Abstract

The following dissertation is designed to explore the structural origins of The Methodist Church's Central Jurisdiction--a nationwide region based on race, which differed from the five white geography-based Jurisdictions. Although racism was a factor in the arrangement of the Jurisdictions, the author raises the broader issue of whether there is a relationship between the way a church is organized and how its members participate in its life and work. ;To investigate the development of the Central Jurisdiction, the author examined the church's episcopal structure and the history of Blacks within the denomination, particularly with reference to the election of Black bishops. Sources that facilitated the study include such church publications as the Southwestern and Central editions of the Christian Advocate and the Proceedings of the Joint Commission on Unification; analyses of persons who worked toward the union of the three denominations that culminated in The Methodist Church; and the Journals of the General Conference and Disciplines of each denomination. ;This study demonstrates that there is a relationship between church government and membership involvement. The racial separation resulting in the Central Jurisdiction enabled church members to be arranged along racial and geographical lines; facilitated acceptance of the union of the three denominations; and diminished the role of itinerant bishops. In so doing, the new church organization affected its members' understanding of the universal church: the theological interpretation of the church became pragmatic