Background
As part of preparing for this change, the College of Bishops commissioned a study by Dr. Lovett Weems of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership.
The study, released in February 2009, is available as a PDF file and is linked here for your review. Factors considered in this study include surveys of laity and clergy, and comparisons of projected population changes, episcopal area boundaries and conference boundaries.
We invite you to read this report to learn more about the process that guided our decision.