Welcome to the Methodist Conference

The Methodist Conference meets annually in June or July.

2010 will see the Conference meet in Portsmouth from 24 June to 1 July.

It first met in 1744 under John Wesley, who gathered together his assistants (both ordained ministers and itinerant lay preachers) to confer together about 'what to teach, how to teach, and what to do, i.e. how to regulate our doctrine, discipline and practice.'

Today's Conference is a gathering of representatives from each Methodist district, along with some who have been elected by the Conference and some ex officio members and respresentatives of the Youth Assembly.

There is a mixture of lay people, ordained presbyters and deacons. Presbyters also have their own separate gathering before the main, decision-making session.

The Conference is the body that agrees policy for the Methodist Church.