General Conference is the top policy-making body of The United Methodist Church. The 2012 meeting will take place April 24-May 4 at the Tampa Convention Center.

The Commission on the General Conference selected "Make Disciples of Jesus Christ to Transform the World" as the theme for The United Methodist Church's 2012 General Conference.

The theme echoes the mission of The United Methodist Church as a way of aligning the General Conference with the denomination's central mission.

That way, the conference is not a one-time event, but a part of the ongoing ministry of the church.

The 1,000-member assembly meets every four years to consider revisions to church law, as well as adopt resolutions on moral, social, public policy and economic issues. It also approves plans and budgets for churchwide programs for the next four years.

A committee of representatives from the Commission on the General Conference and the Council of Bishops was charged with making recommendations for a theme and logo to the full commission for approval.

Once a theme was selected, the United Methodist Publishing House's design team developed logo proposals for consideration.

"We sensed that people across the church are longing for clarity about our mission, and we believed that the theme of the General Conference should reinforce and celebrate that mission," said Jim Harnish, a commission member and chair of the committee.

"We hope that the spirit of God will use this theme to unite and energize our people to fulfill this mission and enable us to set clear priorities for the use of our resources."

The logo, which complements the theme, depicts a graphic image of the cross (representing the presence of Jesus Christ at the center of our mission) with circles extending from the cross (expressing energy and movement into ministry in the world) imposed against a bright sun and blue water (representing Tampa, Fla., the conference site). The imperative verbs make and transform underscore the urgency of the mission and the call for active response.

For more information, please visit http://gc2012.umc.org.