LAKELAND — Members of the Southeastern Jurisdiction’s College of Bishops met with representatives of the Florida Conference Dec. 14 and 15 to begin the process of finding a permanent bishop to replace the late Cornelius L. Henderson.

In the meantime, the United Methodist Council of Bishops named retired Bishop J. Lloyd Knox head of the conference Dec. 8.

Henderson, 66, died Dec. 7 in a hospice center in Atlanta after a two-year battle with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells. He was appointed bishop of the conference in September 1996.

The meetings gave the college a chance to hear from leaders of the conference, said Bishop Lindsey Davis, president of the college and bishop of the Atlanta Area.

"We want to hear from Florida what the wisest course of action is," Davis said prior to the meetings. "It’s an opportunity to talk with us and share any concerns or questions they have."

Davis and Bishop Joe Pennel of the Richmond Area, Bishop Robert Fannin of the Birmingham Area and several other active bishops of the college met with the Florida Conference’s episcopacy committee, general and jurisdictional delegates, and the cabinet. Pennel is secretary of the jurisdiction’s college. Fannin is its senior bishop.

The bishops will take what they learned to the College of Bishops meeting Jan. 18-19 and decide what happens next.

The college can either name a retired bishop as the permanent replacement, submitting its recommendation to the Council for approval, or call a special session of the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference. If a special session is called delegates representing United Methodists from across the southeastern part of the United States will elect a new bishop from the jurisdiction.

Holding a special session in the Southeastern Jurisdiction would be a first, according to Davis. "We’ve never called a special jurisdictional conference. This is new ground for all of us," Davis said. "We want to do what is right and appropriate not only for Florida, but the whole jurisdiction."

If a jurisdictional conference were called it would be held in late February or early March. A special session must be held within 90 days of the vacancy of the bishop’s position and delegates must receive 30 days notice prior to the meeting, according to the United Methodist Book of Discipline.

The new bishop chosen at a special session would not necessarily be appointed to the Florida Conference, however, according to the Rev. Dr. Keith Ewing, administrative assistant to the Florida Conference bishop. The denomination’s Committee on Episcopacy could appoint the new bishop to another conference and someone else to Florida. The special session would elect a bishop for the jurisdiction, not the Florida Conference, Ewing said.