“The Discipline is the book of law of theUnited Methodist Church.” The 2016 book contains the Constitution, Doctrine and Doctrinal Statements, General Rules, and Social Principles of the church. It contains sections on The Mission and Ministry of the Church, The Local Church, The Ministry of the Ordained, The Superintendency, The Conferences, Administrative Order, Church Property, and Judicial Administration. It contains a historical statement on the church, and a list of all bishops. As the book is revised every four years, each volume may have different sections, and paragraphs or sections may be re-numbered, re-worded, or completely re-written.
The most recent UMC discipline is available online as an e-book (see below) through Cokesbury Press. Older disciplines are available as print books. The most recent print version, as well as reference copies of the Spanish and Korean editions, can be found in our Reference Section. The rest can be found in the open stacks and research collections. Disciplines prior to 1968 (the formation of the UMC) can be found by searching the denomination, year, and title. As there are quite a few records, following the name changes of the church, if you need help please stop by and see a librarian - we will help you sort them out!
Click here to see a listing of all of our UMC Books of Discipline from 1968-present.
The book of discipline of the United Methodist Church. by Book of Discipline 2000; Korean ed. by Disciplina de la Iglesia Metodista Unida, 2000. United Methodist Church (U.S.) ; 2000 by The General Conference re-writes the Book of Discipline, which contains the rules for the church, every four years.