2. Fifty years ago, Evangelical United Brethren (EUB) Bishop Rueben H
Fifty years ago, Evangelical United Brethren (EUB) Bishop Rueben H. Mueller and Methodist Bishop Lloyd C. Wicke joined hands over a table laden with symbols---the Bible, hymnals, books of Discipline and a 307- page "Plan of Union." 1,300 delegates and 10,000 visitors met in Dallas, Texas on April 23, proclaiming the formation of the newly-constituted United Methodist Church.10.3 million Methodists and 750,000 members of the EUB Church merged into one of the largest Protestant denominations in the world. Flags from fifty-three countries testified to the breadth of the new reality. At the same time, the systematic racism of the former Methodist Church's segregating Central Jurisdiction began dismantling. 
Fred Day, General Secretary, General Commission on Archives & History

3. United Methodism’s DNA Is Union!
Did you know the first leaders of the Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren Churches knew and supported each other?
William Otterbein Greets Martin Boehm at Isaac Long’s Barn in 1767 and declares, “We are brethren!”

4. Union in Ministry and Friendship
Asbury and Otterbein’s friendship and ministries crisscrossed for thirty-nine years until Otterbein’s death.
Asbury convinces Otterbein to become pastor of Old Otterbein Church in Baltimore.
Otterbein participates in Asbury’s ordination at the 1784 Christmas Conference.
Albright, a Lutheran and future founder of the Evangelical Association Church joined a Methodist class meeting and became a licensed exhorter to German speaking churches. Eventually he leaves the Methodists to form a group known as the Albright People.
William Otterbein
Frances Asbury
“As Wesley preached to the down-and-outers of England whom the Church of England neglected, so Philip William Otterbein, co-founder of the United Brethren Church, and Jacob Albright, the founder of the Evangelical Church, ministered to those persons whom the “respectable” churches did not reach. . .The roots of these branches are similar. They were influenced by German pietism, which stressed a warm “heart” faith and a personal relationship with God through a first-hand experience of Christ.” (Beheny and Eller: 7)
Asbury and Otterbein meet in 1793 and became both friends and colleagues in ministry for thirty-nine years. It is a little known detail that Asbury helps to convince Otterbein to pastor an independent Reformed Baltimore church which would become eventually become known as Old Otterbein. When Otterbein arrives in Baltimore in May, 1774, Asbury, along with Benedict Swope, Otterbein’s Reformed Church colleague, greeted him upon his arrival to the church. (Turner: 12) Another instance of Otterbein and Asbury’s friendship is when Old Otterbein church would host the last session of the 1792 Methodist Conference. Asbury would occasionally preach from Old Otterbein’s pulpit as well. (Turner: 12) Despite several talks about union, the divisive issues kept merger from becoming a reality. Yet both leaders and their respective groups “would eventually recognize each other’s ordinations, preach in each other’s homes or barns, hold quarterly meetings in regions and gather at each other’s annual conferences for mutual support, theological education and strategizing.” (MEA 1:54)
Albright, a Lutheran, lost five of his six children in 1790 due to a tuberculosis outbreak left him shaken and questioning his previous indifferent spiritual life. He sought out spiritual advice from three friends, Anthony Houtz, a German Reformed minister, Isaac Davis, Methodist lay preacher, and Adam Reigel who was an Otterbein follower. Shortly after Albright’s conversion he attended a Methodist class meeting where he would eventually be granted an exhorter’s license. Methodist interest in German language evangelism waned which left little reason for Albright to continue his standing in the Methodist Episcopal Church and let his exhorter’s credentials lapse. Albright continued to preach to German settlers on his own. Eventually he started three class meetings which became the core of the future Evangelical Association where he was elected bishop in (Behney and Eller: 67-72, Wilson: 7-14)
Jacob Albright

5. Union in Ecumenical Ministry
United Brethren, Evangelical Association, Methodist Episcopal, Methodist Episcopal, South, and Methodist Protestant Churches send delegates to the first Ecumenical Methodist Conference in London (1881), a clear sign they understood themselves to be a part of the global Methodist family.
Antecedent bodies of both Methodist and EUB streams were either charter members or early participants of the World Mission Council, World Methodist Conference, Federal Council of Churches (Now the National Council of Churches), World Council of Churches along with other ecumenical mission organizations.
Both the Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren Churches provided key leadership in all the ecumenical organizations which they were members.
Here are some examples of ecumenical action from both churches working together prior to the 1968 merger:
Bishop Bromely Oxnam’s Episcopal Address Section V, Interdenominational and Ecumenical Relationships, Journal of the 1948 General Conference of The Methodist Church, (1948, The Methodist Publishing House, New York et al.) pp
“We believe the forthcoming Assembly of the World Council of Churches will take its place among the great Councils in the history of Christianity. One hundred thirty-five communions will be represented there by delegates officially chosen by the Churches. The great Protestant communions, the Eastern Orthodox churches, the younger Churches, in fact almost all of non-Roman Christianity will share in establishing the World Council of Churches. The World Council of Churches does not seek to become a Church. It is the Churches themselves in co-operation at the world level. We earnestly recommend that our people everywhere follow the proceedings of this Assembly, that they study its important decisions, and carry its message into every community. Methodism has co-operated in all the significant interdenominational endeavors, and rejoices in the privilege of sharing in the ecumenical fellowship. We should bear our fair share of the support of this Christian enterprise, contributing of our means and of our leadership and co-operating fully in all those measures that look to the extension of the Kingdom. We have co-operated in the National Councils and other interdenominational bodies in many lands. Methodism shared in the organization of the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America, and from the day of its charter membership to the present has been of co-operating Churches in this the most significant interdenominational endeavor in the nation. We rejoice in the ever-widening service of the Federal Council which means the increasing co-operation of the Churches. We urge our people everywhere to participate fully in the local and state councils, and particularly in the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America.”
The outgrowth of this ecumenical spirit following World War II is evident when the Methodist Church’s 1948 General Conference formed the standing Commission on Church Union for greater co-operation between the MC and disparate, and in some cases possible union, denominations within the US. A Commission on the Structure of Methodism Overseas (COSMOS) was also created to reexamine its ties with overseas dependent churches. (MEA I, p. 424)
“During the life span of the Evangelical United Brethren Church there was an unparalleled sensitivity to the oneness of those in Christ, manifested in new and numerous forms of interdenominational associations and ultimately in church union. The church was a charter member of the World Council of Churches…When the Federal Council merged with other interdenominational agencies to form the National Council of Churches in 1950, the church promptly affiliated with the new organization and on two occasions, in the persons of Bishop S. Stamm and R. H. Mueller, provided it with presidential leadership. At state and local levels representatives of this church were invariably found in councils and federations, actively participating in programs of Christian education, evangelism, and social renewal. After 1962 a participating member, the church had full membership and representation at the plenary meetings of the Conference of Church Union, an association seeking to realize a church “truly catholic, truly reformed, truly evangelical.” (Beheny and Eller: 388)
1950 – The National Council of Churches (USA) succeeded the former Federal Council of the Churches in Christ in America. Both the Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren Churches are active members. Albert Outler and Bishop William Cannon would emerge as its Methodist leaders in ecumenical matters. See Outler’s The Christian Tradition and the Unity We Seek in (MEA I, p.424). Outler would adapt these same ideas in his speech during the 1968 Uniting Conference.
1951 – The World Methodist Council supersedes the Ecumenical Methodist Conferences. Methodist Elmer T. Clark becomes its first president.
1952 – Methodists establish The Interdenominational Cooperation Fund to support ecumenical work and Christian unity around the world. Today the Fund still exists and supports a number ecumenical organizations and programs. (MEA I p. 424) The Office of Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns of the Council of Bishops oversee its operation.
1962 – The EUB and Methodist churches join the Consultation on Church Union (COCU) with seven other denominations to create possible mergers with various Protestant, Catholic and Episcopal/Anglican denominations. African American denominations were also counted amongst the nine members. Charles Parlin, a prominent Methodist lay leader and lawyer, who was a leader for the 1968 United Methodist Church merger and member of COCU, perceived the EUB-Methodist merger as the first step for additional mergers. (MEA I: 425)
1964 – General Conference established a Commission on Ecumenical Affairs which would eventually evolve into the present day Council of Bishops Office of Christian Unity and Interreligious Relationships. Its purpose continues to be the same, namely, to promote unity and peace through strengthening ecumenical and interfaith relations worldwide. (MEA I: 425,
World Methodist Conference Methodist Church Delegates and Spouses – London, 1961

6. Union Attempted…
1817 Negotiations for a merger between the Church of the United Brethren in Christ and the Evangelical Association at the "Social Conference".
1829 United Brethren Church and the nascent Methodist Protestant Church discuss union.
Merger discussions between the Evangelical Association and the Methodist Episcopal Church begin and eventually fail.
1876 Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, formally meet in Cape May, New Jersey. Thus began the slow march to union in Race would be the biggest impediment. The Methodist Protestant Church would formally join the conversation 1911.
Note: Methodists over a period of time also tried to reunite with African Methodist Episcopal Church, African Methodist Episcopal Zion and the Christian Methodist Episcopal Churches after the latter church split off in the 19th Century due to racial tensions and actions. Despite attempts to reunite these talks evolved into more cooperation rather than merger.
During the 150 years Evangelicals and United Brethren met with Methodists for a variety of reasons, both formal and informal, from the exchange of fraternal delegates at General Conferences to cooperation with camp meetings. A merger between the Evangelical Association and the Methodists Episcopal Church almost happened in During the 1871 Evangelical General Conference a ballot was cast to merge with the Methodists and won by a majority of one vote. However, the vote lacked the necessary two-thirds majority and the issue was pursued no further. (Beheny and Eller: 389)
Methodists over a period of time also tried to reunite with African Methodist Episcopal (AME) , African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AMEZ) and Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Churches. The 19th century witnessed exoduses due to institutional and personal racism. Both the AME and AMEZ left because the MEC did not offer either group an acceptance in either ordination of ministers, local leadership or identity. The CME was spun off by the MECS after the Civil War as a way to “fix” their perceived ex-slave membership problem. Thus it should come as no surprise race would continue to be a major sticking point between the MEC and MECS during and beyond the 1939 merger. Southern Methodists resisted merging African American congregations with white ones and wanted to pursue a similar course as they did with the CME but the MEC refused to do so. Hence, the African American Central Jurisdiction was created beyond the five geographic jurisdiction as a comprise. It should be noted that the MEC is not absolved is this matter as well. After the Civil war Northern Methodism created separate “Colored” conferences that lasted until the 1939 merger. Episcopal leadership over of these conferences within the Central jurisdiction were General Conference elected white bishops. Many of these race designated annual conferences would continue into the Central Jurisdiction.

7. Union Successful!
1922 Evangelical Church is created from a merger between the Evangelical Association Church (EVs) and The United Evangelical Church (UEs). The UEs split from the EVs in 1894.
1939 Methodist Church is created from a merger between the Methodist Episcopal Church, Methodist Episcopal Church, South and the Methodist Protestant Church.
1946 Evangelical United Brethren Church is created from a merger between the United Brethren Church and the Evangelical Church.
1968 The United Methodist Church is created from a merger between the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church. The original name was to be the Evangelical United Methodist Church but another denomination was already using it.
1939 Methodist Union, Kansas City, Mo.
1946 EUB Union, Johnstown, Pa.

8. Union Can Take Time…
Negotiations to form the UMC start in After the Plan of Union was accepted, annual conferences of both churches vote to merge.
Conversations to form the 1939 Methodist Church start in 1876 between the MEC & MECS. Talks to include the MP Church came later.
The United Brethren Church and Evangelical Church begin negotiating merger in It would take 20 years for union to officially happen for a variety of reasons not the least being the Great Depression & WW II.

9. Union Because Of Similarities
Both churches had an administrative connectional hierarchy system.
Both churches embraced an ecumenical spirit of cooperation with other denominations and like-minded groups when it came to mission work, especially overseas.
Both Methodist and EUBs had connectional systems in which local congregations were related to the general church through different organizational levels to make the daily requirements to fulfill General Conference’s quadrennial mandates possible. They had bishops to oversee annual conferences, appointments and local churches via district superintendents. The hierarchy of the various boards and agencies were duplicated at each structural level with their own specifically assigned tasks and accountably.
Each church had the same equally elected representation of laity and clergy at General Conference. Both published a Discipline to set an administrative framework, theological beliefs, church rules and at times rituals for special occasions. Both churches had administrative boards for missions, social concerns, education, publications, pensions and evangelism.
“Both churches embraced an ecumenical spirit of cooperation with other denominations and like-minded groups when it came to mission work, especially overseas. This was necessary for the larger Protestant mission work in overseas countries where the needs of the various works were greater than denominational differences.” (MEA I: 427).

10. Union Despite Differences
Lack of knowledge about each other.
Size: The Methodist Church was considerably bigger which caused many EUBs to give pause to merge.
Local church governance and structure.
Structural and institutional racism.
TABLE OF DENOMINATION SIZE DIFFERENCES*
Methodist
EUB
Membership
10.3 million
750,000
Congregations
38,800
4,300
Annual Conferences 90 32
Episcopal Areas 46 7
First was knowledge of the other, especially on the Methodist side. Because of the EUB church’s limited geographical presence in the United States compared to the Methodist as well as on the mission field many Methodists knew little, if anything, about the EUB church. (MEA I:427). The Methodist Church tried to overcome the problem by publishing informative articles in Together Magazine and a study book to overcome the situation. (MEA I:427). Charles Parlin (Methodist) wrote Our Common Heritage: Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren in the February 2, 1963 issue of The Telescope Messenger (pages 7-13) as a way of introducing the Methodist Church’s similarities with the EUB readership. Paul Milhouse (EUB) followed Parlin’s article in the November 9, 1963 issue with one entitled Early Associations of Evangelical United Brethren and Methodists.
Second was size. The EUB Church was much smaller than the Methodist Church which caused concerned amongst EUB congregations of being swallowed up by their larger partner (See There were two small EUB annual conferences that left prior to the official merger in order to maintain their EUB identity. (MEA 1:427)
Third was local church governance and structure. The EUB’s had a Program Council to enact direction and programs created by the general agencies and annual conferences. This style of a single oversite council would not be set in place within former Methodist local churches until after the merger. (MEA 1:428).
Fourth was the abolishment of the Methodist Church’s race centered Central Jurisdiction which separated many African American congregations from all other United States geographic congregations.
*MEA I: 427

11. Union Forms A United Methodist Church
Union came at a time when cultural upheaval caused division and discord
in society.
Civil Rights Movement and Race riots.
Women’s Equal Rights.
Vietnam War.
Counter culture revolution divides generations.
Urban neglect/renewal.
Cold War with nuclear threat.
By 1966, a Plan of Union is negotiated and presented to both denominations for approval. Both EUB Bishop Paul Washburn and Methodist Lay Leader Charles Parlin would “go on the road” to sell the plan to their respective annual conferences and alleviate fears on both sides. Questions of theological compatibility related to conservatism (EUB) versus liberalism (Methodist) led a majority of EUB churches in the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference. Eventually, these dissenting churches would form The Evangelical Church. Ironically, the same theological questions arose amongst conservative Methodist congregations who saw the EUB church far too liberal for their theological self-understanding (Hotrum, p. 130).
Joint Union Commission 1958

12. Union Joins Struggle Against Church Racism…
The Central Jurisdiction (CJ) was created to separate Black Methodist churches from their white counterparts.
The EUBs insisted that the CJ be completely eliminated as part of the merger.
Black churches in the Northeast were already assimilated before the 1968 merger.
Black Methodist for Church Renewal (BMCR) formed as an advocacy voice.
The Commission on Religion and Race is created in 1968 to monitor institutional racism and tokenism in the new church.
Bishop James Thomas Addressing the 1968 General Conference
From the beginning Methodists have struggled with racism, especially with African Americans, in various institutional forms, and in some cases, personal segregationism from its beginnings as a church. Racism would raise its ugly head with the rise of Black preachers in ministry whose calling arose out of early segregated African American societies and class meetings formed within local church congregations. These dedicated servants would continually be denied ordination by Methodist Episcopal Church (ME) conferences until Both the preachers and laity felt that despite their dedicated service to the denomination in the local church, on the circuit, or work amongst those in their communities, the church in general did not support nor affirm their value or identity. This non-recognition would eventually lead an exodus of African American Methodists from the ME church and form their own denominations.
Richard Allen, James Varrick, Peter Spencer, to name a few, were leaders who help lead Black Methodists out of the Methodist Episcopal Church to form separate African American denominations, the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) and Methodist Episcopal Church Zion (AMEZ) which still exist today. Whereas the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (former Colored Methodist Episcopal Church) was primarily ex-slaves and members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, were forced out of the Southern Church after the Civil War. Certain segments within the former Methodist Protestant Church had issues with slavery and Black membership as well but not on the scale of its parent/cousin denominations. It should be noted that not all African Americans left their respective denomination. In the Northern church a number of Black Methodists elected to stay in the denomination with Mother Zoar Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia being a prime example.
Northern Methodist began to feel the loss membership pain as more and more of their Black members switched membership to the AME and AMEZ churches. This bleeding can be seen in the following statistics: ,000 members; ,000; ,000 members and 1865 – 18,000 members.
With the advent of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1883, the ME Church would finally grant full clergy rights for Black clergy ministers at the 1864 General Conference when the Washington and Delaware Conferences were founded at the same time.
After the American Civil War, Northern Methodists pushed to organize Black congregations into separate race defined mission conferences which later became formal “Colored” annual conferences whose bishops were from the predominately white annual conferences. Part of this is due to a resistance by white Northern Methodists to integrate with freed slaves. Hence, there was a significant rise in African American membership (200,000) after these conferences were created. The new conferences afforded the opportunity for Black ministers to obtain full clergy rights and be appointed to African American congregations. Unlike the Southern Methodist Church to rid its Black membership, Northern Methodists saw this as one of many venues to elevate freed slaves into society. Other segregated programs such as the Freedman’s Aid Society which built schools from colleges to medical schools continue today as major historic Black institutions of higher education. There was also a segregated Christian Advocate for the members as well. These segregated annual conferences would eventually cover the Eastern two-thirds of the country and exist until the 1939 merger when these annual conferences became part of the Central Jurisdiction. Black congregations, however, in the West remained part of established annual conferences but were placed in separate districts.
The creation of the Central Jurisdiction, as well as the five geographic jurisdiction, were part of a compromise between the Methodist Episcopal Church and Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in order to merge with the Methodist Protestant Church to form the Methodist Church in Race was always the ever present, heavily weighted, issue in the background during merger talks. Because of the insistence by the Evangelical United Brethren Church to end the Central Jurisdiction as a part of the 1968 United Methodist Church merger became the final nails in the coffin. Yet the final Plan of Union language on the race issue became opaque enough to continue to endure truncated Central Jurisdiction principles until the 1972 General Conference. Two things need to be noted at this time. The assimilation of Black congregations begun early after the 1956 General Conference due to approved legislation. So by the 1968 General Conference many Central Jurisdiction churches in the North were already part of their respective geographic jurisdictions and annual conferences.
For the first time Central Jurisdiction annual conferences had Black bishops and other important leaders that would help dismantling the jurisdiction later on. This church within a church became a growing voice of racial equality in both Methodism and American society. As the Civil Rights movement gained traction and the end to overt Jim Crowe laws in the Southeast it became clear that the Central Jurisdiction became an artifact of Methodist racism. However, not every leader or member of the Central Jurisdiction thought it was a good idea to end it. There was a certain longing to keep the independence of jurisdictional governance and administration that appealed to Black Methodist identity. In light of gains in the Civil Rights movement many African American leaders felt Black Methodism had to go with the times and become part of a united Methodism with the hope ecclesiastical inclusiveness would finally happen.
Just prior to the creation of The United Methodist Church, Bishop James Thomas, elected to the office by the Central Jurisdiction, became the first Black bishop over a mostly white annual conference – Iowa. Other Central Jurisdiction bishops and leaders would begin to fill general church leadership staffing or supervise episcopal areas without regard to race.
1961 Central Jurisdiction Annual Conference Boundaries

13. …and Women’s Clergy Rights
Helenor Davisson is ordained by the Methodist Protestant Church (MP) in 1866.
Ella Niswonger is ordained by the United Brethren Church (UB) in 1889.
Women ordained in the MP were forced to give up elder credentials at the 1939 mergers.
Methodist Church finally ordains women in 1956.
The 1968 merger allows former UB clergy women to revitalize their ordination credentials.
Helenor Davisson
The question of full ordination rights for women in the United Methodist tradition took lengthy paths until the 1968 Unification General Conference. Women always played important roles in the church’s ministry. Suzanne Wesley would host popular Bible studies in the Epworth Rectory. Barbara Heck and her famous burning playing cards incident led Philip Embury to begin preaching once more and create a Methodist Society in New York City. Sojourner Truth receives the call to preach against slavery and begins to itinerate in Anna Howard Shaw joins the Methodist Protestant Church after being refused full clergy rights status by the Methodist Episcopal Church. These women, and many others not named here, illustrate the fight for women’s full clergy rights which became a multi-generational struggle to accept, approve and elevate female ordination to its proper place within the United Methodist tradition.
Only the United Brethren and Methodist Protestant Churches ordained woman with full clergy rights in the 19th century. Charity Opheral is granted a recommendation to preach in 1847 by the UB’s White River Annual Conference and a local preaching license in 1849 by the United Brethren Church. Ella Niswonger ( ) became the first UB woman ordained with full clergy rights in Niswonger would also become the first ordained woman delegate to the UB General Conference in 1900.
During the negotiations to form the Methodist Church (MC) in 1939 neither the Methodist Episcopal Church (ME) nor the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, (MES) supported ordaining women with full clergy rights which became a fact for new women clergy in the nascent denomination. This meant that ordained women clergy in the much smaller Methodist Protestant Church (MP) either had to give up their credentials, become local pastors or keep their status with the help of key support. The few women who kept their full clergy rights were either shunned by a male dominated appointment process or served churches that were small or struggling while being paid half the minimum salary as set by their annual conference. Pat Thompson recounts three stories from MP women who rode out the full connection storm (Thompson, Courageous Past, Bold Future, 60-61).
Clergy women ordained in the UB church fared better than their MP sisters. Despite the fact that the new Evangelical United Brethren Church (EUB) made no special provision for licensing or ordaining women, the status of women ordained in the UB church did not change at the 1946 merger (Behney and Eller, 360). The Evangelical Church (EC), and its two predecessor denominations, stood staunchly against ordaining women. However, after the 1946 merger there were some local former EC congregations who refused a women pastor but generally speaking there is little indication this caused major disruptions in appointing women ministers.
Women’s full clergy rights ordination in the post 1939 Methodist merger would not officially happen until Organized women in both the MES (1926) and ME (1928) began to raise the cry for full ordination status. Secular social justice pressures, early 20th century women’s rights movement, occupation of local church pulpits by licensed women during WW II, industrial workplaces, and nearly a century of women’s mission ministry, both here and abroad, would force all Methodists to accept the reality that women were more than capable to function as successful annual conference ordained elders.
After the 1939 merger, the Woman’s Division of Christian Service (now United Methodist Women general agency) created a special Status of Women department which energetically petitioned the 1944, 1948 and 1952 General Conference delegates to grant women full clergy rights. Along with a ground swell of activist local church women and carefully crafted WDSC General Conference legislation, their efforts for full clergy rights finally caught fire during the 1956 General Conference. Thus the goal of granting women’s full clergy rights became church law. Maud Keister Jensen would become the first ordained minister under the new rule and was followed by many other women up to the present time.
Yet clergy women of color full clergy rights came later than the first 1956 ordinations: African Americans Sallie A. Crenshaw and Nora E. Young were ordained in 1958 by the Central Tennessee Annual Conference (Central Jurisdiction); Latina Julia Torres Fernandez was ordained in 1961 by the Puerto Rico Provisional Conference; South Asian Margaret Misal was ordained in 1981 by the Central Illinois Annual Conference; Chinese Mamie Ming Yan Ko and Mochi Lam were ordained in 1982 by the California-Pacific and California-Nevada Annual Conferences; Filipina Carmen Utzurrum Pak was ordained in 1982 by the California-Pacific Annual Conference; Japanese Naomi P. F. Southard was ordained in 1982 by the California-Nevada Annual Conference; Korean Colleen Kyung Seen Chun was ordained in 1983 by the California-Pacific Annual Conference; and Native Lois V. Glory-Neal was ordained in 1989 by the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference.
To this day women claim majority membership in The United Methodist Church when compared to male membership. Yet the ratio of women clergy to male clergy is still disproportional less.
Ella Niswonger

14. Union!
On April 23, 1968 in Dallas, Texas The United Methodist Church is born!
Albert Outler’s sermon on “Visions and Dreams” sums up the new birth of covenantal hopes and visions for the new church. Sermon. Video.
The Uniting Conference gives birth to restructuring the church or creating new commissions such as Archives & History to meet the needs of then and future ministry.
A New Day For The Lord, A New Day For Peace In A United Church
Here is a digest account of the 1968 General Conference taken from an article entitled “General Conferences of The United Methodist Church” by Roy A. Sturm in the Encyclopedia of World Methodism, Volume 2, and pgs
The Uniting Conference—or Organizing Conference—of The United Methodist Church convened in the Dallas Memorial Auditorium, Dallas, Texas, on Tuesday, April 23, 1968, at 8:30 a.m. with Bishop Donald Tippett presiding. There was a dramatic processional and solemn program of union in which Bishop Tippett, Bishop Reuben H. Mueller, of the E.U.B. Church, and Bishop Lloyd C. Wicke took part, and a reading of the declaration of union by Bishops Mueller and Wicke respectively. Many persons took part in the service of union representing the different agencies and elements of the Churches then joining. Previous to this morning session, the General Conference and all visitors, of whom there were something like 9,000 to 10,000 present, participated in a Communion Service on the night of the 22nd at the Civic Auditorium at which Bishop Nolan B. Harmon preached the Communion Sermon. This was possibly as large a gathering for a single communion service as the Church had ever seen.
As the morning session on the 23rd got underway. Bishop W. Kenneth Pope, the host bishop, presented the Hon. John Connally, Governor of Texas, who welcomed the Conference on what he called "a very significant" occasion. "I do so as a Methodist; I do so as governor of this state." Dr. Albert Outler delivered the sermon as part of the formal ceremonies of union on Tuesday morning, April 23. Charles D. White of the Western North Carolina Conference was elected secretary of the Uniting Conference.
Fraternal delegates presented from the United Church of Canada, Presbyterian Church of the United States, British Methodist Church, Protestant Episcopal Church and John Joseph Carberry, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of St. Louis. Carberry spoke as chairman of the United States Catholic Bishops Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs and thanked God ". . . for this tremendous, wonderful experience, in new life, you might say, between us. We are living in a different world, and this spirit of understanding and mutual love has replaced a sort of a coldness, if you will, or even a distrust or a lack of knowledge of each other which may have characterized our relationships in the past.“
The Episcopal Address for all the bishops of both Churches was delivered by Bishop Lloyd C. Wicke. It was signed by one hundred bishops of The United Methodist Church, effective and retired. The Address as was fitting, dealt largely with the uniting of the two Churches and outlined the path ahead. It paid special attention to almost total urbanization of the nation and how the city had come to be a dominant fact in the present-day life. Also how the Church should meet this challenge, as well as the challenge represented by the youth of the day. A strong desire was expressed to effect reunion with "our brethren of the African Methodist Episcopal, African Methodist Episcopal Zion, and the Christian Methodist Episcopal Churches, who share our common privileges." Important social matters, especially those dealing with race and public morals were taken up, and the war in Vietnam was treated.
"Let the Church condemn the institution of war for what it is—a transvaluation of every value dear to the heart of Christ. May we resolve to cast our lot with men everywhere in removing these inherited impediments: illiteracy, hunger, disease, poverty, and other corroding disabilities which are among the major causes of war and for which there is an ample remedy" (Journal, p. 253.)
The Conference itself dealt with many matters of great import which had to do with the ongoing of the United Church. The report of the Committee on Interjurisdictional Matters, with its recommendations to abolish completely the Central Jurisdiction, took up much time of the Conference, as there was a minority report requesting that a target date be set for the complete absorption of eleven Negro Conferences yet based upon race, and proposing a constitutional amendment to effect elimination of these conferences not later than the Jurisdictional Conferences of This was not accepted, and the majority report was adopted as presented by Leonard Slutz of Ohio. Mr. Slutz affirmed that the adoption of compulsory legislation at this time would tend to delay and "hinder plans now in progress, and seriously jeopardize the spirit of good will and understanding so necessary to make structural changes ... a significant step toward the much greater objective of genuine brotherhood and an inclusive church" (Journal, p. 812). The racial issue with the status of the existing Negro conferences influenced many actions of this Conference, as it has done in every General Conference since 1939.
The Conference voted to raise a $20,000,000 Fund for Reconciliation*, which was started by a heavy subscription from the bishops and a general collection from the Conference. It also adopted a quadrennial plan which took as its slogan "A New Church in a New World," and outlined for the coming quadrennium a program of study in the local churches dealing with Bible study; and outlining a plan for carrying through the purposes of the Fund for Reconciliation.
The Conference adjourned after a closing statement by Bishop Eugene M. Frank, the newly elected chairman of the Council of Bishops, and the benediction by Bishop William C. Martin, on May 4, 1968.”
*The Fund for Reconciliation was designed to enable the church to work on behalf of the poor, the Black community, and the lamenting of those without voice or power. The fund was divided into two areas: 1) Individual episcopal areas will retain half the money raised in their jurisdiction for projects approved by an elected lay-clergy committee; 2) The rest of the money will be used in a national fund and administered at the discretion of the Council of Bishops for meeting emergency needs from domestic and/or foreign mission crises.
Outler Preaching to General Conference

15. Benefits from the 1968 Merger
The end of structural racism on the jurisdictional level. (Methodist)
Polity shift to management parity between laity and clergy. (EUB)
Strengthening local church structure – SPPRC and Church Administration Council. (EUB)
Creation of General Council of Ministry, forerunner of the Connectional Table and General Commission on Archives and History. (EUB)
Rise of grassroots groups reflecting various issues.
Greater opportunity for clergy. (Methodist)
General Commissions on Religion & Race (Methodist) and Archives & History (EUB) Organized.
The use of Methodist and EUB designation is the show the origin denomination that brought it the merger discussion and then resulted in a change to the final structure of The United Methodist Church.

16. Happy Anniversary United Methodist Church!

17. Acknowledgements & Resources
The General Commission on Archives & History would like to thank everyone who helped on this project, especially our staff.
A special thank you to Dr. Ken Rowe, UMC Historian extraordinaire and indispensable colleague to our ongoing work - Ministry of Memory!
Richey, Russell E., Kenneth E. Rowe and Jean Miller Schmidt. The Methodist Experience in America: A History. Vol. 1. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2010.
Behney, J. Bruce and Paul H. Eller. The History of the Evangelical United Brethren Church. Kenneth W. Krueger, editor. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1979.
Thompson, Patricia J. Courageous Past, Bold Future. Nashville: General Board of Higher Education, The United Methodist Church, 2006.
Turner, Lynn W. Philip William Otterbein. Lake Junaluska: General Commission on Archives and History, 1976.
Wilson, Robert S. Jacob Albright. Lake Junaluska: General Commission on Archives and History, 2002.
Oxnam, Bromely “Episcopal Address Section V, Interdenominational and Ecumenical Relationships” Journal of the General Conference of The Methodist Church, (1948): pp
Hotrum, Brian. The Evangelical Story: The History of The Evangelical Church. Kearney: Morris Publishing, 2006.
Together and Telescope & Messenger magazines, 1963 editions.
Encyclopedia of World Methodism. Vol 2. s.v. “General Conferences of The United Methodist Church”.