Resource UMC | Aug. 5, 2026
Understanding the U.S. Regional Conference
Over the next three years, United Methodists in the United States will hear three similar names come up again and again. They sound alike, but they are three different things, each with its own job and its own season. This guide lays them out simply, side by side, so you can see how they fit together on one path toward the church we are becoming.
The three bodies at a glance
1. Plan: The Interim Committee on Organization
Who: 25 U.S. delegates selected by the Council of Bishops, plus 3 advisers from regional conferences outside the U.S.
When: 2026 to spring 2029
What it does: Plans the first gathering of the U.S. Regional Conference. It chooses the time and place, shapes the program with General Conference leadership, and recommends the committees and officers the new conference will need. It passes no church law.
When it ends: When the first U.S. Regional Conference gathering is complete, unless its work is extended for a specific time and purpose.
2. Legislate once: The U.S. Regional Committee (Paragraph 507)
Who: All U.S. General Conference delegates, plus one lay and one clergy delegate from each regional conference outside the United States.
When: May 2028, Minneapolis
What it does: Handles U.S. legislation one time, meeting during the 2028 General Conference to process matters open to U.S. adaptation and report its actions for a vote.
When it ends: Once the U.S. Regional Conference is created and functional.
3. Convene: The U.S. Regional Conference
Who: All U.S. General Conference and jurisdictional conference delegates.
When: Spring 2029 (location to be announced)
What it does: Legislative and administrative. Adapts and adopts General Conference legislation and addresses matters unique to the U.S. region. This is the church's newest permanent decision-making body, holding for the United States the same authority regional conferences in Africa, Europe, and the Philippines have long exercised.
Status: Permanent.
The short version
The Interim Committee plans the gathering. The Paragraph 507 Regional Committee handles U.S. legislation one time, during General Conference 2028. The Regional Conference is the new body itself, convening in spring 2029.
"Three names. One path to the church yet to be."
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Learn more
- UM News: Planners set time for U.S. Regional Conference: the July 2026 report on the Interim Committee's first meeting.
Source: 2020/2024 Book of Discipline Paragraph 507 and the regionalization enabling petition.
Questions? Contact the Interim Committee on Organization through its vice-chair, Paul Gómez.Email: pgomez@umcom.org