General Conference

The General Conference (GC) is the highest body in The Methodist Church in Singapore (MCS), responsible for legislation for the whole Methodist denomination within Singapore and has authority to make decisions regarding the General Conference and its agencies.  The General Conference Executive Council (GCEC) reviews and oversees the affairs of the GC. The GC is headed by the Bishop, who oversees the spiritual and connectional affairs of the MCS.

The Bishop represents the MCS to the wider Christian community within and outside Singapore. These include the National Council of Churches in Singapore and global groupings such as the Asian Methodist Council and the World Methodist Conference. The Bishop also serves as the head of regional churches established by the MCS. The Bishop is elected at the General Conference regular session, which is held every quadrennium (once in four years).

The GC is the only authority that can speak on behalf of the MCS. It also produces The Book of Discipline, a rulebook that guides all levels of the leaders and members of MCS and their ministries.

Councils of the General Conference
Within the GC, there are several councils that undertake the ongoing activities and work of the GC within their jurisdiction. Each council is usually made up of a chairperson, its executive committee and members, which may include laity and clergy.

The Councils of the GC include:

General Conference Executive Council
Reviews and oversees affairs of the General Conference and, on behalf of the General Conference, of GC agencies.

Judicial Council
The highest body within the internal judicial system of the MCS.

Finance and Administration Council
The fiscal responsibilities of this Council include receiving, disbursing and reporting of funds for the MCS, including establishing policies governing the finances of the MCS.  It also discharges other administrative responsibilities for the GC.

Council on Archives and History
Maintains an archive to preserve the historical records and materials related to the MCS.

Council on Communications
Assists in building and upholding the image of MCS and safeguarding its reputation. It also publishes Methodist Message and oversees the communication system for MCS.

Council on Education
Promotes and coordinates the work of the Methodist schools to ensure that they operate according to the standards and ideals of MCS.

Council on Episcopacy
Reviews the work and administration of the Bishop.

Council of Governance
Reviews matters related to compliance and governance in the GC.

Council on Nominations
Nominates suitable persons to be elected or appointed to serve as General Conference officers or as chairpersons or members of General Conference councils or agencies or in other appointments or assignments.

Council of Presidents
A body comprising the Bishop and the Presidents of each Annual Conference for mutual consultation, coordination, and the promotion of connectionalism.  It advises the Bishop on all spiritual, connectional, ecumenical and government relations.

Council of Trustees
Supervises the work of The Secretary of the Trustees of The Methodist Church in Singapore.  It also considers the use of Methodist properties to ensure that they are consistent with the policy and interests of the MCS and adjudicates between our various agencies regarding the use of Methodist properties.

Discipline Revision Commission
Reviews, prepares and publishes The Book of Discipline incorporating all legislation enacted by the General Conference and recommends appropriate changes to The Book of Discipline.

Agencies of MCS and the General Conference
The agencies of MCS and GC provide resources, services and ministries to Local and Annual Conferences to support a common vision, mission and ministry for MCS.

Disciple Agency
The Disciple Agency (DA) promotes, develops and administers a common Christian discipleship and education curriculum for the MCS. Examples of their programmes and courses include the DISCIPLE Bible Study and Companions in Christ.

Garden of Remembrance
The Garden of Remembrance is a Christian columbarium under the oversight of the GC. They also provide facilities for meetings and retreats.

Methodist Missions Society
The Methodist Missions Society (MMS) looks after missionaries sent out by MMS. The appointment, training, safety and ministry of the missionaries are coordinated, deliberated and prayed-over, and medium- to long-term planning is done for the various mission fields.

Methodist Preschool Services
The Methodist Preschool Services Pte Ltd (MPSPL) manages Methodist kindergartens and childcare centres in some of our churches and the Chen Su Lan Methodist Children’s Home. It aims to nurture every child to become a person of Good Character, who possesses the future-ready mindset of an Explorer, Innovator and Entrepreneur, within a holistic curriculum in accordance with the Ministry of Education’s Nurturing Early Learners (NEL) framework.

Methodist School of Music
The Methodist School of Music (MSM) runs courses for musicians, dancers, worship leaders and pastors, choirs, as well as audio-visual team members. These help to develop the skills and liturgical knowledge of using music in churches. Besides worship and church music, MSM conducts classes for general music and dance.

Methodist Schools
MCS has a long-established tradition of recognising the importance of education. The first of our Methodist schools was established a year after Methodism came to Singapore. Our schools’ educational mission is to nurture each new generation of students, raising them to be men and women of godly character and integrity, equipped to make a responsible contribution to society.

Each of our Methodist schools is served by a team of chaplains as well as one or more Christian Ministry Staff (CMS) who work with the students in character, emotional and spiritual development. Prayer meetings and other nurturing activities are organised for students, staff and parents. These are unique characteristics of Methodist mission schools.

Methodist Schools’ Foundation
The Methodist Schools’ Foundation (MSF) helps to raise and administer funds to maintain the facilities and infrastructure of the Methodist schools. The MSF also provides bursaries, teaching equipment and other teaching aids to supplement the schools.

Methodist Welfare Services
Methodist Welfare Services (MWS) is the social concerns arm of the MCS. MWS is a multi-service agency that serves the chronically ill and destitute, families in distress, seniors who are socially isolated, children from disadvantaged backgrounds, and youths at risk, regardless of race, age, religion and nationality. MWS serves over 11,000 beneficiaries through its Family Development Programme, Active Ageing Centres, nursing homes, student care centre, girls’ residence, and home hospice, and home care services.

Women’s Society for Christian Service
The Women’s Society for Christian Service (WSCS) is an integral part of the Methodist Church in Singapore and is represented across the three Annual Conferences by its local WSCS chapters. It has various programmes and activities for the women to be equipped in areas of leadership and servanthood for the general ministry of the church.