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The General Commission on the Status and Role of Women (COSROW) was established by the 1972 General conference of The United Methodist Church. Emerging from the social climate of the Civil Rights era of the 1960s, the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women was conceived when a 1968 report presented by the Women's Society of Christian Service, known today as United Methodist Women,requested that a study commission be established to research the involvement, or lack thereof, on women in all aspects of the United Methodist Church. By 1972, a group of fifty women from the Wheadon United Methodist Church in Illinois, which would later become the Women's Caucus, joined the Women's Division in supporting the idea of a new commission that would address the various levels of access that women had to power in the life of the church. All of this coalesced when Thelma Stevens, a Women's Caucus representative, presented a proposal to establish a quadrennial commission that would address the inclusion of women in all levels of decision making in the United Methodist Church.

After the proposal was accepted and ratified the General Conference charged the new commission with the responsibility of fostering awareness of problems and issues related to status and role of women with special focus on full participation in the life of the church at least commensurate with its total membership in the United Methodist Church. In the tradition of the Woman's Division, and other predecessors, the commission continued to accumulate statistics documenting the presence of women in the life of the Methodist Church. The Commission understood itself as an advocate for affirmative action, personnel policies, grievance procedures and as an ally to victims of sexual harassment. Over time, it has sought to eradicate discriminatory language, combat homophobia and provide regional training for those interested in challenging sexism and other forms of oppression.

A variety of agencies have come together to create the current General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church. This history will focus on the creation of the Division of World Missions. The missionary work of the denomination began with the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The Missionary Society was organized on April 5, 1819 in New York, and became an officially supported agency, through General Conference action, in 1820. The purpose of the organization was to enable the several Annual Conferences to eangelizel more effectively, and to aid them in their benevolent and charitable work in both domestic and foreign missions. The Missionary Society administered its work through a board of managers and its corresponding secretaries, subject to the General Missionary Committee, which met annually to make appropriations and establish policy. The board had its headquarters in New York City.

The Board of Foreign Missions was organized on January 1, 1907. Along with the Board of Home Missions and Church Extension, it replaced the Missionary Society in a reorganization of the Church's benevolent agencies. It is the successor to the Missionary Society in foreign work. Its objectives were religious and philanthropic, designed to share the Christian faith through promotion and support of Christian missions and educational institutions in foreign countries. The board maintained its headquarters in New York City.

The Methodist Episcopal Church, South also created a missionary society shortly after its creation in 1846. In 1866, the missionary operation of the MECS were divided between a Domestic Board and a Foreign Board. The board had authority to make by-laws for regulating its own proceedings; to appropriate money to defray incidental expenses; to provide for the support of superannuated missionaries, and widows and orphans of missionaries, who may not be provided for by any Annual Conference. It was responsible for printing books for the Indian and foreign Missions, and for building houses of worship, schoolhouses, and residences for the missionaries, in any of the mission fields under its charge. It published annually a statement of its transactions and funds and submitted such report to the General Conference.

In 1870 the General Conference of the MECS revised the missions system. A Board of Missions had charge of the foreign missions, and of all others not provided for by the Annual Conferences. The Board of Missions had authority to regulate its own proceedings; to appropriate money to defray incidental expenses; to provide for the support of superannuated missionaries, and widows and orphans of missionaries, who may not be provided for by any Annual Conference. It was responsible for printing books for the Indian, German, and foreign missions; and for building houses of worship, school houses, and residences for the missionaries, and defray all other necessary expenses incident to the work under its care. After 1910 this was more formally structured into three departments, one of which was the Foreign Work Department.

The Methodist Protestant Church also established mission agencies shortly after its creation in the 1830s. This board was founded in 1834 by the first General Conference of the Methodist Protestant Church. It had its headquarters in Baltimore and, in 1850, in Pittsburgh. Despite its name, for nearly 50 years the Board of Foreign Missions concentrated mostly upon domestic missions. the Board had the management of, and appointment of missionaries to foreign missions. The board was responsible for submitting to the General Conference a report of all the transactions, funds, societies, circuits, and missionary stations under its control and government. In 1877 the Board underwent reorganization. The mission work of this board was designated Home (within the U.S. and its Territories) and Foreign (elsewhere) Missions. The Home and Foreign Missions were conducted as two distinct and separate interests, with separate accounts, and reported separately to the Board and the General Conference. In 1928, this board was merged the Woman's Home Missionary Society. The board had the authority to establish missions and direct their work; to build churches, schools, homes, orphanages, and hospitals; to employ missionaries, pastors, and workers, and to supervise their labors; and to change and remove missionaries, ministers, and workers, and to vacate pulpits, as the interest of the board may have demanded. The Board had supervisory authority over the Women's Missionary branches and auxiliaries. The board promoted religious education, disseminated missionary information, and encouraged a benevolent spirit in the churches. It was responsible for arranging for the publication of the Missionary Record and the annual and quadrennial reports of the Board.

In 1939 the Board of Missions and Church Extension of the Methodist Church was created. This board, a merger of the missionary interests (both home and foreign, both general and women's) of the three uniting denominations, was organized in July 1939 and was so named until 1952. The World Division administered and promoted the work of missions outside the United States and its dependencies.

The Evangelical Association also created a mission agency in 1839. The purpose of this society was to enable the Evangelical Association, in a more effectual manner, to extend and prosecute its missionary labors in the United States and elsewhere. In 1922 there was a reorganization of the society so that it was under the direction of a Board of Missions.

The United Brethren in Christ created a missionary society in 1841. This society was organized for the purpose of aiding the Annual Conferences in extending their missionary labors throughout the country, and into foreign lands. In 1905 the Missionary Society was reorganized into two organizations; the Foreign Missionary Society and the Home Missionary Society.

The Board of Missions of the Evangelical United Brethren Church is a union of the Home Mission and Church Erection Society, the Foreign Missionary Society, and the Women's Missionary Association, all of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, and the Missionary Society and the Board of Church Extension of the Evangelical Church. The purpose of this board was to disseminate missionary information; to create missionary zeal throughout the EUB Church; to gather missionary and church extension funds; and to promote, extend, and supervise the missionary and church extension activities of the EUB Church.

In The United Methodist Church the Board of Missions was created in 1968. In 1972 it was renamed the General Board of Global Ministries. The World Division continued to focus on benevolent and missionary work outside of North America.

Several agencies have come together to create the current General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church. This history will focus on the creation of the Division of National Missions.

The missionary work of the denomination began with the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The Missionary Society was organized on April 5, 1819 in New York, and became an officially supported agency, through General Conference action, in 1820. The purpose of the organization was to enable the several Annual Conferences to spread the Gospel more effectively, and to aid them in their benevolent and charitable work in both domestic and foreign missions. The society administered its work through a Board of Managers and its Corresponding Secretaries, subject to the General Missionary Committee, which met annually to make appropriations and to establish policy. The board had its headquarters in New York City.

In 1872, the Board of Church Extension was created. It developed a more systematic method of assisting in the erection of new churches and church property. Funds were raised through the general church and apportioned to the most needy situations. In 1907, this agency along with the national mission work of the Missionary Society were combined into the Board of Home Missions and Church Extension. Its work involved the development of missionary and church extension operations in the United States, its territories, and insular possessions, except the Philippine Islands, and was subject to General Conference control. Its office was located in Philadelphia.

The Methodist Episcopal Church, South also created a missionary society shortly after its creation in 1846. In 1866 the missionary operation of the MECS were divided between a Domestic Board and a Foreign Board. The board had little authority to manage the work of home missions. In fact, after 1874, the work of missions within the U.S. was left to the annual conferences. A Board of Church Extension was created in 1882 with the purpose of providing funds and assistance in the building of new churches. In 1910, the benevolent work was reorganized into a Board of Missions with a Department of Home Work, which again, was primarily focused on financial assistance to the annual conferences or individual churches.

Until 1888, the annual conferences of the Methodist Protestant Church managed their home mission work on their won. In 1888 the Board of home Missions was created to carry out the work of domestic missions. The board had general supervision over and direction of all mission work in the United States and territories except those missions under the control of and sustained by the Annual Conferences. In 1928, its work was incorporated into the Board of Missions.

In 1939 the Methodist Church created the Board of Missions and Church Extension (renamed to Board of Missions in 1952). One of the Divisions was for Home Missions and Church Extension. This division of labor would continue on into The United Methodist Church. This division had general supervision and administration of the work of Home Missions and Church Extension in the United States of America and its territories, not including the Philippines Islands. It was concerned with the promotion of missions and the administration of all donation aid, loan funds, and endowments contributed and established for the work of Church Extension (with the exception of those administered by the Jurisdictional and Annual Conferences).

The Evangelical Association created a Board of Church Extension in 1901. The Board had as its object the assistance of needy congregations in the erection of houses of worship. The board continued essentially unchanged until merger in 1946.

The United Brethren in Christ Church created a Church Erection Society around 1877. It was created for the purpose of aiding feeble churches in the construction of houses of worship. It was legally an independent agency, though the personnel of its board was identical to that of the missionary board. In 1905, a Home Missionary Society was established. This agency was organized for the purpose aiding the annual conferences in extending their missionary operations in the needy portions of our own country. It had charge of the general evangelistic work of the Church. In 1925 the two agencies were combined into one Home Mission and Church Erection Society with a department for Home Missions and one for Church Erection.

The Evangelical United Brethren Church established a Board of Missions in 1946 with a Department of Home Missions and Church Extension. This department was responsible for recommending to the Executive Committee and the Board loans to be made from the Church Extension loan funds of the Board, grants to be made from the gift funds, and under such rules as the Board may provide, administer all the affairs of this Department.

The United Methodist Church created the Board of Missions, renamed the General Board of Global Ministries, with a National Division. This division coordinates activities and ministries in the United States, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and U.S. Trust Territories. The National Division directs the development of national mission strategies and program to include developing and strengthening congregations as centers of Christian mission, creating ministries of compassion with persons and groups who suffer in body and spirit, assigning personnel, responding to the efforts of people for self-determination, and changing social patterns which cause and continue suffering.

The purpose of Relocation Study Committee, established by General Conference in 1988, was to study the feasibility of moving the General Board of Global Ministries from New York City.

The roots of the General Board of Church and Society go back to 1912 and the creation of the General Board of Temperance by the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1960 the Methodist Church merged three agencies, the Board of Temperance, the Commission on World Peace and the Board of Social and Economic Relations into the Board of Christian Social Concerns. This agency was merged, in 1968, with the Commission on Christian Social Action of the Evangelical United Brethren, to form the Board of Christian Social Concerns of the United Methodist Church. The agency's name was changed in 1972 to the Board of Church and Society.

Until 1980 the organization of the Board revealed a direct continuity with the three predecessor boards of the Methodist Church. There was a division of General Welfare and Alchohol Problems, a division on World Peace and a division on Human Relations and Economic Issues. In 1980 the Board began working with new structures which were not formalized until 1991 into new divisions; the Ministry of God's Creation, the Ministry of God's Human Community, Resourcing Congregational Ministry and United Nation's Ministry. However, these divisions did not appear in practice until 1991. Between 1980 and 1990 the United Methodist Directory shows no divisions in Church and Society, only departments. In all cases the departments continue department names in existence under the previous administrative organization of the Board. For a more complete description see the Church and Society agency history.

The title Council of Bishops first appeared in the Discipline of 1940 ( p.30), when the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and the Methodist Protestant Church united to form the Methodist Church. After the episcopal election of Enoch George and Robert R. Roberts in 1816, the Methodist Episcopal Church established a supervisory plan which included (1) the division of episcopal administration of the conferences among the bishops; (2) a change of administrative supervision annually; and, (3) assignment of administrative responsibility for a conference during the year of his presidency to the presiding bishop. This planted the seed for what apparently came to be called the Board of Bishops in the Methodist Episcopal Church. Although there appears to be no official designation of such a Board, it served as a vehicle for cooperative episcopal supervision. The earliest reference to the title " the Board of Bishops" occurs in the Discipline of 1908, but it is possible that the Board of Bishops existed under that title since 1844. The Board of Bishops, deferred to the General Conference when questions of interpretation of law or discipline arose. The Board of Bishops remained in place until the Plan of Union in 1939.

With the division of episcopal Methodism in 1844, the Board of Bishops was replaced in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South by a College of Bishops. Unlike the bishops in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the College of Bishops in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South was invested by the General Conference with the duty of reviewing any General Conference action which, in the bishops' judgment, contravened the Constitution of the Church. The College of Bishops continued until union in 1940. The title College of Bishops still exists in the United Methodist Church as a jurisdictional affiliation of bishops.

In 1828, the Methodist Protestant Church (MPC) did away with episcopacy, and allowed each annual conference to choose a President. They did adhere to the administrative forms found in Methodist polity. The MPC elected a President to preside over its General Conference. Since the Conference only met once every four years the power of the president was limited. But in 1920 the MPC created a permanent office of President of the General Conference. The president, after 1920, was the chief connectional officer, chair of the Executive Council and a member of all the boards elected by the General Conference as well as the person who presided over the General Conference. In the 1939 union, the MPC accepted the return to episcopacy and a Council of Bishops as well as a College of Bishops.

The bishops of the Evangelical and the United Brethren Churches conducted their superintendency mostly as individuals, without any formal connection with each other. They met chiefly at Conference sessions. In 1865 the General Conference of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ adopted a recommendation from the committee on Superintendency that appears to have been the first step in establishing the bishops as a board. In this way, they moved beyond individual action, and began functioning as a unit of the Church. This allowed the bishops to hold annual meetings, at which they could take counsel upon the general interest of the church. Eventually, a similar provision appeared in the Discipline of the Evangelical Church allowing their bishops to act as a unit as well as individually.

As early as 1904, the minutes of the Board of Bishops of the former churches indicate that much time was given to deciding the questions of discipline in addition to coordinating and unifying the work of the church. The bishops of both the Evangelical and the United Brethren Churches were functioned as individual leaders and as a Board of Bishops before the union in 1946. The bishops were amenable to the General Conference, but did not make individual reports to it. The minutes of the Board of Bishops' meetings were examined by a committee of the General Conference, which then reported its findings and recommendations to the General Conference. With the merger the Board of Bishops became a part of the Council of the United Methodist Church.

In 1988 a resolution to the General Conference recommended the establishment of a study committee for gay and lesbian issues. The resolution was amended at General Conference to charge the General Council on Ministries to create a Committee to Study Homosexuality. The purpose of the committee was to study homosexuality as a subject for theological and ethical analysis; to seek the biological, psychological, and sociological information and opinion on the nature of homosexuality, and to explore the implication of its study for the Social Principles. The Committee presented a report to the 1996 General Conference.

The Commission to Study the Itinerancy was assigned its task by the General Conference in 1976, and was to report to the General Conference in 1980.