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OHIO EPISCOPAL AREA TASK TEAM

Bishop’s Prayer as We Develop a New Conference Identity

Task Team Explores Forming a New, Unified Ohio Conference of The UMC

In early 2025 Bishop Hee-Soo Jung announced the creation of the Ohio Episcopal Area Task Team which has eight members and two ex-officio staff members from each of the East Ohio and West Ohio Conferences. The role of the Task Team is to listen, discuss, and discern about forming a new, unified Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church.

Bishop Jung shared this message with the Task Team during its first meeting in March, saying in part, “Our work will be guided by the Holy Spirit, and we will rely upon the grace of God. We will focus on mission and the fruits of mission.”

Meet the Ohio Episcopal Area Task Team members.

Creating a New Culture and Identity

“Your ultimate goal is to create a new culture that is outward looking, missionally focused, spiritually grounded,” Rev. Doug Anderson, the Task Team consultant told team members at their March meeting.

In his presentation to Annual Conference 2025, Anderson said, “The decision to create a new annual conference is not made by the task team, the Cabinets, or the bishop. That decision will be made by the Annual Conferences themselves in 2027.”

Listening Sessions

In Spring, 2025, the Task Team hosted 17 listening sessions attended by 254 people representing East Ohio and West Ohio staff, and laity and clergy of rural, urban, and suburban churches of various sizes across multiple geographic areas. In advance of each session, those scheduled to attend were asked to consider these questions:

1. What excites you and makes you hopeful as you think about a new annual conference?
2. What are your concerns or what gives you pause?
3. When you think about a new conference what words or phrases would you use to describe your vision of what we could be?

Read the Task Team’s summary of the listening sessions.

Work Groups

In Fall, 2025, Task Team members will serve as conveners of work groups featuring Conference staff/leadership resource members and up to 10 clergy/laity representing both East and West Ohio. Members of the 19 groups will begin by creating a picture of what a new conference would look like in their respective area and how it would contribute to our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

View the list of work groups, conveners, and resources.

Task Team Timeline

• December 30, 2025 – work groups complete Phase 1
• May 31, 2026 – work groups complete Phase 2
• June 2026 – Progress report given to Annual Conference sessions
• Fall, 2026 – Work groups report due to Task Team
• March 1, 2027 – Final report from Task Team and consultant to Bishop Jung
• June 2027 – WOC & EOC Annual Conferences vote on new conference resolution

View the timeline of the Task Team’s work.