Methodist bishops seek cooperation, not union

United Methodist News Service
Bishops from six Methodist denominations said this month they valued fellowship among the churches and cooperation on projects and issues of concern to all.
But a union of the churches is definitely not on the horizon.
Bishops attending a once-every-four-year consultation March 11-13 in Atlanta made that point clear when they agreed to rename the Commission on Pan-Methodist Cooperation and Union simply the “Pan-Methodist Commission.”
Other names considered by the group of 62 bishops were “Commission on Pan-Methodist Cooperation” and “Commission on Pan-Methodist Cooperation and Unity.”
The commission includes representatives of The United Methodist Church and three historically black Methodist churches: African Methodist Episcopal, African Methodist Episcopal Zion and Christian Methodist Episcopal. Two other Methodist bodies joined the consultation for the first time in Atlanta: the Union American Methodist Episcopal Church and the African Union Methodist Protestant Church.
Since general conferences of each Methodist denomination established the joint commission, each would have to approve the change, said Bishop Nathaniel Jarrett of Chicago.