 The Evangelical Church and the Church of the United Brethren in Christ placed their bishops over larger, multi-state regions, primarily because of the lower density of their respective congregations.With the merger of three Methodist denominations in 1939 to form the Methodist Church, jurisdictions were established, in which bishops were elected by jurisdictional conferences and assigned to episcopal areas within each jurisdiction (to itinerate within thereafter).Methodist bishops continued to serve as episcopal leaders of the entire denomination, but with specific residential and presidential duties to the annual conferences within their areas.