The Western North Carolina Conference is an Annual Conference (regional episcopal area, similar to a diocese) of the United Methodist Church. This conference serves the western half of the state of North Carolina, with its administrative offices and the office of the bishop being located in Huntersville, North Carolina. It is part of the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference.
The current presiding Bishop is Bishop Kenneth H Carter.
Higher education support
The Western North Carolina Conference provides funding to five institutions of higher learning:
Bennett College – Greensboro, North Carolina
Brevard College – Brevard, North Carolina
Greensboro College – Greensboro, North Carolina
High Point University – High Point, North Carolina
Pfeiffer University
Main Campus – Misenheimer, North Carolina
Extension Campus – Charlotte, North Carolina
Districts
The WNC Annual Conference is further subdivided into eight smaller regions, called "districts," which provide further administrative functions for the operation of local churches in cooperation with each other. This structure is vital to Methodism, and is referred to as connectionalism. The districts that comprise the Western North Carolina Conference are:
Appalachian
Blue Ridge
Catawba Valley
Metro
Northern Piedmont
Smoky Mountain
Uwharrie
Yadkin Valley
Prior to July 2012, the WNC Annual Conference had 15 districts. Albemarle Asheville Charlotte Gastonia Greensboro High Point Lake Norman Lexington Marion Northeast North Wilkesboro Salisbury Statesville Waynesville Winston-Salem