The Central Conference of Central and Southern Europe
The United Methodist Church in Central and Southern Europe consists of about 30'000 members and friends living in 13 countries: Albania, Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Switzerland, Tunisia. The worship services are held in more than 20 languages, but there are many more languages and ways in which members of this Church share the love of God with their neighbors.
| History | |
| 1925 | Constitution of the Central Conference of Central and Southern Europe (member-countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Baltics, Russia, Germany, Switzerland) |
| 1936 | Constitution of the Central Conference in Germany. The other Annual Conferences of the Central Conference of Central Europe (Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Switzerland and Yugoslavia) fell back into their old Connection to the General Confernce and constituted the episcopal "Sprengel" of the General Conference. Bishop Nuelsen located his office in Geneva. It was the birth of the Geneva "Sprengel". |
| 1938 | Austria became annected to Hitler-Germany. Consequently, the Mission Conference in Austria was integrated into the German Central Conference. |
| 1939 | Integration of «Methodist Episcopal Church North», «Methodist Episcopal Church South» and «Protestant Methodist Church» in the USA. As a consequence, conferences in Belgium, Poland and Czechoslovakia were integrated in Geneva Sprengel. |
| 1945 | Geneva Sprengel now consisted of: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Madeira Mission, North Africa, Poland, Spain, Switzerland and Yugoslavia. |
| 1954 | On October 14, the constitutive meeting of the Central Conference of Central and Southern Europe took place in Brussels/Belgium. Ferdinand Sigg was elected as first Bishop of this Central Conference of Central and Southern Europe. |
| 1966 | After the decease of Bishop Ferdinand Sigg (1965), District Superintendent Franz W. Schäfer was elected as the new Bishop of the Central Conference of Central and Southern Europe. |
| 1969 | The Methodist Church in Belgium left the Central Conference of Central and Southern Europe and assembled with other Churches to the United Protestant Church in Belgium in the course of of the following years. |
| 1989 | Heinrich Bolleter was elected new Bishop of the Central Conference of Central and Southern Europe as successor of Franz W. Schäfer. |
| 1998 | The Methodist Church in Albania was established and added to the Central Conference of Central and Southern Europe. |
| 2005 | Patrick Streiff was elected new Bishop of the Central Conference of Central and Southern Europe. |
| 2006 | Bishop Patrick Streiff took office; Bishop Heinrich Bolleter retired. |
| 2010 | A United Methodist congregation in Brussels/Belgium was added to the Central Conference of Central and Southern Europe. In the same year, the congregational work in Croatia was discontinued. |
| 2011 | The Methodist Church in Romania was established and added to the Central Conference of Central and Southern Europe. |
| 2022 | The UMC in Bulgaria and the UMC in Slovakia left the Central Conference of Central and Southern Europe and became part of the Global Methodist Church. |
| 2022 | Stefan Zürcher was elected bishop of the Central Conference of Central and Southern Europe. |
| 2023 | Bishop Stefan Zürcher took office; Bishop Patrick Streiff retired. |
Video Greetings from Bishop Stefan Zürcher at the end of General Conference
On Friday, May 3, 2024, the General Conference gathering of The United Methodist Church was closed. In a short video message, Bishop Stefan Zürcher looks back to ten intensive days and underlines what is important to him now.
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Letter from Bishop Stefan Zürcher on the end of General Conference
Today, Friday, May 3, 2024, the General Conference of The United Methodist Church came to a close in Charlotte, NC.
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"We are and will remain part of The United Methodist Church!"
Methodist pastor Yulia Starodubets from Ukraine is among the delegates to General Conference. She has experienced how good and important it is to be part of the worldwide United Methodist Church.
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Clear "yes" to the "regionalization" of The United Methodist Church
Methodist church regions within and outside the USA will receive the same rights. A corresponding fundamental amendment to the "Book of Discipline" was clearly adopted at the General Conference meeting in Charlotte (USA).
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