Section II. The Jurisdictional Conference
612. 1. There shall be an Interjurisdictional Committee on Episcopacy elected by the General Conference consisting of the persons nominated by their annual conference delegations to serve on the several jurisdictional committees on episcopacy.4 The committee shall meet not later than the fifth day of the conference session and at the time and place set for their convening by the president of the Council of Bishops and shall elect from their number a chairperson, vice-chairperson, and secretary. The function of this joint committee shall be to discuss the possibility of transfers of bishops across jurisdictional lines at the forthcoming jurisdictional conferences for residential and presidential responsibilities in the ensuing quadrennium. It shall elect an executive committee consisting of the officers named above and two clergy and two lay persons from the nominees to each jurisdictional committee, elected by that committee to conduct consultations with bishops and others interested in possible episcopal transfers. The executive committee shall be responsible to the interjurisdictional committee.
2. No bishop shall be transferred across jurisdictional lines unless that bishop has consented to such transfer and has served at least one quadrennium in or under assignment by the jurisdiction in which the bishop was elected and unless a concurrent transfer is effected into the jurisdiction from which the bishop is transferring or unless the jurisdictional conference which is receiving that bishop has voted to waive this right. Such a transfer shall not be concluded until the committee on episcopacy of each jurisdiction involved has approved the plan insofar as it affects its own jurisdiction, by majority vote of those present and voting, and the jurisdictional conferences, meeting concurrently, have also approved.
3. The Interjurisdictional Committee on Episcopacy shall be recognized as the official body through which cross-jurisdictional transfers shall be arranged. Should a bishop request transfer, the bishop has the option to identify the receiving jurisdiction. A jurisdiction may request a specific bishop be transferred or may indicate a willingness to accept a bishop transferring from another jurisdiction. Request for transfer from either a bishop or jurisdictional committees on episcopacy must be received by the interjurisdictional committee on episcopacy by April 1 of the year next preceding jurisdictional conferences. The interjurisdictional committee on episcopacy will arrange consultation between bishop(s) requesting transfer and the appropriate jurisdictional committee(s) on episcopacy by July 1 of the year preceding jurisdictional conference(s). Once the jursidictional committee(s) on episcopacy and the sending and receiving jurisdictional conference(s) have taken action, jurisdictional conference secretaries will inform the interjurisdictional committee on episcopacy not later than August 1 following jurisdictional conferences.
4. The Interjurisdictional Committee will report to each General Conference the action taken during the previous quadrennium.
4See Judicial Council Decision 472.
General Conference Webmaster: Susan Brumbaugh
PETS Creator: John Brawn
1992 Book of Discipline: ¶ 612
1996 United Methodist General Conference