If you are worshipping with us regularly, either online or in person or a hybrid of both, you may have been exposed to the idea that Oceanview belongs to a denomination. We are considered "mainstream" because we are the 2nd largest protestant group in the US. The denomination has a hierarchy of organized leadership. We have a set of agreed-upon values and principles. We follow a book of discipline in how we order the church. That book is a living document that changes every four years. Every four years, we hold a General Conference, an international gathering of democratically elected individuals (equal parts laity and clergy) who serve on committees for two weeks and make decisions on how we are to live together and represent ourselves as a Christian denomination. Each geographical area has a local conference that meets annually called--you guessed it--the Annual Conference. Oceanview and Pastor Emily are members of the Florida Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. There's one in Virginia, two in North Carolina, New Jersey, etc. You get the idea. We have a bishop who oversees our conference, Bishop Tom Berlin. He's new. The bishop has a set of helpers to oversee smaller areas. Since the conference is divided into districts, these helpers are called District Superintendents (DS). The DS's serve on the bishop's appointive cabinet, and that's where pastors come from.
The bishop and cabinet meet to discern and project possible appointments to fill the pulpits around the conference with pastors. The churches' buildings and property are held in trust by the Annual Conference. In that way, we as a church are not a solo endeavor. We have help and support when we need it. The conference is responsible for supplying the church with quality, vetted clergy, missional engagement, and connection to the United Methodist Church's larger whole. We call it connectionalism. It is one of those "isms" that is a good one. You can learn more about our Annual Conference and denomination on this page through the links below.
