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- The current district structure was created during a
different era in North Georgia
- The new structure will improve our effectiveness
and prepare us for the future
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Redistricting for Mission and Stewardship North Georgia Annual - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Redistricting for Mission and Stewardship North Georgia Annual - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Redistricting for Mission and Stewardship North Georgia Annual Conference Pre-Conference Briefings 2020 Overview The current district structure was created during a different era in North Georgia The new structure will improve our
SLIDE 2
SLIDE 3
Since the districts were designed many things have changed including:
- Cell phones, email, videoconferencing
- Ubiquitous public meeting spaces (e.g.,
Starbucks)
- New highways
- Greater population diversity
- Changes in worship attendance patterns
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Current district lines were drawn during a different era in North Georgia
SLIDE 4
- 1. Assure no county is “split” between districts
- 2. Align with major highways
- 3. Balance
– Number of churches and clergy – Attendance – Population, and Population Growth
- 4. Assure each district has some “top 50” largest
churches
- 5. Align districts with United Methodist colleges,
universities and seminaries
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Design Principles
SLIDE 5
Recommended 8-District Structure
McDuffie Gordon Clayton Madison Wilkes Stephens Gilmer Clarke Spalding Lumpkin Fulton Cherokee Whitfield Franklin Chattooga White Forsyth Lincoln Floyd Rockdale Fayette Richmond Fannin Catoosa Carroll Warren Rabun Lamar Elbert Walton Putnam Walker Butts Polk Union Pike Douglas Pickens Jasper Troup Jackson Paulding DeKalb Towns Oglethorpe Oconee Henry Dawson Newton Heard Hart Bartow Murray Barrow Morgan Haralson Coweta Banks Hancock Baldwin Monroe Hall Columbia Taliaferro Habersham Gwinnett Meriwether Greene Cobb Upson Harris West Central (Highway I-20) North Central East Central (Highways 316 and 78 to Monroe) South Central (DeKalb + I-20 to Covington and 81 to McDonough) NW (I-75, 575, 76) NE (400, 985, I-85) SE SW
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Athens Augusta La Grange Rome Dalton Canton Gainesville Griffin Newnan Carrollton
Red dots indicate the 10 north Georgia cities with over 20,000 population, outside of Metro Atlanta.
5 6 1 4 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 2 7 8
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Churches / Clergy
84 73 68 86 130 116 102 136 107 114 104 117 118 114 89 122
20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
West Central North Central East Central South Central North West North East South East South West
Churches Clergy
Number of clergy and churches is balanced among the new districts
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District #
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Note: This graph was updated in March 2020
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http://worldpopulationreview.com/states/georgia-population/ Sources: https://www.georgia-demographics.com/custom_data,
Each new district includes some high-growth counties
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District superintendents will collaborate to work on common priorities
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- Creating/supporting vibrant anchor churches in county
seats
- Recruiting and developing gifted local pastors
- Bringing about creative vital mergers, adoptions, multi-sites
and networks of churches
- Engaging pastors as district leaders
- Partnering with other groups and organizations
- Implementing shared services*
Potential Priorities:
*Such as central administration of church space rental
SLIDE 9
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Most new districts have …
- A United Methodist college,
university, and/or seminary Each new district has …
- Some “Top 50” largest churches
- Roughly equal apportionments and
district work funds
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Centralizing of certain tasks across the districts will help to reduce district workload
- Recently centralized or in process
– District Work Fund accounting – Payment of district expenses – Administration of closed church properties – Investment management by Georgia UM Foundation
- Another potential improvement
– Centralization of DCOM record keeping and candidate communication (e.g., initial walk-through of the process)
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