Who we are

"To make and engage disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world." 

The Baltimore-Washington Conference is made up of about 200,000 members in over 640 United Methodist churches in Maryland, Washington, D.C., the eastern panhandle of West Virginia and Bermuda. We are a global church -- one of 68 conferences, or regions, that make up the denomination, totaling 11 million members.

Quick facts about the Baltimore-Washington Conference:

• Methodism was founded in America in Baltimore in 1784. As the birthplace of the denomination, this region has been a leader within the denomination, known for its unique mixture of spiritual devotion and social action.
• The conference’s headquarters is in Fulton, Md., where more than 50 people work to help equip local churches for mission and ministry.
• The conference has an operating budget of more than $30 million. Our churches’ collective budgets for programs and administration total more than $99 million.
• The conference has covenant partnerships with United Methodists in South Korea and Zimbabwe and Russia.
• The Baltimore-Washington Conference is divided up into four regions each containing two districts.
  • Annapolis-Southern Region: Annapolis and Washington East districts
  • Baltimore Region: Baltimore Suburban and Baltimore Metropolitan districts
  • Washington Region: Central Maryland and Greater Washington districts
  • Western Region: Cumberland-Hagerstown and Frederick districts

About the United Methodist Church

Methodism was founded in 1729 by John Wesley, an Anglican priest, in England. Baltimore became the cradle of Methodism in America in 1784 when the church was officially organized at a conference during Christmas at the Lovely Lane Meeting House in Baltimore. After several splits and mergers, The United Methodist Church was born in 1968 when Methodists merged with the Evangelical United Brethren.

United Methodism is a mainstream Protestant denomination. It is distinctive in its emphasis on grace being available to all people. United Methodists combine personal holiness with social witness and action, believing that the love of God is always tied to love of neighbor, a passion for justice and renewal in the life of the world.

United Methodists are a connectional people, linked together across the globe in their organization and financial life, and in collective prayer, witness and service.

For any questions you may have about The United Methodist Church use the InfoServ website to submit your questions or visit http://www.umc.org/.