The range across conferences

Governance & structure

How does the conference organize itself — and does it help churches simplify?

The Book of Discipline lets conferences and churches streamline their boards. The 'Simplified Accountable Structure' (one board instead of four committees) came out of Missouri's Healthy Church Initiative and spread widely. Conferences differ in how far they've simplified their own structure.

Río Texas

home

Uniting Table + 4 Vision TeamsConfirmed

conference's own governing structure (vision-aligned / simplified)

Coordinates mission through a Uniting Table (fulfilling the BoD conference-council-on-ministries role) and four Vision Teams aligned to the conference's Vision pillars — Uniting Peoples, Vitalizing Congregations, Developing Leaders, Transforming Communities. CF&A operates as the 'Finance Table.' A simplified, vision-aligned conference structure rather than a sprawl of boards.

Standing Rules 2025 · Río Texas Standing Rules & Structure 2025

North Georgia

Major SAS promoterConfirmed

promotes one-board model for local churches

Maintains a dedicated SAS resource (ngumc.org/SAS); a flagship promoter of the one-board model.

current · NGUMC SAS page

Texas Annual

Mission 'Centers'Reported

conference consolidated into mission Centers

Organized around consolidated mission Centers rather than legacy boards; promotes local-church SAS.

2023–25 · TXC / Wikipedia

Indiana

SAS + grace exitReported

SAS adopter; grace-filled clergy transition

On the SAS adopter list; administers the denominational Voluntary Transition Program (a financially-supported, grace-filled clergy exit) and in 2024 extended its Compassion Fund to active clergy.

current · INUMC / UMNews

Missouri

HCI birthplaceConfirmed

originated the simplified-governance movement

Birthplace of the Healthy Church Initiative, which evolved into the single-board / Simplified Accountable Structure now used denomination-wide. Schnase's former conference.

~2009→ · UM Insight

Great Plains

Connecting CouncilConfirmed

minimal-structure conference governance

The conference itself runs on a minimal-structure 'Connecting Council'; separately promotes SAS for its local churches.

current · Great Plains structure

Florida

Aligned Task TeamsConfirmed

conference's own structure: numbered Task Teams under a Committee on Leadership

The conference runs on an aligned structure of numbered Task Teams (oversight, extended-connection leadership, focused and standing task teams) coordinated by a Conference Committee on Leadership, and recently used 'alignment teams' to streamline its districts. Also promotes SAS for local churches.

2025 · Florida AC 2025 Journal — Committee on Leadership report