Chapter 9: Boundaries

A. District Boundaries

2400. The boundaries of an established or developing district shall be defined by the General Conference or, in the interim of its sessions, by the General Board as set forth in 317; 1006; 1020; 1034; 1036; 1042–1045; 1060–1065; 1590:10–11; 1655:34.

2403. The boundaries of the districts in the United States and Canada are:

(1) The Atlantic District shall include the Atlantic provinces (New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island) and the state of Maine.

(2) The Central Canada District shall include the provinces of Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Colombia, Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut.

(3) The Chesapeake District shall include the District of Columbia; the states of Delaware and Maryland; and shall include the Accomack, Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Northampton, Prince William, and Stafford counties, and the Winchester Wesleyan Church of Winchester in the state of Virginia, but with the exception of the New Hope Fellowship Wesleyan Church of Fairfax, Virginia.

(4) The Crossroads District shall include that part of the state of Indiana which is north of the northern boundaries of Vigo, Clay, Owen, Morgan, Johnson, Rush, Fayette, and Union Counties, and north of US Highway 40 in Hancock County.

(5) The Florida District shall include the state of Florida.

(6) The Great Lakes District shall include the states of Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

(7) The Greater Ohio District shall include the state of Ohio, and shall include churches in South Parkersburg, and Weirton, West Virginia.

(8) The Indiana South District shall include that part of the state of Indiana which is south of the northern boundaries of Vigo, Clay, Owen, Morgan, Johnson, Rush, Fayette, and Union Counties, and south of US Highway 40 in Hancock County, and the church in Mecca, Indiana.

(9) The Iowa-Minnesota District shall include the states of Iowa and Minnesota.

(10) The Kansas District shall include the state of Kansas.

(11) The Kentucky-Tennessee District shall include the state of Kentucky, the state of Tennessee, and the churches in LaFayette and Rossville, Georgia.

(12) The Mountain Plains District shall include the states of Colorado, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Texas.

(13) The North Carolina East District shall include that part of the state of North Carolina which is east of the following boundary: beginning at the Virginia-North Carolina state line, following State Road 87 south to Reidsville, thence south on US 29 to Greensboro, thence southwest on Interstate 85 to Salisbury, thence south on US 52 to Wadesboro, thence east on US 74 to Laurinburg, thence south on US 15 and US 401 to the South Carolina state line, with the exception of the Midway church near Randleman and Peele’s Chapel near Hamlet, and shall include the church in Kernersville, North Carolina.

(14) The North Carolina West District shall include that part of the state of North Carolina which is west of the following boundary: beginning at the Virginia-North Carolina state line, follow State Road 87 south to Reidsville, thence south on US 29 to Greensboro, thence southwest on Interstate 85 to Salisbury, thence south on US 52 to Wadesboro, thence east on US 74 to Laurinburg, thence south on US 15 and US 401 to the South Carolina state line, with the exception of the church in Kernersville, and with the further exception of Macon and Jackson Counties but including that portion of the Cherokee Indian Reservation in Jackson County beginning at a point one-quarter mile from Cherokee, North Carolina, on the Jackson and Swain County line on the Soco Gap Road and running directly southeast to Sheep Rock Mountain, and then following the southern watershed of Soco Creek to Water Rock Knob in Haywood County; and shall include the Midway church near Randleman, Peele’s Chapel near Hamlet; and shall include the following churches in South Carolina: Clover, York and Rock Hill (York County); Prevatt’s Chapel, Fletcher’s Chapel, and Bennettsville (Marlboro County).

(15) The Northeast District shall include those parts of the states of New York and Pennsylvania that are north and east of the Penn York District, and including the states of New Jersey, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

(16) The Northwest District shall include the states of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

(17) The Pacific Southwest District shall include the states of Arizona, California, Hawaii, and Nevada.

(18) The Penn York District shall include that portion of the states of New York and Pennsylvania in an area bounded as follows: beginning at the northernmost point of Jefferson County, New York, on the St. Lawrence River, and continuing southeastward along the northern boundaries of Jefferson, Lewis, and Herkimer Counties to the eastern boundary of Herkimer County, thence south along the eastern boundary of Herkimer County, then west along the southern boundary of Herkimer County, then south along the western boundaries of Otsego and Delaware Counties to the Pennsylvania state line, thence west along the northern boundary of Wayne County, then south along the eastern boundary of Susquehanna County, then west along the southern boundaries of Susquehanna, Bradford, Sullivan, and Tioga Counties to US 15, thence south on US 15 to the Pennsylvania-Maryland state line, thence west on the Pennsylvania state line to the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania, thence north to Lake Erie, thence east along Lake Erie to the New York state line, thence south and east along the New York state line to the western boundary of McKean County, thence south on the western boundary of McKean County, then east along the southern boundaries of McKean and Potter Counties, thence north along the western boundary of Tioga County, thence west on the New York state line and north to include that part of the state of New York which is east of the Western New York District.

(19) The Shenandoah District shall include the states of Virginia and West Virginia, except the counties of Accomack, Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Northampton, Prince William, Stafford, the cities of Alexandria and Falls Church, and the Winchester Wesleyan Church in Winchester, Virginia, the South Parkersburg Wesleyan, and Weirton Chapel Hill Wesleyan in West Virginia; and shall include the New Hope Fellowship Wesleyan Church in Fairfax, Virginia.

(20) The South Carolina District shall include the state of South Carolina except the Clover, Rock Hill, and York churches in York County and the Prevatt’s Chapel, Fletcher’s Chapel, and Bennettsville churches in Marlboro County; and shall include Jackson and Macon Counties in the state of North Carolina, except the part of the Cherokee Indian Reservation in Jackson County assigned to the North Carolina West District.

(21) The South Coastal District shall include the state of Alabama, the state of Georgia with the exception of the churches in LaFayette and Rossville, and the state of Mississippi.

(22) The Tri-State District shall include the states of Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma.

(23) The Western New York District shall include that part of the states of New York and Pennsylvania in an area bounded as follows: beginning on Lake Ontario at the northwest corner of Monroe County, thence south and east along the western boundary of Monroe County to the Genesee River, thence southward following said river in the direction to include Mount Morris, thence southeast along the canal to the village of Dansville, thence along the boundary between Steuben and Allegany Counties to the Pennsylvania state line, thence west along the New York state line to the southwest corner of Chautauqua County, thence north along the western boundary of Chautauqua County to Lake Erie; thence following the New York state line along Lake Erie, Niagara River, and Lake Ontario to the point of beginning; and shall include Potter and McKean Counties in the state of Pennsylvania.

B. Representative Area Boundaries

2430. The NORTH CENTRAL REPRESENTATIVE AREA shall include the Crossroads, Great Lakes, Greater Ohio Districts.

2435. The NORTHEASTERN REPRESENTATIVE AREA shall include the Atlantic, Central Canada, Chesapeake, Northeast, Penn York, and Western New York Districts.

2440. The SOUTHERN REPRESENTATIVE AREA shall include Florida, Indiana South, Kentucky-Tennessee, North Carolina East, North Carolina West, Shenandoah, South Carolina, and South Coastal Districts.

2445. The WESTERN REPRESENTATIVE AREA shall include the Iowa-Minnesota, Kansas, Mountain Plains, Northwest, Pacific Southwest, and Tri-State Districts.

C. Educational Area Boundaries

2450. The merger of districts and of educational institutions between sessions of the General Conference may lead to changes in the educational area boundaries, which changes may be made by the General Board (cf. 1655:13).

2455. The NORTH CENTRAL EDUCATIONAL AREA shall be served by Indiana Wesleyan University and Kingswood University, and shall include the districts of the North Central Representative Area, and the Indiana South District (cf. 2430; 2440).

2460. The NORTHEASTERN EDUCATIONAL AREA shall be served by Houghton College and Kingswood University, and shall include the districts of the Northeastern Representative Area (cf. 2435).

2465. The SOUTHERN EDUCATIONAL AREA shall be served by Southern Wesleyan University and Kingswood University, and shall include the districts of the Southern Representative Area (cf. 2440) except for the Indiana South District which shall remain in the North Central Area.

2470. The WESTERN EDUCATIONAL AREA shall be served by Oklahoma Wesleyan University and Kingswood University, and shall include the districts of the Western Representative Area (cf. 2445).