Bishops join hands in prayer during the 2019 United Methodist General Conference in St. Louis. File photo by Kathleen Barry, UM News.

United Methodist bishops — faced with dwindling funds and a potential denominational split — want to hit the brakes on electing new bishops in the U.S. and adding more bishops in Africa.

Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey, Council of Bishops president and leader of the Louisiana Conference, announced her colleagues’ recommendations for stabilizing the denomination’s Episcopal Fund at the end of a Nov. 2-5 online meeting.

Over four days, some 115 active and retired bishops spread across four continents discussed the leadership necessary for the church’s future — including the continuing work of dismantling racism. Most of the bishops’ sessions were closed to the public.

At present, 14 U.S. bishops plan to retire in the coming year or take on new roles with the Council of Bishops. The council recommends that the five U.S. jurisdictional conferences — now scheduled for next year — postpone any elections of their successors until 2024.

“We support the grassroots movements to not elect bishops until the next quadrennium,” Harvey told United Methodist News.

“Many creative and adaptive ideas and models are already being discussed in the jurisdictions,” she added.

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Note: The Dakotas-Minnesota Area of The United Methodist Church will be led by Bishop David Bard, Michigan Area, and Bishop Laurie Haller, Iowa Area, in 2021. Bishop Bard will have direct responsibilities for the Minnesota Conference and Bishop Haller will have direct responsibility to the Dakotas Conference.