved three resolutions.

The services and celebrations of Annual Conference 2023 commemorated 48 saints who joined the Church Triumphant since last year’s conference; commissioned five clergy as provisional members and ordained nine clergy as full members; and celebrated the ministries of 40 clergy who are retiring this year.

Annual Conference 2024 will meet Thursday, June 13 through Saturday, June 15 at the John S. Knight Center in Akron.