Iowa Conference and Illinois Great Rivers Conference | Nov. 13, 2025
Leaders from the Illinois Great Rivers Conference (IGRC) and the Iowa Annual Conference (IAUMC) are exploring areas where their conferences can partner and work together. Though United Methodist ministries in Iowa and Illinois remain distinct—each with its own staff, ministries, and mission priorities—the two are united under the episcopal leadership of Bishop Kennetha J. Bigham-Tsai. Separately, the Illinois Great Rivers and the Michigan Conferences share Bishop David A. Bard.
In The United Methodist Church, bishops are assigned to serve an Episcopal Area—a geographic region that may include one or more annual conferences. When a bishop is assigned to more than one conference, those conferences are said to share a bishop. The assigned bishop(s) provide spiritual leadership and oversight, preside over annual conference sessions, appoint pastors, and help shape a shared vision for United Methodists across the Episcopal Area. Yet, even if conferences share a bishop, they remain separate organizations. Each has:
- Its own conference office and staff
- Its own budget and financial systems
- Its own ministries, boards, and committees
- Its own mission priorities and local initiatives tailored to its community needs
Both conferences make independent decisions through their Annual Conference Sessions and Conference Connectional Ministries Council or Connectional Table, ensuring each maintains its identity, focus, and local leadership.
In recent months, IGRC and IAUMC have reported positive outcomes from partnering in three key areas:
- Camping: shared Director of Camping, program ideas and planning that strengthen camp ministry and expand participation.
- Congregational Development: coordination on resources and cohorts that support church vitality, new faith communities, and leadership pathways.
- Communications: event support and content sharing that amplify stories of mission and ministry across both conferences.
Those opportunities for collaboration and the financial realities of the denomination have led to curiosity about whether a future jurisdictional conference might join the two conferences as one Episcopal Area. However, sharing a bishop in one Episcopal Area is not a merger of the two conferences—it is a way to strengthen collaboration and stewardship while staying faithful to each conference’s distinct mission. Other examples of this include the Dakotas-Minnesota Episcopal Area, which includes the Dakotas Annual Conference and Minnesota Annual Conference, as well as the Greater Northwest Episcopal Area, which includes the Alaska, Oregon-Idaho, and Pacific Northwest Conferences. Through shared leadership, the conferences can:
- Learn from one another’s innovations in ministry and mission
- Collaborate on shared challenges such as clergy development, communications, and connectional ministry
- Model the connectional spirit at the heart of United Methodism—working together for the transformation of the world
While the Iowa and Illinois Great Rivers Conferences continue to serve their communities in unique and powerful ways, their shared episcopal leadership offers a reminder of the larger connection that binds all United Methodists, as reflected in the recently released vision statement: Lead Boldly, Serve Joyfully, and Love Courageously.