9781501833229

THE BOOK OF DISCIPLINE

THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

“The Book Editor, the Secretary of the General Conference, the

Publisher of The United Methodist Church and the Committee

on Correlation and Editorial Revision shall be charged with edit-

ing the Book of Discipline. . . . The editors, in the exercise of their

judgment, shall have the authority to make changes in wording

as may be necessary to harmonize legislation without changing

its substance. The editors, in consultation with the Judicial Coun-

cil, shall also have authority to delete provisions of the Book of

Discipline that have been ruled unconstitutional by the Judicial

Council.”

— Plan of Organization and Rules of Order of the General Confer-

ence, 2016

See Judicial Council Decision 96, which declares the Discipline to

be a book of law.

Errata can be found at Cokesbury.com, word search for Errata.

L. Fitzgerald Reist

Secretary of the General Conference

Brian K. Milford

President and Publisher

Book Editor of The United Methodist Church

Brian O. Sigmon

Managing Editor

The Committee on Correlation and Editorial Revision

Naomi G. Bartle, Co-chair

Robert Burkhart, Co-chair

Maidstone Mulenga, Secretary

Melissa Drake

Paul Fleck

Karen Ristine

Dianne Wilkinson

Brian Williams

Alternates:

Susan Hunn

Beth Rambikur

2016

THE BOOK OF DISCIPLINE

THE UNITED

METHODIST CHURCH

The United Methodist Publishing House

Nashville, Tennessee

United Methodist churches and other ofcial United Methodist bodies may re-

produce up to 1,000 words from this publication, provided the following notice

appears with the excerpted material: “From The Book of Discipline of The United

House. Used by permission.”

Requests for quotations that exceed 1,000 words should be addressed to Permis-

sions, The United Methodist Publishing House, P.O. Box 280988, Nashville, TN

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[email protected].

This book is printed on elemental, chlorine-free, acid-free paper.

Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the Common English Bible.

mission. (www.CommonEnglishBible.com)

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16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25—10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

To all people and pastors of United Methodism:

“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord

Jesus Christ.”

—1 Corinthians 1:3

TheBook of Discipline of The United Methodist Church is the

product of over two hundred years of the General Conferences of

the denominations that now form The United Methodist Church.

The Discipline as the instrument for setting forth the laws,

plan, polity, and process by which United Methodists govern

themselves remains constant. Each General Conference amends,

perfects, claries, and adds its own contribution to the Discipline.

We do not see the Discipline as sacrosanct or infallible, but we do

consider it a document suitable to our heritage and an expres-

sion of a future with hope. It is the most current statement of how

United Methodists agree to live their lives together and “maintain

the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” It reects our under-

standing of the church and articulates the mission of The United

Methodist Church: To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the trans-

formation of the world. The Discipline denes what is expected

of its laity and clergy as they seek to be effective witnesses in the

world as a part of the whole body of Christ.

This book of covenant sets forth the theological grounding of

The United Methodist Church in biblical faith and afrms that

we go forward as “loyal heirs to all that [is] best in the Chris-

tian past.” It makes clear that The United Methodist Church is an

inclusive society without regard to ethnic origin, economic condi-

tion, gender, age, or the disabilities of its constituents. It asserts

that all who are baptized and conrmed are ministers of Jesus

EPISCOPAL GREETINGS

Christ. It afrms the conciliar principle and connectionalism as

distinctive marks of United Methodist ecclesiology, makes clear

the global character of the Church’s mission, and declares interde-

pendence with other Christian bodies both in spirit and coopera-

tion. It afrms with John Wesley that solitary religion is invalid

and that Christ lays claim upon the whole life of those who accept

him as Lord and Savior.

We therefore commend this Discipline to all in our constitu-

ency and to friends beyond our bounds who would seek to under-

stand what it means to be a United Methodist. Communication

is essential for understanding what the Church is and does. We

expect the Discipline to be found in libraries of local churches,

colleges, universities, and seminaries, as well as in the homes of

ordained, diaconal, and licensed ministers and lay members of

The United Methodist Church. We pray that it will enable all per-

sons to celebrate God’s grace, exalt the meaning of faithful dis-

cipleship, align with the mission, and inspire on the part of many

a deeper desire to be more effective witnesses for the head of the

church, even Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Council of Bishops

Bruce R. Ough, President

Kenneth H. Carter, President-Designate

Cynthia Fierro Harvey, Secretary

vii

Note: The basic unit in The Book of Discipline is the paragraph

(¶) rather than page, chapter, or section. The paragraphs are num-

bered consecutively within each chapter or section, but many

numbers are skipped between parts, chapters, and sections in

order to allow for future enactments and to t with the following

plan:

1– 99 The Constitution

101– 199 Doctrine, Doctrinal Statements, General Rules,

The Ministry of All Christians, and Social

Principles

201– 299 The Local Church

301– 399 The Ministry of the Ordained

401– 499 The Superintendency

501– 699 The Conferences

701– 2499 Administrative Order

2501–2599 Church Property

2601–2799 Judicial Administration

Episcopal Greetings ..................................page v

United Methodist Bishops .............................page 1

A Brief History of The United Methodist Church ........page 11

PART I

THE CONSTITUTION

¶¶ 1–61

Preamble...........................................page 25

Division One—General (¶¶ 1–7).......................page 25

CONTENTS

viii

CONTENTS

Division Two—Organization (¶¶ 8–44) .................page 27

I. Conferences (¶¶ 8–12)

II. General Conference (¶¶ 13–16)

III. Restrictive Rules (¶¶ 17–22)

IV. Jurisdictional Conferences (¶¶ 23–27)

V. Central Conferences (¶¶ 28–31)

VI. Annual Conferences (¶¶ 32–36)

VII. Boundaries (¶¶ 37–41)

VIII. District Conferences (¶ 42)

IX. Charge Conferences (¶¶ 43-44)

Division Three—Episcopal Supervision (¶¶ 45-54) .......page 39

Division Four—The Judiciary (¶¶ 55-58) ...............page 42

Division Five—Amendments (¶¶ 59-61)................page 43

PART II

GENERAL BOOK OF DISCIPLINE

¶ 101

General Book of Discipline (¶ 101) .....................page 45

PART III

DOCTRINAL STANDARDS

AND OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK

¶¶ 102–105

I. Our Doctrinal Heritage (¶ 102) .................page 47

II. Our Doctrinal History (¶ 103) ..................page 56

III. Our Doctrinal Standards and General Rules:

The Articles of Religion of The Methodist Church,

The Confession of Faith of the Evangelical United

Brethren Church, and The General Rules of the

Methodist Church (¶ 104)....................page 65

IV. Our Theological Task (¶ 105) ...................page 80

PART IV

THE MINISTRY OF ALL CHRISTIANS

¶¶ 120–143

I. The Churches (¶¶ 120–125) ....................page 93

II. The Ministry of All Christians (¶¶ 126–132) ......page 97

CONTENTS

III. Servant Ministry and Servant Leadership

(¶¶ 133–134) .................................page 98

IV. Servant Ministry (¶¶ 135–137) ..................page 99

V. Servant Leadership (¶¶ 138-139) ...............page 100

VI. Called to Inclusiveness (¶ 140).................page 101

VII. The Fulllment of Ministry Through

The United Methodist Church (¶¶ 141–143) .....page 102

PART V

SOCIAL PRINCIPLES

¶¶ 160–166

Preface .....................................page 105

Preamble ...................................page 106

I. The Natural World (¶ 160) ....................page 106

II. The Nurturing Community (¶ 161).............page 110

III. The Social Community (¶ 162).................page 119

IV. The Economic Community (¶ 163) .............page 131

V. The Political Community (¶ 164)...............page 138

VI. The World Community (¶ 165) ................page 142

VII. Our Social Creed (¶ 166) ......................page 144

PART VI

ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION

¶¶ 201–2719

Chapter One

THE LOCAL CHURCH

I. The Church and Pastoral Charge (¶¶ 201–205) ...page 147

II. Cooperative Parish (¶ 206) ....................page 149

III. Ecumenical Shared Ministries (¶¶ 207–211) .....page 152

IV. Churches in Transitional Communities

(¶¶ 212–213) ................................page 153

V. Church Membership (¶¶ 214–242) .............page 155

The Meaning of Membership (¶¶ 216–221)

Admission Into the Church (¶¶ 222–226)

Afliate and Associate Membership (¶ 227)

Care of Members (¶¶ 228-229)

Membership Records and Reports (¶¶ 230–234)

CONTENTS

Changes in Church Membership or Local Church

Membership (¶¶ 235–242)

VI. Organization and Administration (¶¶ 243–258) ..page 172

The Charge Conference (¶¶ 246–251)

The Church Council (¶ 252)

Specialized Ministries (¶¶ 253–257)

Administrative Committees (¶ 258)

VII. The Method of Organizing a New Church

(¶ 259) .....................................page 204

VIII. Transfer of a Local Church (¶ 260) .............page 206

IX. Protection of Rights of Congregations (¶ 261)....page 207

X. Special Sundays (¶¶ 262–265) .................page 207

Churchwide Special Sundays With Offerings

(¶ 263)

Special Sundays Without Churchwide Offerings

(¶ 264–265)

XI. Lay Servant Ministries (¶¶ 266–269)............page 215

Chapter Two

THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

I. The Meaning of Ordination and Conference

Membership (¶¶ 301-304).....................page 223

II. Clergy Orders in The United Methodist Church

(¶¶ 305–309) ................................page 227

III. Candidacy for Licensed and Ordained Ministry

(¶¶ 310–314) ................................page 229

IV. License for Pastoral Ministry (¶¶ 315–320) ......page 235

V. Associate Membership (¶¶ 321–323) ...........page 242

VI. Provisional Membership (¶¶ 324–327) ..........page 244

VII. The Ordained Deacon in Full Connection

(¶¶ 328–330) ................................page 253

VIII. Appointments of Deacons and Provisional Deacons

to Various Ministries (¶ 331) ..................page 259

IX. The Ordained Elder in Full Connection

(¶¶ 332–336) ................................page 264

Admission and Continuance of Full Membership

in the Annual Conference (¶ 336)

X. Appointments to Various Ministries

(¶¶ 337–342) ................................page 271

CONTENTS

XI. Appointments to Extension Ministries

(¶¶ 343–345) ................................page 279

Provisions for Appointments to Ecumenical

Shared Ministries (¶ 345)

XII. Clergy From Other Annual Conferences, Other

Methodist and Christian Denominations

(¶¶ 346–347) ................................page 286

XIII. Mentoring and Mentors (¶ 348)................page 290

XIV. Evaluation for Continuing Formation for Full

Members and Local Pastors (¶¶ 349–351) .......page 292

XV. Changes of Conference Relationship

(¶¶ 352–360) ................................page 295

XVI. Administrative Fair Process (¶¶ 361–363) .......page 312

XVII. Readmission to Conference Relationship

(¶¶ 364–368) ................................page 318

XVIII. General Provisions (¶ 369) ....................page 320

Chapter Three

THE SUPERINTENDENCY

I. The Nature of Superintendency (¶ 401) .........page 323

II. Ofces of Bishop and District Superintendent

(¶¶ 402–403) ................................page 323

III. Election, Assignment, and Termination of Bishops

(¶¶ 404–413) ................................page 325

IV. Specic Responsibilities of Bishops (¶¶ 414–416)..page 339

V. Selection, Assignment, and Term of

District Superintendents (¶¶ 417–418) ..........page 342

VI. Specic Responsibilities of District Superintendents

(¶¶ 419–420) ................................page 342

VII. Expressions of Superintendency (¶¶ 421–424) ...page 345

VIII. Appointment-Making (¶¶ 425–430) ............page 347

IX. Ecumenical Relationships (¶¶ 431-442) .........page 352

X. Committee on Faith and Order (¶¶ 443–450) ....page 359

Chapter Four

THE CONFERENCES

I. The General Conference (¶¶ 501–511) ..........page 363

II. The Jurisdictional Conference (¶¶ 512–539) .....page 371

III. Central Conferences (¶¶ 540–548)..............page 382

xii

CONTENTS

IV. Provisional Central Conferences (¶¶ 560–567) ...page 392

V. Autonomous Methodist Churches, Afliated

Autonomous Methodist Churches, Afliated

United Churches, Covenanting Churches,

Concordat Churches (¶¶ 570–575)..............page 394

Becoming an Autonomous Methodist, Afliated

Autonomous Methodist, or Afliated United

Church From Central Conferences (¶ 572)

Becoming a Covenanting Church (¶ 573)

Concordat Agreements (¶ 574)

Joining The United Methodist Church (¶ 575)

VI. Provisional Annual Conferences (¶¶ 580–583) ...page 400

VII. The Missionary Conference (¶¶ 585–588) .......page 401

VIII. Missions (¶¶ 590–593) ........................page 405

IX. The Annual Conference (¶¶ 601–657)...........page 407

Conference Agencies (¶ 610)

The Conference Council on Finance and

Administration (¶¶ 611–619)

Pastoral Support (¶¶ 620–628)

Other Conference Agencies (¶¶ 629–657)

X. The District Conference (¶¶ 658–672) ...........page 506

Chapter Five

ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

I. General Provisions (¶¶ 701–724) ...............page 521

II. General Council on Finance and Administration

(¶¶ 801–824) ................................page 545

General Funds (¶¶ 810–817)

The Episcopal Fund (¶ 818)

Financial Appeals Beyond the General Funds

(¶¶ 819–824)

III. Connectional Table (¶¶ 901–907) ...............page 586

IV. General Board of Church and Society

(¶¶ 1001–1011) ..............................page 589

V. General Board of Discipleship (¶¶ 1101–1126) ...page 593

VI. Division on Ministries With Young People

(¶¶ 1201–1212) ..............................page 619

VII. General Board of Global Ministries

(¶¶ 1301–1315) ..............................page 626

Mission Program Areas (¶ 1314)

xiii

CONTENTS

United Methodist Committee on Relief (¶ 1315)

VIII. General Board of Higher Education and Ministry

(¶¶ 1401–1423) ..............................page 639

Division of Higher Education (¶¶ 1410–1413)

University Senate (¶¶ 1414–1418)

United Methodist Higher Education Foundation

(¶ 1419)

College of Presidents of the Black Colleges (¶ 1420)

Division of Ordained Ministry (¶ 1421)

Schools of Theology of The United Methodist

Church (¶¶ 1422–1423)

IX. General Board of Pension and Health Benets

(¶¶ 1501–1509) ..............................page 667

General Administration (¶¶ 1501–1505)

Annual Conference Administration (¶¶ 1506–1509)

X. The United Methodist Publishing House

(¶¶ 1601–1641) ..............................page 687

XI. General Commission on Archives and History

(¶¶ 1701–1712) ..............................page 696

XII. General Commission on Communication

(¶¶ 1801–1808) ..............................page 704

XIII. United Methodist Women (¶¶ 1901–1918).......page 710

Ofce of Deaconess and Home Missioner

(¶¶ 1913–1918)

XIV. General Commission on Religion and Race

(¶¶ 2001–2008) ..............................page 718

XV. General Commission on the Status and Role

of Women (¶¶ 2101–2109).....................page 721

XVI. Standing Committee on Central Conference

Matters (¶ 2201) .............................page 726

XVII. General Commission on United Methodist Men

(¶¶ 2301–2303) ..............................page 728

XVIII. JUSTPEACE Center for Mediation and Conict

Transformation (¶ 2401) ......................page 731

Chapter Six

CHURCH PROPERTY

I. All Titles—In Trust (¶¶ 2501–2505) .............page 733

II. Compliance With Law (¶¶ 2506–2510) ..........page 736

III. Audits and Bonding of Church Ofcers (¶ 2511) . page 738

xiv

CONTENTS

IV. Annual Conference Property (¶¶ 2512–2517) ....page 738

V. District Property (¶¶ 2518–2524) ...............page 745

VI. Local Church Property (¶¶ 2525–2551)..........page 749

VII. Requirements—Trustees of Church Institutions

(¶ 2552) ....................................page 776

Chapter Seven

JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION

I. The Judicial Council (¶¶ 2601–2612)............page 777

II. Investigations, Trials, and Appeals

(¶¶ 2701–2719) ..............................page 784

Fair Process in Judicial Proceedings (¶ 2701)

Chargeable Offenses and the Statute of Limitations

(¶ 2702)

Procedures for Referral and Investigation of a

Judicial Complaint (¶¶ 2703–2706)

Trials (¶¶ 2707–2714)

Appeals (¶¶ 2715–2718)

Miscellaneous Provisions (¶ 2719)

Index .............................................page 821

UNITED METHODIST BISHOPS

A List Compiled for The Book of Discipline

by the Council of Bishops

NAME ELECTED

Thomas Coke ...........1784

Francis Asbury..........1784

Richard Whatcoat .......1800

Phillip William Otterbein. 1800

Martin Boehm ..........1800

Jacob Albright ..........1807

William M’Kendree......1808

Christian Newcomer.....1813

Enoch George...........1816

Robert Richford Roberts..1816

Andrew Zeller ..........1817

Joseph Hoffman.........1821

Joshua Soule............1824

Elijah Hedding..........1824

Henry Kumler Sr. .......1825

John Emory ............1832

James Osgood Andrew...1832

Samuel Heistand ........1833

William Brown..........1833

Beverly Waugh .........1836

Thomas Asbury Morris ..1836

Jacob Erb...............1837

John Seybert ............1839

Henry Kumler Jr. ........1841

John Coons .............1841

Joseph Long . . . . . . . . . . . . 1843

Leonidas Lent Hamline ..1844

Edmund Storer Janes ....1844

John Russel.............1845

Jacob John Glossbrenner..1845

William Hanby .........1845

William Capers .........1846

Robert Paine............1846

NAME ELECTED

David Edwards .........1849

Henry Bidleman Bascom . 1850

Levi Scott ..............1852

Matthew Simpson .......1852

Osman Cleander Baker ..1852

Edward Raymond Ames . 1852

Lewis Davis ............1853

George Foster Pierce .....1854

John Early..............1854

Hubbard Hinde

Kavanaugh ...........1854

Francis Burns ...........1858

William W. Orwig .......1859

Jacob Markwood ........1861

Daniel Shuck ...........1861

John Jacob Esher ........1863

Davis Wasgatt Clark .....1864

Edward Thomson .......1864

Calvin Kingsley .........1864

Jonathan Weaver ........1865

William May Wightman..1866

Enoch Mather Marvin ...1866

David Seth Doggett......1866

Holland Nimmons

McTyeire .............1866

John Wright Roberts . . . . . 1866

John Dickson ...........1869

John Christian Keener ...1870

Reuben Yeakel ..........1871

Thomas Bowman........1872

William Logan Harris ....1872

Randolph Sinks Foster ...1872

Isaac William Wiley......1872

UNITED METHODIST BISHOPS

NAME ELECTED

Stephen Mason Merrill...1872

Edward Gayer Andrews..1872

Gilbert Haven ..........1872

Jesse Truesdell Peck .....1872

Rudolph Dubs . . . . . . . . . . 1875

Thomas Bowman........1875

Milton Wright ..........1877

Nicholas Castle .........1877

Henry White Warren ....1880

Cyrus David Foss .......1880

John Fletcher Hurst......1880

Erastus Otis Haven ......1880

Ezekiel Boring Kephart ..1881

Alpheus Waters Wilson ..1882

Linus Parker............1882

John Cowper Granbery ..1882

Robert Kennon

Hargrove.............1882

William Xavier Ninde....1884

John Morgan Walden ....1884

Willard Francis

Mallalieu.............1884

Charles Henry Fowler ...1884

William Taylor ..........1884

Daniel Kumler

Flickinger ............1885

William Wallace Duncan..1886

Charles Betts Galloway ..1886

Eugene Russell Hendrix ..1886

Joseph Stanton Key ......1886

John Heyl Vincent .......1888

James Newbury

FitzGerald............1888

Isaac Wilson Joyce .......1888

John Philip Newman ....1888

Daniel Ayres Goodsell ...1888

James Mills Thoburn.....1888

James W. Hott ..........1889

Atticus Greene Haygood . 1890

Oscar Penn Fitzgerald ...1890

NAME ELECTED

Wesley Matthias Stanford 1891

Christian S. Haman......1891

Sylvanus C. Breyfogel....1891

William Horn ...........1891

Job S. Mills .............1893

Charles Cardwell

McCabe..............1896

Joseph Crane Hartzell....1896

Earl Cranston ...........1896

Warren Akin Candler ....1898

Henry Clay Morrison ....1898

David Hastings Moore ...1900

John William Hamilton ..1900

Edwin Wallace Parker ...1900

Francis Wesley Warne....1900

George Martin Mathews..1902

Alexander Coke Smith ...1902

Elijah Embree Hoss......1902

Henry Burns Hartzler....1902

William Franklin Heil ....1902

Joseph Flintoft Berry.....1904

Henry Spellmeyer .......1904

William Fraser

McDowell ............1904

James Whitford

Bashford .............1904

William Burt............1904

Luther Barton Wilson ....1904

Thomas Benjamin Neely..1904

Isaiah Benjamin Scott ....1904

William Fitzjames

Oldham..............1904

John Edward Robinson ..1904

Merriman Colbert Harris . 1904

William Marion Weekley . 1905

William Melvin Bell .....1905

Thomas Coke Carter.....1905

John James Tigert III .....1906

Seth Ward ..............1906

James Atkins ...........1906

UNITED METHODIST BISHOPS

NAME ELECTED

Samuel P. Spreng........1907

William Franklin

Anderson ............1908

John Louis Nuelsen......1908

William Alfred Quayle ...1908

Charles William Smith ...1908

Wilson Seeley Lewis .....1908

Edwin Holt Hughes .....1908

Robert McIntyre ........1908

Frank Milton Bristol .....1908

Collins Denny ..........1910

John Carlisle Kilgo ......1910

William Belton Murrah...1910

Walter Russell Lambuth ..1910

Richard Green

Waterhouse...........1910

Edwin DuBose Mouzon ..1910

James Henry McCoy.....1910

William Hargrave Fouke..1910

Uriah Frantz Swengel....1910

Homer Clyde Stuntz.....1912

William Orville Shepard..1912

Theodore Sommers

Henderson ...........1912

Naphtali Luccock .......1912

Francis John McConnell ..1912

Frederick DeLand Leete..1912

Richard Joseph Cooke ...1912

Wilbur Patterson

Thirkield .............1912

John Wesley Robinson ...1912

William Perry Eveland ...1912

Henry Harness Fout .....1913

Cyrus Jeffries Kephart ...1913

Alfred Taylor Howard ...1913

Gottlieb Heinmiller......1915

Lawrence Hoover

Seager ...............1915

Herbert Welch ..........1916

Thomas Nicholson ......1916

NAME ELECTED

Adna Wright Leonard....1916

Matthew Simpson

Hughes ..............1916

Charles Bayard Mitchell..1916

Franklin Elmer Ellsworth

Hamilton.............1916

Alexander Priestly

Camphor.............1916

Eben Samuel Johnson ....1916

William H. Washinger ...1917

John Monroe Moore .....1918

William Fletcher

McMurry .............1918

Urban Valentine Williams

Darlington ...........1918

Horace Mellard DuBose..1918

William Newman

Ainsworth............1918

James Cannon, Jr. .......1918

Matthew T. Maze........1918

Lauress John Birney .....1920

Frederick Bohn Fisher....1920

Charles Edward Locke ...1920

Ernest Lynn Waldorf.....1920

Edgar Blake ............1920

Ernest Gladstone

Richardson ...........1920

Charles Wesley Burns ....1920

Harry Lester Smith ......1920

George Harvey Bickley...1920

Frederick Thomas

Keeney ..............1920

Charles Larew Mead.....1920

Anton Bast .............1920

Robert Elijah Jones ......1920

Matthew Wesley Clair ...1920

Arthur R. Clippinger ....1921

William Benjamin

Beauchamp...........1922

James Edward Dickey ...1922

UNITED METHODIST BISHOPS

NAME ELECTED

Samuel Ross Hay........1922

Hoyt McWhorter Dobbs..1922

Hiram Abiff Boaz .......1922

John Francis Dunlap .....1922

George Amos Miller .....1924

Titus Lowe .............1924

George Richmond Grose..1924

Brenton Thoburn Badley..1924

Wallace Elias Brown .....1924

Arthur Biggs Statton.....1925

John S. Stamm ..........1926

Samuel J. Umbreit .......1926

Raymond J. Wade .......1928

James Chamberlain

Baker ................1928

Edwin Ferdinand Lee ....1928

Grant D. Batdorf ........1929

Ira David Warner........1929

John W. Gowdy .........1930

Chih Ping Wang.........1930

Arthur James Moore .....1930

Paul Bentley Kern . . . . . . . 1930

Angie Frank Smith ......1930

George Edward Epp .....1930

Joshwant Rao Chitamber . 1930

Juan Ermete Gattinoni ...1932

Junius Ralph Magee .....1932

Ralph Spaulding

Cushman ............1932

Elmer Wesley Praetorius . 1934

Charles H. Stauffacher ...1934

Jarrell Waskom Pickett . . . 1935

Roberto Valenzuela

Elphick ..............1936

Wilbur Emery

Hammaker ...........1936

Charles Wesley Flint .....1936

Gareld Bromley

Oxnam ..............1936

Alexander Preston Shaw..1936

NAME ELECTED

John McKendree

Springer .............1936

F. H. Otto Melle .........1936

Ralph Ansel Ward .......1937

Victor Otterbein Weidler..1938

Ivan Lee Holt ...........1938

William Walter Peele.....1938

Clare Purcell............1938

Charles Claude

Selecman.............1938

John Lloyd Decell .......1938

William Clyde Martin....1938

William Turner Watkins ..1938

James Henry Straughn ...1939

John Calvin Broomeld ..1939

William Alfred Carroll

Hughes ..............1940

Lorenzo Houston King...1940

Bruce Richard Baxter ....1940

Shot Kumar Mondol .....1940

Clement Daniel Rockey ..1941

Enrique Carlos Balloch...1941

Z. T. Kaung.............1941

Wen Yuan Chen .........1941

George Carleton Lacy....1941

Fred L. Dennis ..........1941

Dionisio Deista

Alejandro ............1944

Fred Pierce Corson ......1944

Walter Earl Ledden ......1944

Lewis Oliver Hartman ...1944

Newell Snow Booth .....1944

Willis Jefferson King .....1944

Robert Nathaniel Brooks..1944

Edward Wendall Kelly ...1944

William Angie Smith.....1944

Paul Elliott Martin.......1944

Costen Jordan Harrell....1944

Paul Neff Garber ........1944

UNITED METHODIST BISHOPS

NAME ELECTED

Charles Wesley

Brashares ............1944

Schuyler Edward Garth ..1944

Arthur Frederick Wesley..1944

John Abdus Subhan .....1945

John Balmer Showers ....1945

August Theodor

Arvidson.............1946

Johann Wilhelm Ernst

Sommer..............1946

John Wesley Edward

Bowen ...............1948

Lloyd Christ Wicke ......1948

John Wesley Lord .......1948

Dana Dawson ..........1948

Marvin Augustus

Franklin..............1948

Roy Hunter Short .......1948

Richard Campbell

Raines ...............1948

Marshall Russell Reed ...1948

Harry Clifford Northcott ..1948

Hazen Graff Werner .....1948

Glenn Randall Phillips ...1948

Gerald Hamilton

Kennedy .............1948

Donald Harvey Tippett ..1948

Jose Labarrete Valencia...1948

Sante Uberto Barbieri . . . . 1949

Raymond Leroy Archer ..1950

David Thomas Gregory ..1950

Frederick Buckley

Newell...............1952

Edgar Amos Love .......1952

Matthew Walker Clair ...1952

John Warren Branscomb..1952

Henry Bascom Watts.....1952

D. Stanley Coors ........1952

Edwin Edgar Voigt ......1952

Francis Gerald Ensley....1952

NAME ELECTED

Alsie Raymond Grant....1952

Julio Manuel Sabanes ....1952

Friedrich Wunderlich ....1953

Odd Arthur Hagen ......1953

Ferdinand Sigg ..........1954

Reuben Herbert Mueller . 1954

Harold Rickel Heininger..1954

Lyle Lynden Baughman ..1954

Prince Albert Taylor Jr. ...1956

Eugene Maxwell Frank...1956

Nolan Bailey Harmon....1956

Bachman Gladstone

Hodge ...............1956

Hobart Baumann

Amstutz .............1956

Ralph Edward Dodge....1956

Mangal Singh...........1956

Gabriel Sundaram .......1956

Paul E. V. Shannon ......1957

John Gordon Howard....1957

Hermann Walter

Kaebnick.............1958

W. Maynard Sparks......1958

Paul Murray Herrick ....1958

Bowman Foster

Stockwell ............1960

Fred Garrigus Holloway..1960

William Vernon

Middleton............1960

William Ralph Ward Jr....1960

James Kenneth Mathews..1960

Oliver Eugene Slater.....1960

William Kenneth Pope ...1960

Paul Vernon Galloway ...1960

Aubrey Grey Walton.....1960

Kenneth Wilford

Copeland ............1960

Everett Walter Palmer....1960

Ralph Taylor Alton ......1960

Edwin Ronald Garrison ..1960

UNITED METHODIST BISHOPS

NAME ELECTED

Torney Otto Nall Jr. ......1960

Charles Franklin Golden..1960

Noah Watson Moore Jr. ..1960

Marquis LaFayette

Harris ...............1960

James Walton Henley ....1960

Walter Clark Gum .......1960

Paul Hardin Jr. ..........1960

John Owen Smith .......1960

Paul William Milhouse...1960

Pedro Ricardo Zottele....1962

James Samuel Thomas ...1964

William McFerrin Stowe ..1964

Walter Kenneth

Goodson .............1964

Dwight Ellsworth Loder..1964

Robert Marvin Stuart ....1964

Edward Julian

Pendergrass Jr. ........1964

Thomas Marion Pryor ...1964

Homer Ellis Finger Jr. ....1964

Earl Gladstone Hunt Jr. ..1964

Francis Enmer Kearns....1964

Lance Webb ............1964

Escrivao Anglaze

Zunguze .............1964

Robert Fielden Lundy....1964

Harry Peter Andreassen..1964

John Wesley Shungu .....1964

Alfred Jacob Shaw.......1965

Prabhakar Christopher

Benjamin Balaram .....1965

Stephen Trowen Nagbe ..1965

Franz Werner Schäfer ....1966

Benjamin I. Guansing ....1967

Lineunt Scott Allen ......1967

Paul Arthur Washburn ...1968

Carl Ernst Sommer ......1968

David Frederick Wertz ...1968

Alsie Henry Carleton ....1968

NAME ELECTED

Roy Calvin Nichols ......1968

Arthur James Armstrong..1968

William Ragsdale

Cannon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1968

Abel Tendekayi

Muzorewa ...........1968

Cornelio M. Ferrer.......1968

Paul Locke A.

Granadosin...........1968

Joseph R. Lance .........1968

Ram Dutt Joshi..........1968

Eric Algernon Mitchell ...1969

Federico Jose Pagura.....1969

Armin E. Härtel .........1970

Ole Edvard Borgen ......1970

Finis Alonzo

Crutcheld Jr..........1972

Joseph Hughes Yeakel ...1972

Robert E. Goodrich Jr.....1972

Carl Julian Sanders ......1972

Ernest T. Dixon Jr. .......1972

Don Wendell Holter .....1972

Wayne K. Clymer .......1972

Joel Duncan McDavid ...1972

Edward Gonzalez

Carroll...............1972

Jesse Robert DeWitt......1972

James Mase Ault ........1972

John B. Warman.........1972

Mack B. Stokes..........1972

Jack Marvin Tuell .......1972

Melvin E. Wheatley Jr. ...1972

Edward Lewis Tullis .....1972

Frank Lewis Robertson...1972

Wilbur Wong Yan Choy ..1972

Robert McGrady

Blackburn ............1972

Emilio J. M. de Carvalho..1972

Fama Onema ...........1972

Mamidi Elia Peter .......1972

UNITED METHODIST BISHOPS

NAME ELECTED

Bennie de Quency

Warner...............1973

J. Kenneth Shamblin .....1976

Alonzo Monk Bryan .....1976

Kenneth William Hicks ..1976

James Chess Lovern .....1976

Leroy Charles Hodapp...1976

Edsel Albert Ammons....1976

C. Dale White...........1976

Ngoy Kimba Wakadilo...1976

Almeida Penicela........1976

LaVerne D. Mercado .....1976

Hermann Ludwig

Sticher................1977

Shantu Kumar A.

Parmar ..............1979

Thomas Syla Bangura....1979

John Alfred Ndoricimpa..1980

William Talbot Handy Jr...1980

John Wesley Hardt ......1980

Benjamin Ray Oliphint...1980

Louis Wesley

Schowengerdt ........1980

Melvin George Talbert ...1980

Paul Andrews Duffey ....1980

Edwin Charles Boulton ..1980

John William Russell.....1980

Fitz Herbert Skeete ......1980

George Willis Bashore....1980

Roy Clyde Clark ........1980

William Boyd Grove .....1980

Emerson Stephen Colaw..1980

Marjorie Swank

Matthews ............1980

Carlton Printess

Minnick Jr............1980

Calvin Dale McConnell ..1980

Kainda Katembo ........1980

Emerito P. Nacpil........1980

Arthur Flumo Kulah.....1980

NAME ELECTED

Felton Edwin May.......1984

Ernest A. Fitzgerald .....1984

R. Kern Eutsler..........1984

J. Woodrow Hearn.......1984

Walter L. Underwood ....1984

Richard B. Wilke ........1984

J. Lloyd Knox ...........1984

Neil L. Irons ............1984

Roy Isao Sano...........1984

Lewis Bevel Jones III ....1984

Forrest C. Stith..........1984

Ernest W. Newman ......1984

Woodie W. White........1984

Robert Crawley Morgan..1984

David J. Lawson ........1984

Elias Gabriel Galvan .....1984

Rueben Philip Job .......1984

Leontine T. Kelly ........1984

Judith Craig ............1984

Rüdiger Rainer Minor ...1986

Jose Castro Gamboa Jr. ...1986

Thomas Barber Stockton..1988

Harold Hasbrouck

Hughes Jr.............1988

Richard Carl Looney.....1988

Robert Hitchcock Spain ..1988

Susan Murch Morrison...1988

R. Sheldon Duecker .....1988

Joseph Benjamin Bethea ..1988

William B. Oden ........1988

Bruce P. Blake...........1988

Charles Wilbourne

Hancock .............1988

Clay Foster Lee Jr. . . . . . . . 1988

Sharon A. Brown

Christopher ..........1988

Dan E. Solomon.........1988

William B. Lewis ........1988

William W. Dew Jr. ......1988

UNITED METHODIST BISHOPS

NAME ELECTED

Moises Domingos

Fernandes ............1988

Joao Somane Machado ...1988

Walter Klaiber ..........1989

Heinrich Bolleter ........1989

Hans Växby ............1989

Alfred Lloyd Norris .....1992

Joe Allen Wilson ........1992

Robert Eugene Fannin ...1992

Amelia Ann B. Sherer ....1992

Albert Frederick Mutti . . . 1992

Raymond Harold Owen..1992

Joel Neftali Martinez.....1992

Donald Arthur Ott ......1992

Kenneth Lee Carder .....1992

Hae Jong Kim...........1992

William Wesley Morris ...1992

Marshall LeRoy

Meadors Jr. ..........1992

Charles Wesley Jordan ...1992

Sharon Zimmerman

Rader................1992

S. Clifton Ives...........1992

Mary Ann Swenson .....1992

Done Peter Dabale ......1992

Joseph Humper . . . . . . . . . 1992

Christopher Jokomo .....1992

Daniel C. Arichea Jr. .....1994

Benjamin Gutierrez......1994

G. Lindsey Davis ........1996

Joseph E. Pennel Jr. ...... 1996

Charlene Payne

Kammerer............1996

Alfred Johnson..........1996

Cornelius L. Henderson ..1996

Susan Wolfe Hassinger...1996

J. Lawrence McCleskey ..1996

Ernest S. Lyght..........1996

Janice Riggle Huie.......1996

Marion M. Edwards .....1996

NAME ELECTED

C. Joseph Sprague .......1996

Peter D. Weaver .........1996

Jonathan D. Keaton......1996

Ray W. Chamberlain, Jr. ..1996

John L. Hopkins.........1996

Michael J. Coyner .......1996

Edward W. Paup . . . . . . . . 1996

Ntambo Nkulu Ntanda ..1996

Larry M. Goodpaster ....2000

Rhymes H. Moncure Jr. ..2000

Beverly J. Shamana ......2000

Violet L. Fisher..........2000

Gregory Vaughn Palmer..2000

William W. Hutchinson ..2000

B. Michael Watson.......2000

D. Max Whiteld........2000

Benjamin Roy

Chamness ............2000

Linda Lee ..............2000

James R. King...........2000

Bruce R. Ough ..........2000

Warner H. Brown Jr. .....2000

José Quipungo ..........2000

Gaspar Joao Domingos...2000

Leo A. Soriano ..........2000

Benjamin A. Justo .......2000

John G. Innis ...........2000

Øystein Olsen ..........2001

Timothy W. Whitaker ....2001

Solito K. Toquero........2001

Marcus Matthews .......2004

Sudarshana Devadhar ...2004

Jeremiah J. Park .........2004

Hope Morgan Ward .....2004

William H. Willimon.....2004

James E. Swanson Sr.....2004

Hee-Soo Jung ...........2004

Robert E. Hayes Jr .......2004

Alfred W. Gwinn Jr ......2004

John R. Schol ...........2004

UNITED METHODIST BISHOPS

NAME ELECTED

Richard J. Wills Jr .......2004

Robert C. Schnase .......2004

Deborah L. Kiesey.......2004

Jane Allen Middleton ....2004

Thomas J. Bickerton .....2004

Scott J. Jones ............2004

Charles N. Crutcheld ...2004

Robert T. Hoshibata .....2004

Mary Virginia Taylor ....2004

Sally Dyck..............2004

Minerva G. Carcaño .....2004

Eben K. Nhiwatiwa......2004

Hans Växby ............ 2005

David K. Yemba......... 2005

Rosemarie J. Wenner..... 2005

Benjamin Boni .......... 2005

Patrick Ph. Streiff........ 2005

Daniel A. Wandabula .... 2006

Kefas K. Mavula ........ 2007

Paul Lee Leeland ........ 2008

Wilbert Earl Bledsoe ..... 2008

Peggy A. Johnson ....... 2008

John Michael Lowry ..... 2008

Julius Calvin Trimble .... 2008

Grant J. Hagiya ......... 2008

James E. Dorff .......... 2008

Elaine J. W. Stanovsky ... 2008

Joaquina Filipe Nhanala.. 2008

Rodolfo Alfonso Juan ....2008

Lito Cabacungan

Tangonan ............2008

John Kpahun Yambasu...2008

NAME ELECTED

Christian Alsted.........2009

L. Jonathan Holston .....2012

Kenneth H. Carter.......2012

Sandra Lynn Steiner Ball . 2012

William T. McAlilly......2012

Deborah Wallace-Padgett. 2012

Martin McLee...........2012

Young Jin Cho ..........2012

Cynthia Fierro Harvey ...2012

Mark J. Webb ...........2012

Gary E. Mueller .........2012

Michael McKee .........2012

Gabriel Yemba Unda.....2012

John Wesley Yohanna .... 2012

Eduard Khegay ......... 2012

Pedro M. Torio, Jr. .......2012

Ciriaco Q. Francisco .....2012

Sharma Lewis ..........2016

David Graves ...........2016

Leonard Fairley .........2016

Lawson Bryan .......... 2016

Sue Haupert-Johnson ....2016

Cynthia Moore-KoiKoi...2016

Tracy Smith Malone .....2016

Frank Beard ............2016

David Bard .............2016

LaTrelle Easterling.......2016

Ruben Saenz............2016

Laurie Haller ...........2016

James Nunn ............2016

Robert Farr .............2016

Karen Oliveto...........2016

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Ecclesial Heritage

The history of The United Methodist Church includes God’s

self-revelation and action in history through the call of Abraham,

the Hebrew exodus from Egypt, and especially the incarnation,

life, death, and resurrection of God’s Word Jesus Christ, and the

outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The United Methodist

Church shares this history with the whole church, as contained in

the canonical Scriptures.

In the early 1500s, various reform movements emerged in

Western Europe that created forms of western Christianity not in

communion with the Roman Catholic pope. These became known

as Protestantism. They emphasized a return to the sources of faith:

that is, God’s action in salvation and Scripture as the authority

for doctrine and practice. Different contexts and visions produced

Lutheran, Reformed, Anabaptist, and Anglican Protestantism, all

of which inuenced the traditions that came together in United

Methodism.

During the late 1600s, a renewal movement, often referred to

as Pietism, emerged in Europe. Broadly conceived, the movement

emphasized the Christian experience of new birth, sanctica-

tion, the possibility of societal transformation, and small groups.

The movement affected most confessions including Lutheran,

Reformed, Anglican, and Anabaptist. Expressions of this move-

ment included the philanthropic and mission work of August

Hermann Franke in Germany, the growth of Moravianism under

the leadership of Ludwig von Zinzendorf, the Religious Socie-

ties Movement begun by Anthony Horneck in England, as well as

Reformed and more radical groups.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF

THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

John and Charles Wesley and the Evangelical

Revival in England

All Wesleyan and Methodist Christians are connected to the

lives and ministries of John Wesley (1703-1791) and his brother,

Charles (1707-1788). Both John and Charles were Church of Eng-

land priests who volunteered as missionaries to the colony of

Georgia, arriving in March, 1736. Their mission was far from an

unqualied success, and both returned to England disillusioned

and discouraged, Charles in December, 1736, and John in Febru-

ary, 1738.

The Wesley brothers had transforming religious experiences

in May, 1738, under the inuence of Moravian missionaries. John’s

experience on May 24 of that year at a Moravian meeting on

Aldersgate Street, London, has a prominent place in the Church’s

memory. Shortly thereafter, both brothers began preaching a mes-

sage of new birth and sanctication in Anglican religious societies

and outdoors to whomever would listen. They also established

missional and philanthropic enterprises to promote social change.

The goal of this movement was to “reform the nation, particu-

larly the church; and to spread scriptural holiness over the land.”

Over time a pattern of organization and discipline emerged. It

included a set of General Rules, societies made up of class meet-

ings (small groups in which members of Methodist societies

watched over one another), and band meetings (smaller confes-

sional groups divided by gender), all connected by traveling lay

preachers.

Beginnings in America, 1760-1816

Methodism in America began without authorization or sup-

port from England, as lay Methodists immigrated to America.

Among its earliest leaders were Robert Strawbridge, an immigrant

farmer who organized work in Maryland and Virginia around

1760; Philip Embury and his cousin Barbara Heck, who began

work in New York in 1766; and Captain Thomas Webb, whose

labors were instrumental in Methodist beginnings in Philadelphia

in 1767. The rst Methodist societies included active participation

by people of European and African descent.

To strengthen the Methodist work in the colonies, John

Wesley sent two lay preachers, Richard Boardman and Joseph

Pilmore, to America in 1769. Two years later, Richard Wright

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

and Francis Asbury were dispatched to undergird the growing

American Methodist societies. Asbury became the most impor-

tant gure in early American Methodism. His energetic devotion

to the principles of Wesleyan theology, ministry, and organization

shaped Methodism in America in ways unmatched by any other

individual.

The rst conference of Methodist preachers in the colonies

was held in Philadelphia in 1773. The ten who attended pledged

allegiance to Wesley’s leadership and agreed that, as laypeople,

they would not administer the sacraments. Methodists would

receive the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper at a

local Anglican parish church. They emphasized strong discipline

among the societies and preachers. A system of regular confer-

ences was inaugurated, similar to those Wesley had instituted in

England to conduct the business of the Methodist movement.

The American Revolution profoundly impacted Methodism.

John Wesley’s loyalty to the king and his writings against the rev-

olutionary cause did not enhance the image of Methodism among

many who supported independence. Furthermore, a number of

Methodist preachers refused to bear arms to aid the patriots.

When independence from England was won, Wesley recog-

nized that changes were necessary for American Methodism to

thrive. He sent Thomas Coke to America to superintend the work

with Asbury. Coke brought with him a prayer book entitledThe

Sunday Service of the Methodists in North America, prepared by

Wesley and incorporating his revision of the Church of England’s

Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion. Richard Whatcoat and Thomas

Vasey, whom Wesley had ordained, accompanied Coke. Wesley’s

ordinations set a precedent that ultimately permitted Methodists

in America to become an independent church.

In December 1784, the famous Christmas Conference of

preachers was held in Baltimore at Lovely Lane Chapel. Most

of the American preachers attended, probably including African

Americans, Harry Hosier and Richard Allen. At this gathering

the movement became organized as The Methodist Episcopal

Church in America. In the following years The Methodist Epis-

copal Church published its rst Discipline (1785), adopted a qua-

drennial General Conference, the rst of which was held in 1792,

and drafted a Constitution (1808). It also established a publish-

ing house and became a proponent of revivalism and the camp

meeting.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Two other churches were forming in America, which, in their

earliest years were composed almost entirely of German-speak-

ing people. The rst was founded by Philip William Otterbein

(1726-1813) and Martin Boehm (1725-1812). Otterbein, a German

Reformed pastor, and Boehm, a Mennonite, preached an evan-

gelical message similar to the Methodists. In 1800, their followers

formally organized the Church of the United Brethren in Christ,

which included a similar organization of traveling preachers.

Otterbein attended the Christmas Conference and participated in

Asbury’s ordination.

A second church, The Evangelical Association, was begun

by Jacob Albright (1759-1808). Albright, a Lutheran farmer and

tile-maker in eastern Pennsylvania, was converted by the United

Brethren and nurtured in a Methodist class meeting. He later

established his own connection of preachers, better to reach fel-

low German-speakers. The Evangelical Association was ofcially

organized in 1803.

Early attempts at merging these churches failed. By the time

of Asbury’s death in March 1816, Otterbein, Boehm, and Albright

had also died. The churches they nurtured had survived and were

beginning to expand numerically and geographically. The Ger-

man churches united in 1946 as The Evangelical United Brethren

Church, which in turn joined with The Methodist Church in 1968

to form The United Methodist Church.

Revival and Growth, 1817-1843

The Second Great Awakening was the dominant religious

development among Protestants in America during the rst half

of the nineteenth century. Through revivals and camp meetings,

sinners experienced conversion. Circuit-riding preachers and lay

pastors knit them into a connection. This style of Christian faith

and discipline was very agreeable to Methodists, United Brethren,

and Evangelicals who favored its emphasis on the experiential.

The memberships of these churches increased dramatically, as did

the number of preachers serving them.

Preachers and laity were expected to be seriously committed

to both the faith and mission. Preachers were to possess a sound

conversion and divine calling, as well as to demonstrate gifts and

skills for fruitful ministry. The nancial benets were meager.

The general membership’s commitment was exhibited in their

willingness to submit to the discipline of their churches. Meth-

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

odists, for example, were strictly guided by the General Rules

adopted at the Christmas Conference of 1784 and still included in

United Methodism’s Book of Discipline. They were urged to avoid

evil, do good, and use the means of grace supplied by God. Those

who did not adhere to the Discipline were to be removed from

membership.

The structure of Methodist, United Brethren, and Evangelical

Association churches allowed them to function in ways to sup-

port, consolidate, and expand their ministries. Local classes could

spring up wherever a few women and men were gathered under

the direction of a class leader. The itinerant preacher, who had a

circuit of appointments under his care, visited regularly. This sys-

tem served the diverse needs of city, town, or frontier outpost. The

churches could go to the people wherever they settled. Annual

conferences under episcopal leadership provided the mechanism

for admitting and ordaining clergy, appointing itinerant preach-

ers to their churches, and supplying them with mutual support.

General Conferences, meeting quadrennially, proved sufcient to

set the main course for the church, including the creation of the

Discipline by which it was governed.

The Methodist Book Concern, organized in 1789, was the rst

church publishing house in America. The Evangelical Association

and United Brethren also authorized the formation of publish-

ing agencies in the early nineteenth century. From these presses

came a succession of hymnals,Disciplines, newspapers, tracts, and

magazines. Prots were usually designated for the support and

welfare of retired and indigent preachers and their families.

The founding period was not without serious problems, espe-

cially for the Methodists. Conict between Methodism’s struc-

ture and values and American cultural norms (especially over

episcopacy, race, and slavery) sometimes led to schism. In 1792,

James O’Kelly founded the Republican Methodists to reduce the

authority of bishops. Richard Allen (1760-1831), an emancipated

slave and Methodist preacher who was mistreated because of his

race, left the church and in 1816 organized The African Meth-

odist Episcopal Church. For similar reasons, The African Meth-

odist Episcopal Zion Church was begunin 1821. In 1830, about

5,000 preachers and laypeople left the denomination because it

would not grant representation to the laity or permit the election

of presiding elders (district superintendents). This new body was

called The Methodist Protestant Church, which in 1939 united

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

with The Methodist Episcopal Church and The Methodist Epis-

copal Church, South, to become The Methodist Church. In 1843,

abolitionist preachers Orange Scott and Luther Lee formed the

Wesleyan Methodist Church over Methodism’s weakening prohi-

bition against slaveholding.

Even with these tensions, Methodism spread to new cultures

and overseas. African American Methodist preacher, John Stew-

art, began an unauthorized mission to the Wyandot Indians in

Ohio in 1815, which was adopted by the Ohio Conference in 1819.

Another African American preacher, Daniel Coker, who had been

ordained by Asbury and participated in the organizing confer-

ence of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, was among the

eighty-eight emigrants who sailed to Africa in 1820, assisted by

the American Colonization Society. While still at sea he organized

a church. The group landed in what is today Liberia. Missionary

work in Africa was carried out mainly by lay people until 1833,

when Melville Beveridge Cox became the rst missionary of the

Methodist Episcopal Church appointed to Liberia.

Other institutions also developed. By 1841, Methodists, Evan-

gelicals, and United Brethren had all begun denominational mis-

sionary societies. Sunday schools were encouraged in every place

where they could be started and maintained. Interest in education

was also evident in the establishment of secondary schools and

colleges. By 1845, each had instituted courses of study for their

preachers to ensure that they had a basic knowledge of the Bible,

theology, and pastoral ministry.

Division in America and Expansion Overseas, 1844-1860

John Wesley had been an ardent opponent of slavery. In 1789,

the General Rules were ofcially adopted by American Method-

ism. A rule forbidding participation in slavery, which had not

been deemed necessary in England, was included. But as Method-

ism expanded, that prohibition was relaxed or not enforced where

slavery was legal. Because membership spanned regions, classes,

and races, contention over slavery ultimately split Methodism

into separate northern and southern churches.

At the 1844 General Conference, pro-slavery and anti-slavery

factions clashed over episcopacy, race, and slavery. Their most

serious conict concerned one of the church’s ve bishops, James

O. Andrew, who had acquired slaves through marriage. After acri-

monious debate, the General Conference voted to suspend Bishop

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Andrew from the exercise of his ofce so long as he could not,

or would not, free his slaves. A few days later, dissidents drafted

a Plan of Separation, which permitted the annual conferences in

slaveholding states to separate from The Methodist Episcopal

Church in order to organize their own ecclesiastical structure. The

Plan of Separation was adopted and the groundwork laid for the

creation of The Methodist Episcopal Church, South.

Delegates from the southern states met in Louisville, Ken-

tucky, in May 1845, to organize their new church. Their rst

General Conference was held the following year in Petersburg,

Virginia, where a Discipline and hymnbook were adopted. The

Methodist Protestant Church was also affected by the slavery

controversy, splitting in 1858 and reuniting in 1877. The United

Brethren and The Evangelical Association, being concentrated in

northern states, were able to avoid the passionate struggle that

fractured The Methodist Episcopal Church.

Despite conict and division in America, Methodism con-

tinued to expand overseas. In 1847, Judson D. Collins, Moses C.

White, and his wife Jane Isabel Altwater landed in Fuzhou, China,

under the auspices of the Missionary Society of the Methodist

Episcopal Church. Despite a slow beginning, the Missionary Soci-

ety gained valuable lessons that enabled Robert S. Maclay to enter

Japan in 1873. In 1885, William B. Scranton, his mother Mary F.

Scranton, and Henry G. Appenzeller began work in Korea. Amer-

ican Methodists also set their sights on South Asia. In 1856, Wil-

liam Butler landed in Kolkata with his wife, Clementina Rowe

Butler (one of the future founders of Woman’s Foreign Missionary

Society), and two of their children.

European Methodism also began, as migrants, sailors, sol-

diers, and others who encountered Methodism outside of Europe

shared the message back home. Ludwig Jacoby joined the Meth-

odists after immigrating to Cincinnati in 1838. He returned to

Germany in 1849 and began gathering a church in Bremen. The

Evangelical Association, with ethnic and linguistic links to Ger-

many, sent Conrad Link as its rst ofcial missionary to Germany

in 1850. Norwegian seaman Ole Peter Petersen, after hearing

Methodists in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1845, preached to

Norwegians and Danes in America and Norway in 1849. The rst

congregation in Denmark was established by Christian Willerup

in 1856.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

The Civil War to World War I, 1860-1913

Bitterness between northern and southern Methodists had

intensied in the years leading to Abraham Lincoln’s election in

1860 and then through the carnage of the Civil War. Each church

claimed divine sanction for its region and prayed fervently for

God’s will to be accomplished in victory for its side.

The Civil War devastated The Methodist Episcopal Church,

South. Its churches lay in ruins or were seriously damaged. Many

of its clergy were killed or wounded, and its educational, publish-

ing, and missionary programs were disrupted. African American

membership declined signicantly during and after the war. In

1870, the General Conference voted to transfer all remaining Afri-

can Americans to a new church. The Colored Methodist Episcopal

Church (now The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church) resulted.

The Methodist Episcopal Church, Methodist Protestants, United

Brethren, and Evangelicals also lost preachers and members but

did not suffer the same economic loss as southern Methodism.

The period from the Civil War to World War I saw growth

in membership for all branches of Methodism, Evangelicals, and

United Brethren. The value of church property increased dra-

matically, Sunday schools were strengthened through increased

training of teachers, and publishing houses maintained ambitious

programs to furnish members with literature. Higher educational

standards for the clergy were cultivated, and theological semi-

naries were founded. The period was also marked by theological

developments and controversies. The holiness movement, which

emphasized a Christian’s experience of entire sanctication,

together with the rise of liberal theology and the Social Gospel

Movement, were sources of conict.

Rural and poorer segments of the church, especially those

associated with the holiness movement, were skeptical of prestige

and afuence. A Methodist preacher, Benjamin Titus Roberts, had

formed the Free Methodist Church in 1860 to oppose worldliness,

especially the grand middle class churches in cities nanced by

renting pews. In 1895, the Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene

(now the Nazarene Church) was formed under the encourage-

ment of Phineas Bresee, a Methodist Episcopal preacher, presid-

ing elder, and delegate to the General Conferences of 1872 and

1892. The goal for the new denomination, founded in 1894, was

to have churches furnished to welcome the poor where holiness

was preached.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Two other issues that caused substantial debate in the

churches during this period were lay representation and the role

of women. Methodist Protestants had granted the laity represen-

tation from the time they organized in 1830. The clergy in The

Methodist Episcopal Church, The Methodist Episcopal Church,

South, The Evangelical Association, and the Church of the United

Brethren in Christ were much slower in permitting laity an ofcial

voice. It was not until 1932 that the last of these churches allowed

lay representation.

Even more contentious was the question of women’s ordina-

tion and eligibility for lay ofces and representation in the church.

Women had been ordained in holiness denominations as early as

the 1860s, and the United Brethren General Conference approved

ordination for women in 1889. However, The Methodist Episcopal

Church and The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, did not ordain

women until well after their reunion in 1939.

The Evangelical Asso-

ciation never ordained women. Lay representation for women was

also resisted. Women were not admitted as delegates to the Gen-

eral Conferences of The Methodist Protestant Church until 1892, the

United Brethren until 1893, The Methodist Episcopal Church until

1904, and The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, until 1922.

Mission work continued to rise on the agendas of the

churches. Women formed missionary societies beginning in 1869

to educate, recruit, and raise funds for these endeavors. Mission-

aries like Isabella Thoburn, Susan Bauernfeind, and Harriett Brit-

tan, and administrators like Bell Harris Bennett and Lucy Rider

Meyer, motivated thousands of church women to support home

and foreign missions.

Domestic mission programs sought to Christianize the city.

Home missionaries established schools for former slaves and their

children. In 1871, the southern Methodist church ordained Alejo

Hernandez, making him the rst Hispanic preacher ordained in

Methodism, although Benigno Cardenas had preached in Span-

ish in Santa Fe, New Mexico, as early as 1853. Signicant Meth-

odist ministries among Asian Americans were instituted during

this period, especially among Chinese and Japanese immigrants.

A Japanese layman, Kanichi Miyama, was ordained in California

in 1887.

1. The Methodist Episcopal Church ordained women as “local elders” start-

ing in 1924. However, The Methodist Church (1939) did not grant full clergy rights

to women until 1956.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Methodism continued to expand in Asia, Europe, Africa,

and Latin America. From 1870 to 1875 Methodist missionaries

embarked on revival campaigns in India south of the Ganges

River under the leadership of James M. Thoburn, and the famous

holiness evangelist William Taylor. These efforts gave birth to

the South India Conference in 1876. Thoburn also began work in

Southeast Asia when he opened mission work in Rangoon, Burma

(Myanmar), in 1879. In 1885, he led the establishment of Meth-

odist work in Singapore, which later expanded into the Malaya

Peninsular and Sarawak to become the Malaysia Annual Confer-

ence in 1902. The conference also sent the rst Methodist pastor

to Indonesia in 1905. Methodism reached the Philippines when

Thoburn organized work in Manila in 1899, which quickly grew

to become the Philippine Islands Annual Conference in 1908.

At the Methodist Episcopal General Conference of 1884, a

petition from the Liberia Conference was presented, asking for a

resident bishop in Africa. William Taylor was elected to the episco-

pacy as missionary bishop to Africa. Taylor went with two specic

assignments: overseeing Liberia and expanding missions on the

African continent. Between May 20 and September 10, 1885, the

Methodist Episcopal Church founded ve strategic points to start

their work in Angola. In 1886, the bishop and his party entered the

Lower Congo. Taylor also visited the king of Portugal in 1886 and

received permission to do mission work in Portuguese East Africa

(Mozambique). Taylor established self-supporting churches in

southern Liberia, Sierra Leone, Angola, in what is today Mozam-

bique, and in Zaire. In 1896, Joseph Crane Hartzell was elected

Bishop for Africa, and by 1897 the Methodist Episcopal Church

reached Rhodesia (Zimbabwe). During this period, annual confer-

ences other than those in the United States were organized region-

ally into what was termed central conferences.

The War Years of the Early 20

Century, 1914-1945

In the years prior to World War I, the Methodist Episcopal

Church demonstrated its concern for social issues by adopting a

Social Creed at its 1908 General Conference. Social problems were

also a spur in the movement toward ecumenism and interchurch

cooperation. Each of the denominations now included in The

United Methodist Church became active in the Federal Council

of Churches, the rst major ecumenical venture among Ameri-

can Protestants. There was also much sympathy in the churches

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

for negotiation and arbitration as an alternative to international

armed conict. Many church members and clergy openly pro-

fessed pacism. When the United Sates ofcially entered the war

in 1917, pacism faded as American patriotism was identied

with the war effort.

After the war, the churches returned their energies to social

change. One of their perennial concerns was temperance, and

they were quick to recognize it among their highest priorities.

They published and distributed large amounts of temperance lit-

erature. Members pledged that they would abstain from alcoholic

beverages.

There was signicant theological ferment during this period.

Biblical fundamentalists and neo-orthodox theologians ques-

tioned liberal Protestant theology and accused it of undermin-

ing the very essence of the Christian message. Since each of these

theological parties—fundamentalist, neo-orthodox, and liberal—

was well represented among the forerunners of United Method-

ism, heated doctrinal disputes were present in these churches.

Despite internal theological strife, the churches continued

to cooperate with other denominations and acted to heal earlier

schisms. A division that had occurred in The Evangelical Associa-

tion in 1894 was repaired in 1922, when two factions united as The

Evangelical Church.

A numerically larger union took place among three Meth-

odist bodies—The Methodist Episcopal Church, The Methodist

Protestant Church, and The Methodist Episcopal Church, South.

Representatives of these churches began meeting in 1916 to forge

a plan of union. By the 1930s, their proposal included partition-

ing the united church into six administrative units called juris-

dictions. Five of these were geographical; the sixth, the Central

Jurisdiction, was racial, including African American churches and

annual conferences wherever they were geographically located in

the United States. African American Methodists and some others

were troubled by this prospect and opposed the plan. The major-

ity of Methodist Protestants favored the union, even though it

meant episcopal government, which they had not had since their

church was organized in 1830. Following overwhelming approv-

als at the General Conferences and annual conferences of the three

churches, they were united in April, 1939, into The Methodist

Church. At the time of its formation, the new church included 7.7

million members.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Conict in Europe was heating up again. Although Method-

ists, Evangelicals, and United Brethren each had published strong

statements condemning war and advocating peaceful reconcilia-

tion among the nations, once again the strength of their positions

was largely lost with American involvement in the hostilities of

World War II.

Quest for Unity, 1945-1968

As the war ended, the churches actively worked to secure

world peace and order. Many laity, pastors, bishops, and church

agencies supported the establishment of a world organization to

serve as a forum for the resolution of international social, eco-

nomic, and political problems. In April 1945, their labors contrib-

uted to the founding of the United Nations.

During this era, there were at least three other important mat-

ters that occupied the attention of the churches that now compose

United Methodism. First, they maintained their concern for ecu-

menism and church union. On November 16, 1946, in Johnstown,

Pennsylvania, The Evangelical Church and The United Brethren

Church were united into The Evangelical United Brethren Church

following twenty years of negotiation. At the time of union, the

new church included about 700,000 members.

The Methodist Church was also interested in closer ties with

other Methodist and Wesleyan bodies. In 1951, it participated in

the formation of the World Methodist Council, successor to the

Ecumenical Methodist Conferences that began in 1881. Method-

ists and the Evangelical United Brethren became active mem-

bers of the World Council of Churches, founded in 1948, and the

National Council of Churches, founded in 1950. The two churches

also cooperated with seven other Protestant denominations in

forming the Consultation of Church Union in 1960.

Second, the churches demonstrated growing uneasiness with

the problem of racism in both the nation and the church. Many

Methodists were especially disturbed by the manner in which

racial segregation was built into the fabric of their denominational

structure. The Central Jurisdiction was a constant reminder of

racial discrimination. Proposals to eliminate the Central Jurisdic-

tion were introduced at General Conferences from 1956 to 1966.

Finally, plans to abolish the Central Jurisdiction were agreed upon

with the contemplated union with the Evangelical United Breth-

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

ren in 1968, although a few African American annual conferences

continued for a short time thereafter.

Third, the churches debated women’s ordination. The issue

was critical in the creation of The Evangelical United Brethren

Church. The Evangelical Church had never ordained women.

The United Brethren had ordained women since 1889. In order

to facilitate the union of these two churches, the United Breth-

ren accepted the Evangelical practice, and women’s ordination

was stopped. Methodists debated the issue for several years after

their unication in 1939. The Methodist Church began ordain-

ing women in 1956. In that same year, women were granted full

clergy rights and could be elected as members in full connection

to an annual conference.

United Methodism as a World Church, 1968-

In 1968, The Evangelical United Brethren and The Methodist

Church united. Full clergy status for women was included in the

plan of union. Since then, an increasing number of women have

been admitted to the ordained ministry, appointed to the district

superintendency, elected to positions of denominational leader-

ship, and consecrated as bishops. In 1980, Marjorie Matthews was

the rst woman elected to the Church’s episcopacy.

When The United Methodist Church was created in 1968, it

had approximately 11 million members, making it one of the larg-

est Protestant churches in the world. Since then the church has

become increasingly aware of itself as a world church with mem-

bership and conferences in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United

States. While worldwide membership in The United Methodist

Church has grown since 1968, membership in Europe and the

United States has declined, offset by signicant growth in Africa

and Asia. In Africa, The United Methodist Church has expanded

episcopal areas to include East Africa, Sierra Leone, Cote d’Ivoire,

East Congo, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and South Africa.

Changes in worship style, the rise of the charismatic move-

ment, the growth of nondenominationalism, and the emergence

of megachurches have all challenged the church as it entered its

third century. Most trying, The United Methodist Church has had

to negotiate cultural shifts with regard to gender and sexuality,

especially in the United States and Europe. Conicts over homo-

sexuality, marriage, and abortion have continued uninterrupted

nearly since the formation of the denomination. These debates

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

have opened up large domestic, international, and ecumenical

rifts over the church’s doctrine and discipline.

The United Methodist Church continues to represent the con-

uence of three streams of tradition: Methodism, the Church of

the United Brethren in Christ, and The Evangelical Association.

With other churches that are also members of the body of Christ,

it humbly and gratefully offers up its praise to God through Jesus

Christ and the Holy Spirit for creating and sustaining grace. It

seeks further grace as it ministers to the world.

Part I

THE CONSTITUTION

PREAMBLE

The church is a community of all true believers under the

Lordship of Christ. It is the redeemed and redeeming fellowship

in which the Word of God is preached by persons divinely called,

and the sacraments are duly administered according to Christ’s

own appointment. Under the discipline of the Holy Spirit the

church seeks to provide for the maintenance of worship, the edi-

cation of believers, and the redemption of the world.

The church of Jesus Christ exists in and for the world, and its

very dividedness is a hindrance to its mission in that world.

The prayers and intentions of The United Methodist Church

and its predecessors, The Methodist Church and The Evangelical

United Brethren Church, have been and are for obedience to the

will of our Lord that his people be one, in humility for the present

brokenness of the Church and in gratitude that opportunities for

reunion have been given.

Therefore, The United Methodist Church has adopted and

amended the following Constitution.

DIVISION ONE—GENERAL

¶ 1. Article I. Declaration of Union—The Evangelical United

Brethren Church and The Methodist Church have been united into

1. The Constitution was adopted in Chicago, Illinois, on Nov. 11, 1966, by the

General Conferences of The Evangelical United Brethren Church and The Meth-

odist Church and thereafter by the requisite vote in the annual conferences of the

two churches. The Plan of Union was made effective by the Uniting Conference in

Dallas, Texas, on April 23, 1968. Preamble amended 2000.

¶ 1 THE CONSTITUTION

one Church. The United Methodist Church, as thus constituted,

is, and shall be, the successor of the two uniting churches.

¶ 2. Article II. Name—The name of the Church shall be The

United Methodist Church. The name of the Church may be trans-

lated freely into languages other than English as the General Con-

ference may determine.

¶ 3. Article III. Articles of Religion and the Confession of Faith—

The Articles of Religion and the Confession of Faith of The United

Methodist Church are those held by The Methodist Church and

The Evangelical United Brethren Church, respectively, at the time

of their uniting.

¶ 4. Article IV. Inclusiveness of the Church—The United Meth-

odist Church is a part of the church universal, which is one Body in

Christ. The United Methodist Church acknowledges that all per-

sons are of sacred worth. All persons without regard to race, color,

national origin, status,

or economic condition, shall be eligible to

attend its worship services, participate in its programs, receive

the sacraments, upon baptism be admitted as baptized members,

and upon taking vows declaring the Christian faith, become pro-

fessing members in any local church in the connection.

In The

United Methodist Church no conference or other organizational

unit of the Church shall be structured so as to exclude any mem-

ber or any constituent body of the Church because of race, color,

national origin, status or economic condition.

¶ 5. Article V. Racial Justice—The United Methodist Church

proclaims the value of each person as a unique child of God and

commits itself to the healing and wholeness of all persons. The

United Methodist Church recognizes that the sin of racism has

been destructive to its unity throughout its history. Racism con-

tinues to cause painful division and marginalization. The United

Methodist Church shall confront and seek to eliminate racism,

whether in organizations or in individuals, in every facet of its life

and in society at large. The United Methodist Church shall work

collaboratively with others to address concerns that threaten the

cause of racial justice at all times and in all places.

2. Amended 1984, 2000.

3. Amended 2000.

4. Amended 1992.

5. Amended 2000.

6. See Judicial Council Decisions 242, 246, 340, 351, 362, 377, 398, 594, 601, and

Decisions 4 and 5, Interim Judicial Council.

7. Amended 2000.

DIVISION TWO—ORGANIZATION ¶ 10

¶ 6. Article VI. Ecumenical Relations—As part of the church

universal, The United Methodist Church believes that the Lord of

the church is calling Christians everywhere to strive toward unity;

and therefore it will pray, seek, and work for unity at all levels

of church life: through world relationships with other Methodist

churches and united churches related to The Methodist Church

or The Evangelical United Brethren Church, through councils

of churches, and through plans of union and covenantal rela-

tionships

with churches of Methodist or other denominational

traditions.

¶ 7. Article VII. Title to Properties—Titles to properties for-

merly held by

The Evangelical United Brethren Church and The

Methodist Church shall be held and administered in accordance

with the Book of Discipline.

Nothing in the Plan of Union at any

time after the union is to be construed so as to require any local

church or any other property owner of the former The Evangelical

United Brethren Church or the former The Methodist Church to

alienate or in any way change the title to property contained in its

deed or deeds at the time of union and lapse of time.

DIVISION TWO—ORGANIZATION

Section I. Conferences

¶ 8. Article I.—There shall be a General Conference for the

entire Church with such powers, duties, and privileges as are

hereinafter set forth.

¶ 9. Article II.—There shall be jurisdictional conferences for

the Church in the United States of America, with such powers,

duties, and privileges as are hereinafter set forth,

provided that

in The United Methodist Church there shall be no jurisdictional or

central conference based on any ground other than geographical

and regional division.

¶ 10. Article III.—There shall be central conferences for the

Church outside the United States of America and, if necessary,

provisional central conferences, all with such powers, duties, and

privileges as are hereinafter set forth.

8. Amended 1996.

9. Amended 2000.

10. Amended 1984.

11. See Judicial Council Decision 128.

¶ 11 THE CONSTITUTION

¶ 11. Article IV.—There shall be annual conferences as the

fundamental bodies of the Church and, if necessary, provisional

annual conferences, with such powers, duties, and privileges as

are hereinafter set forth.

¶ 12. Article V.—There shall be a charge conference for each

church or charge with such powers, duties, and privileges as are

hereinafter set forth.

Section II. General Conference

¶ 13. Article I.—1. The General Conference shall be com-

posed of not less than 600 nor more than 1,000 delegates, one half

of whom shall be clergy and one half lay members, to be elected

by the annual conferences. The missionary conferences shall be

considered as annual conferences for the purpose of this article.

2. Delegates shall be elected in a fair and open process by the

annual conferences. Delegates may be elected by other autono-

mous Methodist churches if and when the General Conference

shall approve concordats with such other autonomous Methodist

churches for the mutual election and seating of delegates in each

other’s legislative conferences.

3. In the case of The Methodist Church in Great Britain,

mother church of Methodism, provision shall be made for The

United Methodist Church to send two delegates annually to the

British Methodist Conference, and The Methodist Church in

Great Britain to send four delegates quadrennially to The United

Methodist General Conference, the delegates of both conferences

having vote and being evenly divided between clergy and laity.

¶ 14. Article II.—The General Conference shall meet once in

four years at such time and in such place as shall be determined

by the General Conference or by its duly authorized committees.

The change in the preceding sentence shall become effective at the

close of General Conference in 2016.

A special session of the General Conference, possessing the

authority and exercising all the powers of the General Conference,

may be called by the Council of Bishops, or in such other manner

as the General Conference may from time to time prescribe, to

meet at such time and in such place as may be stated in the call.

12. See Judicial Council Decision 516.

13. Amended 1976.

14. See Judicial Council Decisions 435 and 592.

15. Amended 1996.

DIVISION TWO—ORGANIZATION ¶ 16

Such special session of the General Conference shall be composed

of the delegates to the preceding General Conference or their law-

ful successors, except that when a particular annual conference or

missionary conference

shall prefer to have a new election it may

do so.

The purpose of such special session shall be stated in the

call, and only such business shall be transacted as is in harmony

with the purpose stated in such call unless the General Confer-

ence by a two-thirds vote shall determine that other business may

be transacted.

¶ 15. Article III.—The General Conference shall x the ratio

of representation in the General, jurisdictional, and central confer-

ences from the annual conferences, missionary conferences,

and

the provisional annual conferences, computed on a two-factor

basis: (1) the number of clergy members of the annual conference

and the missionary conference,

and (2) the number of profess-

ing

members in the annual conference and the missionary

conference,

provided that each annual conference, missionary

conference,

or provisional annual conference shall be entitled to

at least one clergy and one lay delegate in the General Conference

and also in the jurisdictional or central conference.

¶ 16. Article IV.—The General Conference shall have full leg-

islative power over all matters distinctively connectional, and in

the exercise of this power shall have authority as follows:

1. To dene and x the conditions, privileges, and duties of

Church membership, which shall in every case be without refer-

ence to race, gender, or status.

2. To dene and x the powers and duties of elders, deacons,

supply preachers, local preachers, exhorters, deaconesses, and

home missioners.

3. To dene and x the powers and duties of annual confer-

ences, provisional annual conferences, missionary conferences and

16. Amended 1976.

17. See Judicial Council Decisions 221, 226, 228, 238, 302.

18. See Judicial Council Decision 227.

19. Amended 1976.

20. Amended 1976.

21. Amended 2000.

22. Amended 1976.

23. Amended 1976.

24. See Judicial Council Decision 403.

25. See Judicial Council Decisions 96, 232, 236, 318, 325, 544.

26. See Judicial Council Decision 558.

27. See Judicial Council Decisions 58, 313.

¶ 16 THE CONSTITUTION

missions, and of central conferences, district conferences, charge

conferences, and congregational meetings.

4. To provide for the organization, promotion, and adminis-

tration of the work of the Church outside the United States of

America.

5. To dene and x the powers, duties, and privileges of

the episcopacy, to adopt a plan for the support of the bishops,

to provide a uniform rule for their retirement, and to provide

for the discontinuance of a bishop because of inefciency or

unacceptability.

6. To provide and revise the hymnal and ritual of the Church

and to regulate all matters relating to the form and mode of wor-

ship, subject to the limitations of the rst and second Restrictive

Rules.

7. To provide a judicial system and a method of judicial pro-

cedure for the Church, except as herein otherwise prescribed.

8. To initiate and to direct all connectional enterprises of

the Church and to provide boards for their promotion and

administration.

9. To determine and provide for raising and distributing

funds necessary to carry on the work of the Church.

10. To x a uniform basis upon which bishops shall be elected

by the jurisdictional conferences and to determine the number of

bishops that may be elected by central conferences.

11. To select its presiding ofcers from the bishops, through a

committee, provided that the bishops shall select from their own

number the presiding ofcer of the opening session.

12. To change the number and the boundaries of jurisdic-

tional conferences upon the consent of a majority of the annual

conferences in each jurisdictional conference involved.

13. To establish such commissions for the general work of the

Church as may be deemed advisable.

28. See Judicial Council Decision 411.

29. See Judicial Council Decision 182; amended 1976.

30. See Judicial Council Decisions 35, 114, 312, 365, 413.

31. See Judicial Council Decision 694.

32. See Judicial Council Decisions 214, 364, 411, 1210.

33. See Judicial Council Decisions 30, 1208.

34. See Judicial Council Decisions 598, 735.

35. See Judicial Council Decision 126.

36. See Judicial Council Decisions 55, 56, 215.

DIVISION TWO—ORGANIZATION ¶ 22

14. To secure the rights and privileges of membership in all

agencies, programs, and institutions in The United Methodist

Church regardless of race, gender, or status.

15. To allow the annual conferences to utilize structures

unique to their mission, other mandated structures notwith-

standing.

16. To enact such other legislation as may be necessary, sub-

ject to the limitations and restrictions of the Constitution of the

Church.

Section III. Restrictive Rules

¶ 17. Article I.—The General Conference shall not revoke,

alter, or change our Articles of Religion or establish any new stan-

dards or rules of doctrine contrary to our present existing and

established standards of doctrine.

¶ 18. Article II.—The General Conference shall not revoke,

alter, or change our Confession of Faith.

¶ 19. Article III.—The General Conference shall not change

or alter any part or rule of our government so as to do away

with episcopacy or destroy the plan of our itinerant general

superintendency.

¶ 20. Article IV.—The General Conference shall not do away

with the privileges of our clergy of right to trial by a committee

and of an appeal; neither shall it do away with the privileges of

our members of right to trial before the church, or by a committee,

and of an appeal.

¶ 21. Article V.—The General Conference shall not revoke or

change the General Rules of Our United Societies.

¶ 22. Article VI.—The General Conference shall not appro-

priate the net income of the publishing houses, the book concerns,

or the Chartered Fund to any purpose other than for the benet of

retired or disabled preachers, their spouses, widows, or widow-

ers, and children or other beneciaries of the ministerial pension

systems.

37. See Decisions 4, 5, Interim Judicial Council; Judicial Council Decisions

427, 433, 442, 451, 540, 558, 567, 588, 594, 601.

38. See Judicial Council Decision 825; amended 1996.

39. See Judicial Council Decisions 215, 1220.

40. See Judicial Council Decisions 86, 142, 243, 358, 847, 871.

41. See Judicial Council Decisions 351, 522, 557, 595, 982.

42. See Judicial Council Decisions 358, 468, 847, 871.

43. See Judicial Council Decisions 322, 330.

¶ 23 THE CONSTITUTION

Section IV. Jurisdictional Conferences

¶ 23. Article I.—The jurisdictional conferences shall be com-

posed of as many representatives from the annual conferences

and missionary conferences

as shall be determined by a uniform

basis established by the General Conference, provided that no

jurisdictional conference shall have fewer than 100 delegates. The

missionary conferences shall be considered as annual conferences

for the purpose of this article.

¶ 24. Article II.—All jurisdictional conferences shall have the

same status and the same privileges of action within the limits

xed by the Constitution. The ratio of representation of the annual

conferences and missionary conferences

in the General Confer-

ence shall be the same for all jurisdictional conferences.

¶ 25. Article III.—The General Conferences shall x the basis

of representation in the jurisdictional conferences, provided that

the jurisdictional conferences shall be composed of an equal num-

ber of clergy and lay delegates to be elected by the annual con-

ferences, the missionary conferences

and the provisional annual

conferences.

¶ 26. Article IV.—Each jurisdictional conference shall meet at

the time determined by the Council of Bishops or its delegated

committee, each jurisdictional conference convening on the same

date as the others and at a place selected by the jurisdictional

committee on entertainment, appointed by its College of Bishops

unless such a committee has been appointed by the preceding

jurisdictional conference.

¶ 27. Article V.—The jurisdictional conferences shall have

the following powers and duties and such others as may be con-

ferred by the General Conferences:

1. To promote the evangelistic, educational, missionary, and

benevolent interests of the Church and to provide for interests

and institutions within their boundaries.

2. To elect bishops and to cooperate in carrying out such

plans for their support as may be determined by the General

Conference.

44. Amended 1976.

45. Amended 1976.

46. Amended 1976.

47. Amended 1976.

48. See Judicial Council Decision 67.

49. See Judicial Council Decision 1208.

DIVISION TWO—ORGANIZATION ¶ 30

3. To establish and constitute jurisdictional conference boards

as auxiliary to the general boards of the Church as the need may

appear and to choose their representatives on the general boards

in such manner as the General Conference may determine.

4. To determine the boundaries of their annual conferences,

provided that there shall be no annual conference with a member-

ship of fewer than fty clergy in full connection, except by the

consent of the General Conference.

5. To make rules and regulations for the administration of the

work of the Church within the jurisdiction, subject to such powers

as have been or shall be vested in the General Conference.

6. To appoint a committee on appeals to hear and determine

the appeal of a traveling preacher of that jurisdiction from the

decision of a trial committee.

Section V. Central Conferences

¶ 28. Article I.—There shall be central conferences for the

work of the Church outside the United States of America

with

such duties, powers, and privileges as are hereinafter set forth.

The number and boundaries of the central conferences shall be

determined by the Uniting Conference. Subsequently the Gen-

eral Conference shall have authority to change the number and

boundaries of central conferences. The central conferences shall

have the duties, powers, and privileges hereinafter set forth.

¶ 29. Article II.—The central conferences shall be composed

of as many delegates as shall be determined by a basis established

by the General Conference. The delegates shall be clergy and lay

in equal numbers.

¶ 30. Article III.—The central conferences shall meet within

the year succeeding the meeting of the General Conference at such

times and places as shall have been determined by the preceding

respective central conferences or by commissions appointed by

them or by the General Conference. The date and place of the rst

meeting succeeding the Uniting Conference shall be xed by the

bishops of the respective central conferences, or in such manner as

shall be determined by the General Conference.

50. See Judicial Council Decision 1208.

51. Amended 1976.

52. Amended 1992.

¶ 31 THE CONSTITUTION

¶ 31. Article IV.—The central conferences shall have the fol-

lowing powers and duties and such others as may be conferred by

the General Conference:

1. To promote the evangelistic, educational, missionary,

social-concern, and benevolent interests and institutions of the

Church within their own boundaries.

2. To elect the bishops for the respective central conferences

in number as may be determined from time to time, upon a basis

xed by the General Conference, and to cooperate in carrying out

such plans for the support of their bishops as may be determined

by the General Conference.

3. To establish and constitute such central conference boards

as may be required and to elect their administrative ofcers.

4. To determine the boundaries of the annual conferences

within their respective areas.

5. To make such rules and regulations for the administra-

tion of the work within their boundaries including such changes

and adaptations of the General Discipline as the conditions in the

respective areas may require, subject to the powers that have been

or shall be vested in the General Conference.

6. To appoint a judicial court to determine legal questions

arising on the rules, regulations, and such revised, adapted, or

new sections of the central conference Discipline enacted by the

central conference.

7. To appoint a committee on appeals to hear and determine

the appeal of a traveling preacher of that central conference from

the decision of a committee on trial.

Section VI. Annual Conferences

¶ 32. Article I.—The annual conference shall be composed

of clergy and lay members. The clergy membership shall consist

of deacons and elders in full connection, provisional members,

associate members, and local pastors under appointment. The lay

membership shall consist of professing

lay members elected by

each charge, the diaconal ministers, the active deaconesses, and

home missioners under episcopal appointment within the bounds

53. See Judicial Council Decision 370.

54. See Judicial Council Decision 69.

55. See Judicial Council Decisions 142, 147, 313.

56. See Judicial Council Decision 595.

57. Amended 2000.

DIVISION TWO—ORGANIZATION ¶ 33

of the annual conference,

the conference president of United

Methodist Women, the conference president of United Methodist

Men, the conference lay leader, district lay leaders, the conference

director of Lay Servant Ministries, conference secretary of Global

Ministries (if lay), the president or equivalent ofcer of the con-

ference young adult organization, the president of the conference

youth organization, the chair of the annual conference college stu-

dent organization,

and one young person between the ages of

twelve (12) and seventeen (17) and one young person between

the ages of eighteen (18) and thirty (30)

from each district to be

selected in such a manner as may be determined by the annual

conference.

In the annual conferences of the central confer-

ences, the four-year participation and the two-year membership

requirements may be waived by the annual conference for young

persons under thirty (30)

years of age. Such persons must be

professing

members of The United Methodist Church and active

participants at the time of election.

Each charge served by more

than one clergy shall be entitled to as many lay members as there

are clergy members. The lay members shall have been for the

two years next preceding their election members of The United

Methodist Church

and shall have been active participants in The

United Methodist Church for at least four years next preceding

their election.

If the lay membership should number less than the clergy

members of the annual conference, the annual conference shall, by

its own formula, provide for the election of additional lay members

to equalize lay and clergy membership of the annual conference.

¶ 33. Article II.—The annual conference is the basic body

in the Church and as such shall have reserved to it the right to

vote on all constitutional amendments, on the election of clergy

and lay delegates to the General and the jurisdictional or central

conferences, on all matters relating to the character and conference

58. Amended 1996.

59. Amended 1996.

60. Amended 2000.

61. Amended 1968, 1970, 1980, 1984.

62. Amended 2000.

63. Amended 2000.

64. Amended 1988.

65. Amended 1972, 1976.

66. Amended 1976.

67. See Judicial Council Decisions 24, 113, 129, 349, 378, 479, 495, 511, 553, 561,

1212; and Decision 7, Interim Judicial Council.

¶ 33 THE CONSTITUTION

relations of its clergy members, and on the ordination of clergy

and such other rights as have not been delegated to the General

Conference under the Constitution, with the exception that the

lay members may not vote on matters of ordination, character,

and conference relations of clergy except that the lay members of

the conference board of ordained ministry and the committee on

investigation may vote on matters of ordination, character, and

conference relations of clergy, with the further exception that lay

members of the district committee on ordained ministry be full

participating members of the district committee on ordained min-

istry with vote.

It shall discharge such duties and exercise such

powers as the General Conference under the Constitution may

determine.

¶ 34. Article III.—The annual conference shall elect clergy

and lay delegates to the General Conference and to its jurisdic-

tional or central conference in the manner provided in this section,

Articles IV and V.

The persons rst elected up to the number

determined by the ratio for representation in the General Confer-

ence shall be representatives in that body. Additional delegates

shall be elected to complete the number determined by the ratio

for representation in the jurisdictional or central conference, who,

together with those rst elected as above, shall be delegates in the

jurisdictional or central conference. The additional delegates to

the jurisdictional or central conference shall in the order of their

election be the reserve delegates to the General Conference.

The

annual conference shall also elect reserve clergy and lay delegates

to the jurisdictional or central conference as it may deem desir-

able. These reserve clergy and lay delegates to the jurisdictional

or central conferences may act as reserve delegates to the General

Conference when it is evident that not enough reserve delegates

are in attendance at the General Conference.

¶ 35. Article IV.—The clergy delegates to the General Confer-

ence and to the jurisdictional or central conference shall be elected

from

the clergy members in full connection and shall be elected

by the clergy members of the annual conference or provisional

68. Amended 1996.

69. See Judicial Council Decisions 78, 79, 132, 405, 406, 524, 532, 534, 552, 584,

690, 742, 782, 862.

70. See Judicial Council Decisions 435, 592.

71. See Judicial Council Decision 352.

72. Amended 1992.

73. Amended 1996.

DIVISION TWO—ORGANIZATION ¶ 37

annual conference who are deacons and elders in full connection,

associate members, and those provisional members who have

completed all of their educational requirements and local pastors

who have completed course of study or an M. Div. degree and

have served a minimum of two consecutive years under appoint-

ment immediately preceding the election.

¶ 36. Article V.—The lay delegates to the General and juris-

dictional or central conferences shall be elected by the lay mem-

bers of the annual conference or provisional annual conference

without regard to age, provided such delegates

shall have been

professing

members of The United Methodist Church for at least

two years next preceding their election, and shall have been active

participants in The United Methodist Church for at least four

years next preceding their election,

and are members thereof

within the annual conference electing them at the time of holding

the General and jurisdictional or central conferences.

Section VII. Boundaries

¶ 37. Article I.—The United Methodist Church shall have

jurisdictional conferences made up as follows:

Northeastern—Bermuda,

Connecticut, Delaware, District

of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire,

New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, the

Virgin Islands,

West Virginia.

Southeastern—Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Missis-

sippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia.

North Central—Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota,

North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin.

South Central—Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri,

Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas.

Western—Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii,

Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyo-

ming and the territory of the United States in the Pacic region.

74. See Judicial Council Decision 1181. Amended 2008.

75. Amended 1972.

76. Amended 2000.

77. Amended 1976.

78. See Judicial Council Decisions 403, 887.

79. Amended 2008.

80. Amended 1980.

81. Amended 1980.

¶ 38 THE CONSTITUTION

¶ 38. Article II.—The work of the Church outside the United

States of America

may be formed into central conferences, the

number and boundaries of which shall be determined by the

Uniting Conference, the General Conference having authority

subsequently to make changes in the number and boundaries.

¶ 39. Article III.—Changes in the number, names, and

boundaries of the jurisdictional conferences may be effected by the

General Conference upon the consent of a majority of the annual

conferences of each of the jurisdictional conferences involved.

¶ 40. Article IV.—The number, names, and boundaries of the

annual conferences and episcopal areas shall be determined by

the jurisdictional conferences in the United States of America

and by the central conferences outside the United States of Amer-

ica according to the provisions under the respective powers and

pursuant to the respective structures

of the jurisdictional and

the central conferences. The authority of jurisdictional and central

conferences provided herein is not circumscribed or limited by

the authority provided to the College of Bishops to arrange a plan

of episcopal supervision.

¶ 41. Article V. Transfer of Local Churches—1. A local church

may be transferred from one annual conference to another in

which it is geographically located upon approval by a two-thirds

vote of those present and voting in each of the following:

a) the charge conference;

b) the congregational meeting of the local church;

c) each of the two annual conferences involved.

The vote shall be certied by the secretaries of the specied

conferences or meetings to the bishops having supervision of the

annual conferences involved, and upon their announcement of

the required majorities the transfer shall immediately be effective.

2. The vote on approval of transfer shall be taken by each

annual conference at its rst session after the matter is submitted

to it.

3. Transfers under the provisions of this article shall not be

governed or restricted by other provisions of this Constitution

relating to changes of boundaries of conferences.

82. Amended 1972.

83. See Judicial Council Decisions 55, 56, 85, 215.

84. Amended 1992.

85. Amended 1992.

86. See Judicial Council Decision 1180.

DIVISION THREE—EPISCOPAL SUPERVISION ¶ 46

Section VIII. District Conferences

¶ 42. Article I.—There may be organized in an annual confe-

rence, district conferences composed of such persons and invested

with such powers as the General Conference may determine.

Section IX. Charge Conferences

¶ 43. Article I.—There shall be organized in each charge a

charge conference composed of such persons and invested with

such powers as the General Conference shall provide.

¶ 44. Article II. Election of Church Ofcers—Unless the Gen-

eral Conference shall order otherwise, the ofcers of the church or

churches constituting a charge shall be elected by the charge con-

ference or by the professing

members of said church or churches

at a meeting called for that purpose, as may be arranged by the

charge conference, unless the election is otherwise required by

local church charters or state or provincial law.

DIVISION THREE—EPISCOPAL SUPERVISION

¶ 45. Article I.—There shall be a continuance of an episco-

pacy in The United Methodist Church of like plan, powers, privi-

leges, and duties as now exist in The Methodist Church and in The

Evangelical United Brethren Church in all those matters in which

they agree and may be considered identical; and the differences

between these historic episcopacies are deemed to be reconciled

and harmonized by and in this Plan of Union and Constitution of

The United Methodist Church and actions taken pursuant thereto

so that a unied superintendency and episcopacy is hereby cre-

ated and established of, in, and by those who now are and shall

be bishops of The United Methodist Church; and the said episco-

pacy shall further have such powers, privileges, and duties as are

herein set forth.

¶ 46. Article II.—The bishops shall be elected by the respec-

tive jurisdictional and central conferences and consecrated in the

historic manner at such time and place as may be xed by the Gen-

eral Conference for those elected by the jurisdictions and by each

central conference for those elected by such central conference.

87. Amended 2000.

88. See Judicial Council Decisions 4, 114, 127, 363, 1208.

89. See Judicial Council Decisions 21, 127.

¶ 47 THE CONSTITUTION

¶ 47. Article III.—There shall be a Council of Bishops com-

posed of all the bishops of The United Methodist Church. The

council shall meet at least once a year and plan for the general

oversight and promotion of the temporal and spiritual interests

of the entire Church and for carrying into effect the rules, regula-

tions, and responsibilities prescribed and enjoined by the General

Conference and in accord with the provisions set forth in this Plan

of Union.

¶ 48. Article IV.—The bishops of each jurisdictional and cen-

tral conference shall constitute a College of Bishops, and such Col-

lege of Bishops shall arrange the plan of episcopal supervision

of the annual conferences, missionary

conferences, and missions

within their respective territories.

¶ 49. Article V.—The bishops shall have residential and pres-

idential supervision in the jurisdictional or central conferences

in which they are elected or to which they are transferred. Bishops

may be transferred from one jurisdiction to another jurisdiction

for presidential and residential supervision under the following

conditions: (1) The transfer of bishops may be on either of two

bases: (a) a jurisdiction that receives a bishop by transfer from

another jurisdiction may transfer to that jurisdiction or to a third

jurisdiction one of its own bishops eligible for transfer, so that

the number transferred in by each jurisdiction shall be balanced

by the number transferred out; or (b) a jurisdiction may receive a

bishop from another jurisdiction and not transfer out a member

of its own College of Bishops. (2) No bishop shall be transferred

unless that bishop shall have specically consented. (3) No bishop

shall be eligible for transfer unless the bishop shall have served

one quadrennium in the jurisdiction that elected the bishop to the

episcopacy. (4) All such transfers shall require the approval by

a majority vote of the members present and voting of the juris-

dictional committees on episcopacy of the jurisdictions that are

involved.

After the above procedures have been followed, the

transferring bishop shall become a member of the receiving Col-

lege of Bishops and shall be subject to residential assignment by

that jurisdictional conference.

90. See Judicial Council Decision 424.

91. Amended 1976.

92. See Judicial Council Decisions 517, 735.

93. Amended 1980.

94. Amended 1992.

DIVISION THREE—EPISCOPAL SUPERVISION ¶ 51

A bishop may be assigned by the Council of Bishops for presi-

dential service or other temporary service in another jurisdiction

than that which elected the bishop, provided that the request is

made by a majority of the bishops in the jurisdiction of the pro-

posed service.

In the case of an emergency in any jurisdiction or central con-

ference through the death or disability of a bishop or other cause,

the Council of Bishops may assign a bishop from another jurisdic-

tion or central conference to the work of the said jurisdiction or

central conference, with the consent of a majority of the bishops

of that jurisdiction or central conference.

¶ 50. Article VI.—The bishops, both active and retired, of

The Evangelical United Brethren Church and of The Methodist

Church at the time union is consummated shall be bishops of The

United Methodist Church.

The bishops of The Methodist Church elected by the juris-

dictions, the active bishops of The Evangelical United Brethren

Church at the time of union, and bishops elected by the jurisdic-

tions of The United Methodist Church shall have life tenure. Each

bishop elected by a central conference of The Methodist Church

shall have such tenure as the central conference electing him shall

have determined.

The jurisdictional conference shall elect a standing committee

on episcopacy to consist of one clergy and one lay delegate from

each annual conference, on nomination of the annual conference

delegation. The committee shall review the work of the bishops,

pass on their character and ofcial administration, and report to

the jurisdictional conference its ndings for such action as the

conference may deem appropriate within its constitutional war-

rant of power. The committee shall recommend the assignments

of the bishops to their respective residences for nal action by the

jurisdictional conference.

¶ 51. Article VII.—A bishop presiding over an annual, cen-

tral, or jurisdictional conference shall decide all questions of law

coming before the bishop in the regular business of a session,

provided that such questions be presented in writing and that the

decisions be recorded in the journal of the conference.

Such an episcopal decision shall not be authoritative except

for the pending case until it shall have been passed upon by the

95. See Judicial Council Decisions 4, 303, 361, 709.

96. See Judicial Council Decision 33.

¶ 51 THE CONSTITUTION

Judicial Council. All decisions of law made by each bishop shall

be reported in writing annually, with a syllabus of the same, to

the Judicial Council, which shall afrm, modify, or reverse them.

¶ 52. Article VIII.—The bishops of the several jurisdictional

and central conferences shall preside in the sessions of their

respective conferences.

¶ 53. Article IX.—In each annual conference there shall be

one or more district superintendents who shall assist the bishop

in the administration of the annual conference and shall have

such responsibilities and term of ofce as the General Conference

may determine.

¶ 54. Article X.—The bishops shall appoint, after consulta-

tion with the district superintendents, ministers to the charges;

and they shall have such responsibilities and authorities as the

General Conference shall prescribe.

100

DIVISION FOUR—THE JUDICIARY

¶ 55. Article I.—There shall be a Judicial Council. The Gen-

eral Conference shall determine the number and qualications of

its members, their terms of ofce, and the method of election and

the lling of vacancies.

¶ 56. Article II.—The Judicial Council shall have authority:

1. To determine the constitutionality of any act of the General

Conference upon an appeal of a majority of the Council of Bish-

ops or one-fth of the members of the General Conference and

to determine the constitutionality of any act of a jurisdictional or

central conference upon an appeal of a majority of the bishops of

that jurisdictional or central conference or upon the appeal of one-

fth of the members of that jurisdictional or central conference.

2. To hear and determine any appeal from a bishop’s decision

on a question of law made in the annual conference when said

appeal has been made by one-fth of that conference present and

voting.

3. To pass upon decisions of law made by bishops in annual

conferences.

4. To hear and determine the legality of any action taken

therein by any General Conference board or jurisdictional or central

97. See Judicial Council Decision 763.

98. See Judicial Council Decisions 395, 1194, 1195, 1196.

99. See Judicial Council Decisions 368, 398.

100. See Judicial Council Decision 1307.

DIVISION FIVE—AMENDMENTS ¶ 59

conference board or body, upon appeal by one-third of the mem-

bers thereof, or upon request of the Council of Bishops or a major-

ity of the bishops of a jurisdictional or a central conference.

5. To have such other duties and powers as may be conferred

upon it by the General Conference.

6. To provide its own methods of organization and procedure.

¶ 57. Article III.—All decisions of the Judicial Council shall

be nal. When the Judicial Council shall declare unconstitutional

any act of the General Conference then in session, that decision

shall be reported back to that General Conference immediately.

¶ 58. Article IV.—The General Conference shall establish for

the Church a judicial system that shall guarantee to our clergy

a right to trial by a committee and an appeal, and to our mem-

bers a right to trial before the Church, or by a committee, and an

appeal.

101

DIVISION FIVE—AMENDMENTS

¶ 59. Article I.—Amendments to the Constitution shall be

made upon a two-thirds majority of the General Conference pres-

ent and voting and a two-thirds afrmative vote of the aggregate

number of members of the several annual conferences present

and voting, except in the case of the rst and second Restrictive

Rules, which shall require a three-fourths majority of all the mem-

bers of the annual conferences present and voting. The vote, after

being completed, shall be canvassed by the Council of Bishops,

and the amendment voted upon shall become effective upon their

announcement of its having received the required majority.

102

In the event that the General Conference adopts an amend-

ment to the Constitution, the General Conference may immedi-

ately adopt enabling legislation for such amendment which shall

be contingent on ratication of the amendment by the required

two-thirds afrmative vote of the aggregate number of mem-

bers of the several annual conferences present and voting, and

effective once the Council of Bishops, operating as a canvasser

of votes, announces that the amendment has been passed. In the

same manner, an annual conference may approve legislation in

anticipation of such a change in the Discipline and/or Constitution

101. See Judicial Council Decision 522.

102. See Judicial Council Decisions 154, 243, 244, 349, 483, 884, 961; amended

1976.

¶ 59 THE CONSTITUTION

that would likewise become effective upon the effective date of

said disciplinary change or Constitutional Amendment.

¶ 60. Article II.—Amendments to the Constitution may orig-

inate in either the General Conference or the annual conferences.

¶ 61. Article III.—A jurisdictional or central conference

103

may by a majority vote propose changes in the Constitution of

the Church, and such proposed changes shall be submitted to the

next General Conference. If the General Conference adopts the

measure by a two-thirds vote, it shall be submitted to the annual

conferences according to the provision for amendments.

103. Amended 1980.

Part II

GENERAL BOOK OF DISCIPLINE

¶ 101. The General Book of Discipline reects our Wesleyan way

of serving Christ through doctrine and disciplined Christian life.

We are a worldwide denomination united by doctrine, discipline,

and mission through our connectional covenant. The General Book

of Discipline expresses that unity. Each central conference may

make changes and adaptations to the General Book of Discipline to

more fruitfully accomplish our mission in various contexts. How-

ever, some portions of the General Book of Discipline are not subject

to adaptation. The following parts and paragraphs are not subject

to change or adaptation except by action of the General Confer-

ence. The Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters has

primary responsibility for proposing to General Conference revi-

sions to this paragraph.

Parts I -V

I. Constitution ¶¶ 1-61

II. General Book of Discipline ¶ 101

III. Doctrinal Standards and Our Theological Task ¶¶ 102-

105

IV. The Ministry of All Christians ¶¶ 120-143

V. Social Principles Preface, Preamble, and ¶¶ 160-166

The Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters, in

consultation with the Committee on Faith and Order, will bring

legislation to the 2020 General Conference to change the struc-

ture of the General Book of Discipline to include a Part VI, General

Organization and Administration not subject to change or adapta-

tion by central conferences, and a Part VII, Additional Organization

¶ 101 GENERAL BOOK OF DISCIPLINE

and Administration, adaptable by central conferences according to

¶ 31.5. The content of Part VI of the 2016 Book of Discipline will be

included in either Part VI or Part VII of the General Book of Dis-

cipline. For the work on Part VI, Chapter 2 (The Ministry of the

Ordained) and Chapter 3 (The Superintendency) of the 2016 Book

of Discipline, the Standing Committee on Central Conference Mat-

ters will work in consultation with the Commission for the Study

of Ministry, and for Part VI, Chapter 5 (Administrative Order) of

the 2016 Book of Discipline, the Standing Committee on Central

Conference Matters will work in consultation with the Connec-

tional Table.

The Commission on the General Conference is directed to set

aside adequate time in the rst three days of the 2020 General

Conference for plenary consideration and action on Part VI, Gen-

eral Administration and Organization, submitted by the Standing

Committee on Central Conference Matters. Subsequent changes

to Part VI shall be reviewed by the Standing Committee on Cen-

tral Conference Matters for submission to General Conference.

1. See Judicial Council Decision 1272.

Part III

DOCTRINAL STANDARDS

AND OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK

¶ 102. SECTION 1—OUR DOCTRINAL HERITAGE

United Methodists profess the historic Christian faith in God,

incarnate in Jesus Christ for our salvation and ever at work in

human history in the Holy Spirit. Living in a covenant of grace

under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, we participate in the rst

fruits of God’s coming reign and pray in hope for its full realiza-

tion on earth as in heaven.

Our heritage in doctrine and our present theological task focus

upon a renewed grasp of the sovereignty of God and of God’s

love in Christ amid the continuing crises of human existence.

Our forebears in the faith reafrmed the ancient Christian

message as found in the apostolic witness even as they applied it

anew in their own circumstances.

Their preaching and teaching were grounded in Scripture,

informed by Christian tradition, enlivened in experience, and

tested by reason.

Their labors inspire and inform our attempts to convey the

saving gospel to our world with its needs and aspirations.

Our Common Heritage as Christians

United Methodists share a common heritage with Christians

of every age and nation. This heritage is grounded in the apostolic

1. The Judicial Council ruled in 1972 that all sections of Part III except ¶ 104

were “legislative enactments and neither part of the Constitution nor under the

Restrictive Rules” (see Judicial Council Decision 358).

¶ 102 DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK

witness to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, which is the source

and measure of all valid Christian teaching.

Faced with diverse interpretations of the apostolic message,

leaders of the early church sought to specify the core of Christian

belief in order to ensure the soundness of Christian teaching.

The determination of the canon of Christian Scripture and

the adoption of ecumenical creeds such as the formulations of

Nicaea and Chalcedon were of central importance to this con-

sensual process. Such creeds helped preserve the integrity of the

church’s witness, set boundaries for acceptable Christian doc-

trine, and proclaimed the basic elements of the enduring Chris-

tian message. These statements of faith, along with the Apostles’

Creed, contain the most prominent features of our ecumenical

heritage.

The Protestant reformers of the sixteenth and seventeenth

centuries devised new confessional statements that reiterated

classical Christian teaching in an attempt to recover the authentic

biblical witness. These documents afrmed the primacy of Scrip-

ture and provided formal doctrinal standards through their state-

ments of essential beliefs on matters such as the way of salvation,

the Christian life, and the nature of the church.

Many distinctively Protestant teachings were transmitted into

United Methodist understandings through doctrinal formulations

such as the Articles of Religion of the Church of England and the

Heidelberg Catechism of the Reformed tradition.

Various doctrinal statements in the form of creeds, confessions

of belief, and articles of faith were ofcially adopted by churches

as standards of Christian teaching. Notwithstanding their impor-

tance, these formal doctrinal standards by no means exhausted

authoritative Christian teaching.

The standards themselves initially emerged from a much

wider body of Christian thought and practice, and their fuller sig-

nicance unfolded in the writings of the church’s teachers. Some

writings have proved simply to be dated benchmarks in the story

of the church’s continuing maturation.

By contrast, some sermons, treatises, liturgies, and hymns have

gained considerable practical authority in the life and thought of

the church by virtue of their wide and continuing acceptance as

faithful expositions of Christian teaching. Nonetheless, the basic

measure of authenticity in doctrinal standards, whether formally

established or received by tradition, has been their delity to the

OUR DOCTRINAL HERITAGE ¶ 102

apostolic faith grounded in Scripture and evidenced in the life of

the church through the centuries.

Basic Christian Afrmations

With Christians of other communions we confess belief in

the triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This confession

embraces the biblical witness to God’s activity in creation, encom-

passes God’s gracious self-involvement in the dramas of history,

and anticipates the consummation of God’s reign.

The created order is designed for the well-being of all crea-

tures and as the place of human dwelling in covenant with God. As

sinful creatures, however, we have broken that covenant, become

estranged from God, wounded ourselves and one another, and

wreaked havoc throughout the natural order. We stand in need of

redemption.

We hold in common with all Christians a faith in the mys-

tery of salvation in and through Jesus Christ. At the heart of

the gospel of salvation is God’s incarnation in Jesus of Nazareth.

Scripture witnesses to the redeeming love of God in Jesus’ life and

teachings, his atoning death, his resurrection, his sovereign pres-

ence in history, his triumph over the powers of evil and death, and

his promised return. Because God truly loves us in spite of our

willful sin, God judges us, summons us to repentance, pardons

us, receives us by that grace given to us in Jesus Christ, and gives

us hope of life eternal.

We share the Christian belief that God’s redemptive love is

realized in human life by the activity of the Holy Spirit, both

in personal experience and in the community of believers. This

community is the church, which the Spirit has brought into exis-

tence for the healing of the nations.

Through faith in Jesus Christ we are forgiven, reconciled to

God, and transformed as people of the new covenant.

“Life in the Spirit” involves diligent use of the means of grace

such as praying, fasting, attending upon the sacraments, and

inward searching in solitude. It also encompasses the communal

life of the church in worship, mission, evangelism, service, and

social witness.

We understand ourselves to be part of Christ’s universal

church when by adoration, proclamation, and service we become

conformed to Christ. We are initiated and incorporated into this

community of faith by baptism, receiving the promise of the Spirit

¶ 102 DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK

that re-creates and transforms us. Through the regular celebration

of Holy Communion, we participate in the risen presence of Jesus

Christ and are thereby nourished for faithful discipleship.

We pray and work for the coming of God’s realm and reign to

the world and rejoice in the promise of everlasting life that over-

comes death and the forces of evil.

With other Christians we recognize that the reign of God is

both a present and future reality. The church is called to be that

place where the rst signs of the reign of God are identied and

acknowledged in the world. Wherever persons are being made

new creatures in Christ, wherever the insights and resources of

the gospel are brought to bear on the life of the world, God’s reign

is already effective in its healing and renewing power.

We also look to the end time in which God’s work will be

fullled. This prospect gives us hope in our present actions as

individuals and as the Church. This expectation saves us from

resignation and motivates our continuing witness and service.

We share with many Christian communions a recognition

of the authority of Scripture in matters of faith, the confession

that our justication as sinners is by grace through faith, and

the sober realization that the church is in need of continual ref-

ormation and renewal.

We afrm the general ministry of all baptized Christians who

share responsibility for building up the church and reaching out

in mission and service to the world.

With other Christians, we declare the essential oneness of

the church in Christ Jesus. This rich heritage of shared Christian

belief nds expression in our hymnody and liturgies. Our unity

is afrmed in the historic creeds as we confess one holy, catholic,

and apostolic church. It is also experienced in joint ventures of

ministry and in various forms of ecumenical cooperation.

Nourished by common roots of this shared Christian heritage,

the branches of Christ’s church have developed diverse traditions

that enlarge our store of shared understandings. Our avowed ecu-

menical commitment as United Methodists is to gather our own

doctrinal emphases into the larger Christian unity, there to be

made more meaningful in a richer whole.

If we are to offer our best gifts to the common Christian trea-

sury, we must make a deliberate effort as a church to strive for crit-

ical self-understanding. It is as Christians involved in ecumenical

partnership that we embrace and examine our distinctive heritage.

OUR DOCTRINAL HERITAGE ¶ 102

Our Distinctive Heritage as United Methodists

The underlying energy of the Wesleyan theological heritage

stems from an emphasis upon practical divinity, the implementa-

tion of genuine Christianity in the lives of believers.

Methodism did not arise in response to a specic doctrinal

dispute, though there was no lack of theological controversy.

Early Methodists claimed to preach the scriptural doctrines of the

Church of England as contained in the Articles of Religion, the

Homilies, and the Book of Common Prayer.

Their task was not to reformulate doctrine. Their tasks were

to summon people to experience the justifying and sanctifying

grace of God and encourage people to grow in the knowledge

and love of God through the personal and corporate disciplines

of the Christian life.

The thrust of the Wesleyan movement and of the United

Brethren and Evangelical Association was “to reform the nation,

particularly the Church, and to spread scriptural holiness over the

land.”

Wesley’s orientation toward the practical is evident in his

focus upon the “scripture way of salvation.” He considered doc-

trinal matters primarily in terms of their signicance for Christian

discipleship.

The Wesleyan emphasis upon the Christian life—faith and

love put into practice—has been the hallmark of those traditions

now incorporated into The United Methodist Church. The dis-

tinctive shape of the Wesleyan theological heritage can be seen

in a constellation of doctrinal emphases that display the creating,

redeeming, and sanctifying activity of God.

Distinctive Wesleyan Emphases

Although Wesley shared with many other Christians a belief

in grace, justication, assurance, and sanctication, he combined

them in a powerful manner to create distinctive emphases for liv-

ing the full Christian life. The Evangelical United Brethren tradi-

tion, particularly as expressed by Phillip William Otterbein from a

Reformed background, gave similar distinctive emphases.

Grace pervades our understanding of Christian faith and life.

By grace we mean the undeserved, unmerited, and loving action

of God in human existence through the ever-present Holy Spirit.

While the grace of God is undivided, it precedes salvation as “pre-

¶ 102 DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK

venient grace,” continues in “justifying grace,” and is brought to

fruition in “sanctifying grace.”

We assert that God’s grace is manifest in all creation even

though suffering, violence, and evil are everywhere present. The

goodness of creation is fullled in human beings, who are called

to covenant partnership with God. God has endowed us with dig-

nity and freedom and has summoned us to responsibility for our

lives and the life of the world.

In God’s self-revelation, Jesus Christ, we see the splendor of

our true humanity. Even our sin, with its destructive consequences

for all creation, does not alter God’s intention for us—holiness

and happiness of heart. Nor does it diminish our accountability

for the way we live.

Despite our brokenness, we remain creatures brought into

being by a just and merciful God. The restoration of God’s image

in our lives requires divine grace to renew our fallen nature.

Prevenient Grace—We acknowledge God’s prevenient grace,

the divine love that surrounds all humanity and precedes any and

all of our conscious impulses. This grace prompts our rst wish to

please God, our rst glimmer of understanding concerning God’s

will, and our “rst slight transient conviction” of having sinned

against God.

God’s grace also awakens in us an earnest longing for deliv-

erance from sin and death and moves us toward repentance and

faith.

Justication and Assurance—We believe God reaches out to

the repentant believer in justifying grace with accepting and par-

doning love. Wesleyan theology stresses that a decisive change

in the human heart can and does occur under the prompting of

grace and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

In justication we are, through faith, forgiven our sin and

restored to God’s favor. This righting of relationships by God

through Christ calls forth our faith and trust as we experience

regeneration, by which we are made new creatures in Christ.

This process of justication and new birth is often referred

to as conversion. Such a change may be sudden and dramatic, or

gradual and cumulative. It marks a new beginning, yet it is part of

an ongoing process. Christian experience as personal transforma-

tion always expresses itself as faith working by love.

Our Wesleyan theology also embraces the scriptural promise

that we can expect to receive assurance of our present salvation

OUR DOCTRINAL HERITAGE ¶ 102

as the Spirit “bears witness with our spirit that we are children

of God.”

Sanctication and Perfection—We hold that the wonder of

God’s acceptance and pardon does not end God’s saving work,

which continues to nurture our growth in grace. Through the

power of the Holy Spirit, we are enabled to increase in the knowl-

edge and love of God and in love for our neighbor.

New birth is the rst step in this process of sanctication.

Sanctifying grace draws us toward the gift of Christian perfec-

tion, which Wesley described as a heart “habitually lled with the

love of God and neighbor” and as “having the mind of Christ and

walking as he walked.”

This gracious gift of God’s power and love, the hope and

expectation of the faithful, is neither warranted by our efforts nor

limited by our frailties.

Faith and Good Works—We see God’s grace and human

activity working together in the relationship of faith and good

works. God’s grace calls forth human response and discipline.

Faith is the only response essential for salvation. However,

the General Rules remind us that salvation evidences itself in

good works. For Wesley, even repentance should be accompanied

by “fruits meet for repentance,” or works of piety and mercy.

Both faith and good works belong within an all-encompass-

ing theology of grace, since they stem from God’s gracious love

“shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.”

Mission and Service—We insist that personal salvation

always involves Christian mission and service to the world. By

joining heart and hand, we assert that personal religion, evangeli-

cal witness, and Christian social action are reciprocal and mutu-

ally reinforcing.

Scriptural holiness entails more than personal piety; love of

God is always linked with love of neighbor, a passion for justice

and renewal in the life of the world.

The General Rules represent one traditional expression of

the intrinsic relationship between Christian life and thought as

understood within the Wesleyan tradition. Theology is the ser-

vant of piety, which in turn is the ground of social conscience and

the impetus for social action and global interaction, always in the

empowering context of the reign of God.

Nurture and Mission of the Church—Finally, we emphasize

the nurturing and serving function of Christian fellowship in the

¶ 102 DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK

Church. The personal experience of faith is nourished by the wor-

shiping community.

For Wesley there is no religion but social religion, no holiness

but social holiness. The communal forms of faith in the Wesleyan

tradition not only promote personal growth; they also equip and

mobilize us for mission and service to the world.

The outreach of the church springs from the working of the

Spirit. As United Methodists, we respond to that working through

a connectional polity based upon mutual responsiveness and

accountability. Connectional ties bind us together in faith and ser-

vice in our global witness, enabling faith to become active in love

and intensifying our desire for peace and justice in the world.

Doctrine and Discipline in the Christian Life

No motif in the Wesleyan tradition has been more constant

than the link between Christian doctrine and Christian liv-

ing. Methodists have always been strictly enjoined to maintain

the unity of faith and good works through the means of grace,

as seen in John Wesley’s Nature, Design, and General Rules of the

United Societies (1743). The coherence of faith with ministries of

love forms the discipline of Wesleyan spirituality and Christian

discipleship.

The General Rules were originally designed for members of

Methodist societies who participated in the sacramental life of the

Church of England. The terms of membership in these societies

were simple: “a desire to ee from the wrath to come and to be

saved from their sins.”

Wesley insisted, however, that evangelical faith should mani-

fest itself in evangelical living. He spelled out this expectation in

the three-part formula of the Rules:

“It is therefore expected of all who continue therein that they

should continue to evidence their desire of salvation,

“First: By doing no harm, by avoiding evil of every kind . . . ;

“Secondly: By . . . doing good of every possible sort, and, as

far as possible, to all . . . ;

“Thirdly: By attending upon all the ordinances of God” (see

¶ 104).

Wesley’s illustrative cases under each of these three rules

show how the Christian conscience might move from general

principles to specic actions. Their explicit combination high-

lights the spiritual spring of moral action.

OUR DOCTRINAL HERITAGE ¶ 102

Wesley rejected undue reliance upon these rules. Discipline

was not church law; it was a way of discipleship. Wesley insisted

that true religion is “the knowledge of God in Christ Jesus,” “the

life which is hid with Christ in God,” and “the righteousness that

[the true believer] thirsts after.”

General Rules and Social Principles

Upon such evangelical premises, Methodists in every age

have sought to exercise their responsibility for the moral and

spiritual quality of society. In asserting the connection between

doctrine and ethics, the General Rules provide an early signal of

Methodist social consciousness.

The Social Principles (¶¶ 160-166) provide our most recent

ofcial summary of stated convictions that seek to apply the

Christian vision of righteousness to social, economic, and political

issues. Our historic opposition to evils such as smuggling, inhu-

mane prison conditions, slavery, drunkenness, and child labor

was founded upon a vivid sense of God’s wrath against human

injustice and wastage.

Our struggles for human dignity and social reform have

been a response to God’s demand for love, mercy, and justice

in the light of the Kingdom. We proclaim no personal gospel that

fails to express itself in relevant social concerns; we proclaim no

social gospel that does not include the personal transformation of

sinners.

It is our conviction that the good news of the Kingdom must

judge, redeem, and reform the sinful social structures of our time.

The Book of Discipline and the General Rules convey the expec-

tation of discipline within the experience of individuals and the

life of the Church. Such discipline assumes accountability to the

community of faith by those who claim that community’s support.

Support without accountability promotes moral weakness;

accountability without support is a form of cruelty.

A church that rushes to punishment is not open to God’s

mercy, but a church lacking the courage to act decisively on per-

sonal and social issues loses its claim to moral authority. The

church exercises its discipline as a community through which

God continues to “reconcile the world to himself.”

¶ 102 DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK

Conclusion

These distinctive emphases of United Methodists provide

the basis for “practical divinity,” the experiential realization of

the gospel of Jesus Christ in the lives of Christian people. These

emphases have been preserved not so much through formal doc-

trinal declarations as through the vital movement of faith and

practice as seen in converted lives and within the disciplined life

of the Church.

Devising formal denitions of doctrine has been less press-

ing for United Methodists than summoning people to faith and

nurturing them in the knowledge and love of God. The core of

Wesleyan doctrine that informed our past rightly belongs to our

common heritage as Christians and remains a prime component

within our continuing theological task.

¶ 103. SECTION 2—OUR DOCTRINAL HISTORY

The pioneers in the traditions that owed together into The

United Methodist Church understood themselves as standing in

the central stream of Christian spirituality and doctrine, loyal heirs

of the authentic Christian tradition. In John Wesley’s words, theirs

was “the old religion, the religion of the Bible, the religion . . . of the

whole church in the purest ages.” Their gospel was grounded in the

biblical message of God’s self-giving love revealed in Jesus Christ.

Wesley’s portrayal of the spiritual pilgrimage in terms of “the

scripture way of salvation” provided their model for experien-

tial Christianity. They assumed and insisted upon the integrity of

basic Christian truth and emphasized its practical application in

the lives of believers.

This perspective is apparent in the Wesleyan understanding

of “catholic spirit.” While it is true that United Methodists are

xed upon certain religious afrmations, grounded in the gospel

and conrmed in their experience, they also recognize the right

of Christians to disagree on matters such as forms of worship,

structures of church government, modes of baptism, or theologi-

cal explorations. They believe such differences do not break the

bond of fellowship that ties Christians together in Jesus Christ.

Wesley’s familiar dictum was, “As to all opinions which do not

strike at the root of Christianity, we think and let think.”

But, even as they were fully committed to the principles of

religious toleration and theological diversity, they were equally

OUR DOCTRINAL HISTORY ¶ 103

condent that there is a “marrow” of Christian truth that can be

identied and that must be conserved. This living core, as they

believed, stands revealed in Scripture, illumined by tradition,

vivied in personal and corporate experience, and conrmed by

reason. They were very much aware, of course, that God’s eternal

Word never has been, nor can be, exhaustively expressed in any

single form of words.

They were also prepared, as a matter of course, to reafrm the

ancient creeds and confessions as valid summaries of Christian

truth. But they were careful not to set them apart as absolute stan-

dards for doctrinal truth and error.

Beyond the essentials of vital religion, United Methodists

respect the diversity of opinions held by conscientious persons

of faith. Wesley followed a time-tested approach: “In essentials,

unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and in all things, charity.”

The spirit of charity takes into consideration the limits of

human understanding. “To be ignorant of many things and to be

mistaken in some,” Wesley observed, “is the necessary condition

of humanity.” The crucial matter in religion is steadfast love for

God and neighbor, empowered by the redeeming and sanctifying

work of the Holy Spirit.

The Wesleyan “Standards” in Great Britain

In this spirit, the British Methodists under the Wesleys never

reduced their theology to a confessional formula as a doctrinal

test. Methodism was a movement within the Church of England,

and John Wesley constantly maintained that he taught the scrip-

tural doctrines contained in the Thirty-Nine Articles, the Homi-

lies, and the Book of Common Prayer of his national church. The

Bible, of course, constituted for him the nal authority in all doc-

trinal matters.

As the movement grew, Wesley provided his people with

published sermons and a Bible commentary for their doctrinal

instruction. His Sermons on Several Occasions (1746-60) set forth

those doctrines which, he said, “I embrace and teach as the essen-

tials of true religion.” In 1755, he published Explanatory Notes

Upon the New Testament as a guide for Methodist biblical exegesis

and doctrinal interpretation.

As occasional controversies arose, the need for a standard

measure of Methodist preaching became evident. In 1763, Wesley

produced a “Model Deed” for Methodist properties, which stipu-

¶ 103 DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK

lated that the trustees for each preaching house were responsible

for ensuring that the preachers in their pulpits “preach no other

doctrine than is contained in Mr. Wesley’s Notes Upon the New Tes-

tament and four volumes of Sermons.”

These writings, then, contained the standard exposition of

Methodist teaching. They provide a model and measure for ade-

quate preaching in the Wesleyan tradition. The primary norm for

Wesley’s writings was Scripture, as illumined by historic tradi-

tions and vital faith. Wesley put forth no summary of biblical rev-

elation for the British Methodists because the Thirty-Nine Articles

of the Church of England were already available.

The Wesley brothers also composed hymns that were rich in

doctrinal and experiential content. The hymns, especially those of

Charles Wesley, not only are among the best-loved within Meth-

odism but also are major resources for doctrinal instruction.

Furthermore, John Wesley specied various disciplines and

rules, such as the General Rules, to implement in personal and

communal life the practical divinity he proclaimed.

In addition to these writings, Wesley established the con-

ference to instruct and supervise the Methodist preachers. He

produced Minutes to ensure their delity to the doctrines and

disciplines of the Methodist movement. These writings and struc-

tures lled out the Wesleyan understanding of the church and the

Christian life.

Doctrinal Standards in American Methodism

As long as the American colonies were primarily under Brit-

ish control, the Methodists could continue as part of the sacramen-

tal community of the Church of England. The early conferences,

under the leadership of British preachers, declared their alle-

giance to the Wesleyan principles of organization and doctrine.

They stipulated that the Minutes of the British and American con-

ferences, along with the Sermons and Notes of Wesley, contained

their basic doctrine and discipline.

After the formal recognition of American independence in

1783, Wesley realized that the Methodists in America were free of

English control, religious as well as civil, and should become an

independent Methodist church. Wesley then furnished the Ameri-

can Methodists with a liturgy (The Sunday Service of the Methodists

in North America) and a doctrinal statement (The Articles of Reli-

gion). The Sunday Service was Wesley’s abridgment of the Book of

OUR DOCTRINAL HISTORY ¶ 103

Common Prayer; the Articles of Religion were his revision of the

Thirty-Nine Articles.

The American Methodist preachers, gathered at Baltimore

in December 1784, adopted the Sunday Service and the Articles

of Religion as part of their actions in forming the new Method-

ist Episcopal Church. This “Christmas Conference” also accepted

a hymnbook that Wesley had prepared (1784) and adopted a

slightly modied version of the General Rules as a statement of

the Church’s nature and discipline. The conference spent most of

its time adapting the British “Large Minutes” to American condi-

tions. Subsequent editions of this document came to be known as

the Doctrines and Discipline of the Methodist Episcopal Church (the

Book of Discipline).

The shift from “movement” to “church” had changed the

function of doctrinal norms within American Methodism. Rather

than prescribing doctrinal emphases for preaching within a move-

ment, the Articles outlined basic norms for Christian belief within

a church, following the traditional Anglican fashion.

The preface to the rst separate publication of the Articles

states, “These are the doctrines taught among the people called

Methodists. Nor is there any doctrine whatever, generally received

among that people, contrary to the articles now before you.”

American Methodists were not required to subscribe to the

Articles after the Anglican manner, but they were accountable

(under threat of trial) for keeping their proclamation of the gos-

pel within the boundaries outlined therein. For generations, the

Doctrines and Discipline cited only the Articles as the basis for test-

ing correct doctrine in the newly formed church: The charge of

doctrinal irregularity against preachers or members was for “dis-

seminating doctrines contrary to our Articles of Religion.” In this

manner, the church protected its doctrinal integrity against the

heresies that were prevalent at the time—Socinianism, Arianism,

and Pelagianism (see Articles I, II, and IX).

The Articles of Religion, however, did not guarantee adequate

Methodist preaching; they lacked several Wesleyan emphases,

such as assurance and Christian perfection. Wesley’s Sermons and

Notes, therefore, continued to function as the traditional standard

exposition of distinctive Methodist teaching.

The General Conference of 1808, which provided the rst Con-

stitution of The Methodist Episcopal Church, established the Arti-

cles of Religion as the Church’s explicit doctrinal standards. The

¶ 103 DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK

rst Restrictive Rule of the Constitution prohibited any change,

alteration, or addition to the Articles themselves, and it stipulated

that no new standards or rules of doctrine could be adopted that

were contrary to the “present existing and established standards

of doctrine.”

Within the Wesleyan tradition, then as now, the Sermons and

Notes furnished models of doctrinal exposition. Other documents

have also served American Methodism as vital expressions of

Methodist teaching and preaching. Lists of recommended doctri-

nal resources vary from generation to generation but generally

acknowledge the importance of the hymnbook, the ecumeni-

cal creeds, and the General Rules. Lists of such writings in the

early nineteenth century usually included John Fletcher’s Checks

Against Antinomianism and Richard Watson’s Theological Institutes.

The doctrinal emphases of these statements were carried for-

ward by the weight of tradition rather than the force of law. They

became part of the heritage of American Methodism to the degree

that they remained useful to continuing generations.

During the great frontier revivals of the nineteenth century,

the inuence of European theological traditions waned in Amer-

ica. Preaching focused on “Christian experience,” understood

chiey as “saving faith in Christ.” Among the Methodists there

was a consistent stress on free will, infant baptism, and informal

worship, which led to protracted controversies with the Presbyte-

rians, Baptists, and Episcopalians, respectively.

Methodist interest in formal doctrinal standards remained

secondary to evangelism, nurture, and mission. The Wesleyan

hymnody served in practice as the most important single means

of communicating and preserving the doctrinal substance of the

gospel.

By the end of the nineteenth century, Methodist theology in

America had become decidedly eclectic, with less specic atten-

tion paid to its Wesleyan sources.

The force of the Articles of Religion underwent several shifts.

For a time, the rst Restrictive Rule was exempted from the pro-

cess of constitutional amendment, thus allowing no consideration

of change in doctrinal standards. Mention of the Articles of Reli-

gion was included in the membership vows of The Methodist

Episcopal Church, South.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, however, the wan-

ing force of doctrinal discipline and the decreasing inuence of

OUR DOCTRINAL HISTORY ¶ 103

the Wesleyan theological heritage among the American Method-

ists, along with minor but signicant changes in the wording of

the Book of Discipline regarding doctrinal standards, led to a steady

dilution of the force of the Articles of Religion as the Church’s

constitutional standards of doctrine.

During this same period, theologians and church leaders began

to explore ways of expressing the gospel that were in keeping

with developing intellectual currents. These leaders also began to

rethink the historical social compassion of the Wesleyan tradition

in the midst of the emerging industrial, urban civilization. They

deepened our awareness of the systemic nature of evil and the

urgency to proclaim the gospel promise of social redemption.

Consequently, theologies supportive of the social gospel found

fertile soil within the Methodist traditions.

These years were times of theological and ethical controversy

within Methodism as new patterns of thought clashed with the

more familiar themes and styles of the previous two centuries.

In recent decades there has been a strong recovery of interest

in Wesley and in the more classic traditions of Christian thought.

This recovery has been part of a broad resurgence of Reformation

theology and practice in Europe and America, renewing the his-

torical legacy of Protestantism in the context of the modern world.

These trends have been reinforced in North America by the reaf-

rmation of evangelical piety.

The ecumenical movement has brought new appreciation

for the unity as well as the richness and diversity of the church

catholic.

Currents of theology have developed out of Black people’s

struggle for freedom, the movement for the full equality of

women in church and society, and the quest for liberation and

for indigenous forms of Christian existence in churches around

the world.

The challenge to United Methodists is to discern the various

strands of these vital movements of faith that are coherent, faith-

ful understandings of the gospel and the Christian mission for

our times.

The task of dening the scope of our Wesleyan tradition in

the context of the contemporary world includes much more

than formally reafrming or redening standards of doctrine,

although these tasks may also be involved. The heart of our task

is to reclaim and renew the distinctive United Methodist doctrinal

¶ 103 DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK

heritage, which rightly belongs to our common heritage as Chris-

tians, for the life and mission of the whole church today.

Doctrinal Traditions in The Evangelical Church

and The United Brethren Church

The unfolding of doctrinal concerns among Jacob Albright’s

Evangelical Association and Phillip William Otterbein’s United

Brethren in Christ roughly parallels Methodist developments. Dif-

ferences emerged largely from differing ecclesiastical traditions

brought from Germany and Holland, together with the modied

Calvinism of the Heidelberg Catechism.

In the German-speaking communities of America, Albright

and Otterbein considered evangelism more important than theo-

logical speculation. Although they were not doctrinally indiffer-

ent, they stressed conversion, “justication by faith conrmed by

a sensible assurance thereof,” Christian nurture, the priesthood of

all believers in a shared ministry of Christian witness and service,

and entire sanctication as the goal of Christian life.

As with Wesley, their primary source and norm for Chris-

tian teaching was Scripture. Otterbein enjoined his followers

“to be careful to preach no other doctrine than what is plainly

laid down in the Bible.” Each new member was asked “to con-

fess that he received the Bible as the Word of God.” Ordinands

were required to afrm without reserve the plenary authority of

Scripture.

Matched with these afrmations was the conviction that con-

verted Christians are enabled by the Holy Spirit to read Scripture

with a special Christian consciousness. They prized this principle

as the supreme guide in biblical interpretation.

Jacob Albright was directed by the conference of 1807 to pre-

pare a list of Articles of Religion. He died before he could attempt

the task.

George Miller then assumed the responsibility. He recom-

mended to the conference of 1809 the adoption of the German

translation of the Methodist Articles of Religion, with the addition

of a new one, “Of the Last Judgment.” The recommendation was

adopted. This action afrms a conscious choice of the Methodist

Articles as normative. The added article was from the Augsburg

Confession, on a theme omitted in the Anglican Articles.

In 1816, the original twenty-six Articles were reduced to

twenty-one by omitting ve polemical articles aimed at Roman

OUR DOCTRINAL HISTORY ¶ 103

Catholics, Anabaptists, and sixteenth-century sectaries. This

act of deletion reected a conciliatory spirit in a time of bitter

controversy.

In 1839, a few slight changes were made in the text of 1816. It

was then stipulated that “the Articles of Faith . . . should be con-

stitutionally unchangeable among us.”

In the 1870s, a proposal to revise the Articles touched off a

urry of debate, but the conference of 1875 decisively rejected the

proposal.

In later action the twenty-one Articles were reduced to nine-

teen by combining several, but without omitting any of their orig-

inal content.

These nineteen were brought intact into the Evangelical

United Brethren union of 1946.

Among the United Brethren in Christ, a summary of norma-

tive teaching was formulated in 1813 by Christian Newcomer and

Christopher Grosch, colleagues of Otterbein. Its rst three para-

graphs follow the order of the Apostles’ Creed. Paragraphs four

and ve afrm the primacy of Scripture and the universal procla-

mation of “the biblical doctrine . . . of man’s fall in Adam and his

deliverance through Jesus Christ.” An added section commends

“the ordinances of baptism and the remembrance of the Lord”

and approves foot washing as optional.

The rst General Conference of the United Brethren in Christ

(1815) adopted a slight revision of this earlier statement as the

denomination’s Confession of Faith. A further revision was made

in 1841, with the stipulation that there be no further changes: “No

rule or ordinance shall at any time be passed to change or do away

with the Confession of Faith as it now stands.” Even so, agitation

for change continued.

In 1885, a church commission was appointed to “prepare such

a form of belief and such amended fundamental rules for the gov-

ernment of this church in the future as will, in their judgment, be

best adapted to secure its growth and efciency in the work of

evangelizing the world.”

The resulting proposal for a new Confession of Faith and

Constitution was submitted to the general membership of the

Church, the rst such referendum on a Confession of Faith in

United Brethren history, and was then placed before the General

Conference of 1889. Both the general membership and the confer-

ence approved the Confession by preponderant majorities. It was

¶ 103 DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK

thereupon enacted by episcopal “proclamation.” However, this

action was protested by a minority as a violation of the Restrictive

Rule of 1841 and became a basic cause for a consequent schism,

resulting in the formation of The United Brethren Church (Old

Constitution).

The Confession of Faith of 1889 was more comprehensive

than any of its antecedents, with articles on depravity, justi-

cation, regeneration and adoption, sanctication, the Chris-

tian Sabbath, and the future state. The article on sanctication,

though brief, is signicant in its reection of the doctrine of

holiness of the Heidelberg Catechism. The 1889 Confession was

brought by the United Brethren into the union with the Evan-

gelicals in 1946.

The Evangelical United Brethren Confession of Faith

The Discipline of the new Evangelical United Brethren Church

(1946) contained both the Evangelical Articles and the United

Brethren Confession. Twelve years later the General Conference

of the united church authorized its board of bishops to prepare a

new Confession of Faith.

A new Confession, with sixteen articles, of a somewhat more

modern character than any of its antecedents, was presented to

the General Conference of 1962 and adopted without amend-

ment. The Evangelical article, “Entire Sanctication and Christian

Perfection,” is reected in this confession as a distinctive empha-

sis. The Confession of Faith replaced both former Articles and

Confession and was brought over intact into the Discipline of The

United Methodist Church (1968).

Doctrinal Standards in The United Methodist Church

In the Plan of Union for The United Methodist Church, the

preface to the Methodist Articles of Religion and the Evangeli-

cal United Brethren Confession of Faith explains that both were

accepted as doctrinal standards for the new church. Additionally,

it stated that although the language of the rst Restrictive Rule

never has been formally dened, Wesley’s Sermons and Notes were

understood specically to be included in our present existing and

established standards of doctrine. It also stated that the Articles,

the Confession, and the Wesleyan “standards” were “thus deemed

congruent if not identical in their doctrinal perspectives and not

OUR DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND GENERAL RULES ¶ 104

in conict.” This declaration was accepted by subsequent rulings

of the Judicial Council.

The Constitution of The United Methodist Church, in its

Restrictive Rules (see ¶¶ 17-22), protects both the Articles of Reli-

gion and the Confession of Faith as doctrinal standards that shall

not be revoked, altered, or changed. The process of creating new

“standards or rules of doctrine” thus continues to be restricted,

requiring either that they be declared “not contrary to” the pres-

ent standards or that they go through the difcult process of con-

stitutional amendment.

The United Methodist Church stands continually in need of

doctrinal reinvigoration for the sake of authentic renewal, fruit-

ful evangelism, and ecumenical dialogue. In this light, the recov-

ery and updating of our distinctive doctrinal heritage—catholic,

evangelical, and reformed—is essential.

This task calls for the repossession of our traditions as well as

the promotion of theological inquiry both within the denomina-

tion and in our ecumenical efforts. All are invited to share in this

endeavor to stimulate an active interest in doctrinal understand-

ing in order to claim our legacy and to shape that legacy for the

Church we aspire to be.

¶ 104. SECTION 3—OUR DOCTRINAL STANDARDS

AND GENERAL RULES

THE ARTICLES OF RELIGION

OF THE METHODIST CHURCH

[Bibliographical Note: The Articles of Religion are here

reprinted from the Discipline of 1808 (when the rst Restrictive

Rule took effect), collated against Wesley’s original text in The

Sunday Service of the Methodists (1784). To these are added two

Articles: “Of Sanctication” and “Of the Duty of Christians to the

Civil Authority,” which are legislative enactments and not inte-

gral parts of the document as protected by the Constitution (see

Judicial Council Decisions 41, 176).]

Article I—Of Faith in the Holy Trinity

There is but one living and true God, everlasting, without

body or parts, of innite power, wisdom, and goodness; the maker

2. See Judicial Council Decision 358.

3. Protected by Restrictive Rule 1 (¶ 17).

¶ 104 DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK

and preserver of all things, both visible and invisible. And in unity

of this Godhead there are three persons, of one substance, power,

and eternity—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

Article II—Of the Word, or Son of God,

Who Was Made Very Man

The Son, who is the Word of the Father, the very and eter-

nal God, of one substance with the Father, took man’s nature in

the womb of the blessed Virgin; so that two whole and perfect

natures, that is to say, the Godhead and Manhood, were joined

together in one person, never to be divided; whereof is one Christ,

very God and very Man, who truly suffered, was crucied, dead,

and buried, to reconcile his Father to us, and to be a sacrice, not

only for original guilt, but also for actual sins of men.

Article III—Of the Resurrection of Christ

Christ did truly rise again from the dead, and took again

his body, with all things appertaining to the perfection of man’s

nature, wherewith he ascended into heaven, and there sitteth

until he return to judge all men at the last day.

Article IV—Of the Holy Ghost

The Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is

of one substance, majesty, and glory with the Father and the Son,

very and eternal God.

Article V—Of the Sufciency

of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation

The Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation;

so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby,

is not to be required of any man that it should be believed as an

article of faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. In

the name of the Holy Scripture we do understand those canonical

books of the Old and New Testament of whose authority was never

any doubt in the church. The names of the canonical books are:

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua,

Judges, Ruth, The First Book of Samuel, The Second Book of Sam-

uel, The First Book of Kings, The Second Book of Kings, The First

Book of Chronicles, The Second Book of Chronicles, The Book of

OUR DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND GENERAL RULES ¶ 104

Ezra, The Book of Nehemiah, The Book of Esther, The Book of Job,

The Psalms, The Proverbs, Ecclesiastes or the Preacher, Cantica or

Songs of Solomon, Four Prophets the Greater, Twelve Prophets

the Less.

All the books of the New Testament, as they are commonly

received, we do receive and account canonical.

Article VI—Of the Old Testament

The Old Testament is not contrary to the New; for both in

the Old and New Testament everlasting life is offered to man-

kind by Christ, who is the only Mediator between God and man,

being both God and Man. Wherefore they are not to be heard who

feign that the old fathers did look only for transitory promises.

Although the law given from God by Moses as touching ceremo-

nies and rites doth not bind Christians, nor ought the civil pre-

cepts thereof of necessity be received in any commonwealth; yet

notwithstanding, no Christian whatsoever is free from the obedi-

ence of the commandments which are called moral.

Article VII—Of Original or Birth Sin

Original sin standeth not in the following of Adam (as the

Pelagians do vainly talk), but it is the corruption of the nature of

every man, that naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adam,

whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness, and of

his own nature inclined to evil, and that continually.

Article VIII—Of Free Will

The condition of man after the fall of Adam is such that he

cannot turn and prepare himself, by his own natural strength

and works, to faith, and calling upon God; wherefore we have no

power to do good works, pleasant and acceptable to God, with-

out the grace of God by Christ preventing us, that we may have

a good will, and working with us, when we have that good will.

Article IX—Of the Justication of Man

We are accounted righteous before God only for the merit of

our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, by faith, and not for our own

works or deservings. Wherefore, that we are justied by faith,

only, is a most wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort.

¶ 104 DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK

Article X—Of Good Works

Although good works, which are the fruits of faith, and fol-

low after justication, cannot put away our sins, and endure the

severity of God’s judgment; yet are they pleasing and acceptable

to God in Christ, and spring out of a true and lively faith, inso-

much that by them a lively faith may be as evidently known as a

tree is discerned by its fruit.

Article XI—Of Works of Supererogation

Voluntary works—besides, over and above God’s command-

ments—which they call works of supererogation, cannot be taught

without arrogancy and impiety. For by them men do declare that

they do not only render unto God as much as they are bound to

do, but that they do more for his sake than of bounden duty is

required; whereas Christ saith plainly: When you have done all

that is commanded you, say, We are unprotable servants.

Article XII—Of Sin After Justication

Not every sin willingly committed after justication is the sin

against the Holy Ghost, and unpardonable. Wherefore, the grant

of repentance is not to be denied to such as fall into sin after jus-

tication. After we have received the Holy Ghost, we may depart

from grace given, and fall into sin, and, by the grace of God, rise

again and amend our lives. And therefore they are to be con-

demned who say they can no more sin as long as they live here; or

deny the place of forgiveness to such as truly repent.

Article XIII—Of the Church

The visible church of Christ is a congregation of faithful men

in which the pure Word of God is preached, and the Sacraments

duly administered according to Christ’s ordinance, in all those

things that of necessity are requisite to the same.

Article XIV—Of Purgatory

The Romish doctrine concerning purgatory, pardon, worship-

ing, and adoration, as well of images as of relics, and also invoca-

4. For the contemporary interpretation of this and similar articles (i.e., Arti-

cles XIV, XV, XVI, XVIII, XIX, XX, and XXI) in consonance with our best ecumenical

insights and judgment, see “Resolution of Intent: With a View to Unity” (The Book

of Resolutions, 2016, Resolution Number 3144).

OUR DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND GENERAL RULES ¶ 104

tion of saints, is a fond thing, vainly invented, and grounded

upon no warrant of Scripture, but repugnant to the Word of God.

Article XV—Of Speaking in the Congregation

in Such a Tongue as the People Understand

It is a thing plainly repugnant to the Word of God, and the

custom of the primitive church, to have public prayer in the

church, or to minister the Sacraments, in a tongue not understood

by the people.

Article XVI—Of the Sacraments

Sacraments ordained of Christ are not only badges or tokens

of Christian men’s profession, but rather they are certain signs of

grace, and God’s good will toward us, by which he doth work

invisibly in us, and doth not only quicken, but also strengthen and

conrm, our faith in him.

There are two Sacraments ordained of Christ our Lord in the

Gospel; that is to say, Baptism and the Supper of the Lord.

Those ve commonly called sacraments, that is to say, con-

rmation, penance, orders, matrimony, and extreme unction,

are not to be counted for Sacraments of the Gospel; being such

as have partly grown out of the corrupt following of the apos-

tles, and partly are states of life allowed in the Scriptures, but

yet have not the like nature of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper,

because they have not any visible sign or ceremony ordained of

God.

The Sacraments were not ordained of Christ to be gazed

upon, or to be carried about; but that we should duly use them.

And in such only as worthily receive the same, they have a whole-

some effect or operation; but they that receive them unworthily,

purchase to themselves condemnation, as St. Paul saith.

Article XVII—Of Baptism

Baptism is not only a sign of profession and mark of differ-

ence whereby Christians are distinguished from others that are

not baptized; but it is also a sign of regeneration or the new birth.

The Baptism of young children is to be retained in the Church.

5. See Judicial Council Decision 142.

¶ 104 DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK

Article XVIII—Of the Lord’s Supper

The Supper of the Lord is not only a sign of the love that Chris-

tians ought to have among themselves one to another, but rather

is a sacrament of our redemption by Christ’s death; insomuch

that, to such as rightly, worthily, and with faith receive the same,

the bread which we break is a partaking of the body of Christ; and

likewise the cup of blessing is a partaking of the blood of Christ.

Transubstantiation, or the change of the substance of bread

and wine in the Supper of our Lord, cannot be proved by Holy

Writ, but is repugnant to the plain words of Scripture, over-

throweth the nature of a sacrament, and hath given occasion to

many superstitions.

The body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten in the Supper, only

after a heavenly and spiritual manner. And the means whereby

the body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper is faith.

The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was not by Christ’s ordi-

nance reserved, carried about, lifted up, or worshiped.

Article XIX—Of Both Kinds

The cup of the Lord is not to be denied to the lay people; for

both the parts of the Lord’s Supper, by Christ’s ordinance and

commandment, ought to be administered to all Christians alike.

Article XX—Of the One Oblation of Christ,

Finished upon the Cross

The offering of Christ, once made, is that perfect redemption,

propitiation, and satisfaction for all the sins of the whole world,

both original and actual; and there is none other satisfaction for

sin but that alone. Wherefore the sacrice of masses, in the which

it is commonly said that the priest doth offer Christ for the quick

and the dead, to have remission of pain or guilt, is a blasphemous

fable and dangerous deceit.

Article XXI—Of the Marriage of Ministers

The ministers of Christ are not commanded by God’s law

either to vow the estate of single life, or to abstain from marriage;

therefore it is lawful for them, as for all other Christians, to marry

at their own discretion, as they shall judge the same to serve best

to godliness.

OUR DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND GENERAL RULES ¶ 104

Article XXII—Of the Rites and Ceremonies of Churches

It is not necessary that rites and ceremonies should in all

places be the same, or exactly alike; for they have been always

different, and may be changed according to the diversity of coun-

tries, times, and men’s manners, so that nothing be ordained

against God’s Word. Whosoever, through his private judgment,

willingly and purposely doth openly break the rites and ceremo-

nies of the church to which he belongs, which are not repugnant

to the Word of God, and are ordained and approved by com-

mon authority, ought to be rebuked openly, that others may fear

to do the like, as one that offendeth against the common order of

the church, and woundeth the consciences of weak brethren.

Every particular church may ordain, change, or abolish rites

and ceremonies, so that all things may be done to edication.

Article XXIII—Of the Rulers of the United States of America

The President, the Congress, the general assemblies, the gov-

ernors, and the councils of state, as the delegates of the people, are the

rulers of the United States of America, according to the division

of power made to them by the Constitution of the United States

and by the constitutions of their respective states. And the said

states are a sovereign and independent nation, and ought not to

be subject to any foreign jurisdiction.

Article XXIV—Of Christian Men’s Goods

The riches and goods of Christians are not common as touch-

ing the right, title, and possession of the same, as some do falsely

boast. Notwithstanding, every man ought, of such things as he

possesseth, liberally to give alms to the poor, according to his

ability.

Article XXV—Of a Christian Man’s Oath

As we confess that vain and rash swearing is forbidden Chris-

tian men by our Lord Jesus Christ and James his apostle, so we

judge that the Christian religion doth not prohibit, but that a man

may swear when the magistrate requireth, in a cause of faith and

charity, so it be done according to the prophet’s teaching, in jus-

tice, judgment, and truth.

¶ 104 DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK

[The following Article from the Methodist Protestant Discipline is placed here

by the Uniting Conference (1939). It was not one of the Articles of Religion voted

upon by the three churches.]

Of Sanctication

Sanctication is that renewal of our fallen nature by the

Holy Ghost, received through faith in Jesus Christ, whose blood

of atonement cleanseth from all sin; whereby we are not only

delivered from the guilt of sin, but are washed from its pollution,

saved from its power, and are enabled, through grace, to love

God with all our hearts and to walk in his holy commandments

blameless.

[The following provision was adopted by the Uniting Conference (1939). This

statement seeks to interpret to our churches in foreign lands Article XXIII of the

Articles of Religion. It is a legislative enactment but is not a part of the Constitution.

(See Judicial Council Decisions 41, 176, and Decision 6, Interim Judicial Council.)]

Of the Duty of Christians to the Civil Authority

It is the duty of all Christians, and especially of all Christian

ministers, to observe and obey the laws and commands of the

governing or supreme authority of the country of which they are

citizens or subjects or in which they reside, and to use all laudable

means to encourage and enjoin obedience to the powers that be.

THE CONFESSION OF FAITH

OF THE EVANGELICAL UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH

[Bibliographical Note: The text of the Confession of Faith is

identical to that of its original in The Discipline of The Evangelical

United Brethren Church (1963).]

Article I—God

We believe in the one true, holy and living God, Eternal Spirit,

who is Creator, Sovereign and Preserver of all things visible and

invisible. He is innite in power, wisdom, justice, goodness and

love, and rules with gracious regard for the well-being and sal-

vation of men, to the glory of his name. We believe the one God

reveals himself as the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, distinct

but inseparable, eternally one in essence and power.

6. Protected by Restrictive Rule 2 (¶ 18).

OUR DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND GENERAL RULES ¶ 104

Article II—Jesus Christ

We believe in Jesus Christ, truly God and truly man, in whom

the divine and human natures are perfectly and inseparably united.

He is the eternal Word made esh, the only begotten Son of the

Father, born of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit. As

ministering Servant he lived, suffered and died on the cross. He was

buried, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven to be with the

Father, from whence he shall return. He is eternal Savior and Media-

tor, who intercedes for us, and by him all men will be judged.

Article III—The Holy Spirit

We believe in the Holy Spirit who proceeds from and is one in

being with the Father and the Son. He convinces the world of sin,

of righteousness and of judgment. He leads men through faith-

ful response to the gospel into the fellowship of the Church. He

comforts, sustains and empowers the faithful and guides them

into all truth.

Article IV—The Holy Bible

We believe the Holy Bible, Old and New Testaments, reveals

the Word of God so far as it is necessary for our salvation. It is to

be received through the Holy Spirit as the true rule and guide for

faith and practice. Whatever is not revealed in or established by

the Holy Scriptures is not to be made an article of faith nor is it to

be taught as essential to salvation.

Article V—The Church

We believe the Christian Church is the community of all true

believers under the Lordship of Christ. We believe it is one, holy,

apostolic and catholic. It is the redemptive fellowship in which the

Word of God is preached by men divinely called, and the sacra-

ments are duly administered according to Christ’s own appoint-

ment. Under the discipline of the Holy Spirit the Church exists for

the maintenance of worship, the edication of believers and the

redemption of the world.

Article VI—The Sacraments

We believe the Sacraments, ordained by Christ, are sym-

bols and pledges of the Christian’s profession and of God’s love

¶ 104 DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK

toward us. They are means of grace by which God works invis-

ibly in us, quickening, strengthening and conrming our faith in

him. Two Sacraments are ordained by Christ our Lord, namely

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

We believe Baptism signies entrance into the household of

faith, and is a symbol of repentance and inner cleansing from sin,

a representation of the new birth in Christ Jesus and a mark of

Christian discipleship.

We believe children are under the atonement of Christ and as

heirs of the Kingdom of God are acceptable subjects for Christian

Baptism. Children of believing parents through Baptism become

the special responsibility of the Church. They should be nurtured

and led to personal acceptance of Christ, and by profession of

faith conrm their Baptism.

We believe the Lord’s Supper is a representation of our

redemption, a memorial of the sufferings and death of Christ, and

a token of love and union which Christians have with Christ and

with one another. Those who rightly, worthily and in faith eat the

broken bread and drink the blessed cup partake of the body and

blood of Christ in a spiritual manner until he comes.

Article VII—Sin and Free Will

We believe man is fallen from righteousness and, apart

from the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, is destitute of holiness

and inclined to evil. Except a man be born again, he cannot see

the Kingdom of God. In his own strength, without divine grace,

man cannot do good works pleasing and acceptable to God. We

believe, however, man inuenced and empowered by the Holy

Spirit is responsible in freedom to exercise his will for good.

Article VIII—Reconciliation Through Christ

We believe God was in Christ reconciling the world to him-

self. The offering Christ freely made on the cross is the perfect and

sufcient sacrice for the sins of the whole world, redeeming man

from all sin, so that no other satisfaction is required.

Article IX—Justication and Regeneration

We believe we are never accounted righteous before God

through our works or merit, but that penitent sinners are justied

OUR DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND GENERAL RULES ¶ 104

or accounted righteous before God only by faith in our Lord Jesus

Christ.

We believe regeneration is the renewal of man in righteousness

through Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, whereby we

are made partakers of the divine nature and experience newness

of life. By this new birth the believer becomes reconciled to God

and is enabled to serve him with the will and the affections.

We believe, although we have experienced regeneration, it is

possible to depart from grace and fall into sin; and we may even

then, by the grace of God, be renewed in righteousness.

Article X—Good Works

We believe good works are the necessary fruits of faith and

follow regeneration but they do not have the virtue to remove our

sins or to avert divine judgment. We believe good works, pleas-

ing and acceptable to God in Christ, spring from a true and living

faith, for through and by them faith is made evident.

Article XI—Sanctication and Christian Perfection

We believe sanctication is the work of God’s grace through

the Word and the Spirit, by which those who have been born

again are cleansed from sin in their thoughts, words and acts, and

are enabled to live in accordance with God’s will, and to strive for

holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

Entire sanctication is a state of perfect love, righteousness

and true holiness which every regenerate believer may obtain by

being delivered from the power of sin, by loving God with all

the heart, soul, mind and strength, and by loving one’s neighbor

as one’s self. Through faith in Jesus Christ this gracious gift may

be received in this life both gradually and instantaneously, and

should be sought earnestly by every child of God.

We believe this experience does not deliver us from the inr-

mities, ignorance, and mistakes common to man, nor from the

possibilities of further sin. The Christian must continue on guard

against spiritual pride and seek to gain victory over every temp-

tation to sin. He must respond wholly to the will of God so that

sin will lose its power over him; and the world, the esh, and the

devil are put under his feet. Thus he rules over these enemies with

watchfulness through the power of the Holy Spirit.

¶ 104 DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK

Article XII—The Judgment and the Future State

We believe all men stand under the righteous judgment of

Jesus Christ, both now and in the last day. We believe in the resur-

rection of the dead; the righteous to life eternal and the wicked to

endless condemnation.

Article XIII—Public Worship

We believe divine worship is the duty and privilege of man

who, in the presence of God, bows in adoration, humility and

dedication. We believe divine worship is essential to the life of

the Church, and that the assembling of the people of God for such

worship is necessary to Christian fellowship and spiritual growth.

We believe the order of public worship need not be the same

in all places but may be modied by the church according to cir-

cumstances and the needs of men. It should be in a language and

form understood by the people, consistent with the Holy Scrip-

tures to the edication of all, and in accordance with the order and

Discipline of the Church.

Article XIV—The Lord’s Day

We believe the Lord’s Day is divinely ordained for private

and public worship, for rest from unnecessary work, and should

be devoted to spiritual improvement, Christian fellowship and

service. It is commemorative of our Lord’s resurrection and is an

emblem of our eternal rest. It is essential to the permanence and

growth of the Christian Church, and important to the welfare of

the civil community.

Article XV—The Christian and Property

We believe God is the owner of all things and that the indi-

vidual holding of property is lawful and is a sacred trust under

God. Private property is to be used for the manifestation of Chris-

tian love and liberality, and to support the Church’s mission in

the world. All forms of property, whether private, corporate or

public, are to be held in solemn trust and used responsibly for

human good under the sovereignty of God.

Article XVI—Civil Government

We believe civil government derives its just powers from

the sovereign God. As Christians we recognize the governments

OUR DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND GENERAL RULES ¶ 104

under whose protection we reside and believe such governments

should be based on, and be responsible for, the recognition of

human rights under God. We believe war and bloodshed are

contrary to the gospel and spirit of Christ. We believe it is the

duty of Christian citizens to give moral strength and purpose to

their respective governments through sober, righteous and godly

living.

THE STANDARD SERMONS OF WESLEY

[Bibliographical Note: The Wesleyan “standards” have been

reprinted frequently. The critical edition of Wesley’s Sermons is

included in The Works of John Wesley, vols. 1-4 (Nashville: Abing-

don Press, 1984-87).]

THE EXPLANATORY NOTES UPON THE NEW TESTAMENT

[Bibliographical Note: The Explanatory Notes Upon the New Tes-

tament (1755) is currently in print (Schmul Publishing Company’s

1975 edition) and is forthcoming as vols. 5-6 of The Works of John

Wesley.]

THE GENERAL RULES OF THE METHODIST CHURCH

[Bibliographical Note: The General Rules are printed here in

the text of 1808 (when the fth Restrictive Rule took effect), as sub-

sequently amended by constitutional actions in 1848 and 1868.]

The Nature, Design, and General Rules

of Our United Societies

In the latter end of the year 1739 eight or ten persons came

to Mr. Wesley, in London, who appeared to be deeply convinced

of sin, and earnestly groaning for redemption. They desired, as

did two or three more the next day, that he would spend some

time with them in prayer, and advise them how to ee from the

wrath to come, which they saw continually hanging over their

heads. That he might have more time for this great work, he

appointed a day when they might all come together, which from

thenceforward they did every week, namely, on Thursday in the

evening. To these, and as many more as desired to join with them

7. Protected by Restrictive Rule 5 (¶ 21).

¶ 104 DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK

(for their number increased daily), he gave those advices from

time to time which he judged most needful for them, and they

always concluded their meeting with prayer suited to their sev-

eral necessities.

This was the rise of the United Society, rst in Europe, and

then in America. Such a society is no other than “a company of

men having the form and seeking the power of godliness, united in

order to pray together, to receive the word of exhortation, and to

watch over one another in love, that they may help each other to

work out their salvation.”

That it may the more easily be discerned whether they are

indeed working out their own salvation, each society is divided

into smaller companies, called classes, according to their respec-

tive places of abode. There are about twelve persons in a class, one

of whom is styled the leader. It is his duty:

1. To see each person in his class once a week at least, in order:

(1) to inquire how their souls prosper; (2) to advise, reprove, com-

fort or exhort, as occasion may require; (3) to receive what they are

willing to give toward the relief of the preachers, church, and poor.

2. To meet the ministers and the stewards of the society once

a week, in order: (1) to inform the minister of any that are sick, or

of any that walk disorderly and will not be reproved; (2) to pay

the stewards what they have received of their several classes in

the week preceding.

There is only one condition previously required of those who

desire admission into these societies: “a desire to ee from the

wrath to come, and to be saved from their sins.” But wherever this

is really xed in the soul it will be shown by its fruits.

It is therefore expected of all who continue therein that they

should continue to evidence their desire of salvation,

First: By doing no harm, by avoiding evil of every kind, espe-

cially that which is most generally practiced, such as:

The taking of the name of God in vain.

The profaning the day of the Lord, either by doing ordinary

work therein or by buying or selling.

Drunkenness: buying or selling spirituous liquors, or drink-

ing them, unless in cases of extreme necessity.

Slaveholding; buying or selling slaves.

Fighting, quarreling, brawling, brother going to law with

brother; returning evil for evil, or railing for railing; the using

many words in buying or selling.

OUR DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND GENERAL RULES ¶ 104

The buying or selling goods that have not paid the duty.

The giving or taking things on usury—i.e., unlawful interest.

Uncharitable or unprotable conversation; particularly

speaking evil of magistrates or of ministers.

Doing to others as we would not they should do unto us.

Doing what we know is not for the glory of God, as:

The putting on of gold and costly apparel.

The taking such diversions as cannot be used in the name of

the Lord Jesus.

The singing those songs, or reading those books, which do

not tend to the knowledge or love of God.

Softness and needless self-indulgence.

Laying up treasure upon earth.

Borrowing without a probability of paying; or taking up

goods without a probability of paying for them.

It is expected of all who continue in these societies that they

should continue to evidence their desire of salvation,

Secondly: By doing good; by being in every kind merciful after

their power; as they have opportunity, doing good of every pos-

sible sort, and, as far as possible, to all men:

To their bodies, of the ability which God giveth, by giving

food to the hungry, by clothing the naked, by visiting or helping

them that are sick or in prison.

To their souls, by instructing, reproving, or exhorting all we

have any intercourse with; trampling under foot that enthusiastic

doctrine that “we are not to do good unless our hearts be free to it.”

By doing good, especially to them that are of the household

of faith or groaning so to be; employing them preferably to oth-

ers; buying one of another, helping each other in business, and so

much the more because the world will love its own and them only.

By all possible diligence and frugality, that the gospel be not

blamed.

By running with patience the race which is set before them,

denying themselves, and taking up their cross daily; submitting

to bear the reproach of Christ, to be as the lth and offscouring of

the world; and looking that men should say all manner of evil of

them falsely, for the Lord’s sake.

It is expected of all who desire to continue in these societies

that they should continue to evidence their desire of salvation,

Thirdly: By attending upon all the ordinances of God; such

are:

¶ 104 DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK

The public worship of God.

The ministry of the Word, either read or expounded.

The Supper of the Lord.

Family and private prayer.

Searching the Scriptures.

Fasting or abstinence.

These are the General Rules of our societies; all of which we

are taught of God to observe, even in his written Word, which is

the only rule, and the sufcient rule, both of our faith and practice.

And all these we know his Spirit writes on truly awakened hearts.

If there be any among us who observe them not, who habitually

break any of them, let it be known unto them who watch over that

soul as they who must give an account. We will admonish him

of the error of his ways. We will bear with him for a season. But

then, if he repent not, he hath no more place among us. We have

delivered our own souls.

¶ 105. SECTION 4—OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK

Theology is our effort to reect upon God’s gracious action in

our lives. In response to the love of Christ, we desire to be drawn

into a deeper relationship with “faith’s pioneer and perfecter.”

Our theological explorations seek to give expression to the myste-

rious reality of God’s presence, peace, and power in the world. By

so doing, we attempt to articulate more clearly our understanding

of the divine-human encounter and are thereby more fully pre-

pared to participate in God’s work in the world.

The theological task, though related to the Church’s doc-

trinal expressions, serves a different function. Our doctrinal

afrmations assist us in the discernment of Christian truth in

ever-changing contexts. Our theological task includes the testing,

renewal, elaboration, and application of our doctrinal perspec-

tive in carrying out our calling “to spread scriptural holiness over

these lands.”

While the Church considers its doctrinal afrmations a cen-

tral feature of its identity and restricts ofcial changes to a consti-

tutional process, the Church encourages serious reection across

the theological spectrum.

As United Methodists, we are called to identify the needs

both of individuals and of society and to address those needs out

of the resources of Christian faith in a way that is clear, convinc-

ing, and effective. Theology serves the Church by interpreting the

OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK ¶ 105

world’s needs and challenges to the Church and by interpreting

the gospel to the world.

The Nature of Our Theological Task

Our theological task is both critical and constructive. It is

critical in that we test various expressions of faith by asking: Are

they true? Appropriate? Clear? Cogent? Credible? Are they based

on love? Do they provide the Church and its members with a wit-

ness that is faithful to the gospel as reected in our living heritage

and that is authentic and convincing in the light of human experi-

ence and the present state of human knowledge?

Our theological task is constructive in that every generation

must appropriate creatively the wisdom of the past and seek God

in their midst in order to think afresh about God, revelation, sin,

redemption, worship, the church, freedom, justice, moral respon-

sibility, and other signicant theological concerns. Our summons

is to understand and receive the gospel promises in our troubled

and uncertain times.

Our theological task is both individual and communal. It

is a feature in the ministry of individual Christians. It requires

the participation of all who are in our Church, lay and ordained,

because the mission of the Church is to be carried out by everyone

who is called to discipleship. To be persons of faith is to hunger to

understand the truth given to us in Jesus Christ.

Theological inquiry is by no means a casual undertaking. It

requires sustained disciplines of study, reection, and prayer.

Yet the discernment of “plain truth for plain people” is not

limited to theological specialists. Scholars have their role to play

in assisting the people of God to fulll this calling, but all Chris-

tians are called to theological reection.

Our theological task is communal. It unfolds in conversations

open to the experiences, insights, and traditions of all constituen-

cies that make up United Methodism.

This dialogue belongs to the life of every congregation. It is

fostered by laity and clergy, by the bishops, by the boards, agen-

cies, and theological schools of the Church.

Conferences speak and act for United Methodists in their of-

cial decisions at appropriate levels. Our conciliar and representa-

tive forms of decision-making do not release United Methodists

as individuals from the responsibility to develop sound theologi-

cal judgment.

¶ 105 DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK

Our theological task is contextual and incarnational. It is

grounded upon God’s supreme mode of self-revelation—the

incarnation in Jesus Christ. God’s eternal Word comes to us in

esh and blood in a given time and place, and in full identication

with humanity. Therefore, theological reection is energized by

our incarnational involvement in the daily life of the Church and

the world, as we participate in God’s liberating and saving action.

Our theological task is essentially practical. It informs the

individual’s daily decisions and serves the Church’s life and

work. While highly theoretical constructions of Christian thought

make important contributions to theological understanding, we

nally measure the truth of such statements in relation to their

practical signicance. Our interest is to incorporate the promises

and demands of the gospel into our daily lives.

Theological inquiry can clarify our thinking about what we

are to say and do. It presses us to pay attention to the world

around us.

Realities of intense human suffering, threats to the survival

of life, and challenges to human dignity confront us afresh with

fundamental theological issues: the nature and purposes of God,

the relations of human beings to one another, the nature of human

freedom and responsibility, and the care and proper use of all

creation.

Theological Guidelines: Sources and Criteria

As United Methodists, we have an obligation to bear a faithful

Christian witness to Jesus Christ, the living reality at the center of

the Church’s life and witness. To fulll this obligation, we reect

critically on our biblical and theological inheritance, striving to

express faithfully the witness we make in our own time.

Two considerations are central to this endeavor: the sources

from which we derive our theological afrmations and the crite-

ria by which we assess the adequacy of our understanding and

witness.

Wesley believed that the living core of the Christian faith was

revealed in Scripture, illumined by tradition, vivied in personal

experience, and conrmed by reason.

Scripture is primary, revealing the Word of God “so far as it

is necessary for our salvation.” Therefore, our theological task, in

both its critical and constructive aspects, focuses on disciplined

study of the Bible.

OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK ¶ 105

To aid his study of the Bible and deepen his understanding of

faith, Wesley drew on Christian tradition, in particular the Patris-

tic writings, the ecumenical creeds, the teachings of the Reform-

ers, and the literature of contemporary spirituality.

Thus, tradition provides both a source and a measure of

authentic Christian witness, though its authority derives from its

faithfulness to the biblical message.

The Christian witness, even when grounded in Scripture

and mediated by tradition, is ineffectual unless understood and

appropriated by the individual. To become our witness, it must

make sense in terms of our own reason and experience.

For Wesley, a cogent account of the Christian faith required

the use of reason, both to understand Scripture and to relate the

biblical message to wider elds of knowledge. He looked for con-

rmations of the biblical witness in human experience, especially

the experiences of regeneration and sanctication, but also in the

“common sense” knowledge of everyday experience.

The interaction of these sources and criteria in Wesley’s own

theology furnishes a guide for our continuing theological task as

United Methodists. In that task Scripture, as the constitutive wit-

ness to the wellsprings of our faith, occupies a place of primary

authority among these theological sources.

In practice, theological reection may also nd its point of

departure in tradition, experience, or rational analysis. What mat-

ters most is that all four guidelines be brought to bear in faithful,

serious, theological consideration. Insights arising from serious

study of the Scriptures and tradition enrich contemporary experi-

ence. Imaginative and critical thought enables us to understand

better the Bible and our common Christian history.

Scripture

United Methodists share with other Christians the convic-

tion that Scripture is the primary source and criterion for Chris-

tian doctrine. Through Scripture the living Christ meets us in the

experience of redeeming grace. We are convinced that Jesus Christ

is the living Word of God in our midst whom we trust in life and

death.The biblical authors, illumined by the Holy Spirit, bear wit-

ness that in Christ the world is reconciled to God. The Bible bears

authentic testimony to God’s self-disclosure in the life, death, and

resurrection of Jesus Christ as well as in God’s work of creation, in

¶ 105 DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK

the pilgrimage of Israel, and in the Holy Spirit’s ongoing activity

in human history.

As we open our minds and hearts to the Word of God through

the words of human beings inspired by the Holy Spirit, faith is

born and nourished, our understanding is deepened, and the pos-

sibilities for transforming the world become apparent to us.

The Bible is sacred canon for Christian people, formally

acknowledged as such by historic ecumenical councils of the

church. Our doctrinal standards identify as canonical thirty-nine

books of the Old Testament and the twenty-seven books of the

New Testament.

Our standards afrm the Bible as the source of all that is “nec-

essary” and “sufcient” unto salvation (Articles of Religion) and

“is to be received through the Holy Spirit as the true rule and

guide for faith and practice” (Confession of Faith).

We properly read Scripture within the believing community,

informed by the tradition of that community.

We interpret individual texts in light of their place in the Bible

as a whole.

We are aided by scholarly inquiry and personal insight,

under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. As we work with each text,

we take into account what we have been able to learn about the

original context and intention of that text. In this understanding

we draw upon the careful historical, literary, and textual studies

of recent years, which have enriched our understanding of the

Bible.

Through this faithful reading of Scripture, we may come to

know the truth of the biblical message in its bearing on our own

lives and the life of the world. Thus, the Bible serves both as a

source of our faith and as the basic criterion by which the truth

and delity of any interpretation of faith is measured.

While we acknowledge the primacy of Scripture in theological

reection, our attempts to grasp its meaning always involve tradi-

tion, experience, and reason. Like Scripture, these may become

creative vehicles of the Holy Spirit as they function within the

Church. They quicken our faith, open our eyes to the wonder of

God’s love, and clarify our understanding.

The Wesleyan heritage, reecting its origins in the catholic

and reformed ethos of English Christianity, directs us to a self-

conscious use of these three sources in interpreting Scripture and

in formulating faith statements based on the biblical witness.

OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK ¶ 105

These sources are, along with Scripture, indispensable to our

theological task.

The close relationship of tradition, experience, and reason

appears in the Bible itself. Scripture witnesses to a variety of

diverse traditions, some of which reect tensions in interpretation

within the early Judeo-Christian heritage. However, these tradi-

tions are woven together in the Bible in a manner that expresses

the fundamental unity of God’s revelation as received and experi-

enced by people in the diversity of their own lives.

The developing communities of faith judged them, therefore,

to be an authoritative witness to that revelation. In recognizing

the interrelationship and inseparability of the four basic resources

for theological understanding, we are following a model that is

present in the biblical text itself.

Tradition

The theological task does not start anew in each age or each

person. Christianity does not leap from New Testament times to

the present as though nothing were to be learned from that great

cloud of witnesses in between. For centuries Christians have

sought to interpret the truth of the gospel for their time.

In these attempts, tradition, understood both in terms of pro-

cess and form, has played an important role. The passing on and

receiving of the gospel among persons, regions, and generations

constitutes a dynamic element of Christian history. The formula-

tions and practices that grew out of specic circumstances con-

stitute the legacy of the corporate experience of earlier Christian

communities.

These traditions are found in many cultures around the globe.

But the history of Christianity includes a mixture of ignorance,

misguided zeal, and sin. Scripture remains the norm by which all

traditions are judged.

The story of the church reects the most basic sense of tradi-

tion, the continuing activity of God’s Spirit transforming human

life. Tradition is the history of that continuing environment of

grace in and by which all Christians live, God’s self-giving love in

Jesus Christ. As such, tradition transcends the story of particular

traditions.

In this deeper sense of tradition, all Christians share a common

history. Within that history, Christian tradition precedes Scripture,

and yet Scripture comes to be the focal expression of the tradition.

¶ 105 DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK

As United Methodists, we pursue our theological task in open-

ness to the richness of both the form and power of tradition.

The multiplicity of traditions furnishes a richly varied source

for theological reection and construction. For United Method-

ists, certain strands of tradition have special importance as the

historic foundation of our doctrinal heritage and the distinctive

expressions of our communal existence.

We are now challenged by traditions from around the world

that accent dimensions of Christian understanding that grow out

of the sufferings and victories of the downtrodden. These tradi-

tions help us rediscover the biblical witness to God’s special com-

mitment to the poor, the disabled, the imprisoned, the oppressed,

the outcast. In these persons we encounter the living presence of

Jesus Christ.

These traditions underscore the equality of all persons in

Jesus Christ. They display the capacity of the gospel to free us to

embrace the diversity of human cultures and appreciate their val-

ues. They reinforce our traditional understanding of the insepa-

rability of personal salvation and social justice. They deepen our

commitment to global peace.

A critical appreciation of these traditions can compel us to

think about God in new ways, enlarge our vision of shalom, and

enhance our condence in God’s provident love.

Tradition acts as a measure of validity and propriety for a

community’s faith insofar as it represents a consensus of faith.

The various traditions that presently make claims upon us may

contain conicting images and insights of truth and validity. We

examine such conicts in light of Scripture, reecting critically

upon the doctrinal stance of our Church.

It is by the discerning use of our standards and in openness to

emerging forms of Christian identity that we attempt to maintain

delity to the apostolic faith.

At the same time, we continue to draw on the broader Chris-

tian tradition as an expression of the history of divine grace within

which Christians are able to recognize and welcome one another

in love.

Experience

In our theological task, we follow Wesley’s practice of exam-

ining experience, both individual and corporate, for conrma-

tions of the realities of God’s grace attested in Scripture.

OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK ¶ 105

Our experience interacts with Scripture. We read Scripture in

light of the conditions and events that help shape who we are, and

we interpret our experience in terms of Scripture.

All religious experience affects all human experience;

all human experience affects our understanding of religious

experience.

On the personal level, experience is to the individual as tra-

dition is to the church: It is the personal appropriation of God’s

forgiving and empowering grace. Experience authenticates in our

own lives the truths revealed in Scripture and illumined in tradi-

tion, enabling us to claim the Christian witness as our own.

Wesley described faith and its assurance as “a sure trust and

condence” in the mercy of God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

and a steadfast hope of all good things to be received at God’s

hand. Such assurance is God’s gracious gift through the witness

of the Holy Spirit.

This “new life in Christ” is what we as United Methodists

mean when we speak of “Christian experience.” Christian expe-

rience gives us new eyes to see the living truth in Scripture. It

conrms the biblical message for our present. It illumines our

understanding of God and creation and motivates us to make

sensitive moral judgments.

Although profoundly personal, Christian experience is also

corporate; our theological task is informed by the experience of

the church and by the common experiences of all humanity. In our

attempts to understand the biblical message, we recognize that

God’s gift of liberating love embraces the whole of creation.

Some facets of human experience tax our theological under-

standing. Many of God’s people live in terror, hunger, loneliness,

and degradation. Everyday experiences of birth and death, of

growth and life in the created world, and an awareness of wider

social relations also belong to serious theological reection.

A new awareness of such experiences can inform our appro-

priation of scriptural truths and sharpen our appreciation of the

good news of the kingdom of God.

As a source for theological reection, experience, like tradi-

tion, is richly varied, challenging our efforts to put into words the

totality of the promises of the gospel. We interpret experience in

the light of scriptural norms, just as our experience informs our

reading of the biblical message. In this respect, Scripture remains

central in our efforts to be faithful in making our Christian witness.

¶ 105 DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK

Reason

Although we recognize that God’s revelation and our experi-

ences of God’s grace continually surpass the scope of human lan-

guage and reason, we also believe that any disciplined theological

work calls for the careful use of reason.

By reason we read and interpret Scripture.

By reason we determine whether our Christian witness is clear.

By reason we ask questions of faith and seek to understand

God’s action and will.

By reason we organize the understandings that compose our

witness and render them internally coherent.

By reason we test the congruence of our witness to the biblical

testimony and to the traditions that mediate that testimony to us.

By reason we relate our witness to the full range of human

knowledge, experience, and service.

Since all truth is from God, efforts to discern the connec-

tions between revelation and reason, faith and science, grace and

nature, are useful endeavors in developing credible and commu-

nicable doctrine. We seek nothing less than a total view of reality

that is decisively informed by the promises and imperatives of the

Christian gospel, though we know well that such an attempt will

always be marred by the limits and distortions characteristic of

human knowledge.

Nevertheless, by our quest for reasoned understandings of

Christian faith we seek to grasp, express, and live out the gospel

in a way that will commend itself to thoughtful persons who are

seeking to know and follow God’s ways.

In theological reection, the resources of tradition, experi-

ence, and reason are integral to our study of Scripture without

displacing Scripture’s primacy for faith and practice. These four

sources—each making distinctive contributions, yet all nally

working together—guide our quest as United Methodists for a

vital and appropriate Christian witness.

The Present Challenge to Theology in the Church

In addition to historic tensions and conicts that still require

resolution, new issues continually arise that summon us to fresh

theological inquiry. Daily we are presented with an array of con-

cerns that challenge our proclamation of God’s reign over all of

human existence.

OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK ¶ 105

Of crucial importance are concerns generated by great human

struggles for dignity, liberation, and fulllment—aspirations that

are inherent elements in God’s design for creation. These concerns

are borne by theologies that express the heart cries of the down-

trodden and the aroused indignation of the compassionate.

The perils of nuclear destruction, terrorism, war, poverty,

violence, and injustice confront us. Injustices linked to race, gen-

der, class, and age are widespread in our times. Misuse of natural

resources and disregard for the fragile balances in our environ-

ment contradict our calling to care for God’s creation. Secularism

pervades high-technology civilizations, hindering human aware-

ness of the spiritual depths of existence.

We seek an authentic Christian response to these realities that

the healing and redeeming work of God might be present in our

words and deeds. Too often, theology is used to support practices

that are unjust. We look for answers that are in harmony with the

gospel and do not claim exemption from critical assessment.

A rich quality of our Church, especially as it has developed

in the last century, is its global character. We are a Church with

a distinctive theological heritage, but that heritage is lived out

in a global community, resulting in understandings of our faith

enriched by indigenous experiences and manners of expression.

We afrm the contributions that United Methodists of vary-

ing ethnic, language, cultural, and national groups make to one

another and to our Church as a whole. We celebrate our shared

commitment to clear theological understanding and vital mis-

sional expression.

United Methodists as a diverse people continue to strive for

consensus in understanding the gospel. In our diversity, we are

held together by a shared inheritance and a common desire to

participate in the creative and redemptive activity of God.

Our task is to articulate our vision in a way that will draw us

together as a people in mission.

In the name of Jesus Christ we are called to work within our

diversity while exercising patience and forbearance with one

another. Such patience stems neither from indifference toward

truth nor from an indulgent tolerance of error but from an aware-

ness that we know only in part and that none of us is able to search

the mysteries of God except by the Spirit of God. We proceed with

our theological task, trusting that the Spirit will grant us wisdom

to continue our journey with the whole people of God.

¶ 105 DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK

Ecumenical Commitment

Christian unity is founded on the theological understanding

that through faith in Jesus Christ we are made members-in-

common of the one body of Christ. Christian unity is not an

option; it is a gift to be received and expressed.

United Methodists respond to the theological, biblical, and

practical mandates for Christian unity by rmly committing our-

selves to the cause of Christian unity at local, national, and world

levels. We invest ourselves in many ways by which mutual recog-

nition of churches, of members, and of ministries may lead us to

sharing in Holy Communion with all of God’s people.

Knowing that denominational loyalty is always subsumed in

our life in the church of Jesus Christ, we welcome and celebrate

the rich experience of United Methodist leadership in church

councils and consultations, in multilateral and bilateral dialogues,

as well as in other forms of ecumenical convergence that have led

to the healing of churches and nations.

We see the Holy Spirit at work in making the unity among us

more visible.

Concurrently, we have entered into serious interfaith encoun-

ters and explorations between Christians and adherents of other

living faiths of the world. Scripture calls us to be both neighbors

and witnesses to all peoples. Such encounters require us to reect

anew on our faith and to seek guidance for our witness among

neighbors of other faiths. We then rediscover that the God who

has acted in Jesus Christ for the salvation of the whole world

is also the Creator of all humankind, the One who is “over all,

through all, and in all” (Ephesians 4:6).

As people bound together on one planet, we see the need for

a self-critical view of our own tradition and accurate appreciation

of other traditions. In these encounters, our aim is not to reduce

doctrinal differences to some lowest common denominator of reli-

gious agreement, but to raise all such relationships to the highest

possible level of human fellowship and understanding.

We labor together with the help of God toward the salvation,

health, and peace of all people. In respectful conversations and in

practical cooperation, we confess our Christian faith and strive to

display the manner in which Jesus Christ is the life and hope of

the world.

OUR THEOLOGICAL TASK ¶ 105

Conclusion

Doctrine arises out of the life of the Church—its faith, its wor-

ship, its discipline, its conicts, its challenges from the world it

would serve.

Evangelism, nurture, and mission require a constant effort to

integrate authentic experience, rational thought, and purposeful

action with theological integrity.

A convincing witness to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

can contribute to the renewal of our faith, bring persons to that

faith, and strengthen the Church as an agent of healing and

reconciliation.

This witness, however, cannot fully describe or encompass

the mystery of God. Though we experience the wonder of God’s

grace at work with us and among us, and though we know the

joy of the present signs of God’s kingdom, each new step makes

us more aware of the ultimate mystery of God, from which arises

a heart of wonder and an attitude of humility. Yet we trust that

we can know more fully what is essential for our participation

in God’s saving work in the world, and we are condent in the

ultimate unfolding of God’s justice and mercy.

In this spirit we take up our theological task. We endeavor

through the power of the Holy Spirit to understand the love of

God given in Jesus Christ. We seek to spread this love abroad. As

we see more clearly who we have been, as we understand more

fully the needs of the world, as we draw more effectively upon

our theological heritage, we will become better equipped to fulll

our calling as the people of God.

Now to God

who by the power at work within us

is able to do far more abundantly

than all that we ask or think,

to God be glory in the church

and in Christ Jesus to all generations,

for ever and ever. Amen.

—Ephesians 3:20-21 (based on RSV)

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Part IV

THE MINISTRY OF ALL CHRISTIANS

THE MISSION AND MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH

Section I. The Churches

¶ 120. The Mission—The mission of the Church is to make

disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Local

churches and extension ministries of the Church provide the most

signicant arenas through which disciple-making occurs.

¶ 121. Rationale for Our Mission—The mission of the Church

is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the

world by proclaiming the good news of God’s grace and by exem-

plifying Jesus’ command to love God and neighbor, thus seeking

the fulllment of God’s reign and realm in the world. The fulll-

ment of God’s reign and realm in the world is the vision Scripture

holds before us. The United Methodist Church afrms that Jesus

Christ is the Son of God, the Savior of the world, and the Lord of

all. As we make disciples, we respect persons of all religious faiths

and we defend religious freedom for all persons. Jesus’ words in

Matthew provide the Church with our mission: “Therefore, go

and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of

the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to

obey everything that I’ve commanded you” (28:19-20), and “You

must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being,

and with all your mind. . . .You must love your neighbor as you love

yourself” (22:37, 39).

This mission is our grace-lled response to the Reign of God in

the world announced by Jesus. God’s grace is active everywhere,

¶ 121 THE MINISTRY OF ALL CHRISTIANS

at all times, carrying out this purpose as revealed in the Bible. It is

expressed in God’s covenant with Abraham and Sarah, in the Exo-

dus of Israel from Egypt, and in the ministry of the prophets. It is

fully embodied in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It

is experienced in the ongoing creation of a new people by the Holy

Spirit.

John Wesley, Phillip Otterbein, Jacob Albright, and our other

spiritual forebears understood this mission in this way. Whenever

United Methodism has had a clear sense of mission, God has used

our Church to save persons, heal relationships, transform social

structures, and spread scriptural holiness, thereby changing the

world. In order to be truly alive, we embrace Jesus’ mandate to

love God and to love our neighbor and to make disciples of all

peoples.

¶ 122. The Process for Carrying Out Our Mission—We make

disciples as we:

—proclaim the gospel, seek, welcome and gather persons into

the body of Christ;

—lead persons to commit their lives to God through baptism

by water and the spirit and profession of faith in Jesus Christ;

—nurture persons in Christian living through worship, the

sacraments, spiritual disciplines, and other means of grace, such

as Wesley’s Christian conferencing;

—send persons into the world to live lovingly and justly as

servants of Christ by healing the sick, feeding the hungry, car-

ing for the stranger, freeing the oppressed, being and becoming

a compassionate, caring presence, and working to develop social

structures that are consistent with the gospel; and

—continue the mission of seeking, welcoming and gathering

persons into the community of the body of Christ.

¶ 123. The Global Nature of Our Mission—The Church seeks to

fulll its global mission through the Spirit-given servant minis-

tries of all Christians, both lay and clergy. Faithfulness and effec-

tiveness demand that all ministries in the Church be shaped by

the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ.

¶ 124. Our Mission in the World—God’s self-revelation in the

life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ summons the Church

to ministry in the world through witness by word and deed in

light of the Church’s mission. The visible church of Christ as a

faithful community of persons afrms the worth of all humanity

and the value of interrelationship in all of God’s creation.

THE MISSION AND MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH ¶ 125

In the midst of a sinful world, through the grace of God, we

are brought to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. We become

aware of the presence and life-giving power of God’s Holy Spirit.

We live in condent expectation of the ultimate fulllment of

God’s purpose.

We are called together for worship and fellowship and for the

upbuilding of the Christian community. We advocate and work

for the unity of the Christian church. We call all persons into dis-

cipleship under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

As servants of Christ we are sent into the world to engage in

the struggle for justice and reconciliation. We seek to reveal the

love of God for men, women, and children of all ethnic, racial,

cultural, and national backgrounds and to demonstrate the heal-

ing power of the gospel with those who suffer.

¶ 125. United Methodists throughout the world are bound

together in a connectional covenant in which we support and

hold each other accountable for faithful discipleship and mis-

sion. Integrally holding connectional unity and local freedom, we

seek to proclaim and embody the gospel in ways responsible to

our specic cultural and social context while maintaining “a vital

web of interactive relationships” (¶ 132). At the same time, we

desire to afrm and celebrate our relationships, covenants, and

partnership with autonomous, afliated autonomous, afliated

united covenanting, and concordat churches (¶¶ 570-574) as well

as other partners in the Wesleyan and ecumenical Christian fami-

lies. Our worldwide connectional relationship is one of the ways

we carry out our missional calling beyond national and regional

boundaries. For our connectionalism to become a living practice,

we need to carry the worldwide nature of The United Methodist

Church deep into the life and mission of our local congregations.

Only when we commit ourselves to interdependent worldwide

partnerships in prayer, mission, and worship can connectional-

ism as the Wesleyan ecclesial vision be fully embodied. Guided by

the Holy Spirit, United Methodist churches throughout the world

are called afresh into a covenant of mutual commitment based on

shared mission, equity, and hospitality.

In covenant with God and with each other:

We afrm our unity in Christ, and take faithful steps to live

more fully into what it means to be a worldwide church in mis-

sion for the transformation of the world.

¶ 125 THE MINISTRY OF ALL CHRISTIANS

We commit ourselves to crossing boundaries of language, cul-

ture, and social or economic status. We commit ourselves to be in

ministry with all people, as we, in faithfulness to the gospel, seek

to grow in mutual love and trust.

We participate in God’s mission as partners in ministry, recog-

nizing that our God-given gifts, experiences, and resources are of

equal value, whether spiritual, nancial, or missional.

We commit ourselves to full equity and accountability

in our relationships, structures, and responsibilities for the

denomination.

We enter afresh into a relationship of mutuality, creating a

new sense of community and joyously living out our worldwide

connection in our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the

transformation of the world.

A Companion Litany to Our Covenant for the Worldwide

United Methodist Church

Leader: In covenant with God and each other, we afrm our

unity in Christ.

People: We will take faithful steps to live as a worldwide

church in our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the

transformation of the world.

Leader: In covenant with God and each other, we commit

ourselves to be in ministry with all people.

People: In faithfulness to the gospel, we will cross boundar-

ies of language, culture, social or economic status as we grow in

mutual love and trust.

Leader: In covenant with God and each other, we participate

in God’s mission as partners in ministry.

People: We share our God-given gifts, experiences, and

resources recognizing that they are of equal value, whether spiri-

tual, nancial, or missional.

Leader: In covenant with God and each other, we commit

ourselves to full equality.

People: We uphold equity and accountability in our relation-

ships, structures, and responsibilities for the denomination.

Leader: In covenant with God and each other, we enter afresh

into a relationship of mutuality.

People: With God’s grace, we joyfully live out our world-

wide connection in our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ

for the transformation of the world.

THE MISSION AND MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH ¶ 129

Section II. The Ministry of All Christians

¶ 126. The Heart of Christian Ministry—The heart of Christian

ministry is Christ’s ministry of outreaching love. Christian

ministry is the expression of the mind and mission of Christ by

a community of Christians that demonstrates a common life of

gratitude and devotion, witness and service, celebration and dis-

cipleship. All Christians are called through their baptism to this

ministry of servanthood in the world to the glory of God and for

human fulllment. The forms of this ministry are diverse in locale,

in interest, and in denominational accent, yet always catholic in

spirit and outreach.

¶ 127. The Ministry of the Laity—The ministry of the laity ows

from a commitment to Christ’s outreaching love. Lay members of

The United Methodist Church are, by history and calling, active

advocates of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Every layperson is called

to carry out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20); every

layperson is called to be missional. The witness of the laity, their

Christ-like examples of everyday living as well as the sharing of

their own faith experiences of the gospel, is the primary evange-

listic ministry through which all people will come to know Christ

and The United Methodist Church will fulll its mission.

¶ 128. The Ministry of the Community—The church as the

community of the new covenant has participated in Christ’s min-

istry of grace across the years and around the world. It stretches

out to human needs wherever love and service may convey God’s

love and ours. The outreach of such ministries knows no limits.

Beyond the diverse forms of ministry is this ultimate concern: that

all persons will be brought into a saving relationship with God

through Jesus Christ and be renewed after the image of their cre-

ator (Colossians 3:10). This means that all Christians are called to

minister wherever Christ would have them serve and witness in

deeds and words that heal and free.

¶ 129. Ministry as Gift and Task—This ministry of all Chris-

tians in Christ’s name and spirit is both a gift and a task. The gift

is God’s unmerited grace; the task is unstinting service. Entrance

into the church is acknowledged in baptism and may include per-

sons of all ages. In baptism, water is administered in the name of

the triune God (specied in the ritual as Father, Son, and Holy

Spirit) by an authorized person, and the Holy Spirit is invoked

with the laying on of hands, ordinarily in the presence of the con-

gregation. In this sacrament the church claims God’s promise and

¶ 129 THE MINISTRY OF ALL CHRISTIANS

the seal of the Spirit (Ephesians 1:13). Baptism is followed by nur-

ture and the consequent awareness by the baptized of the claim

to ministry in Christ placed upon their lives by the church. Such a

ministry is conrmed by the church when the pledges of baptism

are accepted through profession of faith, and renewed for life and

mission. Entrance into and acceptance of ministry begin in a local

church, but the impulse to minister always moves one beyond the

congregation toward the whole human community. God’s gifts

are richly diverse for a variety of services; yet all have dignity and

worth.

¶ 130. Faithful Ministry—The people of God, who are the

church made visible in the world, must convince the world of the

reality of the gospel or leave it unconvinced. There can be no eva-

sion or delegation of this responsibility; the church is either faith-

ful as a witnessing and serving community, or it loses its vitality

and its impact on an unbelieving world.

¶ 131. The Unity of Ministry in Christ—There is but one min-

istry in Christ, but there are diverse gifts and evidences of God’s

grace in the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:4-16). The ministry of

all Christians is complementary. No ministry is subservient to

another. All United Methodists are summoned and sent by Christ

to live and work together in mutual interdependence and to be

guided by the Spirit into the truth that frees and the love that

reconciles

¶ 132. The Journey of a Connectional People—Connectionalism

in the United Methodist tradition is multi-leveled, global in scope,

and local in thrust. Our connectionalism is not merely a linking of

one charge conference to another. It is rather a vital web of interac-

tive relationships.

We are connected by sharing a common tradition of faith,

including Our Doctrinal Standards and General Rules (¶ 104); by

sharing together a constitutional polity, including a leadership of

general superintendency; by sharing a common mission, which

we seek to carry out by working together in and through con-

ferences that reect the inclusive and missional character of our

fellowship; by sharing a common ethos that characterizes our dis-

tinctive way of doing things.

Section III. Servant Ministry and Servant Leadership

¶ 133. Mission as Active Expectancy—The ministry of all

Christians consists of service for the mission of God in the world.

THE MISSION AND MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH ¶ 136

The mission of God is best expressed in the prayer that Jesus

taught his rst disciples: Thy kingdom come; thy will be done, on

earth as in heaven. All Christians, therefore, are to live in active

expectancy: faithful in service of God and their neighbor; faithful

in waiting for the fulllment of God’s universal love, justice, and

peace on earth as in heaven.

Pending this time of fulllment, the ministry of all Christians

is shaped by the teachings of Jesus. The handing on of these teach-

ings is entrusted to leaders who are gifted and called by God to

appointed ofces in the church: some apostles, some prophets,

some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. “His purpose

was to equip God’s people for the work of serving and build-

ing up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12). For these persons

to lead the church effectively, they must embody the teachings

of Jesus in servant ministries and servant leadership. Through

these ministries and leadership, congregations of the church

are faithfully engaged in the forming of Christian disciples and

vitally involved in the mission of God in the world.

¶ 134. Calling and Gifts of Leadership—The United Methodist

Church has traditionally recognized these gifts and callings in the

ordained ofces of elder and deacon. The United Methodist tradi-

tion has recognized that laypersons as well as ordained persons

are gifted and called by God to lead the Church. The servant lead-

ership of these persons is essential to the mission and ministry of

congregations. They help to form Christian disciples in covenant

community within the local congregation through spiritual for-

mation and guidance for Christian living in the world.

Section IV. Servant Ministry

¶ 135. Christian Discipleship—The ministry of all Christians

consists of privilege and obligation. The privilege is a relationship

with God that is deeply spiritual. The obligation is to respond to

God’s call to holy living in the world. In the United Methodist tra-

dition these two dimensions of Christian discipleship are wholly

interdependent.

¶ 136. Our Relationship with God: Privilege—Christians experi-

ence growth and transition in their spiritual life just as in their

physical and emotional lives. While this growth is always a work

of grace, it does not occur uniformly. Spiritual growth in Christ

is a dynamic process marked by awakening, birth, growth, and

maturation. This process requires careful and intentional nurture

100

¶ 136 THE MINISTRY OF ALL CHRISTIANS

for the disciple to reach perfection in the Christian life. There are

stages of spiritual growth and transition: Christian beginnings;

Christian birth; Christian growth; and Christian maturity. These

require careful and intentional nurture for the disciple to come to

maturity in the Christian life and to engage fully in the ministry

of all Christians.

¶ 137. Our Relationship with Christ in the World: Obligation—

The ministry of all Christians in the United Methodist tradition

has always been energized by deep religious experience, with

emphasis on how ministry relates to our obligation to Jesus

Christ. The early Methodists developed a way of life that fostered

reliability, and their methodical discipleship is best expressed in

the General Rules that John Wesley rst published in 1743, which

remain in The United Methodist Book of Discipline, pages 77-80.

Section V. Servant Leadership

¶ 138. Leadership Privileges and Responsibilities—Within The

United Methodist Church, there are those called to servant lead-

ership, lay and ordained. Such callings are evidenced by special

gifts, evidence of God’s grace, and promise of usefulness. God’s

call to servant leadership is inward as it comes to the individual

and outward through the discernment and validation of the

Church. The privilege of servant leadership in the Church is the

call to share in the preparation of congregations and the whole

Church for the mission of God in the world. The obligation of

servant leadership is the forming of Christian disciples in the

covenant community of the congregation. This involves discern-

ing and nurturing the spiritual relationship with God that is the

privilege of all servant ministers. It also involves instructing and

guiding Christian disciples in their witness to Jesus Christ in the

world through acts of worship, devotion, compassion, and justice

under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. John Wesley described this

as “watching over one another in love.”

¶ 139. Ordained Ministry—Ordained ministers are called by

God to a lifetime of servant leadership in specialized ministries

among the people of God. Ordained ministers are called to inter-

pret to the Church the needs, concerns, and hopes of the world

and the promise of God for creation. Within these specialized

ministries, deacons are called to ministries of Word, Service

(¶ 328), Compassion, and Justice and elders are called to minis-

tries of Service, Word, Sacrament, and Order (¶ 332). Through

101

THE MISSION AND MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH ¶ 140

these distinctive functions ordained ministers devote themselves

wholly to the work of the Church and to the upbuilding of the

ministry of all Christians. They do this through the careful study

of Scripture and its faithful interpretation; through effective proc-

lamation of the gospel and responsible administration of the

sacraments; through diligent pastoral leadership of their congre-

gations for fruitful discipleship; and by following the guidance of

the Holy Spirit in witnessing beyond the congregation in the local

community and to the ends of the earth. The ordained ministry is

dened by its faithful commitment to servant leadership follow-

ing the example of Jesus Christ, by its passion for the hallowing of

life, and by its concern to link all local ministries with the widest

boundaries of the Christian community.

Section VI. Called to Inclusiveness

¶ 140. We recognize that God made all creation and saw

that it was good. As a diverse people of God who bring special

gifts and evidences of God’s grace to the unity of the Church and

to society, we are called to be faithful to the example of Jesus’ min-

istry to all persons.

Inclusiveness means openness, acceptance, and support that

enables all persons to participate in the life of the Church, the

community, and the world; therefore, inclusiveness denies every

semblance of discrimination. The services of worship of every

local church of The United Methodist Church shall be open to all

persons.

The mark of an inclusive society is one in which all persons

are open, welcoming, fully accepting, and supporting of all other

persons, enabling them to participate fully in the life of the church,

the community, and the world. A further mark of inclusiveness is

the setting of church activities in facilities accessible to persons

with disabilities.

In The United Methodist Church inclusiveness means the

freedom for the total involvement of all persons who meet the

requirements of The United Methodist Book of Discipline in the

membership and leadership of the Church at any level and in

every place. In the spirit of this declaration, United Methodist

seminaries will begin or continue to improve access to facilities, to

information and communication, and to appropriate support ser-

vices and accommodations as delineated by The United Nations

Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Per-

102

¶ 140 THE MINISTRY OF ALL CHRISTIANS

sons with Disabilities and applicable World Council of Churches

guidelines.

Section VII. The Fulllment of Ministry

Through The United Methodist Church

¶ 141. The Church—Afrming the spiritual dimensions of

the ministry of all Christians, as proclaimed in ¶¶ 120-143 of this

Book of Discipline, it is recognized that this ministry exists in the

secular world and that civil authorities may seek legal denition

predicated on the nature of The United Methodist Church in seek-

ing fulllment of this ministry. Accordingly, it is appropriate that

the meaning of “The United Methodist Church,” “the general

Church,” “the entire Church,” and “the Church” as used in the

Book of Discipline should now be stated consistently with the tradi-

tional self-understanding of United Methodists as to the meaning

of these words.

These terms refer to the overall denomination and connec-

tional relation and identity of its many local churches, the various

conferences and their respective councils, boards, and agencies,

and other Church units, which collectively constitute the religious

system known as United Methodism. Under the Constitution and

disciplinary procedures set forth in this Book of Discipline, “The

United Methodist Church” as a denominational whole is not an

entity, nor does it possess legal capacities and attributes. It does

not and cannot hold title to property, nor does it have any of-

cer, agent, employee, ofce, or location. Conferences, councils,

boards, agencies, local churches, and other units bearing the name

“United Methodist” are, for the most part, legal entities capable

of suing and being sued and possessed of legal capacities.

¶ 142. Denition of Clergy—Clergy in The United Methodist

Church are individuals who serve as commissioned ministers,

deacons, elders, and local pastors (full- and part-time), who hold

membership in an annual conference, and who are commissioned,

ordained, or licensed.

¶ 143. Employment Status of Clergy—Ministry in the Christian

church is derived from the ministry of Christ (¶ 301). Jesus makes

it clear to us that he is a shepherd and not a hireling (John 10:11-

15). Similarly, United Methodist clergy appointed to local churches

are not employees of the local church, the district, or the annual

conference. It is recognized that for certain limited purposes such

as taxation, benets, and insurance, governments and other enti-

103

THE MISSION AND MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH ¶ 143

ties may classify clergy as employees. Such classications are not

to be construed as affecting or dening United Methodist polity,

including the historic covenants that bind annual conferences,

clergy, and congregations, episcopal appointive powers and pro-

cedures, or other principles set forth in the Constitution or the

Book of Discipline (see e.g., ¶¶ 301; 328-329; 333-334; 338; 340). In

addition, any such classications should be accepted, if at all, only

for limited purposes, as set forth above, and with the full recogni-

tion and acknowledgment that it is the responsibility of the clergy

to be God’s servants.

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105

Part V

SOCIAL PRINCIPLES

PREFACE

The United Methodist Church has a long history of concern

for social justice. Its members have often taken forthright posi-

tions on controversial issues involving Christian principles. Early

Methodists expressed their opposition to the slave trade, to smug-

gling, and to the cruel treatment of prisoners.

A social creed was adopted by The Methodist Episcopal

Church (North) in 1908. Within the next decade similar state-

ments were adopted by The Methodist Episcopal Church, South,

and by The Methodist Protestant Church. The Evangelical United

Brethren Church adopted a statement of social principles in 1946

at the time of the uniting of the United Brethren and The Evan-

gelical Church. In 1972, four years after the uniting in 1968 of The

Methodist Church and The Evangelical United Brethren Church,

the General Conference of The United Methodist Church adopted

a new statement of Social Principles, which was revised in 1976

(and by each successive General Conference).

The Social Principles, while not to be considered church law,

are a prayerful and thoughtful effort on the part of the General

Conference to speak to the human issues in the contemporary

world from a sound biblical and theological foundation as histori-

cally demonstrated in United Methodist traditions. They are a call

to faithfulness and are intended to be instructive and persuasive

in the best of the prophetic spirit. The Social Principles are a call

1. See Judicial Council Decisions 833, 1254.

106

¶ 160 SOCIAL PRINCIPLES

to all members of The United Methodist Church to a prayerful,

studied dialogue of faith and practice. (See ¶ 509.)

PREAMBLE

We, the people called United Methodists, afrm our faith in

God our Creator and Father, in Jesus Christ our Savior, and in the

Holy Spirit, our Guide and Guard.

We acknowledge our complete dependence upon God in

birth, in life, in death, and in life eternal. Secure in God’s love,

we afrm the goodness of life and confess our many sins against

God’s will for us as we nd it in Jesus Christ. We have not always

been faithful stewards of all that has been committed to us by God

the Creator. We have been reluctant followers of Jesus Christ in

his mission to bring all persons into a community of love. Though

called by the Holy Spirit to become new creatures in Christ, we

have resisted the further call to become the people of God in our

dealings with each other and the earth on which we live.

We afrm our unity in Jesus Christ while acknowledging dif-

ferences in applying our faith in different cultural contexts as we

live out the gospel. We stand united in declaring our faith that

God’s grace is available to all, that nothing can separate us from

the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Grateful for God’s forgiving love, in which we live and by

which we are judged, and afrming our belief in the inestimable

worth of each individual, we renew our commitment to become

faithful witnesses to the gospel, not alone to the ends of earth, but

also to the depths of our common life and work.

¶ 160. I. THE NATURAL WORLD

All creation is the Lord’s, and we are responsible for the ways

in which we use and abuse it. Water, air, soil, minerals, energy

resources, plants, animal life, and space are to be valued and con-

served because they are God’s creation and not solely because

they are useful to human beings. God has granted us stewardship

of creation. We should meet these stewardship duties through

acts of loving care and respect. Economic, political, social, and

technological developments have increased our human numbers,

and lengthened and enriched our lives. However, these devel-

opments have led to regional defoliation, dramatic extinction of

species, massive human suffering, overpopulation, and misuse

107

THE NATURAL WORLD ¶ 160

and overconsumption of natural and nonrenewable resources,

particularly by industrialized societies. This continued course of

action jeopardizes the natural heritage that God has entrusted to

all generations. Therefore, let us recognize the responsibility of

the church and its members to place a high priority on changes in

economic, political, social, and technological lifestyles to support

a more ecologically equitable and sustainable world leading to a

higher quality of life for all of God’s creation.

A) Water, Air, Soil, Minerals, Plants—We support and encour-

age social policies that serve to reduce and control the creation of

industrial byproducts and waste; facilitate the safe processing and

disposal of toxic and nuclear waste and move toward the elimi-

nation of both; encourage reduction of municipal waste; provide

for appropriate recycling and disposal of municipal waste; and

assist the cleanup of polluted air, water, and soil. We call for the

preservation of old-growth forests and other irreplaceable natural

treasures, as well as preservation of endangered plant species. We

support measures designed to maintain and restore natural eco-

systems. We support policies that develop alternatives to chemi-

cals used for growing, processing, and preserving food, and we

strongly urge adequate research into their effects upon God’s

creation prior to utilization. We urge development of interna-

tional agreements concerning equitable utilization of the world’s

resources for human benet so long as the integrity of the earth

is maintained. We are deeply concerned about the privatization

of water resources, the bottling of water to be sold as a commod-

ity for prot, and the resources that go into packaging bottled

water. We urge all municipalities and other governmental orga-

nizations to develop processes for determining sustainability of

water resources and to determine the environmental, economic,

and social consequences of privatization of water resources prior

to the licensing and approval thereof.

B) Energy Resources Utilization—The whole earth is God’s

good creation and as such has inherent value. We are aware that

the current utilization of energy resources threatens this creation

at its very foundation. As members of The United Methodist

Church we are committed to approaching creation, energy pro-

duction, and especially creation’s resources in a responsible, care-

ful and economic way. We call upon all to take measures to save

energy. Everybody should adapt his or her lifestyle to the average

consumption of energy that respects the limits of the planet earth.

108

¶ 160 SOCIAL PRINCIPLES

We encourage persons to limit CO

emissions toward the goal of

one tonne per person annually. We strongly advocate for the pri-

ority of the development of renewable energies. The deposits of

carbon, oil, and gas resources are limited and their continuous uti-

lization accelerates global warming. The use of nuclear power is

no solution for avoiding CO

emissions. Nuclear power plants are

vulnerable, unsafe, and potential health risks. A safe, permanent

storage of nuclear waste cannot be guaranteed. It is therefore not

responsible to future generations to operate them. The production

of agricultural fuels and the use of biomass plants rank lower than

the provision of safe food supplies and the continued existence

for small farming businesses.

C) Animal Life—We support regulations that protect and con-

serve the life and health of animals, including those ensuring the

humane treatment of pets, domesticated animals, animals used in

research, wildlife, and the painless slaughtering of meat animals,

sh, and fowl. We recognize unmanaged and managed commer-

cial, multinational, and corporate exploitation of wildlife and the

destruction of the ecosystems on which they depend threatens the

balance of natural systems, compromises biodiversity, reduces

resilience, and threatens ecosystem services. We encourage com-

mitment to effective implementation of national and international

governmental and business regulations and guidelines for the

conservation of all animal species with particular support to safe-

guard those threatened with extinction.

D) Global Climate Stewardship—We acknowledge the global

impact of humanity’s disregard for God’s creation. Rampant

industrialization and the corresponding increase in the use of

fossil fuels have led to a buildup of pollutants in the earth’s atmo-

sphere. These “greenhouse gas” emissions threaten to alter dra-

matically the earth’s climate for generations to come with severe

environmental, economic, and social implications. The adverse

impacts of global climate change disproportionately affect indi-

viduals and nations least responsible for the emissions. We there-

fore support efforts of all governments to require mandatory

reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and call on individuals,

congregations, businesses, industries, and communities to reduce

their emissions.

E) Space—The universe, known and unknown, is the creation

of God and is due the respect we are called to give the earth. We

therefore reject any nation’s efforts to weaponized space and urge

109

THE NATURAL WORLD ¶ 160

that all nations pursue the peaceful and collaborative develop-

ment of space technologies and of outer space itself.

F) Science and Technology—We recognize science as a legiti-

mate interpretation of God’s natural world. We afrm the validity

of the claims of science in describing the natural world and in

determining what is scientic. We preclude science from making

authoritative claims about theological issues and theology from

making authoritative claims about scientic issues. We nd that

science’s descriptions of cosmological, geological, and biological

evolution are not in conict with theology. We recognize medical,

technical, and scientic technologies as legitimate uses of God’s

natural world when such use enhances human life and enables

all of God’s children to develop their God-given creative potential

without violating our ethical convictions about the relationship

of humanity to the natural world. We reexamine our ethical con-

victions as our understanding of the natural world increases. We

nd that as science expands human understanding of the natural

world, our understanding of the mysteries of God’s creation and

word are enhanced.

In acknowledging the important roles of science and technol-

ogy, however, we also believe that theological understandings of

human experience are crucial to a full understanding of the place

of humanity in the universe. Science and theology are comple-

mentary rather than mutually incompatible. We therefore encour-

age dialogue between the scientic and theological communities

and seek the kind of participation that will enable humanity to

sustain life on earth and, by God’s grace, increase the quality of

our common lives together.

G) Food Safety—We support policies that protect the food sup-

ply and that ensure the public’s right to know the content of the

foods they are eating. We call for rigorous inspections and con-

trols on the biological safety of all foodstuffs intended for human

consumption. We urge independent testing for chemical residues

in food, and the removal from the market of foods contaminated

with potentially hazardous levels of pesticides, herbicides, or fun-

gicides; drug residues from animal antibiotics, steroids, or hor-

mones; contaminants due to pollution that are carried by air, soil,

or water from incinerator plants or other industrial operations.

We call for clear labeling of all processed, genetically created, or

genetically altered foods, with premarket safety testing required.

We oppose weakening the standards for organic foods. We call

110

¶ 160 SOCIAL PRINCIPLES

for policies that encourage and support a gradual transition to

sustainable and organic agriculture.

H) Food Justice—We support policies that increase access to

quality food, particularly for those with the fewest resources. We

afrm local, sustainable, and small-scale agriculture opportuni-

ties that allow communities to feed themselves. We decry policies

that make food inaccessible to the communities where it is grown

and the farmworkers involved in its growth.

¶ 161. II. THE NURTURING COMMUNITY

The community provides the potential for nurturing human

beings into the fullness of their humanity. We believe we have

a responsibility to innovate, sponsor, and evaluate new forms of

community that will encourage development of the fullest poten-

tial in individuals. Primary for us is the gospel understanding

that all persons are important—because they are human beings

created by God and loved through and by Jesus Christ and not

because they have merited signicance. We therefore support

social climates in which human communities are maintained and

strengthened for the sake of all persons and their growth. We

also encourage all individuals to be sensitive to others by using

appropriate language when referring to all persons. Language

of a derogatory nature (with regard to race, nationality, ethnic

background, gender, sexuality, and physical differences) does not

reect value for one another and contradicts the gospel of Jesus

Christ.

A) Culture and Identity—We believe that our primary identity

is as children of God. With that identity comes societal and cul-

tural constructions that have both positive and negative impacts

on humanity and the Church. Cultural identity evolves through

our history, traditions, and experiences. The Church seeks to

fully embrace and nurture cultural formation and competency as

a means to be fully one body, expressed in multiple ways. Each

of us has multiple identities of equal value that intersect to form

our complete self. We afrm that no identity or culture has more

legitimacy than any other. We call the Church to challenge any

hierarchy of cultures or identities. Through relationships within

and among cultures we are called to and have the responsibil-

ity for learning from each other, showing mutual respect for our

differences and similarities as we experience the diversity of per-

spectives and viewpoints.

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THE NURTURING COMMUNITY ¶ 161

B) The Family—We believe the family to be the basic human

community through which persons are nurtured and sustained

in mutual love, responsibility, respect, and delity. We afrm the

importance of loving parents for all children. We also understand

the family as encompassing a wider range of options than that

of the two-generational unit of parents and children (the nuclear

family). We afrm shared responsibility for parenting where there

are two parents and encourage social, economic, and religious

efforts to maintain and strengthen relationships within families

in order that every member may be assisted toward complete

personhood.

C) Marriage—We afrm the sanctity of the marriage covenant

that is expressed in love, mutual support, personal commitment,

and shared delity between a man and a woman. We believe that

God’s blessing rests upon such marriage, whether or not there are

children of the union. We reject social norms that assume different

standards for women than for men in marriage. We support laws

in civil society that dene marriage as the union of one man and

one woman.

D) Divorce—God’s plan is for lifelong, faithful marriage. The

church must be on the forefront of premarital, marital, and post-

marital counseling in order to create and preserve healthy rela-

tionships. However, when a married couple is estranged beyond

reconciliation, even after thoughtful consideration and counsel,

divorce is a regrettable alternative in the midst of brokenness. We

grieve over the devastating emotional, spiritual, and economic

consequences of divorce for all involved, understanding that

women and especially children are disproportionately impacted

by such burdens. As the Church we are concerned about high

divorce rates. It is recommended that methods of mediation be

used to minimize the adversarial nature and fault-nding that are

often part of our current judicial processes, encouraging reconcili-

ation wherever possible. We also support efforts by governments

to reform divorce laws and other aspects of family law in order to

address negative trends such as high divorce rates.

Although divorce publicly declares that a marriage no longer

exists, other covenantal relationships resulting from the marriage

remain, such as the nurture and support of children and extended

family ties. We urge respectful negotiations in deciding the custody

2. See Judicial Council Decision 694.

112

¶ 161 SOCIAL PRINCIPLES

of minor children and support the consideration of either or both

parents for this responsibility in that custody not be reduced to

nancial support, control, or manipulation and retaliation. The

welfare of each child is the most important consideration.

Divorce does not preclude a new marriage. We encourage

an intentional commitment of the Church and society to minis-

ter compassionately to those in the process of divorce, as well as

members of divorced and remarried families, in a community of

faith where God’s grace is shared by all.

E) Single Persons—We afrm the integrity of single persons,

and we reject all social practices that discriminate or social atti-

tudes that are prejudicial against persons because they are sin-

gle. This also includes single parents, and we recognize the extra

responsibilities involved.

F) Women and Men—We afrm with Scripture the common

humanity of male and female, both having equal worth in the

eyes of God. We reject the erroneous notion that one gender is

superior to another, that one gender must strive against another,

and that members of one gender may receive love, power, and

esteem only at the expense of another. We especially reject the

idea that God made individuals as incomplete fragments, made

whole only in union with another. We call upon women and men

alike to share power and control, to learn to give freely and to

receive freely, to be complete and to respect the wholeness of

others. We seek for every individual opportunities and freedom

to love and be loved, to seek and receive justice, and to practice

ethical self-determination. We understand our gender diversity to

be a gift from God, intended to add to the rich variety of human

experience and perspective; and we guard against attitudes and

traditions that would use this good gift to leave members of one

sex more vulnerable in relationships than members of another.

G) Human Sexuality—We afrm that sexuality is God’s good

gift to all persons. We call everyone to responsible stewardship of

this sacred gift.

Although all persons are sexual beings whether or not they

are married, sexual relations are afrmed only with the covenant

of monogamous, heterosexual marriage.

We deplore all forms of the commercialization, abuse, and

exploitation of sex. We call for strict global enforcement of laws

prohibiting the sexual exploitation of children and for adequate

protection, guidance, and counseling for abused children. All per-

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THE NURTURING COMMUNITY ¶ 161

sons, regardless of age, gender, marital status, or sexual orienta-

tion, are entitled to have their human and civil rights ensured and

to be protected against violence. The Church should support the

family in providing age-appropriate education regarding sexual-

ity to children, youth, and adults.

We afrm that all persons are individuals of sacred worth,

created in the image of God. All persons need the ministry of the

Church in their struggles for human fulllment, as well as the

spiritual and emotional care of a fellowship that enables reconcil-

ing relationships with God, with others, and with self. The United

Methodist Church does not condone the practice of homosexual-

ity and considers this practice incompatible with Christian teach-

ing. We afrm that God’s grace is available to all. We will seek

to live together in Christian community, welcoming, forgiving,

and loving one another, as Christ has loved and accepted us. We

implore families and churches not to reject or condemn lesbian

and gay members and friends. We commit ourselves to be in min-

istry for and with all persons.

H) Family Violence and Abuse—We recognize that family vio-

lence and abuse in all its forms—verbal, psychological, physical,

sexual—is detrimental to the covenant of the human community.

We encourage the Church to provide a safe environment, counsel,

and support for the victim and to work with the abuser to under-

stand the root causes and forms of abuse and to overcome such

behaviors. Regardless of the cause or the abuse, both the victim

and the abuser need the love of the Church. While we deplore the

actions of the abuser, we afrm that person to be in need of God’s

redeeming love.

I) Sexual Abuse—Violent, disrespectful, or abusive sexual

expressions do not conrm sexuality as God’s good gift. We

reject all sexual expressions that damage the humanity God has

given us as birthright, and we afrm only that sexual expres-

sion that enhances that same humanity. We believe that sexual

relations where one or both partners are exploitative, abusive, or

promiscuous are beyond the parameters of acceptable Christian

behavior and are ultimately destructive to individuals, families,

and the social order. We deplore all forms of the commercialization

and exploitation of sex, with their consequent cheapening and

degradation of human personality. To lose freedom and be sold

3. See Judicial Council Decision 702.

114

¶ 161 SOCIAL PRINCIPLES

by someone else for sexual purposes is a form of slavery, and we

denounce such business and support the abused and their right

to freedom.

We call for strict global enforcement of laws prohibiting the

sexual exploitation or use of children by adults and encourage

efforts to hold perpetrators legally and nancially responsible. We

call for the establishment of adequate protective services, guid-

ance, and counseling opportunities for children thus abused.

J) Sexual Harassment—We believe human sexuality is God’s

good gift. One abuse of this good gift is sexual harassment. We

dene sexual harassment as any unwanted sexual comment,

advance, or demand, either verbal or physical, that is reason-

ably perceived by the recipient as demeaning, intimidating, or

coercive. Sexual harassment must be understood as an exploita-

tion of a power relationship rather than as an exclusively sexual

issue. Sexual harassment includes, but is not limited to, the cre-

ation of a hostile or abusive working environment resulting from

discrimination on the basis of gender. Contrary to the nurturing

community, sexual harassment creates improper, coercive, and

abusive conditions wherever it occurs in society. Sexual harass-

ment undermines the social goal of equal opportunity and the

climate of mutual respect between men and women. Unwanted

sexual attention is wrong and discriminatory. Sexual harassment

interferes with the moral mission of the Church.

K) Abortion—The beginning of life and the ending of life are

the God-given boundaries of human existence. While individuals

have always had some degree of control over when they would

die, they now have the awesome power to determine when and

even whether new individuals will be born. Our belief in the sanc-

tity of unborn human life makes us reluctant to approve abortion.

But we are equally bound to respect the sacredness of the life

and well-being of the mother and the unborn child.

We recognize tragic conicts of life with life that may justify

abortion, and in such cases we support the legal option of abor-

tion under proper medical procedures by certied medical pro-

viders. We support parental, guardian, or other responsible adult

notication and consent before abortions can be performed on

girls who have not yet reached the age of legal adulthood. We

cannot afrm abortion as an acceptable means of birth control,

and we unconditionally reject it as a means of gender selection or

eugenics (see Resolution 3184).

115

THE NURTURING COMMUNITY ¶ 161

We oppose the use of late-term abortion known as dilation

and extraction (partial-birth abortion) and call for the end of this

practice except when the physical life of the mother is in dan-

ger and no other medical procedure is available, or in the case

of severe fetal anomalies incompatible with life. This procedure

shall be performed only by certied medical providers. Before

providing their services, abortion providers should be required to

offer women the option of anesthesia.

We call all Christians to a searching and prayerful inquiry into

the sorts of conditions that may cause them to consider abortion.

We entrust God to provide guidance, wisdom, and discernment to

those facing an unintended pregnancy.

The Church shall offer ministries to reduce unintended preg-

nancies. We commit our Church to continue to provide nurtur-

ing ministries to those who terminate a pregnancy, to those in the

midst of a crisis pregnancy, and to those who give birth.

We mourn and are committed to promoting the diminish-

ment of high abortion rates. The Church shall encourage minis-

tries to reduce unintended pregnancies such as comprehensive,

age-appropriate sexuality education, advocacy in regard to con-

traception, and support of initiatives that enhance the quality of

life for all women and girls around the globe.

Young adult women disproportionately face situations in

which they feel that they have no choice due to nancial, educa-

tional, relational, or other circumstances beyond their control. The

Church and its local congregations and campus ministries should

be in the forefront of supporting existing ministries and develop-

ing new ministries that help such women in their com- munities.

They should also support those crisis pregnancy centers and preg-

nancy resource centers that compassionately help women explore

all options related to unplanned pregnancy. We particularly

encourage the Church, the government, and social service agen-

cies to support and facilitate the option of adoption. (See ¶ 161M.)

We afrm and encourage the Church to assist the ministry of cri-

sis pregnancy centers and pregnancy resource centers that com-

passionately help women nd feasible alternatives to abortion.

Governmental laws and regulations do not provide all the

guidance required by the informed Christian conscience. There-

fore, a decision concerning abortion should be made only after

thoughtful and prayerful consideration by the parties involved,

with medical, family, pastoral, and other appropriate counsel.

116

¶ 161 SOCIAL PRINCIPLES

L) Ministry With Those Who Have Experienced an Abortion—We

urge local pastors to become informed about the symptoms and

behaviors associated with post-abortion stress. We commit our

Church to continue to provide nurturing ministries to those who

terminate a pregnancy, to those in the midst of a crisis pregnancy,

and to those who give birth. We further encourage local churches

to make available contact information for counseling agencies that

offer programs to address post-abortion stress for all seeking help.

M) Adoption—Children are a gift from God to be welcomed

and received. We recognize that some circumstances of birth make

the rearing of a child difcult. We afrm and support the birth

parent(s) whose choice it is to allow the child to be adopted. We

recognize the agony, strength, and courage of the birth parent(s)

who choose(s) in hope, love, and prayer to offer the child for

adoption. In addition, we also recognize the anxiety, strength,

and courage of those who choose in hope, love, and prayer to

be able to care for a child. We afrm and support the adoptive

parent(s)’ desire to rear an adopted child as they would a biologi-

cal child. When circumstances warrant adoption, we support the

use of proper legal procedures. When appropriate and possible,

we encourage open adoption so that a child may know all infor-

mation and people related to them, both medically and relation-

ally. We support and encourage greater awareness and education

to promote adoption of a wide variety of children through foster

care, international adoption, and domestic adoption. We com-

mend the birth parent(s), the receiving parent(s), and the child to

the care of the Church, that grief might be shared, joy might be

celebrated, and the child might be nurtured in a community of

Christian love.

N) Faithful Care for Dying Persons—While we applaud medical

science for efforts to prevent disease and illness and for advances

in treatment that extend the meaningful life of human beings,

we recognize that every mortal life will ultimately end in death.

Death is never a sign that God has abandoned us, no matter what

the circumstances of the death might be. As Christians we must

always be prepared to surrender the gift of mortal life and claim

the gift of eternal life through the death and resurrection of Jesus

Christ. Care for dying persons is part of our stewardship of the

divine gift of life when cure is no longer possible. We encourage

the use of medical technologies to provide palliative care at the

end of life when life-sustaining treatments no longer support the

117

THE NURTURING COMMUNITY ¶ 161

goals of life, and when they have reached their limits. There is

no moral or religious obligation to use these when they impose

undue burdens or only extend the process of dying. Dying per-

sons and their families are free to discontinue treatments when

they cease to be of benet to the patient.

We recognize the agonizing personal and moral decisions

faced by the dying, their physicians, their families, their friends,

and their faith community. We urge that decisions faced by the

dying be made with thoughtful and prayerful consideration by

the parties involved, with medical, pastoral, and other appropri-

ate counsel. We further urge that all persons discuss with their

families, their physicians, and their pastoral counselors, their

wishes for care at the end of life and provide advance directives

for such care when they are not able to make these decisions for

themselves. Even when one accepts the inevitability of death,

the Church and society must continue to provide faithful care,

including pain relief, companionship, support, and spiritual nur-

ture for the dying person in the hard work of preparing for death.

We encourage and support the concept of hospice care whenever

possible at the end of life. Faithful care does not end at death but

continues during bereavement as we care for grieving families.

We reject euthanasia and any pressure upon the dying to end their

lives. God has continued love and purpose for all persons, regard-

less of health. We afrm laws and policies that protect the rights

and dignity of the dying.

O) Suicide—We believe that suicide is not the way a human

life should end. Often suicide is the result of untreated depres-

sion, or untreated pain and suffering. The Church has an obliga-

tion to see that all persons have access to needed pastoral and

medical care and therapy in those circumstances that lead to loss

of self-worth, suicidal despair, and/or the desire to seek physi-

cian-assisted suicide. We encourage the Church to provide educa-

tion to address the biblical, theological, social, and ethical issues

related to death and dying, including suicide. United Methodist

theological seminary courses should also focus on issues of death

and dying, including suicide.

A Christian perspective on suicide begins with an afrmation

of faith that nothing, including suicide, separates us from the love

of God (Romans 8:38-39). Therefore, we deplore the condemna-

tion of people who complete suicide, and we consider unjust the

stigma that so often falls on surviving family and friends.

118

¶ 161 SOCIAL PRINCIPLES

We encourage pastors and faith communities to address this

issue through preaching and teaching. We urge pastors and faith

communities to provide pastoral care to those at risk, survivors,

and their families, and to those families who have lost loved ones

to suicide, seeking always to remove the oppressive stigma around

suicide. The Church opposes assisted suicide and euthanasia.

P) Sexual Assault—Sexual assault is wrong. We afrm the right

of all people to live free from such assaults, encourage efforts of

law enforcement to prosecute such crimes, and condemn rape in

any form. It does not matter where the person is, what the person

is wearing, whether or not he or she is intoxicated, if he or she is

irtatious, what is the victim’s gender, or any other circumstance.

Q) Pornography—Scripture teaches that humans are created

in God’s image and that we are accountable to God through right

relationship. Sexual images can celebrate the goodness of human

sexuality through positive depiction in art, literature, and educa-

tion. We deplore, however, images that distort this goodness and

injure healthy sexual relationships.

We oppose all forms of pornography and consider its use

a form of sexual misconduct. Pornography is sexually explicit

material that portrays violence, abuse, coercion, domination,

humiliation, or degradation for the purpose of sexual arousal.

Pornography sexually exploits and objecties both women and

men. Any sexually explicit material that depicts children is abhor-

rent and victimizes children. Pornography can ruin lives, careers,

and relationships.

We grieve the pervasiveness of Internet pornography, includ-

ing among Christians, and especially its impact on young people

and marriages.

The Church is called to transformation and healing for all per-

sons adversely affected by pornography. Congregations should

send a clear message of opposition to pornography and commit-

ment to safe environments for everyone. We encourage strategies

to eradicate pornography, to support victims, and to provide open

and transparent conversation and education around sexuality and

sexual ethics. We also believe that people can be rehabilitated

and should have the opportunity to receive treatment; therefore,

churches should seek ways to offer support and care for address-

ing issues of addiction. Further, all churches are encouraged to

review and update appropriate child, youth, and adult protection

policies to reect The United Methodist Church’s position that the

119

THE SOCIAL COMMUNITY ¶ 162

use of pornography is a form of sexual misconduct. By encour-

aging education, prevention, and pathways to recovery for all

affected by pornography, we live out our Wesleyan understand-

ing of grace and healing.

R) Bullying—Bullying is a growing problem in parts of the

connection. It is a contributing factor in suicide and in the vio-

lence we see in some cultures today. We afrm the right of all

people, regardless of gender, socioeconomic status, race, reli-

gion, disability, age, physical appearance, sexual orientation and

gender identity, to be free of unwanted aggressive behavior and

harmful control tactics.

As the Church, we can play a pivotal role in ending this

problem. We urge churches to seek opportunities to be trained

in responding to the needs of those who have been bullied, to

those who perpetrate bullying, and to support those in authority

who may witness or be called to intervene on behalf of those who

have been bullied. Churches are urged to connect with commu-

nity associations and schools in this outreach.

We encourage churches to adopt a policy of zero tolerance for

bullying, including cyberbullying, within their spheres of inu-

ence; stand with persons being bullied; and take a leadership role

in working with the schools and community to prevent bullying.

¶ 162. III. THE SOCIAL COMMUNITY

The rights and privileges a society bestows upon or withholds

from those who comprise it indicate the relative esteem in which

that society holds particular persons and groups of persons. We

afrm all persons as equally valuable in the sight of God. We there-

fore work toward societies in which each person’s value is recog-

nized, maintained, and strengthened. We support the basic rights

of all persons to equal access to housing, education, communica-

tion, employment, medical care, legal redress for grievances, and

physical protection. We deplore acts of hate or violence against

groups or persons based on race, color, national origin, ethnicity,

age, gender, disability, status, economic condition, sexual orienta-

tion, gender identity, or religious afliation. Our respect for the

inherent dignity of all persons leads us to call for the recognition,

protection, and implementation of the principles of The Universal

Declaration of Human Rights so that communities and individuals

may claim and enjoy their universal, indivisible, and inalienable

rights.

120

¶ 162 SOCIAL PRINCIPLES

A) Rights of Racial and Ethnic Persons—Racism is the combina-

tion of the power to dominate by one race over other races and

a value system that assumes that the dominant race is innately

superior to the others. Racism includes both personal and insti-

tutional racism. Personal racism is manifested through the indi-

vidual expressions, attitudes, and/or behaviors that accept the

assumptions of a racist value system and that maintain the benets

of this system. Institutional racism is the established social pattern

that supports implicitly or explicitly the racist value system. Rac-

ism, manifested as sin, plagues and hinders our relationship with

Christ, inasmuch as it is antithetical to the gospel itself. In many

cultures white persons are granted unearned privileges and ben-

ets that are denied to persons of color. We oppose the creation of

a racial hierarchy in any culture. Racism breeds racial discrimina-

tion. We dene racial discrimination as the disparate treatment and

lack of full access and equity in resources, opportunities, and par-

ticipation in the Church and in society based on race or ethnicity.

Therefore, we recognize racism as sin and afrm the ulti-

mate and temporal worth of all persons. We rejoice in the gifts

that particular ethnic histories and cultures bring to our total life.

We commit as the Church to move beyond symbolic expressions

and representative models that do not challenge unjust systems of

power and access.

We commend and encourage the self-awareness of all racial

and ethnic groups and oppressed people that leads them to

demand their just and equal rights as members of society. We

assert the obligation of society and people within the society to

implement compensatory programs that redress long-standing,

systemic social deprivation of racial and ethnic persons. We fur-

ther assert the right of members of historically underrepresented

racial and ethnic persons to equal and equitable opportunities

in employment and promotion; to education and training of the

highest quality; to nondiscrimination in voting, access to public

accommodations, and housing purchase or rental; to credit, nan-

cial loans, venture capital, and insurance policies; to positions of

leadership and power in all elements of our life together; and to

full participation in the Church and society. We support afrma-

tive action as one method of addressing the inequalities and dis-

criminatory practices within the Church and society.

B) Rights of Religious Minorities—Religious persecution has

been common in the history of civilization. We urge policies and

121

THE SOCIAL COMMUNITY ¶ 162

practices that ensure the right of every religious group to exer-

cise its faith free from legal, political, or economic restrictions. We

condemn all overt and covert forms of religious intolerance, being

especially sensitive to their expression in media stereotyping. We

assert the right of all religions and their adherents to freedom

from legal, economic, and social discrimination.

C) Rights of Children—Once considered the property of their

parents, children are now acknowledged to be full human beings

in their own right, but beings to whom adults and society in gen-

eral have special obligations. Thus, we support the development

of school systems and innovative methods of education designed

to assist every child toward complete fulllment as an individual

person of worth. All children have the right to quality education,

including full sex education appropriate to their stage of develop-

ment that utilizes the best educational techniques and insights.

Christian parents and guardians and the Church have the respon-

sibility to ensure that children receive sex education consistent

with Christian morality, including faithfulness in marriage and

abstinence in singleness. Moreover, children have the rights to

food, shelter, clothing, health care, and emotional well-being as do

adults, and these rights we afrm as theirs regardless of actions

or inactions of their parents or guardians. In particular, children

must be protected from economic, physical, emotional, and sexual

exploitation and abuse.

D) Rights of Young People—Our society is characterized by a

large population of young people who frequently nd full par-

ticipation in society difcult. Therefore, we urge development of

policies that encourage inclusion of young people in decision-

making processes and that eliminate discrimination and exploita-

tion. Creative and appropriate employment opportunities should

be legally and socially available for young people.

E) Rights of the Aging—In a society that places primary

emphasis upon youth, those growing old in years are frequently

isolated from the mainstream of social existence. We support

social policies that integrate the aging into the life of the total

community, including sufcient incomes, increased and nondis-

criminatory employment opportunities, educational and service

opportunities, and adequate medical care and housing within

existing communities. We urge social policies and programs, with

emphasis on the unique concerns of older women and ethnic per-

sons, that ensure to the aging the respect and dignity that is their

122

¶ 162 SOCIAL PRINCIPLES

right as senior members of the human community. Further, we

urge increased consideration for adequate pension systems by

employers, with provisions for the surviving spouse.

F) Rights of Women—We afrm women and men to be equal

in every aspect of their common life. We therefore urge that every

effort be made to eliminate sex-role stereotypes in activity and

portrayal of family life and in all aspects of voluntary and com-

pensatory participation in the Church and society. We afrm the

right of women to equal treatment in employment, responsibil-

ity, promotion, and compensation. We afrm the importance of

women in decision-making positions at all levels of Church and

society and urge such bodies to guarantee their presence through

policies of employment and recruitment. We support afrmative

action as one method of addressing the inequalities and discrimi-

natory practices within our Church and society. We urge employ-

ers of persons in dual career families, both in the Church and

society, to apply proper consideration of both parties when reloca-

tion is considered. We afrm the right of women to live free from

violence and abuse and urge governments to enact policies that

protect women against all forms of violence and discrimination in

any sector of society.

G) Rights of Men—Because we afrm women and men to

be equal in every aspect of their common life, we also afrm the

rights of men. We afrm equal opportunities in employment,

responsibility, and promotion. Men should not be ignored or lose

opportunities or inuence because they are men.

We recognize that men are also victims of domestic violence

and abuse. We encourage communities to offer the same policies

and protection as provided for women in similar situations. We

afrm the right of men to live free from violence and abuse and

urge governments to enact policies that protect men against all

forms of violence and discrimination in any sector of society.

We recognize that men’s role in raising children is in equal

importance to women’s and call for equal rights as women in

opportunities for parental leave. When parents divorce, men

often have less contact with their children. We call for equal access

to child-custody, but emphasize that the best interest of the child

always is the most important.

H) Rights of Immigrants—We recognize, embrace, and afrm

all persons, regardless of country of origin, as members of the

family of God. We afrm the right of all persons to equal opportu-

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THE SOCIAL COMMUNITY ¶ 162

nities for employment, access to housing, health care, education,

and freedom from social discrimination. We urge the Church and

society to recognize the gifts, contributions, and struggles of those

who are immigrants and to advocate for justice for all. We oppose

immigration policies that separate family members from each

other or that include detention of families with children, and we

call on local churches to be in ministry with immigrant families.

I) Rights of Persons With Disabilities—We recognize and afrm

the full humanity and personhood of all individuals with mental,

physical, developmental, neurological, and psychological con-

ditions or disabilities as full members of the family of God. We

also afrm their rightful place in both the Church and society. We

afrm the responsibility of the Church and society to be in minis-

try with children, youth, and adults with mental, physical, devel-

opmental, and/or psychological and neurological conditions or

disabilities whose particular needs in the areas of mobility, com-

munication, intellectual comprehension, or personal relationships

might make more challenging their participation or that of their

families in the life of the Church and the community. We urge the

Church and society to recognize and receive the gifts of persons

with disabilities to enable them to be full participants in the com-

munity of faith. We call the Church and society to be sensitive

to, and advocate for, programs of rehabilitation, services, employ-

ment, education, appropriate housing, and transportation. We call

on the Church and society to protect the civil rights of persons

with all types and kinds of disabilities.

J) Equal Rights Regardless of Sexual Orientation—Certain basic

human rights and civil liberties are due all persons. We are commit-

ted to supporting those rights and liberties for all persons, regard-

less of sexual orientation. We see a clear issue of simple justice in

protecting the rightful claims where people have shared material

resources, pensions, guardian relationships, mutual powers of

attorney, and other such lawful claims typically attendant to con-

tractual relationships that involve shared contributions, respon-

sibilities, and liabilities, and equal protection before the law.

Moreover, we support efforts to stop violence and other forms of

coercion against all persons, regardless of sexual orientation.

K) Population—Since the growing worldwide population is

increasingly straining the world’s supply of food, minerals, and

water and sharpening international tensions, the reduction of the

rate of consumption of resources by the afuent and the reduction

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¶ 162 SOCIAL PRINCIPLES

of current world population growth rates have become impera-

tive. People have the duty to consider the impact on the total

world community of their decisions regarding childbearing and

should have access to information and appropriate means to limit

their fertility, including voluntary sterilization. We afrm that

programs to achieve a stabilized population should be placed in

a context of total economic and social development, including an

equitable use and control of resources; improvement in the sta-

tus of women in all cultures; a human level of economic security,

health care, and literacy for all. We oppose any policy of forced

abortion or forced sterilization.

L) Alcohol and Other Drugs—We afrm our long-standing

support of abstinence from alcohol as a faithful witness to God’s

liberating and redeeming love for persons. We support abstinence

from the use of any illegal drugs. Since the use of illegal drugs, as

well as illegal and problematic use of alcohol, is a major factor in

crime, disease, death, and family dysfunction, we support edu-

cational programs as well as other prevention strategies encour-

aging abstinence from illegal drug use and, with regard to those

who choose to consume alcoholic beverages, judicious use with

deliberate and intentional restraint, with Scripture as a guide.

Millions of living human beings are testimony to the bene-

cial consequences of therapeutic drug use, and millions of others

are testimony to the detrimental consequences of drug misuse. We

encourage wise policies relating to the availability of potentially

benecial or potentially damaging prescription and over-the-coun-

ter drugs; we urge that complete information about their use and

misuse be readily available to both doctor and patient. We support

the strict administration of laws regulating the sale and distribution

of alcohol and controlled substances. We support regulations that

protect society from users of drugs of any kind, including alcohol,

where it can be shown that a clear and present social danger exists.

Drug-dependent persons and their family members, including

those who are assessed or diagnosed as dependent on alcohol,

are individuals of innite human worth deserving of treatment,

rehabilitation, and ongoing life-changing recovery. Misuse or

abuse may also require intervention, in order to prevent progres-

sion into dependence. Because of the frequent interrelationship

between alcohol abuse and mental illness, we call upon legislators

and health care providers to make available appropriate mental

illness treatment and rehabilitation for drug-dependent persons.

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THE SOCIAL COMMUNITY ¶ 162

We commit ourselves to assisting those who suffer from abuse or

dependence, and their families, in nding freedom through Jesus

Christ and in nding good opportunities for treatment, for ongo-

ing counseling, and for reintegration into society.

M) Tobacco—We afrm our historic tradition of high stan-

dards of personal discipline and social responsibility. In light of

the overwhelming evidence that tobacco smoking and the use

of smokeless tobacco are hazardous to the health of persons of

all ages, we recommend total abstinence from the use of tobacco.

We urge that our educational and communication resources be

utilized to support and encourage such abstinence. Further, we

recognize the harmful effects of passive smoke and support the

restriction of smoking in public areas and workplaces.

N) Medical Experimentation—Physical and mental health has

been greatly enhanced through discoveries by medical science. It

is imperative, however, that governments and the medical profes-

sion carefully enforce the requirements of the prevailing medical

research standard, maintaining rigid controls in testing new tech-

nologies and drugs utilizing human beings. The standard requires

that those engaged in research shall use human beings as research

subjects only after obtaining full, rational, and uncoerced consent.

O) Genetic Technology—The responsibility of humankind to

God’s creation challenges us to deal carefully with and examine

the possibilities of genetic research and technology in a conscien-

tious, careful, and responsible way. We welcome the use of genetic

technology for meeting fundamental human needs for health and

a safe environment. We oppose the cloning of humans and the

genetic manipulation of the gender of an unborn child.

Because of the effects of genetic technologies on all life, we

call for effective guidelines and public accountability to safeguard

against any action that might lead to abuse of these technologies,

including political or military ends. We recognize that cautious,

well-intended use of genetic technologies may sometimes lead to

unanticipated harmful consequences. The risks of genetic tech-

nology that can hardly be calculated when breeding animals and

plants and the negative ecological and social impacts on agricul-

ture make the use of this technology doubtful. We approve mod-

ern methods of breeding that respect the existence of the natural

borders of species.

Human gene therapies that produce changes that cannot be

passed to offspring (somatic therapy) should be limited to the

126

¶ 162 SOCIAL PRINCIPLES

alleviation of suffering caused by disease. Genetic therapies for

eugenic choices or that produce waste embryos are deplored.

Genetic data of individuals and their families should be kept secret

and held in strict condence unless condentiality is waived by

the individual or by his or her family, or unless the collection and

use of genetic identication data is supported by an appropriate

court order. Because its long-term effects are uncertain, we oppose

genetic therapy that results in changes that can be passed to off-

spring (germ-line therapy). All the genetic procedures must be

accompanied by independent, ethically oriented measures of test-

ing, approval, and control.

P) Rural Life—We support the right of persons and families to

live and prosper as farmers, farm workers, merchants, profession-

als, and others outside of the cities and metropolitan centers. We

believe our culture is impoverished and our people deprived of a

meaningful way of life when rural and small-town living becomes

difcult or impossible. We recognize that the improvement of this

way of life may sometimes necessitate the use of some lands for

nonagricultural purposes. We oppose the indiscriminate diver-

sion of agricultural land for nonagricultural uses when nonagri-

cultural land is available. Further, we encourage the preservation

of appropriate lands for agriculture and open space uses through

thoughtful land use programs. We support governmental and pri-

vate programs designed to benet the resident farmer rather than

the factory farm and programs that encourage industry to locate

in nonurban areas.

We further recognize that increased mobility and technology

have brought a mixture of people, religions, and philosophies to

rural communities that were once homogeneous. While often this

is seen as a threat to or loss of community life, we understand it

as an opportunity to uphold the biblical call to community for

all persons. Therefore, we encourage rural communities and indi-

viduals to maintain a strong connection to the earth and to be

open to: offering mutual belonging, caring, healing, and growth;

sharing and celebrating cooperative leadership and diverse gifts;

supporting mutual trust; and afrming individuals as unique per-

sons of worth, and thus to practice shalom.

Q) Sustainable Agriculture—A prerequisite for meeting the

nutritional needs of the world’s population is an agricultural sys-

tem that uses sustainable methods, respects ecosystems, and pro-

motes a livelihood for people that work the land.

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THE SOCIAL COMMUNITY ¶ 162

We support a sustainable agricultural system that will main-

tain and support the natural fertility of agricultural soil, promote

the diversity of ora and fauna, and adapt to regional conditions

and structures—a system where agricultural animals are treated

humanely and where their living conditions are as close to natu-

ral systems as possible. We aspire to an effective agricultural sys-

tem where plant, livestock, and poultry production maintains the

natural ecological cycles, conserves energy, and reduces chemical

input to a minimum.

Sustainable agriculture requires a global evaluation of the

impact of agriculture on food and raw material production, the

preservation of animal breeds and plant varieties, and the preser-

vation and development of the cultivated landscape.

World trade of agricultural products needs to be based on

fair trade and prices, based on the costs of sustainable production

methods, and must consider the real costs of ecological damage.

The needed technological and biological developments are those

that support sustainability and consider ecological consequences.

R) Urban-Suburban Life—Urban-suburban living has become

a dominant style of life for more and more persons. For many it fur-

nishes economic, educational, social, and cultural opportunities.

For others, it has brought alienation, poverty, and depersonaliza-

tion. We in the Church have an opportunity and responsibility to

help shape the future of urban-suburban life. Massive programs

of renewal and social planning are needed to bring a greater

degree of humanization into urban-suburban lifestyles. We must

judge all programs, including economic and community develop-

ment, new towns, and urban renewal, by the extent to which they

protect and enhance human values, permit personal and political

involvement, and make possible neighborhoods open to persons

of all races, ages, and income levels. We afrm the efforts of all

developers who place human values at the heart of their plan-

ning. We must help shape urban-suburban development so that it

provides for the human need to identify with and nd meaning in

smaller social communities. At the same time, such smaller com-

munities must be encouraged to assume responsibilities for the

total urban-suburban community instead of isolating themselves

from it.

S) Media Violence and Christian Values—In our society, the

media plays an important role. It inuences people all over the

world. Content, representations, pictures, scenes, however, are

128

¶ 162 SOCIAL PRINCIPLES

often in a stark contrast to human and Christian values. We

express disdain of dehumanizing portrayals, sensationalized

through mass media “entertainment” and “news.” These prac-

tices degrade humankind and violate the teachings of Christ and

the Bible.

United Methodists, along with those of other faith groups,

must be made aware that the mass media often undermine the

truths of Christianity by promoting permissive lifestyles and

detailing acts of graphic violence. Instead of encouraging, moti-

vating, and inspiring its audiences to adopt lifestyles based on

the sanctity of life, the entertainment industry often advocates the

opposite, painting a cynical picture of violence, abuse, greed, pro-

fanity, and a constant denigration of the family. The media must

be held accountable for the part they play in the decline of values

we observe in society today. Many in the media remain aloof to

the issue, claiming to reect rather than to inuence society. For

the sake of our human family, Christians must work together to

halt this erosion of moral and ethical values in the world com-

munity. We oppose any kind of sexist image as well as those that

glorify violence. We reject the implicit message that conicts can

be resolved and just peace can be established by violence. Within

the bounds of the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press,

the media are responsible for respecting human rights. In support

of these matters, we work together with all people of good will.

T) Information Communication Technology—Because effective

personal communication is key to being a responsible and empow-

ered member of society, and because of the power afforded by

information communication technologies to shape society and

enable individuals to participate more fully, we believe that access

to these technologies is a basic right.

Information communication technologies provide us with

information, entertainment, and a voice in society. They can be

used to enhance our quality of life and provide us with a means

to interact with each other, our government, and people and cul-

tures all over the world. Most information about world events

comes to us by broadcast, cable, print media, and the Internet.

Concentrating the control of media to large commercial interests

limits our choices and often provides a distorted view of human

values. Therefore, we support the regulation of media communi-

cation technologies to ensure a variety of independent informa-

tion sources and provide for the public good.

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THE SOCIAL COMMUNITY ¶ 162

Personal communication technologies such as the Internet

allow persons to communicate with each other and access vast

information resources that can have commercial, cultural, politi-

cal, and personal value. While the Internet can be used to nurture

minds and spirits of children and adults, it is in danger of being

overrun with commercial interests and is used by some to dis-

tribute inappropriate and illegal material. Therefore, the Internet

must be managed responsibly in order to maximize its benets

while minimizing its risks, especially for children. Denying access

in today’s world to basic information communication technolo-

gies like the Internet due to their cost or availability, limits peo-

ple’s participation in their government and society. We support

the goal of universal access to telephone and Internet services at

an affordable price.

U) Persons Living With HIV and AIDS—Persons diagnosed

as positive for Human Immune Virus (HIV) and with Acquired

Immune Deciency Syndrome (AIDS) often face rejection from

their families and friends and various communities in which they

work and interact. In addition, they are often faced with a lack of

adequate health care, especially toward the end of life.

All individuals living with HIV and AIDS should be treated

with dignity and respect.

We afrm the responsibility of the Church to minister to and

with these individuals and their families regardless of how the

disease was contracted. We support their rights to employment,

appropriate medical care, full participation in public education,

and full participation in the Church.

We urge the Church to be actively involved in the preven-

tion of the spread of AIDS by providing educational opportunities

to the congregation and the community. The Church should be

available to provide counseling to the affected individuals and

their families.

V) Right to Health Care—Health is a condition of physical,

mental, social, and spiritual well-being. John 10:10b says, “I came

so that they could have life—indeed, so that they could live life

to the fullest.” Stewardship of health is the responsibility of each

person to whom health has been entrusted. Creating the personal,

environmental, and social conditions in which health can thrive

is a joint responsibility—public and private. We encourage indi-

viduals to pursue a healthy lifestyle and afrm the importance

of preventive health care, health education, environmental and

130

¶ 162 SOCIAL PRINCIPLES

occupational safety, good nutrition, and secure housing in achiev-

ing health. Health care is a basic human right.

Providing the care needed to maintain health, prevent dis-

ease, and restore health after injury or illness is a responsibility

each person owes others and government owes to all, a responsi-

bility government ignores at its peril. In Ezekiel 34:4a, God points

out the failures of the leadership of Israel to care for the weak:

“You don’t strengthen the weak, heal the sick, bind up the injured,

bring back the strays, or seek out the lost.” As a result all suffer.

Like police and re protection, health care is best funded through

the government’s ability to tax each person equitably and directly

fund the provider entities. Countries facing a public health crisis

such as HIV/AIDS must have access to generic medicines and to

patented medicines. We afrm the right of men and women to

have access to comprehensive reproductive health/family plan-

ning information and services that will serve as a means to pre-

vent unplanned pregnancies, reduce abortions, and prevent the

spread of HIV/AIDS. The right to health care includes care for

persons with brain diseases, neurological conditions, or physical

disabilities, who must be afforded the same access to health care

as all other persons in our communities. It is unjust to construct

or perpetuate barriers to physical or mental wholeness or full par-

ticipation in community.

We believe it is a governmental responsibility to provide all

citizens with health care.

We encourage hospitals, physicians, and medical clinics to

provide access to primary health care to all people regardless of

their health-care coverage or ability to pay for treatment.

W) Organ Transplantation and Donation—We believe that organ

transplantation and organ donation are acts of charity, agape love,

and self-sacrice. We recognize the life-giving benets of organ

and other tissue donation and encourage all people of faith to

become organ and tissue donors as a part of their love and minis-

try to others in need. We urge that it be done in an environment of

respect for deceased and living donors and for the benet of the

recipients, and following protocols that carefully prevent abuse to

donors and their families.

X) Mental Health—The World Health Organization denes

mental health as “a state of well-being in which the individual

realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses

of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make

131

THE ECONOMIC COMMUNITY ¶ 163

a contribution to his or her community.” Unfortunately, mental

health eludes many in our world resulting in considerable dis-

tress, stigma, and isolation. Mental illness troubles our relation-

ships because it can affect the way we process information, relate

to others, and choose actions. Consequently, mental illnesses often

are feared in ways that other illnesses are not. Nevertheless, we

know that regardless of our illness we remain created in the image

of God (Genesis 1:27) and that nothing can separate us from the

love of God (Romans 8:38-39).

No person deserves to be stigmatized because of mental ill-

ness. Those with mental illness are no more violent than other

persons are. Rather, they are much more likely to be victims of

violence or preyed on by others. When stigma happens within the

church, mentally ill persons and their families are further victim-

ized. Persons with mental illness and their families have a right

to be treated with respect on the basis of common humanity and

accurate information. They also have a right and responsibility to

obtain care appropriate to their condition. The United Methodist

Church pledges to foster policies that promote compassion, advo-

cate for access to care, and eradicate stigma within the Church

and in communities.

¶ 163. IV. THE ECONOMIC COMMUNITY

We claim all economic systems to be under the judgment

of God no less than other facets of the created order. Therefore,

we recognize the responsibility of governments to develop and

implement sound scal and monetary policies that provide for

the economic life of individuals and corporate entities and that

ensure full employment and adequate incomes with a minimum

of ination. We believe private and public economic enterprises

are responsible for the social costs of doing business, such as

employment and environmental pollution, and that they should

be held accountable for these costs. We support measures that

would reduce the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few.

We further support efforts to revise tax structures and to eliminate

governmental support programs that now benet the wealthy at

the expense of other persons.

A) Property—We believe private ownership of property is a

trusteeship under God, both in those societies where it is encour-

aged and where it is discouraged, but is limited by the overrid-

ing needs of society. We believe that Christian faith denies to any

132

¶ 163 SOCIAL PRINCIPLES

person or group of persons exclusive and arbitrary control of any

other part of the created universe. Socially and culturally con-

ditioned ownership of property is, therefore, to be considered a

responsibility to God. We believe, therefore, governments have

the responsibility, in the pursuit of justice and order under law, to

provide procedures that protect the rights of the whole society as

well as those of private ownership.

B) Collective Bargaining—We support the right of all public

and private employees and employers to organize for collective

bargaining into unions and other groups of their own choosing.

Further, we support the right of both parties to protection in so

doing and their responsibility to bargain in good faith within

the framework of the public interest. In order that the rights of

all members of the society may be maintained and promoted,

we support innovative bargaining procedures that include rep-

resentatives of the public interest in negotiation and settlement

of labor-management contracts, including some that may lead to

forms of judicial resolution of issues. We reject the use of violence

by either party during collective bargaining or any labor/man-

agement disagreement. We likewise reject the permanent replace-

ment of a worker who engages in a lawful strike.

C) Work and Leisure—Every person has the right to a job at a

living wage. Where the private sector cannot or does not provide

jobs for all who seek and need them, it is the responsibility of

government to provide for the creation of such jobs. We support

social measures that ensure the physical and mental safety of

workers, that provide for the equitable division of products and

services, and that encourage an increasing freedom in the way

individuals may use their leisure time. We recognize the oppor-

tunity leisure provides for creative contributions to society and

encourage methods that allow workers additional blocks of

discretionary time. We support educational, cultural, and rec-

reational outlets that enhance the use of such time. We believe

that persons come before prots. We deplore the selsh spirit

that often pervades our economic life. We support policies that

encourage the sharing of ideas in the workplace, cooperative

and collective work arrangements. We support rights of workers

to refuse to work in situations that endanger health and/or life

without jeopardy to their jobs. We support policies that would

reverse the increasing concentration of business and industry

into monopolies.

133

THE ECONOMIC COMMUNITY ¶ 163

D) Consumption—Consumers should exercise their economic

power to encourage the manufacture of goods that are necessary

and benecial to humanity while avoiding the desecration of

the environment in either production or consumption. Consum-

ers should avoid purchasing products made in conditions where

workers are being exploited because of their age, gender, or eco-

nomic status.

And while the limited options available to consumers make

this extremely difcult to accomplish, buying “Fair Trade Certi-

ed” products is one sure way consumers can use their purchasing

power to make a contribution to the common good. The Interna-

tional Standards of Fair Trade are based on ensuring livable wages

for small farmers and their families, working with democratically

run farming cooperatives, buying direct so that the benets and

prots from trade actually reach the farmers and their communi-

ties, providing vitally important advance credit, and encouraging

ecologically sustainable farming practices. Consumers should not

only seek out companies whose product lines reect a strong com-

mitment to these standards, but should also encourage expanded

corporate participation in the Fair Trade market.

Consumers should evaluate their consumption of goods

and services in the light of the need for enhanced quality of life

rather than unlimited production of material goods. We call upon

consumers, including local congregations and Church-related

institutions, to organize to achieve these goals and to express dis-

satisfaction with harmful economic, social, or ecological practices

through such appropriate methods as boycott, letter writing, cor-

porate resolution, and advertisement.

E) Poverty—In spite of general afuence in the industrialized

nations, the majority of persons in the world live in poverty. In

order to provide basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, edu-

cation, health care, and other necessities, ways must be found to

share more equitably the resources of the world. Increasing tech-

nology, when accompanied by exploitative economic practices,

impoverishes many persons and makes poverty self-perpetu-

ating. Poverty due to natural catastrophes and environmental

changes is growing and needs attention and support. Conicts

and war impoverish the population on all sides, and an important

way to support the poor will be to work for peaceful solutions.

As a church, we are called to support the poor and challenge

the rich. To begin to alleviate poverty, we support such policies as:

134

¶ 163 SOCIAL PRINCIPLES

adequate income maintenance, quality education, decent housing,

job training, meaningful employment opportunities, adequate

medical and hospital care, humanization and radical revisions of

welfare programs, work for peace in conict areas and efforts to

protect creation’s integrity. Since low wages are often a cause of

poverty, employers should pay their employees a wage that does

not require them to depend upon government subsidies such as

food stamps or welfare for their livelihood.

Because we recognize that the long-term reduction of pov-

erty must move beyond services to and employment for the poor,

which can be taken away, we emphasize measures that build

and maintain the wealth of poor people, including asset-build-

ing strategies such as individual development savings accounts,

micro-enterprise development programs, progams enabling home

ownership, and nancial management training and counseling.

We call upon churches to develop these and other ministries that

promote asset-building among the poor. We are especially mind-

ful of the Global South, where investment and micro-enterprise

are especially needed. We urge support for policies that will

encourage equitable economic growth in the Global South and

around the world, providing a just opportunity for all.

Poverty most often has systemic causes, and therefore we do

not hold poor people morally responsible for their economic state.

F) Foreign Workers—For centuries people have moved across

borders in search of work. In our global world this is still a rele-

vant and increasing form of immigration. Improved wages, better

working conditions, and jobs available are reasons for immigra-

tion due to work opportunities. Workers from other countries

are in many societies an important resource to ll the society’s

need of workers. But foreign workers too often meet exploitation,

absence of protecting laws, and unreasonable wages and working

conditions.

We call upon governments and all employers to ensure for

foreign workers the same economic, educational, and social ben-

ets enjoyed by other citizens.

Foreign workers also need a religious fellowship, and we call

for the churches to include these in their care and fellowships and

to support them in their efforts for better conditions.

G) Gambling—Gambling is a menace to society, deadly to

the best interests of moral, social, economic, and spiritual life,

destructive of good government and good stewardship. As an

135

THE ECONOMIC COMMUNITY ¶ 163

act of faith and concern, Christians should abstain from gambling

and should strive to minister to those victimized by the practice.

Where gambling has become addictive, the Church will encour-

age such individuals to receive therapeutic assistance so that the

individual’s energies may be redirected into positive and con-

structive ends. The Church acknowledges the dichotomy that

can occur when opposing gambling while supporting Ameri-

can Indian tribal sovereignty and self-determination. Therefore,

the Church’s role is to create sacred space to allow for dialogue

and education that will promote a holistic understanding of the

American Indians’ historic quest for survival. The Church’s pro-

phetic call is to promote standards of justice and advocacy that

would make it unnecessary and undesirable to resort to commer-

cial gambling—including public lotteries, casinos, rafes, Inter-

net gambling, gambling with an emerging wireless technology,

and other games of chance—as a recreation, as an escape, or as a

means of producing public revenue or funds for support of chari-

ties or government.

H) Family Farms—The value of family farms has long been

afrmed as a signicant foundation for free and democratic

societies. In recent years, the survival of independent farmers

worldwide has been threatened by various factors, including

the increasing concentration of all phases of agriculture into the

hands of a limited number of transnational corporations. The con-

centration of the food supply for the many into the hands of the

few raises global questions of justice that cry out for vigilance and

action.

We call upon the agribusiness sector to conduct itself with

respect for human rights primarily in the responsible stewardship

of daily bread for the world, and secondarily in responsible cor-

porate citizenship that respects the rights of all farmers, small and

large, to receive a fair return for honest labor. We advocate for the

rights of people to possess property and to earn a living by tilling

the soil.

We call upon governments to revise support programs that

disproportionately benet wealthier agricultural producers, so

that more support can be given to programs that benet medium-

and smaller-sized farming operations, including programs that

build rural processing, storage, distribution, and other agricul-

tural infrastructure; which link local farmers to local schools; and

which promote other community food security measures.

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¶ 163 SOCIAL PRINCIPLES

We call upon our churches to do all in their power to speak

prophetically to the matters of food supply and the people who

grow the food for the world and to develop ministries that build

food security in local communities.

I) Corporate Responsibility—Corporations are responsible not

only to their stockholders, but also to other stakeholders: their

workers, suppliers, vendors, customers, the communities in

which they do business, and for the earth, which supports them.

We support the public’s right to know what impact corporations

have in these various arenas, so that people can make informed

choices about which corporations to support.

We applaud corporations that voluntarily comply with

standards that promote human well-being and protect the

environment.

J) Finance—Financial institutions serve a vital role in society.

They must guard, however, against abusive and deceptive lend-

ing practices that take advantage of the neediest among us for

the gain of the richest. Banking regulations must prevent the col-

lection of usurious interest that keeps people in cycles of debt.

Personal-credit-issuing institutions must operate with responsi-

bility and clarity that allow all parties to understand the full terms

of agreements.

K) Trade and Investment—We afrm the importance of inter-

national trade and investment in an interdependent world. Trade

and investment should be based on rules that support the dig-

nity of the human person, a clean environment and our common

humanity. Trade agreements must include mechanisms to enforce

labor rights and human rights as well as environmental stan-

dards. Broad-based citizen advocacy and participation in trade

negotiations must be ensured through democratic mechanisms of

consultation and participation.

L) Graft and Corruption—God’s good creation, the fullness

of its bounty, and the loving, nurturing relationships that bind

all together are intended by God to be enjoyed in freedom and

responsible stewardship. To revere God’s creation is a sacred

trust that enables us to fashion just, equitable, sustainable rela-

tionships and communities. The strength, stability, security, and

progress of such relationships and communities depend on the

integrity of their social, economic, political, and cultural pro-

cesses, institutions, and stakeholders. Graft, referring to unfair or

illegal means of acquiring money, gain, or advantage, especially

137

THE ECONOMIC COMMUNITY ¶ 163

by abusing one’s position in politics, business, and social insti-

tutions, transgresses human dignity and violates human rights.

Corruption, referring to dishonest and undue exploitation of

power for personal gain, subverts God’s intention for the fullness

of life and creation. Graft and corruption tangle the social thread

of communities, erode the moral ber of human relationships,

and sully the reputation of social institutions. Legislative and

judicial mechanisms, including a strong, just criminal justice sys-

tem, must deal with graft and corruption at every level of society.

Good, just political governance characterized by transparency,

accountability, and integrity is crucial to the eradication of graft

and corruption. Societies that are graft-ridden and plagued with

corruption are needful of God’s pardoning love and redeeming

grace.

M) Public Indebtedness—The huge budget decits produced

by years of overspending by governments around the world is of

great concern. We acknowledge that for a limited time in a nation’s

history governmental decits are sometimes necessary. However,

long periods of excessive overspending by governments have

produced huge decits and signicant economic challenges for

many nations. Such wanton carelessness cannot continue. There-

fore, we call upon all governments to reduce budget decits and

to live within their means. We ask the governments and institu-

tions that lend money to reduce signicantly the interest rates on

the money borrowed. We ask that public ofcials, when making

nancial adjustments, remember rst and foremost obligations

that promote the well-being of society such as the funding of

schools and other opportunities that foster the growth of the indi-

vidual, as well as agencies that care for the poor, the elderly, the

disabled, and the disenfranchised.

We recognize that, if decits are not brought under con-

trol, future generations will be shackled with a burden of public

indebtedness that will force societies to live under the specter of

coerced repayments, rising ination, mass unemployment, and

despair. Thus, this is not just a nancial issue, but an issue of jus-

tice for those who are yet to be born. Wise stewardship is needed

today to provide for future generations. We call on church leader-

ship throughout the connection to encourage public ofcials to

reduce public indebtedness and to begin the process toward bal-

anced and fair budgets.

138

¶ 164 SOCIAL PRINCIPLES

¶ 164. V. THE POLITICAL COMMUNITY

While our allegiance to God takes precedence over our alle-

giance to any state, we acknowledge the vital function of govern-

ment as a principal vehicle for the ordering of society. Because we

know ourselves to be responsible to God for social and political

life, we declare the following relative to governments:

A) Basic Freedoms and Human Rights—We hold governments

responsible for the protection of the rights of the people to free

and fair elections and to the freedoms of speech, religion, assem-

bly, communications media, and petition for redress of grievances

without fear of reprisal; to the right to privacy; and to the guar-

antee of the rights to adequate food, clothing, shelter, education,

and health care. Blockades and embargoes that seek to impede the

ow or free commerce of food and medicines are practices that

cause pain and suffering, malnutrition, or starvation with all its

detrimental consequences to innocent and noncombatant civilian

populations, especially children. We reject these as instruments

of domestic and foreign policy regardless of political or ideologi-

cal views. The form and the leaders of all governments should

be determined by exercise of the right to vote guaranteed to all

adult citizens. We also strongly reject domestic surveillance and

intimidation of political opponents by governments in power

and all other misuses of elective or appointive ofces. The use

of detention and imprisonment for the harassment and elimina-

tion of political opponents or other dissidents violates fundamen-

tal human rights. Furthermore, the mistreatment or torture, and

other cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment or punishment

of persons by governments for any purpose violates Christian

teaching and must be condemned and/or opposed by Christians

and churches wherever and whenever it occurs.

The Church regards the institution of slavery, the practice

and commission of genocide, war crimes, crimes against human-

ity, and aggression as infamous and atrocious evils. Such evils are

destructive of humanity, promote impunity, and therefore must

be unconditionally prohibited by all governments and shall never

be tolerated by the Church.

B) Political Responsibility—The strength of a political system

depends upon the full and willing participation of its citizens. The

church should continually exert a strong ethical inuence upon

the state, supporting policies and programs deemed to be just and

opposing policies and programs that are unjust.

139

THE POLITICAL COMMUNITY ¶ 164

C) Church and State Relations—The United Methodist Church

has for many years supported the separation of church and state.

In some parts of the world this separation has guaranteed the

diversity of religious expressions and the freedom to worship

God according to each person’s conscience. Separation of church

and state means no organic union of the two, but it does permit

interaction. The state should not use its authority to promote par-

ticular religious beliefs (including atheism), nor should it require

prayer or worship in the public schools, but it should leave stu-

dents free to practice their own religious convictions. We believe

that the state should not attempt to control the church, nor should

the church seek to dominate the state. The rightful and vital sepa-

ration of church and state, which has served the cause of religious

liberty, should not be misconstrued as the abolition of all religious

expression from public life.

D) Freedom of Information—Citizens of all countries should

have access to all essential information regarding their govern-

ment and its policies. Illegal and unconscionable activities directed

against persons or groups by their own governments must not be

justied or kept secret, even under the guise of national security.

E) Education—We believe that every person has the right to

education. We also believe that the responsibility for education

of the young rests with the family, faith communities, and the

government. In society, this function can best be fullled through

public policies that ensure access for all persons to free public

elementary and secondary schools and to post-secondary schools

of their choice. Persons should not be precluded by nancial bar-

riers from access to church-related and other independent insti-

tutions of higher education. We afrm the right of public and

independent colleges and universities to exist, and we endorse

public policies that ensure access and choice and that do not cre-

ate unconstitutional entanglements between church and state. We

believe that colleges and universities are to ensure that academic

freedom is protected for all members of the academic commu-

nity and a learning environment is fostered that allows for a free

exchange of ideas. We afrm the joining of reason and faith; there-

fore, we urge colleges and universities to guard the expression of

religious life on campus.

F) Civil Obedience and Civil Disobedience—Governments and

laws should be servants of God and of human beings. Citizens

have a duty to abide by laws duly adopted by orderly and just

140

¶ 164 SOCIAL PRINCIPLES

process of government. But governments, no less than individu-

als, are subject to the judgment of God. Therefore, we recognize the

right of individuals to dissent when acting under the constraint of

conscience and, after having exhausted all legal recourse, to resist

or disobey laws that they deem to be unjust or that are discrimi-

nately enforced. Even then, respect for law should be shown by

refraining from violence and by being willing to accept the costs

of disobedience. We do not encourage or condone any form of vio-

lent protest as a legitimate exercise of free speech or civil disobe-

dience. We offer our prayers for those in rightful authority who

serve the public, and we support their efforts to afford justice and

equal opportunity for all people. We assert the duty of churches

to support those who suffer because of their stands of conscience

represented by nonviolent beliefs or acts. We urge governments

to ensure civil rights, as dened by the International Covenant on

Civil and Political Rights, to persons in legal jeopardy because of

those nonviolent acts.

G) The Death Penalty—We believe the death penalty denies

the power of Christ to redeem, restore, and transform all human

beings. The United Methodist Church is deeply concerned about

crime throughout the world and the value of any life taken by

a murder or homicide. We believe all human life is sacred and

created by God and therefore, we must see all human life as sig-

nicant and valuable. When governments implement the death

penalty (capital punishment), then the life of the convicted person

is devalued and all possibility of change in that person’s life ends.

We believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and that the possibil-

ity of reconciliation with Christ comes through repentance. This

gift of reconciliation is offered to all individuals without excep-

tion and gives all life new dignity and sacredness. For this reason,

we oppose the death penalty (capital punishment) and urge its

elimination from all criminal codes.

H) Criminal and Restorative Justice—To protect all persons

from encroachment upon their personal and property rights, gov-

ernments have established mechanisms of law enforcement and

courts. A wide array of sentencing options serves to express com-

munity outrage, incapacitate dangerous offenders, deter crime,

and offer opportunities for rehabilitation. We support govern-

mental measures designed to reduce and eliminate crime that are

consistent with respect for the basic freedom of persons.

141

THE POLITICAL COMMUNITY ¶ 164

We reject all misuse of these mechanisms, including their

use for the purpose of revenge or for persecuting or intimidat-

ing those whose race, appearance, lifestyle, economic condition,

or beliefs differ from those in authority. We reject all careless, cal-

lous, or discriminatory enforcement of law that withholds justice

from persons with disabilities and all those who do not speak the

language of the country in which they are in contact with the law

enforcement. We further support measures designed to remove

the social conditions that lead to crime, and we encourage con-

tinued positive interaction between law enforcement ofcials and

members of the community at large.

In the love of Christ, who came to save those who are lost

and vulnerable, we urge the creation of a genuinely new system

for the care and restoration of victims, offenders, criminal justice

ofcials, and the community as a whole. Restorative justice grows

out of biblical authority, which emphasizes a right relationship

with God, self, and community. When such relationships are vio-

lated or broken through crime, opportunities are created to make

things right.

Most criminal justice systems around the world are retribu-

tive. These retributive justice systems profess to hold the offender

accountable to the state and use punishment as the equalizing

tool for accountability. In contrast, restorative justice seeks to hold

the offender accountable to the victimized person, and to the dis-

rupted community. Through God’s transforming power, restor-

ative justice seeks to repair the damage, right the wrong, and

bring healing to all involved, including the victim, the offender,

the families, and the community. The Church is transformed

when it responds to the claims of discipleship by becoming an

agent of healing and systemic change.

I) Military Service—We deplore war and urge the peaceful

settlement of all disputes among nations. From the beginning, the

Christian conscience has struggled with the harsh realities of vio-

lence and war, for these evils clearly frustrate God’s loving pur-

poses for humankind. We yearn for the day when there will be

no more war and people will live together in peace and justice.

Some of us believe that war, and other acts of violence, are never

acceptable to Christians. We also acknowledge that many Chris-

tians believe that, when peaceful alternatives have failed, the force

of arms may regretfully be preferable to unchecked aggression,

tyranny, and genocide. We honor the witness of pacists who

142

¶ 164 SOCIAL PRINCIPLES

will not allow us to become complacent about war and violence.

We also respect those who support the use of force, but only in

extreme situations and only when the need is clear beyond rea-

sonable doubt, and through appropriate international organiza-

tions. We urge the establishment of the rule of law in international

affairs as a means of elimination of war, violence, and coercion in

these affairs.

We reject national policies of enforced military service as

incompatible with the gospel. We acknowledge the agonizing

tension created by the demand for military service by national

governments. We urge all young adults to seek the counsel of

the Church as they reach a conscientious decision concerning the

nature of their responsibility as citizens. Pastors are called upon

to be available for counseling with all young adults who face

conscription or who are considering voluntary enlistment in the

armed forces, including those who conscientiously refuse to coop-

erate with a system of conscription.

We support and extend the ministry of the Church to those

persons who conscientiously oppose all war, or any particular

war, and who therefore refuse to serve in the armed forces or to

cooperate with systems of military conscription. We also support

and extend the Church’s ministry to all persons. This includes

those who conscientiously choose to serve in the armed forces or

to accept alternative service. When persons choose to serve in the

armed forces, we support their right to adequate care for injuries

suffered, and advocate for sufcient resources to meet their physi-

cal and mental health needs, both during and after their service.

We are aware that we can become guilty both by military action

and by conscientious objection, and that we all are dependent on

God’s forgiveness.

¶ 165. VI. THE WORLD COMMUNITY

God’s world is one world. The unity now being thrust upon us

by technological revolution has far outrun our moral and spiritual

capacity to achieve a stable world. The enforced unity of human-

ity, increasingly evident on all levels of life, presents the Church

as well as all people with problems that will not wait for answers:

injustice, war, exploitation, privilege, population, international

ecological crisis, proliferation of arsenals of nuclear weapons,

development of transnational business organizations that operate

beyond the effective control of any governmental structure, and

143

THE WORLD COMMUNITY ¶ 165

the increase of tyranny in all its forms. This generation must nd

viable answers to these and related questions if humanity is to

continue on this earth. We commit ourselves as a Church to the

achievement of a world community that is a fellowship of persons

who honestly love one another. We pledge ourselves to seek the

meaning of the gospel in all issues that divide people and threaten

the growth of world community.

A) Nations and Cultures—As individuals are afrmed by God

in their diversity, so are nations and cultures. We recognize that no

nation or culture is absolutely just and right in its treatment of its

own people, nor is any nation totally without regard for the wel-

fare of its citizens. The Church must regard nations as accountable

for unjust treatment of their citizens and others living within their

borders. While recognizing valid differences in culture and politi-

cal philosophy, we stand for justice and peace in every nation.

B) National Power and Responsibility—Some nations possess

more military and economic power than do others. Upon the

powerful rests responsibility to exercise their wealth and inu-

ence with restraint. We will promote restorative justice strategies

to support positive social change and peace building. We afrm

the right and duty of people of all nations to determine their own

destiny. We urge the major political powers to use their nonviolent

power to maximize the political, social, and economic self-deter-

mination of other nations rather than to further their own special

interests. We applaud international efforts to develop a more just

international economic order in which the limited resources of

the earth will be used to the maximum benet of all nations and

peoples. We urge Christians in every society to encourage the gov-

ernments under which they live and the economic entities within

their societies to aid and work for the development of more just

economic orders.

C) War and Peace—We believe war is incompatible with the

teachings and example of Christ. We therefore reject war as an

instrument of national foreign policy. We oppose unilateral rst/

preemptive strike actions and strategies on the part of any gov-

ernment. As disciples of Christ, we are called to love our enemies,

seek justice, and serve as reconcilers of conict. We insist that the

rst moral duty of all nations is to work together to resolve by

peaceful means every dispute that arises between or among them.

We advocate the extension and strengthening of international

treaties and institutions that provide a framework within the rule

144

¶ 165 SOCIAL PRINCIPLES

of law for responding to aggression, terrorism, and genocide. We

believe that human values must outweigh military claims as gov-

ernments determine their priorities; that the militarization of soci-

ety must be challenged and stopped; that the manufacture, sale,

and deployment of armaments must be reduced and controlled;

and that the production, possession, or use of nuclear weapons

be condemned. Consequently, we endorse general and complete

disarmament under strict and effective international control.

D) Justice and Law—Persons and groups must feel secure

in their life and right to live within a society if order is to be

achieved and maintained by law. We denounce as immoral an

ordering of life that perpetuates injustice and impedes the pur-

suit of peace. Peoples and nations feel secure in the world com-

munity when law, order, and human rights are respected and

upheld.

Believing that international justice requires the participation

of all peoples and nations, we endorse the United Nations, its

related bodies, the International Court of Justice, and the Interna-

tional Criminal Court as the best instruments now in existence to

achieve a world of justice and law. We commend the efforts of all

people in all countries who pursue world peace through law. We

endorse international aid and cooperation on all matters of need

and conict. We urge acceptance for membership in the United

Nations of all nations who wish such membership and who accept

United Nations responsibility. We urge the United Nations to take

a more aggressive role in the development of international arbi-

tration of disputes and actual conicts among nations by develop-

ing binding third-party arbitration. Bilateral or multilateral efforts

outside of the United Nations should work in concert with, and

not contrary to, its purposes. We reafrm our historic concern for

the world as our parish and seek for all persons and peoples full

and equal membership in a truly world community.

¶ 166. VII. OUR SOCIAL CREED

We believe in God, Creator of the world; and in Jesus Christ,

the Redeemer of creation. We believe in the Holy Spirit, through

whom we acknowledge God’s gifts, and we repent of our sin in

misusing these gifts to idolatrous ends.

We afrm the natural world as God’s handiwork and dedi-

cate ourselves to its preservation, enhancement, and faithful use

by humankind.

145

OUR SOCIAL CREED ¶ 166

We joyfully receive for ourselves and others the blessings of

community, sexuality, marriage, and the family.

We commit ourselves to the rights of men, women, children,

youth, young adults, the aging, and people with disabilities; to

improvement of the quality of life; and to the rights and dignity

of all persons.

We believe in the right and duty of persons to work for the

glory of God and the good of themselves and others and in the

protection of their welfare in so doing; in the rights to prop-

erty as a trust from God, collective bargaining, and responsible

consumption; and in the elimination of economic and social

distress.

We dedicate ourselves to peace throughout the world, to the

rule of justice and law among nations, and to individual freedom

for all people of the world.

We believe in the present and nal triumph of God’s Word in

human affairs and gladly accept our commission to manifest the

life of the gospel in the world. Amen.

(It is recommended that this statement of Social Principles be con-

tinually available to United Methodist Christians and that it be empha-

sized regularly in every congregation. It is further recommended that

“Our Social Creed” be frequently used in Sunday worship.)

146

¶ 166 SOCIAL PRINCIPLES

A COMPANION LITANY TO OUR SOCIAL CREED

God in the Spirit revealed in Jesus Christ,

calls us by grace

to be renewed in the image of our Creator,

that we may be one

in divine love for the world.

Today is the day

God cares for the integrity of creation,

wills the healing and wholeness of all life,

weeps at the plunder of earth’s goodness.

And so shall we.

Today is the day

God embraces all hues of humanity,

delights in diversity and difference,

favors solidarity transforming strangers into friends.

And so shall we.

Today is the day

God cries with the masses of starving people,

despises growing disparity between rich and poor,

demands justice for workers in the marketplace.

And so shall we.

Today is the day

God deplores violence in our homes and streets,

rebukes the world’s warring madness,

humbles the powerful and lifts up the lowly.

And so shall we.

Today is the day

God calls for nations and peoples to live in peace,

celebrates where justice and mercy embrace,

exults when the wolf grazes with the lamb.

And so shall we.

Today is the day

God brings good news to the poor,

proclaims release to the captives,

gives sight to the blind, and

sets the oppressed free.

And so shall we.

147

Part VI

ORGANIZATION

AND ADMINISTRATION

Chapter One

THE LOCAL CHURCH

Section I. The Church and Pastoral Charge

¶ 201. Denition of a Local Church—The local church provides

the most signicant arena through which disciple-making occurs.

It is a community of true believers under the Lordship of Christ.

It is the redemptive fellowship in which the Word of God is

preached by persons divinely called and the sacraments are duly

administered according to Christ’s own appointment. Under the

discipline of the Holy Spirit, the church exists for the maintenance

of worship, the edication of believers, and the redemption of the

world.

¶ 202. The Function of the Local Church—The church of Jesus

Christ exists in and for the world. It is primarily at the level of the

charge consisting of one or more local churches that the church

encounters the world. The local church is a strategic base from

which Christians move out to the structures of society. The func-

tion of the local church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit,

is to help people to accept and confess Jesus Christ as Lord and

Savior and to live their daily lives in light of their relationship

with God. Therefore, the local church is to minister to persons in

the community where the church is located, to provide appropri-

ate training and nurture to all, to cooperate in ministry with other

148

¶ 202 THE LOCAL CHURCH

local churches, to defend God’s creation and live as an ecologi-

cally responsible community, and to participate in the worldwide

mission of the church, as minimal expectations of an authentic

church.

¶ 203. Relation to the Wider Church—The local church is a

connectional society of persons who have been baptized, have

professed their faith in Christ, and have assumed the vows of

membership in The United Methodist Church. They gather in fel-

lowship to hear the Word of God, receive the sacraments, praise

and worship the triune God, and carry forward the work that

Christ has committed to his church. Such a society of believers,

being within The United Methodist Church and subject to its Dis-

cipline, is also an inherent part of the church universal, which is

composed of all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and

which in the Apostles’ Creed we declare to be the holy catholic

church.

¶ 204. Care of Members—Each local church shall have a denite

evangelistic, nurture, and witness responsibility for its members

and the surrounding area and a missional outreach responsibility

to the local and global community. It shall be responsible for min-

istering to all its members, wherever they live, and for persons

who choose it as their church.

¶ 205. Denition of a Pastoral Charge—1. A pastoral charge

shall consist of one or more churches that are organized under and

subject to the Discipline of The United Methodist Church, with a

charge conference, and to which an ordained or licensed minister

is or may be duly appointed or appointable as pastor in charge or

co-pastor. Where co-pastors are appointed, the bishop may desig-

nate for administrative purposes one as pastor in charge.

2. A pastoral charge of two or more churches may be desig-

nated a circuit or a cooperative parish.

3. A pastoral charge may be designated by the bishop and

cabinet as a “teaching parish” when either a local church with a

pastor or a cooperative parish with a director is available to serve

as a counseling elder for a provisional, local, or student pastor

appointed or assigned to the teaching parish. A teaching parish

shall have a demonstrable commitment to a cooperative or team

ministry style and the training of pastors.

1. See Judicial Council Decisions 113, 319.

COOPERATIVE PARISH ¶ 206

149

4. When a pastoral charge is not able to be served by an

ordained or licensed minister, the bishop, upon recommenda-

tion of the cabinet, may assign a qualied and trained layperson,

lay minister or lay missioner to do the work of ministry in that

charge. The layperson is accountable to the district superinten-

dent or another ordained or licensed minister appointed to over-

see the charge, who will make provision for sacramental ministry.

Upon the bishop’s assignment, the layperson will be assigned

an additional clergyperson as a guide to provide support in the

assignment. If the assignment is to continue longer than one year,

within that year the layperson will begin the process of becoming

either a certied lay minister or a certied candidate, thus coming

under the care of the District Committee on Ministry. The layper-

son assigned is also accountable to the policies and procedures of

the annual conference where assigned.

Section II. Cooperative Parish

¶ 206. 1. Local churches, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit,

may enhance their witness to one another and to the world by

showing forth the love of Jesus Christ through forms of mutual

cooperation.

2. Annual conferences shall implement a process of coop-

erative parish development through which cooperative parish

ministries are initiated and developed in both urban and town-

and-country situations. Where cooperative parish ministries

already exist in an annual conference, the conference shall direct

the appropriate conference boards and agencies to develop strate-

gies designed to make use of cooperative ministries as means of

creating greater effectiveness in the nurture, outreach, and witness

ministries of urban, suburban, and town-and-country situations;

and the annual conference shall prepare and adopt a formal writ-

ten policy concerning cooperative parish ministries, including a

plan for nancial support. Parish development is an intentional

plan of enabling congregations, church-related agencies, and

pastors in a dened geographic area to develop a relationship of

trust and mutuality that results in coordinated church programs

and ministry, supported by appropriate organizational structures

and policy. A superintendent or director of parish development

may be appointed to work with the cabinet(s) in the implemen-

tation of these ministries in a conference or an area. In addition,

district superintendents shall submit recommendations annually

150

¶ 206 THE LOCAL CHURCH

regarding those churches in their districts that would benet from

being included in a cooperative ministry.

3. Cooperative ministries may be expressed in one or more of

the forms contained in the following categories.

a) Beginning and Exploratory Forms: 1. Cluster Groups—

a group of churches located in the same geographic area with a

loosely knit organization that allows the participating congrega-

tions and pastoral charges to engage in cooperative programs in

varying degrees. A district may be divided into cluster groups for

administrative purposes. 2. Probe Staff—composed of the pastors

and other staff assigned to a geographic area to explore possibili-

ties for cooperation and developing strategies for improving min-

istry. 3. Group Ministry—a loosely organized group of two or more

pastoral charges in which pastors are appointed or assigned to

charges. The pastors and/or lay council representing all churches

may designate a coordinator.

b) Structured Forms: 1. Multiple Charge Parishes—inten-

tionally organized group of two or more pastoral charges in

which each church continues to relate to its charge conference

on the organizational level and also participates in a parish-wide

council. The pastors are appointed or assigned to the charges and

also to the parish, and a director or coordinator is appointed or

assigned by the bishop.

2. Larger Parish—a number of congre-

gations working together using a parish-wide council and other

committees and work groups, as the parish may determine which

provides representation on boards and committees from all

churches; guided by a constitution or covenant and served by a

staff appointed or assigned by the bishop and involving a direc-

tor. 3. Blended Ministry—the merging of the organizations and

memberships of churches spread throughout a dened geograph-

ical area into one congregation that intentionally develops two or

more worship/program centers, and for which there is one charge

conference and one set of committees and other groups, guided

by a covenant and served by a staff and a director appointed or

assigned to the parish by the bishop.

c) Specialized Forms: 1. Enlarged Charge—two or more

congregations, usually on the same charge and of relatively equal

size that work as a unit with the leadership of one or more pas-

tors. There may be a charge council and appropriate committees.

2. See Judicial Council Decision 556.

151

COOPERATIVE PARISH ¶ 206

2. Extended or Shared Ministry—a larger membership church shar-

ing ministry with a smaller membership church, usually served

by the pastor(s) of the larger church. 3. Cooperative Ecumenical Par-

ish—two or more local churches of different Christian traditions

including a United Methodist congregation, working together.

Either of the above forms may be utilized. 4. Shared Facilities—two

or more congregations, one of which shall be United Methodist,

sharing a building, ofce equipment, etc., such as congregations

which use different languages or which are of different racial/eth-

nic/cultural groups. The congregations may enter into a covenant

that ensures representation and preserves the autonomy of each

congregation on such bodies as church councils, boards of trust-

ees and other committees and work groups. The congregations

may negotiate a nancial agreement about the use of the facility

in order to provide appropriate nancial support.

4. Each general board and agency shall arrange for its direc-

tors and staff to be trained in cooperative ministry concepts bet-

ter to provide support resources for annual conferences and local

churches.

5. Bishops, district superintendents, conference staff, and

other leaders shall become familiar through training with the ben-

ets of cooperative ministries. They shall provide leadership and

training opportunities for pastors and local church leaders as to

the value of cooperative ministries in moving toward excellence

in nurture, outreach, and witness ministries. They are to explore

and develop meaningful ministries to persons in congregations,

communities, and the global community.

6. Cabinets shall give priority in the appointment process to

appointing directors and clergy staff of cooperative ministries,

especially cooperative parish ministries, who have been trained

in cooperative ministry concepts and who have demonstrated

effective ministries of nurture, outreach, and witness. The cabinet

shall develop and implement strategies designed to enable and

equip pastors presently appointed to cooperative parish min-

istries to provide effective ministries of nurture, outreach, and

witness.

7. Annual conferences and cabinets are urged to assist in the

development and strengthening of cooperative ministries by pur-

suing funding assistance from general Church, annual confer-

ence, and other sources for each cooperative ministry, including

cooperative parish ministries.

152

¶ 207 THE LOCAL CHURCH

Section III. Ecumenical Shared Ministries

¶ 207. Local churches, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit,

may respond to opportunities for ecumenical resource sharing

in their communities by creating ecumenical shared ministries,

working with local congregations of other Christian churches to

enhance ministry, make wise stewardship of limited resources,

and live out the ecumenical spirit in creative ways responsive

to the needs of God’s peoples as well as to opportunities for

expanded mission and ministry.

¶ 208. Denition—Ecumenical shared ministries are ecu-

menical congregations formed by a local United Methodist

church and one or more local congregations of other Christian

traditions. Forms of ecumenical shared ministries include: (a) a

federated church, in which one congregation is related to two or

more denominations, with persons choosing to hold membership

in one or the other of the denominations; (b) a union church, in

which a congregation with one unied membership roll is related

to two or more denominations; (c) a merged church, in which

two or more congregations of different denominations form one

congregation that relates to only one of the constituent denomi-

nations; (d) a yoked parish, in which congregations of different

denominations share a pastor.

¶ 209. Covenanting—Congregations entering into an ecumen-

ical shared ministry shall develop a clear covenant of mission, set

of bylaws, or articles of agreement that address nancial and prop-

erty matters, church membership, denominational askings and

apportionments, committee structure and election procedures,

terms and provisions of the pastorate, reporting procedures, rela-

tionship with the parent denominations, and matters related to

amending or dissolving the agreement. Ministries shall notify the

district superintendent of any amending of the covenant agree-

ment and shall consult with the district superintendent prior to

dissolving the covenant agreement. In the formation of an ecu-

menical shared ministry, ¶¶ 243 and 247.1-.2 shall be followed in

its organization. In an interdenominational local church merger,

¶¶ 2547 and 2548 shall be followed. In the case of federated and

union churches, ¶ 2548 shall be followed.

¶ 210. Connectional Responsibilities—Cabinets, conference staff

and other leaders shall be expected to work with ecumenical

shared ministries at their inception as well as in maintaining ave-

nues of vital relationship and connection to The United Methodist

153

CHURCHES IN TRANSITIONAL COMMUNITIES ¶ 212

Church, while recognizing that such avenues must also be main-

tained with the denominational partners in ministry.

¶ 211. Cabinet Priority—Cabinets shall be urged to give pri-

ority in the appointment process to the providing of ecumenical

shared ministries with pastoral leaders who have demonstrated

commitment to ecumenism and who exhibit a clear appreciation

for a variety of denominational expressions and polities.

Section IV. Churches in Transitional Communities

¶ 212. Since many of the communities in which the local

church is located are experiencing transition, special attention

must be given to forms of ministry required in such communities.

The local church is required to respond to the changes that are

occurring in its surrounding community and to organize its mis-

sion and ministry accordingly.

1. When the communities where the church is located expe-

rience transition especially identied as economic and/or ethnic,

the local church shall engage in deliberate analysis of the com-

munity change and alter its program to meet the needs and cul-

tural patterns of the new residents. The local church shall make

every effort to remain in the community and develop effective

ministries to those who are newcomers, whether of a cultural,

economic, or ethnic group different from the original or present

members.

2. In communities in transition, the local church shall be

regarded as a principal base of mission from which unjust struc-

tures of society shall be confronted, evangelization shall occur,

and a principal witness to the changing community, including

ministry with the poor, shall be realized.

3. It is recommended that decisions concerning ministry in

transitional communities be made after thorough consultation has

taken place between structures and agencies in the connection.

4. It is recommended that the commitment of resources in

terms of money and personnel to ministries in transitional com-

munities be of sufcient longevity to allow for experimentation,

evaluation, and mid-course corrections to ensure an adequate

effort in ministry in those situations. Evaluations shall involve

those on the local level as well as those at the funding level.

5. The ministry of the local church in transitional areas may

be enhanced by review and possible development of some form

of cooperative ministry.

154

¶ 212 THE LOCAL CHURCH

6. Every effort should be made to educate the congregation

on the changes in the surrounding community. The local church

has always been called to “minister to persons in the community

where the church is located” (¶ 202), so in times of transition the

membership should understand that the Church’s mission is to

serve their surrounding community.

¶ 213. A Process for Assessment of Local Church Potential—Since

every congregation is located in a community in some type of

transition, every local church is encouraged to study their con-

gregation’s potential. Upon the request of the congregation the

district superintendent shall appoint a study task force to assist in

an extensive study of the past, present, and potential ministry of

that local church. Alternatively, the district superintendent may

appoint such a task force when the future viability of the congre-

gation is in question or whenever he or she deems it necessary

for other reasons. The task force shall be composed of an equal

number of lay and clergypersons and shall include persons from

that congregation.

1. This study shall include, but not be limited to: a) unique

missional opportunities and needs of the community; b) present

ministries of the congregation; c) number of leaders and style of

leadership; d) growth potential of the surrounding community;

e) scal and facilities needs; f) distance from other United Meth-

odist churches; g) number and size of churches of other denom-

inations in the community; h) other items that may impact the

church’s ability to fulll the mission of the Church as stated in

Chapter One, Section I.

2. The ndings shall be published and presented to the con-

gregation with recommendations as to how best to fulll the local

church’s call to ministry and to optimize the stewardship of the

ministry resources available. The recommendations shall explore

options for serving the community with nurture, outreach, and

witness ministries as an organized church (¶¶ 201-204) or coop-

erative parish ministries (¶ 206) or ecumenical shared ministries

(¶ 207); or give special attention to redevelopment, relocation, or

discontinuance. Those invited to the presentation shall include:

the members of the congregation, the pastor(s), the district super-

intendent, and members of the district board of church location

and building (¶ 2519).

3. a) The members of the local church shall consider the

recommendations and develop goals and a ministry action plan

155

CHURCH MEMBERSHIP ¶ 215

in response to the recommendations. The district superinten-

dent shall report the results of the study and the congregation’s

response to the cabinet, with recommendations for the alloca-

tion of conference staff, resourcing, nancial support, or other

resources needed to undergird the congregation’s efforts to reach

its recommended potential. Such annual conference support shall

be committed no longer than three years. b) For any church that

has been through this process, the district superintendent may

convene a special session of the conference to take action concern-

ing the ministry recommendations. In addition to the local church

charge conference membership, the members of the District Board

of Church Location and Building will be present with voice only.

Section V. Church Membership

¶ 214. Eligibility—The United Methodist Church is a part of

the holy catholic (universal) church, as we confess in the Apostles’

Creed. In the church, Jesus Christ is proclaimed and professed

as Lord and Savior. All people may attend its worship services,

participate in its programs, receive the sacraments and become

members in any local church in the connection (¶ 4). In the case of

persons whose disabilities prevent them from reciting the vows,

their legal guardian[s], themselves members in full covenant rela-

tionship with God and the Church, the community of faith, may

recite the appropriate vows on their behalf.

¶ 215. Denition of Membership—The membership of a local

United Methodist church shall include all people who have been

baptized and all people who have professed their faith.

1. The baptized membership of a local United Methodist

church shall include all baptized people who have received Chris-

tian baptism in the local congregation or elsewhere, or whose

membership has been transferred to the local United Methodist

church subsequent to baptism in some other congregation.

2. The professing membership of a local United Methodist

church shall include all baptized people who have come into mem-

bership by profession of faith through appropriate services of the

baptismal covenant in the ritual or by transfer from other churches.

3. For statistical purposes, church membership is equated to

the number of people listed on the roll of professing members.

4. All baptized or professing members of any local United

Methodist church are members of the worldwide United Method-

ist connection and members of the church universal.

156

¶ 216 THE LOCAL CHURCH

T M  M

¶ 216. 1. Christ constitutes the church as his body by the

power of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13, 27). The church

draws new people into itself as it seeks to remain faithful to its

commission to proclaim and exemplify the gospel. Baptism is the

sacrament of initiation and incorporation into the body of Christ.

After baptism, the church provides the nurture that makes pos-

sible a comprehensive and lifelong process of growing in grace.

Becoming a professing member requires the answer of faith of the

baptized person made visible in a service of profession of Christian

faith and conrmation using the vows of the baptismal covenant.

a) Baptized infants and children are to be instructed and

nurtured in the meaning of the faith, the rights and responsibilities

of their baptism, and spiritual and moral formation using materi-

als approved by The United Methodist Church. Using the services

of the baptismal covenant, youth will profess their faith, commit

themselves to a life of discipleship, and be conrmed. Conrma-

tion is both a human act of commitment and the gracious action of

the Holy Spirit strengthening and empowering discipleship.

b) Youth and adults who have not been baptized and

who are seeking to be saved from their sins and profess Jesus

Christ as their Lord and Savior are proper candidates for baptism

in The United Methodist Church. It shall be the duty of the con-

gregation, led by the pastor, to instruct them in the meaning of

baptism, in the meaning of the Christian faith, and in the history,

organization, and teachings of The United Methodist Church,

using materials approved by The United Methodist Church for

that purpose. After the completion of the period of nurture and

instruction, the sponsor(s) and pastor shall bring the candidates

before the congregation and administer the services of Baptismal

Covenant, in which people are baptized, conrmed, and received

into the Church.

2. a) Formation in the baptismal covenant and in the call to

ministry in daily life is a lifelong process and is carried on through

all the activities that have educational value. The pastor gives spe-

cic leadership that prepares youth for their profession of faith

and commitment to discipleship and for the Holy Spirit’s action

conrming them in their faith and empowering their discipleship.

This preparation focuses attention upon the meaning of disciple-

ship and the need for members to be in mission in all of life’s

relationships.

157

CHURCH MEMBERSHIP ¶ 218

b) There are many occasions as people mature in the faith

when the Holy Spirit’s conrming action may be celebrated, such

as in the reafrmation of the baptismal covenant or other services

related to life passages. Unlike baptism, which is a once-made

covenant and can only be reafrmed and not repeated, conrma-

tion is a dynamic action of the Holy Spirit that can be repeated.

3. Preparation for the experience of profession of faith and

conrmation shall be provided for all people, including adults.

Youth who are completing the sixth grade shall normally be the

youngest people recruited for such preparation. When younger

people, of their own volition, seek enrollment in preparation for

profession of faith and conrmation, such preparation shall be at

the discretion of the pastor.

¶ 217. When persons unite as professing members with a

local United Methodist church, they profess their faith in God,

the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth; in Jesus Christ

his only Son; and in the Holy Spirit. Thus, they make known their

desire to live their daily lives as disciples of Jesus Christ. They

covenant together with God and with the members of the local

church to keep the vows which are a part of the order of conrma-

tion and reception into the Church:

1. To renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the

evil powers of the world, and repent of their sin;

2. To accept the freedom and power God gives them to resist

evil, injustice, and oppression;

3. To confess Jesus Christ as Savior, put their whole trust in his

grace, and promise to serve him as their Lord;

4. To remain faithful members of Christ’s holy church and

serve as Christ’s representatives in the world;

5. To be loyal to Christ through The United Methodist Church

and do all in their power to strengthen its ministries;

6. To faithfully participate in its ministries by their prayers,

their presence, their gifts, their service, and their witness;

7. To receive and profess the Christian faith as contained in

the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.

¶ 218. Growth in Faithful Discipleship—Faithful membership

in the local church is essential for personal growth and for devel-

oping a deeper commitment to the will and grace of God. As

members involve themselves in private and public prayer, wor-

ship, the sacraments, study, Christian action, systematic giving,

and holy discipline, they grow in their appreciation of Christ,

158

¶ 218 THE LOCAL CHURCH

understanding of God at work in history and the natural order,

and an understanding of themselves.

¶ 219. Mutual Responsibility—Faithful discipleship includes

the obligation to participate in the corporate life of the congre-

gation with fellow members of the body of Christ. A member is

bound in sacred covenant to shoulder the burdens, share the risks,

and celebrate the joys of fellow members. A Christian is called to

speak the truth in love, always ready to confront conict in the

spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation.

¶ 220. The Call to Ministry of All the Baptized—All members of

Christ’s universal church are called to share in the ministry which

is committed to the whole church of Jesus Christ. Therefore, each

member of The United Methodist Church is to be a servant of

Christ on mission in the local and worldwide community. This

servanthood is performed in family life, daily work, recreation

and social activities, responsible citizenship, the stewardship of

property and accumulated resources, the issues of corporate life,

and all attitudes toward other persons. Participation in disciplined

groups such as covenant discipleship groups or class meetings is

an expected part of personal mission involvement. Each member

is called upon to be a witness for Christ in the world, a light and

leaven in society, and a reconciler in a culture of conict. Each

member is to identify with the agony and suffering of the world

and to radiate and exemplify the Christ of hope. The standards of

attitude and conduct set forth in the Social Principles (Part V) shall

be considered as an essential resource for guiding each member of

the Church in being a servant of Christ on mission.

¶ 221. Accountability—1. All members are to be held account-

able for faithfulness to their covenant of baptism.

2. If a baptized member neglects faithfulness and discipline in

terms of the baptismal covenant, every means of encouraging that

member to return and of nurturing him or her to assume the vows

of professing membership should be made.

3. If a professing member should be accused of violating the

covenant and failing to keep the vows as stated in ¶ 217, then it

shall be the responsibility of the local church, working through its

pastor and its agencies, to minister to that member in compliance

with the provisions of ¶ 228 in an effort to enable the member to

faithfully perform the vows and covenant of membership.

4. In the event that those efforts fail, then the professing

member and the local church may agree to voluntary mediation

159

CHURCH MEMBERSHIP ¶ 223

in which the parties are assisted by a trained, neutral third-party

mediator, mediation team, and/or their district superintendent in

reaching a settlement or agreement satisfactory to all parties.

5. In the further event that those efforts fail to effect recon-

ciliation and reafrmation of the vows and covenant of ¶ 217

by the professing member, then the professing members of the

church may pursue the procedures set forth in ¶¶ 2702.3, 2706.5,

and 2714.

A   C

¶ 222. Non-Local Church Settings—Duly appointed clergy of

The United Methodist Church, while serving as chaplain of any

organization, institution, or military unit, as an extension minis-

ter, or as a campus minister, or while otherwise present where a

local church is not available, may receive a person into the mem-

bership of The United Methodist Church under the conditions of

¶ 216 or ¶ 217. Where possible, before the sacrament of baptism or

vows of profession of faith are administered, such appointed min-

ister shall consult with the pastor of the local church (should one

be nearby) on the choice of the person concerned; and upon agree-

ment by the pastor, a statement verifying that such sacrament was

administered or that such vows were made shall be issued. The

pastor thereof on receiving such statement shall duly enroll that

person as a baptized or professing member.

¶ 223. General Church Membership Roll—When a person is

baptized or professes his or her Christian faith and is received

into the Church by a duly appointed campus minister, a chaplain

endorsed by the Board of Higher Education and Ministry or other

duly appointed clergy of The United Methodist Church, while

serving as a chaplain of any organization, institution, or mili-

tary unit, or as an extension minister, or while otherwise present

where a local church is not available, and said person has no local

church to which the membership and records may be sent, the

clergy shall send the name, address (if there is one), and related

facts to the General Board of Higher Education for recording on

the General Church Membership Roll. It is desirable that as soon

as possible such people be transferred from the General Church

Membership Roll to the membership record of the local United

Methodist church of their choice. The name of any professing

member who has been on the General Church Membership Roll

for more than eight years and for whom a current mailing address

160

¶ 223 THE LOCAL CHURCH

cannot be obtained shall be removed from the General Church

Membership Roll.

¶ 224. Outside of Congregational Settings—Any candidate for

church membership who for good reason is unable to appear

before the congregation may, at the discretion of the pastor, be

received elsewhere in accordance with the Ritual of The United

Methodist Church. In any such case lay members should be pres-

ent to represent the congregation. Names of such persons shall be

placed on the church roll, and announcement of their reception

shall be made to the congregation.

¶ 225. Transfer from Other Denominations—A member in good

standing in any Christian denomination who has been baptized

and who desires to unite with The United Methodist Church shall

be received as either a baptized or a professing member. Such a

person may be received as a baptized member by a proper cer-

ticate of transfer from that person’s former church or some cer-

tication of Christian baptism and as a professing member upon

taking vows declaring the Christian faith through appropriate

services of the baptismal covenant in our ritual (see ¶¶ 214-217).

In baptism water is administered in the name of the triune God

by an authorized person. The pastor will report to the sending

church the date of reception of such a member. It is recommended

that instruction in the faith, work, and polity of the Church be

provided for all such persons. Persons received from churches

that do not issue certicates of transfer or letters of recommenda-

tion shall be listed as “Received From Other Denominations.”

¶ 226. Care of Children and Youth—1. Because the redeeming

love of God revealed in Jesus Christ extends to all persons, and

because Jesus explicitly included the children in his kingdom, the

pastor of each charge shall earnestly exhort all Christian parents

or guardians to present their children to the Lord in baptism at

an early age. Before baptism is administered, the pastor shall dili-

gently instruct the parents or guardians regarding the meaning

of this sacrament and the vows that they assume. It is expected

of parents or guardians who present their children for baptism

that they shall use all diligence in bringing them up in confor-

mity to the Word of God and in the fellowship of the Church and

to encourage them to participate in preparation for their profes-

sion of faith and conrmation at the appropriate time. At least

one parent or guardian shall be a member of a Christian church;

or sponsor(s) or godparent(s) who are members shall renew their

161

CHURCH MEMBERSHIP ¶ 226

own baptismal vows. They shall be admonished of this obligation

and be earnestly exhorted to faithfulness therein. At the time of

baptism they shall be informed that the Church, with its Christian

education program, will aid them in the Christian nurture of their

children.

2. a) The pastor of the church shall, at the time of administer-

ing the sacrament of baptism, furnish the parent(s), guardian(s),

sponsor(s), or godparent(s) of the child who is baptized with a

certicate of baptism, which shall also clearly state that the child

is now a baptized member in The United Methodist Church.

b) The pastor shall be responsible for seeing that the

membership secretary adds the full name of the baptized child to

the membership record.

c) When the baptized child lives in a community not

served by the pastor who administers the sacrament of baptism,

the pastor shall ensure this is not a private event (that the body of

Christ beyond the immediate family is present in accordance with

¶ 224 of the Book of Discipline), and is responsible for contacting in

advance (where possible) and reporting the baptism to a pastor

and/or district superintendent who serves in the area where the

baptized child lives. The pastor administering the sacrament shall

then be responsible for reporting in writing to that pastor or dis-

trict superintendent the child’s name to be entered on the record

of a church in that location.

d) A pastor of a church who receives notication of a

baptism administered elsewhere shall be responsible for entering

the required information on that church’s record and for notify-

ing the pastor who administered the baptism that the child has

been received by transfer. When the pastor of the church in which

the child is baptized receives written conrmation that the child’s

name has been entered on the membership record of another

church, a notation may be made on the record of the church where

the sacrament was administered that the child has been trans-

ferred to another church.

e) The pastor shall, at the time of administering the sacra-

ment of baptism and at other appropriate times, admonish mem-

bers of the congregation of their responsibility for the Christian

nurture of the child.

3. The pastor or membership secretary shall regularly review

the membership record to identify those who have not become

professing members, for purposes of nurturing them toward

162

¶ 226 THE LOCAL CHURCH

profession of faith. The number of people so identied shall be

reported annually, or at such other times as may be requested, to

the charge conference or the annual conference. The congregation

has ongoing responsibility to nurture baptized children, youth,

and adults in the life of discipleship.

4. It shall be the duty of the pastor, the parent(s), guardian(s),

sponsor(s), or godparent(s), the ofcers and teachers of the church

school, the local church scouting coordinator, and all members of

the congregation to provide training for the children of the Church

throughout their childhood that will lead to a personal commit-

ment to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and to an understanding

of the Christian faith and the meaning of baptism. Building on

the preparation that youth have received throughout their child-

hood, the pastor shall, at least annually, organize them into classes

to the end that they may profess their faith and be conrmed

(¶ 216). This instruction shall be based on materials produced by

The United Methodist Church or on other resources that present

the mission, history, doctrine, and beliefs of The United Method-

ist Church for this purpose. When youth so prepared shall give

evidence of their own Christian faith, and understanding of the

meaning and practice of membership, they may be received as

professing members. The God and Me and God and Family por-

tions of the Program of Religious Activities with Youth (P.R.A.Y.)

program may be available to elementary children as an additional

resource (¶ 256.4).

5. Youth who are members of the Church have all rights

and responsibilities of membership within the baptismal cov-

enant. (See ¶ 256.3.) It is strongly recommended that each local

church offer for all senior high youth continuing instruction in

the meaning of the Christian life and discipleship. It is further rec-

ommended that this course, taught by or under the guidance of

the pastor, or other staff or layperson, emphasize the doctrines

of The United Methodist Church and the nature and mission of

the Church, leading to continued growth in the knowledge, grace,

and service of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Program of Religious

Activities with Youth (P.R.A.Y.) program may be available to

all youth, with the God and Church portion providing study of

The United Methodist Church, and the God and Life program

challenging the youth to integrate their faith into their daily life

(¶ 256.4) It shall be the responsibility of the pastor to participate in

the growth process through interaction and ministry with youth.

163

CHURCH MEMBERSHIP ¶ 228

A  A M

¶ 227. A professing member of The United Methodist Church,

of an afliated autonomous Methodist or united church, or of a

Methodist church that has a concordat agreement with The United

Methodist Church, who resides for an extended period in a city or

community at a distance from the member’s home church, may

on request be enrolled as an afliate member of a United Meth-

odist church located in the vicinity of the temporary residence.

The home pastor shall be notied of the afliate membership.

Such membership shall entitle the person to the fellowship of that

church, to its pastoral care and oversight, and to participation in

its activities, including the holding of ofce; except such as would

allow one to vote in a United Methodist body other than the local

church. However, that person shall be counted and reported as a

professing member of the home church only. A member of another

denomination may become an associate member under the same

conditions, but may not become a voting member of the church

council.

This relationship may be terminated at the discretion of

the United Methodist church in which the afliate or associate

membership is held whenever the afliate or associate member

shall move from the vicinity of the United Methodist church in

which the afliate or associate membership is held.

C  M

¶ 228. 1. The local church shall endeavor to enlist each mem-

ber in activities for spiritual growth and in participation in the

services and ministries of the Church and its organizations. It

shall be the duty of the pastor and of the members of the church

council by regular visitation, care, and spiritual oversight to pro-

vide necessary activities and opportunities for spiritual growth

through individual and family worship and individual and group

study to connect faith and daily living, and continually to aid the

members to keep their vows to uphold the Church by attendance,

prayers, gifts, service, and witness. The Church has a moral and

spiritual obligation to nurture its nonparticipating and indifferent

members and to lead them into an active church relationship.

2. Care of Members—a) The pastor in cooperation with the

church council may arrange the membership in groups—with a

3. See Judicial Council Decision 372.

164

¶ 228 THE LOCAL CHURCH

leader for each group—designed to involve the membership of

the Church in its ministry to the community. These groups shall

be of such size, usually not larger than eight or ten families, as to

be convenient and effective for service. Such groups may be espe-

cially helpful in evangelistic outreach by contacting newcomers

and unreached persons, by visitation, by mobilizing neighbors to

meet social issues in the community, by responding to personal

and family crises, by holding prayer meetings in the homes, by

distributing Christian literature, and by other means. Nonresident

members should constitute a special group to be served by corre-

spondence. The groups shall be formed and the leaders appointed

by the church council upon recommendation of the pastor.

b) While primary responsibility and initiative rests with

each professing member to faithfully perform the vows of the bap-

tismal covenant that have been solemnly assumed, if the member

should be neglectful of that responsibility, these procedures shall

be followed:

(1) If a professing member residing in the community

is negligent of the vows or is regularly absent from the worship

of the church without valid reason, the pastor and the member-

ship secretary shall report that member’s name to the church

council, which shall do all in its power to reenlist the member

in the active fellowship of the church. It shall visit the member

and make clear that, while the member’s name is on the roll of a

particular local church, one is a member of The United Method-

ist Church as a whole, and that, since the member is not attend-

ing the church where enrolled, the member is requested to do

one of four things: (a) reafrm the baptismal vows and return to

living in the community of the baptismal covenant in the church

where the member’s name is recorded, (b) request transfer to

another United Methodist church where the member will return

to living in the community of the baptismal covenant (see ¶ 239),

tion (see ¶ 240), or (d) request withdrawal. If the member does

not comply with any of the available alternatives over a period

of two years, the member’s name may be removed. (See § (4)

below.)

(2) If a professing member whose address is known

is residing outside the community and is not participating in the

worship or activity of the church, the directives to encourage

a transfer of the member shall be followed each year until that

165

CHURCH MEMBERSHIP ¶ 228

member joins another church or requests in writing that the name

be removed from the roll of professing members; provided, how-

ever, that if after two years the council has not been able to relate

that member to the church at the new place of residence, the name

may be removed from the roll of members by the procedure of

§ (4) below.

(3) If the address of a professing member is no longer

known to the pastor, the membership secretary and the evange-

lism ministry group chairperson shall make every effort to locate

the member. If the member can be located, the directives of either

§ (1) or § (2) above shall be followed, but if after two years of such

efforts the address is still unknown, the member’s name may be

removed from the roll of members by the procedure of § (4) below.

(4) If the directives of §§ (1), (2), or (3) above have

been followed for the specied number of years without success,

the member’s name may be removed as a professing member by

vote of the charge conference on recommendation of the pastor

and the evangelism ministry chairperson, each name being con-

sidered individually, provided that the member’s name shall have

been entered in the minutes of the annual charge conference for

two consecutive years. On the membership record there shall be

entered after the name: “Removed by Charge Conference Action”;

and if the action is on the basis of § (3), there shall be added: “Rea-

son: Address Unknown.” The record shall be retained in order

that upon reafrmation of the baptismal covenant the person

may be restored as a member. Should a transfer of membership

be requested, the pastor may, after consultation with the person,

issue the certicate of transfer.

(5) A written complaint or grievance may be led

against a professing member by serving the complaint or griev-

ance on the professing member, the pastor of the professing mem-

ber, and the district superintendent of the professing member.

(6) The pastor and district superintendent of the

accused professing member shall attempt a just resolution pro-

cess similar to the supervisory response in ¶ 362.1(b, c) with the

professing member’s district superintendent or designee leading

the process.

(7) If the procedures of ¶ 362.1(b, c) do not result in

resolution of the matter and if the conduct alleged in the com-

plaint or grievance, if true, would be a chargeable offense found in

¶ 2702.3, then the procedures of ¶ 2701 and following paragraphs

166

¶ 228 THE LOCAL CHURCH

are to be followed unless the accused professing member agrees

to use the procedure described in ¶ 228.2b (8) below.

(8) If the procedures of ¶ 362.1(b, c) do not result in

resolution of the matter and if the conduct alleged in the com-

plaint or grievance, if true, would not be a chargeable offense

found in ¶ 2702.3, then a group of four persons: the pastor of the

accused professing member, the lay leader of the accused pro-

fessing member’s church, the district lay leader, and the district

superintendent, ex ofcio, without vote but with voice, where the

accused professing member’s church is located, shall hear infor-

mation from the accused professing member and the complainant

or grievant and shall determine an unappealable resolution of the

matter.

(9) When a professing member is charged with an

offense and wishes to forego trial, the charge conference may per-

mit the member to withdraw (¶ 2719.3). In this case, the notation

“Withdrawn under charges” shall be entered alongside the mem-

ber’s name on the record, along with the date.

(10) Recognizing that the Church has a continuing

moral and spiritual obligation to nurture all persons, it is recom-

mended that a list of names thus removed shall be maintained. It

shall then become the responsibility of the church council to pro-

vide for the review of this list at least once a year. (See also ¶ 234.)

After the review has been made, it is recommended that the pas-

tor and/or the commission on evangelism contact those whose

names appear on this list, either in person or by other means, in

the most effective and practical manner. The names and addresses

of those who have moved outside the local church’s area should

be sent to local churches in their new communities that those

churches may visit and minister to them.

c) The pastor, along with other adult workers with youth

and young adults in the local church and beyond (¶ 634.4c[4]),

shall disseminate information about United Methodist-related

Campus Ministry to college/university students or potential col-

lege/university students who are baptized members, professing

members, or other constituents of the congregation. They shall

also nurture, counsel, and guide young people as they explore

United Methodist and non-United Methodist colleges and univer-

sities and non-college vocation options in light of their faith.

¶ 229. Transfer from Discontinued Local Churches—If a local

church is discontinued, the district superintendent shall select

167

CHURCH MEMBERSHIP ¶ 231

another United Methodist church and transfer its members

thereto, or to such other churches as the members may select. (See

¶ 2549.2.)

M R  R

¶ 230. Membership Records—1. Each local church shall accu-

rately maintain a membership record for each baptized or pro-

fessing member including:

a) the person’s name, date of birth, address, place of

birth, date of baptism, ofciating pastor, and sponsors;

b) date of conrmation/profession of faith, ofciating

pastor, and sponsors;

c) if transferred from another church, date of reception,

sending church, and receiving pastor;

d) if transferred to another church, date of transfer,

receiving church, and address of receiving church;

e) date of removal or withdrawal and reason;

f) date of restoration of professing membership and of-

ciating pastor;

g) date of death, date and place of funeral/memorial,

place of burial, and ofciating pastor.

2. Annually, names of professing members to be removed by

charge conference action shall be reported to the charge confer-

ence (¶ 228.2.b.4).

3. Constituency Roll, containing the names and addresses of

such persons as are not members of the church concerned, includ-

ing unbaptized children, youth, and adults whose names are not

on the membership record, and other nonmembers for whom the

local church has pastoral responsibility.

4. Afliate Membership Roll (¶ 227).

5. Associate Membership Roll (¶ 227).

6. In the case of a union or federated church with another

denomination, the governing body of such a church may report

an equal share of the total membership to each judicatory, and

such membership shall be published in the minutes of each

church, with a note to the effect that the report is that of a union

or federated church, and with an indication of the total actual

membership.

¶ 231. Annual Membership Report and Audit—The pastor shall

report to the charge conference annually the names of persons

received into the membership of the church or churches of the

168

¶ 231 THE LOCAL CHURCH

pastoral charge and the names of persons removed since the last

charge conference, indicating how each was received or removed.

The church council shall appoint a committee to audit the mem-

bership record, submitting the report annually to the charge

conference.

¶ 232. Annual Report of Members Attending Colleges and Uni-

versities—The pastor shall report annually the names and contact

information for professing and baptized members attending col-

leges and universities to the district superintendent, the chairper-

son of the Conference Board of Higher Education and Campus

Ministry by one month before the start of the school term and to

the charge conference. The Conference Board of Higher Education

and Campus Ministry has the responsibility to share the informa-

tion with the appropriate UM-related campus ministries.

¶ 233. Permanent Records—The basic membership records in

each local church shall consist of: a permanent church register

and a card index, a loose-leaf book, or a membership record on an

electronic information system (see ¶ 245). All baptism, member-

ship, marriage, and funeral records are the property of the local

church and cannot be sold. If the church is discontinued, these

records are placed in the care of the Conference Commission on

Archives and History.

1. The permanent church register shall be kept on either

paper-based or electronic media. If it is on a paper medium, it

shall be a volume of durable material prepared by The United

Methodist Publishing House. The format and content of the

record forms contained in it and the manner of its binding shall

be as approved by a committee designated by the General Coun-

cil on Finance and Administration (see ¶ 807.14). If on a paper

medium, the names shall be recorded chronologically as each

person is received into the fellowship of that church and without

reference to alphabetical order. The names shall be numbered in

regular numerical order, and the number of each shall appear

on the corresponding card, page, or record in the card index,

loose-leaf book, or electronic information system membership

record. If it is on an electronic medium, it will not be necessary to

maintain a chronological number. The number that is assigned

automatically by the computer system is sufcient for this pur-

pose. However, the electronic medium shall meet the following

criteria:

169

CHURCH MEMBERSHIP ¶ 236

a) It shall contain all of the information required by the

General Council on Finance and Administration.

b) Conversion of the information from paper records to

an electronic medium shall be followed by a complete audit to

ensure the accuracy of the converted records.

c) Off-site storage and electronic backup shall be

maintained.

2. The card index, loose-leaf book, or electronic system mem-

bership record shall be kept on a form approved by the General

Council on Finance and Administration or, in the case of electroni-

cally maintained records, shall contain the same information as

required in the approved form with the exception of the sequen-

tial number. This record of membership shall be led in alpha-

betical order and shall show the number appearing opposite each

name on the permanent register. The pastor shall report annually

to the annual conference the total professing membership of the

local church as shown on the membership records.

3. When an electronic information system is used for record

keeping, printout copies of the membership records and backup

electronic media shall be retained in a secure off-site place (see

¶ 245).

¶ 234. Membership Secretary—The charge conference shall

name a membership secretary who, under the direction of the

pastor, shall keep accurate records of the membership (see ¶ 230)

and shall report at least annually to the church council.

C  C M

 L C M

¶ 235. Members whose names are removed from professing

member status for cause (see ¶ 2714), or who have been trans-

ferred, have died, or have withdrawn shall be so noted on the

membership record. It shall be the duty of the pastor of the charge

or of the membership secretary to keep an accurate record of such

changes and reasons and to report them to the charge conference

annually.

¶ 236. Members Who Move—If a member of a United Method-

ist church shall move to another community so far removed from

the home church that the member cannot participate regularly

in its worship and activity, this member shall be encouraged to

transfer membership to a United Methodist church in the com-

munity of the newly established residence. As soon as the pastor

170

¶ 236 THE LOCAL CHURCH

is reliably informed of this change of residence, actual or con-

templated, it shall be the pastor’s duty and obligation to assist

the member to become established in the fellowship of a church

in the community of the future home and to send to a United

Methodist pastor in such community, or to the district superin-

tendent, a letter of notication, giving the latest known address

of the person or persons concerned and requesting local pastoral

oversight.

¶ 237. Lay Missionaries in Non-United Methodist Churches—

Laypersons in service outside the United States under the Gen-

eral Board of Global Ministries and assigned to churches other

than United Methodist may accept all the rights and privileges,

including associate membership, offered them by a local church

in their place of residence without impairing their relationship to

their home local church.

¶ 238. Members Residing at a Distance—When a pastor dis-

covers a member of The United Methodist Church residing in

the community whose membership is in a church so far removed

from the place of residence that the member cannot participate

regularly in its worship and activity, it shall be the duty and obli-

gation of the pastor to give pastoral oversight to such person

and to encourage transfer of membership to a United Methodist

church in the community where the member resides.

¶ 239. Transfer to Other United Methodist Churches—When a

pastor receives a request for a transfer of membership from the

pastor of another United Methodist church or a district superin-

tendent, that pastor shall send the proper certicate directly to

the pastor of the United Methodist church to which the mem-

ber is transferring, or if there is no pastor, to the district super-

intendent. On receipt of such a certicate of transfer, the pastor

or district superintendent shall enroll the name of the person so

transferring after public reception in a regular service of worship,

or if circumstances demand, public announcement in such a ser-

vice. The pastor of the church issuing the certicate shall then be

notied, whereupon said pastor shall remove the member from

the roll.

Certicates of transfer shall be accompanied by two of-

cial forms. A “Notice of Transfer of Membership” is to be sent

to the member by the pastor who transfers the membership. An

“Acknowledgment of Transfer of Membership” is to be sent to the

former pastor by the pastor who receives the transferred member.

171

CHURCH MEMBERSHIP ¶ 242

In case the transfer is not made effective, the pastor shall

return the certicate to the pastor of the sending church.

¶ 240. Transfer to Other Denominations—A pastor, upon receiv-

ing a request from a member to transfer to a church of another

denomination, or upon receiving such request from a pastor or

duly authorized ofcial of another denomination, shall (with the

approval of the member) issue a certicate of transfer and, upon

receiving conrmation of the member’s reception into another

congregation, shall properly record the transfer of such person on

the membership record of the local church. For the transfer of a

member of The United Methodist Church to a church of another

denomination, an ofcial “Transfer of Membership to Another

Denomination” form shall be used.

¶ 241. Withdrawal Without Notice—If a pastor is informed that

a member has without notice united with a church of another

denomination, the pastor shall make diligent inquiry and, if the

report is conrmed, shall enter “Withdrawn” after the person’s

name on the membership roll and shall report the same to the next

charge conference.

¶ 242. Restoration of Professing Membership—1. A person

whose name has been removed from professing membership by

withdrawal, or action by charge conference, or trial court (¶ 2714),

may ask to be restored to membership in the local church.

2. A person whose membership was recorded as having been

withdrawn after becoming a member of another denomination

may, when that denomination will not transfer membership, be

restored to professing membership by reafrmation of the bap-

tismal vows.

3. A person who has withdrawn at his or her own written

request may return to the church and, upon reafrmation of the

baptismal vows, become a professing member.

4. A person whose name was removed by charge confer-

ence action may return to the church and, at his or her request,

be restored to professing membership in the local church through

reafrmation of the baptismal vows.

5. A person who withdrew under charges or was removed

by trial court (¶ 2714) may ask to return to the church. Upon evi-

dence of a renewed life, approval of the charge conference, and

reafrmation of the baptismal vows, the person may be restored

to professing membership.

172

¶ 243 THE LOCAL CHURCH

Section VI. Organization and Administration

¶ 243. Primary Tasks—The local church shall be organized so

that it can pursue its primary task and mission in the context of its

own community—reaching out and receiving with joy all who will

respond; encouraging people in their relationship with God and

inviting them to commitment to God’s love in Jesus Christ; pro-

viding opportunities for them to seek strengthening and growth

in spiritual formation; and supporting them to live lovingly and

justly in the power of the Holy Spirit as faithful disciples.

In carrying out its primary task, it shall be organized so

that adequate provision is made for these basic responsibilities:

(1) planning and implementing a program of nurture, outreach,

and witness for persons and families within and without the

congregation; (2) providing for effective pastoral and lay leader-

ship; (3) providing for nancial support, physical facilities, and

the legal obligations of the church; (4) utilizing the appropriate

relationships and resources of the district and annual conference;

(5) providing for the proper creation, maintenance, and dispo-

sition of documentary record material of the local church; and

(6) seeking inclusiveness in all aspects of its life.

¶ 244. Organization—The basic organizational plan for the

local church shall include provision for the following units: a

charge conference, a church council, a committee on pastor-

parish relations, a board of trustees, a committee on nance, a

committee on nominations and leadership development, and

such other elected leaders, commissions, councils, committees,

and task forces as the charge conference may determine. Every

local church shall develop a plan for organizing its administra-

tive and programmatic responsibilities. Each local congregation

shall provide a comprehensive program of nurture, outreach, and

witness, along with leadership training, and the planning and

administration of the congregation’s organizational and tempo-

ral life, in accordance with the mission of The United Methodist

Church (see ¶¶ 120-124).

1. The church council and all other administrative and pro-

grammatic structures of the local church shall be amenable to the

charge conference (see ¶ 246). The church council shall function as

the executive agency of the charge conference.

2. Alternative plans may be developed in accordance with

the provisions of ¶ 247.2. Such alternatives include: nurture, out-

173

ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 246

reach, and witness ministries; administrative council; or adminis-

trative board/council on ministries.

3. Members of the church council or alternative structure

shall be persons of genuine Christian character who love the

church, are morally disciplined, are committed to the mandate of

inclusiveness in the life of the church, are loyal to the ethical stan-

dards of The United Methodist Church set forth in the Social Prin-

ciples, and are competent to administer its affairs. It shall include

youth and young adult members chosen according to the same

standards as adults. All persons with vote shall be members of the

local church, except where central conference legislation provides

otherwise. The pastor shall be the administrative ofcer and, as

such, shall be an ex ofcio member of all conferences, boards,

councils, commissions, committees, and task forces, unless other-

wise restricted by the Discipline.

¶ 245. Information Technology—Each local church, as it cre-

ates or maintains computerized information and data, is strongly

encouraged to confer with its annual conference for recommen-

dations and guidelines as it relates to information technology.

T C C

Members of the charge conference shall be persons of genuine

Christian character who love the Church, are morally disciplined,

are committed to the mandate of inclusiveness in the life of the

Church, are loyal to the ethical standards of The United Method-

ist Church set forth in the Social Principles, and are competent

to administer its affairs. It shall include youth members chosen

according to the same standards as adults. All shall be profess-

ing members of the local church, except where central conference

legislation provides otherwise. The pastor shall be the adminis-

trative ofcer, and as such shall be an ex ofcio member of all

conferences, boards, councils, commissions, committees, and task

forces, unless restricted by the Discipline.

¶ 246. General Provisions—1. Within the pastoral charge the

basic unit in the connectional system of The United Method-

ist Church is the charge conference. The charge conference shall

therefore be organized from the church or churches in every

pastoral charge as set forth in the Constitution (¶ 43). It shall meet

4. See Judicial Council Decisions 469, 500.

174

¶ 246 THE LOCAL CHURCH

annually for the purposes set forth in ¶ 247. It may meet at other

times as indicated in § 7 below.

2. The membership of the charge conference shall be all mem-

bers of the church council or other appropriate body, together

with retired ordained ministers and retired diaconal ministers

who elect to hold their membership in said charge conference and

any others as may be designated in the Discipline. If more than

one church is on the pastoral charge, all members of each church

council shall be members of the charge conference.

3. The charge conference may make provision for recogni-

tion of the faithful service of members of the church council by

electing them honorary members. An honorary member shall be

entitled to all the privileges of a member, except the right to vote.

4. The district superintendent shall x the time of meetings of

the charge conference. The charge conference shall determine the

place of meeting.

5. The district superintendent shall preside at the meetings of

the charge conference or may designate an elder to preside.

6. The members present and voting at any duly announced

meeting shall constitute a quorum.

7. Special sessions may be called by the district superinten-

dent after consultation with the pastor of the charge, or by the

pastor with the written consent of the district superintendent. The

purpose of such special session shall be stated in the call, and only

such business shall be transacted as is in harmony with the pur-

poses stated in the call. Any such special session may be convened

as a church conference in accordance with ¶ 248.

8. Notice of time and place of a regular or special session of

the charge conference shall be given at least ten days in advance

by two or more of the following (except as local laws may other-

wise provide): from the pulpit of the church, in its weekly bulle-

tin, in a local church publication, or by mail.

9. A charge conference shall be conducted in the language of

the majority, with adequate provision being made for translation.

10. A joint charge conference for two or more pastoral charges

may be held at the same time and place, as the district superinten-

dent may determine.

¶ 247. Powers and Duties—1. The charge conference shall be

the connecting link between the local church and the general

Church and shall have general oversight of the church council(s).

175

ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 247

2. The charge conference, the district superintendent, and the

pastor, when a pastor has been appointed (see ¶ 205.4), shall orga-

nize and administer the pastoral charge and churches according

to the policies and plans herein set forth. When the membership

size, program scope, mission resources, or other circumstances so

require, the charge conference may, in consultation with and upon

the approval of the district superintendent, modify the organiza-

tional plans, provided that the provisions of ¶ 243 are observed.

Such other circumstances may include, but not be limited to, alter-

native models for the conception of a local church, such as coffee

house ministries, mall ministries, outdoor ministries, retirement

home ministries, restaurant ministries, and other emergent ways

in which people can gather in God’s name to be the church.

3. The primary responsibilities of the charge conference in

the annual meeting shall be to review and evaluate the total mis-

sion and ministry of the church (¶¶ 120-124), receive reports, and

adopt objectives and goals recommended by the church council

that are in keeping with the objectives of The United Methodist

Church.

4. The charge conference recording secretary shall keep an

accurate record of the proceedings and shall be the custodian of

all records and reports and, with the presiding ofcer, shall sign

the minutes. A copy of the minutes shall be provided for the dis-

trict superintendent, and a permanent copy shall be retained for

church les. When there is only one local church on a charge, the

secretary of the church council shall be the secretary of the charge

conference. When there is more than one church on a charge, one

of the secretaries of the church councils shall be elected by the

charge conference to serve as its secretary.

5. a) It is strongly recommended that the charge conference

elect a church historian in order to preserve the history of each

local church. The responsibilities of the historian are to keep the

historical records up to date; serve as chairperson of the commit-

tee on records and history, if any; cooperate with the annual con-

ference commission on archives and history; provide an annual

report on the care of church records and historical materials to

the charge conference; and also provide, with the pastor and the

committee on records and history, if any, for the preservation of

all local church records and historical materials no longer in cur-

rent use. Records and historical materials include all documents,

minutes, journals, diaries, reports, letters, pamphlets, papers,

176

¶ 247 THE LOCAL CHURCH

manuscripts, maps, photographs, books, audiovisuals, sound

recordings, magnetic or other tapes, or any other documentary

material, regardless of form or characteristics, made or received

pursuant to any provisions of the Discipline in connection with

the transaction of church business by any local church of The

United Methodist Church or any of its constituent predecessors.

The church historian may be a member of the church council. This

person may also hold another elected position on the council.

b) There may be a local church committee on records and

history, chaired by the church historian, to assist in fullling these

responsibilities.

6. Each charge is encouraged to be inclusive in the make-up of

the council so that all segments of the congregation are represented.

7. The charge conference may establish a limit to the con-

secutive terms of ofce for any or all of the elected or appointed

ofcers of the local church, except where otherwise mandated. It

is recommended that no ofcer serve more than three consecutive

years in the same ofce.

8. The charge conference shall examine and recommend to

the district committee on ordained ministry, faithfully adhering

to the provisions of ¶ 310.1e, candidates for licensed or ordained

ministry who have been professing members in good standing of

The United Methodist Church for at least one year; whose gifts,

evidence of God’s grace, and call to the ministry clearly establish

them as candidates; and who have met the educational require-

ments. It is out of the faith and witness of the congregation that

men and women respond to God’s call to licensed or ordained

ministry. Every local church should intentionally nurture candi-

dates for licensed or ordained ministry, providing for spiritual

and nancial support, as well as supporting the Ministerial Edu-

cation Fund, for their education and formation as servant leaders

for the ministry of the whole people of God.

9. The charge conference shall examine and recommend,

faithfully adhering to the provisions of ¶ 313, renewal of candi-

dacy of candidates for the ordained ministry.

10. The charge conference shall examine and recommend to

the responsible Church agency any candidates for Church-related

vocations.

11. The charge conference shall inquire annually into the

gifts, labors, and usefulness of the lay servants and certied lay

ministers related to the charge and recommend to the district

177

ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 247

and/or conference committee on Lay Servant Ministries those

persons who have met the standards set forth for a local church

lay servant and/or for certied lay servant and certied lay min-

ister (¶¶ 266-269).

12. The charge conference shall receive reports annually on

all local church organized Volunteers In Mission (UMVIM) teams,

and the total number of local church participants in any UMVIM

team, and shall forward the combined report to the annual con-

ference and the general Church through the regular annual local

church statistical report.

13. The charge conference shall in consultation with the dis-

trict superintendent set the compensation of the pastor and other

staff appointed by the bishop.

14. As soon as practicable after the session of annual confer-

ence, each district superintendent or designated agent shall notify

each local church in the district what amounts have been appor-

tioned to it for World Service, conference benevolences and other

general Church, jurisdictional, and annual conference funds. In the

event that the conference uses an apportionment formula whereby

the local church contributes a specied percentage of its current

income and/or expenses, the specied percentage may be used in

lieu of an actual dollar amount. In preparation for and at the charge

conference, it shall be the responsibility of the district superinten-

dent, the pastor, and the lay member(s) of the annual conference

and/or the church lay leader(s) to interpret to each charge confer-

ence the importance of these apportioned funds, explaining the

causes supported by each of them and their place in the total pro-

gram of the Church. The World Service Fund is basic in the nan-

cial program of The United Methodist Church. World Service on

apportionment represents the minimum needs for the mission and

ministry of the Church. Conference benevolences represent the

minimum needs for mission and ministry in the annual confer-

ence. Payment in full of these apportionments by local churches is

the rst benevolent responsibility of the church (¶ 812).

15. The charge conference shall receive and act on the annual

report from the pastor concerning the membership. (See ¶ 231.)

16. The charge conference shall receive a report on the names

and addresses of college students to send to the United Methodist

campus ministers and chaplains.

5. See Judicial Council Decisions 213, 252, 461, 1014, 1123.

6. See Judicial Council Decision 1054.

178

¶ 247 THE LOCAL CHURCH

17. In those instances where there are two or more churches

on a pastoral charge, the charge conference may provide for a

charge or parish council, a chargewide or parish treasurer, and

such other ofcers, commissions, committees, and task groups as

necessary to carry on the work of the charge.

18. In those instances where there are two or more churches

on a pastoral charge, the charge conference may elect a chargewide

or parish committee on nominations and leadership development,

a chargewide or parish committee on pastor-parish relations, a

chargewide or parish committee on nance, and a chargewide or

parish board of trustees in such instances where property is held

in common by two or more churches of the charge. All churches

of the charge shall be represented on such chargewide or parish

committees or boards. Chargewide or parish organization shall be

consistent with disciplinary provisions for the local church.

19. In instances of multiple church charges, the charge con-

ference shall provide for an equitable distribution of parsonage

maintenance and upkeep expense or adequate housing allowance

(if annual conference policy permits) among the several churches.

20. The charge conference shall promote awareness of and

concurrence with the Doctrinal Standards and General Rules

of The United Methodist Church, and with policies relative to

Socially Responsible Investments (¶ 717), the Social Principles

(¶¶ 160-166), and The Book of Resolutions of The United Methodist

Church.

21. If any charge conference initiates, joins, monitors, or ter-

minates a boycott, the guidelines in The Book of Resolutions, 2012,

should be followed. The General Conference is the only body that

can initiate, empower, or join a boycott in the name of The United

Methodist Church.

22. When authorized by the district superintendent and the

district board of church location and building, the charge confer-

ence may provide for the sponsoring of satellite congregations.

23. The charge conference shall have such other duties and

responsibilities as the General, jurisdictional, or annual confer-

ence may duly commit to it.

¶ 248. The Church Conference—To encourage broader partici-

pation by members of the church, the charge conference may be

convened as the church conference, extending the vote to all pro-

fessing members of the local church present at such meetings. The

church conference shall be authorized by the district superinten-

179

ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 249

dent. It may be called at the discretion of the district superinten-

dent or following a written request to the district superintendent

by one of the following: the pastor, the church council, or 10 per-

cent of the professing membership of the local church. In any case

a copy of the request shall be given to the pastor. Additional regu-

lations governing the call and conduct of the charge conference as

set forth in ¶¶ 246-247 shall apply also to the church conference. A

joint church conference for two or more churches may be held at

the same time and place as the district superintendent may deter-

mine. A church conference shall be conducted in the language of

the majority with adequate provision being made for translation.

(For church local conference see ¶ 2527.)

¶ 249. Election of Leaders—The charge conference, or church

conference authorized by the district superintendent, shall

elect upon recommendation by the committee on nominations

and leadership development of each local church on the pasto-

ral charge, or by nomination from the oor and by vote of each

such local church, at least the following leaders for the four basic

responsibilities (¶ 244):

1. Chairperson of the church council.

2. The committee on nominations and leadership develop-

ment.

3. The committee on pastor-parish relations and its chair-

person.

4. A chairperson and additional members of the committee

on nance; the nancial secretary and the church treasurer(s) if

not paid employees of the local church; and the trustees as pro-

vided in ¶¶ 2526-2528, unless otherwise required by state law.

5. The lay member(s) of the annual conference and lay

leader(s).

6. A recording secretary (see ¶ 247.4).

7. Special attention shall be given to the inclusion of women,

men, youth, young adults, persons over sixty-ve years of age,

persons with disabilities, and racial and ethnic persons.

8. All local church ofces and all chairs of organizations

within the local church may be shared between two persons, with

the following exceptions: trustee, ofcers of the board of trustees,

treasurer, lay member of annual conference, member and chair-

person of the committee on staff- or pastor-parish relations. When

two persons jointly hold a position that entails membership on

the church council, both may be members of it.

180

¶ 250 THE LOCAL CHURCH

¶ 250. Removal of Ofcers and Filling of Vacancies—If a leader

or ofcer who has been elected by the charge conference is unable

or unwilling to perform the duties reasonably expected of such

a leader or ofcer, the district superintendent may call a spe-

cial session of the charge conference in accordance with ¶ 246.7.

The purpose of such special session shall be stated as “Consid-

eration for the removal of person(s) from ofce and the election

of person(s) to ll vacancy(ies).” The committee on nominations

and leadership development (¶¶ 258.1, 247.18) shall meet as soon

as possible after the special session of the charge conference has

been announced and shall propose person(s) who may be elected

if vacancy(ies) occur at the charge conference. If the charge con-

ference votes to remove a person or persons from ofce, the

vacancy(ies) shall be lled in the manner prescribed for elections

in accordance with ¶ 249. When a local church trustee is under

consideration for removal and the pastoral charge consists of two

or more churches, a church local conference shall be called instead

of a charge conference, in accordance with ¶ 2526.

¶ 251. Duties of Leaders and Members—1. Out of the professing

membership of each local church (¶ 128), there shall be elected by

the charge conference a lay leader who shall function as the pri-

mary lay representative of the laity in that local church and shall

have the following responsibilities:

a) fostering awareness of the role of laity both within the

congregation and through their ministries in the home, work-

place, community, and world, and nding ways within the com-

munity of faith to recognize all these ministries;

b) meeting regularly with the pastor to discuss the state

of the church and the needs for ministry;

c) membership in the charge conference and the church

council, the committee on nance, the committee on nominations

and leadership development, and the committee on pastor-parish

relations or staff-parish relations, where, along with the pastor,

the lay leader shall serve as an interpreter of the actions and pro-

grams of the annual conference and the general Church (to be bet-

ter equipped to comply with this responsibility, it is recommended

that a lay leader also serve as a lay member of annual conference);

d) continuing involvement in study and training oppor-

tunities to develop a growing understanding of the Church’s

reason for existence and the types of ministry that will most effec-

tively fulll the Church’s mission;

181

ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 251

e) assisting in advising the church council of opportuni-

ties available and the needs expressed for a more effective minis-

try of the church through its laity in the community;

f) informing the laity of training opportunities provided

by the annual conference. Where possible, the lay leader shall

attend training opportunities in order to strengthen his or her

work. The lay leader is urged to become a certied lay servant

In instances where more than one church is on a charge, the

charge conference shall elect additional lay leaders so that there

will be one lay leader in each church. Associate lay leaders may be

elected to work with the lay leader in any local church.

2. The lay member(s) of the annual conference and alternates

shall be elected annually or quadrennially as the annual confer-

ence directs. If the charge’s lay representative to the annual con-

ference shall cease to be a member of the charge or shall for any

reason fail to serve, an alternate member in the order of election

shall serve in place.

Both the lay members and the alternates shall have been

professing members in good standing of The United Method-

ist Church for at least two years and shall have been active par-

ticipants for at least four years next preceding their election (see

¶ 32), except in a newly organized church, which shall have the

privilege of representation at the annual conference session.

local pastor shall be eligible as a lay member or alternate.

United

Methodist churches that become part of an ecumenical shared

ministry shall not be deprived of their right of representation

by a lay member in the annual conference. The lay member(s)

of the annual conference, along with the pastor, shall serve as an

interpreter of the actions of the annual conference session. These

persons shall report to the local church council on actions of the

annual conference as soon as possible, but not later than three

months after the close of the conference.

3. The church council chairperson shall be elected by the charge

conference annually and shall have the following responsibilities:

a) leading the council in fullling its responsibilities (see

¶ 249);

b) preparing and communicating the agenda of the coun-

cil meetings in consultation with the pastor(s), lay leader, and

other appropriate persons;

7. See Judicial Council Decisions 170, 305, 342, 469, 495.

8. See Judicial Council Decision 328.

182

¶ 251 THE LOCAL CHURCH

c) reviewing and assigning responsibility for the imple-

mentation of actions taken by the council;

d) communicating with members of the council and oth-

ers as appropriate to permit informed action at council meetings;

e) coordinating the various activities of the council;

f) providing the initiative and leadership for the council

as it does the planning, establishing of objectives and goals, and

evaluating;

g) participating in leadership training programs as

offered by the annual conference and/or district.

The church council chairperson shall be entitled to attend

meetings of all boards and committees of the church unless specif-

ically limited by the Book of Discipline. The chairperson is encour-

aged to attend annual conference.

T C C

¶ 252. 1. Purpose—The church council shall provide for plan-

ning and implementing a program of nurture, outreach, wit-

ness, and resources in the local church. It shall also provide for

the administration of its organization and temporal life. It shall

envision, plan, implement, and annually evaluate the mission and

ministry of the church. The church council shall be amenable to

and function as the administrative agency of the charge confer-

ence (¶ 244).

2. Mission and Ministry—Nurture, outreach, and witness

ministries and their accompanying responsibilities include:

a) The nurturing ministries of the congregation shall give

attention to but not be limited to education, worship, Christian

formation, membership care, small groups, and stewardship.

Attention must be given to the needs of individuals and families

of all ages.

b) The outreach ministries of the church shall give atten-

tion to local and larger community ministries of compassion, jus-

tice, and advocacy. These ministries include church and society,

global ministries, higher education and campus ministry, health

and welfare, Christian unity and interreligious concerns, religion

and race, and the status and role of women.

c) The witness ministries of the church shall give atten-

tion to developing and strengthening evangelistic efforts of

sharing of personal and congregational stories of Christian expe-

rience, faith, and service; communications; Lay Servant Minis-

183

ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 252

tries; and other means that give expressions of witness for Jesus

Christ.

d) The leadership development and resourcing ministries

shall give attention to the ongoing preparation and development

of lay and clergy leaders for the ministry of the church (¶ 258.1).

e) The nurture, outreach, and witness ministries and

their accompanying responsibilities shall include consideration

of (i) the election of a prayer coordinator to promote prayer

and mobilize the local church to pray, (ii) establishing a prayer

room or designated place for prayer and prayer resources, and

(iii) encouraging intentional prayer for the pastoral leadership of

the local church.

3. Meetings—a) The council shall meet at least quarterly. The

chairperson or the pastor may call special meetings.

b) In order for the council to give adequate consideration

to the missional purpose of the local church, it is recommended

that the rst agenda item at each meeting be related to its min-

istries of nurture, outreach, and witness. The administrative and

supportive responsibilities of the church will then be given atten-

tion. It is recommended that the council use a consensus/discern-

ment model of decision-making.

4. Other Responsibilities—It will also be the responsibility of

the church council to:

a) review the membership of the local church;

b) ll interim vacancies occurring among the lay ofcers

of the church between sessions of the annual charge conference;

c) establish the budget on recommendation of the com-

mittee on nance and ensure adequate provision for the nancial

needs of the church;

d) recommend to the charge conference the salary and

other remuneration of the pastor(s) and staff members after

receiving recommendations from the committee on pastor-parish

relations (staff-parish relations);

e) review the recommendation of the committee on pas-

tor-parish relations regarding provision of adequate housing for

the pastor(s), and report the same to the charge conference for

approval. Housing provisions shall comply with the annual con-

ference housing policy and parsonage standards. Housing shall

not be considered as part of compensation or remuneration except

to the extent provided for in denominational pension and benet

plans.

184

¶ 252 THE LOCAL CHURCH

5. Membership—The charge conference will determine the

size of the church council. Members of the church council shall

be involved in the mission and ministry of the congregation as

dened in ¶ 252.2. The membership of the council may consist

of as few as eleven persons or as many as the charge conference

deems appropriate. The council shall include persons who rep-

resent the program ministries of the church as outlined in ¶ 243.

The membership shall include but not be limited to the following:

a) the chairperson of the church council;

b) the lay leader;

c) the chairperson and/or a representative of the pastor-

parish relations committee;

d) the chairperson and/or a representative of the com-

mittee on nance;

e) the chairperson and/or a representative of the board

of trustees;

f) the church treasurer;

g) a lay member to annual conference;

h) the president and/or a representative of the United

Methodist Men;

i) the president and/or a representative of the United

Methodist Women;

j) a young adult representative

k a representative of the United Methodist Youth;

l) the pastor(s).

6. Quorum—The members present and voting at any duly

announced meeting shall constitute a quorum.

S M

¶ 253. Age-Level, Family, and Specialized-Ministries Coordina-

tors (see also ¶ 252)—The charge conference may elect annually

a coordinator of children’s ministries, a coordinator of youth

ministries, a coordinator of adult ministries, and a coordinator of

family ministries. Where young adult and specic age-level min-

istries would be enhanced, coordinators of young adult and/or

older adult ministries may be elected. Where camps and retreats

are part of faith formation across the age span, a coordinator of

camp and retreat ministries may be elected. Where there are civic

youth-serving agencies or scouting ministry units present there

may be elected a scouting coordinator. Where needs for special-

ized areas of ministry arise (for example, single adults or persons

185

ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 255

with addictions, mental illness or disabilities), coordinators of

these areas of ministry may be elected.

¶ 254. Other Ministry Group Coordinators—In order to fulll

the mission of the local church, the charge conference may elect

annually a coordinator or ministry group chairperson for any or

all of these areas: Christian unity and interreligious relationships,

church and society, community volunteers, education, evange-

lism, higher education and campus ministry, missions, prayer

advocacy, religion and race, status and role of women, earth advo-

cacy, stewardship, worship, advocacy for persons with special

needs, and church media resources. Every local United Methodist

church may have a campus ministry coordinator, who may have

membership on the church council. A primary responsibility of

the campus ministry coordinator shall be to report the names and

contact information (i.e., addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail

addresses) of all college students from their local church each

semester to the appropriate United Methodist campus ministry,

such as the Wesley Foundation. The campus ministry coordinator

shall be encouraged to contact every college student from their

church each semester by letter, e-mail, or phone and encourage

the student’s active participation in United Methodist student

ministry. The campus ministry coordinator in every church shall

also promote nancial and other support of United Methodist

campus ministries, such as the Wesley Foundations, within their

local church.

Where desirable, the charge conference may combine coor-

dinators’ or ministry group chairpersons’ assignments. Each

coordinator or ministry group chairperson, if elected, shall work

with the church council (or other appropriate body), pastor(s),

and other church leaders to address the needs and opportuni-

ties of the particular area, utilizing all appropriate resources and

relationships of the district, annual conference, and/or general

church.

¶ 255. Church-School Superintendent and Small-Group Coor-

dinator—The charge conference may elect: (1) a superintendent

of the church school or Sunday school, and/or a coordinator of

small-group ministries, who shall be responsible for helping to

organize and supervise the total program for nurturing faith,

building Christian community, and equipping people of all ages

for ministry in daily life through small groups in the church;

(2) a health-and-welfare ministries coordinator, who shall assist

186

¶ 255 THE LOCAL CHURCH

the local church and its people in being involved in direct service

to persons in need; and (3) a communications coordinator, who

shall assist the local church and its members with communication

tasks by making available ideas, resources, and skills.

¶ 256. Program Ministries—The ministries of the local church

are offered so that people encounter God’s redeeming love for the

world and respond by participating in God’s action in the world.

To achieve this ministry, people need to be involved in a variety

of small-group settings. Some will be formed by the church coun-

cil. Others will emerge with the approval of this body. Another

type is historical, expressing itself in organizational structures

that are related to counterparts in annual conferences and the gen-

eral Church. These are referred to as program ministries and are

related to the church council.

1. The Church School and Small-Group Ministries—In each local

church there shall be a variety of small-group ministries, includ-

ing the church school, for supporting the formation of Christian

disciples focused on the transformation of the world. These small

groups may concentrate on teaching and learning, fellowship,

support, community ministries, and accountability. Members of

small groups will build their knowledge of the Bible, the Christian

faith, The United Methodist Church, and the societal context in

which the church nds itself. In addition, small groups, includ-

ing the church school, shall provide people with opportunities for

practicing skills for faithful discipleship, including but not limited

to worship, faith sharing, the creation of new faith communities,

spiritual discernment, Bible study, theological reection, prayer,

community building, service with the poor and marginalized,

and advocacy for peace and justice. Local churches or charges are

strongly encouraged to develop policies and procedures to pro-

vide for the safety of the infants, children, youth, and vulnerable

adults entrusted to their care.

a) The Church School—In each local church there shall be a

church school for the purpose of accomplishing the church’s edu-

cational ministry.

The church school is challenged to create communities in

which people of all ages experience God’s active presence in their

lives; foster healthy, nonviolent relationships within the congre-

gation and community; testify to the reconciling love of God

through Christ; and live out their faith in the world as witnesses

to the coming reign of God.

187

ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 256

b) Accountable Discipleship—Historically class leaders

provided lay pastoral leadership, and classes and class meetings

were the basic structural means of Christian spiritual formation in

the early Methodist societies.

Class leaders may be commissioned and classes may be

organized within the local congregation for the purpose of form-

ing persons as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ through mutual

accountability and support for witnessing to him in the world

and for following his teachings through acts of compassion, jus-

tice, worship, and devotion under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

(See ¶ 104, “The Nature, Design, and General Rules of Our United

Societies” [page 77], and ¶ 1117.)

c) Mission and Ministry Groups—Christian discipleship is

patterned after the servanthood of Jesus, who cared for the sick,

fed the hungry, and befriended the outcast. People may partici-

pate in small groups in order to serve the needs of the poor and

marginalized, advocate for social justice, and demonstrate their

faith in all their relationships and whatever setting they nd

themselves in.

d) Support Groups—Where needed, the local church may

organize small groups to support particular needs of congrega-

tion and community members, including but not limited to care

and prayer groups, divorce recovery, grief recovery, parenting

groups, and support for people who are suffering from chronic

illness, including persons with mental illnesses and their families.

2. Children’s Ministries—Children’s ministries—for, with, and

by children—include all ministries involving children within the

life of the congregational community, including but not limited

to Sunday school, vacation Bible school, nursery ministries, chil-

dren’s choir and music ministries, fellowship groups, support

groups, short-term study groups, children’s worship experiences,

mission education experiences, intergenerational activities, and

all weekday programs for children of all ages.

a) If there is a coordinator of children’s ministries, the

coordinator shall be responsible for assuring that children are

considered and included within the life of the congregation. The

coordinator will lead the children’s council, when organized, and

will work closely with clergy and other program-related staff. The

coordinator will vision, plan, and advocate for children, particu-

larly in the areas of faith development, safety, and discipleship.

The coordinator will work with other leaders in the congregation

188

¶ 256 THE LOCAL CHURCH

to assure that policies and procedures are in place to help keep all

children and the adults who care for and work with them safe.

These policies and procedures include such things as background

checks, having at least two adults per group, and cardiopulmo-

nary resuscitation and rst-aid training. The coordinator will also

advocate for mission education for children, including The United

Methodist Children’s Fund for Christian Mission.

b) If there is a children’s council, it shall be responsible

for planning, visioning, and advocating for children within the

congregation, the community, and the world. The council will set

policies and procedures related to children, oversee the planning

of short-term experiences, consider children’s ministry needs

within the whole of the congregation’s ministries, and commu-

nicate with parents and the congregation. The children’s council

will work closely with the coordinator of children’s ministries and

church staff responsible for ministry with children, including chil-

dren’s choirs and weekday ministries. The children’s council is

accountable to the group responsible for the local church’s edu-

cational ministry.

c) Weekday Ministry Board—The term weekday ministry

applies to any regularly planned ministry for children. When

appropriate, one or more weekday ministry boards may be orga-

nized to oversee the weekday ministry programs of the congre-

gation. The board’s membership should be mostly professing

members of the congregation, with parent, church staff, and

weekday ministry staff representatives. The board will set policies

consistent with the congregation’s policies, state mandates, and

sound business practices. The board will guide weekday minis-

tries as appropriate opportunities for faith development, mission

outreach, Christian education, evangelism, and safety. They will

advocate for inclusion of children from various socioeconomic,

cultural, and racial/ethnic backgrounds. Weekday ministry

board(s) accountability should be placed within the local church

organizational structure with consideration to the group respon-

sible for the congregation’s education ministry.

3. Young People’s Ministries—The term young people is inclu-

sive of all persons from approximately twelve through thirty

years of age in the United States and thirty-ve in the central

conferences. The term encompasses both youth and young-

adult ministries and allows for age exibility given the different

age denitions for young people in various cultures around the

189

ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 256

world. The term youth ministry is an inclusive title, encompassing

all the concerns of the Church and all activities by, with, and for

youth. The youth ministry of The United Methodist Church shall

include all persons from approximately twelve through eighteen

years of age in the United States and up to twenty-four in the cen-

tral conferences, taking into account the grouping of youth in the

public schools, who are currently or potentially associated with

the church or any of its activities. Youth who are professing mem-

bers of the church have all rights and responsibilities of church

membership except voting on matters prohibited by state law (see

¶ 226.5). The term young-adult ministry is an inclusive title, encom-

passing all the concerns of the Church and all activities by, with,

and for young adults. The young-adult ministry of The United

Methodist Church shall include all persons from approximately

eighteen through thirty in the United States and twenty-four

through thirty-ve in the central conferences who are currently

or potentially associated with the church or any of its activities.

Young adults who are professing members of the church have all

rights and responsibilities of church membership.

a) The coordinator/staff for youth ministries and the

youth leadership team, when organized, shall be responsible for

recommending to the church council activities, program empha-

ses, and settings for youth. The coordinator/staff and the lead-

ership team shall use available resources and means to inform

youth concerning the Youth Service Fund and shall cultivate its

support, provided that prior to this cultivation or as a part of it,

the youth shall have been challenged to assume their nancial

responsibilities in connection with the total program and budget

of the local church.

b) The local church may organize settings for ministries

with young people as appropriate in their ministry context.

c) In each charge conference where there are at least ve

youth, there may be a youth leadership team.

(1) The leadership team shall be made up of no less

than one-half youth. Nominations for members of the leadership

team (both youth and adults) may come from the youth group (or

related structure). The nominations will then be sent to the com-

mittee on nominations and leadership development for approval

and then to the charge conference for approval.

The council shall be composed of:

(a) The coordinator/staff for youth ministries

190

¶ 256 THE LOCAL CHURCH

and other related leaders as ex ofcio members with voice but

not vote.

(b) Any youth serving on a district, conference,

jurisdictional, or general Church board or agency.

jurisdictional, or general Church organization on youth ministry.

(2) There shall be co-chairs with one adult and one

youth to lead the meetings. Other ofcers may be a mix of adults

and youth depending on the skills, gifts, and needs of the leader-

ship team.

(3) The leadership team shall meet at least semiannu-

ally. It may meet additionally at the request of the pastor, coordi-

nator/staff for youth ministries or any member of the committee.

Responsibilities:

(a) To assist the coordinator/staff for youth min-

istry and other related leaders in planning and developing activi-

ties, program emphases, and settings for youth in the local church.

(b) To develop a program budget for their youth

ministry

istry in nding and encouraging qualied adults and interns to

work with youth in the local church.

(d) To develop a covenant for all adult volunteer

youth workers.

(e) To encourage and facilitate the furthering of

education for the coordinator/staff for youth ministries and oth-

ers in leadership with youth.

(f) To be informed of and follow the conference

child safety policies, procedures, and requirements to be followed

by the local church.

(g) To encourage and educate youth on possible

careers in professional ministry and how to consider any voca-

tional calling and opportunity to serve.

(h) To be a resource for other churches interested

in starting or revitalizing youth ministry within their own local

churches.

(i) To further educate youth and adults on The

United Methodist Church as a connectional church by encourag-

ing and supporting the participation of youth and adults in dis-

trict, annual, jurisdictional, and central conferences, and other

general Church ministries.

191

ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 256

(j) To promote and educate persons about the

Youth Service Fund.

(k) To promote the camping and retreat minis-

tries within the local church.

(l) To promote, introduce, and encourage youth

and young adults to become active in United Methodist campus

ministry when they attend a college or university.

(m) To empower youth to be full participants

and active leaders in The United Methodist Church.

(n) To consult with the pastor/staff parish

relations committee in: 1) developing written job descriptions;

2) nominating; 3) evaluating the job performance of the coordina-

tor/staff for youth ministries and any other volunteer and paid

staff related to youth ministry in the local church.

(m) It is strongly recommended that the council

develop a program budget for their ministry.

d) The coordinator/staff for young-adult ministries

and the young adult leadership team, when organized, shall be

responsible for recommending to the church council the activi-

ties, program emphases, and settings for young adults, gather the

names and addresses of all college students to send to the cam-

pus minister or chaplain of the college or university the students

are attending, encourage college students to participate in United

Methodist campus ministry, and recommend opportunities for

the congregation to support and participate with annual confer-

ence campus ministries and annual conference-related colleges

and universities.

4. Scouting ministry through civic youth-serving agencies

offer another setting for ministry to children, youth, their leaders,

and their families. The Programs of Religious Activities with Youth

(P.R.A.Y.) award program is available to all appropriate age-level

participants of the local church education program including the

church school, youth ministry, and scouting ministry.

a) Each local church may have a local church scouting

coordinator (or the central conferences equivalent) who shall

relate to the church council, the superintendent of the church

school, the coordinator of children’s ministries, the coordinator

of youth ministries, and all the various youth-serving agency

structures. The local church scouting coordinator (or the central

conferences equivalent) may relate to the district scouting coor-

dinator and annual conference scouting coordinator who are

192

¶ 256 THE LOCAL CHURCH

resource and training advisors. All churches shall be encouraged

to have a signed partnership agreement with all the units of these

agencies which are part of their ministry.

5. United Methodist Women—In every local church there shall

be an organized unit of United Methodist Women. The following

is the authorized constitution:

Article 1. Name—The name of this organization shall be

United Methodist Women.

Article 2. Relationships—The unit of United Methodist Women

in the local church is directly related to the district and conference

and national organizations of United Methodist Women.

Article 3. Purpose—The organized unit of United Method-

ist Women shall be a community of women whose purpose is to

know God and to experience freedom as whole persons through

Jesus Christ; to develop a creative, supportive fellowship; and to

expand concepts of mission through participation in the global

ministries of the Church.

Article 4. Membership—Membership shall be open to any

woman who indicates her desire to belong and to participate

in the global mission of the Church through United Methodist

Women. The pastor(s) shall be an ex ofcio member of the local

unit and of its executive committee.

Article 5. Ofcers and Committees—The local unit shall elect a

president, a vice president, a secretary, a treasurer, and a commit-

tee on nominations. Additional ofcers and committees shall be

elected or appointed as needed, in accordance with the plans of

the United Methodist Women’s national organization as set forth

in the bylaws for the local unit of United Methodist Women.

Article 6. Funds—a) The organized unit of United Methodist

Women shall secure funds for the fulllment of its purpose.

b) All funds from whatever source secured by the unit

of United Methodist Women belong to the organization and shall

be disbursed only in accordance with its constitution and by its

order.

c) The total budget secured and administered by the

organized unit in the local church shall include: (1) pledges and

other money for the programs and responsibilities of the United

Methodist Women’s national organization to be directed through

regular channels of nance of United Methodist Women; and (2)

funds to be used in mission locally, which shall include amounts

for administration and membership development.

193

ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 256

d) The organized unit in the local church shall make an

annual pledge to the total budget of the district or conference

organization of United Methodist Women.

e) All undesignated funds channeled to the United Meth-

odist Women’s national organization shall be appropriated by the

organization.

Article 7. Meetings—The organized unit in the local church

shall hold such meetings for implementing the purpose and trans-

acting its business as the unit itself shall decide.

Article 8. Relationship in the Local Church—The organized unit

of United Methodist Women shall encourage all women to par-

ticipate in the total life and work of the Church and shall support

them in assuming positions of responsibility and leadership.

Article 9. Amendments—Proposed amendments to this con-

stitution may be sent to the recording secretary of the United

Methodist Women’s national organization before the last annual

meeting of the organization in the quadrennium.

Note: For a description of the United Methodist Women’s

national organization and its subsidiary organizations, see

¶¶ 1901-1912.

6. United Methodist Men—Each church or charge shall have an

organized unit of United Methodist Men chartered and annually

renewed through the General Commission on United Methodist

Men. Other organized men’s ministry groups in a local United

Methodist Church shall annually report to the charge conference

and be resourced through the General Commission on United

Methodist Men. All local church men’s organizations shall pro-

vide a dedicated ministry for building men spiritually and involv-

ing men in the total ministry of the Church (¶ 2302).

a) Local church resource material for supporting effec-

tive men’s ministries shall be provided by the district, conference,

and jurisdictional organizations of United Methodist Men and the

General Commission on United Methodist Men (¶ 2302).

b) United Methodist Men exists to declare the centrality

of Christ in every man’s life. Men’s ministry leads to the spiritual

growth of men and effective discipleship. This purpose is served

as men are called to model the servant leadership of Jesus Christ.

c) Individual and group strategies form the foundation

of United Methodist Men ministry.

(1) Enhance Evangelism, Mission, and Spiritual Life

(EMS), as men become servant leaders.

194

¶ 256 THE LOCAL CHURCH

(2) Advocate programs that train men within local

churches to promote specic ministries including prayer, mis-

sions, stewardship, and civic/youth-serving ministries.

(3) Forge pastoral partnerships by men committed to

the effective support and service of clergy and local congregations.

(4) Enhance organizational strength through effec-

tive leadership, resources, membership growth, and nancial

accountability.

(5) Assist men in their ever-changing relationships,

roles, and responsibilities in the family setting, workplace, and

society.

(6) Understand the organization, doctrines, and

beliefs of The United Methodist Church.

(7) Fulll the membership vows through the com-

mitment to prayer, presence, gifts, service, and witness in congre-

gational life.

(8) Fulll the Great Commission with and through

The United Methodist Church as one part of the body of Christ.

d) Men seeking membership in a local unit of United

Methodist Men will be asked to subscribe to the major strategies

listed in § c above and to these personal objectives:

(1) To engage daily in Bible study and prayer.

(2) To bear witness to Christ’s way in daily work and

in all personal contacts through words and actions.

(3) To engage in Christian service.

e) United Methodist Men may be organized in one or

more components within a local church as needed. Multiple local

churches may also form a single unit of United Methodist Men

according to their needs.

f) Membership shall be open to any man who indicates

his desire to belong and to participate in the ministry of the church

through United Methodist Men.

g) The appointed clergy of the local church or charge shall

be ex ofcio member(s) of the unit and its executive committee

h) The organized unit of United Methodist Men shall

secure funds for the fulllment of its purpose. All funds from

whatever source secured by the United Methodist Men’s unit

belong to the organization and shall be disbursed only in accor-

dance with its constitution and/or by-laws and by its order.

(1) United Methodist Men’s unit may have their own

bank accounts.

195

ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 258

(2) The UM Men’s unit shall have an annual nancial

audit.

7. Supplemental Ministries—In view of the fact that the needs

of women and men are complex, dynamic, and unique in every

congregation, local churches are encouraged to develop a variety

of supplemental ministry programs for women and men, in addi-

tion to United Methodist Women and United Methodist Men.

¶ 257. Other Age-Level Councils—Where the size of the church

and the extent of the program indicate the need, the work of the

church council (or other appropriate body) may be facilitated by

one or more age-level councils and/or a family council, or such

other means as t the needs of the congregation. The membership

of these councils shall be elected by the church council (or other

appropriate body).

A C

¶ 258. 1. There shall be elected annually, by the charge con-

ference in each local church, a committee on nominations and

leadership development that is composed of professing members

of the local church. The charge of this committee is to identify,

develop, deploy, evaluate, and monitor Christian spiritual leader-

ship for the local congregation. Members of the committee shall

engage in and be attentive to developing and enhancing their

own Christian spiritual life in light of the mission of the Church

(Part VI, Chapter One, Section 1).

In conducting its work, the committee shall engage in bib-

lical and theological reections on the mission of the church,

the primary task, and ministries of the local church. It shall

provide a means of identifying the spiritual gifts and abilities

of the membership. The committee shall work with the church

council, or alternative administrative bodies, to determine the

diverse ministry tasks of the congregation and the skills needed

for leadership.

a) The committee on nominations and leadership devel-

opment shall serve throughout the year to guide the church coun-

cil, or alternative structure, on matters regarding the leadership

(other than employed staff) of the congregation so as to focus

on mission and ministry as the context for service; guide the

development and training of spiritual leaders; recruit, nurture,

and support spiritual leaders; and assist the church council, or

alternative structure, in assessing the changing leadership needs.

196

¶ 258 THE LOCAL CHURCH

b) The committee shall recommend to the charge confer-

ence, at its annual session, the names of people to serve as of-

cers and leaders of designated ministries of the church council,

or alternative administrative body required for the work of the

church and as the law of the church requires or as the charge con-

ference deems necessary to its work.

c) This committee is to be composed of not more than

nine persons, in addition to the pastor and the lay leader. At least

one young adult elected by the charge conference shall serve as a

member of the committee. One or more members elected by the

charge conference may be youth. The pastor shall be the chairper-

son. A layperson elected by the committee on nominations and

leadership development shall serve as the vice chairperson of the

committee.

d) In order to secure experience and stability, the mem-

bership shall be divided into three classes, one of which shall be

elected each year for a three-year term. To begin the process of

rotation where such has not been in place, in the rst year, one

class shall be elected for one year, one class for two years, and one

class for three years. Each year’s new class, and vacancies at the

time of charge conference, shall be elected from nominees, from

the oor of the charge conference, and/or through the recommen-

dation of the committee on nominations and leadership devel-

opment. Retiring members of the committee shall not succeed

themselves. Only one person from an immediate family residing

in the same household shall serve on the committee. When vacan-

cies occur during the year, nominees shall be elected by the church

council, or alternative church structure, with the permission of the

district superintendent.

e) In the identication and selection process, care shall

be given that the leadership of ministries reects inclusivity and

diversity.

2. There shall be elected annually by the charge conference

in each local church a committee on pastor-parish relations who

are professing members of the local church or charge or associ-

ate members (¶ 227), except in cases where central conference

legislation or local law provides otherwise. People serving on

this committee must be engaged in and attentive to their Chris-

tian spiritual development so as to give proper leadership in the

responsibilities with which the committee is entrusted.

197

ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 258

In conducting its work, the committee shall identify and clar-

ify its values for ministry. It shall engage in biblical and theologi-

cal reections on the mission of the church, the primary task, and

ministries of the local church.

The committee shall reect biblically and theologically on the

role and work of the pastor(s) and staff as they carry out their lead-

ership responsibilities. The committee shall assist the pastor(s)

and staff in assessing their gifts, maintaining health holistically

and work-life balance, and setting priorities for leadership and

service. It is the responsibility of the committee to communicate

with the committee on nominations and leadership development

and/or the church council when there is a need for other leaders

or for employed staff to perform in areas where utilization of the

gifts of the pastor(s) and staff proves an inappropriate steward-

ship of time.

a) The committee shall be composed of not fewer than

ve nor more than nine persons representative of the total charge.

One of the members shall be a young adult and one member may

be a youth. In addition, the lay leader and a lay member of the

annual conference shall be members. No staff member or immedi-

ate family member of a pastor or staff member may serve on the

committee. Only one person from an immediate family residing

in the same household shall serve on the committee.

b) In order to secure experience and stability, the mem-

bership shall be divided into three classes, one of which shall be

elected each year for a three-year term. The lay member of the

annual conference and the lay leader are exempt from the three-

year term. To begin the process of rotation where such a process

has not been in place, on the rst year one class shall be elected

for one year, one class for two years, and one class for three years.

Members of the committee shall be able to succeed themselves for

one three-year term. When vacancies occur during the year, nomi-

nees shall be elected at the church council (or alternative church

structure).

c) In those charges where there is more than one church,

the committee shall include at least one representative and the lay

leader from each local church.

d) The committees on pastor-parish relations of charges

that are in cooperative parish ministries shall meet together to

consider the professional leadership needs of the cooperative par-

ish ministry as a whole.

198

¶ 258 THE LOCAL CHURCH

e) The committee shall meet at least quarterly. It shall

meet additionally at the request of the bishop, the district super-

intendent, the pastor, any other person accountable to the com-

mittee, or the chairperson of the committee. The committee shall

meet only with the knowledge of the pastor and/or the district

superintendent. The pastor shall be present at each meeting of

the committee on pastor-parish relations or staff-parish relations

except where he or she voluntarily excuses himself or herself.

The committee may meet with the district superintendent

without the pastor or appointed staff under consideration being

present. However, the pastor or appointed staff under consider-

ation shall be notied prior to such meeting with the district super-

intendent and be brought into consultation immediately thereafter.

The committee shall meet in closed session, and information

shared in the committee shall be condential.

f) In the event that only one congregation on a charge

containing more than one church has concerns it wishes to share,

its member(s) in the committee may meet separately with the pas-

tor or any other person accountable to the committee or the dis-

trict superintendent, but only with the knowledge of the pastor

and/or district superintendent.

g) The duties of the committee shall include the following:

(1) To encourage, strengthen, nurture, support, and

respect the pastor(s) and staff and their family(s).

(2) To promote unity in the church(es).

(3) To confer with and counsel the pastor(s) and staff

on the matters pertaining to the effectiveness of ministry; rela-

tionships with the congregation; the pastor’s health and self-care,

conditions that may impede the effectiveness of ministry; and to

interpret the nature and function of the ministry.

(4) To confer with, consult, and counsel the pastor(s)

and staff on matters pertaining to priorities in the use of gifts,

skills, and time and priorities for the demands and effectiveness

of the mission and ministry of the congregation.

(5) To provide evaluation at least annually for the

use of the pastor(s) and staff in an ongoing effective ministry and

for identifying continuing educational needs and plans.

(6) To communicate and interpret to the congrega-

tion the nature and function of ministry in The United Methodist

Church regarding open itinerancy, the preparation for ordained

ministry, and the Ministerial Education Fund.

199

ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 258

(7) To develop and approve written job descriptions

and titles for associate pastors and other staff members in coop-

eration with the senior pastor. The term associate pastor is used

as a general term to indicate any pastoral appointment in a local

church other than the pastor in charge (see ¶ 339). Committees

shall be encouraged to develop specic titles for associate pastors

that reect the job descriptions and expectations.

(8) To consult with the pastor and staff concerning

continuing education, work-life balance, dimensions of personal

health and wellness, and spiritual renewal, to arrange with the

church council for the necessary time and nancial assistance for

the attendance of the pastor and/or staff at such continuing edu-

cation, self-care, and spiritual renewal events as may serve their

professional and spiritual growth, and to encourage staff members

to seek professional certication in their elds of specialization.

(9) To enlist, interview, evaluate, review, and recom-

mend annually to the charge conference lay preachers and persons

for candidacy for ordained ministry (see ¶¶ 247.8 and 310), and to

enlist and refer to the General Board of Global Ministries persons

for candidacy for missionary service, recognizing that The United

Methodist Church afrms the biblical and theological support of

persons regardless of gender, race, ethnic origin, or disabilities for

these ministries. Neither the pastor nor any member of the com-

mittee on pastor-parish relations shall be present during the con-

sideration of a candidacy application or renewal for a member of

their immediate family. The committee shall provide to the charge

conference a list of students from the charge who are preparing

for ordained ministry, diaconal ministry, and/or missionary ser-

vice, and shall maintain contact with these students, supplying the

charge conference with a progress report on each student.

(10) To interpret preparation for ordained ministry

and the Ministerial Education Fund to the congregation.

(11) To confer with the pastor and/or other appointed

members of the staff if it should become evident that the best

interests of the charge and pastor(s) will be served by a change

of pastor(s). The committee shall cooperate with the pastor(s), the

district superintendent, and the bishop in securing clergy leader-

ship. Its relationship to the district superintendent and the bishop

shall be advisory only.

(See ¶¶ 425-428.)

9. See Judicial Council Decision 701.

200

¶ 258 THE LOCAL CHURCH

(12) To recommend to the church council, after con-

sultation with the pastor, the professional and other staff positions

(whether employee or contract) needed to carry out the work of the

church or charge. The committee and the pastor shall recommend

to the church council a written statement of policy and procedures

regarding the process for hiring, contracting, evaluating, promot-

ing, retiring, and dismissing staff personnel who are not subject

to episcopal appointment as ordained clergy. Until such a policy

has been adopted, the committee and the pastor shall have the

authority to hire, contract, evaluate, promote, retire, and dismiss

nonappointed personnel. When persons are hired or contracted,

consideration shall be given to the training qualications and certi-

cation standards set forth by the general Church agency to which

such positions are related. The committee shall further recommend

to the church council a provision for adequate health and life insur-

ance and severance pay for all lay employees. In addition, the com-

mittee shall recommend that the church council provide, effective

on and after January 1, 2006, 100 percent vested pension benets

of at least 3 percent of compensation for lay employees of the local

church who work at least 1040 hours per year, are at least 21 years

of age, and have at least one year of permanent service. The church

council shall have authority to provide such pension benets

through either a denominational pension program administered

by the General Board of Pension and Health Benets or another

pension program administered by another pension provider.

(13) To recommend to the charge conference, when

the size of the employed staff of the charge makes it desirable,

the establishment of a personnel committee. This committee shall

be composed of such members of the committee on pastor-parish

relations as it may designate and such additional members as the

charge conference may determine.

(14) To educate the church community on the value

of diversity of selection in clergy and lay staff and develop a com-

mitment to same.

(15) Members of the committee on pastor-parish rela-

tions (or staff-parish relations) shall keep themselves informed of

personnel matters in relationship to the Church’s policy, profes-

sional standards, liability issues, and civil law. They are respon-

sible for communicating and interpreting such matters to staff.

Committee members should make themselves available for edu-

cational and training opportunities provided by the conference,

201

ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 258

district, and/or other arenas that will enable them to be effective

in their work.

(16) To consult on matters pertaining to pulpit sup-

ply, proposals for compensation, travel expense, vacation, health

and life insurance, pension, housing (which may be a church-

owned parsonage or housing allowance in lieu of parsonage if in

compliance with the policy of the annual conference), and other

practical matters affecting the work and families of the pastor and

staff, and to make annual recommendations regarding such mat-

ters to the church council, reporting budget items to the commit-

tee on nance. The parsonage is to be mutually respected by the

pastor’s family as the property of the church and by the church as

a place of privacy for the pastor’s family. The committee will fol-

low up to assure timely resolution of parsonage problems affect-

ing the health of the pastor or pastor’s family. The chairperson of

the committee on pastor-parish relations, the chairperson of the

board of trustees, and the pastor shall make an annual review of

the church-owned parsonage to assure proper maintenance and

to give immediate resolution to parsonage issues affecting the

family’s health and well-being.

(17) To encourage, monitor, and support clergy and

lay staff pursuit of health and wholeness.

3. There shall be a board of trustees, whose membership and

duties are detailed in ¶¶ 2525-2551.

4. There shall be a committee on nance, elected annually by

the charge conference upon recommendation by the committee on

nominations and leadership development or from the oor, com-

posed of the chairperson; the pastor(s); a lay member of the annual

conference; the chairperson of the church council; the chairperson

or representative of the committee on pastor-parish relations; a

representative of the trustees to be selected by the trustees; the

chairperson of the ministry group on stewardship; the lay leader;

the nancial secretary; the treasurer; the church business admin-

istrator; and other members to be added as the charge conference

may determine. It is recommended that the chairperson of the

committee on nance shall be a member of the church council.

The nancial secretary, treasurer, and church business administra-

tor, if paid employees, shall be members without vote.

The positions of treasurer and nancial secretary should not

be combined and held by one person, and the persons holding

these two positions should not be immediate family members.

202

¶ 258 THE LOCAL CHURCH

No immediate family members of any appointed clergy may

serve as treasurer, nance chair, nancial secretary, counter, or

serve in any paid or unpaid position under the responsibilities

of the committee on nance, as described herein. These restric-

tions would apply only to the church or charge where the clergy

serves.

The committee on nance shall give stewardship of nancial

resources as their priority throughout the year. It may delegate

the responsibility to either a sub-group or task force that would

plan, strategize, and implement ways to generate more resources

for mission and ministries of local churches and beyond. It is

strongly recommended that the committee on nance, in collabo-

ration with the church council, nd creative ways to turn their

congregations into tithing congregations with an attitude of gen-

erosity. All nancial askings to be included in the annual budget

of the local church shall be submitted to the committee on nance.

The committee on nance shall compile annually a complete bud-

get for the local church and submit it to the church council for

review and adoption. The committee on nance shall be charged

with responsibility for developing and implementing plans that

will raise sufcient income to meet the budget adopted by the

church council. It shall administer the funds received according

to instructions from the church council.

The committee shall carry out the church council’s directions

in guiding the treasurer(s) and nancial secretary.

a) The committee shall designate at least two persons not

of the immediate family residing in the same household to count

the offering. They shall work under the supervision of the nan-

cial secretary. A record of all funds received shall be given to the

nancial secretary and treasurer. Funds received shall be depos-

ited promptly in accordance with the procedures established

by the committee on nance. The nancial secretary shall keep

records of the contributions and payments.

b) The church treasurer(s) shall disburse all money con-

tributed to causes represented in the local church budget, and

such other funds and contributions as the church council may

determine. The treasurer(s) shall remit each month to the con-

ference treasurer all World Service and conference benevolence

funds then on hand. Contributions to benevolence shall not

be used for any cause other than that to which they have been

given. The church treasurer shall make regular and detailed

203

ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 258

reports on funds received and expended to the committee on

nance and the church council.

The treasurer(s) shall be ade-

quately bonded.

c) The committee on nance shall establish written nan-

cial policies to document the internal controls of the local church.

The written nancial policies should be reviewed for adequacy

and effectiveness annually by the committee on nance and sub-

mitted as a report to the charge conference annually.

d) The committee shall make provision for an annual

audit of the nancial statements of the local church and all its

organizations and accounts. The committee shall make a full and

complete report to the annual charge conference. A local church

audit is dened as an independent evaluation of the nancial

reports and records and the internal controls of the local church

by a qualied person or persons.

The audit shall be conducted for the purpose of reason-

ably verifying the reliability of nancial reporting, determining

whether assets are being safeguarded, and determining compli-

ance with local law, local church policies and procedures, and the

Book of Discipline.

The audit may include: 1) a review of the cash and invest-

ment reconciliations; 2) interviews with the treasurer, nancial

secretary, pastor(s), nance committee chair, business manager,

those who count offerings, church secretary, etc., with inquiries

regarding compliance with existing written nancial policies and

procedures; 3) a review of journal entries and authorized check

signers for each checking and investment account; and 4) other

procedures requested by the committee on nance.

The audit shall be performed by an audit committee com-

posed of persons unrelated to the persons listed in 2. above or

by an independent certied public accountant (CPA), accounting

rm, or equivalent.

e) The committee shall recommend to the church council

proper depositories for the church’s funds. Funds received shall

be deposited promptly in the name of the local church.

f) Contributions designated for specic causes and

objects shall be promptly forwarded according to the intent of the

donor and shall not be used for any other purpose.

10. See Judicial Council Decisions 63, 320, 539.

11. See Judicial Council Decision 976.

204

¶ 258 THE LOCAL CHURCH

g) After the budget of the local church has been approved,

additional appropriations or changes in the budget must be

approved by the church council.

h) The committee shall prepare annually a report to the

church council of all designated funds that are separate from the

current expense budget.

5. The church council may appoint such other committees

as it deems advisable, including: committee on communications,

committee on records and history, committee on health and wel-

fare, and committee on memorial gifts.

Section VII. The Method of Organizing a New Church

¶ 259. 1. A new local church or mission congregation shall

be established only with the consent of the bishop in charge and

the cabinet and with due consideration of the conference entity

assigned the responsibility for congregational development.

The bishop shall designate the district within whose bounds the

church or mission congregation shall be organized. The district

superintendent of that district, or his or her designee, shall be the

agent in charge of the project and shall recommend to the dis-

trict board of church location and building (¶ 2519) the method

of organization, and whether a specic site shall be selected or an

area of organization be designated. The district superintendent

shall avail him/herself of existing demographic, lifestyle and

ethnographic information in the process of establishing a new

congregation and its location, or shall recommend to the board

of trustees of a selected local church that they share their facility

with the proposed congregation. If there is a city or district mis-

sionary organization, or if funds for the project are anticipated

from a conference organization, those bodies shall also be asked

to approve the method of organization and location for a new

congregation.

a) A mission congregation may be designated when any

of the following conditions exist: 1) Membership opportunities

and resources are limited and not likely to result in a chartered

congregation for an extended period of time. 2) A strategic demo-

graphic, cultural, or language opportunity for serving a limited

population is present. 3) It is expected that long-term sustaining

funding from sources outside the congregation will be neces-

sary to enable the congregation to exist, and the assumption of

full connectional support items by the congregation is unlikely.

205

METHOD OF ORGANIZING A NEW CHURCH ¶ 259

4) It is probable that the annual conference will need to provide

long-term administrative guidance, including attention to the dis-

tinctive property needs of the congregation. When any of these

conditions exist, the cabinet, in consultation with the congrega-

tional development area of the annual conference, may designate

an entity a mission congregation. The mission congregation may

be organized in the same manner and have the same rights and

powers as any local church.

2. The bishop may appoint a pastor to launch a new local

church, or with the bishop’s approval the district superintendent

may authorize a local church or group of local churches to launch

a new church by gathering interested people in small groups for

Bible study, outreach, community building, and worship at a site

in an area approved by the district board of church location and

building.

3. A pastor of The United Methodist Church, while serving

as the pastor of a new church prior to the convening of a consti-

tuting conference (¶ 259.7), may receive a person into the mem-

bership of The United Methodist Church under the conditions of

¶ 217. When a person is received as either a baptized or a profess-

ing member, the pastor shall send the name, address, and related

facts to the annual conference secretary for recording on a general

membership roll. These names shall be transferred as soon as pos-

sible to the roll of the new church, when constituted, or to another

church upon the member’s request. If the new church is being

sponsored by an existing church, membership may be recorded

on the roll of that church.

4. Each annual conference or its equivalent may determine

the minimum number of members and other criteria required for

the organization of a local United Methodist church.

5. When the number of people interested in being charter

members of the new church reaches the number necessary as set

by the conference to charter a new church, the district superinten-

dent shall call the interested people to meet at an appointed time

for the purpose of organizing them into a chartered (organized)

local church, or may by written authorization designate an elder

in the district to call such a meeting. The district superintendent

or the designated elder shall preside and shall appoint a secre-

tary to keep a record of the meeting. Following a time of worship,

opportunity shall be given to those in attendance to present them-

selves for membership.

206

¶ 259 THE LOCAL CHURCH

6. People desiring to become professing members by transfer

or on profession of their faith in Christ shall also be given oppor-

tunity to present themselves for membership. Any who have not

been baptized shall receive the sacrament of baptism, profess

their faith and be received as members. Other baptized people are

to be received as baptized members.

7. Those who will be members of the constituting church con-

ference shall be those received into the professing membership.

8. The constituting church conference shall then be called

to order by the district superintendent or by an elder whom the

superintendent designates (see ¶ 246.5). A committee on nomi-

nations, elected on nominations from the oor as the conference

may determine, shall nominate members of the proposed church

council. The chairperson of the committee on nominations shall

be the appointed pastor (see ¶ 258.1c). When the members have

been chosen, the district superintendent or the designated elder

shall declare the church properly constituted.

9. The district superintendent or an elder whom the super-

intendent designates shall then adjourn the constituting church

conference and call to order the charge conference of the pastoral

charge. The membership of the charge conference shall be those

newly elected, and any others entitled to membership. The charge

conference shall then elect such ofcers of the church as the Dis-

cipline requires, including trustees of church property, and shall

organize its structure as provided in the Discipline. When such

ofcers have been duly elected and such structure put in place,

the church is duly organized, and from this point its work shall

proceed as described in the Discipline, provided that when a newly

organized church is attached to a circuit, the charge conference

shall not be held until such time as representatives from all the

churches of the charge can be properly assembled for that purpose.

10. The charge conference may take action, at its discretion,

authorizing and directing the newly elected trustees to incorpo-

rate the newly organized church in accordance with local laws

and the provisions of the Discipline.

Section VIII. Transfer of a Local Church

¶ 260. A local church may be transferred from one annual con-

ference to another in which it is geographically located by a two-

thirds vote of the professing members who are present and voting

in each of the following: (1) the charge conference, (2) a congrega-

207

SPECIAL SUNDAYS ¶ 262

tional meeting of the local church, and (3) each of the two annual

conferences involved. Upon announcement of the required major-

ities by the bishop or bishops involved, the transfer shall imme-

diately be effective. The votes required may originate in the local

church or either of the annual conferences involved and shall be

effective regardless of the order in which taken. In each case a

two-thirds vote of those present and voting shall remain effective

unless and until rescinded prior to the completion of the transfer

by a vote of a majority of those present and voting.

Section IX. Protection of Rights of Congregations

¶ 261. Nothing in the Plan and Basis of Union at any time

after the union is to be construed so as to require any local church

of the former Church of the United Brethren in Christ, or of the

former The Evangelical Church, or of the former The Evangelical

United Brethren Church, or of the former The Methodist Church

to alienate or in any way to change the title to property contained

in its deed or deeds at the time of union; and lapse of time or

usage shall not affect said title or control.

Section X. Special Sundays

¶ 262. The special Sundays in The United Methodist Church

intended to illustrate the nature and calling of the church are cel-

ebrated annually. The special Sundays are placed on the calendar

to make clear the calling of the church as the people of God and

to give persons the opportunity to contribute offerings to special

programs.

Six churchwide special Sundays provide for churchwide offer-

ings to express our commitment: Human Relations Day, UMCOR

Sunday, World Communion Sunday, United Methodist Student

Day, Peace with Justice Sunday, and Native American Ministries

Sunday. Five special Sundays are without offering: Heritage Sun-

day, Laity Sunday, Organ and Tissue Donor Sunday, Men’s Min-

istry Sunday, and Women’s Ministry Sunday. Five churchwide

Sundays—Christian Education, Golden Cross, Disability Aware-

ness, Rural Life, and Volunteers in Mission Awareness provide

opportunities for annual conference offerings.

The special Sundays approved by General Conference shall

be the only Sundays of churchwide emphasis. The program cal-

endar of the denomination shall include only the special Sundays

208

¶ 262 THE LOCAL CHURCH

approved by General Conference, special Sundays approved by

ecumenical agencies to which The United Methodist Church of-

cially relates, and the days and seasons of the Christian Year.

Because the central conferences represent a diversity of his-

tory and heritages, they shall not be required to observe all of the

special days listed below. The central conferences are authorized

to observe other special days appropriate to their unique history

and heritages.

G P R

C S S  O

¶ 263. Six churchwide special Sundays with offerings shall be

celebrated in each United Methodist Church.

Purpose—General Conference shall determine the purpose of

the churchwide offerings upon recommendation of the General

Council on Finance and Administration, after consultation with

the Council of Bishops and the Connectional Table. The purpose of

these offerings shall remain constant for the quadrennium, and the

net receipts shall be distributed on ratio to the administering agen-

cies by the treasurer of the General Council on Finance and Admin-

istration (see ¶ 824.7 and ¶ 805.6). The General Commission on

Communication shall promote these offerings in cooperation with

the agencies responsible for the administration of these funds. (See

¶ 1806.12.) Each offering shall be promptly remitted in full by the

local church treasurer to the annual conference treasurer, who shall

transmit the funds in full, except where noted differently below, to

the General Council on Finance and Administration within thirty

days of receipt in the ofce of the annual conference treasurer.

1. Human Relations Day—Historically, Human Relations Day

has been celebrated with an offering on the Sunday before the

observance of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. Congregations

are to observe Human Relations Day on this date or another

date appropriate to the local church. This Sunday occurs during

Epiphany, the season of manifesting God’s light to the world.

Human Relations Day calls the Church to recognize the right of

all God’s children in realizing their potential as human beings in

relationship with each other. The purpose of the day is to further

the development of better human relations.

In connection with Human Relations Day the General Com-

mission on Communication shall conduct a churchwide appeal.

Net receipts, after payment of promotional expenses, shall be allo-

209

SPECIAL SUNDAYS ¶ 263

cated on ratio by the treasurer of the General Council on Finance

and Administration, to the administering agencies:

a) Community Developers Program: 57 percent (General

Board of Global Ministries);

b) United Methodist Voluntary Services Program: 33 percent

(General Board of Global Ministries) and;

c) Youth Offender Rehabilitation Program: 10 percent (Gen-

eral Board of Church and Society).

2. UMCOR Sunday—Historically, UMCOR Sunday

has been

celebrated with an offering on the Fourth Sunday in Lent. Congre-

gations are to observe UMCOR Sunday on this date or on another

date appropriate to the local church. Lent is the season of repen-

tance, self-examination, and awareness of the hurts of the peoples

of the world. UMCOR Sunday calls the Church to share the good-

ness of life with those who hurt. In connection with UMCOR Sun-

day, the General Commission on Communication shall conduct

a churchwide appeal. The observance shall be under the general

supervision of the United Methodist Committee on Relief, Gen-

eral Board of Global Ministries. Net receipts, after payment of

promotional expenses, shall be remitted by the treasurer of the

General Council on Finance and Administration to the General

Board of Global Ministries.

3. World Communion Sunday—Historically, World Communion

Sunday has been celebrated with an offering on the rst Sunday

of October. Congregations are to observe World Communion Sun-

day on this date or on another date appropriate to the local church.

World Communion Sunday calls the church to be the catholic inclu-

sive church. In connection with World Communion Sunday the

General Commission on Communication shall conduct a church-

wide appeal. The observance shall be under the general supervi-

sion of the General Board of Global Ministries and the General

Board of Higher Education and Ministry. Each local church shall

be requested to remit as provided in ¶ 824.8 all of the communion

offering received on World Communion Sunday and such portion

of the communion offering received at other observances of the

sacrament of the Lord’s Supper as the local church may designate.

Net receipts, after payment of promotional expenses, shall

be divided on ratio by the treasurer of the General Council on

Finance and Administration to the administering agencies:

12. One Great Hour of Sharing is now called UMCOR Sunday in The United

Methodist Church. See General Conference 2016 Calendar Item 53 (DCA page 2101).

210

¶ 263 THE LOCAL CHURCH

a) World Communion Scholarships: 50 percent (General

Board of Global Ministries), with at least one half of the annual

amount for ministries beyond the United States;

b) Ethnic Scholarship Program: 35 percent (General

Board of Higher Education and Ministry); and

c) Ethnic In-Service Training Program: 15 percent (Gen-

eral Board of Higher Education and Ministry).

4. United Methodist Student Day—Historically, United Meth-

odist Student Day has been celebrated with an offering on the last

Sunday in November. Congregations are to observe United Meth-

odist Student Day on this date or on another date appropriate to

the local church. United Methodist Student Day calls the Church

to support students as they prepare for life in uniting faith with

knowledge. The offering supports United Methodist scholarships

and the United Methodist Student Loan Fund. In connection with

United Methodist Student Day, the General Commission on Com-

munication shall conduct a churchwide appeal. The observance

shall be under the general supervision of the General Board of

Higher Education and Ministry. Net receipts, after payment of

promotional expenses, shall be remitted by the treasurer of the

General Council on Finance and Administration to the adminis-

tering agency.

5. Peace with Justice Sunday—Historically, Peace with Justice

Sunday has been celebrated with an offering on the First Sunday

After Pentecost. Congregations are to observe Peace with Justice

Sunday on this date or on another date appropriate to the local

church. Pentecost celebrates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit

calling for God’s shalom. Peace with Justice witnesses to God’s

demand for a faithful, just, disarmed, and secure world. In con-

nection with Peace with Justice Sunday, the General Commis-

sion on Communication shall conduct a churchwide appeal. The

observance shall be under the general supervision of the General

Board of Church and Society.

a) The annual conference treasurer shall retain 50 per-

cent of the receipts for Peace with Justice ministries in the annual

conference, to be administered by the annual conference board of

church and society or an equivalent structure.

b) The annual conference treasurer shall remit the

remaining 50 percent of the receipts to the General Council on

Finance and Administration. Net receipts, after payment of pro-

motional expenses, shall be distributed by the treasurer of the

211

SPECIAL SUNDAYS ¶ 264

General Council on Finance and Administration to the adminis-

tering agency for Peace with Justice ministries.

6. Native American Ministries Sunday—Historically, Native

American Ministries Sunday has been celebrated with an offer-

ing on the Third Sunday of Easter. United States congregations

are to observe Native American Ministries Sunday on this date

or on another date appropriate to the local church. This Sunday

serves to remind the Church of the gifts and contributions made

by Native Americans to our society. In connection with Native

American Ministries Sunday, the General Commission on Com-

munication shall conduct a churchwide appeal. The observance

shall be under the general supervision of the General Board of

Global Ministries and the General Board of Higher Education and

Ministry.

a) The annual conference treasurer shall retain 50 percent

of the receipts to develop and strengthen Native American min-

istries within the annual conference, to be administered by the

annual conference committee on Native American ministry.

Should there be no Native American ministries within the

annual conference, the annual conference treasurer shall remit this

50 percent to the General Council on Finance and Administration.

b) The annual conference treasurer shall report gross

receipts and remit the remaining 50 or 100 percent of the receipts as

applicable to the General Council on Finance and Administration.

c) Net receipts, after payment of promotional expenses,

shall be distributed by the treasurer of the General Council on

Finance and Administration to the administering agencies:

(1) Scholarships for Native Americans attending United Method-

ist schools of theology and schools of theology approved by the

University Senate of The United Methodist Church: 50 percent

(General Board of Higher Education and Ministry). (2) Strengthen,

develop and equip Native American rural, urban, and reservation

congregations, ministries, and communities: 50 percent (General

Board of Global Ministries) : 50 percent (General Board of Global

Ministries).

G P R

S S W C O

¶ 264. Five special Sundays without churchwide offering

shall be approved by General Conference upon recommendation

of the Connectional Table after consultation with the Council of

212

¶ 264 THE LOCAL CHURCH

Bishops. The program functions assigned to the general agencies

are carried out by the respective agencies through normal pro-

grammatic channels. Special Sundays are not needed for these

program functions to be implemented.

1. Heritage Sunday—Heritage Sunday shall be observed on

Aldersgate Day (May 24), or the Sunday preceding that date (see

Historical Statement, page 12). The day provides an opportu-

nity for reection on heritage, celebration of where the Church

has been, how it understands itself as it shapes us today, and the

meaning of Christian conferencing. Heritage Sunday calls the

Church to remember the past by committing itself to the continu-

ing call of God. The observance of Heritage Sunday shall be under

the general supervision of the General Commission on Archives

and History. Any general agency of the Church which desires to

recommend a theme for a given year for this Sunday may do so

one year prior to the observance for which the recommendation

is made. This recommendation is to be made to the General Com-

mission on Archives and History, and the decision of the annual

theme of this Sunday shall be made by the voting members of the

General Commission on Archives and History.

2. Laity Sunday—Laity Sunday shall be observed annually,

preferably on the third Sunday in October. Laity Sunday calls the

Church to celebrate the ministry of all lay Christians, as their lives

are empowered for ministry by the Holy Spirit. The observance of

Laity Sunday shall be under the general supervision of the Gen-

eral Board of Discipleship. The Association of Annual Conference

Lay Leaders will recommend themes for an entire quadrennium

to the General Board of Discipleship two years before the begin-

ning of a new quadrennium.

3. Organ and Tissue Donor Sunday—Organ and Tissue Donor

Sunday shall be observed annually, preferably on the second Sun-

day in November since the date is close to Thanksgiving and is

viewed as a time to come together around the issues of life and

Thanksgiving. Congregations are encouraged to support Organ

and Tissue Donor Sunday by including the topic in their wor-

ship services. The General Board of Church and Society will have

responsibility for the supervision and promotion of the observance

of this special Sunday. Worship resource materials are available at

all of the not-for-prot donor programs in the United States.

4. Men’s Ministry Sunday—Men’s Ministry Sunday may be

observed annually on a Sunday designated by the local congre-

213

SPECIAL SUNDAYS ¶ 265

gation. The day is to celebrate the men’s ministry within and

beyond the local church. This includes: organized (chartered

or unchartered) units of United Methodist Men; male Emmaus

reunion communities; work teams; prayer groups; Bible studies;

study and enrichment groups; and other places and organizations

where men of The United Methodist Church join together for fel-

lowship, nurture, spiritual development, witness, and outreach.

Resources for this observance shall be provided by the General

Commission on United Methodist Men.

5. Women’s Ministry Sunday—Women’s Ministry Sunday may

be observed annually on a Sunday designated by the local congre-

gation. The day is designed to celebrate a variety of women’s min-

istries, women’s history and the contribution of women within

and beyond the local church. This includes, but is not limited to,

organized (chartered or unchartered) units of United Method-

ist Women; women Emmaus communities; work teams; prayer

groups; Bible studies; study and enrichment groups; MOPS

groups; and other places and organizations where women of The

United Methodist Church join together for fellowship, nurture,

spiritual development, witness, and outreach. Resources for this

observance may be available through a variety of organizations

or may be developed through the local church depending on the

groups that choose to participate.

¶ 265. Approved Sundays for Annual Conference Observance—

Five special Sundays approved by General Conference provide

opportunities for annual conference offerings. Local church trea-

surers shall remit the receipts of the following ve offerings to the

annual conference treasurer, and receipts will be acknowledged

in accordance with the procedure of the annual conference. Local

churches shall report the amount of the offering in the manner

indicated in the local church report to the annual conference.

1. Christian Education Sunday—Christian Education Sunday

shall be observed on a date determined by the annual conference.

It calls the Church as the people of God to be open to growth

and learning as disciples of Jesus Christ. If the annual conference

so directs, an offering may be received for Christian education

within the annual conference. The observance of Christian Educa-

tion Sunday shall be under the general supervision of the General

Board of Discipleship.

2. Golden Cross Sunday—Golden Cross Sunday shall be

observed annually on a date determined by the annual confer-

214

¶ 265 THE LOCAL CHURCH

ence. If the annual conference so directs, an offering may be

received for health and welfare ministries in the annual confer-

ence. The observance of Golden Cross Sunday shall be under the

general supervision of the General Board of Global Ministries.

3. Rural Life Sunday—Rural Life Sunday shall be observed

on a date to be determined by the annual conference. Rural Life

Sunday shall call the Church to celebrate the rural heritage of The

United Methodist Church, to recognize the ongoing crisis occur-

ring in rural areas of the nation and the world today, and to afrm

the interdependence of rural and urban communities. The obser-

vance of Rural Life Sunday shall be under the general supervision

of the General Board of Global Ministries. Anyone who desires

to recommend a Rural Life Sunday theme for a given year may

do so one year before the observance for which the recommenda-

tion is made. Recommendations are to be made to the General

Board of Global Ministries, and the voting members of the board

shall determine the annual theme of this Sunday. If the annual

conference so directs, an offering may be received to strengthen

the nurture, outreach, and witness of congregations in town and

rural areas.

4. Disability Awareness Sunday—Disability Awareness Sun-

day shall be observed annually on a date to be determined by the

annual conference. Disability Awareness Sunday calls the Church

to celebrate the gifts and graces of persons with disabilities and

calls the Church and society to full inclusion of persons with dis-

abilities in the community. If the annual conference so directs,

an offering may be received and the funds used by the annual

conference to promote the creation of architectural and attitudi-

nal accessibility in local churches. The observance of Disability

Awareness Sunday shall be under the general supervision of the

General Board of Global Ministries.

5. Volunteers in Mission Awareness Sunday—Volunteers in

Mission (UMVIM) Awareness Sunday shall be observed annually

on a date to be determined by the annual conference. UMVIM

Awareness Sunday calls the Church to celebrate those who have

served in short-term missions and the work of UMVIM through-

out the world. If the annual conference so directs, an offering

may be received and used by the annual conference volunteers in

mission program. The observance of UMVIM Awareness Sunday

shall be under the general supervision of General Board of Global

Ministries Mission Volunteers.

215

LAY SERVANT MINISTRIES ¶ 266

Annual conferences may determine other special Sundays

with or without offering. Special Sundays with offering shall

be approved by the annual conference upon recommendation

of the conference council on ministries in consultation with the

conference council on nance and administration. Special Sun-

days without offering shall be approved by the conference upon

recommendation of the conference council on ministries. Local

church treasurers shall remit the receipts of all annual conference

special Sundays with offering to the conference treasurer, and

receipts will be acknowledged in accordance with procedures of

the annual conference. Local churches shall report the amount of

the offering in the manner indicated in the Local Church Report

to the annual conference.

Section XI. Lay Servant Ministries

¶ 266. Certied Lay Servant—1. A certied lay servant is a

professing member of a local church or charge, or a baptized par-

ticipant of a recognized United Methodist collegiate ministry or

other United Methodist ministry setting, who desires to serve the

Church and who knows and is committed to Scripture and the

doctrine, heritage, organization, and life of The United Methodist

Church and who has received specic training to witness to the

Christian faith through spoken communication, to lead within a

church and community, and to provide caring ministry.

2. The certied lay servant serves the local church or charge

(or beyond the local church or charge) in ways in which his or

her witness, leadership, and service inspires others to a deeper

commitment to Christ and more effective discipleship. The certi-

ed lay servant, through continued study and training, should

prepare to undertake one or more of the following functions, giv-

ing primary attention to service within the local church or charge,

United Methodist collegiate ministry, or other United Methodist

ministry setting:

a) Provide leadership, assistance, and support to the pro-

gram emphases of the church or other United Methodist ministry.

b) Lead meetings for prayer, training, study, and discus-

sion when requested by the pastor, district superintendent, or

committee on Lay Servant Ministries.

c) Conduct, or assist in conducting, services of worship,

preach the Word, or give addresses when requested by the pastor,

district superintendent, or committee on Lay Servant Ministries.

216

¶ 266 THE LOCAL CHURCH

d) Work with appropriate committees and teams which

provide congregational and community leadership or foster car-

ing ministries.

e) Assist in the distribution of the elements of Holy Com-

munion upon request by a pastor.

f) Teach the Scriptures, doctrine, organization, and min-

istries of The United Methodist Church.

3. One may be recognized as a certied lay servant by the

district or conference committee on Lay Servant Ministries after

he or she has:

a) Obtained recommendation from the pastor and the

church council or charge conference of the local church or other

United Methodist ministry in which he or she holds membership.

b) Completed the Lay Servant Ministries BASIC course.

c) Completed a Lay Servant Ministries advanced course.

d) Applied to and had qualications reviewed by the dis-

trict committee on Lay Servant Ministries, or equivalent structure

(See ¶ 668.3).

4. Recognition as a certied lay servant may be renewed

annually by the district committee on Lay Servant Ministries, or

equivalent structure, after the certied lay servant has:

a) Submitted an annual report and renewal application

to the charge conference or church council and to the district com-

mittee on Lay Servant Ministries, or equivalent structure, giving

evidence of satisfactory performance as a certied lay servant.

b) Obtained recommendation for renewal from the pas-

tor and the church council or charge conference of the local church

or other United Methodist ministry in which he or she holds

membership.

c) Completed a Lay Servant Ministries advanced course

in the last three years.

5. A certied lay servant may transfer certication to another

district or conference upon receipt of a letter from the previous

district’s committee on Lay Servant Ministries, or equivalent

structure, conrming current certication and the completion

date of the most recent advanced course taken. Further renewal is

in accordance with ¶ 266.4.

6. It is recommended that a service of commitment be held

for persons recognized as certied lay servants.

7. Lay Servant Ministries courses shall be those recom-

mended by the General Board of Discipleship or alternative

217

LAY SERVANT MINISTRIES ¶ 267

advanced courses approved by the conference committee on Lay

Servant Ministries. Courses should be inclusive of language and

cultural groups as relevant to the context. Lay Servant Ministries

courses are open to all, whether or not a participant desires recog-

nition as a certied lay servant.

8. A certied lay servant is a volunteer but an honorarium for

pulpit supply is appropriate.

¶ 267. Certied Lay Speaker—1. A certied lay speaker is a cer-

tied lay servant (or equivalent as dened by his or her central

conference) whose call has been afrmed by the conference com-

mittee on Lay Servant Ministries or equivalent structure to serve

the church in pulpit supply in accordance and compliance with

¶ 341.1.

2. The certied lay speaker serves by preaching the Word

when requested by the pastor, district superintendent, or commit-

tee on Lay Servant Ministries, in accordance and compliance with

¶ 341.1.

3. One may be certied as a lay speaker after he or she has:

a) Been certied as a lay servant (or equivalent as dened

by his or her central conference).

b) Obtained recommendation from the pastor and the

church council or charge conference of the local church in which

he or she holds membership.

c) Completed a track of study including courses on lead-

ing worship, leading prayer, discovering spiritual gifts, preach-

ing, United Methodist heritage and polity, and/or other courses

as determined by the conference committee on Lay Servant Min-

istries or equivalent structure.

d) Interviewed with and obtained recommendation from

the district committee on Lay Servant Ministries, or equivalent

structure, to be submitted to the conference committee on Lay

Servant Ministries, or equivalent structure, for approval and

certication.

4. Recognition as a certied lay speaker may be renewed

annually by the conference committee on Lay Servant Ministries,

or equivalent structure, after the certied lay speaker has:

a) Submitted an annual report and renewal application

to the charge conference or church council and to the district

committee on Lay Servant Ministries, or equivalent structure,

giving evidence of satisfactory performance as a certied lay

speaker.

218

¶ 267 THE LOCAL CHURCH

b) Obtained recommendation for continued recognition

as a certied lay speaker from the pastor and the church council

or charge conference of the local church or other United Method-

ist ministry in which he or she holds membership.

c) Completed a Lay Servant Ministries advanced course

in the last three years.

d) In the last three years, interviewed with and obtained

recommendation for renewal as a certied lay speaker from the

district committee on Lay Servant Ministries, or equivalent struc-

ture, and the approval of the conference committee on Lay Ser-

vant Ministries, or equivalent structure for recertication.

5. A certied lay speaker may transfer certication to another

district or conference upon receipt of a letter from the previous

district’s committee on Lay Servant Ministries, or equivalent

structure, conrming current certication and the completion

date of the most recent advanced course taken. Further renewal is

in accordance with ¶ 267.4.

6. A certied lay speaker is a volunteer but an honorarium is

appropriate.

¶ 268. Certied Lay Minister—1. A certied lay minister

is a certied lay servant, certied lay missioner, or equivalent

as dened by his or her central conference, who is called and

equipped to conduct public worship, care for the congregation,

assist in program leadership, develop new and existing faith com-

munities, preach the Word, lead small groups, or establish com-

munity outreach ministries as part of a ministry team with the

supervision and support of a clergyperson. A certied lay min-

ister is assigned by a district superintendent in accordance with

¶ 419.2.

2. The certied lay minister serves to enhance the quality of

ministry much like a class leader did in early Methodism through

service in the local church, circuit or cooperative parish, or by

expanding team ministry in other churches and charges. As with

lay ministry in early Methodism, the certied lay minister uses his

or her spiritual gifts as evidence of God’s grace.

3. One may be recognized by the conference committee on

lay servant ministries, or equivalent structure, as a certied lay

minister after he or she has:

a) been certied as a lay servant, lay missioner, or equiv-

alent as dened by his or her central conference;

b) obtained written recommendation from the pastor

219

LAY SERVANT MINISTRIES ¶ 268

and the church council or charge conference of the local church in

which he or she holds membership;

c) completed a track of study for certied lay ministers

relevant to the candidate’s assignment as dened by the General

Board of Discipleship, or the National Plan for Hispanic/Latino

Ministry in collaboration with the General Board of Discipleship,

and the conference committee on Lay Servant Ministries or equiv-

alent structure;

d) received a letter of recommendation from his or her

district superintendent;

e) had all requirements for certication, including appro-

priate screening and assessment as dened by the annual con-

ference, reviewed by the conference committee on Lay Servant

Ministries, or equivalent structure, for referral to the district com-

mittee on ordained ministry for examination of persons who have

applied in writing to be certied lay ministers and to make recom-

mendation for certication (see ¶ 666.10). After the district com-

mittee on ordained ministry interviews the candidate, the district

committee on ordained ministry will make a recommendation to

the conference committee on Lay Servant Ministries for nal cer-

tication by that committee.

4. Recognition as a certied lay minister may be renewed

every two years by the conference committee on Lay Servant Min-

istries, or equivalent structure, after the certied lay minister has:

a) submitted an annual report to the charge conference

or church council where membership is held and to the confer-

ence committee on Lay Servant Ministries, or equivalent struc-

ture, giving evidence of satisfactory performance as a certied lay

minister;

b) obtained a ministry review by the committee on pas-

tor-parish relations, church council, or charge conference from

the congregation of which he or she is a member, or when under

assignment, from the committee on pastor-parish relations, charge

conference, or supervisory board of the ministry setting in which

he or she is assigned;

c) completed a Lay Servant Ministries advanced course

or approved continuing education event, as dened by the confer-

ence committee on Lay Servant Ministries or equivalent structure

in the last two years;

d) obtained recommendation for recertication from the

district superintendent;

220

¶ 268 THE LOCAL CHURCH

e) had all requirements for recertication reviewed by

the conference committee on Lay Servant Ministries, or equiva-

lent structure, for referral to the district committee on ordained

ministry for examination of persons who have applied in writing

to be renewed as certied lay ministers and to make recommen-

dations for recertication (see ¶ 666.10). After the district commit-

tee on ordained ministry interviews the certied lay minister, the

district committee on ordained ministry will make a recommen-

dation to the conference committee on Lay Servant Ministries for

nal recertication by that committee.

5. A certied lay minister may transfer certication to another

district or conference upon receipt of a letter from the previous

conference committee on Lay Servant Ministries, or equivalent

structure, conrming current certication and the completion

date of the most recent advanced course taken. Further renewal is

in accordance with ¶ 268.4.

6. A certied lay minister is not eligible for support by equi-

table compensation funds or pension funds that are provided for

clergy. If a certied lay minister is a lay staff member of a church,

circuit or cooperative parish, the local congregation is encouraged

to provide compensation and withhold taxes appropriate to a

layperson.

¶ 269. Lay Missioner—Lay missioners are committed layper-

sons, mostly volunteers, who are willing to be trained and to work

together as a ministry team with their pastor-mentor, in order to

develop and lead faith communities, establish community minis-

tries, develop church school extension programs, and engage in

congregational development with and into the local community.

Lay missioners are formed according to, and follow the guide-

lines established by, the National Committee of the National Plan

for Hispanic/Latino Ministry, working in conjunction with the

annual conference. They are certied jointly by their annual con-

ference and the National Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry. The

ministry team is supported by and accountable to the local con-

gregation, district or annual conference entity that assigns it to its

mission. The concept of the lay missioner is based theologically

on the ministry of the laity, in order to complement the work of

the pastor.

13. See Judicial Council Decision 693.

221

LAY SERVANT MINISTRIES ¶ 269

A certied lay missioner shall be equivalent to a certied

lay servant in the processes of certication as a lay minister

(¶ 268.3-6); and the Module I-Module II formational sequence and

Module IIIs for continuing education of the National Plan for His-

panic/Latino Ministry shall be equivalent to the track of study for

certied lay ministers relevant to the candidate’s assignment, and

the advanced course or approved continuing education events

described therein.

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223

Chapter Two

THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

Section I. The Meaning of Ordination

and Conference Membership

¶ 301. 1. Ministry in the Christian church is derived from the

ministry of Christ, who calls all persons to receive God’s gift of

salvation and follow in the way of love and service. All Christian

ministry is grounded in the covenant of baptism by which we are

initiated into the body of Christ and called into a life of disciple-

ship. The sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion ground

the ministry of the whole church. They are celebrated in the

Christian community as means of grace. Thus, the whole church

receives and accepts this call, and all Christians participate in this

continuing ministry (see ¶¶ 120-140).

2. Within the church community, there are persons whose

gifts, evidence of God’s grace, and promise of future usefulness

are afrmed by the community, and who respond to God’s call by

offering themselves in leadership as set-apart ministers, ordained

and licensed (¶ 302). Individuals discern God’s call as they relate

with God and their communities, and the Church guides and con-

rms those callings. Calls—and the discernment and conrma-

tion of them—are gifts of the Holy Spirit.

¶ 302. Ordination and Apostolic Ministry—The pattern for this

response to the call is provided in the development of the early

church. The apostles led in prayer, teaching and preaching, ordered

the spiritual and temporal life of the community, established lead-

ership for the ministry of service, and provided for the proclama-

tion of the gospel to new persons and in new places. The early

church, through the laying on of hands, set apart persons with

responsibility to preach, to teach, to administer the sacraments, to

nurture, to heal, to gather the community in worship, and to send

them forth in witness. The church also set apart other persons to

care for the physical needs of others, reecting the concerns for

the people of the world. In the New Testament (Acts 6), we see

the apostles identifying and authorizing persons to a ministry of

service. These functions, though set apart, were never separate

from the ministry of the whole people of God. Paul states (Ephe-

sians 4:1-12) that different gifts and ministries are given to all per-

sons. The Wesleyan tradition has, from the beginning, encouraged

224

¶ 302 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

a culture of call and a community of discernment, which afrms

and supports the ministry of all Christians and identies and

authorizes persons into ministries of the ordained.

¶ 303. Purpose of Ordination—1. Ordination to this ministry

is a gift from God to the church. In ordination, the church afrms

and continues the apostolic ministry through persons empowered

by the Holy Spirit. As such, those who are ordained make a com-

mitment to conscious living of the whole gospel and to the proc-

lamation of that gospel to the end that the world may be saved.

2. Ordination is fullled in leadership of the people of God

through ministries of Service, Word, Sacrament, Order, Compas-

sion, and Justice. The Church’s ministry of service is a primary rep-

resentation of God’s love. Those who respond to God’s call to lead

in service, word, compassion, and justice and equip others for this

ministry through teaching, proclamation, and worship and who

assist elders in the administration of the sacraments are ordained

as deacons. Those whose leadership in service includes preaching

and teaching the Word of God, administration of the sacraments,

ordering the Church for its mission and service, and administra-

tion of the discipline of the Church are ordained as elders.

3. Ordained persons exercise their ministry in covenant with

all Christians, especially with those whom they lead and serve in

ministry. They also live in covenant of mutual care and account-

ability with all those who share their ordination, especially in The

United Methodist Church, with the ordained who are members of

the same annual conference and part of the same Order. The cov-

enant of ordained ministry is a lifetime commitment, and those

who enter into it dedicate their whole lives to the personal and

spiritual disciplines it requires.

4. The effectiveness of the Church in mission depends on

these covenantal commitments to the ministry of all Christians

and the ordained ministry of the Church. Through ordination and

through other ofces of pastoral leadership, the Church provides

for the continuation of Christ’s ministry, which has been commit-

ted to the church as a whole. Without creative use of the diverse

gifts of the entire body of Christ, the ministry of the church is less

effective. Without responsible leadership, the focus, direction,

and continuity of that ministry is diminished. It is out of the faith

and witness of the congregation that men and women respond to

God’s call to ordained ministry. Every local church should inten-

tionally nurture candidates for ordained ministry and provide

225

MEANING OF ORDINATION AND CONFERENCE MEMBERSHIP¶ 304

spiritual and nancial support for their education as servant lead-

ers for the ministry of the whole people of God.

5. In keeping with ancient Christian teaching and our Wes-

leyan tradition, we afrm that ordination for the same, or equiva-

lent order, is not repeatable.

¶ 304. Qualications for Ordination—1. Those whom the

Church ordains shall be conscious of God’s call to ordained minis-

try, and their call shall be acknowledged and authenticated by the

Church. God’s call has many manifestations, and the Church can-

not structure a single test of authenticity. Nevertheless, the expe-

rience of the Church and the needs of its ministry require certain

qualities of faith, life, and practice from those who seek ordination

as deacons and elders. In order that The United Methodist Church

may be assured that those persons who present themselves as can-

didates for ordained ministry are truly called of God, the Church

expects persons seeking ordination to:

a) Have a personal faith in Christ and be committed to

Christ as Savior and Lord.

b) Nurture and cultivate spiritual disciplines and pat-

terns of holiness.

c) Teach and model generous Christian giving with a

focus on tithing as God’s standard of giving

d) Acknowledge a call by God to give themselves com-

pletely to ordained ministry following Jesus’ pattern of love and

service.

e) Communicate persuasively the Christian faith in both

oral and written form.

f) Make a commitment to lead the whole Church in lov-

ing service to humankind.

g) Give evidence of God’s gifts for ordained ministry,

evidence of God’s grace in their lives, and promise of future use-

fulness in the mission of the Church.

h) Be persons in whom the community can place trust

and condence.

i) Accept that Scripture contains all things necessary

for salvation through faith in God through Jesus Christ; be com-

petent in the disciplines of Scripture, theology, church history,

and Church polity; possess the skills essential to the practice of

ordained ministry; and lead in making disciples for Jesus Christ.

j) Be accountable to The United Methodist Church, accept

its Doctrinal Standards and Discipline and authority, accept the

226

¶ 304 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

supervision of those appointed to this ministry, and be prepared

to live in the covenant of its ordained ministers.

2. For the sake of the mission of Jesus Christ in the world and

the most effective witness to the Christian gospel, and in consid-

eration of the inuence of an ordained minister on the lives of

other persons both within and outside the Church, the Church

expects those who seek ordination to make a complete dedication

of themselves to the highest ideals of the Christian life. To this

end, they agree to exercise responsible self-control by personal

habits conducive to bodily health, mental and emotional matu-

rity, integrity in all personal relationships, delity in marriage and

celibacy in singleness, social responsibility, and growth in grace

and in the knowledge and love of God.

3. While persons set apart by the Church for ordained min-

istry are subject to all the frailties of the human condition and

the pressures of society, they are required to maintain the high-

est standards of holy living in the world. The practice of homo-

sexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. Therefore

self-avowed practicing homosexuals

are not to be certied as

candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve in The

United Methodist Church.

4. The United Methodist Church entrusts those persons who

are in the ordained ministry with primary responsibility for main-

taining standards of education and preparation for ordination.

Having been originally recommended by a charge conference or

equivalent body (¶ 310.1e) and by authorization of the ordained

members in full connection with the annual conference, according

to the procedures set out in the Book of Discipline for the examination

and approval of candidates for ordination, persons are elected to

membership in the annual conference and ordained by the bishop.

5. In all votes regarding license, ordination, or conference

membership, the requirements set forth herein are minimum

requirements. Each person voting is expected to vote prayerfully

based on personal judgment of the applicant’s gifts, evidence of

God’s grace, and promise of future usefulness for the mission of

the Church.

1. “Self-avowed practicing homosexual” is understood to mean that a person

openly acknowledges to a bishop, district superintendent, district committee of

ordained ministry, Board of Ordained Ministry, or clergy session that the person

is a practicing homosexual. See Judicial Council Decisions 702, 708, 722, 725, 764,

844, 984, 1020.

2. See Judicial Council Decisions 984, 985, 1027, 1028

227

CLERGY ORDERS IN THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH ¶ 306

Section II. Clergy Orders in The United Methodist Church

¶ 305. Orders in Relation to the Ministry of All Christians—Bap-

tism is God’s gift of unmerited grace through the Holy Spirit. It

is an incorporation into Christ which marks the entrance of each

person into the church and its ministry (Romans 6:3, 4, 18).

The New Testament witness to Jesus Christ makes clear that

the primary form of his ministry in God’s name is that of service,

diakonia, in the world. Very early in its history, the church came

to understand that all of its members were commissioned in bap-

tism to ministries of love, justice, and service within local congre-

gations and the larger communities in which they lived; all who

follow Jesus have a share in the ministry of Jesus, who came not

to be served, but to serve. There is thus a general ministry of all

baptized Christians (see ¶¶ 126-137).

Within the people of God, some persons are called to the min-

istry of deacon. The words deacon, deaconess, and diaconate all

spring from a common Greek root—diakonos, or “servant,” and

diakonia, or “service.” Very early in its history the church, as an

act of worship and praise of God, instituted an order of ordained

ministers to personify or focus the servanthood to which all Chris-

tians are called. These people were named deacons. This ministry

exemplies and leads the Church in the servanthood every Chris-

tian is called to live both in the church and the world. Those called

to the ministry of deacon are called to witness to the Word in their

words and actions, and to embody and lead the community’s ser-

vice in the world for the sake of enacting God’s compassion and

justice.

Within the people of God, other persons are called to the min-

istry of elder. The elders carry on the historic work of the presby-

teros in the life of the Church. Beginning in some of the very early

Christian communities, the presbyteros assisted the bishop in lead-

ing the gathered community in the celebration of sacraments and

the guidance and care of its communal life. Those called to the

ministry of elder are called to bear authority and responsibility to

preach and teach the Word, to administer the sacraments, and to

order the life of the church so it can be faithful in making disciples

of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

¶ 306. Order of Deacons and Order of Elders—There shall be

in each annual conference an Order of Deacons and an Order of

Elders. All persons ordained as clergy in The United Methodist

Church upon election to full membership in the annual confer-

228

¶ 306 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

ence shall be members of and participate in an order appropri-

ate to their election. An order is a covenant community within

the church to mutually support, care for, and hold accountable its

members for the sake of the life and mission of the church. These

orders, separately or together, seek to respond to the spiritual

hunger among clergy for a fullling sense of vocation, for support

among peers during this stressful time of change in the Church,

and for a deepening relationship with God.

¶ 307. Purpose of an Order—The specic and limited function

of each order is to: (1) provide for regular gatherings of ordained

deacons and ordained elders for continuing formation in relation-

ship to Jesus Christ through such experiences as Bible study, study

of issues facing the church and society, and theological exploration

in vocational identity and leadership; (2) assist in plans for individ-

ual study and retreat experiences; (3) develop a bond of unity and

common commitment to the mission and ministry of The United

Methodist Church and the annual conference; (4) enable the cre-

ation of relationships that allow mutual support and trust; and

(5) hold accountable all members of the order in the fullling of

these purposes. All of the functions of the order(s) shall be fullled

in cooperation and coordination with the Board of Ordained Min-

istry and do not replace the normal supervisory processes, the pro-

cesses of evaluation for ordained ministers, or the responsibilities

of the Board of Ordained Ministry, the cabinet, or the clergy session.

¶ 308. Organization of an Order—The bishop shall convene

and provide continuing spiritual leadership for the order, with the

support and assistance of the Board of Ordained Ministry. Neces-

sary nancial support shall be provided by the annual conference

through the budget of the board. The board may also use other

appropriate funding sources for this purpose. The board shall

nominate from within the order’s membership and the order shall

elect quadrennially a chairperson of the order who, in cooperation

with and under the guidance of the bishop, will provide continu-

ing leadership for the order. The chairperson will be responsible

for implementation of plans and activities of the order and will

represent the order to the conference Board of Ordained Ministry.

The chairperson will serve as a member of the board’s executive

committee. Activities of the order and proposals for funding shall

be regularly reported to the board.

¶ 309. Membership in an Order—1. Persons shall become

members of the Order of Deacons or Order of Elders following

229

CANDIDACY FOR LICENSED AND ORDAINED MINISTRY ¶ 310

their election to full membership in the annual conference. Accep-

tance of the status of full membership will constitute a commit-

ment to regular participation in the life of the order.

2. Changing Orders—Upon recommendation of the Board of

Ordained Ministry and vote of the clergy members in full connec-

tion in an annual conference, elders may be received as deacons in

full connection, and deacons in full connection may be received as

elders, provided they are in good standing and have:

a) informed the bishop and district superintendent of

their intention,

b) applied in writing to the Board of Ordained Ministry,

c) articulated to the Board of Ordained Ministry their call

to the ministry of the deacon or the elder,

d) completed all academic and other requirements for

admission to the order for which they are applying, ¶ 324, ¶ 330,

¶ 335, and

e) completed at least two years, and no more than eight

years, under appointment while licensed for the ministry of the

order to which they are transitioning.

3. Such persons shall retain their credentials and full mem-

bership in the annual conference through the transition period

from one order to the other. When ordained to the order to which

they are transitioning, they shall surrender to the conference sec-

retary the credentials of the order from which they are leaving.

Section III. Candidacy for Licensed and Ordained Ministry

¶ 310. Candidacy and Certication for Licensed and Ordained

Ministry—The licensed or ordained ministry is recognized by The

United Methodist Church as a called-out and set-apart ministry.

Therefore, it is appropriate that those persons who present them-

selves as candidates for licensed or ordained ministry be exam-

ined regarding the authenticity of their call by God to set-apart

ministry.

Persons, upon hearing and heeding the call to servant lead-

ership through licensed or ordained ministry, shall contact a

clergyperson in their local church, another clergy, or the district

superintendent of the district in which they participate in a United

Methodist ministry setting to inquire about the process of candi-

dacy. Persons are encouraged to use resources recommended by

the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, such as The

Christian as Minister and the Ministry Inquiry Process.

230

¶ 310 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

1. Those beginning candidacy for licensed or ordained

ministry:

a) shall be a professing member in good standing of The

United Methodist Church or a baptized participant of a recog-

nized United Methodist campus ministry or other United Meth-

odist ministry setting for a minimum of one (1) year;

b) shall write to the district superintendent requesting

admission to the candidacy process and the assignment of a can-

didacy mentor. Include a statement of call. Request registration

through the district superintendent with the General Board of

Higher Education and Ministry;

c) after registration by the district superintendent with

the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, mentor and

candidate will study the resources adopted by the conference

Board of Ordained Ministry;

d) shall write their statement of call. The candidate will

consult with the pastor or equivalent in a ministry setting speci-

ed by the district committee on ordained ministry to request a

meeting of the pastor-parish relations committee or equivalent

body specied by the district committee on ordained ministry to

consider the statement of call and to be interviewed in light of

Wesley’s historic questions;

(1) Do they know God as pardoning God? Have they

the love of God abiding in them? Do they desire nothing but God?

Are they holy in all manner of conversation?

(2) Have they gifts, as well as evidence of God’s

grace, for the work? Have they a clear, sound understanding; a

right judgment in the things of God; a just conception of salvation

by faith? Do they speak justly, readily, clearly?

(3) Have they fruit? Have any been truly convinced

of sin and converted to God, and are believers edied by their

service?

As long as these marks occur in them, we believe they

are called of God to serve. These we receive as sufcient proof that

they are moved by the Holy Spirit.

e) after approval of the candidate by the pastor-parish

relations committee or equivalent body specied by the district

committee on ordained ministry, shall meet with a charge con-

ference or body specied by the district committee on ordained

ministry called to recommend the candidate to the district com-

mittee on ordained ministry. Approval of the candidate must be

231

CANDIDACY FOR LICENSED AND ORDAINED MINISTRY ¶ 310

by two-thirds written ballot, and the candidate shall have been

graduated from an accredited high school or received a certicate

of equivalency.

2. Candidates seeking to become certied for licensed or

ordained ministry shall:

a) request to meet with the district committee on ordained

ministry. In preparation for meeting with the district committee

on ordained ministry, consult with the mentor to provide the fol-

lowing written information, in addition to the material written

for ¶ 310.1d: (i) the most formative experience of their Christian

life; (ii) God’s call to licensed or ordained ministry and role of the

church in their call; (iii) their beliefs as a Christian; (iv) their gifts

for ministry; (v) their present understanding of their call to min-

istry as elder, deacon, or licensed ministry; and (vi) their support

system;

b) complete and release required psychological reports,

criminal background and credit checks. They shall submit, on a

form provided by the conference Board of Ordained Ministry:

(1) a notarized statement detailing any convictions

for felony or misdemeanor or written accusations of sexual mis-

conduct or child abuse; or

(2) a notarized statement certifying that this candi-

date has neither been accused in writing nor convicted of a felony,

misdemeanor, any incident of sexual misconduct, or child abuse.

The district committee on ordained ministry through

the Board of Ordained Ministry shall seek ways to consider cul-

tural and ethnic/racial realities and language translations as

candidates meet these requirements, including interviews, psy-

chological assessments, criminal background, and credit checks.

c) provide other information as the district committee

may require for determining gifts, evidence of God’s grace, fruit,

and demonstration of the call to licensed or ordained ministry;

d) agree for the sake of the mission of Jesus Christ in the

world and the most effective witness of the gospel, and in consid-

eration of their inuence as clergy, to make a complete dedication

of themselves to the highest ideals of the Christian life as set forth

in ¶¶ 103-105; 160-166. To this end they shall agree to exercise

responsible self-control by personal habits conducive to bodily

health, mental and emotional maturity, delity in marriage and

celibacy in singleness, social responsibility, and growth in grace

232

¶ 310 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

and the knowledge and love of God.

The local church is encour-

aged to assist candidates with the expenses of candidacy;

e) be voted on by individual written ballot by the com-

mittee members present. A three-fourths majority vote of the com-

mittee members present is required for certication (¶ 666.6); and

f) upon vote of certication, be encouraged by the dis-

trict committee on ordained ministry to attend a United Method-

ist seminary.

3. In special circumstances, the district committee on ordained

ministry may authorize other United Methodist ministry settings

to serve in the role of the local church for the purpose of recom-

mending candidacy and specify the persons or bodies that will

serve in the roles of pastor, pastor parish-relations committee, and

charge conference.

3. In adopting the statements in ¶¶ 304.2 and 310.2d on the moral and social

responsibility of ordained ministers, the General Conference seeks to elevate the

standards by calling for a more thoroughgoing moral commitment by the candi-

date and for a more careful and thorough examination of candidates by district

committees and boards of the ministry. The legislation in no way implies that the

use of tobacco is a morally indifferent question. In the light of the developing evi-

dence against the use of tobacco, the burden of proof would be upon all users to

show that their use of it is consistent with the highest ideals of the Christian life.

Similarly, regarding beverage alcohol, the burden of proof would be upon users to

show that their action is consistent with the ideals of excellence of mind, purity of

body, and responsible social behavior.

Therefore, the changes here do not relax the traditional view concerning the

use of tobacco and beverage alcohol by ordained ministers in The United Method-

ist Church. Rather they call for higher standards of self-discipline and habit for-

mation in all personal and social relationships. They call for dimensions of moral

commitment that go far beyond any specic practices which might be listed. (See

Judicial Council Decision 318.)

The General Conference, in response to expressions throughout the Church

regarding homosexuality and ordination, reafrms the present language of the

Discipline regarding the character and commitment of persons seeking ordination

and afrms its high standards.

For more than 200 years candidates for ordination have been asked Wesley’s

Questions, including “ . . . Have they a clear, sound understanding; a right judg-

ment in the things of God; a just conception of salvation by faith? . . .” (¶ 310). All

candidates agree to make a complete dedication of themselves to the highest ideals

of the Christian life and to this end agree “to exercise responsible self-control, by

personal habits conducive to bodily health, mental and emotional maturity, integrity

in all personal relationships, delity in marriage and celibacy in singleness, social

responsibility, and growth in grace and the knowledge and love of God” (¶ 304.2).

The character and commitment of candidates for the ordained ministry is de-

scribed or examined in six places in the Book of Discipline (¶¶ 304, 310.2, 324, 330,

333, and 335). These say in part: “Only those shall be elected to full membership

who are of unquestionable moral character and genuine piety, sound in the funda-

mental doctrines of Christianity, and faithful in the discharge of their duties” (¶ 333).

233

CANDIDACY FOR LICENSED AND ORDAINED MINISTRY ¶ 312

¶ 311. Appointment of Certied Candidates—A certied candi-

date is eligible for appointment as a local pastor upon completion

of License for Pastoral Ministry (¶ 315). Those appointed as local

pastors are clergy members of the annual conference (¶ 602.1) and

are no longer listed as certied candidates. They do not continue

with candidacy mentors but are assigned a clergy mentor (¶ 348.4).

¶ 312. Orientation to Ministry—An orientation to ministry is

required for all candidates for licensed and ordained ministry.

Attendance at the orientation and becoming a certied candidate

may be sequential or concurrent. This common ministry prepa-

ration experience is for the purpose of building collegiality and

understanding among the varieties of set-apart ministry (dea-

cons, elders, local pastors).

The statement on ordination (¶ 304.2) states: “The Church expects those who seek

ordination to make a complete dedication of themselves to the highest ideals of the Christian

life . . . [and to] agree to exercise responsible self-control by personal habits. . . .”

There are eight crucial steps in the examination of candidates. They are:

(1) The self-examination of the individual seeking ordination as he or she

responds to God’s call in personal commitment to Christ and his church.

(2) The decision of the committee on pastor-parish relations, which makes the

rst recommendation to the charge conference when a member seeks to become a

candidate for ordained ministry.

(3) The decision of the charge conference, which must recommend the can-

didate.

(4) The decision of the district committee on ordained ministry, which must

recommend the candidate to the conference Board of Ordained Ministry and,

where applicable, the decision of the district conference.

(5) The decision of the Board of Ordained Ministry, which must recommend

deacon’s ordination and provisional membership. See Judicial Council Decisions

513, 536, 542.

(6) The decision of the clergy members of the annual conference, who must

elect candidates to provisional membership.

(7) The recommendation of the Board of Ordained Ministry for deacon’s or

elder’s ordination and full membership.

(8) The election to deacon’s or elder’s ordination and full membership by the

clergy members of the annual conference.

All clergy members of the annual conference are accountable as to character

and effectiveness to the annual conference throughout their entire ministry.

The General Conference has made it clear in the “Doctrinal Standards and

Our Theological Task” (Part III of the Discipline) that Scripture, tradition, experi-

ence, and reason are our guidelines. “United Methodists share with other Chris-

tians the conviction that Scripture is the primary source and criterion for Christian

doctrine.”

In the Social Principles, the General Conference has said that we “do not con-

done the practice of homosexuality and consider this practice incompatible with

Christian teaching.” Furthermore, the Principles state that “we afrm the sanctity

of the marriage covenant that is expressed in love, mutual support, personal com-

mitment, and shared delity between a man and a woman. We believe that God’s

blessing rests upon such marriage, whether or not there are children of the union.

234

¶ 312 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

1. The orientation shall be held in each annual conference and

is the responsibility of the conference Board of Ordained Ministry.

2. Collegiality in ministry and commonalities and distinc-

tions among the categories of ministry (deacon, elder, local pastor)

will be emphasized to facilitate understanding and appreciation

of the gifts contributed through team ministry, and the practice of

set-apart ministry within the United Methodist connection will be

articulated.

3. Guidelines will be made available from the General Board

of Higher Education and Ministry, Division of Ordained Ministry.

¶ 313. Continuation of Candidacy—The progress of candidates

shall be reviewed annually by the district committee on ordained

ministry which shall interview the candidate annually and may

then continue the candidacy when the following conditions have

been met satisfactorily:

1. The candidate has received the annual recommendation of

his or her charge conference or equivalent body as specied by

the district committee on ordained ministry (see ¶ 310.3).

2. The candidate is making satisfactory progress in his or

her studies. A candidate preparing for ordained ministry who is

enrolled as a student in a school, college, university, or school of

theology recognized by the University Senate shall present annu-

ally to the district committee on ordained ministry an ofcial

transcript from the school the person is attending and provide a

report as to whether his or her local church is supporting him or

her spiritually and nancially (see ¶ 247.8).

The transcript shall be considered by the district committee

on ordained ministry as part of the evidence of his or her prog-

ress. The report of local church nancial support may be used by

the district superintendent to express gratitude for this support or

We reject social norms that assume different standards for women than for men in

marriage.” Also, “we afrm the integrity of single persons, and we reject all social

practices that discriminate or social attitudes that are prejudicial against persons

because they are single.”

The General Conference afrms the wisdom of our heritage expressed in the

disciplinary provisions relating to the character and commitment of ordained min-

isters. The United Methodist Church has moved away from prohibitions of spe-

cic acts, for such prohibitions can be endless. We afrm our trust in the covenant

community and the process by which we ordain ministers.

In our covenant we are called to trust one another as we recommend, exam-

ine, and elect candidates for the ordained ministry and conference membership.

See Judicial Council Decision 480.

4. See Judicial Council Decision 1263.

235

LICENSE FOR PASTORAL MINISTRY ¶ 315

encourage a local congregation to improve its basic care for those

it recommends.

3. The candidate continues to evidence gifts, fruits and God’s

grace for the work of ministry.

4. A person who is a certied candidate or who is in the can-

didacy process may have her or his status or studies accepted

by another district committee in the same or another annual

conference.

5. A certied candidate may be continued as a candidate for

no more than twelve years following certication (¶ 324.1).

¶ 314. Discontinuance and Reinstatement of Certied Candi-

dates—1. Discontinuance of a Certied Candidate—Certied candi-

dates may be discontinued on their own request, upon severing

their relationship with The United Methodist Church, or upon

action to discontinue by the district committee on ordained min-

istry. The district committee on ordained ministry shall le with

the conference Board of Ordained Ministry a permanent record of

the circumstances relating to the discontinuance of the certied

candidate.

2. Reinstatement of Certied Candidate’s Status—Certied can-

didates whose status has been discontinued by a district commit-

tee on ordained ministry of an annual conference of The United

Methodist Church shall only be reinstated by the district com-

mittee of the district in which they were discontinued. When

approved by the district committee on ordained ministry, their

certied candidate’s credentials shall be reissued and they shall

be eligible to continue the process.

Section IV. License for Pastoral Ministry

¶ 315. License for Pastoral Ministry—All persons not ordained

as elders who are appointed to preach and conduct divine wor-

ship and perform the duties of a pastor shall have a license for

pastoral ministry. The Board of Ordained Ministry (¶ 635.2h) may

recommend to the clergy session of the annual conference the

licensing of those persons who are:

1. Provisional elders commissioned by the annual confer-

ence, or

2. Local pastors who have completed the following:

a) The conditions for candidacy certication in ¶¶ 310.1-2;

b) The Orientation to Ministry;

236

¶ 315 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

c) The studies for the license as a local pastor as pre-

scribed and supervised by the Division of Ordained Ministry or

one-third of their work for a Master of Divinity degree at a school

of theology listed by the University Senate;

d) Been examined and recommended by a three-fourths

majority vote of the district committee on ordained ministry

(¶ 666.9); or

3. Associate members of the annual conference

4. Deacons in full connection, seeking to qualify for ordina-

tion as an elder; or

5. Licensed or ordained clergy from other denominations

who have training equivalent to the studies for license as a local

pastor prescribed by the Division of Ordained Ministry, but do

not meet the educational requirements for provisional member-

ship in the annual conference.

6. In every case, those who are licensed shall have:

a) Released the required psychological reports, criminal

background and credit checks, and reports of sexual misconduct

and/or child abuse. They shall submit, on a form provided by the

conference Board of Ordained Ministry:

(1) a notarized statement detailing any convictions

for felony or misdemeanor or written accusations of sexual mis-

conduct or child abuse; or

(2) a notarized statement certifying that the can-

didate has not been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, or

accused in writing of sexual misconduct or child abuse.

b) Been approved by a three-fourths majority vote of the

Board of Ordained Ministry (¶ 635.2h);

c) Provided the board with a satisfactory certicate of

good health on a prescribed form from a physician approved by

that board.

d) Received approval by a three-fourths majority vote of

the clergy session.

¶ 316. Responsibilities and Duties of Those Licensed for Pastoral

Ministry—1. Provisional elders approved annually by the Board

of Ordained Ministry and local pastors approved annually by the

district committee on ordained ministry may be licensed by

the bishop to perform all the duties of a pastor (¶ 340), including

the sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion as well as the

service of marriage (where state laws allow),

burial, conrmation,

5. See Judicial Council Decision 694.

237

LICENSE FOR PASTORAL MINISTRY ¶ 316

and membership reception, within and while appointed to a par-

ticular charge or extension ministry. For the purposes of these

paragraphs the charge or extension ministry will be dened

as “people within or related to the community or ministry set-

ting being served.” Those licensed for pastoral ministry may be

appointed to extension ministry settings when approved by the

bishop and the Board of Ordained Ministry.

2. Such authorization granted by the license may be renewed

annually by the district committee or the Board of Ordained

Ministry.

3. The license shall remain valid only so long as the appoint-

ment continues and shall be recertied by the bishop when assign-

ments change between sessions of the annual conference.

4. A local pastor shall be under the supervision of a district

superintendent and shall be assigned a clergy mentor while in the

Course of Study or in seminary (¶ 348).

5. Local pastors shall be amenable to the clergy session of the

annual conference in the performance of their pastoral duties and

shall attend the sessions of the annual conference.

6. The membership of local pastors under full-time and part-

time appointment is in the annual conference where they shall

have the right to vote on all matters except constitutional amend-

ments, election of delegates to General, jurisdictional, or central

conferences, and matters of ordination, character, and conference

relations of clergy. Local pastors who have completed Course of

Study or a Master of Divinity degree and have served a minimum

of two consecutive years under appointment before the election

may vote to elect clergy delegates to General and jurisdictional or

central conferences.

7. All local pastors shall receive written communication

about decisions made regarding their relationship with the annual

conference

8. Local pastors who have completed the Course of Study

may upon retirement annually request from the District Commit-

tee of Ordained Ministry and the bishop a license to continue to

serve in the local church where they hold membership for the pur-

pose of providing sacramental rites of baptism and Holy Commu-

nion, at the request of the appointed pastor.

6. See Judicial Council Decision 112.

7. See Judicial Council Decision 1181 and ¶ 35.

238

¶ 317 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

¶ 317. Interim License as Local Pastor—Between sessions of the

annual conference, persons who have completed the conditions

for licensing listed above may be granted interim license as a local

pastor upon recommendation of the cabinet, the district commit-

tee on ordained ministry, and executive committee of the confer-

ence Board of Ordained Ministry, and may be appointed by the

bishop.

¶ 318. Categories of Local Pastor—Upon satisfactory comple-

tion of the requirements of ¶ 315, the district committee on

ordained ministry shall certify the completion of the prescribed

studies to the candidates and the Board of Ordained Ministry, and

they shall be listed in the journal as eligible to be appointed as local

pastors. Award of the license shall not be made until an appoint-

ment to a pastoral charge is made in accordance with ¶ 337. In

recommending to the annual conference those who have met the

requirements to serve as local pastors for the ensuing year, the

Board of Ordained Ministry shall classify them in three categories

with educational and other requirements of their category. Any

person who fails to meet these requirements shall be discontinued

as a local pastor. The categories shall be dened as follows:

1. Full-Time Local Pastors—Those eligible to be appointed

full-time local pastors are persons (a) who may devote their entire

time to the church in the charge to which they are appointed

and its outreach in ministry and mission to the community;

(b) who receive in cash support per annum from all Church

sources a sum equal to or larger than the minimum base com-

pensation established by the annual conference for full-time local

pastors; (c) who, unless they have completed the Course of Study

or other approved theological education, shall (i) complete four

courses per year in a Course of Study school, or (ii) shall have

made progress in the correspondence curriculum prescribed by

the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (¶ 1421.3d),

or (iii) be enrolled as a pre-theological or theological student in

a college, university, or school of theology approved by the Uni-

versity Senate; (d) who, when they have completed the Course

of Study or a Master of Divinity degree from a seminary listed

by the University Senate, are involved in continuing education

(¶ 350);

(e) who shall not be enrolled as a full-time student in any

school.

2. Part-Time Local Pastors—Those eligible to be appointed as

part-time local pastors are persons (a) who have met the provi-

239

LICENSE FOR PASTORAL MINISTRY ¶ 318

sions of ¶ 315; (b) who do not devote their entire time to the charge

to which they are appointed; or (c) do not receive in cash sup-

port per annum from all Church sources a sum equal to or larger

than the minimum base compensation established by the annual

conference for full-time local pastors; and (d) who, unless they

have completed the Course of Study or other approved theologi-

cal education, shall (i) complete two courses per year in a Course

of Study school, or (ii) have made progress in the correspondence

curriculum prescribed by the General Board of Higher Education

and Ministry, or (iii) be enrolled as a pre-theological or theological

student in a college, university, or school of theology approved by

the University Senate.

Part-time local pastors may be appointed to small member-

ship churches that are grouped together in a charge under the

supervision of a mentor.

3. Students Appointed as Local Pastors—Students enrolled as

pre-theological or theological students in a college, university, or

school of theology listed by the University Senate (a) who have

met the provisions of ¶ 315, and (b) who shall make appropriate

progress in their educational program as determined by the Board

of Ordained Ministry may be appointed as part-time or full-time

local pastors in a conference other than the conference in which

they are certied candidates. (c) Students who are appointed

as local pastors continue to relate to the district committee on

ordained ministry in the conference in which they are certied

candidates and shall be responsible to them for the continuation

of their certied candidacy.

4. Upon recommendation of the Board of Ordained Ministry,

the clergy members in full connection may vote approval annu-

ally for students of other denominations enrolled in a school of

theology listed by the University Senate to serve as local pastors

for the ensuing year under the direction of the district superin-

tendent, provided that they shall indicate to the satisfaction of

the Board of Ordained Ministry their agreement to support and

maintain the doctrine and polity of The United Methodist Church

while under appointment.

5. Local pastors may serve on any board, commission, or

committee with voice and vote, except on matters of clergy char-

acter, qualications, status, and ordination. However, local pas-

tors who have completed the Course of Study may serve on the

district committee on ordained ministry with voice and vote.

240

¶ 318 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

Local pastors who have completed the Course of Study may serve

on the Board of Ordained Ministry with voice and vote.

¶ 319. Continuance as a Local Pastor—1. Persons licensed as

local pastors who are not provisional members shall continue

in college, in a program of theological education at an approved

seminary, or in the Course of Study.

2. Upon completing each year’s education and other quali-

cations, a local pastor who is not a provisional member may

be recommended for continuance by the district committee on

ordained ministry. The clergy members in full connection of the

annual conference may approve continuance of a local pastor

after reference to and recommendation by its Board of Ordained

Ministry.

3. A full-time local pastor shall complete the Course of Study

curriculum within eight years and a part-time local pastor within

twelve, unless a family situation or other circumstance precludes

the local pastor’s opportunity to meet said requirements. The

local pastor may be granted an annual extension beyond the pre-

scribed limit upon a three-fourths vote of the district committee

on ordained ministry, recommendation by the conference Board

of Ordained Ministry, and the vote of the clergy members in full

connection.

4. A local pastor may choose to remain in a local relationship

with the annual conference upon having completed the Course

of Study.

5. None of the provisions in this legislation shall be inter-

preted to change or limit authorizations to local pastors ordained

as deacon and elder prior to 1996.

¶ 320. Exiting, Reinstatement, and Retirement of Local Pastors

Who Are Not Provisional Members—1. Discontinuance of Local Pas-

tor—Whenever a local pastor retires or is no longer approved

for appointment by the annual conference as required in ¶ 318,

whenever any local pastor severs relationship with The United

Methodist Church, whenever the appointment of a local pastor

is discontinued by the bishop, or whenever the district commit-

tee on ordained ministry does not recommend continuation of

license, license and credentials shall be surrendered to the district

superintendent for deposit with the secretary of the conference.

8. See Judicial Council Decision 1076.

9. See Judicial Council Decisions 436, 439.

10. See Judicial Council Decisions 436, 439.

241

LICENSE FOR PASTORAL MINISTRY ¶ 320

After consultation with the pastor, the former local pastor shall

designate the local church in which membership shall be held.

The Board of Ordained Ministry shall le with the resident bishop

a permanent record of the circumstances relating to the discon-

tinuance of local pastor status as required in ¶ 635.3d.

2. Withdrawal Under Complaints and Charges—When a local

pastor is accused of an offense under ¶ 2702 and desires to with-

draw from the Church, the procedures described in ¶ 2719.2 shall

apply.

3. Trial of Local Pastor—When a local pastor is accused of an

offense under ¶ 2702, the procedures described in ¶¶ 2703-2713

shall apply.

4. Reinstatement of Local Pastor Status—Local pastors whose

approved status has been discontinued from an annual conference

of The United Methodist Church or one of its legal predecessors

may be reinstated only by the annual conference that previously

approved them, its legal successor, or the annual conference of

which the major portion of their former conference is a part, only

upon recommendation by the district committee on ordained

ministry from which their license was discontinued, the Board

of Ordained Ministry, and the cabinet. Persons seeking reinstate-

ment shall provide evidence that they have been members of a

local United Methodist church for at least one year prior to their

request for reinstatement. The district committee shall require

a recommendation from the charge conference where his or her

membership is currently held. When approved by the clergy

members in full connection as provided in ¶ 337, their license and

credentials shall be restored, and they shall be eligible for appoint-

ment as pastors of a charge. They shall complete current studies

and meet requirements as provided in ¶¶ 315, 318.

Whenever persons whose approval as local pastors has been

discontinued by an annual conference are being considered for

appointment or temporary employment in another annual con-

ference, the Board of Ordained Ministry where these persons are

being considered shall obtain from the Board of Ordained Min-

istry of the conference where approval has been discontinued

verication of their qualications and information about the cir-

cumstances relating to the termination of their approval as local

pastors.

11. See Judicial Council Decision 982.

242

¶ 320 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

5. Retirement of Local Pastor—A local pastor who has made

satisfactory progress in the Course of Study as specied in

¶ 318.1 or .2 may be recognized as a retired local pastor. Retire-

ment provisions for local pastors shall be the same as those for

clergy members in ¶ 358.1, .2, .4, with pensions payable in accor-

dance with ¶ 1506.5a. Retired local pastors may attend annual

conference sessions with voice but not vote. A retired local pastor

may be appointed by the bishop to a charge and licensed upon

recommendation by the district committee on ordained ministry

without creating additional claim upon the conference minimum

compensation nor further pension credit.

Section V. Associate Membership

¶ 321. Eligibility and Rights of Associate Members—Associate

members of an annual conference are in the itinerant ministry of

the Church and are available on a continuing basis for appoint-

ment by the bishop. They offer themselves without reserve to be

appointed (and to serve as their superiors in ofce shall direct).

They shall be amenable to the annual conference in the perfor-

mance of their ministry and shall be granted the same security

of appointment as provisional members and members in full

connection.

1. Associate members shall have a right to vote in the annual

conference on all matters except the following: (a) constitutional

amendments; (b) all matters of ordination, character, and confer-

ence relations of clergy.

2. Associate members may serve on any board, commission,

or committee of an annual conference. They shall not be eligible

for election as delegates to the General or jurisdictional or central

conferences.

3. Associate members shall be subject to the provisions gov-

erning sabbatical leave, leave of absence, location, retirement,

minimum salary, and pension.

¶ 322. Requirements for Election as Associate Members—1. Local

pastors may be elected to associate membership by a three-fourths

majority vote of the clergy session, when they have met the fol-

lowing conditions. They shall have: (1) been recommended to the

clergy session based on a three-fourths majority vote of the confer-

ence Board of Ordained Ministry; (2) reached age forty; (3) served

12. See Judicial Council Decision 1226.

243

ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP ¶ 322

four years as full-time local pastors; (4) completed the Course of

Study in addition to the studies for license as a local pastor, up

to one half of which may be taken by correspondence or online/

distance learning courses, or received a Master of Divinity degree

that includes the basic graduate theological studies from a school

of theology listed by the University Senate; (5) completed a mini-

mum of sixty semester hours toward the Bachelor of Arts or an

equivalent degree in a college or university recognized by the Uni-

versity Senate; (6) been recommended by a three-fourths majority

vote by the district committee on ordained ministry and the Board

of Ordained Ministry; (7) declared their willingness to accept con-

tinuing full-time appointment; (8) satised the board regarding

their physical, mental, and emotional health (the annual confer-

ence shall require psychological reports, criminal background

and credit checks, and reports of sexual misconduct and/or child

abuse to provide additional information on the candidate’s tness

for the ministry); (9) for the sake of the mission of Jesus Christ in

the world and the most effective witness to the Christian gospel,

and in consideration of his/her inuence as a clergy member of

the annual conference, be willing to make a complete dedication

of himself/herself to the highest ideals of the Christian life; and

to this end agree to exercise responsible self-control by personal

habits conducive to bodily health, mental and emotional maturity,

delity in marriage and celibacy in singleness, social responsibil-

ity, and growth in grace and the knowledge and love of God; and

(10) prepared at least one written sermon on a biblical passage

specied by the Board of Ordained Ministry and given satisfac-

tory answers in a written doctrinal examination administered by

the Board of Ordained Ministry. (Consideration shall be given to

the questions listed in ¶ 324.9.)

2. Upon recommendation of the Board of Ordained Ministry,

an annual conference may equate part-time service to the require-

ment of full-time service. Such equivalence is to be determined in

light of the years of service involved, the quality of that service,

the maturity of the applicant, and other relevant factors.

3. Associate members may retire under the provisions of

¶ 357 of the Discipline. They shall retain their license for pastoral

ministry for service in the local church and maintain their rela-

tionship as retired clergy members of the annual conference.

13. See Judicial Council Decisions 343, 572, 1181.

244

¶ 322 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

4. Associate members may be received as provisional mem-

bers in the annual conference under conditions as set forth in

¶ 324.6 upon receiving a three-fourths majority vote of the clergy

members of the conference in full connection, present and voting.

¶ 323. Fellowship of Local Pastors and Associate Members—Each

annual conference shall organize a Fellowship of Local Pastors

and Associate Members. All licensed local pastors and associate

members shall be members of and participate in the Fellowship.

The Fellowship will provide mutual support for its members for

the sake of the life and mission of the church.

1. The specic and limited function is to:

a) provide for regular gatherings of local pastors and

associate members for continuing formation in relationship to

Jesus Christ through such experiences as Bible study, study of

issues facing the church and society, and theological exploration

in vocational identity and leadership;

b) encourage local pastors and associate members in con-

tinued study beyond the Course of Study and Advanced Course

of Study;

c) develop a bond of unity and common commitment to

the mission and ministry of The United Methodist Church and the

annual conference; and

d) enable the creation of relationships that allow mutual

support and trust.

2. The bishop shall convene the fellowship and the Board

of Ordained Ministry shall coordinate its life and work. Neces-

sary nancial support shall be provided by the annual conference

through the budget of the board. The board shall nominate from

within the Fellowship membership and the Fellowship shall elect

quadrennially a chairperson of the Fellowship during a gathered

meeting of the annual session of the Fellowship conference who,

in cooperation with and under the guidance of the bishop, will

provide continuing leadership for the Fellowship. The elected Fel-

lowship chairperson, full-time or part-time, shall be a member of

the Board of Ordained Ministry and its executive committee as

specied in ¶ 635.1a.

Activity of the Fellowship will be reported regularly to the

Board of Ordained Ministry.

Section VI. Provisional Membership

¶ 324. Qualications for Election to Provisional Membership—A

person shall be eligible for election to provisional membership

245

PROVISIONAL MEMBERSHIP ¶ 324

in the annual conference by a three-fourths majority vote of the

clergy session on recommendation of its Board of Ordained Min-

istry after meeting the following qualications.

1. Candidacy Requirement: Each candidate shall have been a

certied candidate for at least one year. Those appointed as local

pastors are clergy members of the annual conference and are no

longer certied candidates (¶ 311).

2. Service Requirement: Each candidate shall have demon-

strated his or her gifts for ministries of service and leadership to

the satisfaction of the district committee on ordained ministry as

a condition for provisional membership.

3. Undergraduate Requirement: A candidate for provisional

membership shall have completed a bachelor’s degree from a col-

lege or university recognized by the University Senate. Exceptions

to the undergraduate degree requirements may be made in consul-

tation with the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry

in some instances, for missional purposes, for persons who have

a minimum of sixty semester hours of Bachelor of Arts credit and:

a) have been prevented from pursuit of the normal course of

baccalaureate education,

b) are members of a group whose cultural practices and train-

ing enhance insight and skills for effective ministry not available

through conventional formal education, or

c) have graduated with a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent

from a college not recognized by the University Senate and have

completed one half of the studies of the Master of Divinity or

equivalent rst professional degree in a school of theology listed

by the University Senate.

4. Graduate Requirement:

a) Candidates for deacon or elder shall have completed a

minimum of one-half of the 27 semester hours of basic graduate

theological studies in the Christian faith. These courses may be

included within or in addition to a seminary degree. These basic

graduate theological studies must include courses in Old Testa-

ment; New Testament; theology; church history; mission of the

church in the world; evangelism; worship/liturgy; and United

Methodist doctrine, polity and history.

b) a candidate for ordination as an elder shall have com-

pleted one half of the studies toward a Master of Divinity degree

14. See Judicial Council Decision 318.

246

¶ 324 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

or its equivalent, including one half of the basic graduate theo-

logical studies from a seminary listed by the University Senate.

c) a candidate for ordination as a deacon shall have:

(1) completed one half of the studies of a master’s

degree from a United Methodist seminary or one listed by the

University Senate, or

(2) received a master’s degree in the area of the spe-

cialized ministry in which the candidate will serve

(3) completed one half of the basic graduate theolog-

ical studies, in a context which will provide formation as a United

Methodist deacon in full connection within a cohesive program

developed by the seminary and approved by the General Board

of Higher Education and Ministry, documented by a record of

completion from that school.

5. In some instances a candidate who is pursuing ordina-

tion to serve as deacon in full connection may fulll the academic

requirements through the following professional certication

alternate route:

a) shall have reached thirty-ve years of age at the time

to become a certied candidate;

b) completed a bachelor’s degree, received professional

certication or license in the area of ministry in which the can-

didate will serve, have completed a minimum of eight semester

hours of graduate credit or equivalent quarter hours in the area

of specialization, and have been recommended by the conference

Board of Ordained Ministry;

c) have completed a minimum of one half of the twenty-

seven semester hours of the basic graduate theological studies of

the Christian faith including the areas of: Old Testament; New

Testament; theology; church history; mission of the church in

the world; evangelism; worship/liturgy; and United Methodist

doctrine, polity, and history, in a context which will provide a

cohesive program and formation as a United Methodist deacon

in full connection within a cohesive program developed by the

seminary and approved by the General Board of Higher Educa-

tion and Ministry, documented by a record of completion from

that school.

6. Local pastors may fulll the requirements for provisional

membership as elders when they have:

a) completed four years of full-time service or the

equivalent;

247

PROVISIONAL MEMBERSHIP ¶ 324

b) satised all requirements of Sections 1-3 and 7-14 of

this paragraph;

c) completed the Course of Study. Course of Study

requirements may be fullled as determined by the General Board

of Higher Education and Ministry (¶ 1421.3d) by:

1. Completion of Course of Study, of which no more

than one-half may be taken by correspondence or Internet; up to

one-half of Course of Study may be online courses; and

2. Completion of an equivalent program of study

embedded in an undergraduate degree at a UM-related college

or university.

d) completed an Advanced Course of Study consisting of

thirty-two semester hours of graduate theological study offered

by a seminary recognized by the University Senate or its equiva-

lent as determined by the General Board of Higher Education and

Ministry. The Advanced Course of Study shall include the basic

graduate theological studies (¶ 324.4a).

7. The Board of Ordained Ministry shall require an ofcial

transcript of credits from each school before recognizing any of

the applicant’s educational claims. In case of doubt, the board

may submit a transcript to the General Board of Higher Educa-

tion and Ministry.

8. Each candidate shall present a satisfactory certicate of

good health by a physician on the prescribed form. Disabilities are

not to be construed as unfavorable health factors when a person

with disability is capable of meeting the professional standards

and is able to render effective service as a provisional member.

9. Each candidate shall respond to a written and oral doctrinal

examination administered by the conference Board of Ordained

Ministry. The examination shall cover the following:

a) Describe your personal experience of God and the

understanding of God you derive from biblical, theological, and

historical sources.

b) What is your understanding of evil as it exists in the

world?

c) What is your understanding of humanity, and the

human need for divine grace?

d) How do you interpret the statement Jesus Christ is

Lord?

15. See Judicial Council Decisions 823, 1077.

248

¶ 324 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

e) What is your conception of the activity of the Holy

Spirit in personal faith, in the community of believers, and in

responsible living in the world?

f) What is your understanding of the kingdom of God;

the Resurrection; eternal life?

g) How do you intend to afrm, teach, and apply Part III

of the Discipline (Doctrinal Standards and Our Theological Task)

in your work in the ministry to which you have been called?

h) The United Methodist Church holds that the living

core of the Christian faith was revealed in Scripture, illumined

by tradition, vivied in personal experience, and conrmed by

reason. What is your understanding of this theological position

of the Church?

i) Describe the nature and mission of the Church. What

are its primary tasks today?

j) Discuss your understanding of the primary character-

istics of United Methodist polity.

k) Explain your understanding of the distinctive voca-

tions of the Order of Elders and the Order of Deacons. How do

you perceive yourself, your gifts, your motives, your role, and

your commitment as a provisional deacon or provisional elder in

The United Methodist Church?

l) Describe your understanding of diakonia, the servant

ministry of the church, and the servant ministry of the provisional

member.

m) What is the meaning of ordination in the context of

the general ministry of the Church?

n) Describe your understanding of an inclusive church

and ministry.

o) You have agreed as a candidate for the sake of the mis-

sion of Jesus Christ in the world and the most effective witness of

the gospel, and in consideration of their inuence as ministers, to

make a complete dedication of yourself to the highest ideals of the

Christian life, and to this end agree to exercise responsible self-

control by personal habits conducive to bodily health, mental and

emotional maturity, integrity in all personal relationships, delity

in marriage and celibacy in singleness, social responsibility, and

growth in grace and the knowledge and love of God. What is your

understanding of this agreement?

p) Explain the role and signicance of the sacraments in

the ministry to which you have been called.

249

PROVISIONAL MEMBERSHIP ¶ 325

10. Each candidate shall have been recommended in writ-

ing to the conference Board of Ordained Ministry, based on a

three-fourths majority vote of the district committee on ordained

ministry.

11. Each candidate shall have a personal interview with the

conference Board of Ordained Ministry to complete his or her

candidacy.

12. Each candidate shall submit on a form provided by the

Board of Ordained Ministry a notarized statement detailing any

convictions for felony, or misdemeanor, or written accusations and

its disposition of sexual misconduct or child abuse; or certifying

that this candidate has not been convicted of a felony or misde-

meanor or accused in writing of sexual misconduct or child abuse.

The candidate also shall release required psychological reports,

criminal background, credit checks and reports of child abuse.

13. Each candidate shall le with the board a written, concise,

autobiographical statement (in duplicate on a prescribed form)

regarding age, health, family status, Christian experience, call

to ministry, educational record, formative Christian experiences,

and plans for service in the Church.

14. Each candidate shall have been recommended in writ-

ing to the clergy session based on at least a three-fourths majority

vote of the conference Board of Ordained Ministry.

¶ 325. Commissioning—Commissioning is the act of the

church that publicly acknowledges God’s call and the response,

talents, gifts, and training of the candidate. The church invokes

the Holy Spirit as the candidate is commissioned to be a faithful

servant leader among the people, to lead the church in service, to

proclaim the Word of God and to equip others for ministry.

Through commissioning, the church sends persons in lead-

ership and service in the name of Jesus Christ and marks their

entrance into a time of provisional membership as they prepare

for ordination. Commissioned ministers are provisional clergy

members of the annual conference and are accountable to the

bishop and the clergy session for the conduct of their ministry.

During the residency program the clergy session discerns

their tness for ordination and their effectiveness in ministry.

After fullling all candidacy requirements and upon recommen-

dation of the conference Board of Ordained Ministry, the clergy

session shall vote on the provisional membership and com-

missioning of the candidates. The bishop and secretary of the

250

¶ 325 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

conference shall provide credentials as a provisional member and

a commissioned minister in the annual conference.

The period of commissioned ministry is concluded when the

provisional members are received as full members of the annual

conference and ordained as either deacon or elder, or a decision is

made not to proceed toward ordination and provisional member-

ship is ended.

¶ 326. Service of Provisional Members—All persons who are

provisional members shall be appointed by a bishop (¶ 425)

and serve as a provisional member of the annual conference for

a minimum of two years following the completion of education

requirements for full connection. During the provisional period,

arrangements shall be offered by the Board of Ordained Ministry

for all provisional members to be involved in a residency curricu-

lum that extends theological education by using covenant groups

and mentoring to support the practice and work of their ministry

as servant leaders, to contemplate the grounding of ordained min-

istry, and to understand covenant ministry in the life of the confer-

ence. Provisional members may be appointed to attend school, to

extension ministry, or in appointments beyond the local church.

Wherever they are appointed, the service of provisional members

shall be evaluated by the district superintendent and the Board of

Ordained Ministry in terms of the provisional member’s ability to

express and give leadership in servant ministry.

1. Provisional members planning to give their lives as dea-

cons in full connection shall be in ministries of Word, Service,

Compassion, and Justice in the local church or in an approved

appointment beyond the local church. A provisional member pre-

paring for ordination as a deacon shall be licensed for the practice

of ministry during provisional membership to perform the duties

of the ministry of the deacon as stated in ¶ 328 and be granted

support as stated in ¶ 331.10. Such authorization granted by the

license may be renewed annually by the clergy session upon rec-

ommendation of the Board of Ordained Ministry.

2. Provisional members planning to give their lives as elders

in full connection shall be in ministries of Word, Sacrament, Order,

and Service in the local church or in an approved extension min-

istry. A provisional member preparing for ordination as an elder

shall be licensed for pastoral ministry (¶ 315). Such authorization

granted by the license may be renewed annually by the clergy

session upon recommendation of the Board of Ordained Ministry.

251

PROVISIONAL MEMBERSHIP ¶ 327

3. Provisional members who are serving in extension min-

istries, enrolled in graduate degree programs, or appointments

beyond the local church shall be accountable to the district super-

intendent and the Board of Ordained Ministry for the conduct of

ministry, and for demonstrating their effectiveness in the ministry

of the order to which they seek to be ordained. In all cases, they will

also demonstrate their effectiveness in servant leadership in the

local church to the satisfaction of the Board of Ordained Ministry.

4. Provisional members seeking to change their ordination

track shall:

a) Write to the Board of Ordained Ministry and inform

the district superintendent and bishop of their intention.

b) Interview with the Board of Ordained Ministry to

articulate and clarify their call.

c) Fulll academic and service requirements.

Upon the recommendation of the Board of Ordained Ministry

and by vote of the clergy session the person may be received into

full connection with the annual conference and be ordained into

the order to which they are transitioning.

¶ 327. Eligibility and Rights of Provisional Membership—Provi-

sional members are on trial in preparation for membership in full

connection in the annual conference as deacons or elders. They are

on probation as to character, servant leadership, and effectiveness

in ministry. The annual conference, through the clergy session,

has jurisdiction over provisional members. Annually, the Board

of Ordained Ministry shall review and evaluate their relationship

and make recommendation to the clergy members in full connec-

tion regarding their continuance. No member shall be continued

on provisional membership beyond the eighth regular session fol-

lowing their admission to provisional membership.

1. Provisional members who are preparing for deacon’s or

elder’s orders may be ordained deacons or elders when they qual-

ify for membership in full connection in the annual conference.

2. Provisional members shall have the right to vote in the

annual conference on all matters except the following:

a) constitutional amendments;

b) all matters of ordination, character, and conference rela-

tions of clergy. Provisional clergy members who have completed

all of their educational requirements may vote to elect clergy del-

egates to General and jurisdictional or central conferences.

16. See Judicial Council Decision 1181 and ¶ 35.

252

¶ 327 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

3. Provisional members may serve on any board, commis-

sion, or committee of the annual conference except the Board of

Ordained Ministry (¶ 635.1). They shall not be eligible for election

as delegates to the General, central, or jurisdictional conferences.

4. Provisional members shall be amenable to the annual

conference in the performance of their ministry and are subject

to the provisions of the Book of Discipline in the performance of

their duties. They shall be supervised by the district superinten-

dent under whom they are appointed. They shall also be assigned

a deacon or elder as mentor by the Board of Ordained Ministry.

Provisional members preparing to become elders shall be eligible

for appointment by meeting disciplinary provisions (¶ 315).

5. Provisional members in appointments beyond the local

church shall relate themselves to the district superintendent in

the area where their work is done. The district superintendent

shall give them supervision and report annually to their Board of

Ordained Ministry.

6. Discontinuance from Provisional Membership—Provisional

members may request discontinuance of this relationship or may

be discontinued by the clergy session upon recommendation of

the Board of Ordained Ministry. When provisional members in

good standing withdraw to unite with another denomination or

to terminate their membership in The United Methodist Church,

their action shall be considered a request for discontinuance of

their relationship and their credentials shall be surrendered to

a district superintendent. In the case of discontinuation without

consent, prior to any nal recommendation, a provisional mem-

ber will be advised of the right to a fair process hearing before the

committee on conference relations of the Board of Ordained Min-

istry. A report of the action will be made to the full board for nal

action. The provisions of fair process (¶ 361.2) shall be observed

and there shall be a review by the administrative review commit-

tee under ¶ 636 prior to hearing by the annual conference. When

this relationship is discontinued, they shall no longer be permitted

to exercise ministerial functions and shall return their credentials

to the district superintendent for deposit with the secretary of the

conference, and their membership shall be transferred by the dis-

trict superintendent to the local church they designate after con-

sultation with the pastor. The Board of Ordained Ministry shall

le with the resident bishop and the secretary of the conference a

permanent record of the circumstances relating to discontinuance

253

THE ORDAINED DEACON IN FULL CONNECTION ¶ 328

as a provisional member as required in ¶ 635.3d. After discontinu-

ance, provisional members may be classied and approved as

local pastors in accordance with the provision of ¶ 316.

7. Provisional members may not be retired under the pro-

visions of ¶ 357. Provisional members who have reached the

mandatory retirement age shall be automatically discontinued.

Provisional elders may be classied as retired local pastors under

the provisions of ¶ 320.5.

Section VII. The Ordained Deacon in Full Connection

¶ 328. The Ministry of a Deacon—From among the baptized,

deacons are called by God to a lifetime of servant leadership,

authorized by the Church, and ordained by a bishop. From the

earliest days of the church, deacons were called and set apart

for the ministry of Love, Justice, and Service and for connecting

the church with the most needy, neglected, and marginalized

among the children of God. This ministry grows out of the Wes-

leyan passion for social holiness and ministry among the poor.

It is the deacons, in both person and function, whose distinctive

ministry is to embody, articulate, and lead the whole people of

God in its servant ministry. Deacons fulll servant ministry in the

world and lead the Church in relating the gathered life of Chris-

tians to their ministries in the world, interrelating worship in the

gathered community with service to God in the world. Deacons

give leadership in the Church’s life: in teaching and proclaiming

the Word; in contributing to worship, in assisting the elders in

administering the sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion,

or in presiding at the celebration of the sacraments when contex-

tually appropriate and duly authorized; in forming and nurtur-

ing disciples; in conducting marriages and burying the dead; in

embodying the church’s mission to the world; and in leading con-

gregations in interpreting the needs, concerns, and hopes of the

world. For the sake of extending the mission and ministry of the

church and offering the means of grace to the world, the resident

bishop of the annual conference in which the deacon is appointed

may authorize the deacon to preside at the celebration of the sac-

raments. Presiding at the celebration of the sacraments involves

taking responsibility to lead the gathered community in celebrat-

ing baptism and Holy Communion. As members of the Order of

Deacons, all deacons are in covenant with all other deacons in the

annual conference and shall participate in the life of their order.

254

¶ 328 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

Deacons lead the congregation in its servant ministry and

equip and support all baptized Christians in their ministry. The

distinct ministry of the deacon has evolved in United Method-

ism over many years—the continuing work of the deaconess, the

home missionary, and the diaconal minister. The Church, recog-

nizing the gifts and impact of all predecessor embodiments of the

diaconate and providing for the continuation of the ofce of dea-

coness, afrms that this distinctiveness is made visible and central

to the Church’s life and ministry through ordination and that the

ministry of the deacon is a faithful response of the mission of the

Church meeting the emerging needs of the future. Deacons are

accountable to the annual conference and the bishop for the ful-

llment of their call to servant leadership.

¶ 329. Ministry, Authority, and Responsibilities of Deacons in Full

Connection—1. Deacons are persons called by God, authorized by

the Church, and ordained by a bishop to a lifetime ministry of

Word, Service, Compassion, and Justice, to both the community

and the congregation in a ministry that connects the two. Deacons

exemplify Christian discipleship and create opportunities for oth-

ers to enter into discipleship. The work of deacons is a work of

justice, serving with compassion as they seek to serve those on the

margins of society. In the congregation, the ministry of the deacon

is to teach and to form disciples, and to lead worship together

with other ordained and laypersons.

2. The deacon in full connection shall have the rights of

voice and vote in the annual conference where membership is

held; shall be eligible to serve as clergy on boards, commissions,

or committees of the annual conference and hold ofce on the

same; and shall be eligible for election as a clergy delegate to the

General, central, or jurisdictional conference. The deacon in full

connection shall attend all the sessions of the annual conference

and share with elders in full connection responsibility for all mat-

ters of ordination, character, and conference relations of clergy

(¶ 334.1).

3. As members of the Order of Deacons, all deacons in full

connection are in covenant with all other such deacons in the

annual conference and shall participate in the life of their order.

¶ 330. Requirements for Ordination as Deacon and Admission

to Full Connection—Provisional members who are applying for

admission into full connection and who have been provisional

members for at least two years following the completion of the

255

THE ORDAINED DEACON IN FULL CONNECTION ¶ 330

educational requirements for ordination as a deacon specied in

.3 below may be admitted into membership in full connection in

an annual conference by three-fourths majority vote of the clergy

members in full connection of the annual conference, upon rec-

ommendation by three-fourths majority vote of the Board of

Ordained Ministry, after they have qualied as follows:

1. They shall have served under episcopal appointment in a

ministry of service for at least two full annual conference years.

Upon recommendation of the Board of Ordained Ministry, the

annual conference may equate less than full-time or nonsalaried

service as meeting this qualication. Such equivalence is to be

determined in light of the years of service involved, the quality

of that service, the maturity of the applicant, and other relevant

factors determined by the board. Supervision is to be: (a) by the

district superintendent, and (b) by the Board of Ordained Min-

istry. The applicant’s service must be evaluated by the Board of

Ordained Ministry as effective according to written guidelines

developed by the board and adopted by the clergy members in

full connection. Laypersons directly involved in the applicant’s

servant ministry shall be involved by the board in the annual

evaluation.

2. They shall have been previously elected as a provisional

member.

3. They shall have met the following educational require-

ments: (a) graduation with a Bachelor of Arts or equivalent degree

from a college or university listed by the University Senate or its

equivalent as determined by the General Board of Higher Edu-

cation and Ministry; (b) graduation with a Master of Divinity

degree or a master’s degree from a graduate theological school

recognized by the University Senate, or a master’s degree in an

area of specialized ministry; (c) or are candidates over the age of

35 with professional certication or license in their area of min-

istry including a minimum of eight semester hours of graduate

academic credit. Educational requirements in every case shall

include the completion of the basic graduate theological studies

of the Christian faith, as outlined in ¶ 324.4a.

4. The candidate shall have (1) satised the board regarding

physical, mental, and emotional health; (2) prepared and preached

at least one written sermon on a biblical passage specied by

the Board of Ordained Ministry or another act of proclamation

of the Word appropriate to the candidate’s ministry setting;

256

¶ 330 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

(3) presented a detailed plan and outline for teaching a Bible

study; (4) presented a project that demonstrates fruitfulness in

carrying out the church’s mission of “Making Disciples of Jesus

Christ for the Transformation of the World”; (5) responded to a

written or oral doctrinal examination administered by the Board

of Ordained Ministry. The candidate shall demonstrate the ability

to communicate clearly in both oral and written form.

The candidate’s reections and the board’s response shall be

informed by the insights and guidelines of Part III of the Book of

Discipline. The examination shall also focus upon the covenantal

relationship of the applicant to God, to the Church, and to the

Order of Deacons, as well as the understanding of diakonia, ser-

vant leadership, and the interrelatedness of the Church and the

world. The applicant shall be able to articulate the call of God to

the Order of Deacons and to relate that call to leadership within

the ministry of all Christians, through the setting of their service,

the local church, and the annual conference.

5. The following questions are guidelines for the preparation

of the examination:

a) Theology

(1) Give examples of how the practice of ministry has

affected your experience and understanding of:

(a) God

(b) Humanity

(d) The Lordship of Jesus Christ

(e) The work of the Holy Spirit

(f) The meaning and signicance of the

sacraments

(g) The kingdom of God

(h) Resurrection and eternal life

(2) How do you understand the following traditional

evangelical doctrines: (a) repentance; (b) justication; (c) regenera-

tion; (d) sanctication? What are the marks of the Christian life?

(3) How has the practice of ministry informed your

understanding of the nature and mission of the Church? What are

its primary challenges today?

(4) The United Methodist Church holds that Scrip-

ture, tradition, experience, and reason are sources and norms for

belief and practice, but that the Bible is primary among them.

What is your understanding of this theological position of the

257

THE ORDAINED DEACON IN FULL CONNECTION ¶ 330

Church, and how has your practice of ministry been affected by

this understanding?

b) Vocation

(1) How has the experience of ministry shaped your

understanding of your vocation as an ordained deacon?

c) The Practice of Ministry

(1) Do you offer yourself to be appointed by the

bishop to a service ministry?

(2) Describe and evaluate your personal gifts for

ministry and how they have resulted in fruitful ministry. What

would be your areas of strength and areas in which you need to be

strengthened in order to be more fruitful in ministry?

(3) For the sake of the mission of Jesus Christ in the

world and the most effective witness to the Christian gospel,

and in consideration of your inuence as an ordained minister,

are you willing to make a complete dedication of yourself to the

highest ideals of the Christian life; and to this end will you agree

to exercise responsible self-control by personal habits conducive

to physical health, intentional intellectual development, delity

in marriage and celibacy in singleness, integrity in all personal

relationships, social responsibility, and growth in grace and the

knowledge of the love of God?

(4) Provide evidence of your willingness to relate

yourself in ministry to all persons without regard to race, color,

ethnicity, national origin, social status, gender, sexual orientation,

age, economic condition, or disability.

(5) Will you regard all pastoral conversations of a

confessional nature as a trust between the person concerned and

God?

(6) Provide evidence of experience in peace and jus-

tice ministries.

d) Historic Examination for Admission into Full Connection

and Ordination as Deacon—The bishop as chief pastor shall engage

those seeking to be admitted in serious self-searching and prayer

to prepare them for their examination before the conference. At

the time of the examination, the bishop shall also explain to the

conference the historic nature of the following questions and seek

to interpret their spirit and intent. The questions are these and any

others which may be thought necessary:

17. See Judicial Council Decision 542.

258

¶ 330 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

(1) Have you faith in Christ?

(2) Are you going on to perfection?

(3) Do you expect to be made perfect in love in this

life?

(4) Are you earnestly striving after perfection in love?

(5) Are you resolved to devote yourself wholly to

God and God’s work?

(6) Do you know the General Rules of our Church?

(7) Will you keep the General Rules of our Church?

(8) Have you studied the doctrines of The United

Methodist Church?

(9) After full examination do you believe that our

doctrines are in harmony with the Holy Scriptures?

(10) Have you studied our form of Church discipline

and polity?

(11) Do you approve our Church government and

polity?

(12) Will you support and maintain them?

(13) Will you exercise the ministry of compassion?

(14) Will you diligently instruct the children in every

place?

(15) Will you visit from house to house?

(16) Will you recommend fasting or abstinence, both

by precept and example?

(17) Are you determined to employ all your time in

the work of God?

(18) Are you in debt so as to embarrass you in your

work?

(19) Will you observe the following directions?

(a) Be diligent. Never be unemployed. Never be

triingly employed. Never trie away time; neither spend any

more time at any one place than is strictly necessary.

(b) Be punctual. Do everything exactly at the

time. And do not mend our rules, but keep them; not for wrath,

but for conscience’ sake.

6. A provisional member of the annual conference who has

completed the requirements for deacon’s orders and admission

into full membership shall be eligible for election to full member-

ship and ordination as deacon by a bishop. Following election, the

bishop and secretary of the conference shall provide a certicate

259

APPOINTMENTS OF DEACONS AND PROVISIONAL DEACONS ¶ 331

of full membership in the annual conference, and following ordi-

nation, a certicate of ordination.

7. A deacon shall be ordained by a bishop by the laying on

of hands, employing the Order of Service for the Ordination of

Deacons (see ¶ 415.6). The bishops shall be assisted by other dea-

cons and may include laity designated by the bishop representing

the Church community. Judicatory leaders from full communion

partners and other communions may participate in the ordination

service and may join the ordaining bishop in laying hands on the

head of the candidate, while participating deacons and laity may

lay hands on the back or shoulders of the candidate.

Section VIII. Appointments of Deacons

and Provisional Deacons to Various Ministries

¶ 331. Appointment of Deacons and Provisional Deacons to

Various Ministries—1. Deacons and provisional deacons may be

appointed to serve in the following settings:

a) Agencies and settings beyond the local church, includ-

ing ecumenical agencies, that extend the witness and service of

Christ’s love and justice in the world and connect the church with

the most needy, neglected, and marginalized;

b) United Methodist Church-related agencies, schools,

colleges, theological schools, and within the connectional struc-

tures of The United Methodist Church;

c) A local congregation, charge, or cooperative parish,

leading in the congregation’s mission to the world and equipping

all Christians to fulll their own calls to Christian service;

d) As students in research doctoral programs that may

lead to appointments in academic settings as instructors or pro-

fessors in colleges, universities, and theological schools afliated

with The United Methodist Church;

e) As instructors or professors or administrators in col-

leges, universities, and theological schools afliated with The

United Methodist Church.

2. Deacons and provisional deacons may be appointed to

attend school.

3. Deacons and provisional deacons shall be appointed to set-

tings that allow fulllment of their call and where supervision is

provided with goals, evaluation, and accountability acceptable to

the bishop, the cabinet and the Board of Ordained Ministry.

260

¶ 331 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

4. Deacons and Provisional Deacons Appointed Beyond the Local

Church.

a) Deacons and provisional deacons may be appointed

to settings not connected to either The United Methodist Church

or ecumenical agencies when the appointment is approved by the

bishop and the Board of Ordained Ministry as a ministry beyond

the local church that is a witness and service of Christ’s love and

justice in the world. Those seeking such an appointment shall sub-

mit a written statement to the bishop and the Board of Ordained

Ministry, describing in detail the proposed setting for their min-

istry, sharing a sense of calling to that ministry and their gifts and

evidence of God’s grace for it, and expressing how the proposed

ministry is an intentional fulllment of their ordination vows.

This statement shall also include a detailed description of the

accountability structures related to the proposed ministry setting.

b) Deacons or provisional deacons who are appointed

beyond the local church may pursue endorsement by the General

Board of Higher Education and Ministry. The General Board of

Higher Education and Ministry shall annually request the dea-

con or provisional deacon’s bishop in the conference of member-

ship to verify the appropriate employment of persons under its

endorsement and request the bishop to reappoint.

c) Deacons and provisional deacons are amenable to

the annual conference of which they are members and insofar

as possible should maintain close working relationship with

and effective participation in the work of their annual confer-

ence, assuming whatever responsibilities they are qualied and

requested to assume. When deacons or provisional deacons are

appointed to a setting beyond the local church outside of the con-

ference where they hold membership, the appointment shall be

made by the bishop of the conference where membership is held

in consultation with the bishop of the area in which the appoint-

ment is located.

d) Deacons and provisional deacons appointed to set-

tings beyond the local church shall submit annually to the bishop,

the district superintendent, and the Board of Ordained Ministry,

a written report on the ofcial form developed for the Church by

the General Council on Finance and Administration for use by the

annual conference.

Deacons and provisional deacons appointed to settings

outside the annual conference in which they hold membership

261

APPOINTMENTS OF DEACONS AND PROVISIONAL DEACONS ¶ 331

shall also furnish a copy of their report to the bishop of the area in

which the appointment is located.

e) The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry,

Division of Ordained Ministry, in order to assist the Boards of

Ordained Ministry and cabinets, will provide guidelines for vali-

dating the appropriateness of appointment settings beyond the

local church and will be available for consultation with bishops,

cabinets, and Boards of Ordained Ministry.

5. When deacons and provisional deacons serve in an agency

or setting beyond the local church, the bishop, after consultation

with the deacon or provisional deacon and the pastor in charge,

shall appoint the deacon or provisional deacon to a local congre-

gation where they will take missional responsibility for leading

other Christians into ministries of service. In this ministry the

deacons and provisional deacons shall be accountable to the pas-

tor in charge, the charge conference, and other bodies that coor-

dinate the ministry of the local church. In those instances where

the appointment is in another episcopal area, the appointment to

a local church shall be made in consultation with the bishop of

that area.

6. The appointment of deacons and provisional deacons shall

be made by the bishop.

a) It may be initiated by the bishop or the district super-

intendent, the individual deacon or provisional deacon, or the

agency requesting the service of the deacon or provisional deacon.

b) It shall be claried by a written statement of intention-

ality of servant leadership in order to establish a clear distinction

between the work to which all Christians are called and the work

for which deacons and provisional deacons are appropriately pre-

pared and authorized.

c) If the bishop and cabinet consider an appointment not

to be in the best interest of the Church, the bishop may choose not

to make the appointment. In such event, the bishop shall consult

with the deacon or provisional deacon and the Board of Ordained

Ministry. The deacon or provisional deacon shall then seek

another appointment, request a leave of absence or transitional

leave, or relinquish his or her certicate of conference member-

ship for deposit with the conference secretary, or be terminated

by disciplinary procedures. The procedures for fair process in

administrative hearings (¶ 361.2) shall be followed in any invol-

untary termination procedure.

262

¶ 331 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

d) Deacons and provisional deacons at their own request

or with their consent may be appointed to a nonsalaried position.

Such missional appointments will serve to express the Church’s

concern for social holiness, for ministry among the poor, and for

advancing emerging needs of the future. In such cases, the bishop

will carefully review plans for expressing this appointed ministry

and will consult with the deacon or provisional deacon about the

well-being and nancial security of his or her family.

7. At the request of the deacon or provisional deacon and with

the consent of the bishop and cabinet where conference member-

ship is held, the deacon or provisional deacon may receive a less

than full-time appointment under the following conditions:

a) The deacon or provisional deacon shall present a writ-

ten request to the bishop, district superintendent, and the confer-

ence Board of Ordained Ministry, giving a rationale for the request

at least ninety days prior to the annual conference at which the

appointment is to be made.

b) Reappointment to less than full-time service shall be

requested annually of the bishop by the deacon or provisional

deacon.

c) The bishop may make an interim appointment to less

than full-time service upon request of a deacon or provisional

deacon, with the recommendation of the executive committee of

the conference Board of Ordained Ministry.

8. Deacons and provisional deacons, with the approval of

their bishop and the judicatory authorities of the other denomina-

tion may receive an appointment to another denomination while

retaining their home conference membership. The appointment

may be made in response to exceptional missional needs.

9. Charge Conference Membership of Deacons and Provisional

Deacons.

a) Deacons and provisional deacons who are appointed

to a local congregation, charge, or cooperative parish, shall be

members of that charge conference.

b) Deacons and provisional deacons who are appointed

to settings beyond the local church shall, after consultation and

with the written consent of the pastor in charge, and the district

superintendent designate a charge conference within the bounds

of the annual conference in which they shall hold membership

and to which they shall submit an annual report. Deacons and

263

APPOINTMENTS OF DEACONS AND PROVISIONAL DEACONS ¶ 331

provisional deacons serving in appointments outside the confer-

ence in which they hold membership shall, after consultation and

with the written consent of the pastor in charge, also establish an

afliate relationship with a charge conference in the annual con-

ference in which the appointment is located.

10. Support for Deacons and Provisional Deacons Appointed by a

Bishop.

a) Deacons and provisional deacons shall receive their

support under the policies and agreements of the setting to which

they are appointed.

b) Deacons who are appointed to a local congregation,

charge, or cooperative parish, shall receive a salary from the local

church, charge, or cooperative parish (¶ 625.2) not less than the

minimum established by the equitable compensation policy of

the annual conference for elders. Provisional deacons who are

appointed to a local congregation, charge, or cooperative parish

shall receive a salary from the local church, charge, or coopera-

tive parish (¶ 625.2, .4) not less than the minimum established for

provisional elders. When deacons or provisional deacons are

appointed to less than full-time ministry in a local congregation,

charge, or cooperative parish, they shall receive a salary that is

no less than the minimum salary for elders or provisional elders,

prorated in one-quarter time increments (see ¶ 331.6d).

c) Deacons and provisional deacons shall participate in

the denominational pension and benet plans and programs.

They shall participate in the health benet and supplemental

programs of the annual conference subject to the provisions and

standards of those programs as established by the annual confer-

ence when health benet coverage is not provided from another

source.

d) The above (§ 10 [a-c]) does not apply to a deacon or

provisional deacon appointed by a bishop to a nonsalaried posi-

tion (§ 6 [d]).

e) Since deacons and provisional deacons are not guar-

anteed a place of employment in the Church, special attention

shall be given to termination procedures that allow time for seek-

ing another service appointment. Notication of dismissal shall

provide for a ninety-day period prior to nal termination of the

appointment except for causes as listed in ¶ 2702. Deacons or

provisional deacons shall not be dismissed from a local church

appointment without prior consultation between the deacon or

264

¶ 331 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

provisional deacon and the staff-parish relations committee, nor

without the full knowledge of the overseeing district superinten-

dent and the presiding bishop.

Section IX. The Ordained Elder in Full Connection

¶ 332. Ministry of an Elder—Elders are ordained ministers

who, by God’s grace, have completed their formal preparation

and have been commissioned and served as a provisional mem-

ber, have been found by the Church to be of sound learning, of

Christian character, possessing the necessary gifts and evidence

of God’s grace, and whose call by God to ordination has been con-

rmed by the Church. Elders are ordained to a lifetime ministry

of Word, Sacrament, Order, and Service. By the authority given in

their ordination, they are authorized to preach and teach the Word

of God, to provide pastoral care and counsel, to administer the

sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion, and to order the

life of the Church for service in mission and ministry. The servant

leadership of the elder, in both parish and extension ministries, is

expressed by leading the people of God in worship and prayer,

by leading persons to faith in Jesus Christ, by exercising pastoral

supervision, and by ordering the Church in mission in the world.

As members of the Order of Elders, all elders are in covenant

with all other elders in the annual conference and shall participate

in the life of their order.

¶ 333. Elders in Full Connection—1. Elders in full connection

with an annual conference by virtue of their election and ordina-

tion are bound in special covenant with all the ordained elders

of the annual conference. In the keeping of this covenant they

perform the ministerial duties and maintain the ministerial stan-

dards established by those in the covenant. They offer themselves

without reserve to be appointed and to serve, after consultation,

as the appointive authority may determine.

They live with all

other ordained ministers in mutual trust and concern and seek

with them the sanctication of the fellowship. By entering into

the covenant, they accept and subject themselves to the process

of clergy discipline, including serving on committees on investi-

gation, trial courts, or appellate committees. Only those shall be

elected to full membership who are of unquestionable moral char-

18. See Judicial Council Decision 492.

265

THE ORDAINED ELDER IN FULL CONNECTION ¶ 334

acter and genuine piety, sound in the fundamental doctrines of

Christianity, and faithful in the discharge of their duties.

2. A provisional member of the annual conference who has

completed the requirements for elder’s orders and admission

into full membership shall be eligible for election to full member-

ship and ordination as elder by a bishop. Following election, the

bishop and secretary of the conference shall provide a certicate

of full membership in the annual conference, and following ordi-

nation, a certicate of ordination.

3. An elder shall be ordained by a bishop by the laying on

of hands, employing the Order of Service for the Ordination of

Elders (see ¶ 415.6). The bishop shall be assisted by other elders

and may include laity designated by the bishop representing the

Church community. Judicatory leaders from full communion

partners may participate in the ordination service and may join

the ordaining bishop in laying hands on the head of the candi-

date, while participating elders and laity may lay hands on the

back or shoulders of the candidate.

¶ 334. Ministry, Authority, and Responsibilities of an Elder in

Full Connection—An elder in full connection is authorized to give

spiritual and temporal servant leadership in the Church in the fol-

lowing manner:

1. Elders in full connection shall have the right to vote on

all matters in the annual conference except in the election of lay

delegates to the General and jurisdictional or central confer-

ences (¶ 602.1a) and shall share with deacons in full connection

responsibility for all matters of ordination, character, and confer-

ence relations of clergy. This responsibility shall not be limited

by the recommendation or lack of recommendation by the Board

of Ordained Ministry, notwithstanding provisions which grant to

the Board of Ordained Ministry the right of recommendation.

They shall be eligible to hold ofce in the annual conference and

to be elected delegates to the General and jurisdictional or central

conferences under the provision of the Constitution (¶ 35, Article

IV). Every effective elder in full connection who is in good stand-

ing shall be continued under appointment by the bishop provided

that if the elder is appointed to serve in an afliated relationship

in a missionary conference (¶ 586) and that appointment is ter-

minated by the bishop who presides in the missionary conference,

19. See Judicial Council Decisions 406, 534.

20. See Judicial Council Decision 690.

266

¶ 334 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

then the responsibility for meeting this obligation rests with the

bishop of the conference of which the elder is a member.

2. There are professional responsibilities (¶ 340) that elders

are expected to fulll and that represent a fundamental part of

their accountability and a primary basis of their continued eligi-

bility for annual appointment. These shall include:

a) Continuing availability for appointment.

b) Annual participation in a process of evaluation with

committees on pastor-parish relations or comparable authority as

well as annual participation in a process of evaluation with the

district superintendent or comparable authority.

c) Evidence of continuing effectiveness reected in

annual evaluations by the pastor-parish relations committee and

by the district superintendent or comparable authorities

d) Growth in professional competence and effective-

ness through continuing education and formation. The Board of

Ordained Ministry may set the minimum standards and specic

guidelines for continuing education and formation for conference

members;

e) Willingness to assume supervisory and mentoring

responsibilities within the connection.

3. When an elder’s effectiveness is in question, the bishop

shall complete the following procedure:

a) Identify the concerns. These can include an elder’s

failed professional responsibilities or vocational ineffectiveness.

b) Hold supervisory conversations with the elder that

identies the concerns and designs, collaboratively with the elder,

a corrective plan of action.

c) Upon evaluation, determine that the plan of action has

not been carried out or produced fruit that gives a realistic expec-

tation of future effectiveness.

4. If an elder fails to demonstrate vocational competence or

effectiveness (¶ 340) as dened by the annual conference through

the Board of Ordained Ministry and cabinet, then the bishop may

begin the administrative location process as outlined in ¶ 359.

5. Clergy who are retired, on medical leave, or on sabbatical

leave may at their own initiative apply to the conference Board

of Ordained Ministry for afliate membership in the annual con-

ference where they reside. By a two-thirds vote of the executive

21. See Judicial Council Decisions 462, 492, 534, 555.

22. See Judicial Council Decision 492.

267

THE ORDAINED ELDER IN FULL CONNECTION ¶ 335

session, such clergy may be received with rights and privileges,

including service on conference boards, agencies, task forces, and

committees, with voice but without vote. Voting membership

shall be retained in the clergy member’s home annual conference

for the duration of afliate member relationship. Such persons

may serve on the board, agency, task force, or committee of only

one annual conference at any one time.

¶ 335. Requirements for Admission to Full Connection and Ordi-

nation as Elder—Provisional members who are candidates for full

connection and ordination as elders and have been provisional

members for at least two years may be admitted into membership

in full connection in an annual conference and approved for elder’s

ordination by three-fourths majority vote of the clergy members

in full connection of the annual conference, upon recommen-

dation by three-fourths majority vote of the Board of Ordained

Ministry,

after they have qualied as follows. They shall have:

(1) served full-time under episcopal appointment for at least two

full annual conference years following the completion of the edu-

cational requirements specied in (3)(b) on the next page. Years of

service in any ministry setting requiring the regular proclamation

of the word, the administration of the sacraments, and the short or

long-term ordering of the life of the community of faith may count

toward the fulllment of this requirement. Such ministry settings

may include campus ministry, college and university chaplaincy,

hospital and prison chaplaincy, military chaplaincy, overseas/

mission work, and other ministries so recognized by the Division

of Ordained Ministry of the General Board of Higher Education

and Ministry. Upon recommendation of the Board of Ordained

Ministry, an annual conference may equate less than full-time to

the requirement of full-time service.

Such equivalence is to be determined in light of the years of

service involved, the quality of that service, the maturity of the

applicant, and other relevant factors. Supervision is to be (a) per-

sonally assumed or delegated by the district superintendent, and

(b) assumed by a mentor assigned by the Board of Ordained Min-

istry. Their service shall be evaluated by the Board of Ordained

Ministry as effective according to written guidelines developed by

the board and adopted by the clergy members in full connection.

23. See Judicial Council Decisions 157, 344, 1199.

24. See Judicial Council Decision 440.

25. See Judicial Council Decisions 555, 719.

268

¶ 335 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

In rare cases, the Board of Ordained Ministry may, by a two-thirds

vote, approve years of service in an autonomous Methodist church

as meeting this requirement if adequate supervision has been

provided; (2) been previously elected as provisional members;

(3) met the following educational requirements: (a) graduation

with a Bachelor of Arts or equivalent degree from a college or

university listed by the University Senate, or demonstrated com-

petency equivalence through a process designed in consulta-

tion with the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry;

(b) graduation with a Master of Divinity degree from a school of

theology listed by the University Senate, or its equivalent as deter-

mined by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry; or

(d) educational requirements in every case shall include comple-

tion of the basic graduate theological studies of the Christian faith

as outlined in ¶ 324.4a; (4) satised the board regarding physical,

mental, and emotional health; (5) prepared and preached at least

one written sermon on a biblical passage specied by the Board

of Ordained Ministry; (6) presented a detailed plan and outline

for teaching a Bible study; (7) presented a project that demon-

strates fruitfulness in carrying out the church’s mission of “Mak-

ing Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World”;

(8) responded to a written or oral doctrinal examination admin-

istered by the Board of Ordained Ministry. The candidate should

demonstrate the ability to communicate clearly in both oral and

written form. The candidate’s reections and the board’s response

should be informed by the insights and guidelines of Part III of

the Discipline. The following questions are guidelines for the prep-

aration of the examination:

a) Theology.

(1) Give examples of how the practice of ministry has

affected your experience and understanding of:

(a) God

(b) Humanity

(d) The Lordship of Jesus Christ

(e) The work of the Holy Spirit

(f) The meaning and signicance of the

sacraments

(g) The kingdom of God

(h) Resurrection and eternal life

269

THE ORDAINED ELDER IN FULL CONNECTION ¶ 335

(2) How do you understand the following traditional

evangelical doctrines: (a) repentance; (b) justication; (c) regenera-

tion; (d) sanctication? What are the marks of the Christian life?

(3) How has the practice of ministry informed your

understanding of the nature and mission of the Church? What are

its primary challenges today?

(4) The United Methodist Church holds that Scripture,

tradition, experience, and reason are sources and norms for belief

and practice, but that the Bible is primary among them. What is your

understanding of this theological position of the Church, and how

has your practice of ministry been affected by this understanding?

b) Vocation

(1) How has the experience of ministry shaped your

understanding of your vocation as an ordained elder?

c) The Practice of Ministry

(1) How has the practice of ministry affected your

understanding of the expectations and obligations of the itinerant

system? Do you offer yourself without reserve to be appointed

and to serve as the appointive authority may determine?

(2) Describe and evaluate your personal gifts for

ministry and how they have resulted in fruitful ministry. What

would be your areas of strength and areas in which you need to be

strengthened in order to be more fruitful in ministry?

(3) For the sake of the mission of Jesus Christ in

the world and the most effective witness to the Christian gospel

and in consideration of your inuence as an ordained minister,

are you willing to make a complete dedication of yourself to the

highest ideals of the Christian life; and to this end will you agree

to exercise responsible self-control by personal habits conducive

to physical health, intentional intellectual development, delity

in marriage and celibacy in singleness, integrity in all personal

relationships, social responsibility, and growth in grace and the

knowledge and love of God?

(4) Provide evidence of your willingness to relate

yourself in ministry with all persons without regard to race, color,

ethnicity, national origin, social status, gender, sexual orientation,

age, economic condition, or disability.

(5) Will you regard all pastoral conversations of a con-

fessional nature as a trust between the person concerned and God?

26. See Judicial Council Decision 542.

270

¶ 335 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

(6) Provide evidence of experience in peace and jus-

tice ministries.

A  C  F M

  A C

¶ 336. Historic Examination for Admission into Full Connection—

The bishop as chief pastor shall engage those seeking to be admit-

ted in serious self-searching and prayer to prepare them for their

examination before the conference. At the time of the examina-

tion the bishop shall also explain to the conference the historic

nature of the following questions and seek to interpret their spirit

and intent. The questions are these and any others that may be

thought necessary:

1. Have you faith in Christ?

2. Are you going on to perfection?

3. Do you expect to be made perfect in love in this life?

4. Are you earnestly striving after it?

5. Are you resolved to devote yourself wholly to God and his

work?

6. Do you know the General Rules of our Church?

7. Will you keep them?

8. Have you studied the doctrines of The United Methodist

Church?

9. After full examination, do you believe that our doctrines

are in harmony with the Holy Scriptures?

10. Will you preach and maintain them?

11. Have you studied our form of Church discipline and

polity?

12. Do you approve our Church government and polity?

13. Will you support and maintain them?

14. Will you diligently instruct the children in every place?

15. Will you visit from house to house?

16. Will you recommend fasting or abstinence, both by pre-

cept and example?

17. Are you determined to employ all your time in the work

of God?

18. Are you in debt so as to embarrass you in your work?

19. Will you observe the following directions?

a) Be diligent. Never be unemployed. Never be triingly

employed. Never trie away time; neither spend any more time at

any one place than is strictly necessary.

271

APPOINTMENTS TO VARIOUS MINISTRIES ¶ 337

b) Be punctual. Do everything exactly at the time. And

do not mend our rules, but keep them; not for wrath, but for con-

science’ sake.

Section X. Appointments to Various Ministries

¶ 337. General Provisions-1. All elders in full connection who

are in good standing in an annual conference shall be contin-

ued under appointment by the bishop unless they are granted

a sabbatical leave, a medical leave (¶ 356), family leave, a leave

of absence, retirement, or have failed to meet the requirements

for continued eligibility (¶ 334.2, .3), provided that if the elder

is appointed to serve in an afliated relationship in a mission-

ary conference (¶ 586.4b) and that appointment is terminated by

the bishop who presides in the missionary conference, then the

responsibility for meeting this obligation rests with the bishop of

the conference of which the elder is a member.

2. In addition to ordained elders, persons who have been

granted a license for pastoral ministry and who have been

approved by vote of the clergy members in full connection may be

appointed to local churches as pastors in charge under certain con-

ditions, which are specied in ¶¶ 315-318.

All clergy members and

licensed local pastors to be appointed shall assume a lifestyle con-

sistent with Christian teaching as set forth in the Social Principles.

3. Elders, associate members, provisional elders, and persons

licensed for pastoral ministry may be appointed to ministry set-

tings that extend the ministry of The United Methodist Church

and the witness and service of Christ’s love and justice in the

world. They shall be given the same moral and spiritual support

by the annual conference as are persons in appointments to pas-

toral charges. Their effectiveness shall be evaluated in the context

of the specic setting in which their ministry is performed. Such

ministry settings shall include teaching, pastoral care and coun-

seling, chaplaincy, campus ministry, social services, and other

ministries so recognized by the conference Board of Ordained

Ministry and approved by the bishop.

27. These are the questions that every Methodist preacher from the begin-

ning has been required to answer upon becoming a full member of an annual

conference. These questions were formulated by John Wesley and have been little

changed throughout the years.

28. See Judicial Council Decisions 380, 462, 492, 524, 702, 985, 1226.

29. See Judicial Council Decision 1226.

272

¶ 337 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

a) Full connection and provisional member elders, asso-

ciate members, and persons licensed for pastoral ministry may

be appointed to Extension Ministries serving in ministries of pas-

toral care in specialized settings. See ¶¶ 326, 343-344 for specic

information about Extension Ministries.

b) Elders may be appointed to extension ministries that

include appointments as students in research doctoral programs

that may lead to appointments in academic settings as instruc-

tors or professors in colleges, universities, and theological schools

afliated with The United Methodist Church. Elders may also be

appointed to extension ministries, including service as instructors

or professors or administrators in colleges, universities, and theo-

logical schools afliated with The United Methodist Church.

c) All persons in such appointments should:

(1) be appointed to a setting that provides an appro-

priate support and accountability structure;

(2) continue to be accountable to the annual confer-

ence for the practice of their ministry;

(3) provide an annual report, including a narrative of

their ministry, evidence of continuing education, and evidence of

an annual evaluation in their setting;

(4) maintain a relationship with a charge conference.

¶ 338. The Itinerant System—The itinerant system is the

accepted method of The United Methodist Church by which

ordained elders, provisional elders, and associate members are

appointed by the bishop to elds of labor.

All ordained elders,

provisional elders, and associate members shall accept and abide

by these appointments.

Bishops and cabinets shall commit to

and support open itineracy and the protection of the prophetic

pulpit and diversity. Persons appointed to multiple-staff minis-

tries, either in a single parish or in a cluster or larger parish, shall

have personal and professional access to the bishop and cabinet,

the committee on pastor-parish relations, as well as to the pastor

in charge. The nature of the appointment process is specied in

¶¶ 425-429.

1. Full-time service shall be the norm for ordained elders,

provisional elders, and associate members in the annual con-

ference. Full-time service shall mean that the person’s entire

vocational time, as dened by the district superintendent in consul-

30. See Judicial Council Decision 713.

31. See Judicial Council Decision 492.

273

APPOINTMENTS TO VARIOUS MINISTRIES ¶ 338

tation with the pastor and the committee on pastor-parish rela-

tions, is devoted to the work of ministry in the eld of labor to

which one is appointed by the bishop.

2. Less Than Full-Time Service—On occasion, less than full-

time service is requested by or required of an elder, provisional

elder, or associate member. A clergy member may be appointed

in one-quarter, one-half, or three-quarter time increments by the

bishop to less than full-time service without loss of essential rights

or membership in the annual conference. Division of Ordained

Ministry-endorsed appointments beyond the local church may be

for less than full-time service.

a) Appointment to less than full-time service is not a

guarantee, but may be made by the bishop under the following

circumstances:

(1) Limited Itineracy—Less than full-time service may

be granted—but is not guaranteed—when the elder, provisional

elder, or associate member has declared in writing that itineracy

is limited due to temporary constraints. The clergy member shall

present that written declaration to the bishop and the chairperson

of the Board of Ordained Ministry prior to the annual conference

session at which the appointment is made.

(2) Self-Initiated—The elder, provisional elder, or

associate member seeking less than full-time service shall present

a written request to the bishop and the chairperson of the Board

of Ordained Ministry at least 90 days prior to the annual confer-

ence session at which the appointment is made. Exceptions to the

90-day deadline shall be approved by the cabinet and the execu-

tive committee of the Board of Ordained Ministry.

(3) Bishop-Initiated—For missional purposes, the

bishop may appoint an elder, provisional elder, or an associate

member to less than full-time service. The clergyperson shall be

notied at least 90 days prior to nal termination of the current

appointment. Special attention shall be given to ensure that the

values of open itineracy are preserved.

b) Provisions for Less Than Full-time Appointment

(1) Following appropriate consultation, as estab-

lished in ¶¶ 338 and 425-429, and upon joint recommendation of

the cabinet and the Board of Ordained Ministry, the less than full-

time category shall be conrmed by a two-thirds vote of the clergy

members in full connection of the annual conference.

274

¶ 338 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

(2) Reappointment to less than full-time service

shall be approved annually by the bishop and cabinet and shall

not be granted for more than a total of eight years, except by a

three-fourths vote of the clergy members in full connection of the

annual conference.

(3) Elders, provisional elders, and associate members

who receive appointment at less than full-time service remain

within the itineracy and, as such, remain available, upon consul-

tation with the bishop and cabinet, for appointment to full-time

service. A written request to return to full-time appointment shall

be made to the bishop and cabinet at least six months prior to

the annual conference session at which the appointment is to be

made.

(4) The bishop may make ad interim appointments at

less than full-time service upon request of the elder, provisional

elder, or associate member following consultation as specied in

¶¶ 424-428 and upon recommendation of the cabinet and execu-

tive committee of the Board of Ordained Ministry, the same to be

acted upon by the next regular session of the annual conference.

3. Interim appointments may be made to charges that have

special transitional needs.

a) Interim clergy may serve outside the annual confer-

ence where membership is held under the provision of ¶ 346.1,

with approval and consent of the bishops involved.

b) Interim appointments will be for a specied length of

time, established in advance following consultation with the dis-

trict superintendent, the pastor-parish relations committee, and

the interim pastor.

4. Associate members, provisional members, or full members

may be appointed to attend any school, college, or theological

seminary listed by the University Senate, or participate in a pro-

gram of clinical pastoral education in a setting accredited by the

Association for Clinical Pastoral Education or another accrediting

agency approved by the General Board of Higher Education and

Ministry.

¶ 339. Denition of a Pastor—A pastor is an ordained elder,

probationary deacon (according to 1992 Book of Discipline), associ-

ate member, provisional elder, or local pastor approved by vote

of the clergy session and may be appointed by the bishop to be in

32. See Judicial Council Decision 579.

275

APPOINTMENTS TO VARIOUS MINISTRIES ¶ 340

charge of a station, circuit, cooperative parish, extension ministry,

ecumenical shared ministry,

or to a church of another denomina-

tion, or on the staff of one such appointment.

¶ 340. Responsibilities and Duties of Elders and Licensed Pas-

tors—1. The responsibilities of elders are derived from the author-

ity given in ordination. Elders have a fourfold ministry of Word,

Sacrament, Order, and Service and thus serve in the local church

and in extension ministries in witness and service of Christ’s love

and justice. Elders are authorized to preach and teach the Word, to

provide pastoral care and counsel, to administer the sacraments,

and to order the life of the church for service in mission and min-

istry as pastors, superintendents, and bishops.

2. Licensed pastors share with the elders the responsibilities

and duties of a pastor for this fourfold ministry, within the context

of their appointment.

a) Word and ecclesial acts:

(1) To preach the Word of God, lead in worship, read

and teach the Scriptures, and engage the people in study and

witness.

(a) To ensure faithful transmission of the Chris-

tian faith.

(b) To lead people in discipleship and evangelis-

tic outreach that others might come to know Christ and to follow

him.

(2) To counsel persons with personal, ethical, or spir-

itual struggles.

(3) To perform the ecclesial acts of marriage and

burial.

(a) To perform the marriage ceremony after due

counsel with the parties involved and in accordance with the

laws of the state and the rules of The United Methodist Church.

The decision to perform the ceremony shall be the right and

responsibility of the pastor.

33. Ecumenical shared ministries are ecumenical congregations formed by a local

United Methodist church and one or more local congregations of other Christian

traditions. Forms of ecumenical shared ministries include: (a) a federated congre-

gation, in which one congregation is related to two denominations, with persons

holding membership in one or the other of the denominations; (b) a union congre-

gation, in which a congregation with one unied membership roll is related to two

denominations; (c) a merged congregation, in which two or more congregations

of different denominations form one congregation which relates to only one of the

constituent denominations; and (d) a yoked parish, in which a United Methodist

congregation is yoked with one or more congregations of other denominations.

276

¶ 340 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

(b) To conduct funeral and memorial services

and provide care and grief counseling.

(4) To visit in the homes of the church and the com-

munity, especially among the sick, aged, imprisoned, and others

in need.

(5) To maintain all condences inviolate, includ-

ing confessional condences except in the cases of suspected

child abuse or neglect, or in cases where mandatory reporting is

required by civil law.

b) Sacrament:

(1) To administer the sacraments of baptism and the

Supper of the Lord according to Christ’s ordinance.

(a) To prepare the parents and sponsors before

baptizing infants or children, and instruct them concerning the

signicance of baptism and their responsibilities for the Christian

training of the baptized child.

(b) To encourage reafrmation of the baptismal

covenant and renewal of baptismal vows at different stages of

life.

early childhood to make their profession of faith, after instruction,

so that they might become professing members of the church.

(d) To explain the meaning of the Lord’s Sup-

per and to encourage regular participation as a means of grace to

grow in faith and holiness.

(e) To select and train deacons and lay members

to serve the consecrated communion elements.

(2) To encourage the private and congregational use

of the other means of grace.

c) Order:

(1) To be the administrative ofcer of the local church

and to assure that the organizational concerns of the congregation

are adequately provided for.

(a) To give pastoral support, guidance, and train-

ing to the lay leadership, equipping them to fulll the ministry to

which they are called.

(b) To give oversight to the educational program

of the church and encourage the use of United Methodist litera-

ture and media.

ness, goal setting, planning and evaluation.

277

APPOINTMENTS TO VARIOUS MINISTRIES ¶ 340

(d) To search out and counsel men and women

for the ministry of deacons, elders, local pastors, and other church-

related ministries.

(2) To administer the temporal affairs of the church

in their appointment, the annual conference, and the general

Church.

(a) To administer the provisions of the Discipline.

(b) To give an account of their pastoral ministries

to the charge and annual conference according to the prescribed

forms.

istry of the congregation. To ensure membership care including

compliance with charitable giving documentation requirements

and to provide appropriate pastoral care, the pastor, in coopera-

tion with the nancial secretary, shall have access to and respon-

sibility for professional stewardship of congregational giving

records.

(d) To model and promote faithful nancial

stewardship and to encourage giving as a spiritual discipline by

teaching the biblical principles of giving.

(e) To lead the congregation in the fulllment of

its mission through full and faithful payment of all apportioned

ministerial support, administrative, and benevolent funds.

(f) To care for all church records and local church

nancial obligations, and certify the accuracy of all nancial,

membership, and any other reports submitted by the local church

to the annual conference for use in apportioning costs back to the

church.

(3) To participate in denominational and conference

programs and training opportunities.

(a) To seek out opportunities for cooperative

ministries with other United Methodist pastors and churches.

(b) To be willing to assume supervisory responsi-

bilities within the connection.

(4) To lead the congregation in racial and ethnic

inclusiveness.

d) Service:

(1) To embody the teachings of Jesus in servant min-

istries and servant leadership.

(2) To give diligent pastoral leadership in ordering

the life of the congregation for discipleship in the world.

278

¶ 340 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

(3) To build the body of Christ as a caring and giving

community, extending the ministry of Christ to the world.

(4) To participate in community, ecumenical, and

interreligious concerns and to encourage the people to become

so involved and to pray and labor for the unity of the Christian

community.

¶ 341. Unauthorized Conduct—1. Pastors shall rst obtain

the written consent of the district superintendent before engag-

ing for an evangelist any person who is not a general evangelist

(¶¶ 630.3f, 1112.7), a clergy member of an annual conference, a

local pastor, or a certied lay servant in good standing in The

United Methodist Church.

2. No pastor shall discontinue services in a local church

between sessions of the annual conference without the consent of

the charge conference and the district superintendent.

3. No pastor shall arbitrarily organize a pastoral charge. (See

¶ 259 for the method of organizing a local church.)

4. No pastor shall hold a religious service within the bounds

of a pastoral charge other than the one to which appointed with-

out the consent of the pastor of the charge, or the district super-

intendent. No pastor shall hold a religious service within the

bounds of a pastoral charge or establish a ministry to a college or

university campus served by The United Methodist Church with-

out the consent of the pastor of the charge, or campus minister or

chaplain serving the charge, or the district superintendent. If that

pastor does not refrain from such conduct, he or she shall then be

liable to the provisions of ¶ 362.1 and ¶ 2702.

5. All clergy of The United Methodist Church are charged to

maintain all condences inviolate, including confessional con-

dences, except in the cases of suspected child abuse or neglect or

in cases where mandatory reporting is required by civil law.

6. Ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions shall not

be conducted by our ministers and shall not be conducted in our

churches.

7. No pastor shall re-baptize. The practice of re-baptism does

not conform with God’s action in baptism and is not consistent

with Wesleyan tradition and the historic teaching of the church.

Therefore, the pastor should counsel any person seeking re-bap-

tism to participate in a rite of reafrmation of baptismal vows.

34. See Judicial Council Decision 936.

35. See Judicial Council Decision 1115.

279

APPOINTMENTS TO EXTENSION MINISTRIES ¶ 343

¶ 342. Support for Elders in Full Connection Appointed to Pasto-

ral Charges—To strengthen the effectiveness of the connectional

system, assumption of the obligations of the itinerant ministry

required upon admission to the traveling connection places upon

the Church a counter obligation to provide adequate support for

the entire ministry of the Church (¶ 620). The Church shall pro-

vide, and the ordained minister is entitled to receive, not less than

the equitable compensation established by the annual conference

for clergy members according to provisions of ¶ 625.3.

1. Support for Elders in Full Connection Appointed to Pastoral

Charges Who Render Full-Time Service—Each elder in full connec-

tion of an annual conference who is in good standing and who is

appointed to full-time service under the provision of ¶ 338.1 shall

have a claim upon the conference Equitable Compensation Fund

and a right to receive not less than base compensation established

by the annual conference for persons in full-time service.

2. Support for Ordained Elders Appointed to Pastoral Charges Who

Render Less than Full-Time Service—Each elder in full connection

who is in good standing and who is appointed by the bishop to

less than full-time service under the provisions of ¶ 338.2 shall

have a claim upon the conference Equitable Compensation Fund

in one-quarter increments according to the guidelines established

by the annual conference commission on equitable compensation.

3. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the

benets provided to ordained ministers, in addition to the cash

compensation, under the benet programs administered by the

General Board of Pension and Health Benets may be different

for ordained ministers serving full-time as pastors to local charges

and for ordained ministers serving other types of appointments.

4. No pastor shall be entitled to any claim for unpaid base

compensation against any church or charge served after pastoral

connection with the church or charge has ceased.

Section XI. Appointments to Extension Ministries

¶ 343. Appointments Extending the Ministry of The United Meth-

odist Church—1. Elders in effective relationship may be appointed

to serve in ministry settings beyond the local United Metho-

dist church in the witness and service of Christ’s love and justice.

36. See Judicial Council Decisions 968, 988.

37. See Judicial Council Decisions 579, 587, 968, 1038.

280

¶ 343 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

Persons in these appointments remain within the itineracy and

shall be accountable to the annual conference. They shall be

given the same moral and spiritual support by it as are persons

in appointments to pastoral charges.

Their effectiveness shall be

evaluated in the context of the specic setting in which their min-

istry is performed.

2. The institution or agency desiring to employ an ordained

minister shall, when feasible, through its appropriate ofcial, con-

sult the ordained minister’s bishop and secure approval before

completing any agreement to employ the ordained minister. If the

institution or agency is located in another area, the bishop of that

area shall also be consulted.

3. Elders desiring an appointment extending the ministry

of The United Methodist Church or change of appointment shall

consult with their bishop and/or district superintendent prior to

any interviews relative to such an appointment.

¶ 344. Provisions for Appointment to Extension Ministries—

Elders and associate members in appointments extending the

ministry of the local United Methodist church are full partici-

pants in the itinerant system. Therefore, a conference member in

an appointment beyond the local United Methodist church must

be willing upon consultation to receive an appointment in a pas-

toral charge. When either the conference member or the annual

conference requests appointment to a pastoral charge, the request

shall be made in writing to or from the bishop, the cabinet, and

the Board of Ordained Ministry. Such a request should be made

at least six months prior to annual conference. In both instances,

consultation shall give due regard to the individual’s special

training, experience, skills, and leadership potential.

1. Categories of Appointment—In order to establish a clear dis-

tinction between the work to which all Christians are called and

the tasks for which clergy are appropriately prepared and autho-

rized, the following categories are established for appointments

of elders and associate members within the itineracy and those

licensed for pastoral ministry of The United Methodist Church.

a) Appointments within the connectional structures of

United Methodism:

(1) Appointments for which the annual conference

provides for pension contributions to the Ministerial Pension Plan,

38. See Judicial Council Decisions 321, 325.

281

APPOINTMENTS TO EXTENSION MINISTRIES ¶ 344

amended and restated effective January 1, 2007, as the Clergy

Retirement Security Program, such as district superintendents,

staff members of conference councils and boards, treasurers, bish-

ops’ assistants, superintendents or directors of parish develop-

ment, general evangelists, and campus ministers. Only elders in

full connection may be appointed district superintendents;

(2) Appointments to a general agency for which the

general agency provides pension contributions through Decem-

ber 31, 2006, to the Ministerial Pension Plan and, effective January

1, 2007, to the Retirement Security Program for General Agencies

of The United Methodist Church, amended and restated effective

January 1, 2010, as the Retirement Plan for General Agencies;

(3) Appointments to a United Methodist institution

or other ministry, such as superintendents or directors of parish

development, general evangelists, campus ministers, missionar-

ies, faculty and administrators of United Methodist schools of

theology or other educational institutions approved by the Uni-

versity Senate; and

(4) Appointments to an ecumenical agency.

b) Appointments to extension ministries of elders in full

connection, associate members, and those licensed for pastoral

ministry under endorsement by the General Board of Higher Edu-

cation and Ministry and other ministry settings which the bishop

and conference Board of Ordained Ministry may designate.

The

board shall annually verify the appropriate employment of per-

sons under its endorsement and request their reappointment.

c) Elders, associate members, and those licensed for pas-

toral ministry in service under the General Board of Global Minis-

tries may be appointed to the ministries listed in a) and b) above.

They may be assigned to service either in annual conferences or

central conferences, or with afliated autonomous churches, inde-

pendent churches, churches resulting from the union of Methodist

Churches and other communions, mission institutions, or in other

denominational or ecumenical ministries. They may accept such

rights and privileges, including afliate membership, as may be

offered them by central conferences or by other churches to which

they are assigned without impairing their relationship to their

home annual conference. If appointment is to a missionary confer-

ence, the terms of the appointment shall be as provided in ¶ 586.4.

39. See Judicial Council Decisions 321, 325, 329.

282

¶ 344 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

d) Elders, associate members, and those licensed for pas-

toral ministry may receive appointments beyond the ministry

usually extended through the local United Methodist church and

other institutions listed above in a) and b)

when considered by

the bishop and the annual conference Board of Ordained Minis-

try to be a true extension of the Christian ministry of the Church.

They may be appointed to pastoral ministry in other Christian

denominations at the request of appropriate judicatory ofcers of

that denomination. These ministries shall be initiated in missional

response to the needs of persons in special circumstances and

unique situations and shall reect the commitment of the clergy

to intentional fulllment of their ordination vows to Word, Sacra-

ment, Order, and Service. These appointments may involve clergy

with expertise from other vocations. Conference members in such

appointments retain conference membership, and the annual con-

ference may choose to extend nancial support and benets for its

clergy by vote of the annual conference. (See ¶ 625.3, .5.)

Conference members who serve as staff members of ecumeni-

cal agencies or as pastors of non-United Methodist congregations

may also be considered as holding an extension ministry, pro-

vided their position is approved by the bishop and the confer-

ence Board of Ordained Ministry. They shall remain accountable

to their vows as members of their annual conference.

The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, in order

to assist boards of ordained ministry, will provide standards and

consultation to assist in validating the appropriateness of special

ministry settings. In addition, it will provide advocacy for per-

sons serving in settings approved under this paragraph and shall

encourage the development of emerging ministries that extend

the ministry of the Church into the world.

Those seeking such an appointment shall submit a written

statement to the cabinet, and the Board of Ordained Ministry,

describing in detail the proposed setting for their ministry, shar-

ing a sense of calling to that ministry and their gifts and evidence

of God’s grace for it, and expressing the intentional fulllment of

their ordination vows. This material will be submitted not later

than 120 days before desired appointment to the proposed setting.

On recommendation of the cabinet and the Board of Ordained

Ministry, such positions are to be conrmed by a two-thirds vote

of the clergy members of the annual conference.

40. See Judicial Council Decisions 380, 877.

283

APPOINTMENTS TO EXTENSION MINISTRIES ¶ 344

The bishop may make ad interim appointments in this cate-

gory after consultation with the cabinet and executive commit-

tee of the Board of Ordained Ministry, the position to be formally

acted upon by the next session of the annual conference.

2. Relation to the Annual Conference—a) Accountability to the

Annual Conference—All clergy in extension ministries are ame-

nable to the annual conference of which they are members and

insofar as possible should maintain close working relationship

with and effective participation in the work of their annual con-

ference, assuming whatever responsibilities they are qualied

and requested to assume.

All clergy under appointment in extension ministries shall

submit annually to the bishop, the district superintendent, and

the Board of Ordained Ministry a written report on the ofcial

form developed for the Church by the General Council on Finance

and Administration for use by the annual conference. This report

shall serve as the basis for the evaluation of these clergy in light

of the missional needs of the Church and the fulllment of their

licensing or ordination to be minister of Service, Word, Sacrament,

and Order. All clergy formally evaluated by the institutions in

which they serve will provide, instead of an evaluation, a narra-

tive report reecting their ministry. All clergy serving in appoint-

ments outside the conference in which they hold membership

shall furnish a copy of their report also to the bishop of the area in

which they serve. Annual conferences shall review the qualica-

tions of persons in extension ministry status and integrate them

into the ongoing work of the annual conference.

b) Responsibility of the Annual Conference—The bishop,

representatives of the cabinet, and an endorsed representative

from extension ministries within the Board of Ordained Minis-

try shall provide an opportunity to meet annually with clergy

in extension ministries who perform their ministry within the

bounds of annual conference, both of that annual conference and

those who hold membership elsewhere. The bishop shall con-

vene the meeting, which is to be planned by the cabinet and the

Board of Ordained Ministry. The purpose of this meeting is to

gain understanding of one another’s role and function in minis-

try; to report to other ordained ministers appointed to extension

ministries and discuss with them matters concerning the overall

approach to ministry in the episcopal area; to interpret the role and

function of extension ministries to the larger church through the

284

¶ 344 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

ofces of the bishop and his or her representatives; to nurture

the development of various ministries as signicant in assisting

the mission of the Church; and to discuss specic programs and

services that the bishop and his or her representatives may initi-

ate, in which the various ordained ministers serving in appoint-

ments beyond the local church may be qualied as consultants

and supervisors. Using the appropriate resources and personnel

of the annual conference, the bishop shall provide for an annual

visit to the ministry setting of all persons under appointment in

extension ministries assigned within the geographical bounds of

the annual conference and shall provide a report of the visit to the

bishop of persons from other annual conferences.

3. Relation to the Local Church—a) All clergy appointed in

extension ministries shall establish membership in a charge con-

ference in their home annual conference in consultation with the

pastor in charge and with approval of the district superintendent

and the bishop. They shall submit to their home charge confer-

ence an annual report of pastoral duties and the fulllment of

their licensing or ordination through their special appointment,

including ministerial activities in the charge where they have an

afliate membership relation and in other units of the Church

at large, as well as continuing formation experiences completed

and anticipated. This report may be the one submitted to the

bishop, district superintendent, and Board of Ordained Ministry

(¶ 344.2a). District superintendents, because of the nature of their

work and the relationship dened in ¶¶ 424.3, 362.1a, and 661,

shall not be required to have a charge conference afliation.

All conference members who are elders in full connection,

including those in extension ministries, shall be available and on

call to administer the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Sup-

per as required by the Discipline (¶ 340.2b) and requested by the

district superintendent of the district in which the appointment

is held.

b) Afliate Relation to a Local Church—All clergy under

appointment to extension ministries and serving outside of the

geographical bounds of their home annual conference shall

promptly notify the bishop of the area in which they reside of

their names, addresses, and the annual conferences in which their

credentials are held. They shall be afliate members without vote

of a charge conference either within the district where they carry

out the primary work of their appointment or within the district

285

APPOINTMENTS TO EXTENSION MINISTRIES ¶ 344

where they reside. Persons serving outside the geographic bounds

of any annual conference are exempt from this requirement. The

selection of the charge conference shall be made after consultation

between the person in extension ministry and the pastor of the

local United Methodist church.

These clergy under appointment in extension ministries and

serving outside the geographical boundaries of their home annual

conference shall submit to the charge conference of which they

are afliate members a copy of the report submitted to their home

charge conference and/or an oral report concerning their ministry

and the fulllment of their licensing or ordination. The district

superintendent shall be responsible for the notication to these

ministers concerning the time and place of the charge conference.

4. Afliate Relation to Annual Conference—Ordained clergy

appointed to extension ministries or appointments beyond the

local church outside the boundary of their annual conference may

at their own initiative apply to the Board of Ordained Ministry

for afliate membership in the annual conference in which their

appointment is located or in which they reside. By a two-thirds

vote of the clergy session, such clergy may be received with rights

and privileges, including service on conference boards, agencies,

task forces, and committees, with voice and vote but with voice

and without vote in the annual conference session. Voting mem-

bership shall be retained in the appointee’s home annual confer-

ence for the duration of afliate member relationship. Nomination

to general Church boards and agencies and election as delegates

to General and jurisdictional conferences shall originate in the

appointee’s home annual conference. Such persons may serve on

the board, agency, task force, or committee of only one annual

conference at any one time.

5. General Provisions—a) These appointments shall be made

only to positions related to adequate accountability structures,

according to guidelines established by the Board of Ordained

Ministry and cabinet in the annual conferences in which member-

ship is held.

b) For information regarding pensions, the conference will

continue to list the source of annuity claim for each of its clergy.

c) All conference secretaries shall submit to the editors of

the General Minutes a list of such appointments beyond the local

41. See Judicial Council Decision 554.

286

¶ 344 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

church made in their annual conferences, and there shall be pub-

lished in the General Minutes a list of ordained ministers in the

Church serving in the major categories under these appointments.

d) All clergy appointed to extension ministries shall

attend the annual conference in which membership is held.

e) Individual participation in Armed Forces Reserve or

National Guard units and part-time employment with the Veteran’s

Administration shall be reected in annual conference journals.

P  A

 E S M

¶ 345. United Methodist clergy members in full connec-

tion may be appointed annually to churches of other Christian

denominations or to ecumenical shared ministries. Persons in

these appointments remain in the itineracy and shall be account-

able to the annual conference. Their effectiveness shall be evalu-

ated in the context of the specic setting in which their ministry is

performed. (See ¶ 344.1d.)

Section XII. Clergy From Other Annual Conferences,

Other Methodist and Christian Denominations

¶ 346. Provisions for Clergy From Outside the Annual Confer-

ence—Ordained clergy or provisional members from other annual

conferences and Christian denominations may receive an appoint-

ment in the annual conference in the following manner:

1. Ordained Clergy or Provisional Members From Other Annual

Conferences and Other Methodist Denominations—With approval and

consent of the bishops or other judicatory authorities involved,

ordained clergy or provisional members of other annual confer-

ences or other Methodist churches may receive appointments in

the annual or missionary conference while retaining their home

conference membership or denominational afliation. Appoint-

ments are to be made by the resident bishop of the conference in

which the clergy person is to serve. If appointment is to a mission-

ary conference, the terms of the appointment shall be as provided

in ¶ 586.4. Otherwise upon the recommendation of the Board of

Ordained Ministry, clergy in such appointments may be granted

voice but not vote in the annual conference to which they are

appointed. Their membership on conference boards and agencies

is restricted to the conference of which they are a member. They

287

CLERGY FROM OTHER ANNUAL CONFERENCES ¶ 346

shall be compensated no less than the equitable salary provisions

of the annual conference in which they serve and participate in

the pension and insurance programs of that annual conference.

Such appointments are renewable annually. Furthermore, it shall

be the responsibility of the board of pensions of the annual confer-

ence in which the appointment is received to enroll such clergy in

the Clergy Retirement Security Program or any successor retire-

ment plan and the Comprehensive Protection Plan or any succes-

sor welfare plan (see ¶ 1506.17).

2. Elders or Ordained Clergy From Other Denominations—On

recommendation of the Board of Ordained Ministry, the clergy

members in full connection may approve annually clergy in good

standing in other Christian denominations to serve appointments

or ecumenical ministries within the bounds of the annual confer-

ence while retaining their denominational afliation, provided

they present suitable credentials, give assurance of their Christian

faith and experience, and release required psychological reports,

criminal background and credit checks, and reports of sexual mis-

conduct and/or child abuse. They shall submit, on a form pro-

vided by the conference Board of Ordained Ministry: a notarized

statement detailing any convictions for felony or misdemeanor

or written accusations of sexual misconduct or child abuse; or a

notarized statement certifying that the candidate has not been

convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, or accused in writing of

sexual misconduct or child abuse. They shall give evidence of

their agreement with and willingness to support and maintain

United Methodist doctrine, discipline, and polity. Their ordina-

tion credentials shall be examined by the bishop and the Board of

Ordained Ministry and, upon its recommendation, may be recog-

nized as valid elders in The United Methodist Church while they

are under appointment. When the Board of Ordained Ministry

certies that their credentials are at least equal to those of United

Methodist elders, they may be accorded the right to vote in the

annual conference on all matters except the following: (a) consti-

tutional amendments; (b) election of delegates to the General and

jurisdictional or central conferences; (c) all matters of ordination,

character, and conference relations of ministers. They may serve

on any board, commission, or committee of an annual conference,

except the Board of Ordained Ministry and the board of trustees

42. See Judicial Council Decision 554.

288

¶ 346 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

(¶¶ 635.1, 2512.1). They shall not be eligible for election as del-

egates to the General, jurisdictional, or central conferences. They

shall also be subject to the provisions governing sabbatical leave,

leave of absence, location, retirement, minimum salary, and pen-

sion. They shall not have security of appointment.

3. Between conference sessions, the Board of Ordained Min-

istry may approve them for appointment pending the recognition

of their orders. The bishop may make ad interim recognition of

valid ordination after consultation with the cabinet and executive

committee of the Board of Ordained Ministry, pending recogni-

tion by the vote of the clergy members in full connection. In every

case, prior examination shall be made of the ordained minister’s

understanding, acceptance, and willingness to support and main-

tain United Methodist doctrine, discipline, and polity.

¶ 347. Transfers—1. From Other Annual Conferences—Ordained

clergy or provisional members from other annual conferences of

The United Methodist Church may be received by transfer into

provisional or full membership with the consent of the bishops

involved. Recommendation by the executive committee of the

Board of Ordained Ministry and approval of the clergy session

shall take place prior to the transfer.

2. From Other Methodist Denominations—a) Ordained elders

or ordained clergy from other Methodist churches may be received

by transfer into provisional or full conference membership or as

local pastors, with the consent of the bishops or other authorities

involved, without going through the process required for minis-

ters from other denominations. The General Board of Higher Edu-

cation and Ministry shall establish a list of denominations that

meet this denition. Prior consultation with the chairperson or

executive committee of the Board of Ordained Ministry shall be

held in order to determine that the minister meets the standards

for conference membership established by the Discipline and the

annual conference. A psychological report, criminal background

and credit check, and reports of sexual misconduct and/or child

abuse shall be required. They shall submit, on a form provided by

the conference Board of Ordained Ministry:

(1) a notarized statement detailing any convictions

for felony or misdemeanor or written accusations of sexual mis-

conduct or child abuse; or

43. See Judicial Council Decision 16.

44. See Judicial Council Decision 444.

289

CLERGY FROM OTHER ANNUAL CONFERENCES ¶ 347

(2) a notarized statement certifying that this can-

didate has not been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, or

accused in writing of sexual misconduct or child abuse.

b) Ordained elders or ordained clergy being trans-

ferred from other Methodist churches shall meet the educational

requirements of The United Methodist Church, or the equivalent

approved by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

c) The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry

shall certify the satisfaction of educational requirements for con-

ference membership and, in cases where additional education is

required, shall develop an educational program in consultation

with the Board of Ordained Ministry.

3. From Other Denominations—a) On recommendation of

the Board of Ordained Ministry, the clergy members in full con-

nection may recognize the orders of ordained clergy from other

denominations and receive them as provisional members or local

pastors. They shall present their credentials for examination by

the bishop and Board of Ordained Ministry and give assurance

of their Christian faith and experience. They shall give evidence

of their agreement with and willingness to support and maintain

United Methodist doctrine, discipline, and polity and present

a satisfactory certicate of good health on the prescribed form

from a physician approved by the Board of Ordained Ministry.

The Board of Ordained Ministry, in consultation with the General

Board of Higher Education and Ministry, shall determine whether

they meet the educational requirements for conference member-

ship. A psychological report, criminal background and credit

check, and reports of sexual misconduct and/or child abuse shall

be required. They shall submit, on a form provided by the confer-

ence Board of Ordained Ministry:

(1) a notarized statement detailing any convictions

for felony or misdemeanor or written accusations of sexual mis-

conduct of child abuse; or

(2) a notarized statement certifying that the can-

didate has not been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, or

accused in writing of sexual misconduct or child abuse.

b) Ordained elders or ordained clergy from other Chris-

tian denominations shall serve as provisional members for at least

two years and complete all the requirements of ¶ 335, including

courses in United Methodist history, doctrine, and polity, before

being admitted into full conference membership.

290

¶ 347 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

c) Following the provisional member’s election to full

conference membership as a deacon or elder as provided in ¶ 326,

the bishop and secretary of the conference shall provide a certi-

cate of full membership in the annual conference.

4. The Board of Ordained Ministry of an annual conference

is required to ascertain from an ordained clergyperson seek-

ing admission into its membership on credentials from another

denomination whether or not membership in the effective rela-

tion was previously held in an annual conference of The United

Methodist Church or one of its legal predecessors, and if so, when

and under what circumstances the ordained minister’s connec-

tion with such annual conference was severed.

5. Ordained clergy seeking admission into an annual confer-

ence on credentials from another denomination who have previ-

ously withdrawn from membership in the effective relation in

an annual conference of The United Methodist Church or one of

its legal predecessors shall not be admitted or readmitted with-

out the consent of the annual conference from which they with-

drew or its legal successor, or the annual conference of which the

major portion of their former conference is a part, such consent

to be granted upon recommendation of its Board of Ordained

Ministry.

6. After the orders of an ordained minister of another church

shall have been duly recognized, and the minister has been

approved for full membership, the certicates of ordination by

said church shall be returned to the minister with the following

inscription written plainly on the back:

These orders are recognized by the ________ Annual Conference of The

United Methodist Church, this _______ day of_________,_____ [year].

________________________________, President

__________________________, Secretary

The ordained minister also will be furnished with a certicate

of recognition of orders signed by the bishop.

Section XIII. Mentoring and Mentors

¶ 348. Mentors—1. Mentors shall be recommended by the

cabinet, selected, trained and held accountable by the Board of

Ordained Ministry. There are two categories of mentor, each with

distinct functions and responsibilities as follows:

291

MENTORING AND MENTORS ¶ 348

a) Candidacy mentors are clergy in full connection, asso-

ciate members, or local pastors who have completed the Course

of Study trained to provide counsel and guidance related to the

candidacy process. Candidates will be assigned to a candidacy

mentoring group, wherever possible, or to a candidacy mentor by

the district committee on ordained ministry in consultation with

the vocational discernment coordinator (wherever named) and

the district superintendent (¶ 310). Candidates will be assigned to

a candidacy mentor or mentoring groups to meet with until they

begin serving as a local pastor or provisional member.

b) Clergy mentors are clergy in full connection, associ-

ate members, full-time, or part-time local pastors who have com-

pleted the Course of Study trained to provide ongoing oversight

and counsel with local pastors and with provisional members.

Local pastors will be assigned a clergy mentor by the district

committee on ordained ministry in consultation with the district

superintendent. Provisional members will be assigned a clergy

mentor in full connection by the conference Board of Ordained

Ministry in consultation with the district superintendent. A can-

didacy mentor may continue with the same person if trained to

serve as a clergy mentor.

2. Mentoring occurs within a relationship where the men-

tor takes responsibility for creating a safe place for reection and

growth. An effective mentor has a mature faith, models effective

ministry, and possesses the necessary skill to help individuals dis-

cern their call in ministry. Mentoring is a part of the preparation

and growth for inquirers and candidates for ordained ministry,

local pastors and provisional members of an annual conference.

Mentoring is distinct from the evaluative and supervisory process

that is a part of preparation for ministry.

3. Local pastors and provisional members will be assigned

to a clergy mentoring group, wherever possible, or to a clergy

mentor by the Board of Ordained Ministry. Persons transferring

from other denominations will also be assigned a clergy mentor

(¶ 347.3b).

4. Clergy mentoring begins when a person receives an

appointment as a local pastor or as a provisional member.

It is expected that all annual conferences will make available

and encourage the use of spiritual guides, life coaches, pastoral

counselors or vocational mentors for all clergy, separate from the

superintendent, and that clergy will utilize these kinds of support

292

¶ 348 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

as a standard practice of ministry throughout the clergy career,

and in all assignments or appointments.

Section XIV. Evaluation for Continuing Formation

for Full Members and Local Pastors

¶ 349. Evaluation—Evaluation is a continuous process for

formation in servant ministry and servant leadership that must

take place in a spirit of understanding and acceptance. Evaluation

serves as a process for clergy to assess their effectiveness in min-

istry and to discern God’s call to continue in ordained ministry.

1. For clergy serving local churches, the district superinten-

dent, in consultation with the pastor-parish relations committee,

will evaluate annually each clergy’s effectiveness for ministry

(¶¶ 334.2c, 419, 635.2o, r), using criteria, processes, and training

developed by the cabinet and the Board of Ordained Ministry. The

clergy in local churches shall participate annually in an evalua-

tion with the committee on pastor-parish relations to enhance an

ongoing effective ministry and to identify continuing education

needs and plans (¶ 258.2g[5]), using criteria, processes, and train-

ing developed by the Board of Ordained Ministry and the cabi-

net. The process of evaluation shall include self-assessment and

appropriate metrics, and the General Board of Higher Education

and Ministry will offer models to guide cabinets and Boards of

Ordained Ministry in the evaluation process.

2. Deacons in appointments beyond the local church and

elders and local pastors in appointments to extension ministries

will undergo annual evaluation by their immediate supervisors,

engage in annual self-evaluation, and include copies of these

evaluations in the annual report submitted to their bishop, district

superintendent, and the Board of Ordained Ministry (¶ 344.2a).

They shall have an annual conversation with their district super-

intendent about their ministry.

3. Every clergyperson shall also engage in a six-month pro-

cess of personal and professional assessment and development

every eight years. The process will be designed and implemented

by the cabinet and Board of Ordained Ministry for each annual

conference in consultation with the Chairs of the Orders of Dea-

cons and Elders and Fellowship of Local Pastors and Associate

Members. The process shall include both a formal review and an

in-depth renewal opportunity, such as a retreat or series of coach-

ing and mentoring sessions.

293

EVALUATION FOR CONTINUING FORMATION ¶ 350

a) The formal review shall include a self-evaluation,

metrics appropriate to the ministry settings to which clergy are

appointed, observations of trends from the previous eight years,

and reviews or interviews with people close to the ministry of the

clergy being reviewed.

b) The in-depth renewal opportunity shall be designed

by the cabinet and Board of Ordained Ministry in a form appro-

priate to the conference. The renewal opportunities shall include a

combination of elements, such as: time apart for prayer and reec-

tion, reection with a covenant group, meetings with a coach,

celebration of ministry milestones, and discernment of future

ministry challenges and opportunities. When deemed important

to help in the evaluation process, psychological assessments may

be requested by the cabinet or Board of Ordained Ministry.

c) The district superintendent shall review the portfolio

and provide the initial report of the eighth year review of effec-

tiveness. When recommended by the district superintendent, a

meeting with the bishop and members of the cabinet may be held.

d) Each annual conference shall develop and initiate a

plan for such assessment by January 1, 2020.

¶ 350. Continuing Education and Spiritual Growth—1. Through-

out their careers, clergy shall engage in continuing education

for ministry, professional development, and spiritual formation

and growth in order to lead the church in fullling the mission

of making disciples for Jesus Christ. This shall include carefully

developed personal programs of study augmented periodically

by involvement in organized educational and spiritual growth

activities. These practices embody the Wesleyan emphasis on life-

long growth in faith, fostered by personal spiritual practices and

participation in covenant communities. Each annual conference,

through the chairs of the Clergy Orders and Fellowship or other

leaders designated by the bishop, shall provide spiritual enrich-

ment opportunities and covenant groups for deacons, elders, and

local pastors.

2. A clergy member’s continuing education and spiritual

growth program shall include professional formation leaves at

least one week each year and may include at least one month dur-

ing one year of every quadrennium. Such leaves shall not be con-

sidered as part of the ministers’ vacations and shall be planned in

consultation with their charges or other agencies to which they

294

¶ 350 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

are appointed as well as the bishop, district superintendent, and

annual conference continuing education committee.

3. A clergy member may request a formational and spiri-

tual growth leave of up to six months while continuing to hold

an appointment in the local church. Such leaves are available to

clergy members who have held full-time appointments for at least

six years. Such a leave shall be with the approval of the commit-

tee on pastor-parish relations, the church council, and the district

superintendent. Annual conferences are encouraged to assist with

pulpit supply and other temporary support for such leaves.

4. Financial arrangements for continuing education as part

of one’s professional development, formation, and spiritual

growth shall be negotiated in the following manner: (a) for elders

and local pastors it shall be done in consultation with the district

superintendent and the committee on pastor-parish relations;

(b) for deacons, with an appropriate supervisory body; (c) for

district superintendents, with the district committee on super-

intendency; (d) for conference staff, with the appropriate supervi-

sory body; (e) for others in extension ministries or appointments

beyond the local church, with the appropriate persons in their

agency.

5. Clergy shall be asked by the district superintendent in the

charge conference to report on their programs of continuing edu-

cation, formation, and spiritual growth for the past year and plans

for the year to come. The district superintendent shall also ask

the local church to describe its provision for time and nancial

support of continuing education for ministry, professional devel-

opment, formation and spiritual growth for the pastors, diaconal

ministers and deacons serving their primary appointment in that

local church.

6. Clergy in extension ministries and appointments beyond

the local church shall give evidence of their continuing formation

and spiritual growth program and future plans in their annual

reports (¶ 344.2a).

¶ 351. Sabbatical Leave—A sabbatical leave should be allowed

for a program of study or travel approved by the conference

Board of Ordained Ministry. Associate members or clergy mem-

bers in full connection who have been serving in a full-time

appointment for six consecutive years, or in a less than full-time

appointment equivalent to six consecutive full-time years, from

the time of their reception into full or associate membership may

295

CHANGES OF CONFERENCE RELATIONSHIP ¶ 352

be granted a sabbatical leave for up to one year. Whenever possi-

ble, the compensation level of the last appointment served before

the leave should be maintained in the appointment made at the

termination of the leave. The appointment to sabbatical leave is

to be made by the bishop holding the conference, upon the vote

of the annual conference after recommendation by the Board

of Ordained Ministry. Associate members and clergy members

in full connection shall submit a written request for a sabbati-

cal leave, including plans for study or travel, to the Board of

Ordained Ministry, with copies to the bishop and district super-

intendent, ordinarily six months before the opening session of

the annual conference. To be eligible for an additional sabbatical

leave, associate members and clergy members in full connection

shall have served six consecutive years under full-time appoint-

ment, or in a less than full-time appointment equivalent to six

consecutive full-time years, following the previous sabbatical

leave.

After consultation and with the written consent of the

pastor in charge, and with the approval of the district superinten-

dent, clergy members granted sabbatical leave shall designate a

charge conference within the bounds of the annual conference in

which they shall hold membership and to which they shall submit

an annual report.

Section XV. Changes of Conference Relationship

¶ 352. Provision for Change in Conference Relationship—When

a change in conference relationship is deemed necessary or desir-

able by a provisional or associate member, clergy in full connec-

tion, district superintendent or bishop, whether for a short or

long term, the person(s) requesting the change shall make written

request to their Board of Ordained Ministry stating the reasons

for the requested change of relationship. In addition, the Board

of Ordained Ministry may request personal interviews with the

provisional or associate members and members in full connection

named in the requested change, except where personal appear-

ance results in undue hardship.

Clergy appointed to a general

agency of The United Methodist Church shall be covered by the

policies of the agency in relation to family leave, maternity or

paternity leave, and medical leave.

45. See Judicial Council Decision 473.

46. See Judicial Council Decisions 524, 530.

296

¶ 353 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

¶ 353. Voluntary Leave of Absence

1. Provisional, associate, or members in full connection of the

annual conference who for sufcient reason choose to temporarily

take leave from their ministerial appointment may request in writ-

ing with a copy to the bishop and their district superintendent a

voluntary leave through the Board of Ordained Ministry. This leave

is granted or renewed by vote of the clergy members in full con-

nection upon recommendation by the Board of Ordained Ministry.

2. A voluntary leave of absence may be taken for a variety of

reasons:

a) Personal Leave—A relationship that is granted to clergy

who self-determine for personal reasons that they are temporarily

unable or unwilling to continue in a ministry appointment.

b) Family Leave—A relationship that is granted to clergy

who, because of an immediate family member’s need for full-time

care, are temporarily unable to continue in a ministry appointment.

c) Transitional Leave—A leave granted for up to twelve

months with approval of the bishop and the Board of Ordained

Ministry executive committee to provisional and associate mem-

bers and full clergy members in good standing who are temporar-

ily between appointments.

A transitional leave of absence may be granted for the follow-

ing reasons:

(1) A provisional or full member deacon needs to

seek and secure an appointable primary position—compensated

or nonsalaried.

(2) A provisional or full member elder, or an asso-

ciate member needs to transition from an extension ministry to

another appointment, or from a local church appointment to an

extension ministry appointment.

During transitional leave, the clergyperson shall provide

quarterly substantiation of his or her effort to obtain such an

appointable position to the bishop and to the Board of Ordained

Ministry executive committee.

3. Written request for a voluntary leave of absence, with the

exception of transitional leave, should be made at least ninety

days prior to the annual conference session giving specic rea-

sons for the request.

Representatives of the annual conference

Board of Ordained Ministry may interview the clergy member to

47. See Jurisdictional Council Decisions 450, 459, 508, 1226.

48. See Judicial Council Decision 782.

297

CHANGES OF CONFERENCE RELATIONSHIP ¶ 353

determine sufcient cause. Personal leave and family leave shall

be approved annually upon written request of the clergy member

and personal or family leave shall not be granted for more than ve

years in succession, except by a two-thirds vote of the clergy mem-

bers in full connection.

Transitional leave shall not be renewed

beyond a twelve-month period. Voluntary leave shall be counted

as a part of the eight-year limit for provisional members (¶ 327).

4. Between sessions of the annual conference, voluntary leave

of absence may be granted or terminated by the executive com-

mittee of the Board of Ordained Ministry after consultation with

and approval by the bishop and district superintendents. This

interim action shall be subject to the approval of the clergy ses-

sion of the annual conference at its next session.

5. Should there be active complaints or charges, a request for

voluntary leave of absence shall not be permitted until those com-

plaints or charges have been resolved.

6. Clergy on voluntary leave of absence shall have no claim

on the conference funds. Notwithstanding the foregoing, where

the conference has made certain elections under applicable ben-

et plans that require continued participation by clergy on vol-

untary leaves of absence, the clergy shall continue to participate

in such plans. They may participate in the conference health pro-

gram through their own contributions, if applicable. However,

in exceptional circumstances, on recommendation of the bishop

and district superintendents, salary and/or other benets, subject

to the terms of the applicable benet plans, may be granted to a

clergy member, if applicable, by vote of the clergy session of mem-

bers in full connection with the annual conference. In an interim

between sessions of the annual conference, by vote of the bishop,

cabinet, and executive committee of the Board of Ordained Min-

istry, salary and/or benets, subject to the terms of the applicable

benet plans, may be granted, if applicable.

7. Clergypersons on voluntary leave shall be eligible for

membership on annual conference committees, commissions,

or boards. They may vote for other clergy delegates to General

or jurisdictional conferences and may be elected to serve as del-

egates themselves.

49. See Judicial Council Decision 689.

50. See Judicial Council Decision 1216.

51. See Judicial Council Decision 689.

52. See Judicial Council Decision 473.

298

¶ 353 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

8. After consultation and with the written consent of the pas-

tor in charge, and with the approval of the district superintendent

and the staff-parish relations committee of a local church, clergy

members shall designate a charge conference within the bounds

of the annual conference to which they shall relate and submit

an annual report. They shall report all marriages performed, bap-

tisms administered, funerals conducted and other ministerial

activities to the charge conference, pastor in charge, and Board of

Ordained Ministry. The exercise of this ministry shall be limited to

the charge conference in which their membership is held and with

the written permission of the pastor in charge unless special per-

mission is granted by the bishop of the conference where member-

ship is held. With the permission of the bishop of the conference

where membership is held, under the supervision of the district

superintendent, the clergy member may preach, teach, perform

marriages, and, if holding sacramental privileges, administer the

sacraments outside of the charge where membership is held.

9. Those on voluntary leave of absence shall be held ame-

nable to the annual conference for their conduct and the perfor-

mance of their ministry. In case of failure to report to the Board

of Ordained Ministry, the provisions for administrative location

(¶ 359) may be invoked.

10. Clergy members on voluntary leave of absence may, with

the permission of the bishop and with the approval of the United

Methodist Endorsing Agency, continue to hold an existing reserve

commission as an armed forces chaplain, but may not voluntarily

serve on extended active duty.

11. When an end to voluntary leave of absence is requested,

except for transitional leave, it shall be by written request at least

six months prior to the session of annual conference. The Board

of Ordained Ministry shall review the circumstances surrounding

the granting of the leave for the purpose of determining whether

those circumstances have been alleviated or resolved. When the

board has determined that the circumstances of the voluntary

leave have not been alleviated or resolved and the request is

denied, the board will inform the person of the remaining options,

which include: a) remaining on voluntary leave of absence;

b) taking honorable location; c) being recommended to the bishop

and district superintendents to be placed on involuntary leave,

53. See Judicial Council Decision 581.

299

CHANGES OF CONFERENCE RELATIONSHIP ¶ 354

administrative location, or involuntary retirement,

using the fair

process of ¶ 361.2; or d) such other action as deemed appropriate.

12. When clergy members on voluntary leave of absence do

not request an annual extension of the leave of absence during

the ve-year period or do not indicate willingness to receive an

appointment at the end of the ve-year period, following docu-

mented efforts to make contact with the clergyperson, the provi-

sions of administrative location (¶ 359) may be invoked.

¶ 354. Involuntary Leave of Absence

1. The bishop and the district superintendents may request

an involuntary leave of absence without the consent of the pro-

visional, associate, or full member. They shall give to the clergy

member and the Board of Ordained Ministry in writing specic

reasons for the request. The fair process for administrative hear-

ings as set forth in ¶ 361.2 shall be followed in any involuntary

leave of absence procedure.

2. An involuntary leave may be requested by the bishop and

the district superintendent. The request shall be referred to the

Board of Ordained Ministry and follow procedures for a fair pro-

cess hearing as set forth in ¶ 361.2 when:

a) A written and signed complaint is not resolved through

the supervisory (¶ 362.1b, c), complaint (¶ 362.1e), or trial process

within 90 days, or clearly cannot be resolved within 90 days.

b) Action pursuant to ¶ 363 (Involuntary Status Change)

is required to address allegations of incompetence, ineffective-

ness, or inability to perform ministerial duties.

3. Should there be complaints or charges pending at the

time of a request for involuntary leave of absence, they should be

placed in the personnel le of the clergyperson. All subsequent

actions concerning such entries should be duly noted and placed

in the le.

4. Involuntary leave of absence shall be approved by two-

thirds vote of the clergy session of members in full connection

with the annual conference.

Involuntary leave shall be approved

annually upon written request of the district superintendents and

shall not be approved for more than three years in succession.

5. Between sessions of the annual conference, the bishop and

cabinet may request that an involuntary leave of absence be granted

54. See Judicial Council Decisions 524, 530, 689, 721, 1010.

55. See Judicial Council Decisions 524, 530.

56. See Judicial Council Decision 782.

300

¶ 354 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

or terminated (¶ 363), by the executive committee of the Board

of Ordained Ministry. This interim action shall be subject to the

approval of the clergy session of members in full connection with

the annual conference at its next session.

6. Clergy on involuntary leave shall have no claim on the

annual conference funds. The annual conference assumes no

nancial responsibility for salary, pension, or other benets for

clergy on involuntary leave of absence. Notwithstanding the fore-

going, where the conference has made certain elections under

applicable benet plans that require continued participation by

clergy on involuntary leaves of absence, the clergy shall continue

to participate in such plans. They may participate in the confer-

ence health plan through their own contributions, if applicable.

In exceptional circumstances, with the recommendation of the

bishop and cabinet, salary and/or other benets, subject to the

terms of the applicable benet plans, may be granted by vote of

the clergy session of the annual conference. Between sessions

of the annual conference, in unusual circumstances, the bishop

and cabinet may recommend and the executive committee of the

Board of Ordained Ministry may approve funding of pensions

and other benets, subject to the terms of the applicable benet

plans, pending approval by the annual conference.

7. Clergy placed on involuntary leave shall designate a

charge conference within the bounds of the annual conference.

Ministerial service shall be limited to that charge and shall only

be provided with the written consent of the pastor in charge and

with the approval of the district superintendent, bishop, and pas-

tor/staff parish relations committee.

8. Clergy on involuntary leave shall not participate in the

boards and agencies of the annual conference, be delegates to Gen-

eral and jurisdictional conferences, or vote on other clergy delegates.

9. When an end to the involuntary leave of absence is

requested by the bishop and district superintendents, it shall

be by written request at least six months prior to the session of

annual conference. The Board of Ordained Ministry shall review

the circumstances surrounding the granting of the relationship for

the purpose of determining whether the conditions of the leave

have been met. If the board determines that the conditions of the

involuntary leave have not been resolved, it may continue invol-

57. See Judicial Council Decision 524.

301

CHANGES OF CONFERENCE RELATIONSHIP ¶ 355

untary leave of absence for up to the three-year limit or it shall

pursue administrative location (see §2 above).

10. If the district superintendents and bishop do not intend to

appoint a person after three (3) years on involuntary leave, they

shall notify both the Board of Ordained Ministry and the clergy-

person at least six months prior to the session of the annual

conference and pursue administrative location or initiate the com-

plaint process, if it has not already been initiated.

11. The administrative review committee (¶ 636) shall ensure

that the disciplinary procedures for involuntary leave of absence

were properly followed. The entire process leading to the recom-

mendation for involuntary leave of absence and its resolution

shall be reviewed by the administrative review committee, and

it shall report its ndings to the clergy session of members in full

connection with the annual conference.

¶ 355. Maternity or Paternity Leave—Maternity or paternity

leave, not to exceed one-fourth of a year, will be available and

shall be granted by the bishop and the cabinet, and the executive

committee of the Board of Ordained Ministry to any local pastor,

provisional member, associate member, or clergy member in full

connection who so requests it at the birth or arrival of a child into

the home for purposes of adoption.

1. Persons desiring maternity or paternity leave should le

their request with the committee on pastor-parish relations after

consulting with the district superintendent at least ninety days

prior to its beginning to allow adequate pastoral care for the

churches involved to be developed.

2. During the leave, the clergy member’s annual conference

relations will remain unchanged, and the health and welfare ben-

et plans will remain in force.

3. A maternity or paternity leave of up to one-quarter of a

year will be considered as an uninterrupted appointment for pen-

sion purposes.

4. Compensation will be maintained for no less than the rst

eight weeks of leave.

5. During the leave time, pastoral responsibility for the church

or churches involved will be handled through consultation with

the committee on pastor-parish relations of the local church(es)

and the district superintendent.

6. Special arrangements shall be made for district superinten-

dents, bishops, and those under special appointment.

302

¶ 356 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

¶ 356. Medical Leave Due to Medical and Disabling Conditions

That Prevent Performance of Ministerial Duties—1. When clergy

who are members of an annual conference (¶ 369) are unable to

perform their ministerial duties because of medical and disabling

conditions, upon recommendations of the conference Board of

Ordained Ministry and the conference board of pensions, and

by a majority vote of the executive session of clergy members in

full connection with the annual conference who are present and

voting, they may be granted annual medical leave without los-

ing their relationship to the annual conference; provided, how-

ever, that such leave may be granted or renewed upon reasonable

and appropriate investigation of the case by the joint committee

on clergy medical leave of the annual conference, or the party

responsible for managing clergy medical leaves in accordance

with the annual conference’s policies, which will report its nd-

ings to the conference Board of Ordained Ministry and the con-

ference board of pensions. This relationship may be initiated by

the clergy member or cabinet with or without the consent of the

clergy member through the Board of Ordained Ministry. When

medical leave is given without the clergy member’s consent,

reasonable accommodation shall be offered whenever possible.

When a clergy member is granted medical leave by the annual

conference, if the medical evidence has not yet met the standards

for the receipt of benets as set forth in the Comprehensive Pro-

tection Plan, section 5.04, the conference board of pensions may

authorize payment of the benets in the amount that would oth-

erwise be payable from the Comprehensive Protection Plan. The

payments shall be made by the General Board of Pension and

Health Benets as a charge to the annual conference granting the

medical leave. If payments from the Comprehensive Protection

Plan are subsequently approved, the annual conference will be

reimbursed for benets already paid, not to exceed the amount

otherwise payable from the Comprehensive Protection Plan. Each

medical leave granted by the annual conference shall be recorded

in the conference minutes.

2. When clergy who are members of an annual conference

are unable to perform their ministerial duties between sessions of

the annual conference on account of medical conditions, with the

approval of a majority of the district superintendents, after con-

sultation with the executive committee of the conference Board of

Ordained Ministry and the executive committee of the conference

303

CHANGES OF CONFERENCE RELATIONSHIP ¶ 356

board of pensions, a medical leave may be granted by the bishop

for the remainder of the conference year; provided, however,

that such leave may be granted upon reasonable and appropriate

investigation of the case including accommodation provisions by

the joint committee on clergy medical leave of the annual confer-

ence, or the party responsible for managing clergy medical leaves

in accordance with the annual conference’s policies, which will

report its ndings to the conference Board of Ordained Ministry

and the conference board of pensions. When a clergy member is

granted medical leave by the bishop, if the medical evidence has

not yet met the standards for receipt of benets as set forth in

the Comprehensive Protection Plan, section 5.04, the conference

board of pensions may authorize payment of the benets in the

amount that would otherwise be payable from the Comprehen-

sive Protection Plan. The payments shall be made by the General

Board of Pension and Health Benets as a charge to the annual

conference granting the medical leave. If payments from the

Comprehensive Protection Plan are subsequently approved, the

annual conference will be reimbursed for benets already paid,

not to exceed the amount otherwise payable from the Compre-

hensive Protection Plan.

3. When clergy members on medical leave provide medical

evidence that they have recovered sufciently to resume min-

isterial duties, or are able to return through reasonable accom-

modation, in consultation with the appointive cabinet, upon

recommendation of the joint committee on clergy medical leave or

the conference relations committee, and with the approval of the

executive committee of the conference Board of Ordained Min-

istry, they may receive an appointment from a bishop between

sessions of the annual conference, thereby terminating the medi-

cal leave. Such appointment shall be reported immediately by the

cabinet to the conference board of pensions and to the General

Board of Pension and Health Benets. Such termination of leave,

together with the effective date, shall also be recorded in the min-

utes of the annual conference at its next regular session.

4. A person under consideration for medical leave shall have

the right to appear before the joint committee on clergy medical

leave or to designate someone to meet with the committee on

his or her behalf. In the event of unresolved issues, a person will be

58. See Judicial Council Decision 1012.

304

¶ 356 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

ensured of fair process per the guidelines for administrative hear-

ings in ¶ 361.2.

5. Any person eligible to receive an appointment from a

bishop and able to perform ministerial duties may not be placed on

involuntary medical leave solely because of a medical condition.

All reasonable accommodations should be made to enable quali-

ed clergy with disabilities to serve in ministry settings compat-

ible with their gifts and graces. (See 2016 Book of Resolutions, 3002.)

¶ 357. Retirement—Retired clergy members are those who

have been placed in the retired relation either at their own request

or by action of the clergy session upon recommendation of the

Board of Ordained Ministry.

(See ¶¶ 1506-1509 and the Minis-

terial Pension Plan, amended and restated effective January 1,

2007, as the Clergy Retirement Security Program, for pension

information.) Requests for retirement shall be stated in writing to

the bishop, cabinet, and Board of Ordained Ministry at least one

hundred twenty days prior to the date on which retirement is to

be effective unless waived by the bishop and cabinet. The Board

of Ordained Ministry shall provide guidance and counsel to the

retiring member and family as they begin a new relationship in

the local church.

1. Mandatory Retirement—Every clergy member of an annual

conference who will have attained age seventy-two on or before

July 1 in the year in which the conference is held shall automati-

cally be retired.

2. Voluntary Retirement—a) With Twenty Years of Service—Any

clergy members of the annual conference who have completed

twenty years or more of service under appointment as ordained

ministers or as local pastors with pension credit for service before

1982 or with full participation in the Comprehensive Protection

Plan since 1981 prior to the opening date of the session of the con-

ference may request the annual conference to place them in the

retired relation with the privilege of receiving their pensions for

the number of approved years served in the annual conference or

conferences and such other benets as the nal annual conference

may provide, payment to begin the rst of any month after the

ordained minister attains age sixty-two.

If pension begins prior

59. See Judicial Council Decisions 87, 88, 531.

60. See Judicial Council Decision 995.

61. See Judicial Council Decisions 7, 165, 413, 578.

62. See Judicial Council Decision 717.

305

CHANGES OF CONFERENCE RELATIONSHIP ¶ 357

to the age at which retirement under ¶ 357.2c could have occurred,

then the actuarial reduction provisions of the Clergy Retirement

Security Program shall apply.

b) With Thirty Years of Service or at Age Sixty-two—At their

own request and by vote of the clergy members in full connec-

tion, any clergy members who will have attained age sixty-two

on or before July 1 in the year in which the session of the annual

conference is held or will have completed thirty years of service

under appointment as an ordained minister, or a local pastor with

pension credit for service before 1982 or with full participation in

the Comprehensive Protection Plan since 1981, as of the confer-

ence session may be placed in the retired relation with an annuity

claim for an actuarially reduced pension.

c) With Forty Years of Service or at Age Sixty-ve—At their

own request and by vote of the clergy members in full connection,

any clergy members who will have attained age sixty-ve on or

before July 1 in the year in which the session of the conference is

held or will have completed forty years of service under appoint-

ment as an ordained minister, or as a local pastor with pension

credit for service before 1982 or with full participation in the Com-

prehensive Protection Plan since 1981, as of the conference session

may be placed in the retired relation with the privilege of making

an annuity claim.

d) The dates specied in ¶ 357.1 and .2a-c notwithstand-

ing, between sessions of the annual conference any member who

attains the age and/or number of years of service specied in

those sections may, upon the member’s own request and with

the approval of the bishop, cabinet, and executive committee of

the Board of Ordained Ministry, be granted the retired relation ad

interim, with applicable annuity claim, subject to the approval of

the clergy members in full connection at the next annual confer-

ence session.

e) The annual conference, at its discretion, upon joint

recommendation of the Board of Ordained Ministry and the con-

ference board of pensions, may designate any time within the

ensuing conference year as the effective date of retirement of a

clergy member who is placed in the retired relation under the pro-

visions of § 2b or § 2c above.

63. See Judicial Council Decision 428.

64. See Judicial Council Decision 379.

65. See Judicial Council Decision 769.

306

¶ 357 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

3. Involuntary Retirement—By a two-thirds vote of those pres-

ent and voting, the clergy members in full connection may place

any clergy members in the retired relation with or without their

consent and irrespective of their age if such relation is recom-

mended by the Board of Ordained Ministry and the cabinet.

The

procedures for fair process in administrative hearings shall be fol-

lowed in any involuntary retirement procedure. The cabinet may

recommend to the Board of Ordained ministry the involuntary

retirement of the clergy member, or the Board of Ordained Minis-

try may make the recommendation upon its own motion. Written

notice of the intended action shall be given to such member by

the Board of Ordained Ministry at least 180 days prior to annual

conference. Written notice also should be given to the chairperson

of the administrative review committee.

The administrative review committee (¶ 636) shall ensure that

the disciplinary procedures for involuntary retirement were prop-

erly followed. The entire process leading to the recommendation

for involuntary retirement shall be reviewed by the administrative

review committee, and it shall report its ndings to the clergy ses-

sion of members in full connection of the annual conference. Any

clergy member who is placed in the retired relationship under

this subparagraph shall be entitled to the privilege of receiving

his or her pension for the number of approved years served in the

annual conference or conferences and such other benets as the

nal annual conference may provide, payment to begin the rst

of any month after the ordained minister attains age sixty-two. If

pension begins prior to the age at which retirement under ¶ 357.2c

could have occurred, then the actuarial reduction provisions of

the Clergy Retirement Security Program shall apply.

4. Preretirement Counseling—The Board of Ordained Minis-

try in cooperation with the conference board of pensions shall

offer to all clergy members anticipating retirement preconsulta-

tion at least ve years prior to the date of anticipated retirement

(¶ 635.2o). The purpose of the consultation will be to assist the

clergy and spouses to plan and to prepare for the adjustments

associated with retirement as well as providing guidance and

counsel for their return to a new relationship in the local church.

In preretirement counseling the Board of Ordained Ministry and

the conference board of pensions may relate to the annual confer-

66. See Judicial Council Decisions 522, 769.

307

CHANGES OF CONFERENCE RELATIONSHIP ¶ 357

ence association of retired ministers or similar organization where

it exists. The boards shall take initiative in assisting retirees to

establish such organizations.

5. Charge Conference Membership—a) All retired clergy mem-

bers who are not appointed as pastors of a charge, after consulta-

tion with the pastor and the district superintendent, shall have a

seat in the charge conference and all the privileges of membership

in the church where they elect to hold such membership except as

set forth in the Discipline. They shall report to the charge confer-

ence and to the pastor all marriages performed, baptisms admin-

istered, and other pastoral functions. If they reside outside the

bounds of the annual conference where membership is held, they

shall forward annually to the charge conference where member-

ship is held a report of their Christian and ministerial conduct,

signed by the district superintendent or the pastor of the afliate

charge conference where they reside.

6. Appointment of Retired Ordained Ministers—A retired ordained

minister shall be eligible to receive an appointment when requested

by the bishop and cabinet. A retired ordained minister appointed to

a pastoral charge shall have neither a claim upon minimum com-

pensation from the Commission on Equitable Compensation or

similar conference agency, nor further pension credit. Compensa-

tion for a retired ordained minister shall be negotiated between

the district superintendent and the pastoral charge or other

appointment to which the retired ordained minister is appointed.

Retired ordained ministers may serve on conference agencies.

7. Return to Effective Relationship—A clergy member who

has retired under the provisions of ¶ 357.2 may at his or her

own request be made an effective member upon recommenda-

tion of the Board of Ordained Ministry, the bishop and cabinet,

and by majority vote of the clergy members in full connection

of the annual conference and thereby be eligible for appoint-

ment so long as he or she remains in the effective relation or until

¶ 357.1 applies. Each clergy member requesting return to effec-

tive relationship after voluntary retirement must meet the follow-

ing conditions: (1) presentation of their certicate of retirement;

(2) a satisfactory certicate of good health on the prescribed form

from a physician approved by the Board of Ordained Ministry.

However, any pension being received through the General Board

67. See Judicial Council Decisions 87, 531, 558.

308

¶ 357 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

of Pension and Health Benets shall be discontinued upon their

return to the effective relationship. The pension shall be reinstated

upon subsequent retirement.

¶ 358. Honorable Location—1. An annual conference may

grant clergy members in full connection certicates of honorable

location at their own request, provided that the Board of Ordained

Ministry shall have rst examined their character and found them

in good standing, and provided that the clergy session shall also

pass on their character after the request is made, and provided fur-

ther, that this relation shall be granted only to one who intends to

discontinue service in the itinerant ministry. The Board of Ordained

Ministry shall provide guidance and counsel to the locating mem-

ber and family as they return to a new relationship in the local

church. Upon recommendation of the Board of Ordained Minis-

try, an annual conference may offer transition assistance.

2. Associate members or clergy members in full connection

located according to the provisions of this paragraph shall not

continue to hold membership in the annual conference, and they

shall surrender their certication of conference membership for

deposit with the conference secretary. After consultation and with

the written consent of the pastor in charge, and with the approval

of the district superintendent and the staff-parish relations com-

mittee of a local church, located clergy members shall designate

the local church in which they shall hold membership. Documen-

tation of this consent and approvals shall be led with the Board

of Ordained Ministry of the annual conference that granted them

honorable location. As clergy members of the charge conference,

they shall be permitted to exercise ministerial functions only with

the written permission of the pastor in charge. They shall have

all the privileges of membership in the church where they elect

to hold charge conference membership, except as set forth in the

Book of Discipline. When approved by the executive committee of

the Board of Ordained Ministry, a person on honorable location

may be appointed ad interim by the bishop as a local pastor.

copy of the annual report to the charge conference shall be for-

warded to the registrar of the Board of Ordained Ministry of the

annual conference that granted them honorable location in order

for location to be continued. They shall report to the charge con-

ference and the pastor all marriages performed, baptisms admin-

68. See Judicial Council Decision 366.

309

CHANGES OF CONFERENCE RELATIONSHIP ¶ 359

istered, and funerals conducted and shall be held amenable for

their conduct and the continuation of their ordination rights to the

annual conference that granted them honorable location.

Failure to submit the report for two consecutive years may

result in termination of orders upon recommendation of the

Board of Ordained Ministry and vote of the clergy session. The

provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to persons granted

involuntary location prior to the General Conference of 1976. The

names of located members after the annual passage of their char-

acter shall be printed in the journal.

3. Ordained ministers on honorable location may request the

annual conference to grant them the status of honorable location-

retired.

Requests for retired status shall be stated in writing to

the bishop, cabinet, and registrar of the Board of Ordained Min-

istry at least ninety days prior to the annual conference session.

Those granted honorable location retired status shall be account-

able for all ministerial services performed to the charge confer-

ence in which they hold membership. If such services have been

performed, they shall report to that charge conference and exer-

cise their ministry under the supervision of the pastor in charge

therein as outlined in ¶ 358.2. They shall continue to be held ame-

nable for their conduct, through accountability to their charge

conference, to the annual conference in which charge conference

membership is held.

¶ 359. Administrative Location—1. When an associate or full

member clergyperson’s effectiveness is in question, the bishop

shall complete the following procedure:

a) Identify the concerns. These can include an associate or

full member clergyperson’s failed professional responsibilities or

vocational ineffectiveness.

b) Hold supervisory conversations with the associate or full

member clergyperson that identies the concerns and designs col-

laboratively with the associate or full member clergyperson a cor-

rective plan of action.

c) Upon evaluation, determine that the plan of action has not

been carried out or produced fruit that gives a realistic expecta-

tion of future effectiveness (¶ 334.3).

2. If the process dened above (§1) has been completed and

has failed to produce sufcient improvement, the bishop and the

69. See Judicial Council Decision 717.

310

¶ 359 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

district superintendents may request that an associate or full

member be placed on administrative location without the consent

of the clergy member. They shall provide to the clergy member

and the Board of Ordained Ministry, in writing, specic reasons

for the request. The conference relations committee of the Board

of Ordained Ministry shall conduct a fair process hearing as set

forth in ¶ 361.2 in any administrative location procedure. The

committee shall report the result of the hearing to the full Board of

Ordained Ministry for its action. Any recommendation to admin-

istrative location shall be presented from the Board of Ordained

Ministry at the next following meeting of the clergy session for

nal action. Between sessions of the annual conference, an associ-

ate or full member may be placed on administrative location by

the Board of Ordained Ministry. This interim action shall be sub-

ject to the approval of the clergy session of members in full con-

nection with the annual conference at its next session.

3. Administratively located clergy shall not continue to hold

membership in the annual conference, and they shall surrender

their certication of conference membership for deposit with the

conference secretary. After consultation and with the written con-

sent of the pastor in charge, and with the approval of the district

superintendent and the staff-parish relations committee of a local

church, clergy placed on administrative location shall designate

a charge conference within the bounds of the annual conference

that placed them on administrative location. Ministerial ser-

vice shall be limited to that charge and shall be provided only

with the written consent of the pastor in charge and the district

superintendent and with the approval of the bishop and pastor/

staff-parish relations committee. An annual report shall be made

to the charge conference that includes all marriages performed,

baptisms administered, and funerals conducted. A copy of the

report shall be forwarded to the registrar of the Board of Ordained

Ministry in order for location to be continued. They shall be held

amenable by the annual conference within which the charge con-

ference membership is held for their conduct and the continua-

tion of their ordination rights. Failure to submit the report to the

Board of Ordained Ministry for two consecutive years may result

in termination of orders upon recommendation of the Board of

Ordained Ministry and vote of the clergy session.

70. See Judicial Council Decision 695.

311

CHANGES OF CONFERENCE RELATIONSHIP ¶ 360

4. Ordained ministers on administrative location may request

the annual conference to grant them the status of administrative

location-retired. Requests for retired status shall be stated in writ-

ing to the bishop, cabinet, and registrar of the Board of Ordained

Ministry at least ninety days prior to the annual conference ses-

sion. Those granted administrative location-retired status shall be

accountable to the charge conference in which they hold mem-

bership for all ministerial services performed. Ministerial service

shall be limited to that charge and shall be provided only with the

written consent of the pastor in charge and the district superinten-

dent and with the approval of the bishop and pastor/staff-parish

relations committee. If such services have been performed, they

shall report to that charge conference and exercise their ministry

under the supervision of the pastor in charge therein as outlined in

¶ 358.2. They shall continue to be held amenable for their conduct,

through accountability to their charge conference, to the annual

conference in which charge conference membership is held.

¶ 360. Withdrawal—1. Withdrawal to Unite With Another

Denomination

—When ordained members in good standing with-

draw to unite with another denomination or to terminate their

membership in the denomination, their certication of confer-

ence membership, and their written request to withdraw shall be

deposited with the conference secretary.

2. Withdrawal From the Ordained Ministerial Ofce—Ordained

members of an annual conference in good standing who desire to

leave their ministerial ofce and withdraw from the conference

may be allowed to do so by the annual conference at its session.

The ordained minister’s certications of ordination and confer-

ence membership, and their written request to withdraw, shall

be given to the district superintendent for deposit with the secre-

tary of the conference, and his or her membership may be trans-

ferred to a church which he or she designates, after consultation

with the pastor, as the local church in which he or she will hold

membership.

3. Withdrawal Under Complaints or Charges—When clergy

members are named as respondents to a complaint under ¶ 362.1e

and desire to withdraw from the membership of the annual con-

ference, it may permit them to withdraw under the provisions

of ¶ 2719.2. The clergy member’s certications of ordination and

71. See Judicial Council Decision 696.

72. See Judicial Council Decisions 552, 695, 1055.

312

¶ 360 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

conference membership shall be surrendered to the district super-

intendent for deposit with the secretary of the

conference, and

their membership may be transferred to a local church that they

designate, after consultation with the pastor.

Withdrawn under complaint or withdrawn under charges

shall be written on the face of the credentials.

4. Withdrawal Between Conferences—In the event that with-

drawal by surrender of the ministerial ofce, to unite with another

denomination, or under complaints or charges, should occur in

the interval between sessions of an annual conference, the clergy

member’s credentials, under the provisions of ¶ 360.1 and .3, shall

be surrendered to the bishop or district superintendent along

with a letter of withdrawal from the ordained ministry. Both the

credentials and the letter of withdrawal shall be deposited with

the secretary of the conference. This action shall be reported by

the Board of Ordained Ministry to the annual conference at its

next session.

The effective date of withdrawal shall be the date

of the letter of withdrawal.

Section XVI. Administrative Fair Process

¶ 361. 1. Conference Relations Committee—Each annual con-

ference Board of Ordained Ministry shall establish a conference

relations committee of at least three persons to hear requests for

discontinuance of provisional members, involuntary leave of

absence, administrative location, involuntary retirement, or other

such matters as may be referred to them by the Board of Ordained

Ministry (¶ 635). District superintendents shall not serve on the

conference relations committee.

2. Fair Process Hearings—As a part of the holy covenant that

exists within the membership and organization of The United

Methodist Church, the following procedures are presented for

the protection of the rights of individuals and for the protection

of the Church in administrative hearings. The process set forth

in this paragraph shall be followed whenever there is a request

for discontinuance of provisional membership (upon appeal

by the provisional member), involuntary leave of absence, admin-

istrative location, or involuntary retirement. Special attention shall

73. See Judicial Council Decision 691.

74. See Judicial Council Decision 552.

75. See Judicial Council Decision 691.

313

ADMINISTRATIVE FAIR PROCESS ¶ 361

be given to the timely disposition of all matters and to ensuring

racial, ethnic, and gender diversity in the committee dealing with

the fair process hearing.

a) In any administrative proceeding the bishop or the

bishop’s designee and the respondent (the person against whom

involuntary action [excluding complaints] is directed) shall have

a right to be heard before any nal action is taken.

b) Notice of any hearing shall advise the respondent of

the reason for the proposed procedures with sufcient detail to

allow the respondent to prepare a response. Notice shall be given

not less than twenty days prior to the hearing.

c) The respondent shall have a right to be accompanied

to any hearing by a clergyperson who is a member in full connec-

tion of the respondent’s annual conference, in accordance with the

appropriate disciplinary provisions. The clergyperson accompa-

nying the respondent shall have the right to voice.

d) In any administrative hearing, under no circumstances

shall one party, in the absence of the other party, discuss substan-

tive issues with members of the pending hearing body. Questions

of procedure may be raised with the presiding ofcer of the hear-

ing body.

e) The respondent shall have access, at least seven days

prior to the hearing, to all records relied upon in the determina-

tion of the outcome of the administrative process.

f) In the event that a clergyperson fails to appear for

supervisory interviews, refuses mail, refuses to communicate per-

sonally with the bishop or district superintendent, or otherwise

fails to respond to supervisory requests or requests from ofcial

administrative committees, such actions or inactions shall not be

used as an excuse to avoid or delay any Church processes, and

such processes may continue without the participation of such

individual.

3. Immunity From Prosecution—In order to preserve the integ-

rity of the Church’s administrative process and ensure full par-

ticipation in it at all times, the bishop, cabinet, Board of Ordained

Ministry, witnesses, advocates, administrative review committee,

clergy in full connection voting in executive session, and all others

who participate in the Church’s administrative process shall have

immunity from prosecution of complaints brought against them

76. See Judicial Council Decisions 921, 972.

77. See Judicial Council Decision 974.

314

¶ 361 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

related to their role in a particular administrative process, unless

they have committed a chargeable offense in conscious and

knowing bad faith. The complainant/plaintiff in any proceeding

against any such person related to their role in a particular judicial

process shall have the burden of proving, by clear and convinc-

ing evidence, that such person’s actions constituted a chargeable

offense committed knowingly in bad faith. The immunity set

forth in this provision shall extend to civil court proceedings, to

the fullest extent permissible by the civil laws.

¶ 362. Complaint Procedures—1. Ordination and member-

ship in an annual conference in The United Methodist Church is

a sacred trust. The qualications and duties of local pastors, asso-

ciate members, provisional members, and full members are set

forth in The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church, and

we believe they ow from the gospel as taught by Jesus the Christ

and proclaimed by his apostles. Whenever a person in any of the

above categories, including those on leaves of all types, honorable

or administrative location, or retirement, is accused of violating

this trust, the membership of his or her ministerial ofce shall be

subject to review.

This review shall have as its primary purpose a just resolution

of any violations of this sacred trust, in the hope that God’s work

of justice, reconciliation and healing may be realized in the body

of Christ.

A just resolution is one that focuses on repairing any harm to

people and communities, achieving real accountability by making

things right in so far as possible and bringing healing to all the

parties. In appropriate situations, processes seeking a just reso-

lution as dened in ¶ 362.1c may be pursued. Special attention

should be given to ensuring that cultural, racial, ethnic and gen-

der contexts are valued throughout the process in terms of their

understandings of fairness, justice, and restoration.

A complaint is a written and signed statement claiming mis-

conduct as dened in ¶ 2702.1. When a complaint is received by

the bishop, both the person making the complaint and the person

against whom the complaint is made will be informed in writing

of the process to be followed at that stage. When and if the stage

changes, those persons will continue to be informed in writing of

the new process in a timely fashion. All original time limitations

may be extended for one 30-day period upon the consent of the

complainant and the respondent.

315

ADMINISTRATIVE FAIR PROCESS ¶ 362

a) Supervision—In the course of the ordinary fulllment

of the superintending role, the bishop or district superintendent

may receive or initiate complaints about the performance or

character of a clergyperson. A complaint is a written and signed

statement claiming misconduct or unsatisfactory performance

of ministerial duties.

The person ling the complaint and the

clergyperson shall be informed by the district superintendent or

bishop of the process for ling the complaint and its purpose.

b) Supervisory Response—The supervisory response of

the bishop shall begin upon receipt of a formal complaint. The

response is pastoral and administrative and shall be directed

toward a just resolution among all parties. It is not part of any

judicial process. The complaint shall be treated as an allegation

or allegations during the supervisory process. At all supervisory

meetings no verbatim record shall be made and no legal coun-

sel shall be present. The person against whom the complaint was

made may choose another person to accompany him or her with

the right to voice; the person making the complaint shall have the

right to choose a person to accompany him or her with the right

to voice.

The supervisory response shall be carried out by the bishop

or the bishop’s designee in a timely manner, with attention to

communication to all parties regarding the complaint and the

process. At the determination of the bishop, persons with quali-

cations and experience in assessment, intervention, or healing

may be selected to assist in the supervisory response. The bishop

also may consult with the committee on pastor-parish relations

for pastors, the district committee on superintendency for the dis-

trict superintendents, appropriate personnel committee, or other

persons who may be helpful.

When the supervisory response is initiated, the bishop shall

notify the chairperson of the Board of Ordained Ministry that a

complaint has been led, of the clergyperson named, of the gen-

eral nature of the complaint, and, when concluded, of the disposi-

tion of the complaint.

c) Just Resolution—The supervisory response may in-

clude a process that seeks a just resolution in which the parties

are assisted by a trained, impartial third party facilitator(s) or

mediator(s), in reaching an agreement satisfactory to all parties.

78. See Judicial Council Decisions 763, 777.

79. See Judicial Council Decisions 691, 700, 751, 763, 768.

316

¶ 362 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

If the bishop chooses to initiate a mediated attempt to produce a

just resolution, then the bishop, the person ling the complaint,

the respondent, and other appropriate persons shall enter into

a written agreement outlining the process, including any agree-

ments on condentiality. A process seeking a just resolution may

begin at any time in the supervisory, complaint, or trial process. If

resolution is achieved, a written statement of resolution, includ-

ing any terms and conditions, shall be signed by the parties and

the parties shall agree on any matters to be disclosed to third par-

ties. A just resolution agreed to by all parties shall be a nal dispo-

sition of the related complaint.

A process seeking a just resolution may begin at any time in

the supervisory or complaint process. This is a not an administra-

tive or judicial proceeding.

d) Suspension—When deemed appropriate, to protect the

well-being of the person making the complaint, the congregation,

annual conference, other context for ministry, and/or clergy, the

bishop, with the recommendation of the executive committee of

the Board of Ordained Ministry, may suspend the person from

all clergy responsibilities, but not from an appointment, for a

period not to exceed ninety days. With the agreement of the exec-

utive committee of the Board of Ordained Ministry, the bishop

may extend the suspension for only one additional period not to

exceed thirty days. During the suspension, salary, housing, and

benets provided by a pastoral charge will continue at a level no

less than on the date of suspension.

The person so suspended

shall retain all rights and privileges as stated in ¶ 334. The cost

of supply of a pastor during the suspension will be borne by the

annual conference.

e) Referral or Dismissal of a Complaint—Upon receiving a

written and signed complaint, the Bishop shall, within 90 days,

carry out the supervisory response process outlined above. If

within 90 days after the receipt of the complaint resolution is not

achieved, the bishop shall either:

(1) Dismiss the complaint with the consent of the

cabinet giving the reasons therefore in writing, a copy of which

shall be placed in the clergyperson’s le; or

(2) Refer the matter to the counsel for the church as

a complaint.

80. See Judicial Council Decision 776.

81. See Judicial Council Decisions 534, 836.

317

ADMINISTRATIVE FAIR PROCESS ¶ 363

f) Supervisory Follow-up and Healing—The bishop and

cabinet shall provide a process for healing within the congrega-

tion, annual conference, or other context of ministry if there has

been signicant disruption by the complaint. This process may

include sharing of information by the bishop or the bishop’s

designee about the nature of the complaint without disclosing

alleged facts, which may compromise any possible forthcoming

administrative or judicial process. When facts are disclosed, due

regard should be given to the interests and needs of all concerned,

including the respondent and complainant who may be involved

in an administrative or judicial process. This process for healing

may include a process of a just resolution, which addresses unre-

solved conicts, support for victims, and reconciliation for parties

involved.

This can take place at any time during the supervisory,

complaint, or trial process.

g) A complaint may be held in abeyance with the

approval of the Board of Ordained Ministry if civil authorities are

involved or their involvement is imminent on matters covered by

the complaint. The status of complaints held in abeyance shall be

reviewed at a minimum of every 90 days by the bishop and the

executive committee of the Board of Ordained Ministry to ensure

that the involvement of civil authorities is still a valid impediment

for proceeding with the resolution of a complaint. Abeyance of a

complaint may be terminated by either the bishop or the Board of

Ordained Ministry. The time in which a complaint is held in abey-

ance shall not count toward the statute of limitations. A clergy-

person shall continue to hold his or her current status while a

complaint is held in abeyance.

¶ 363. Disposition of Recommendations of Involuntary Status

Change—1. When there is a recommendation for an involuntary

status change, the Board of Ordained Ministry shall take action

in a timely manner. The recommendation shall be referred to the

conference relations committee who shall conduct an adminis-

trative hearing following the fair process provisions of ¶ 361.2.

The bishop or the Board of Ordained Ministry, as appropriate,

shall designate the person to present the recommendation to

the committee. The respondent shall be given an opportunity to

address the recommendation in person, in writing, and with the

assistance of a clergyperson who is a member in full connection of

82. See Judicial Council Decision 763.

318

¶ 363 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

the respondent’s annual conference, and who shall have voice.

Once the committee has heard the person designated to represent

the recommendation, the respondent, and others as determined

by the chairperson of the committee, it shall report its decision to

the Board of Ordained Ministry. The board may afrm or reverse

the decision of the committee.

Section XVII. Readmission to Conference Relationship

¶ 364. Readmission to Provisional Membership—Persons who

have been discontinued as provisional members under the provi-

sions of ¶ 327.6 from an annual conference of The United Method-

ist Church or one of its legal predecessors may be readmitted by

the annual conference in which they held previously such mem-

bership and from which they requested discontinuance or were

discontinued, or its legal successor, or the annual conference of

which the major portion of their former conference is a part, upon

their request and recommendation by the district committee on

ordained ministry, the Board of Ordained Ministry, and the cabi-

net after review of their qualications, as required in ¶ 324, and the

circumstances relating to their discontinuance. When reinstated

by vote of the clergy members in full connection, their provisional

membership in the conference shall be restored, they shall serve

a minimum of two years of provisional membership according to

¶ 326 prior to ordination, and they shall be authorized by licens-

ing and/or commissioning to perform those ministerial functions

for which they are qualied.

¶ 365. Readmission After Honorable or Administrative Location—

Associate members or clergy members in full connection request-

ing readmission after honorable or administrative location must

meet the following conditions:

1. Presentation of their certicate of location.

2. A satisfactory report and recommendation by the charge

conference and pastor of the local church in which their member-

ship is held.

3. A satisfactory certicate of good health on the prescribed

form from a physician approved by the Board of Ordained Min-

istry. The Board of Ordained Ministry shall require psychological

evaluation.

4. Recommendation by the district committee on ordained

ministry, the Board of Ordained Ministry, and the cabinet after

review of their qualications, the circumstances relating to their

319

READMISSION TO CONFERENCE RELATIONSHIP ¶ 367

location and conduct during the period of time while on location.

When reinstated by vote of the clergy members in full connection

of the annual conference that granted the location, their member-

ship in the conference shall be restored, and they shall be autho-

rized to perform all ministerial functions. The conference Board

of Ordained Ministry may require at least one year of service as

a local pastor (elder and associate member) or approved ministry

setting (deacon) prior to readmission to conference membership.

¶ 366. Readmission After Leaving the Ministerial Ofce—Associ-

ate members or clergy members in full connection who have left

the ministerial ofce under the provisions of ¶ 360 to an annual

conference of The United Methodist Church or one of its legal pre-

decessors may be readmitted by the annual conference in which

they held previously such membership and to which they sur-

rendered the ministerial ofce, or its legal successor, or the annual

conference of which the major portion of the former conference

is a part, upon their request and recommendation by the district

committee on ordained ministry, the Board of Ordained Minis-

try, and the cabinet after review of their qualications and the

circumstances relating to the surrender of their ministerial ofce.

A period of at least two years service as a local pastor (elder and

associate member) or approved ministry setting (deacon) shall

be required prior to readmission to conference membership. This

service may be rendered in any annual conference of The United

Methodist Church with the consent of the Board of Ordained

Ministry of the annual conference in which members previously

held membership. When reinstated by vote of the clergy members

in full connection, their membership in the conference and their

credentials shall be restored, and they shall be authorized to per-

form all ministerial functions.

¶ 367. Readmission After Termination by Action of the Annual

Conference—Persons who have been terminated by an annual con-

ference of The United Methodist Church or one of its legal pre-

decessors may seek full membership in the annual conference in

which they previously held membership and from which they

were terminated, or its legal successor, or the annual conference of

which the major portion of their former conference is a part, upon

recommendation of the cabinet and completion of all require-

ments for full membership, including all requirements for election

83. See Judicial Council Decisions 515, 552.

320

¶ 367 THE MINISTRY OF THE ORDAINED

to candidacy and provisional membership. The provisions of this

paragraph shall apply to all persons terminated or involuntarily

located prior to General Conference of 1976.

¶ 368. Readmission After Involuntary Retirement—Clergy

members of an annual conference desiring to return to effective

relationship after having been placed in involuntary retirement

(¶ 357.3) must meet the following conditions:

1. Submit a written request for reinstatement to the Board of

Ordained Ministry.

2. The Board of Ordained Ministry and the cabinet shall

review the member’s qualications and the circumstances relat-

ing to his or her retirement.

3. Recommendation by the Board of Ordained Ministry, the

bishop, cabinet, and a two-thirds vote of the clergy members in full

connection of the annual conference that granted the involuntary

retirement. A period of at least two years of service as a local pastor

shall be required prior to readmission to conference membership.

4. Presentation of the certicate of retirement.

5. Presentation of satisfactory certicate of good health on

the prescribed form from a physician approved by the Board of

Ordained Ministry. The Board of Ordained Ministry may require

a psychological evaluation. Any pension being received through

the General Board of Pension and Health Benets shall be dis-

continued upon their return to effective relationship. The pension

shall be reinstated upon subsequent retirement.

Section XVIII. General Provisions

¶ 369. 1. The annual conference is the basic body of The

United Methodist Church. The clergy membership of an annual

conference shall consist of deacons and elders in full connection

(¶¶ 329, 333), provisional members (¶ 327), associate members,

afliate members (¶¶ 344.4, 586.4), and local pastors (¶ 317). All

clergy are amenable to the annual conference in the performance

of their duties in the positions to which they are appointed.

2. Both men and women are included in all provisions of the

Discipline that refer to the ordained ministry.

3. In all cases where district committees on ordained minis-

try, boards of ordained ministry, or clergy in executive session vote

84. See Judicial Council Decisions 327, 371.

85. See Judicial Council Decisions 317, 155.

321

GENERAL PROVISIONS ¶ 369

on granting any status regarding license, ordination, or confer-

ence membership, it is understood that the requirements set forth

herein are minimum requirements only. Each person voting is

expected to vote prayerfully based on his or her personal judg-

ment of the applicant’s gifts, evidence of God’s grace, and prom-

ise of future usefulness for the mission of the Church.

4. All clergy members mentioned in ¶ 369.1 shall receive

written communication about decisions made regarding their

relationship with the annual conference.

5. There shall be an annual meeting of this covenant body, in

executive session of clergy members in full connection with the

annual conference, including both deacons and elders, at the site

of the regular session of the annual conference, or at an alterna-

tive time and location determined by the bishop after consulta-

tion with the cabinet and the executive committee of the Board

of Ordained Ministry, to consider questions relating to matters of

ordination, character, and conference relations (¶¶ 605.7, 636).

6. A special session of the annual conference may be held at

such time and at such place as the bishop shall determine, after

consultation with the cabinet and the executive committee of the

Board of Ordained Ministry. A special clergy session shall have

only such powers as stated in the call.

86. See Judicial Council Decision 536.

87. See Judicial Council Decisions 406, 555, 1009.

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323

Chapter Three

THE SUPERINTENDENCY

Section I. The Nature of Superintendency

¶ 401. Task—The task of superintending in The United Meth-

odist Church resides in the ofce of bishop and extends to the dis-

trict superintendent, with each possessing distinct and collegial

responsibilities. The mission of the Church is to make disciples

of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world (see Part IV,

Section I). From apostolic times, certain ordained persons have

been entrusted with the particular tasks of superintending. The

purpose of superintending is to equip the Church in its disciple-

making ministry. Those who superintend carry primary responsi-

bility for ordering the life of the Church. It is their task to enable

the gathered Church to worship and to evangelize faithfully.

It is also their task to facilitate the initiation of structures and

strategies for the equipping of Christian people for service in the

Church and in the world in the name of Jesus Christ and to help

extend the service in mission. It is their task, as well, to see that

all matters, temporal and spiritual, are administered in a manner

that acknowledges the ways and the insights of the world criti-

cally and with understanding while remaining cognizant of and

faithful to the mandate of the Church. The formal leadership in

The United Methodist Church, located in these superintending

ofces, is an integral part of the system of an itinerant ministry.

Section II. Ofces of Bishop and District Superintendent

¶ 402. Special Ministry, Not Separate Order—The ofces of

bishop and district superintendent exist in The United Methodist

Church as particular ministries. Bishops are elected and district

superintendents are appointed from the group of elders who are

ordained to be ministers of Service, Word, Sacrament, and Order

and thereby participate in the ministry of Christ, in sharing a royal

priesthood that has apostolic roots (1 Peter 2:9; John 21:15-17; Acts

20:28; 1 Peter 5:2-3; 1 Timothy 3:1-7).

¶ 403. The Role of Bishops and District Superintendents—Bish-

ops and superintendents are elders in full connection.

1. Bishops are elected from the elders and set apart for a min-

istry of servant leadership, general oversight and supervision

324

¶403 THE SUPERINTENDENCY

(¶ 401). As followers of Jesus Christ, bishops are authorized to guard

the faith, order, liturgy, doctrine, and discipline of the Church. The

role and calling forth of the bishop is to exercise oversight and

support of the Church in its mission of making disciples of Jesus

Christ for the transformation of the world. The basis of such disci-

pleship of leadership (episkopé) lies in discipline and a disciplined

life. The bishop leads therefore through the following disciplines:

a) A vital and renewing spirit. The role of the bishop is

to faithfully practice, model and lead the spiritual disciplines of

our faith and to call and inspire the clergy and laity within the

Church to practice the Christian disciplines in their individual

lives through the tradition of personal holiness. The bishop is to

lead in public worship, in the celebration of the sacraments, and

in the commendation of our faith.

b) An enquiring mind and a commitment to the teaching

ofce. The role of the bishop is to continue to learn and to teach

how to make disciples and lead faithful and fruitful congrega-

tions using scripture, spiritual disciplines, our Wesleyan heritage,

and the history and doctrines of the Church.

c) A vision for the Church. The role of bishop is to lead

the whole Church in claiming its mission of making disciples of

Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. The bishop leads

by discerning, inspiring, strategizing, equipping, implementing,

and evaluating the fulllment of the mission of the church. Work-

ing in partnership with the Council of Bishops, the cabinet and lay

and clergy leadership of the annual conference, and the profess-

ing members of the Church, the bishop urges the whole church to

move toward the vision of sharing Christ with the world in ful-

llment of our mission, faithful discipleship, and “an even better

way” of being Christ’s people in the world.

d) A prophetic commitment for the transformation of the

Church and the world. The role of the bishop is to be a prophetic

voice for justice in a suffering and conicted world through the

tradition of social holiness. The bishop encourages and models

the mission of witness and service in the world through procla-

mation of the gospel and alleviation of human suffering.

e) A passion for the unity of the church. The role of the

bishop is to be the shepherd of the whole ock and thereby pro-

vide leadership toward the goal of understanding, reconciliation,

and unity within the Church—The United Methodist Church and

the church universal.

325

ELECTION, ASSIGNMENT, AND TERMINATION OF BISHOPS ¶ 404

f) The ministry of administration. The role of the bishop is

to uphold the discipline and order of the Church by consecrating,

ordaining, commissioning, supervising, and appointing persons

in ministry to the Church and the world. As the presiding ofcer

of the annual conference, the resident bishop provides order and

leads in new opportunities for ministry within the annual confer-

ence. The bishop shares with other bishops the oversight of the

whole church through the Council of Bishops and is held account-

able through the Council of Bishops in collaboration with confer-

ence and jurisdictional committees on episcopacy.

2. District superintendents are elders in full connection

appointed by the bishop to the cabinet as an extension of the

superintending role of the bishop within the annual conference

through the same disciplines and in accordance with their respon-

sibilities designated in the Book of Discipline under the supervision

of the resident bishop

Section III. Election, Assignment, and Termination of Bishops

¶ 404. Provisions for Episcopal Areas

1. In central conferences, the number of bishops shall be

determined on the basis of missional potential, as approved by

the General Conference on recommendation of the Standing

Committee on Central Conference Matters. Before recommending

changes in the number of episcopal areas, the Standing Commit-

tee on Central Conference Matters shall:

a) consider these criteria in the following order of priority:

(1) the number of charge conferences and the num-

ber of active clergy in episcopal areas;

(2) the geographic size of episcopal areas, measured

by the square miles/square km, and the numbers of time zones

and nations;

(3) the structure of episcopal areas, measured by the

number of annual conferences, and the overall church member-

ship in all annual, provisional annual, missionary conferences,

and missions in episcopal areas.

b) conduct a further analysis of the context and missional

potential of changes in episcopal areas.

2. In the jurisdictions, the number of bishops shall be deter-

mined on the following basis:

a) Each jurisdiction having 300,000 church members or

fewer shall be entitled to ve bishops and each jurisdiction having

326

¶ 404 THE SUPERINTENDENCY

more than 300,000 church members shall be entitled to one addi-

tional bishop for each additional 300,000 church members or

major fraction thereof.

b) If the number of church members in a jurisdiction

shall have decreased by at least 10 percent below the number of

church members which had previously entitled the jurisdiction

to its number of bishops, then the number of bishops to which

it shall be entitled shall be determined on the basis of missional

needs, as approved by the General Conference on the recom-

mendation of the Interjurisdictional Committee on Episcopacy,

provided however that said jurisdiction shall be entitled to no

less than the number of bishops to which it would be entitled

under subparagraph a) above. It shall be the responsibility of the

affected jurisdiction, through its Committee on Episcopacy, to

request consideration of its missional need for an exception, and

in the absence of such a request, there shall be no obligation on

the part of the Interjurisdictional Committee on Episcopacy to

consider such an exception nor to make any report on such an

exception to General Conference. In no case shall there be any

constraint on General Conference’s power to act in the absence

of such a recommendation or to reject any recommendation that

might be received.

c) If a jurisdiction, as a result of the provisions of this

paragraph, shall have the number of bishops to which it had pre-

viously been entitled reduced, then the reduction in the number

of bishops to which it is entitled shall be effective as of September

1 of the calendar year in which said reduction has been deter-

mined by the General Conference.

¶ 405. Election and Consecration of Bishops—1. Nomination—

An annual conference, in the session immediately prior to the next

regular session of the jurisdictional or central conference, may

name one or more nominees for episcopal election. Balloting at

jurisdictional and central conferences shall not be limited to nomi-

nees of annual conferences nor shall any jurisdictional or central

conference delegate be bound to vote for any specic nominee.

Each jurisdictional or central conference shall develop appropri-

ate procedures for furnishing information about nominees from

annual conferences. This shall be done at least two weeks prior

to the rst day of the jurisdictional or central conference. Similar

procedures shall be developed for persons nominated by ballot

who receive ten votes, or 5 percent of the valid votes cast, and the

327

ELECTION, ASSIGNMENT, AND TERMINATION OF BISHOPS ¶ 406

information shall be made available to the delegates at the site of

the conference.

2. Process—a) Jurisdictional and central conference delegates,

in electing bishops, shall give due consideration to the inclusive-

ness of The United Methodist Church with respect to sex, race,

and national origin. In addition, consideration shall be given to

the nature of superintendency as described in ¶ 401.

b) The jurisdictional and central conferences are authorized

to x the percentage of votes necessary to elect a bishop. It is rec-

ommended that at least 60 percent of those present and voting be

necessary to elect.

c) Consecration of bishops may take place at the session of

the conference at which election occurs or at a place and time des-

ignated by the conference. The consecration service may include

bishops from other jurisdictional and central conferences. It is

strongly urged that the consecration service also include repre-

sentatives from other Christian communions (see ¶¶ 124, 422.2).

¶ 406. Assignment Process—1. Jurisdictional Committee on

Episcopacy—The jurisdictional committee on episcopacy, after

consultation with the College of Bishops, shall recommend the

assignment of the bishops to their respective residences for nal

action by the jurisdictional conference; it shall not reach any con-

clusion concerning residential assignments until all elections of

bishops for that session are completed and all bishops have been

consulted. A bishop may be recommended for assignment to the

same residence for a third quadrennium.

The date of assignment for all bishops is September 1 follow-

ing the jurisdictional conference.

A newly elected bishop shall be assigned to administer an

area other than that within which his or her membership was

most recently held, unless by a two-thirds vote the jurisdictional

committee shall recommend that this restriction be ignored and

by majority vote the jurisdictional conference shall concur.

2. Central Conference Committee on Episcopacy—The central

conference committee on episcopacy, after consultation with the

College of Bishops, shall recommend the assignment of the bish-

ops to their respective residences for nal action by the central

conference.

1. See Judicial Council Decision 781.

2. See Judicial Council Decisions 48, 57, 416, 538.

3. See Judicial Council Decision 248.

328

¶ 406 THE SUPERINTENDENCY

3. Special Assignments—The Council of Bishops may, with

consent of the bishop and the concurrence of the jurisdictional

or central conference committee on episcopacy, assign one of its

members for one year to some specic churchwide responsibility

deemed of sufcient importance to the welfare of the total Church.

In this event, a bishop shall be released from the presidential

responsibilities within the episcopal area for that term. Another

bishop or bishops, active or retired, and not necessarily from the

same jurisdictional or central conference, shall be named by the

Council of Bishops on recommendation of the College of Bishops

of the jurisdiction involved to assume presidential responsibilities

during the interim. In the event that more than one retired bishop

is assigned to fulll presidential responsibilities in one episcopal

area, the Episcopal Fund shall be responsible only for the differ-

ence between the pensions paid the retired bishops and the remu-

neration of one active bishop. This assignment may be renewed

for a second year by a two-thirds vote of the Council of Bishops

and majority vote of the jurisdictional or central committee on

episcopacy, and the consent of the bishop and the College of Bish-

ops involved. The bishop so assigned shall continue to receive

regular salary and support.

¶ 407. Vacancy in the Ofce of Bishop—A vacancy in the ofce

of bishop may occur due to death, retirement (¶ 408.1, .2, .3), res-

ignation (¶ 408.4), judicial procedure (¶ 2712), leave of absence

(¶ 410.1), or medical leave (¶ 410.4). In case assignment of a

bishop to presidential supervision of an episcopal area is termi-

nated by any of the above causes, the vacancy shall be lled by

the Council of Bishops on nomination of the active bishops of the

College of Bishops of the jurisdiction or central conference con-

cerned, after consultation with the jurisdictional or central confer-

ence and annual conference committees on the episcopacy and

the cabinet(s); or, if the vacancy should occur within twenty-four

months of the episcopal assumption of presidential supervision of

that area, the College of Bishops of the jurisdiction or central con-

ference concerned may call a special session of the jurisdictional

or central conference as provided in ¶ 521.2. When a bishop is

elected under the provisions of this paragraph, the years remain-

ing in the quadrennium within which the election occurs shall

count as a full quadrennium for purposes of assignment. It is rec-

ommended that the previous bishop serving the vacant episcopal

area not be appointed to serve in the interim.

329

ELECTION, ASSIGNMENT, AND TERMINATION OF BISHOPS ¶ 408

¶ 408. Termination of Ofce—An elder who is serving as

a bishop up to the time of retirement shall have the status of a

retired bishop.

1. Mandatory Retirement—a) A bishop shall be retired on

August 31 next following the regular session of the jurisdictional

conference if the bishop’s sixty-eighth birthday has been reached

on or before July 1 of the year in which the jurisdictional confer-

ence is held.

b) A bishop in a central conference shall be retired at

a date no later than three months following the adjournment

of General Conference, if the bishop’s sixty-eighth birthday is

reached on or before the opening day of his or her scheduled con-

ference effective on January 1, 2016. This action becomes effective

at the adjournment of General Conference 2016.

c) Pension, as provided under the Clergy Retirement

Security Program or the Global Episcopal Pension Program (or,

in either case, any successor bishop pension or retirement plan

or program), as either may apply, shall be payable as provided in

such plan or program following the close of the jurisdictional or

central conference.

d) If, however, the retired bishop accepts any one of the

following assignments of churchwide responsibility, the General

Council on Finance and Administration, after consultation with

the Council of Bishops, shall set a level of compensation not to

exceed a maximum determined by the General Conference on

recommendation of the General Council on Finance and Admin-

istration, with the compensation costs borne by the Episcopal

Fund: (1) assignment of a special nature with direct relationship

and accountability to the Council of Bishops, or (2) assignment

to a general agency or United Methodist Church-related institu-

tion of higher education. Assignment of retired bishops to United

Methodist Church-related institutions of higher education must

be at the initiative of the institutions, with service not to exceed

the mandatory retirement ages of the institutions.

If a bishop is assigned to a general agency or United Method-

ist Church-related institution of higher education, that agency or

United Methodist Church-related institution of higher education

will pay 50 percent of the compensation established by the General

4. See Judicial Council Decisions 361, 407.

5. See Judicial Council Decisions 413, 578.

6. See Judicial Council Decision 1248.

330

¶ 408 THE SUPERINTENDENCY

Council on Finance and Administration for the position. The gen-

eral agency or United Methodist Church-related institution of

higher education shall further assume all responsibility for the

bishop’s operational and travel expenses related to the assign-

ment.

Compensation for any special assignment shall cease after

the bishop has reached the mandatory age of retirement for

all ordained ministers (¶ 357.1) or completes the assignment,

whichever comes rst, except that retired bishops elected by the

Council of Bishops as executive secretary and ecumenical ofcer

may continue to be compensated for such special assignment(s)

throughout the terms of ofce. No assignment to a jurisdiction,

central conference, annual conference, or non-United Methodist

agency shall qualify for additional compensation from the Epis-

copal Fund under the provisions of this paragraph. The status of

a retired bishop on special assignment shall, for purposes of hous-

ing and other benets, be that of a retired bishop.

2. Voluntary Retirement—a) Bishops who have completed

twenty years or more of service under full-time appointment as

ordained ministers or as local pastors with pension credit prior

to the opening date of the session of the jurisdictional or central

conference, including at least one quadrennium as bishop, may

request the jurisdictional or central conference to retire them with

the privilege of receiving their pension to the extent permitted

under the Clergy Retirement Security Program or the Global Epis-

copal Pension Program (or, in either case, any successor bishop

pension or retirement plan or program), as either may apply.

b) Vocational Retirement—A bishop who has served at

least eight years in the episcopacy may seek retirement for voca-

tional reasons and may be so retired by the jurisdictional or cen-

tral conference committee on episcopacy on recommendation by

the involved College of Bishops. Such bishops shall receive their

pensions as provided in ¶ 408.2a. If the employing entity pro-

vides or makes health insurance available to employees, then the

bishop who retires under this provision will be insured under that

program, whether or not the bishop is required to pay the pre-

mium for that coverage, and the Episcopal Fund will assume no

future obligation to provide health insurance for the bishop or the

bishop’s family. If the employing entity does not provide or make

health insurance available to employees, either while employed

or in retirement, then the bishop retiring under this provision will

331

ELECTION, ASSIGNMENT, AND TERMINATION OF BISHOPS ¶ 408

be provided with health and welfare benets for retirees as spec-

ied from time to time by the General Council on Finance and

Administration.

c) Bishops who have attained age sixty-two or have com-

pleted thirty years of service under full-time appointment as an

elder or a bishop may request the jurisdictional or central con-

ference to place them in the retired relation with the privilege of

receiving their pension to the extent permitted under the Clergy

Retirement Security Program or the Global Episcopal Pension

Program (or, in either case, any successor bishop pension or retire-

ment plan or program), as either may apply.

d) Any bishop who seeks a voluntary retired status shall

notify the president of the Council of Bishops at least six months

prior to the General Conference.

e) A bishop may seek voluntary retirement for health rea-

sons and shall be so retired by the jurisdictional or central con-

ference committee on episcopacy upon recommendation by the

involved College of Bishops and upon presentation of satisfac-

tory medical evidence. Such bishops shall receive their pensions

to the extent permitted under the Clergy Retirement Security Pro-

gram or the Global Episcopal Pension Program (or, in either case,

any successor bishop pension or retirement plan or program), as

either may apply.

3. Involuntary Retirement—a) A bishop may be placed in

the retired relation regardless of age by a two-thirds vote of the

jurisdictional or central conference committee on episcopacy if,

after not less than a thirty-day notice in writing is given to the

affected bishop and hearing held, such relationship is found by

said committee to be in the best interests of the bishop and/or

the Church. This action may or may not be taken because of the

performance of the bishop, and the reason for the action must be

clearly stated in the report of the committee. The provisions of

¶ 361.2 for fair process in administrative hearings shall apply to

this administrative process. Written notice also should be given

to the chairperson of the jurisdictional conference administrative

review committee (¶ 539).

b) A bishop, for health reasons, may be retired between

sessions of the jurisdictional or central conference by a two-thirds

vote of the jurisdictional or central conference committee on epis-

copacy upon the recommendation of one third of the member-

ship of the involved College of Bishops. The affected bishop, upon

332

¶ 408 THE SUPERINTENDENCY

request, shall be entitled to a review of his or her health condition

by a professional diagnostic team prior to action by the involved

College of Bishops. Notication of action to retire shall be given by

the chairperson and secretary of the jurisdictional or central con-

ference committee on episcopacy to the secretary of the Council of

Bishops and the treasurer of the Episcopal Fund. Appeal from this

action may be made to the Judicial Council with the notice provi-

sions being applicable as set forth in ¶ 2716. Upon such retire-

ment, the bishop shall receive a pension to the extent permitted

under the Clergy Retirement Security Program or the Global Epis-

copal Pension Program (or, in either case, any successor bishop

pension or retirement plan or program), as either may apply.

4. Resignation—A bishop may voluntarily resign from the

episcopacy at any time. A bishop may resign from the ofce

by submitting his or her resignation to the Council of Bishops.

The Council of Bishops shall have authority to take appropriate

actions concerning matters relating to the resignation, includ-

ing the appointment of an acting bishop to act until a succes-

sor is elected and assigned. The consecration papers of a bishop

in good standing so resigning shall be properly inscribed by the

secretary of the Council of Bishops and returned. He or she shall

be furnished with a certicate of resignation, which shall enti-

tle him or her to membership as a traveling elder in the annual

conference (or its successor) in which membership was last held.

Notication of this action shall be given by the secretary of the

Council of Bishops to the chairperson and secretary of the juris-

dictional or central conference committee on episcopacy. Pen-

sion benets will be payable to the resigned bishop to the extent

permitted under the Clergy Retirement Security Program or the

Global Episcopal Pension Program (or, in either case, any succes-

sor bishop pension or retirement plan or program), as either may

apply.

¶ 409. Status of Retired Bishops—A retired bishop is a bishop of

the Church in every respect and continues to function as a mem-

ber of the Council of Bishops in accordance with the Constitution

and other provisions of the Discipline.

1. Retired bishops may participate in the Council of Bishops

and its committees, but without vote. They may preside over ses-

sions of an annual conference, provisional annual conference, or

mission if requested to do so by the bishop assigned to that con-

ference, or in the event of that bishop’s incapacity, by the presi-

333

ELECTION, ASSIGNMENT, AND TERMINATION OF BISHOPS ¶ 410

dent of the College of Bishops to which the conference is related.

Retired bishops elected by the Council of Bishops may serve as

the executive secretary and the ecumenical ofcer of the Council.

In emergency situations, where the resident bishop is unable to

preside, the College of Bishops shall assign an effective or retired

bishop to preside over the sessions of the annual conference (¶ 48).

They may not make appointments or preside at the jurisdiction or

central conference. However, when a retired bishop is appointed

by the Council of Bishops to a vacant episcopal area or parts of an

area under the provisions of ¶¶ 409.3, 410.1, or 410.3, that bishop

may function as a bishop in the effective relationship.

2. A retired bishop may be considered a member of an annual

conference, without vote, for purposes of appointment to a local

charge within the said conference.

3. A bishop retired under ¶ 408.1, .2 above may be appointed

by the Council of Bishops upon recommendation of the involved

College of Bishops to presidential responsibility for temporary

service in an area in the case of death, resignation, disability, or

procedure involving a resident bishop (¶ 2703.1). This appoint-

ment shall not continue beyond the next jurisdictional or central

conference.

4. Colleges of Bishops are encouraged to work with prospec-

tive retirees and institutions across the connection on possible

retirement assignments (e.g., bishop-in-residence), particularly

assignments expressive of the ofce’s residential, presidential,

and missional nature.

¶ 410. Leaves—1. Leave of Absence—A bishop may be granted

a leave of absence for a justiable reason for not more than six

months in consultation with the area committee on episcopacy

and with the approval of the College of Bishops, the jurisdictional

or central conference committee on episcopacy, and the executive

committee of the Council of Bishops. During the period for which

the leave is granted, the bishop shall be released from all episco-

pal responsibilities, and another bishop chosen by the executive

committee of the Council of Bishops shall preside in the episco-

pal area. Salary and other benets shall be continued through the

Episcopal Fund.

2. Renewal Leave—Every bishop in the active relationship shall

take up to three months’ leave from his or her normal episcopal

7. See Judicial Council Decision 248.

334

¶ 410 THE SUPERINTENDENCY

responsibilities for purposes of reection, study, and self-renewal

during each quadrennium. The College of Bishops, in consulta-

tion with the appropriate jurisdictional or central conference com-

mittee on episcopacy, shall coordinate details pertaining to such

leaves.

3. Sabbatical Leave—A bishop who has served for at least two

quadrennia may be granted a sabbatical leave of not more than

one year for a program of study or renewal in consultation with

the area committee on episcopacy and with the approval of the

College of Bishops, the jurisdictional or central conference com-

mittee on episcopacy, and the executive committee of the Coun-

cil of Bishops. During the period for which the sabbatical leave

is granted, the bishops shall be released from the presidential

responsibilities within the episcopal area, and another bishop or

bishops shall be designated by the Council of Bishops to assume

the presidential duties. The bishop shall receive one-half salary

and, where applicable, housing allowance for the period of the

leave.

4. Medical Leave—Bishops who by reason of impaired health

are temporarily unable to perform full work may be granted a

leave of absence for a justiable reason for not more than six

months in consultation with the area committee on episcopacy

and with the approval of the College of Bishops, the jurisdictional

or central conference committee on episcopacy, and the executive

committee of the Council of Bishops. During the period for which

the leave is granted, the bishop shall be released from all episco-

pal responsibilities, and another bishop chosen by the executive

committee of the Council of Bishops shall preside in the episco-

pal area. Salary and other benets shall be continued through

the Episcopal Fund. If after the six-month time period is over the

bishop is still unable to perform full work due to impaired health,

disability benets through the benet program provided to the

bishop should be applied for.

¶ 411. Expiration of Terms in Central Conferences—In a cen-

tral conference where term episcopacy prevails, bishops whose

term of ofce expires prior to the time of compulsory retirement

because of age and who are not reelected by the central conference

shall be returned to membership as traveling elders in the annual

conference (or its successor) of which they ceased to be a member

when elected bishop. Their term of ofce shall expire at the close

of the central conference at which their successor is elected, and

335

ELECTION, ASSIGNMENT, AND TERMINATION OF BISHOPS ¶ 413

they shall therefore be entitled to participate as a bishop in the

consecration of the successor. The credentials of ofce as bishop

shall be submitted to the secretary of the central conference, who

shall make thereon the notation that the bishop has honorably

completed the term of service for which elected and has ceased to

be a bishop of The United Methodist Church.

¶ 412. Review and Evaluation of Bishops—In its review of the

work, character, and ofcial administration of the bishops under

¶ 524.3a, the jurisdictional or central conference committee on

episcopacy shall establish and implement processes that pro-

vide, at least once each quadrennium, for each active bishop, a

full and formal evaluation which will include self-evaluation,

assessment by episcopal peers, and comment by persons affected

by his or her superintendency (such as cabinets, lay leaders,

directors of agencies served). Such processes shall include the

participation of the conference or area committee on episcopacy.

It shall be the duty of each jurisdiction’s College of Bishops/

central conference’s College of Bishops, under the leadership of

its president, to consult with and to cooperate with the commit-

tee in order to schedule and facilitate such reviews and evalua-

tions as well as to address issues that may arise in the course of

that work.

¶ 413. Complaints Against Bishops—1. Episcopal leadership in

The United Methodist Church shares with all other ordained per-

sons in the sacred trust of their ordination. The ministry of bish-

ops as set forth in The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist

Church also ows from the gospel as taught by Jesus the Christ

and proclaimed by his apostles (¶ 402). Whenever a bishop vio-

lates this trust or is unable to fulll appropriate responsibilities,

continuation in the episcopal ofce shall be subject to review. This

review shall have as its primary purpose a just resolution of any

violations of this sacred trust, in the hope that God’s work of jus-

tice, reconciliation, and healing may be realized.

2. Any complaint concerning the effectiveness, competence,

or one or more of the offenses listed in ¶ 2702 shall be submitted

to the president of the College of Bishops in that jurisdictional or

central conference. If the complaint concerns the president, it shall

be submitted to the secretary of the College of Bishops. A com-

plaint is a written statement claiming misconduct, unsatisfactory

8. See Judicial Council Decisions 61, 236, 370.

336

¶ 413 THE SUPERINTENDENCY

performance of ministerial duties, or one or more of the offenses

listed in ¶ 2702.

3. After receiving a complaint as provided in ¶ 413.2, the

president and the secretary of the College of Bishops, or the secre-

tary and another member of the college if the complaint concerns

the president (or the president and another member of the college

if the complaint concerns the secretary), shall, within ten days,

consult the chair of the jurisdictional or central conference com-

mittee on episcopacy who shall appoint from the committee one

professing member and one clergy member who are not from the

same episcopal area; who are not from the episcopal area that the

bishop under complaint was elected from or has been assigned to;

and who are not of the same gender.

a) When deemed appropriate to protect the well-being of

the complainant, the Church and/or bishop, the College of Bish-

ops, in consultation with the jurisdictional or central conference

committee on episcopacy, may suspend the bishop from all epis-

copal responsibilities for a period not to exceed sixty days. During

the suspension, salary, housing, and benets will continue.

b) The supervisory response is pastoral and administra-

tive and shall be directed toward a just resolution. It is not a part

of any judicial process. The supervisory response should be car-

ried out in a condential manner and should be completed within

120 days. There may be an extension of 120 days if the supervis-

ing bishop and the two jurisdictional or central conference epis-

copacy committee members appointed to the supervisory process

shall determine that an extension will be productive. There may

be a second extension of 120 days by the mutual written consent

of the supervisory bishop, members of the jurisdictional or central

conference episcopacy committee appointed to the supervisory

process, the complainant, and the bishop under complaint.

The supervising bishop shall regularly advise all parties of

the status of the process and shall notify all parties within seven

days after a determination is made that the supervisory response

will not lead to a resolution of the matter.

No verbatim record shall be made and legal counsel shall not

be present, although the bishop against whom the complaint was

made and the complainant both may choose another person to

accompany him or her, with the right to voice. At the determina-

9. See Judicial Council Decision 1149.

337

ELECTION, ASSIGNMENT, AND TERMINATION OF BISHOPS ¶ 413

tion of the president (secretary), persons with qualications and

experience in assessment, intervention, or healing may be selected

to assist in the supervisory responses. Others may be consulted as

well.

c) The supervisory response may include a process seek-

ing a just resolution in which the parties are assisted by a trained,

impartial third party facilitator(s) or mediator(s) in reaching an

agreement satisfactory to all parties. (See ¶ 362.1b, c.) The appro-

priate persons, including the president of the College of Bishops,

or the secretary if the complaint concerns the president, should

enter into a written agreement outlining such process, includ-

ing an agreement as to condentiality. If resolution is achieved,

a written statement of resolution, including terms and condi-

tions, shall be signed by the parties and the parties shall agree on

any matters to be disclosed to third parties. Such written statement

of resolution shall be given to the person in charge of that stage of

the process for further action consistent with the agreement.

d) (i) If the supervisory response results in the resolution

of the matter, the bishop in charge of the supervisory response

and the two episcopacy committee members appointed to the

supervisory process (¶ 413.3) shall monitor the fulllment of the

terms of the resolution. If the supervisory response does not result

in resolution of the matter, the president or secretary of the Col-

lege of Bishops may either dismiss the complaint with the consent

of the College of Bishops and the committee on episcopacy, giving

the reasons therefore in writing, a copy of which shall be placed in

the bishop’s le, refer the matter to the committee on episcopacy

as an administrative complaint pursuant to ¶ 413.3e, or refer the

matter to counsel for the Church pursuant to ¶ 2704.1 to prepare a

complaint to forward to the committee on investigation.

(ii) If within 180 days of the receipt of the complaint

by the president or secretary of the College of Bishops (as speci-

ed in ¶ 413.2), the supervisory response does not result in the

resolution of the matter, and the president or secretary of the Col-

lege of Bishops has not referred the matter as either an adminis-

trative or judicial complaint, then the matter will move to:

(1) In the case of a bishop from one of the cen-

tral conferences, a panel of three bishops, one

from each continent, as selected by the Coun-

cil of Bishops, or

(2) In the case of a bishop from one of the juris-

dictional conferences, a panel of ve bishops,

338

¶ 413 THE SUPERINTENDENCY

one from each jurisdictional conference, as

selected by the Council of Bishops, who shall

then continue the supervisory response pro-

cess and, within 180 days, either dismiss or

refer the complaint, as required above.

(iii) All costs associated with actions taken pursuant

to paragraph (ii), above, will be paid by the Episcopal Fund.

(iv) The Council of Bishops may, at any time in the

process, after a complaint is led, including after a just resolution,

remove the complaint from the College of Bishops to the Council

of Bishops with a two-thirds vote by the Council.

e) Administrative Complaint—If the complaint is based

on allegations of incompetence, ineffectiveness, or unwillingness

or inability to perform episcopal duties, the president and secre-

tary of the College of Bishops (or the two members of the college

who are handling the complaint) shall refer the complaint to the

jurisdictional or central conference committee on episcopacy.

The committee may recommend involuntary retirement (¶ 408.3),

disability leave (¶ 410.4), remedial measures, other appropriate

action, or it may dismiss the complaint. When the jurisdictional

or central conference committee on episcopacy deems the matter

serious enough and when one or more offenses listed in ¶ 2702 are

involved, the committee may refer the complaint back to the presi-

dent and secretary of the College of Bishops (or the two members

of the college who are handling the complaint) for referral as a

judicial complaint to the jurisdictional or central conference com-

mittee on investigation. The provisions of ¶ 361.2 for fair process in

administrative hearings shall apply to this administrative process.

4. Any actions of the jurisdictional or central conference com-

mittee taken on a complaint shall be reported to the next session

of the jurisdictional or central conference.

5. Each jurisdiction shall develop a protocol for the caring of

lay, clergy, and staff determined to be affected by the processing

of the complaint.

6. Immunity From Prosecution—In order to preserve the integ-

rity of the Church’s complaint process and ensure full participa-

tion in it at all times, the College of Bishops, the supervisory

response team, the jurisdictional committee on episcopacy, wit-

nesses, advocates, and all others who participate in the complaint

10. See Judicial Council Decision 784.

339

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES OF BISHOPS ¶ 414

process regarding a bishop shall have immunity from prosecution

of complaints brought against them related to their role in a partic-

ular complaint process, unless they have committed a chargeable

offense in conscious and knowing bad faith. The complainant/

plaintiff in any proceeding against any such person relating to

their role in a particular complaint process shall have the burden

of proving, by clear and convincing evidence, that such person’s

actions constituted a chargeable offense committed knowingly in

bad faith. The immunity set forth in this provision shall extend to

civil court proceedings, to the fullest extent permissible by the civil

laws.

Section IV. Specic Responsibilities of Bishops

¶ 414. Leadership—Spiritual and Temporal—1. To lead and

oversee the spiritual and temporal affairs of The United Method-

ist Church which confesses Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and

particularly to lead the Church in its mission of witness and ser-

vice in the world.

2. To strengthen the local church, giving spiritual leadership

to both laity and clergy; and to build relationships with people of

local congregations of the area.

3. To guard, transmit, teach, and proclaim, corporately and

individually, the apostolic faith as it is expressed in Scripture and

tradition, and, as they are led and endowed by the Spirit, to inter-

pret that faith evangelically and prophetically.

4. To travel through the connection at large as the Council

of Bishops (¶ 422) to implement strategy for the concerns of the

Church.

5. To teach and uphold the theological traditions of The

United Methodist Church.

6. To provide liaison and leadership in the quest for Chris-

tian unity in ministry, mission, and structure and in the search for

strengthened relationships with other living faith communities.

7. To organize such missions as shall have been authorized

by the General Conference.

8. To promote and support the evangelistic witness of the

whole Church.

9. To discharge such other duties as the Discipline may direct.

10. To convene the Order of Deacons and the Order of Elders

and work with the elected chairperson of each order.

340

¶ 414 THE SUPERINTENDENCY

11. To promote, support, and model generous Christian giving,

with special attention to teaching the biblical principles of giving.

¶ 415. Presidential Duties—1. To preside in the General, juris-

dictional, central, and annual conferences.

2. To provide general oversight for the scal and program

operations of the annual conference(s). This may include special

inquiry into the work of agencies to ensure that the annual con-

ference and general church policies and procedures are followed.

3. To ensure fair process for clergy and laity as set forth in

¶ 2701 in all involuntary administrative and judicial proceedings

through monitoring the performance of annual conference of-

cials, boards, and committees charged with implementing such

procedures.

4. To form the districts after consultation with the district

superintendents and after the number of the same has been deter-

mined by vote of the annual conference.

Any district may be

designated to be a mission district, and the district superinten-

dent of that district, or his or her designee, shall be the agent in

charge of the mission status, nature, and goals of the district. If

there is a district missionary organization, or if funds for the dis-

trict are anticipated from a conference organization, those bodies

shall also be asked to approve the method of organization for a

mission district. A mission district may be designated when any

of the following conditions exist: 1) Membership opportunities

and resources are limited and not likely to result in regular status

for an extended period of time. 2) A strategic demographic, cul-

tural, or language opportunity for serving a limited population is

present. 3) It is expected that long-term sustaining funding from

sources outside the district will be necessary to enable the district

to exist. 4) The district is geographically located in a remote loca-

tion from other districts of the annual conference. When any of

these conditions exist, the bishop, in consultation with the con-

gregational development area of the annual conference, may des-

ignate any district a mission district. The mission district may be

organized in the same manner and have the same rights and pow-

ers as any district.

5. To appoint the district superintendents annually (¶¶ 417-

418).

11. See Judicial Council Decision 395.

12. See Judicial Council Decision 524.

13. See Judicial Council Decision 422.

341

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES OF BISHOPS ¶ 416

6. To consecrate bishops; to ordain elders and deacons; to

commission deaconesses, home missioners, and missionaries;

and to see that the names of the persons commissioned and con-

secrated are entered on the journals of the conference and that

proper credentials are furnished to these persons. As these ser-

vices are acts of the whole Church, text and rubrics shall be used

in the form approved by the General Conference.

7. To x the appointments of deaconesses, home missioners,

and missionaries and to see that the names and appointments are

printed in the journals of the conference.

¶ 416. Working with Ordained, Licensed, Consecrated, and Com-

missioned Personnel—1. To make and x the appointments in the

annual conferences, provisional annual conferences, and missions

as the Discipline may direct (¶¶ 425-429).

2. To divide or to unite a circuit(s), station(s), or mission(s) as

judged necessary for missional strategy and then to make appro-

priate appointments.

3. To announce the appointments of deaconesses, diaconal

ministers, home missionaries, and laypersons in service under the

General Board of Global Ministries.

4. To x the charge conference membership of all ordained

ministers appointed to ministries other than the local church in

keeping with ¶ 344.

5. To transfer, upon the request of the receiving bishop,

clergy member(s) of one annual conference to another, provided

said member(s) agrees to said transfer; and to send immediately

to the secretaries of both conferences involved, to the conference

boards of ordained ministry, and to the clearing house of the Gen-

eral Board of Pension and Health Benets, written notices of the

transfer of members and of their standing in the Course of Study

if they are undergraduates.

6 To appoint associate members, provisional members, or

full members to attend any school, college, or theological semi-

nary listed by the University Senate, or to participate in a pro-

gram of clinical pastoral education in a setting accredited by the

Association for Clinical Pastoral Education or another accrediting

agency approved by the General Board of Higher Education and

Ministry. Such appointments are not to be considered as extension

ministry appointments.

14. See Judicial Council Decisions 114, 254, 554.

342

¶ 416 THE SUPERINTENDENCY

7. To keep and maintain appropriate supervisory records on

all district superintendents and other records on ministerial per-

sonnel as determined by the bishop or required by the Discipline

or action of the annual conference. When a district superintendent

is no longer appointed to the cabinet, the bishop shall give that

person’s supervisory le to the superintendent of record. Super-

visory records shall be kept under guidelines approved by the

General Council on Finance and Administration. The supervisory

records maintained by the bishop are not the personnel records of

the annual conference.

Section V. Selection, Assignment, and Term

of District Superintendents

¶ 417. Selection and Assignment—Inasmuch as the district

superintendency is an extension of the general superintendency,

the bishop shall appoint elders to serve as district superinten-

dents. Prior to each appointment, the bishop shall consult with

the cabinet and the committee on district superintendency of the

district to which the new superintendent will be assigned (¶ 426)

for the purpose of determining leadership needs of the annual

conference and the district (¶ 401). In the selection of superinten-

dents, bishops shall give due consideration to the inclusiveness of

The United Methodist Church with respect to sex, race, national

origin, physical challenge, and age, except for the provisions of

mandatory retirement.

¶ 418. Limitations on Years of Service—The normal term for a

district superintendent shall be up to six years, but this may be

extended to no more than up to eight years at the discretion of the

bishop, in consultation with the cabinet and the district commit-

tee on superintendency.

No superintendent shall serve for more than eight years in any

consecutive eleven years. No elder shall serve as district superin-

tendent more than fourteen years. In addition, consideration shall

be given to the nature of superintendency as described in ¶ 401.

Section VI. Specic Responsibilities of District Superintendents

¶ 419. As an extension of the ofce of bishop, the district super-

intendent shall oversee the total ministry of the clergy (including)

15. See Judicial Council Decisions 368, 512.

343

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES OF DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENTS ¶ 419

clergy in extension ministry and ministry beyond the local

church) and of the churches in the communities of the

district in their missions of witness and service in the world. This

oversight requires the superintendent to use his or her gifts and

skills related to spiritual and pastoral leadership, personnel lead-

ership, administration, and program. The superintendent is the

acting administrator of any pastoral charge in which a pastoral

vacancy may develop, or where no pastor is appointed.

1. The Church expects, as part of the superintendent ministry,

that the superintendent will be the chief missional strategist of the

district and be committed to living out the values of the Church,

including a mandate of inclusiveness, modeling, teaching, and

promoting generous Christian giving, cooperating to develop

Christian unity, and ecumenical, multicultural, multiracial, and

cooperative ministries; and working with persons across the

Church to develop programs of ministry and mission that extend

the witness of Christ into the world.

2. The superintendent shall work with the bishop and cabinet

in the process of appointment and assignment for ordained and

licensed clergy, or assignment of qualied and trained laypersons,

lay ministers or lay missioners (¶ 205.4)

3. The superintendent shall work with the district committee

on ordained ministry to develop an effective and functioning sys-

tem for recruitment and examination of candidates for ordained or

licensed ministry, and the ongoing oversight of persons approved

for licensing (¶ 348).

4. The superintendent shall establish working relationships

with staff/pastor-parish relations committees, clergy, district lay

leaders, and other lay leadership, to develop faithful and effec-

tive systems of ministry within the district. Through the use of

charge conferences (¶ 246.4-5), congregational studies (¶ 213) and

other gatherings, the superintendent shall seek to form creative

and effective connections with the local congregations on his or

her district.

5. The superintendent shall serve as an example of spiritual

leadership by living a balanced and faithful life, and by encourag-

ing both laity and clergy to continue to grow in spiritual forma-

tion through both personal and corporate worship and devotional

practices, including participation in the sacraments.

6. In the framework of their supervisory responsibilities,

superintendents shall offer support, care, and counsel to clergy

344

¶ 419 THE SUPERINTENDENCY

concerning matters affecting their effective ministry. Further, the

superintendents shall encourage the building of covenant groups

and communities among both the clergy and clergy families, and

the laity on the district.

7. The superintendent shall seek to be in regular contact with

the clergy on the district for counsel and supervision, and shall

receive written or electronic reports of the clergy’s continuing

education, spiritual practices, current ministry work, and goals

for future ministry.

8. The superintendent shall maintain the appropriate records

of all clergy appointed to or related to the charges on the district

(including clergy in extension ministry and ministry beyond the

local church), as well as records dealing with property, endow-

ments, and other tangible assets of The United Methodist Church

within the district.

9. The superintendent, in consultation with the bishop and

cabinet, shall work to develop the best strategic deployment of

clergy possible in the district, including realignment of pasto-

ral charges when needed and the exploration of larger parishes,

cooperative parishes, multiple staff congurations, new faith

communities, and ecumenical shared communities.

10. The district superintendent shall interpret and decide all

questions of Church law and discipline raised by the churches in

the district, subject to review by the resident bishop of the annual

conference.

11. The superintendent shall cooperate with the conference

Board of Ordained Ministry in its efforts to provide or arrange

support and liaison for clergy in a time of a change in conference

relationship or termination.

12. The superintendent shall serve at the pleasure of the

bishop and assume other leadership responsibilities as the bishop

determines for the health and effectiveness of the district and

annual conference.

¶ 420. Renewal and Study Leave—A district superintendent

may take up to three months’ leave from his or her normal super-

intendent responsibilities for purposes of reection, study, and

self-renewal once during his or her term as superintendent. The

bishop and cabinet, in consultation with the committee on dis-

trict superintendency, shall coordinate details pertaining to such

leaves.

345

EXPRESSIONS OF SUPERINTENDENCY ¶ 423

Section VII. Expressions of Superintendency

¶ 421. Relationship Between Bishops and District Superinten-

dents—The ofces of bishop and district superintendent are

linked with each other in ways described elsewhere (¶ 402). The

interdependence of the ofces calls for a collegial style of leader-

ship. However, both the ofce of bishop and that of district super-

intendent are embedded in their own contexts.

¶ 422. Council of Bishops—1. Bishops, although elected by

jurisdictional or central conferences, are elected general super-

intendents of the whole Church. As all ordained ministers are

rst elected into membership of an annual conference and sub-

sequently appointed to pastoral charges, so bishops become

through their election members rst of the Council of Bishops

before they are subsequently assigned to areas of service. By vir-

tue of their election and consecration, bishops are members of the

Council of Bishops and are bound in special covenant with all

other bishops. In keeping with this covenant, bishops fulll their

servant leadership and express their mutual accountability. The

Council of Bishops is a faith community of mutual trust and con-

cern responsible for the faith development and continuing well-

being of its members.

2. The Council of Bishops is thus the collegial expression

of episcopal leadership in the Church and through the Church

into the world. The Church expects the Council of Bishops to

speak to the Church and from the Church to the world and to

give leadership in the quest for Christian unity and interreligious

relationships.

3. In order to exercise meaningful leadership, the Council of

Bishops is to meet at stated intervals. The Council of Bishops is

charged with the oversight of the spiritual and temporal affairs

of the whole Church, to be executed in regularized consultation

and cooperation with other councils and service agencies of the

Church.

4. The Council of Bishops may assign one of its members to

visit another episcopal area or Methodist-related church. When

so assigned, the bishop shall be recognized as the accredited rep-

resentative of the Council of Bishops, and when requested by the

resident bishop or president in that area or church, may exercise

therein the functions of episcopacy.

¶ 423. Conference of Methodist Bishops—There may be a confer-

ence of Methodist bishops, composed of all the bishops elected by

346

¶ 423 THE SUPERINTENDENCY

the jurisdictional and central conferences and one bishop or chief

executive ofcer from each afliated autonomous Methodist or

united church, which shall meet on call of the Council of Bishops

after consultation with other members of the conference of Meth-

odist bishops. The travel and other necessary expense of bishops

of afliated autonomous Methodist or united churches related

to the meeting of the Conference of Methodist Bishops shall be

paid on the same basis as that of bishops of The United Methodist

Church.

¶ 424. Cabinet—1. District superintendents, although ap-

pointed to the cabinet and assigned to districts, are also to be

given conference-wide responsibilities. As all ordained ministers

are rst elected into membership of an annual conference and

subsequently appointed to pastoral charges, so district superin-

tendents become through their selection members rst of a cabi-

net before they are subsequently assigned by the bishop to service

in districts.

2. The cabinet under the leadership of the bishop is the

expression of superintending leadership in and through the

annual conference. It is expected to speak to the conference and

for the conference to the spiritual and temporal issues that exist

within the region encompassed by the conference.

3. The cabinet is thus also the body in which the individual

district superintendents are held accountable for their work, both

for conference and district responsibilities.

4. In order to exercise meaningful leadership, the cabinet is

to meet at stated intervals. The cabinet is charged with the over-

sight of the spiritual and temporal affairs of a conference, to be

executed in regularized consultation and cooperation with other

councils and service agencies of the conference.

5. The cabinet is to consult and plan with the district commit-

tee and conference Board of Ordained Ministry in order to make

a thorough analysis of the needs of the district for clergy, imple-

menting this planning with a positive and conscious effort to ll

these needs (¶ 635.2a).

6. When the cabinet considers matters relating to coordi-

nation, implementation, or administration of the conference

program, and other matters as the cabinet and director of con-

nectional ministries, or equivalent, may determine, the director

shall be present. The conference lay leader shall be invited to be

present.

347

APPOINTMENT-MAKING ¶ 425

7. The cabinet shall assume leadership responsibility for

ascertaining those places where ecumenical shared ministry

would be an effective way of expressing the United Methodist

presence in a community.

Section VIII. Appointment-Making

¶ 425. Responsibility—1. Clergy shall be appointed by the

bishop, who is empowered to make and x all appointments

in the episcopal area of which the annual conference is a part.

Appointments are to be made with consideration of the gifts and

evidence of God’s grace of those appointed, to the needs, char-

acteristics, and opportunities of congregations and institutions,

and with faithfulness to the commitment to an open itineracy.

Open itineracy means appointments are made without regard to

race, ethnic origin, gender, color, disability, marital status, or age,

except for the provisions of mandatory retirement. Annual confer-

ences shall, in their training of staff-parish relations committees,

emphasize the open nature of itineracy and prepare congrega-

tions to receive the gifts and graces of appointed clergy without

regard to race, ethnic origin, gender, color, disability, marital

status, or age. The concept of itineracy is important, and sensi-

tive attention should be given in appointing clergy with physical

challenges to responsibilities and duties that meet their gifts and

graces. Through appointment-making, the connectional nature of

the United Methodist system is made visible.

2. Appointment-making across conference lines shall be

encouraged as a way of creating mobility and open itineracy.

The jurisdictional committee on ordained ministry will cooper-

ate with bishops and cabinets in providing information on supply

and demand within the jurisdiction.

3. The United Methodist Church promotes and holds in high

esteem the opportunity of an inclusive church (¶ 4. Article IV)

with the formation of open itineracy (¶ 425.1).

4. Cross-racial and cross-cultural appointments are made

as a creative response to increasing racial and ethnic diversity in

the church and in its leadership. Cross-racial and cross-cultural

appointments are appointments of clergypersons to congrega-

tions in which the majority of their constituencies are different from

the clergyperson’s own racial/ethnic and cultural background.

16. See Judicial Council Decision 492.

348

¶ 425 THE SUPERINTENDENCY

Annual conferences shall prepare clergy and congregations for

cross-racial and cross-cultural appointments. When such appoint-

ments are made, bishops, cabinets, and boards of ordained min-

istry shall provide specic training for the clergypersons so

appointed and for their congregations.

¶ 426. Consultation and Appointment-Making—Consultation is

the process whereby the bishop and/or district superintendent

confer with the pastor and committee on pastor-parish relations,

taking into consideration the criteria of ¶ 427, a performance

evaluation, needs of the appointment under consideration, and

mission of the Church. Consultation is not merely notication.

Consultation is not committee selection or call of a pastor. The role

of the committee on pastor-parish relations is advisory. Consulta-

tion is both a continuing process and a more intense involvement

during the period of change in appointment.

1. The process of consultation shall be mandatory in every

annual conference.

2. The Council of Bishops shall inquire annually of their col-

leagues about the implementation of the process of consultation

in appointment-making in their respective areas.

¶ 427. Criteria—Appointments shall take into account the

unique needs of a charge, the community context, and also the

gifts and evidence of God’s grace of a particular pastor. To assist

bishops, cabinets, pastors, and congregations to achieve an effec-

tive match of charges and pastors, criteria must be developed

and analyzed in each instance and then shared with pastors and

congregations.

1. Congregations—The district superintendent shall develop

with the pastor and the committees on pastor-parish relations

of all churches proles that reect the needs, characteristics,

and opportunities for mission of the charge consistent with the

Church’s statement of purpose. These proles shall be reviewed

annually and updated when appropriate to include:

a) The general situation in which a congregation nds

itself in a particular setting: size, nancial condition, quality of lay

leadership, special needs for pastoral ministry, and history.

b) The convictional stance of the congregation: theology;

prejudices, if any; spiritual life.

17. See Judicial Council Decisions 492, 1174.

18. See Judicial Council Decision 492.

19. See Judicial Council Decision 701.

349

APPOINTMENT-MAKING ¶ 427

c) The ministry of the congregation among its people for

the sake of the community: service programs, basis for adding

new members, reasons for losing members, mission to commu-

nity and world, forms of witness.

d) The qualities and functions of pastoral ministry needed

to fulll the mission, goals, and special needs of the congregation.

2. Pastors—The district superintendent annually shall

develop with the pastor proles reecting the pastor’s gifts, evi-

dence of God’s grace, professional experience and expectations,

and also the needs and concerns of the pastor’s spouse and fam-

ily. These proles shall be reviewed annually and updated when

appropriate to include:

a) Spiritual and personal sensibility: personal faith, call and

commitment to ordained ministry, work through the institutional

church, integration of vocation with personal and family well-

being, lifestyle.

b) Academic and career background: nature of theological

stance, experience in continuing education, professional experi-

ence, record of performance.

c) Skills and abilities: in church administration, leadership

development, worship and liturgy, preaching and evangelism,

teaching and nurturing, interpreting and promoting the connec-

tional giving system, counseling and group work, ability to work

in cooperation, ability in self-evaluation, and other relational

skills.

d) Community context: the ability of the pastor to relate

effectively to his or her community setting, such as rural, town,

urban, suburban, and so forth.

e) Family situation.

3. Community Context—The district superintendent may

develop community proles with the pastor and the committee on

pastor-parish relations. Sources of information for these proles

could include: neighborhood surveys; local, state, and national

census data; information from annual conference committees on

parish and community development; and research data from the

Connectional Table and other Church agencies. Proles may be

reviewed annually and updated when appropriate to include:

a) General demographic data and trends including age,

sex, and racial-ethnic composition of the community.

b) Economic trends, including the incidence of poverty.

c) Projected community changes.

350

¶ 427 THE SUPERINTENDENCY

d) Other sociological, economic, political, historical, and

ecumenical aspects of the community surrounding the church.

¶ 428. Process of Appointment-Making—The process used in

appointment-making shall include:

1. A change in appointment may be initiated by a pastor, a

committee on pastor-parish relations, a district superintendent, or

a bishop.

2. The bishop and the cabinet shall consider all requests for

change of appointment in light of the prole developed for each

charge and the gifts and evidence of God’s grace, professional

experience, and family needs of the pastor.

3. When a change in appointment has been determined, the

district superintendent should meet together or separately with

the pastor and the committee on pastor-parish relations where

the pastor is serving, for the purpose of sharing the basis for the

change and the process used in making the new appointment.

4. All appointments shall receive consideration by the bishop,

the district superintendent(s), and the cabinet as a whole until a

tentative decision is made.

5. The process used in making the new appointment shall

include:

a) The district superintendent shall confer with the pas-

tor about a specic possible appointment (charge) and its congru-

ence with gifts, evidence of God’s grace, professional experience

and expectations, and the family needs of the pastor, identied in

consultation with the pastor (¶ 427.2).

b) If the appointment is to a cooperative parish ministry

or to a charge that is part of a cooperative parish ministry, the fol-

lowing shall be included in the consultation process:

(1) The prospective appointee shall be informed

prior to the appointment that the charge under consideration is

part of a cooperative parish ministry.

(2) The coordinator or director of the cooperative

ministry, or, if there is no coordinator or director, a representa-

tive of the staff of the cooperative ministry, shall be conferred

with concerning the prospective appointment and shall have the

opportunity to meet with the prospective appointee prior to the

appointment being made.

20. See Judicial Council Decision 701.

21. See Judicial Council Decision 556.

22. See Judicial Council Decision 556.

351

APPOINTMENT-MAKING ¶ 429

(3) The prospective appointee shall have demon-

strated skills in cooperative Christian mission or show potential

for the same to ensure that the cooperative venture is strength-

ened during the time of the appointee’s leadership.

c) If the appointment is to a position other than pastor in

charge, the following shall be included in the consultation process:

(1) The prospective appointee shall be informed

prior to the appointment that the position under consideration

is part of a multiple-staff ministry and shall be furnished an ini-

tial written job description approved by the committee on pastor-

parish relations.

(2) The pastor in charge shall be conferred with con-

cerning the prospective appointee.

(3) The prospective appointee and pastor in charge

shall meet for discussion of the job description and mutual

expectations.

6. The district superintendent shall confer with the receiving

committee on pastor-parish relations about pastoral leadership

(¶ 427.1).

7. When appointments are being made to less than full-time

ministry, the district superintendent shall consult with the clergy

person to be appointed and the committee on pastor-parish rela-

tions regarding proportional time, salary, and pension credit and

benet coverage.

8. If during this consultative process it is determined by the

bishop and cabinet that this decision should not be carried out,

the process is to be repeated until the bishop, basing his or her

decision on the information and advice derived from consulta-

tion, makes and xes the appointment.

9. A similar process of consultation shall be available to per-

sons in appointments beyond the local church.

10. When the steps in the process have been followed and

completed, the announcement of that decision shall be made to

all parties directly involved in the consultative process, that is,

the appointment cabinet, the pastor, and the committee on pastor-

parish relations, before a public announcement is made.

¶ 429. Frequency—While the bishop shall report all pastoral

appointments to each regular session of an annual conference,

appointments to charges may be made at any time deemed advis-

able by the bishop and cabinet. Appointments are made with

the expectation that the length of pastorates shall respond to the

352

¶ 429 THE SUPERINTENDENCY

long-term pastoral needs of charges, communities, and pastors.

The bishop and cabinet should work toward longer tenure in local

church appointments to facilitate a more effective ministry.

¶ 430. Appointment of Deacons in Full Connection—The dea-

cons shall be appointed by the bishop in the annual conference

where they are members in full connection. Appointments of

the deacons are to be made in consideration of the gifts and evi-

dence of God’s grace of the deacon, needs of the community, and

the gifts of the congregation and institutions. The appointment

shall reect the nature of the ministry of the deacon as a faithful

response of the mission of the church meeting the emerging needs

in the world (¶ 331). It may be initiated by the individual deacon

in full connection, the agency seeking their service, the bishop, or

the district superintendent.

Section IX. Ecumenical Relationships

¶ 431.1. Full Communion Relationships

a) The Council of Bishops shall have the authority to

enter into ecumenical agreements with other Christian bodies.

However, all proposed denominational level agreements of for-

mal “full communion” relationships and permanent membership

in ecumenical organizations must be approved and ratied by

General Conference, before coming into effect.

b) A formal “full communion” relationship is one that

exists between two or more Christian churches that:

(1) recognize each other as constituent members of

the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church, the body of Christ,

as described in the Holy Scriptures and confessed in the church’s

historic creeds;

(2) recognize the authenticity of each other’s sacra-

ments and welcome one another to partake in the Eucharist,

(3) afrm the authenticity of each church’s Christian

ministry, and

(4) recognize the validity of each other’s ofces of

ministry.

c) A formal “full communion” relationship commits the

churches to working together as partners in mission toward fuller

visible unity.

d) A formal “full communion” relationship is entered

into in order to: (1) actively commit the participants to working

together as partners in mission and co-laborers in the ministry of

353

ECUMENICAL RELATIONSHIPS ¶ 431

Christ Jesus, and (2) as a visible witness to the unity of Christians

in sharing the love of God among all peoples and throughout

creation.

e) A formal “full communion” relationship does not

mean there are no differences or distinctions between churches;

but does mean that these differences are not church dividing.

f) It is understood and afrmed that informal rela-

tionships exist with other Christians at all levels throughout

the church; these relationships are manifested in creative and

dynamic ways and the body of Christ is enriched by the initia-

tive and leadership that takes place at many levels. Formal “full

communion” relationships entered into by General Conference

build upon the faithful unity of Christians in local communities

and throughout God’s creation that bring the compassion, love,

and witness into the lives of a multitude of persons. Formal and

informal relationships among Christians are integral to authentic

Christian ministry.

g) No membership in an ecumenical organization, state-

ment or policy of an ecumenical organization of which The United

Methodist Church is a part, or formal “full communion” agree-

ment shall be construed as modifying, interpreting, or changing

the doctrinal and disciplinary standards of The United Methodist

Church.

h) When a “full communion” relationship has been

approved by General Conference, it will remain in effect until an

action by the General Conference is taken to change it.

2. Liaison Role of the Council of Bishops—1. In formal relations

with other churches and/or ecclesial bodies, the Council of Bish-

ops shall be the primary liaison for The United Methodist Church.

The ecumenical ofcer of the Council of Bishops shall be respon-

sible for these relationships.

3. The Ofce of Christian Unity and Interreligious Relation-

ships shall consult with the Council of Bishops in establishing

the guidelines for the administration of the Interdenominational

Cooperation Fund (see ¶ 814).

4. The United Methodist representatives to ecumenical orga-

nizations in the following paragraphs shall be selected by the

Council of Bishops. Such representatives shall be inclusive in

terms of gender, race and ethnicity, age, persons with disabilities,

and region. Representatives shall reect consideration of balances

required both by The United Methodist Church and the respective

354

¶ 431 THE SUPERINTENDENCY

ecumenical organization. Consideration shall be given to per-

sons named to jurisdictional and central conference pools (see

¶ 705.1.b, c).

When proxies are needed to substitute for United Method-

ist representatives to a specic ecumenical organization, the ecu-

menical ofcer of the Council of Bishops is authorized to name

such proxies. Consideration shall be given to United Methodists

residing in the area of the ecumenical organization’s meeting, and

to the inclusivity of the delegation. The names of proxies shall be

reported at the next meeting of the Council of Bishops.

Representatives and proxies from The United Methodist

Church to various working groups of any of the ecumenical orga-

nizations in the following paragraphs shall be named by the ecu-

menical ofcer of the Council of Bishops.

5. Notwithstanding the other provisions of this section,

should structural changes be voted between sessions of the Gen-

eral Conference by any of the ecumenical organizations in the

following paragraphs, necessitating election of a new group of

United Methodist delegates, the Council of Bishops is authorized

to elect such delegates as may be required.

¶ 432. Financial Support—United Methodist nancial sup-

port of the ecumenical organizations in the following paragraphs

shall be remitted from the Interdenominational Cooperation Fund

through the General Council on Finance and Administration in

accordance with ¶ 814. The general agencies of the Church may

make such payments to these ecumenical organizations as they

deem to be their responsibility and proportionate share in the coop-

erative programs. Such payments shall be reported to the General

Council on Finance and Administration, and that Council shall

include a summary report of United Methodist nancial support in

its annual nancial report to the Church. United Methodist nancial

support of ecumenical dialogues and multilateral conversations,

approved by the Council of Bishops, shall also be remitted from

the Interdenominational Cooperation Fund in the same manner.

¶ 433. Methodist Unity—1. World Methodist Council—a) The

United Methodist Church is a member of the World Methodist

Council, its predecessor Methodist and Evangelical United Breth-

ren churches having been charter members of such body. The

council is a signicant channel for United Methodist relationships

with other Methodist churches and with autonomous Methodist

churches, afliated autonomous Methodist churches, afliated

355

ECUMENICAL RELATIONSHIPS ¶ 433

united churches formerly part of The United Methodist Church

or its predecessor denominations, and other churches with a Wes-

leyan heritage.

b) Each afliated autonomous Methodist church and

each afliated united church that is a member of the World Meth-

odist Council may choose to send delegates either to the General

Conference as proposed in ¶ 570.2, .3 or to the World Method-

ist Council (receiving from the General Administration Fund the

expense of travel and per diem allowances thereto). But no such

church shall be entitled to send delegations at the expense of the

General Administration Fund to both the World Methodist Coun-

cil and the General Conference.

2. Pan-Methodist Commission—Given the relationship and

shared history of the denominations of the Wesleyan tradition in

America, there shall be a Pan-Methodist Commission established

jointly among The African Methodist Episcopal Church, The

African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, The African Union

Methodist Protestant Church, The Christian Methodist Episco-

pal Church, The Union American Methodist Episcopal Church,

and The United Methodist Church. The membership of the com-

mission shall consist of nine persons from each member denomi-

nation, with each denomination naming three bishops, three

clergypersons, and three laypersons to include at least one young

adult. Each denomination will pay the expenses of its delegation

to participate in the work of the commission.

The commission shall work to dene, determine, plan, and,

in cooperation with established agencies of the several denomina-

tions, execute activities to foster meaningful cooperation among

the six Methodist denominations, and to explore possible union

and related issues. The commission may develop one or more

Pan-Methodist coalitions to further meaningful cooperation on a

particular activity or issue.

Each quadrennium, the commission shall plan and convene a

Consultation of Methodist Bishops. The commission shall report

to each of its member denominations through their General Con-

ferences. The commission may be expanded by the inclusion

of other denominations of the Wesleyan tradition and the com-

mission may establish guidelines to provide for such expansion.

Before another Wesleyan or American Methodist denomination

may become a part of the commission, it must have the approval

of its general conference or equivalent.

356

¶ 433 THE SUPERINTENDENCY

3. Striving Toward Union—As a result of our heritage as a part

of a people called Methodist, The United Methodist Church com-

mits itself to strive toward closer relationship with other Method-

ist or Wesleyan churches wherever they may be found (¶ 6).

¶ 434. Covenantal or Conciliar Relationships—The United

Methodist Church strives toward greater Christian unity through

its participation in councils of churches and/or covenantal rela-

tionships. The United Methodist Church may establish covenants

with other Christian churches through bilateral or multilateral

efforts.

1. Churches Uniting in Christ—The United Methodist Church

is a member of Churches Uniting in Christ, its predecessor Meth-

odist and Evangelical United Brethren churches having been

involved in its very beginnings and in all its committees and ple-

nary consultations. The United Methodist Church is in covenantal

relationship with other churches in Churches Uniting in Christ.

2. National or Regional Ecumenical Organizations—a) The

National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.—The United

Methodist Church is a member of the National Council of the

Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., its predecessor Methodist and

Evangelical United Brethren churches having been charter mem-

bers of such body.

b) Other National or Regional Ecumenical Organizations—

The Council of Bishops, shall be in dialogue with United Method-

ists in whatever countries they may reside, and shall coordinate,

explore, and advocate United Methodist participation in regional

ecumenical and interreligious organizations and shall address

the Interdenominational Cooperation Fund funding of nancial

needs and the advisability of support of these organizations.

c) The United Methodist Church shall seek observer sta-

tus in the National Association of Evangelicals. United Methodist

observers to these bodies shall be appointed by the Council of

Bishops.

3. The World Council of Churches and Other International Ecu-

menical Organizations—a) World Council of Churches—The United

Methodist Church is a member of the World Council of Churches,

its predecessor Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren

churches having been charter members of such body.

b) Other International Ecumenical Organizations—The

Council of Bishops shall be in dialogue with United Methodists in

whatever countries they may reside, and shall coordinate, explore,

357

ECUMENICAL RELATIONSHIPS ¶ 438

and advocate United Methodist participation in international

ecumenical and interreligious organizations and shall address

the Interdenominational Cooperation Fund funding of nancial

needs and the advisability of support of these organizations.

c) The United Methodist Church shall seek observer

status in the World Evangelical Fellowship. United Methodist

observers to these bodies shall be appointed by the Council of

Bishops.

¶ 435. The American Bible Society—To encourage the wider cir-

culation and use of the Holy Scriptures throughout the world and

to provide for the translation, printing, and distribution essential

thereto, the American Bible Society shall be recognized as a means

of mission outreach for The United Methodist Church, for which

appropriate entities of The United Methodist Church shall offer

means for seeking the nancial support needed for this program.

¶ 436. As provided in ¶ 431.2, “In formal relations with other

churches and/or ecclesial bodies, the Council of Bishops shall be

the primary liaison for The United Methodist Church.” Further, as

provided in ¶ 403.1e), “The role of the bishop is to be the shepherd

of the whole ock.” Therefore, the bishops of The United Meth-

odist Church are called to lead the Church in its ecumenical and

interreligious ministries.

¶ 437. In pursuit of its responsibilities and in order to deepen

and expand the ecumenical and interreligious ministries of The

United Methodist Church, the Council of Bishops shall receive the

input and support of the Ofce of Christian Unity and Interreli-

gious Relationships.

¶ 438. Membership—Members of the OCUIR shall be elected

by the Council of Bishops as follows:

1. The OCUIR shall be composed of two episcopal members

as determined by the Council of Bishops, including the ecumeni-

cal ofcer of the Council of Bishops. One of the episcopal mem-

bers shall be from a central conference.

2. One person from each jurisdiction, one person from the

central conferences in Africa, one person from the central con-

ferences in Europe, and one person from the central conference

in The Philippines. The bishop who is not the ecumenical of-

cer shall be counted as one of these eight persons. Each juris-

dictional or central conference will nominate two candidates,

and the Council of Bishops will elect members from this pool of

nominees.

358

¶ 438 THE SUPERINTENDENCY

3. It is recommended that the Council of Bishops ensure that

the United Methodist membership persons be inclusive of ethnic

representation, youth, young adults, and women, with a mini-

mum of ve laity.

4. Two members with voice and vote from our Full Commu-

nion Ecumenical Partners

5. The chairperson and secretary of the Council of Bishops

Leadership Team on Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations, or

its successor group, shall be nonvoting members of the OCUIR

Steering Committee.

¶ 439. Staff—1. There shall be an ecumenical staff ofcer of

The United Methodist Church to be selected by the Council of

Bishops. The work of the OCUIR shall be facilitated by the ecu-

menical staff ofcer who shall be in charge of the day-to-day work

of the OCUIR. The ecumenical staff ofcer shall be the OCUIR’s

principal administrative and executive ofcer.

2. Additional staff shall be selected in number and responsi-

bility as determined by the Council of Bishops.

3. The ecumenical staff ofcer shall report to the ecumenical

ofcer of the Council of Bishops. All other staff members shall

report to and serve at the pleasure of the ecumenical staff ofcer.

4. The staff of the OCUIR shall be positioned in locations to

be determined by the Council of Bishops.

¶ 440. Funding—Funding for the ecumenical and interreli-

gious ministries of the Church shall be provided by the Council of

Bishops in one or more clearly identied line items in the Episco-

pal Fund budget request to General Conference.

¶ 441. Responsibilities and powers—Responsibilities and pow-

ers of the OCUIR shall be as assigned by the Council of Bishops.

¶ 442. Full Communion With Other Churches

1. To fulll the vision of full communion between The United

Methodist Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Amer-

ica, there shall be a Joint Commission on ELCA/UMC Full Com-

munion. The commission shall serve the following functions:

a) Coordinate the implementation of action taken by the

two churches to achieve full communion.

b) Assist joint planning for mission.

c) Facilitate consultation and common decision making

through appropriate channels in fundamental matters that the

churches may face together in the future.

d) Report regularly and appropriately to each church.

359

COMMITTEE ON FAITH AND ORDER ¶ 445

The United Methodist membership of this commission shall

be the ccumenical ofcer of the Council of Bishops and one lay

and one clergy member of OCUIR elected by OCUIR.

2. The Council of Bishops shall receive reports of the ongoing

partnership of The UMC in the central conferences that are in full

communion with Lutheran Churches and other denominations in

order to learn from each other how to “provide leadership toward

the goal of understanding, reconciliation, and unity within the

Church—The United Methodist Church and the church univer-

sal” (¶ 403.1e).

Section X. Committee on Faith and Order

¶ 443. There shall be a Committee on Faith and Order related

and amenable to the Council of Bishops. This relationship shall be

collaborative, with attention paid in particular to working with

the persons designated by Council of Bishops.

¶ 444. Purpose—The Committee on Faith and Order shall

give leadership to The United Methodist Church in reecting

upon, discerning and living out matters of faith, doctrinal teach-

ing, order, and discipline in the midst of mission and ministry in

the church and world. The committee shall be a visible expression

of the commitment of The United Methodist Church to carry on

informed theological reection for the present time in dynamic

continuity with the historic Christian faith, our common heritage

as Christians grounded in the apostolic witness, and our distinc-

tive Wesleyan heritage. The committee shall be charged with three

broad responsibilities:

1. Upon request of the Council of Bishops, to support and

provide resources to the council in its responsibility to “guard,

transmit, teach, and proclaim, corporately and individually, the

apostolic faith as it is expressed in Scripture and tradition, and,

as they are led and endowed by the Spirit, to interpret that faith

evangelically and prophetically” (¶ 414.3).

2. To lead and coordinate studies commissioned by the Gen-

eral Conference in matters related to the faith, doctrine, order, and

discipline of the church.

3. To prepare and provide resources and study materials to

The United Methodist Church as deemed appropriate.

¶ 445. Responsibilities—The responsibilities of the Committee

on Faith and Order shall be:

360

¶ 445 THE SUPERINTENDENCY

1. To provide a venue and context for ongoing conversation

on matters of faith, doctrine, order, and discipline.

2. To draw upon scholars and scholarship in biblical studies,

biblical theology, systematic theology, historical theology, Chris-

tian ethics, Wesleyan studies, practical theology, missiology, and

other areas thereby providing expertise and knowledge to lead

and assist the church in addressing matters of faith and order crit-

ical to the life, ministry and mission of the church.

3. To provide research and resourcing for the Council of Bish-

ops upon their request in matters related to faith, doctrine, order

and discipline.

4. To receive and administer mandates from the General Con-

ference for studies on matters that require signicant inquiry into

and application of the faith and order of the church.

5. To bring studies, materials, or publications as appropri-

ate to the Council of Bishops or to the General Conference for

approval and action.

6. To make provision for the preparation and dissemination

of study documents and materials for the Church upon request of

the Council of Bishops, or the General Conference.

7. To coordinate and provide for effective interaction and

communication among various study committees, commissions,

and teams when multiple studies have been mandated.

¶ 446. Authorities and Powers—The Committee on Faith and

Order shall have the authority and power to fulll all the respon-

sibilities noted in ¶¶ 444 and 445.

¶ 447. Membership—The Committee on Faith and Order

(CFO) shall be organized each quadrennium and shall be com-

posed of sixteen persons.

1. Nominations to the CFO shall be made by the CFO Execu-

tive Committee, in consultation with the General Board of Higher

Education and Ministry and the Ofce of Christian Unity and

Interreligious Relationships, and sent to the Council of Bishops

and to the entire Committee on Faith and Order for their review.

2. Four bishops shall serve as members, one of whom shall

be the ecumenical ofcer of the Council of Bishops of The United

Methodist Church and three other bishops as assigned by the

Council of Bishops. At least one of the bishops shall be from cen-

tral conferences.

3. New members of the committee shall be elected by the

Council of Bishops at its spring meeting in the year of the Gen-

361

COMMITTEE ON FAITH AND ORDER ¶ 448

eral Conference each quadrennium. Election shall be for a term

of eight (8) years, and no person shall serve as a member of the

Committee on Faith and Order for more than sixteen (16) years in

succession. The classes of membership shall be established so that

the terms of service of 50 percent of the membership expire when

their successors are seated at the organizational meeting of the

committee following each General Conference.

4. The composition of the committee, and all sub-committees

and teams, shall attend to lay and clergy status, racial/ethnic

and gender diversity, and regional representation. It shall model

effective representation of the theological diversity of The United

Methodist Church. The Council of Bishops shall exercise over-

sight in the nomination and election of members with regard to

inclusiveness, diversity, and representation. Vacancies occurring

during any quadrennium shall be lled by the CFO Executive

Committee in consultation with the Council of Bishops.

5. The committee may, in consultation and collaboration with

the Council of Bishops, carry out any mandated study internally

or may create such sub-committees and teams using members

from within the committee and others beyond the committee as

may be required by the volume and complexity of work.

6. Membership on the board of directors of any other general

agency, or serving as a staff member of a general agency, does

not make one ineligible to serve as a member of this committee,

¶¶ 710.5 and 715.6 to the contrary notwithstanding, and the

limitations specied in ¶ 710.4 for membership on general agen-

cies shall not apply to anyone as a result of membership on this

committee.

¶ 448. Organization—The Committee on Faith and Order

shall be organized as follows:

1. The committee shall elect from its episcopal membership

a chairperson and from its total membership other ofcers as it

may determine.

2. There shall be an executive committee of the CFO with

powers as determined by the CFO.

3. The committee shall meet for organizational purposes each

quadrennium prior to the end of the rst quarter of the year fol-

lowing the year in which the General Conference is held.

4. The committee shall meet at least annually and at such

other times as it shall deem necessary. A majority of members of

the committee shall constitute a quorum.

362

¶ 449 THE SUPERINTENDENCY

¶ 449. Stafng—Staff for the work of the Committee on Faith

and Order shall be provided as determined by the Council of Bish-

ops in consultation with the Executive Committee of the Commit-

tee on Faith and Order. The Council of Bishops may request staff

assistance and consultation from agencies and other bodies of the

Church.

¶ 450. Funding—In collaboration with the Council of Bishops,

the Committee on Faith and Order shall propose its budget as part

of the Episcopal Fund, to be approved by General Conference.

This legislation or any portion of it approved by General Con-

ference (¶¶ 443-450) shall take effect at the close of General Con-

ference 2016.

363

Chapter Four

THE CONFERENCES

The United Methodist Church is a connectional structure

maintained through its chain of conferences.

Section I. The General Conference

¶ 501. Denition of Powers—The General Conference has full

legislative power over all matters distinctively connectional (see

¶ 16, Division Two, Section II, Article IV, The Constitution). It has

no executive or administrative power.

¶ 502. Composition—1. The voting membership of the Gen-

eral Conference shall consist of:

a) An equal number of clergy and lay delegates elected

by the annual conferences as provided in the Discipline. The mis-

sionary conferences and provisional annual conferences shall be

considered as annual conferences for the purposes of this para-

graph. Annual conferences are urged to seek inclusiveness (as

dened in ¶ 140) in the election of delegates.

b) Delegates from The Methodist Church in Great Britain

and other autonomous Methodist churches with which concordat

agreements have been established providing for mutual election

and seating of delegates in each other’s highest legislative confer-

ences (¶¶ 13.2, 13.3; 574).

2. The number of delegates to which an annual conference

is entitled shall be computed on a two-factor basis: the number

of clergy members of the annual conference, and the number of

members of local churches in the annual conference.

The term clergy members as used in this paragraph shall refer

to both active and retired members of the annual conference

(¶ 602.1).

3. Delegates to the General Conference shall be elected at the

session of the annual conference held not more than two annual

conference sessions before the calendar year preceding the ses-

sion of the General Conference. At least thirty days prior to the

beginning of that calendar year, the secretary of the General Con-

ference shall notify the bishop and the secretary of each annual

1. See Judicial Council Decisions 435, 592.

2. See Judicial Council Decisions 327, 333, 1051.

364

¶ 502 THE CONFERENCES

conference of the number of delegates to be elected by that annual

conference.

4. The secretary of each annual conference, using the certi-

cate of election form supplied by the secretary of the General Con-

ference, shall report to the secretary of the General Conference the

names, addresses, and such other information as may be required

for delegates and reserves elected by the annual conference.

5. The secretary of the General Conference shall prepare

and send to each annual conference secretary credentials to be

signed and distributed to the delegates and reserves elected by

the annual conference.

¶ 503. Presiding Ofcers—The bishops shall be the presiding

ofcers at the General Conference.

¶ 504. Election of Secretary-Designate—1. The Council of Bish-

ops shall present a nomination from the ordained ministry or

lay membership of The United Methodist Church for secretary-

designate.

Other nominations shall be permitted from the oor. The elec-

tion, if there be two or more nominees, shall be by ballot.

2. Assumption of Ofce—The secretary-designate shall assume

the responsibilities of the ofce of secretary as soon after the

adjournment of the General Conference as all work in connection

with the session has been completed, including the corrections

to the Daily Christian Advocate, which serves as the ofcial jour-

nal of the General Conference. Upon publication, all translations

of the Daily Christian Advocate shall be made available as a daily

downloadable le, free of charge, on the denominational website.

The exact date of the transfer of responsibility to the secretary-

designate shall be determined by the Commission on the General

Conference, but shall not be later than December 31, following the

adjournment of the General Conference.

3. Assigned Duties—The secretary, in cooperation with the

Commission on the General Conference, shall initiate procedures

to prepare delegates from central conferences for full participation

in the General Conference by providing information concerning

both the operation of the General Conference and materials it will

consider. As far as possible, the materials should be provided in

the languages of the delegates. After consultation with the Coun-

cil of Bishops, the secretary shall issue invitations to ecumenical

representatives.

3. See Judicial Council Decisions 435, 592.

365

THE GENERAL CONFERENCE ¶ 507

¶ 505. Rules of Order—The Plan of Organization and Rules of

Order of the General Conference shall be the Plan of Organization

and Rules of Order as approved by the preceding General Confer-

ence until they have been altered or modied by the action of the

General Conference.

¶ 506. Quorum—When the General Conference is in session,

it shall require the presence of a majority of the whole number

of delegates to the General Conference to constitute a quorum

for the transaction of business; but a smaller number may take

a recess or adjourn from day to day in order to secure a quorum,

and at the nal session may approve the journal, order the record

of the roll call, and adjourn sine die.

¶ 507. Petitions to General Conference—Any organization,

clergy member, or lay member of The United Methodist Church

may petition the General Conference in the following manner:

1. The petition must be sent to the secretary of the General

Conference or a designated petitions secretary. It shall be in typed

or printed form, or other means approved by the secretary of the

General Conference, and shall follow a format determined by that

ofcer.

2. Each petition must address only one issue if the Discipline

is not affected; if the Discipline is affected, each petition must

address only one paragraph of the Discipline, except that, if two

or more paragraphs in the Discipline are so closely related that

a change in one affects the others, the petition may call for the

amendment of those paragraphs also to make them consistent

with one another. Petitions dealing with more than one paragraph

in the Discipline that do not meet these criteria are invalid. Peti-

tions that meet these criteria (composite petitions) shall not be

separated into pieces.

3. Each petition must be signed by the person submitting it,

accompanied by appropriate identication, such as address, local

church, or United Methodist board or agency relationship. Each

petition submitted by fax or electronic mail must identify the indi-

vidual submitting it, accompanied by identication as above, and

must contain a valid electronic mail return address or return fax

number by which the submitter can be reached. Electronic sig-

natures will be accepted in accordance with common business

practice.

4. All petitions submitted to the General Conference, except

those submitted by individual members of The United Methodist

366

¶ 507 THE CONFERENCES

Church and local church groups, which call for the establishment

of new programs or the expansion of existing programs will be

invalid unless accompanied by supporting data that address the

issue of anticipated nancial requirements of the program.

5. Petitions must be postmarked by a national postal service

no later than 230 days prior to the opening session of the General

Conference.

6. If petitions are transmitted by a means other than a national

postal service, they must be in the hands of the petitions secretary

no later than 230 days prior to the opening session of the General

Conference.

Exceptions to the time limitations shall be granted for peti-

tions originating from an annual conference session held between

230 and 45 days prior to the opening session of the General Con-

ference, and for other petitions at the discretion of the Committee

on Reference.

7. Petitions adopted and properly submitted by annual con-

ferences, jurisdictional and central conferences, the Division on

Ministries With Young People, or general agencies or councils of

the Church, and petitions properly submitted by individual mem-

bers (either clergy or lay) of The United Methodist Church and

local church groups, provided that they have been received by the

petitions secretary or secretary of the General Conference no later

than 230 days before the opening of General Conference, shall be

printed in the Advance Edition of the Daily Christian Advocate.

8. Petitions and/or resolutions not printed in the Advance

Edition of the Daily Christian Advocate shall be printed or copied

and provided to all delegates. Where the content of petitions is

essentially the same, the petition will be printed once, with the

rst author named and the number of additional copies received

printed. Upon publication, all translations of the Advance Edition

of the Daily Christian Advocate shall be made available as a down-

loadable le, free of charge, on the denominational website

9. The secretary of the General Conference shall arrange for

electronic access to all petitions, including General Conference

action and the resulting impact on The Book of Discipline of The

United Methodist Church, throughout the General Conference ses-

sion. This access shall be available until the publication of the new

edition of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church.

Implementation shall be according to guidelines established by

the Committee on Plan of Organization and Rules of Order.

367

THE GENERAL CONFERENCE ¶ 510

10. All petitions that have been approved by a legislative

committee shall receive a vote by the plenary session at that year’s

General Conference.

11. All petitions that have been submitted to the General

Conference shall receive a vote of a legislative committee.

¶ 508. Legislation Effective Date—All legislation of the General

Conference of The United Methodist Church shall become effec-

tive January 1 following the session of the General Conference at

which it is enacted, unless otherwise specied (¶ 543.19).

¶ 509. Speaking for the Church—1. No person, no paper, no

organization, has the authority to speak ofcially for The United

Methodist Church, this right having been reserved exclusively

to the General Conference under the Constitution. Any written

public policy statement issued by a general Church agency shall

clearly identify either at the beginning or at the end that the state-

ment represents the position of that general agency and not neces-

sarily the position of The United Methodist Church (¶ 718).

2. Any individual member called to testify before a legislative

body to represent The United Methodist Church shall be allowed

to do so only by reading, without elaboration, the resolutions and

positions adopted by the General Conference of The United Meth-

odist Church.

¶ 510. Duties of the Secretary—The secretary of the General

Conference shall be responsible for the permanent record of the

General Conference, which shall include:

1. Corrections to the Daily Christian Advocate. The editor will

then le with the Commission on Archives and History two bound

copies of the Daily Christian Advocate and corrections as the ofcial

record of General Conference. Bound copies shall also be made

available at cost by The United Methodist Publishing House.

2. A Book of Resolutions to be edited by The United Methodist

Publishing House. The book shall contain all valid resolutions of

the General Conference. The preface of the Book of Resolutions shall

include the guidelines for writing resolutions.

a) All valid resolutions of the General Conference of The

United Methodist Church shall be published in each edition of

the Book of Resolutions. There shall be a complete subject index and

index of Scripture passages to all valid resolutions of the General

Conference of The United Methodist Church in each edition of the

4. See Judicial Council Decision 458.

368

¶ 510 THE CONFERENCES

Book of Resolutions. Resolutions are ofcial expressions of The

United Methodist Church for eight years following their adop-

tion, after which time they shall be deemed to have expired unless

readopted. Those that have expired shall not be printed in subse-

quent editions of the Book of Resolutions. The Book of Resolutions

shall be made available on the ofcial website of The United

Methodist Church.

b) The program boards and agencies shall review all

valid resolutions and recommend to the General Conference the

removal of time-dated material.

c) Resolutions to be an ofcial part of the Book of Reso-

lutions will require a 60 percent afrmative vote at General

Conference.

3. The Advance Edition of the Daily Christian Advocate and

the Daily Christian Advocate.

4. All original documents of a General Conference shall be

led with the General Commission on Archives and History.

¶ 511. Commission on the General Conference—There shall be

a Commission on the General Conference, hereinafter called the

commission.

1. Membership—a) The voting members of the commission

shall be elected quadrennially by the General Conference and shall

consist of twenty-ve members as follows: one person from each

US jurisdiction, one person from each of the seven central confer-

ences, one young adult, one youth, the chairperson of the host

committee, and ten additional members. The additional members

shall be allocated to reect the proportionate membership based

upon combined clergy and lay membership of the church.

b) Members shall be nominated from the elected delegates to

the General Conference by the Council of Bishops prior to General

Conference and elected by the General Conference for a term of

eight years. Additional persons who meet the qualications may

be nominated from the oor of General Conference. The com-

mission shall reect a balance of clergymen and clergywomen,

laywomen and laymen, and the diverse character of The United

Methodist Church. Approximately half of the commission shall be

elected by the General Conference each quadrennium.

c) If vacancies occur, the Council of Bishops shall elect geo-

graphically appropriate successors to serve through the next ses-

sion of the General Conference and then nominate for election by

the General Conference persons to serve any remainder term.

369

THE GENERAL CONFERENCE ¶ 511

d) The secretary of the General Conference, the treasurer

of the General Council on Finance and Administration, the busi-

ness manager of the General Conference, and a bishop named by

the Council of Bishops shall have the right to the oor without the

privilege of voting. The business manager of the General Confer-

ence shall be the chief administrative ofcer of the commission.

2. Ofcers—The ofcers of the commission shall be a chair-

person, a vice-chairperson, and a secretary, all of whom shall

be elected by the commission at the quadrennial organizational

meeting. They shall serve until the adjournment of the next suc-

ceeding quadrennial session of the General Conference after their

election and until their successors are duly elected and qualied.

3. Committees—a) Executive Committee—There shall be an

executive committee of the commission, consisting of the ofcers

of the commission, the chairperson of the host committee, the

bishop serving on the commission, the secretary of the General

Conference, the business manager of the General Conference, and

the chairperson and secretary of the Committee on the Plan of

Organization and Rules of Order.

b) Committee on the Plan of Organization and Rules of

Order—The commission shall organize a Committee on the Plan

of Organization and Rules of Order from within its membership.

The composition of the committee shall be determined by the

commission. The committee shall be organized at the initial meet-

ing of the commission following General Conference. It shall elect

its own chairperson and secretary, who will serve on the commis-

sion’s executive committee. The committee shall study and con-

sider any proposed amendments to the Plan of Organization and

Rules of Order and make needed changes and adaptations to be

presented to the entire Commission on the General Conference for

approval and submission to the General Conference. Any other

matters relating to parliamentary order or procedure in the busi-

ness of the General Conference may be referred to this committee.

4. Responsibilities—a) The commission shall select the site

and set the dates of the General Conference up to four quadrennia

in advance and shall send an ofcial notice to all elected delegates

announcing specically the opening day and hour of the General

Conference and anticipated time of adjournment.

b) The commission shall plan the schedule for the open-

ing day of the Conference and shall further advise the delegates in

advance of all such special events and orders of the day, the dates

370

¶ 511 THE CONFERENCES

and times of which have been determined prior to the opening of

the General Conference, in order that the delegates may have an

overview of the General Conference program.

c) The commission, in cooperation with The United Meth-

odist Publishing House, shall make all necessary arrangements

for the publication of the Advance Edition of the Daily Christian

Advocate and quadrennial reports of the Connectional Table and

the general agencies of the church in English, French, Portuguese,

and Kiswahili (standard), and for all delegates to have timely

(90-day period) and convenient access to the most linguistically

appropriate translation of these documents. The commission

shall also make arrangements for daily schedules, petition lists,

nominations information, and other high-importance information

published in the English version of the Daily Christian Advocate to

also be made available in each of these languages in a timely and

convenient way.

d) The commission shall take necessary measures to

assure full participation of all General Conference delegates includ-

ing but not limited to providing accommodation for languages

and physical challenges of the delegates, and access to approved

licensed childcare during the session at or near the site of the Gen-

eral Conference for children of General Conference delegates.

e) The commission shall recommend to the General Con-

ference the per diem allowance to be paid to the elected delegates

for housing and meals.

f) The commission shall set the number of legislative

committees and the assignment of legislative materials to those

committees in consultation with the secretary of the General Con-

ference and the business manager of the General Conference.

5. The secretary of the General Conference shall calculate

the number of delegates to be elected by each annual conference,

based on the factors specied in ¶ 502.1, 2, using the most recent

clergy and professing lay membership gures reported by the

local congregation to the annual conference and from the annual

conference to the General Council on Finance and Administration

through their conference journals, as follows:

a) One clergy delegate for the rst 375 clergy members of

the annual conference and one clergy delegate for each additional

375 clergy members or major fraction thereof,

and

5. See Judicial Council Decisions 327, 558.

371

THE JURISDICTIONAL CONFERENCE ¶ 512

b) One clergy delegate for the rst 26,000 members of

local churches of the annual conference and one clergy delegate

for each additional 26,000 local church members or major fraction

thereof, and

c) A number of lay delegates equal to the total number of

clergy delegates authorized as above.

d) Every annual conference shall be entitled to at least

one clergy and one lay delegate.

e) This formula is designated to comply with the Con-

stitution, Division Two, Section II, Article I (¶ 13), which denes

the minimum and maximum number of delegates to a General

Conference. Should the computations provided in the paragraph

result in a gure below the prescribed minimum or above the pre-

scribed maximum for delegates, the Commission on the General

Conference shall be authorized to remedy the situation by adjust-

ing up or down the numbers of clergy members and members

of local churches of the annual conference necessary to entitle an

annual conference to elect delegates, any such adjustment to be

proportionally the same for the two factors.

Section II. The Jurisdictional Conference

¶ 512. Interjurisdictional Committee on Episcopacy—1. There

shall be an Interjurisdictional Committee on Episcopacy elected

by the General Conference consisting of the persons nominated

by their annual conference delegations to serve on the several

jurisdictional committees on episcopacy.

The committee shall

meet not later than the fth day of the conference session and

at the time and place set for their convening by the president of

the Council of Bishops and shall elect from their number a chair-

person, vice chairperson, and secretary. The function of this joint

committee shall be to discuss the possibility of transfers of bish-

ops across jurisdictional lines at the forthcoming jurisdictional

conferences for residential and presidential responsibilities in the

ensuing quadrennium; and to review on the basis of missional

needs an application from a jurisdiction which, by number of

its church members as provided in ¶ 404, would experience a

reduction in the number of its bishops, and recommend the num-

ber of bishops to which that jurisdiction should be entitled to the

6. See Judicial Council Decisions 687, 1274.

7. See Judicial Council Decision 472.

372

¶ 512 THE CONFERENCES

General Conference for determination by the General Conference.

This provision regarding missional needs is enabling, and it is

not constraining on the power of General Conference to act in the

absence of a recommendation from the committee.

It shall elect an executive committee consisting of the ofcers

named above and two clergy and two laypersons from the nomi-

nees to each jurisdictional committee, elected by that committee

to conduct consultations with bishops and others interested in

possible episcopal transfers. One of the persons elected from each

jurisdiction shall be the chairperson, or the chairperson’s desig-

nee, of the jurisdictional committee. The executive committee shall

meet at the call of the chairperson, and it shall have plenary power

for the full committee between full committee sessions. It shall be

responsible to the interjurisdictional committee, and in fulllment

of that responsibility and in the interest of continuity of the work

of the committee, the outgoing chairperson, or the chairperson’s

designee, shall present a report to the newly seated committee on

the previous quadrennium’s work as well as recommendations

on what the coming quadrennium’s work might include.

A record of the proceedings of the committee shall be kept by

the Ofce of Episcopal Services of the General Council on Finance

and Administration.

2. A bishop may be transferred across jurisdictional lines only

when that bishop has consented to such transfer and has served

at least one quadrennium in or under assignment by the juris-

diction in which the bishop was elected. Such a transfer shall be

concluded when the committee on episcopacy of each jurisdiction

involved has approved the transfer(s) by a majority vote of those

present and voting, insofar as the transfer(s) affects those jurisdic-

tions. (See ¶ 49, Article V.)

3. The Interjurisdictional Committee on Episcopacy shall be

recognized as the ofcial body through which cross-jurisdictional

transfers shall be arranged. Should a bishop request transfer, the

bishop has the option to identify the receiving jurisdiction. A

jurisdiction may request that a specic bishop be transferred or

may indicate a willingness to accept a bishop transferring from

another jurisdiction. Request for transfer from either a bishop or

jurisdictional committees on episcopacy shall be received by the

Interjurisdictional Committee on Episcopacy by April 1 of the year

8. See Judicial Council Decision 745.

373

THE JURISDICTIONAL CONFERENCE ¶ 518

preceding the year of jurisdictional conferences. The Interjuris-

dictional Committee on Episcopacy will arrange consultation

between bishop(s) requesting transfer and the appropriate juris-

dictional committee(s) on episcopacy by January 1 of the year of

jurisdictional conference(s). Once the jursidictional committee(s)

on episcopacy has taken action, jurisdictional conference secretar-

ies shall inform the Interjurisdictional Committee on Episcopacy

not later than August 1 following jurisdictional conferences.

4. The Interjurisdictional Committee on Episcopacy will

report to each General Conference the action taken during the

previous quadrennium.

¶ 513. Equal Status—All jurisdictional conferences shall have

the same status and the same privileges of action within the limits

xed by the Constitution.

¶ 514. Membership—The membership of each jurisdictional

conference shall consist of an equal number of clergy and lay

delegates elected by the annual conferences as provided in the

Discipline. Consideration shall be given to electing an inclusive

delegation (¶¶ 124, 140). The number of delegates to which an

annual conference is entitled shall be twice the number of its Gen-

eral Conference delegates, except when the application of that

formula results in a total number of delegates to a jurisdictional

conference less than 100. In that event, the secretary of the General

Conference shall adjust the number of delegates to the jurisdic-

tional conference in the same proportion among the annual and

missionary conferences of the jurisdiction to achieve a total of 100,

ensuring that no annual or missionary conference shall be repre-

sented by fewer than four delegates.

¶ 515. Election of Delegates—The clergy and lay delegates and

reserves to the jurisdictional conferences shall be elected by ballot

in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

¶ 516. Deliberations—The clergy and lay delegates shall delib-

erate in one body.

¶ 517. Convening Date—Each jurisdictional conference shall

meet within the period prescribed by the Constitution at such

time and place as shall have been determined by the preceding

jurisdictional conference or by its properly constituted committee.

¶ 518. Rules of Order—The jurisdictional conference shall

adopt its own procedure, rules, and plan of organization. It shall

9. See Judicial Council Decision 745.

10. See Judicial Council Decision 592.

374

¶ 518 THE CONFERENCES

take a majority of the whole number of delegates elected to make

a quorum for the transaction of business; however, a smaller num-

ber may take a recess or adjourn from day to day and at the nal

session may approve the journal, order the record of the roll call,

and adjourn sine die.

¶ 519. Expenses—The jurisdictional conference shall provide

for the expenses of its sessions.

¶ 520. The jurisdictional conferences shall provide for the

accounts of the jurisdictional treasurer for the preceding scal

year to be audited by a certied public accountant within 150

days after the close of the conference scal year and to provide for

the report to be distributed to each of the presiding bishops and

conference treasurers and in the jurisdiction.

¶ 521. Special Sessions—1. The jurisdictional conference may

order a special session in such manner as it shall determine.

2. The College of Bishops of a jurisdiction by a two-thirds vote

shall have authority to call a special session of the jurisdictional

conference when necessary; provided, however, that if an epis-

copal area is left vacant by reason of death, retirement, or other

cause within twenty-four months of the episcopal assumption of

presidential supervision of that area, the College of Bishops may

by majority vote convene within three months, after giving not

less than thirty days’ notice, a special session of the jurisdictional

conference for the purpose of electing and consecrating a bishop

and of considering any other matters specied in the call; and

provided further, that in such case the current jurisdictional com-

mittee on episcopacy may recommend to the conference reassign-

ment of one or more of the previously elected bishops.

3. The delegates to a special session of the jurisdictional confer-

ence shall be the delegates last elected by each annual conference.

4. A called session of the jurisdictional conference cannot

transact any other business than that indicated in the call.

¶ 522. Presiding Bishops—The jurisdictional conference shall

be presided over by the bishops of the jurisdiction or a bishop of

another jurisdiction or of a central conference. In case no bishop

of the jurisdiction is present, the conference may elect a president

from the clergy delegates.

¶ 523. Accountability—Bishops elected by or administering in

a jurisdictional conference shall be amenable for their conduct to

their jurisdictional conference. Any bishop shall have the right of

appeal to the Judicial Council.

375

THE JURISDICTIONAL CONFERENCE ¶ 524

¶ 524. Jurisdictional Committee on Episcopacy—1. There shall

be a jurisdictional committee on episcopacy consisting of one

clergy and one lay delegate to the jurisdictional conference

from each annual conference elected by the jurisdictional con-

ference upon nomination of their respective annual conference

delegations.

The committee shall be convened by the president of the

College of Bishops at the close of the jurisdictional conference to

which the delegates have been elected. It shall serve through the

succeeding jurisdictional conference.

The committee shall elect from its members a chairperson, a

vice chairperson, and a secretary. It shall meet at least annually.

Should there be a vacancy in an annual conference’s elected

representation on the jurisdictional committee on episcopacy by

death, resignation, election to the episcopacy, cessation of mem-

bership in the annual conference from which one is elected, or for

other reasons that the annual conference delegation may deter-

mine, the annual conference delegation shall nominate another

person to ll the vacancy. That person may begin to serve on the

committee as a nominee until the jurisdictional conference can

elect.

2. The jurisdictional conference shall provide funding for the

expenses of the jurisdictional committee on episcopacy.

3. The jurisdictional committee on episcopacy shall:

a) Review and evaluate annually the work of the bish-

ops, pass on their character and ofcial administration, and report

such evaluations and other ndings to the jurisdictional confer-

ence for such action as the conference may deem appropriate

within its constitutional warrant of power. The evaluation shall

include those areas of responsibility outlined in ¶ 414, ¶ 415, and

¶ 416 as well as the bishop’s leadership in the promotion and sup-

port of the full payment of apportionments. The committee may,

in its sole discretion, also forward its report to the president of

the College of Bishops, who shall then share the report with the

Council of Bishops in executive session.

b) Recommend boundaries of the episcopal areas and the

assignments of the bishops.

c) Be available to the Council and College of Bishops for

consultation on matters of mutual concern.

11. See Judicial Council Decision 517.

376

¶ 524 THE CONFERENCES

d) Determine the number of effective bishops eligible for

assignment.

e) Receive and act upon requests for possible voluntary

and involuntary retirement of bishops; however, as provided in

¶ 408.3a), the committee may initiate on its own motion the pro-

cess of involuntary retirement when it is seen to be in the best

interest of the Church.

f) Initiate or receive and act upon a request for transfer of

one or more of the members of its jurisdiction’s College of Bishops

to another jurisdiction’s College of Bishops or upon a request for

transfer of a member of another jurisdiction’s College of Bishops

to its jurisdiction’s College of Bishops. As provided in ¶ 512.2, no

such transfer may be completed without the afrmative vote of

a majority of the members of the committee present and voting.

g) Consult with the conference committees on episco-

pacy with respect to the needs for episcopal leadership and how

best they can be fullled.

h) Establish a consultation process with each bishop

regarding his or her episcopal assignment.

i) Prepare a report of its decisions, activities, and recom-

mendations to be transmitted to its successor through the ofce of

the secretary of the jurisdictional conference. The report shall be

made available to delegates of the jurisdictional conference prior

to the jurisdictional conference.

¶ 525. Powers and Duties of Jurisdictional Conference—The juris-

dictional conference shall have powers and duties as described in

the Constitution. It shall also have such other powers and duties

as may be conferred by the General Conference. It shall act in all

respects in harmony with the policy of The United Methodist

Church with respect to elimination of discrimination based upon

race.

¶ 526. Denition of Church Members—In all elections in a juris-

dictional conference that are based on the number of church mem-

bers within that jurisdiction, the number counted shall include

lay members, clergy members, and bishops assigned to that

jurisdiction.

¶ 527. Annual Conference Journals—The jurisdictional con-

ference shall have authority to examine and acknowledge the

journals of the annual conferences within its bounds and shall

make such rules for the drawing up of the journals as may seem

necessary.

377

THE JURISDICTIONAL CONFERENCE ¶ 532

¶ 528. Jurisdictional Conference Journals—The jurisdictional

conference shall keep an ofcial journal of its proceedings, duly

signed by the secretary and president or secretary of the College

of Bishops, which shall be deposited in accordance with ¶ 1711.3

j, k and with the secretary of the General Conference. The printing

shall be done at the expense of the jurisdiction.

J A

¶ 529. Agencies—The jurisdictional conference shall have the

authority to appoint or elect such agencies as the General Con-

ference may direct or as it deems necessary for its work. Insofar

as possible, the membership on councils, boards, and agencies of

the jurisdictional conference shall include one-third clergy, one-

third laywomen, and one-third laymen in keeping with the poli-

cies for general Church agencies, except for the Board of Ordained

Ministry and the jurisdictional committee on episcopacy. Special

attention shall be given to the inclusion of clergywomen, youth,

young adults, older adults, single adults, persons with disabili-

ties, persons from churches of small membership, and racial and

ethnic persons. (See ¶ 710.9a-c.) Every board, standing committee,

commission, council, and work area of the jurisdiction shall des-

ignate one of its members as its coordinator of witness ministries.

These persons shall help the agencies of which they are members

to engage in witness ministries and, in particular, to ask, “How

are we intentionally reaching new people for Jesus Christ through

our ministries?” and “How are we helping new people grow and

mature as disciples of Jesus Christ through our ministries and

areas of responsibility?”

¶ 530. Coordination of Programs—In each jurisdiction of The

United Methodist Church there may be a jurisdictional council on

ministries or jurisdictional administrative council, or alternative

structure, organized as the jurisdiction shall determine and with

the authority to coordinate the programs of the general agencies

within the jurisdiction.

¶ 531. Program Agencies—In each jurisdiction there may be

jurisdictional program agencies related to the general program

agencies and the appropriate annual conference program agen-

cies organized as the jurisdictional conference shall determine.

¶ 532. Archives and History—1. There shall be a jurisdictional

commission on archives and history, auxiliary to the general

commission, to be composed of the chairperson of each annual

378

¶ 532 THE CONFERENCES

conference commission on archives and history or the historian

of each annual conference, the president of the jurisdictional his-

torical society, and at least ve members at large to be elected by

the jurisdictional commission, or composed in a way the jurisdic-

tional conference determines.

¶ 533. Jurisdictional Young People’s Ministries—1. Jurisdictions

shall engage youth, young adults, and adults who work with

them in creative partnership to:

a) Network youth, young adults and young people’s

ministries throughout the region,

b) Support young people’s ministries in the annual con-

ferences, and

c) Provide a process by which representatives are chosen

and sent to the Global Young People’s Convocation and the Divi-

sion on Ministries With Young People.

2. Jurisdictions are encouraged to organize their Young Peo-

ple’s Ministries in creative ways that work best for their context.

The jurisdictional young people’s ministries coordinator shall

help design, maintain, and revise any processes to accomplish

this work.

In any process or coordinating group for Jurisdictional Young

People’s Ministries, the following representation is encouraged:

a) Participants from each conference in the jurisdiction

b) Racial/ethnic representation that reects the demo-

graphic make-up of the jurisdiction

c) Participants who bring a variety of theological and cul-

tural perspectives

d) Youth and young adults who may or may not also be

serving on Conference Councils of Youth/Young Adult Ministry

e) Adult workers who may or may not also be conference

youth/young adult staff or similar designee

3. There shall be a jurisdictional young people’s ministries

coordinator who shall be accountable to the jurisdictional council

on ministries or equivalent structure and the jurisdictional young

people’s ministries coordinating team. This coordinator may or

may not be the same person as the adult representative to the

Division on Ministries With Young People of the General Board

of Discipleship.

4. Responsibility to Choose Representatives to the Division on

Ministries With Young People—Using a process appropriate to each

379

THE JURISDICTIONAL CONFERENCE ¶ 533

jurisdiction’s context, the Jurisdictional Young People’s Ministries

shall:

a) Choose one youth member to serve on the Division on

Ministries With Young People of the General Board of Disciple-

ship for a four-year term. Youth chosen to serve on the Division

on Ministries With Young People shall be age sixteen or younger

at the time of appointment.

b) Nominations shall come from annual conference coun-

cils on youth ministry or equivalent structure, local churches, dis-

tricts, conference youth coordinators, or other Interested clergy

or laity.

c) The Jurisdictional Young People’s Ministries should

ensure that either the youth or young adult representative (who is

elected in the jurisdictional election) will be a racial/ethnic young

person.

d) As far as possible, members of the Division on Minis-

tries With Young People from each jurisdiction shall be from two

different annual conferences in that jurisdiction.

5. Responsibility to Choose Representatives to Attend the Global

Young People’s Convocation—In the year prior to the Global Young

People’s Convocation, Jursidictional Young People’s Ministries

shall choose ve youth and one adult to serve as voting delegates

to the Global Young People’s Convocation.

6. Other suggested responsibilities for the Jurisdictional

Young People’s Ministries:

a) Initiate and support jurisdictional events (camps, con-

ferences, workshops, and so forth).

b) Recommend priorities, concerns, and/or policies to

the Division on Ministries With Young People.

c) Promote the establishment and awareness of the needs,

concerns, issues, and so forth,of racial and ethnic persons through

caucuses, camps, consultations, and so forth.

d) Promote the spiritual growth of participants in the

jurisdictional young people’s ministry events and activities.

e) Promote an evangelistic outreach with young people

and through young people by providing educational opportuni-

ties and resources that increase their awareness, exposure, and

engagement in the areas of mission, social justice, discipleship,

leadership development, and spiritual formation as they relate

back to their annual conference and local church.

f) Provide training and supportive experiences for con-

ference young people’s ministries personnel.

380

¶ 533 THE CONFERENCES

g) Enable communication between general and confer-

ence levels of young people’s ministries.

¶ 534. There may be a jurisdictional young-adult organiza-

tion for the purpose of networking young adults throughout the

region, supporting young-adult ministries in the annual confer-

ences, and supporting young adult workers in their ministry.

¶ 535. Committee on Ordained Ministry—There may be a juris-

dictional committee on ordained ministry. This committee shall

be comprised of the chair of the conference boards of ordained

ministry or their representatives, the deans/presidents of the

United Methodist seminaries in the jurisdiction, two representa-

tives from the College of Bishops and three members at large,

named by the committee to insure inclusivity. Deacons and lay-

persons shall be represented in the committee. When a jurisdic-

tional board of higher education and ministry exists, this board

may be a part of that structure. The duties of the committee may

include: providing information on supply and demand and

encouraging mobility across conference lines; to create a forum

for the discussion of issues related to representative ministry; to

deal with matters of enlistment and recruitment; to create dia-

logue with seminaries serving the jurisdiction; to enable ethnic

ministries in the jurisdictions. Funding shall be provided through

the jurisdictional conference and the annual conference boards of

ordained ministry.

¶ 536. Constitution of United Methodist Women in the Jurisdic-

tion—Article 1. Name—In each jurisdiction there shall be a juris-

diction organization named United Methodist Women, directly

related to the United Methodist Women’s national organization.

Article 2. Authority—Each jurisdiction organization of United

Methodist Women shall have authority to promote its work in

accordance with the program and policies of the United Method-

ist Women’s national organization.

Article 3. Membership—The voting membership of the juris-

diction organization of United Methodist Women shall be com-

posed of the members of the Jurisdiction Leadership Team; three

members elected by each conference organization, members of

the board of directors of United Methodist Women and the mem-

bers of the United Methodist Women Program Advisory Group

in organizations within the jurisdiction; a representative of the

jurisdiction Association of Deaconesses, Home Missioners/Home

Missionaries; and all the active bishops of the jurisdiction.

381

THE JURISDICTIONAL CONFERENCE ¶ 537

Article 4. Meetings and Elections—a) There shall be a meet-

ing of the jurisdiction organization of United Methodist Women

during the last year of the quadrennium. At that time the juris-

diction president, members of the Jurisdiction Leadership Team

and members of the board of directors of the United Methodist

Women’s national organization shall be elected according to the

Discipline (¶¶ 647.6d, 1906).

b) There may be other gatherings as needed to fulll the

purpose.

Article 5. Amendments—Proposed amendments to the consti-

tution shall be sent to the recording secretary of United Method-

ist Women for consideration by the board of directors. The last

date for consideration of any amendments will be the last regular

meeting of the board of directors before the date by which it must

submit proposed legislation for action of the General Conference.

¶ 537. Committee on United Methodist Men—In each jurisdic-

tion there shall be a jurisdictional committee on United Methodist

Men, auxiliary to the General Commission on United Methodist

Men (¶ 2301).

The membership of the jurisdictional committee on United

Methodist Men shall be composed of the elected ofcers, com-

mittee chairpersons, and ministry coordinators as dened by

the organizations’ bylaws as well as the conference president of

United Methodist Men of each annual conference organization

within the boundary of the jurisdiction.

Each jurisdictional committee on United Methodist Men shall

have authority to promote its work in accordance with the poli-

cies and programs of the General Commission on United Method-

ist Men.

The jurisdictional committee on United Methodist Men shall

elect the jurisdictional president during the last year of the qua-

drennium. The jurisdictional president shall serve on the General

Commission on United Methodist Men (¶ 2303.1b). Jurisdictional

presidents who serve less than a full quadrennial term may be

re-elected for a full term. There may be meetings, retreats, and

cooperative training events held by the jurisdictional committee

on United Methodist Men.

The jurisdictional committee on United Methodist Men shall

secure funds for the fulllment of its purpose. All funds from

whatever source secured by the jurisdictional committee on

382

¶ 537 THE CONFERENCES

United Methodist Men belong to the organization and shall be

disbursed only in accordance with its constitution and/or by-

laws and by its order.

a) The jurisdictional committee on United Methodist

Men may have their own bank accounts.

b) It is recommended that there be an annual nancial

audit.

¶ 538. United Methodist Volunteers in Mission—It is recom-

mended that there be a jurisdictional volunteer-in-mission

(UMVIM) coordinator for the purpose of coordination of vol-

unteers, in collaboration with annual conference UMVIM and

Disaster Response Coordinators within their jurisdiction and

the Global Ministries Mission Volunteer Ofce. The jurisdic-

tional coordinator may network to coordinate opportunities and

resources for volunteers in collaboration with the General Board

of Global Ministries and other UMC agencies as requested. The

Jurisdictional UMVIM Coordinator may communicate the need

for Early Response Teams within their region in collaboration

with UMCOR.

¶ 539. Administrative Review Committee—The jurisdictional

conference shall establish from its membership an administrative

review committee of at least three persons who are not members

of the jurisdictional committee on episcopacy. Its only purpose

shall be to ensure that the disciplinary procedures for any invol-

untary action recommended by the jurisdictional committee on

episcopacy are properly followed. The entire administrative pro-

cess leading to the action for change of status of the bishop shall

be reviewed by the administrative review committee, and it shall

report its ndings to the jurisdictional committee on episcopacy

and the jurisdictional conference prior to any action by those bod-

ies. The administrative review committee shall notify the parties

of the review process. The administrative fair process hearing

procedures (¶ 361.2) should be followed by the administrative

review committee. Prior to its report, if the committee determines

that any error has occurred, it may recommend to the appropriate

person or body that action be taken promptly to remedy the error,

decide the error is harmless, or take other action.

Section III. Central Conferences

¶ 540. Authorization—1. In territory outside the United

States, annual conferences, provisional annual conferences, mis-

383

CENTRAL CONFERENCES ¶ 541

sionary conferences, mission conferences, and missions, in such

numbers as the General Conference by a two-thirds vote shall de-

termine, may be organized by the General Conference into central

conferences or provisional central conferences, with such duties,

privileges, and powers as are hereinafter set forth and as the Gen-

eral Conference by a two-thirds vote shall prescribe.

2. There shall be such central conferences as have been autho-

rized or shall be hereafter authorized by the General Conference,

provided that a central conference shall have a total of at least

thirty clergy and thirty lay delegates on the basis of representation

as set forth in this section, except as the General Conference may

x a different number.

3. The United Methodist Church shall have central confer-

ences with ministries in the following countries:

a) Africa Central Conference: Angola, Botswana, Burundi,

Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Swa-

ziland, South Africa, South Sudan, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe;

b) Central and Southern Europe Central Conference: Alba-

nia, Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic,

France, Hungary, Republic of Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Ser-

bia, Slovak Republic, Switzerland, Tunisia;

c) Congo Central Conference: Central African Republic,

Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Tanzania,

Zambia;

d) Germany Central Conference: Germany;

e) Northern Europe and Eurasia Central Conference: Belarus,

Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lith-

uania, Moldova, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Tajikistan, Ukraine,

Uzbekistan;

f) Philippines Central Conference: Philippines;

g) West Africa Central Conference: Burkina Faso, Camer-

oon, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger,

Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone.

4. A provisional central conference may become a central

conference upon the fulllment of the necessary requirements

and upon the authorization of the General Conference.

¶ 541. Composition—1. The central conference shall be com-

posed of clergy and lay members in equal numbers, the clergy

members elected by the clergy members of the annual conference

and the lay members by the lay members thereof. Their quali-

cations and the manner of election shall be determined by the

384

¶ 541 THE CONFERENCES

central conference itself, subject only to constitutional require-

ments. Each annual conference and provisional annual confer-

ence shall be entitled to at least two clergy and two lay delegates,

and no other selection of delegates shall be authorized that

would provide for more than one clergy delegate for every six

clergy members of an annual conference; except that a majority

of the number xed by a central conference as the ratio of rep-

resentation shall entitle an annual conference to an additional

clergy delegate and to an additional lay delegate. Each mission-

ary conference and mission is authorized to elect and send one of

its members to the central conference concerned as its represen-

tative, said representative to be accorded the privilege of sitting

with the committees of the central conference, with the right to

speak in the committees and in the regular sessions of the cen-

tral conference, but without the right to vote. Representatives of

missionary conferences or missions shall have the same claim

for payment of expenses as is allowed to members of the central

conference.

2. In the case of a central conference, the rule of proportionate

representation shall be applied by each annual conference.

¶ 542. Organization—1. The rst meeting of a central confer-

ence shall be called by the bishop or bishops in charge at such

time and place as they may elect, to which members of the annual

conferences, provisional annual conferences, missionary confer-

ences, and missions concerned shall be elected on the basis of

representation as provided herein. The time and place of future

meetings shall be determined by the central conference or its exec-

utive committee.

2. Each central conference shall meet within the year suc-

ceeding the session of the General Conference at such time and

place as the central conference itself or its bishops may determine

for the purpose of electing bishops when vacancies occur and for

attending to other matters as required. The central conference has

the right to hold such adjourned sessions as it may determine. The

sessions of said conference shall be presided over by the bishops.

In case no bishop is present, the conference shall elect a temporary

president from among its own members. The bishops resident in

a central conference or a majority of them, with the concurrence

of the executive committee or other authorized committee, shall

12. See Judicial Council Decision 371.

385

CENTRAL CONFERENCES ¶ 543

have the authority to call an extra session of the central conference

to be held at the time and place designated by them.

3. The Council of Bishops may assign one or more of its

number to visit any central conference or provisional central

conference. When so assigned, the bishop shall be an accredited

representative of the general Church, and when requested by a

majority of the bishops resident in that conference may exercise

therein the functions of the episcopacy.

4. The presiding ofcer of the central conference shall decide

questions of order, subject to an appeal to the central confer-

ence, and shall decide questions of law, subject to an appeal to

the Judicial Council, but questions relating to the interpretation

of the rules and regulations made by the central conference for

the governing of its own session shall be decided by the central

conference.

5. A central conference, where the laws of the land permit,

shall have the power to organize and incorporate one or more

executive committees, executive boards, or councils of coopera-

tion, with such membership and such powers as may have been

granted by the central conference for the purpose of representing

it in its property and legal interests and for transacting any neces-

sary business that may arise in the interval between the sessions

of the central conference or that may be committed to said boards

or committees by the central conference.

6. Each central conference within the bounds of which the

General Board of Global Ministries has work shall maintain a

cooperative and consultative relationship with the said board

through a duly constituted executive committee, executive board,

or council of cooperation; but the legal distinction between the

General Board of Global Ministries and the organized church on

the eld shall always be kept clear.

¶ 543. Powers and Duties—1. To a central conference shall

be committed for supervision and promotion, in harmony with

the Discipline and interdenominational contractual agreements,

the missionary, educational, evangelistic, industrial, publishing,

medical, and other connectional interests of the annual confer-

ences, provisional annual conferences, missionary conferences,

and missions within its territory and such other matters as may be

13. See Judicial Council Decision 371.

14. See Judicial Council Decisions 375, 376, 381.

386

¶ 543 THE CONFERENCES

referred to it by said bodies or by order of the General Conference;

and it shall provide suitable organizations for such work and elect

the necessary ofcers for the same.

2. A central conference, when authorized by a specic

enabling act of the General Conference, may elect one or more

bishops from among the traveling elders of The United Method-

ist Church. The number of bishops to be elected by each central

conference shall be determined from time to time by the General

Conference.

3. When a central conference shall have been authorized to

elect bishops, such elections shall be conducted under the same

general procedure as prevails in the jurisdictional conferences for

the election of bishops. A central conference shall have power to

x the tenure of bishops elected by the said central conference.

4. The General Council on Finance and Administration shall

determine the apportionment amounts for the annual conferences

of the central conferences for the succeeding quadrennium based

on calculation methodology approved by the General Conference

upon recommendation by the Council. This determination shall

be informed by consultation with the Council of Bishops.

5. A central conference, in consultation with the bishops of

that central conference, shall x the episcopal areas and residences

and make assignments to them of the bishops who are to reside in

that central conference. The bishops of a central conference shall

arrange the plan of episcopal visitation within its bounds.

6. A central conference shall have authority to elect and sup-

port general ofcers in all departments of the work of the Church

within the boundaries of the central conference but may not deter-

mine the number of bishops.

7. A central conference shall have power to make such

changes and adaptations of the Book of Discipline as the special

conditions and the mission of the church in the area require, espe-

cially concerning the organization and administration of the work

on local church, district, and annual conference levels, provided

that no action shall be taken that is contrary to the Constitution

and the General Rules of The United Methodist Church, and pro-

vided that the spirit of connectional relationship is kept between

the local and the general church. Subject to this restriction, a cen-

tral conference may delegate to an annual conference within its

15. See Judicial Council Decisions 311, 430.

387

CENTRAL CONFERENCES ¶ 543

boundaries the power to make one or the other of the changes

and adaptations referred to in this paragraph, upon the request of

such annual conference.

8. A central conference shall x the boundaries of the annual

conferences, provisional annual conferences, missionary confer-

ences, and missions within its bounds, proposals for changes rst

having been submitted to the annual conferences concerned as

prescribed in the Discipline of The United Methodist Church. No

annual conference shall be organized with fewer than thirty-ve

clergy members except as provided by an enabling act for the

quadrennium, which shall not reduce the number below twenty-

ve. Nor shall an annual conference be continued with fewer than

twenty-ve clergy members except as provided by an enabling

act for the quadrennium.

9. A central conference may advise its annual conferences and

provisional annual conferences to set standards of character and

other qualications for admission of lay members.

10. A central conference shall have power to make changes

and adaptations in procedure pertaining to the annual, district,

and charge conferences within its territory and to add to the busi-

ness of the annual conference supplementary questions consid-

ered desirable or necessary to meet its own needs.

11. A central conference shall have authority to examine and

acknowledge the journals of the annual conferences, provisional

annual conferences, missionary conferences, and missions located

within its bounds and to make rules for the drawing up of the

journals as may seem necessary.

12. A central conference shall have authority to adopt rules

of procedure governing the investigation and trial of its clergy,

including bishops, and lay members of the Church and to pro-

vide the necessary means and methods of implementing the said

rules; provided, however, that the ordained ministers shall not

be deprived of the right of trial by a clergy committee, and lay

members of the Church of the right of trial by a duly constituted

committee of lay members; and provided also, that the rights of

appeal shall be adequately safeguarded.

16. See Judicial Council Decision 313.

17. See Judicial Council Decisions 525, 541, 549.

18. See Judicial Council Decisions 310, 595.

388

¶ 543 THE CONFERENCES

13. A central conference is authorized to prepare and trans-

late simplied or adapted forms of such parts of the ritual as it

may deem necessary, such changes to require the approval of the

resident bishop or bishops of the central conference.

14. A central conference shall have the power to conform

the detailed rules, rites, and ceremonies for the solemnization of

marriage to the statute laws of the country or countries within its

jurisdiction.

15. Subject to the approval of the bishops resident therein, a

central conference shall have the power to prescribe courses of

study, including those in the vernaculars, for its ministry, both

foreign and indigenous, including local preachers, lay servants,

Bible women, deaconesses, teachers—both male and female—and

all other workers whatsoever, ordained or lay. It shall also make

rules and regulations for examination in these courses.

16. A central conference shall have authority to edit and pub-

lish a central conference Discipline, which shall contain in addition

to the Constitution of the Church such sections from the general

Discipline of The United Methodist Church as may be pertinent to

the entire Church and also such revised, adapted, or new sections

as shall have been enacted by the central conference concerned

under the powers given by the General Conference.

17. In a central conference or provisional central conference

using a language other than English, legislation passed by a Gen-

eral Conference shall not take effect until twelve months after the

close of that General Conference in order to afford the necessary

time to make adaptations and to publish a translation of the leg-

islation that has been enacted, the translation to be approved by

the resident bishop or bishops of the central conference. This pro-

vision, however, shall not exclude the election of delegates to the

General Conference by annual conferences within the territory of

central conferences or provisional central conferences.

18. A central conference is authorized to interpret Article

XXIII of the Articles of Religion (page 71) so as to recognize the

governments of the country or countries within its territory.

19. A central conference shall have power to authorize the

congregations in a certain state or country to form special orga-

nizations in order to receive the acknowledgment of the state

or country according to the laws of that state or country. These

organizations shall be empowered to represent the interests of the

Church to the authorities of the state or country according to the

389

CENTRAL CONFERENCES ¶ 546

rules and principles of The United Methodist Church, and they

shall be required to give regular reports of their activities to their

respective annual conferences.

20. A central conference may, with the consent of the bishops

resident in that conference, enter into agreements with churches

or missions of other denominations for the division of territory

or of responsibility for Christian work within the territory of the

central conference.

21. A central conference shall have the right to negoti-

ate with other Protestant bodies looking toward the possibility

of church union; provided that any proposals for church union

shall be submitted to the General Conference for approval before

consummation.

¶ 544. [Reserved]

¶ 545. Records and Archives—1. The journal of the proceed-

ings of a central conference, duly signed by the president and

secretary, shall be sent for examination to the General Confer-

ence through its secretary. Two paper copies in every transla-

tion shall be sent without charge to the General Commission on

Archives and History and the General Council on Finance and

Administration, and one copy of a digital version shall be sent

along with the paper copies, if available. It is recommended that

the journal include memoirs of deceased clergy and deceased

clergy spouses.

2. The secretary of a central conference in which one or

more bishops have been chosen shall report to the secretary of

the General Conference the names of the bishop or bishops and

the residences to which they have been assigned by the central

conference.

3. The secretary of each central conference shall submit a

hardcopy of every translation and adaptation of the general Dis-

cipline or portion thereof in use in that central conference to the

General Commission on Archives and History and the General

Council on Finance and Administration.

¶ 546. Property—1. A central conference, through a duly

incorporated property-holding body or bodies, shall have author-

ity to purchase, own, hold, or transfer property for and on behalf

of all the unincorporated organizations of The United Methodist

Church within the territory of that central conference or on behalf

19. See Judicial Council Decision 350.

390

¶ 546 THE CONFERENCES

of other organizations of The United Methodist Church that have

entrusted their property to that central conference.

2. A central conference shall have authority to make the nec-

essary rules and regulations for the holding and management of

such properties; provided, however, that (a) all procedure shall be

subject to the laws of the country or countries concerned; (b) no

transfer of property shall be made from one annual conference to

another without the consent of the conference holding title to such

property; and (c) the status of properties held by local trustees or

other holding bodies shall be recognized.

3. A central conference shall not directly or indirectly,

through its incorporated property-holding body or bodies, alien-

ate property or proceeds of property without due consideration of

its trusteeship for local churches, annual conferences, the General

Board of Global Ministries, and other organizations, local or gen-

eral, of the Church.

4. A central conference or any of its incorporated organiza-

tions shall not involve the General Board of Global Ministries

or any organization of the Church in any nancial obligation

without the ofcial approval of said board or organization. All

invested funds, duciary trusts, or property belonging to an

annual conference, a provisional annual conference, a mission-

ary conference, or a mission, or any of its institutions, acquired

by bequest, donation, or otherwise and designated for a specic

use, shall be applied to the purpose for which they were desig-

nated. They shall not be diverted to any other purpose, except

by the consent of the conference or mission involved and with

the approval of the central conference concerned and civil court

action when necessary. The same rule shall apply to similar funds

or properties acquired by a central conference for specic objects.

In cases involving the diversion of trust funds and properties

within the territory of a central conference, the central confer-

ence concerned shall determine the disposition of the interests

involved, subject to an appeal to the judicial court of the central

conference.

¶ 547. Conference Agencies—1. A central conference may have

a standing committee on women’s work. This committee should

preferably be composed of the women delegates and such other

persons as the central conference may elect. The duty of this

committee shall be to study the relation of women to the Church

and to devise ways and means of developing this portion of the

391

CENTRAL CONFERENCES ¶ 547

Church membership, to the end that it may assume its rightful

responsibilities in the extension of the Kingdom. The committee

shall make recommendations to the central conference regard-

ing women’s organizations within its areas. A central conference

organization may become a member of the World Federation of

Methodist Women and may elect a representative to the World

Federation of Methodist Women within the provisions of the

federation.

2. A central conference may organize a women’s unit, after

consultation with the committee on women’s work, in connec-

tion with any annual conference or provisional annual conference

within its bounds and provide a constitution and bylaws for it.

3. A central conference that adapts and edits the Discipline

as provided in ¶ 543.16 shall establish a judicial court, which in

addition to other duties that the central conference may assign to

it shall hear and determine the legality of any action of the central

conference taken under the adapted portions of the Discipline or

of a decision of law by the presiding bishop of the central confer-

ence pertaining to the adapted portions of the Discipline, upon

appeal by the presiding bishop or by one-fth of the members

of the central conference. Further, the judicial court shall hear

and determine the legality of any action of an annual conference

taken under the adapted portions of the Discipline or of a decision

of law by the presiding bishop of the annual conference pertain-

ing to the adapted portion of the Discipline, upon appeal of the

presiding bishop or of such percentage of the members of the

annual conference as may be determined by the central confer-

ence concerned.

4. A central conference may have a standing committee on

young people’s ministry. This committee shall be composed of

youth, young adults, and adult leaders of youth or young-adult

ministry from each annual conference in the central conference.

The duty of this committee shall be to study the relation of young

people to the Church and to devise ways and means of develop-

ing the Church’s ministry for, with, and by young people. The

committee shall make recommendations to the central conference

regarding youth and young-adult organizations within its areas

as well as elect delegates to the Global Young People’s Convoca-

tion (¶ 1210).

5. Every board, standing committee, commission, council,

and work area of the central conference shall designate one of its

392

¶ 547 THE CONFERENCES

members as its coordinator of witness ministries. These persons

shall help the agencies of which they are members to engage in

witness ministries and, in particular, to ask, “How are we inten-

tionally reaching new people for Jesus Christ through our minis-

tries?” and “How are we helping new people grow and mature

as disciples of Jesus Christ through our ministries and areas of

responsibility?”

¶ 548. Bishops in Retired Relation—1. An ordained minister

who has served a term or part of a term as a bishop in a cen-

tral conference where term episcopacy has prevailed shall, upon

retirement from the effective relation in the ministry, be paid an

allowance from the General Episcopal Fund in such sum as the

General Council on Finance and Administration shall determine

for the years during which the ordained minister served as a

bishop.

2. When former central conferences of The United Meth-

odist Church become or have become autonomous churches or

entered into church unions, retired bishops therein shall continue

to have membership in the Council of Bishops if the retired bish-

ops involved so desire.

Section IV. Provisional Central Conferences

¶ 560. Authorization—Annual conferences, provisional an-

nual conferences, missionary conferences, and missions outside

the United States that are not included in central conferences or in

the territory of afliated autonomous churches and that, because

of geographical, language, political, or other considerations,

have common interests that can best be served thereby, may be

organized into provisional central conferences as provided in

¶ 540.1.

The United Methodist Church shall have a provisional central

conference with ministries in the following countries:

a) Southeast Asia and Mongolia Provisional Central Confer-

ence: Laos, Mongolia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

¶ 561. Organization—The organization of provisional central

conferences shall conform to the regulations prescribed for cen-

tral conferences insofar as they are considered applicable by the

bishop in charge.

20. See Judicial Council Decision 394.

21. See Judicial Council Decision 525.

393

PROVISIONAL CENTRAL CONFERENCES ¶ 567

¶ 562. Powers—The General Conference may grant to a provi-

sional central conference any of the powers of a central conference

except that of electing bishops.

¶ 563. Ad Interim Provisions—In the interval between Gen-

eral Conferences, the General Board of Global Ministries, upon

the recommendation of the bishops in charge and after consulta-

tion with the annual conferences, provisional annual conferences,

missionary conferences, and missions concerned, may make

changes in the boundaries of a provisional central conference

and may grant to a provisional central conference or to any of its

component parts any of the powers of a central conference except

that of electing bishops. All changes in boundaries and all grants

of powers authorized by the General Board of Global Ministries

shall be reported to the ensuing session of the General Conference

and shall expire at the close of that session unless renewed by the

General Conference.

¶ 564. Lay Membership—An annual conference or a provi-

sional annual conference in the eld of a provisional central con-

ference shall have the power to set standards of character and

other qualications for admission of its lay members.

¶ 565. Ad Interim Provisions for Conferences Outside the United

States—To annual conferences, provisional annual conferences,

missionary conferences, and missions that are outside the United

States and are not included in central conferences or provisional

central conferences, the General Conference may grant any of the

powers of central conferences except that of electing bishops; and

in the interval between General Conferences, the General Board

of Global Ministries may grant such powers when requested to

do so by the bishop in charge and by the annual conference, pro-

visional annual conference, missionary conference, or mission

concerned.

¶ 566. Episcopal Supervision—The General Conference shall

make provision for the episcopal supervision of work in the terri-

tory outside the United States that is not now included in central

conferences.

¶ 567. The Council of Bishops may provide, if and when nec-

essary, for episcopal visitation of mission elds not included in

central or provisional central conferences.

22. See Judicial Council Decision 403.

394

¶ 570 THE CONFERENCES

Section V. Autonomous Methodist Churches,

Afliated Autonomous Methodist Churches,

Afliated United Churches, Covenanting Churches,

Concordat Churches

¶ 570. Churches located outside the boundaries of the juris-

dictional conferences and which have entered into relationship

with or have agreements with The United Methodist Church,

including that of sending representatives to General Conference

of The United Methodist Church are described as follows:

1. Autonomous Methodist Churches

a) A self-governing church of the Wesleyan tradition and

which may or may not have entered into the Act of Covenanting

with The United Methodist Church.

b) Autonomous Methodist churches are not entitled to

send delegates to the General Conference of The United Method-

ist Church.

2. Afliated Autonomous Methodist Churches

a) A self-governing Methodist church in whose establish-

ment The United Methodist Church or one of its constituent mem-

bers (The Evangelical United Brethren Church and The Methodist

Church or their predecessors) has assisted and which by mutual

agreement has entered into a Covenant of Relationship (in effect

from 1968 to 1984) or an Act of Covenanting (see ¶ 573) with The

United Methodist Church.

b) Each afliated autonomous Methodist church shall be

entitled to two delegates, one clergy and one layperson, to the

General Conference of The United Methodist Church in accor-

dance with ¶ 433.1b. They shall be entitled to all the rights and

privileges of delegates, including membership on committees,

except the right to vote. Such a church having more than 70,000

full members shall be entitled to one additional delegate. At least

one of the three delegates shall be a woman. The bishop or presi-

dent of the afliated autonomous Methodist churches may be

invited by the Council of Bishops to the General Conference.

3. Afliated United Churches

a) A self-governing church which is formed by the unit-

ing of two or more denominations, at least one of which shall

have been related to The United Methodist Church or one of its

constituent members (The Evangelical United Brethren Church

and The Methodist Church or its predecessors).

b) Each afliated united church shall be entitled to two

395

AUTONOMOUS/AFFILIATED AUTONOMOUS CHURCHES ¶ 570

delegates, one clergy and one layperson, to the General Con-

ference of The United Methodist Church in accordance with

¶ 433.1b. They shall be entitled to all the rights and privileges of

delegates, including membership on committees, except the right

to vote. Such a church having more than 70,000 full members shall

be entitled to one additional delegate. At least one of the three del-

egates shall be a woman. The bishop or president of the afliated

united churches may be invited by the Council of Bishops to the

General Conference.

4. Covenanting Churches

a) An autonomous Methodist church, an afliated auton-

omous Methodist church, an afliated united church, or another

Christian church which has entered into a covenanting relation-

ship with The United Methodist Church through an Act of Cov-

enanting as described in ¶ 573.

b) The Act of Covenanting does not warrant that the cov-

enanting churches shall be entitled to delegates at the General

Conference of The United Methodist Church, or at the equivalent

body of the covenant partner.

5. Methodist Churches With Concordat Agreements

a) Other Methodist churches which have Methodist heri-

tage in common with The United Methodist Church or one of its

constituent members (The Evangelical United Brethren Church

and The Methodist Church or its predecessors) and which have

entered into concordat agreements in accord with ¶ 574 with the

purpose of manifesting the common Methodist heritage, afrm-

ing the equal status of the two churches and expressing mutual

acceptance and respect, and creating opportunities for closer fel-

lowship between the two churches, especially on the leadership

level.

b) Such concordat agreement, with the exception of The

Methodist Church of Great Britain (see ¶ 13.3), shall entitle the

two churches to the following rights and privileges:

(1) The two churches, entering a concordant relation-

ship, shall each elect two delegates, one clergy and one lay, to be

seated in each other’s General Conference or equivalent bodies

with all rights and privileges. The agreements with the Method-

ist Church of Mexico and the Methodist Church of the Caribbean

and the Americas shall be honored.

(2) The host church shall make provisions for hospi-

tality, including room and board, for the delegates of the other

396

¶ 570 THE CONFERENCES

concordat church. Travel and other expenses shall be the respon-

sibility of the visiting church.

¶ 571. Autonomous Methodist Churches, Afliated Autonomous

Methodist Churches, and Afliated United Churches—1. Certicates

of church membership given by clergy in one church shall be

accepted by clergy in the other church.

2. When the requirements of such a Methodist church for its

ordained ministry are comparable to those of The United Meth-

odist Church, clergy may be transferred between its properly

constituted ministerial bodies and the annual and provisional

annual conferences of The United Methodist Church and their

ordination(s) recognized as valid, with the approval and consent

of the bishops or other appointive authorities involved in compli-

ance with ¶ 347.

3. A program of visitation may be mutually arranged by the

Council of Bishops in cooperation with the equivalent leader-

ship of the autonomous Methodist church, afliated autonomous

Methodist church, and/or afliated united church.

4. The Council of Bishops, in consultation with the General

Board of Global Ministries and the Ofce of Christian Unity and

Interreligious Relationships, shall work out plans of cooperation

with these churches. The General Board of Global Ministries shall

serve as the agent of The United Methodist Church for a continu-

ing dialogue looking to the establishment of mission priorities

with special reference to matters of personnel and nance.

B A A M,

A A M,

 A U C  C C

¶ 572. When conferences outside the United States that are

parts of The United Methodist Church desire to become an auton-

omous Methodist, afliated autonomous Methodist, or afliated

united church, approval shall rst be secured from the central

conference involved and this decision be ratied by the annual

conferences within the central conference by two-thirds majority

of the aggregate votes cast by the annual conferences.

1. The conference shall prepare a historical record with rea-

sons why afliation and/or autonomy is requested and shall con-

23. See Judicial Council Decision 692.

24. See Judicial Council Decisions 548, 1062.

397

AUTONOMOUS/AFFILIATED AUTONOMOUS CHURCHES ¶ 573

sult with the Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters

(¶ 2201) on proceedings for afliation and/or autonomy.

2. The Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters

and the conferences involved shall mutually agree on the confes-

sion of faith and the constitution of the new church. These shall

be prepared with care and shall be approved by the conferences.

3. Preparation of its Discipline is the responsibility of the

conference(s) desiring afliation and/or autonomy.

4. Upon recommendation of the Standing Committee on

Central Conference Matters, when all disciplinary requirements

for afliated and/or autonomous relationship have been met,

the General Conference through an enabling act shall approve of

and grant permission for the conference(s) involved to become

an autonomous Methodist, afliated autonomous Methodist, or

afliated united church.

5. Then the central conference involved shall meet, declare

the present relationship between The United Methodist Church

and the conference(s) involved dissolved, and reorganize as

an autonomous Methodist, afliated autonomous Methodist,

or afliated united church in accordance with the enabling act

granted by the General Conference. The Standing Committee on

Central Conference Matters shall assist in this process and, when

the plans are consummated, report to the Council of Bishops. The

proclamation of afliated and/or autonomous status shall then be

signed by the president of the Council of Bishops and the secre-

tary of the General Conference.

6. A plan of cooperation shall be developed in accordance

with ¶ 571.4.

B  C C

¶ 573. 1. A covenanting relationship, whose elements were

adopted by the 1992 General Conference in an action called an

“Act of Covenanting Between Christian Churches and The United

Methodist Church” may be established between autonomous

Methodist churches, afliated autonomous Methodist churches,

afliated united churches, or other Christian churches and The

United Methodist Church.

a) The purpose of an Act of Covenanting with another

Christian church is to encourage a new sense of global common

cause, mutual support, mutual spiritual growth, common study

of Scripture and culture, creative interaction as ministers in the

398

¶ 573 THE CONFERENCES

mission of God’s church, cross-fertilization of ideas about ways to

be in that mission, sharing of resources, and exploration of new

forms of service directed at old and emerging needs.

b) An Act of Covenanting will include recognition of our

respective baptisms as different facets of the one baptism; recog-

nition of one another as authentic expressions of the one holy,

catholic, and apostolic church of Jesus Christ; recognition of the

ordained ministries of the two churches; commitment to system-

atic participation in full eucharistic fellowship; and commitment

to function in new ways of partnership, visitations, and programs.

c) For The United Methodist Church, oversight of the

covenantal relationships is the responsibility of the Council of

Bishops, while participation in specic projects is the responsibil-

ity of the appropriate general agency or agencies.

2. The Council of Bishops shall represent The United Meth-

odist Church in developing an Act of Covenanting with a pro-

spective partner church. The Council of Bishops shall make

recommendations to General Conference as to the specic cove-

nanting agreements. When approved by General Conference and

by the chief legislative body of the partner church, the Act of Cov-

enanting becomes effective when signed by the president of the

Council of Bishops and the secretary of the General Conference

of The United Methodist Church and by the authorized persons

in the covenanting church. The text of each Act of Covenanting as

adopted shall be printed in the appropriate General Conference

journal or equivalent.

C A

¶ 574. Concordat Agreements—1. With the exception of The

Methodist Church of Great Britain, such concordats may be estab-

lished by the following procedure:

a) The Methodist church shall, through its major deci-

sion-making body, request a concordat relationship with The

United Methodist Church through the Council of Bishops. Con-

cordats may also be initiated by The United Methodist Church

acting through the Council of Bishops who shall, in cooperation

with the Methodist church in question, ascertain that all disciplin-

ary conditions are met and then prepare the necessary enabling

legislation for adoption by the General Conference.

25. See Judicial Council Decision 692.

399

AUTONOMOUS/AFFILIATED AUTONOMOUS CHURCHES ¶ 575

b) When such concordat agreement has been approved

by the General Conference, the Council of Bishops shall prepare

a statement of the concordat agreement to be signed by the presi-

dent of the Council of Bishops, the secretary of the General Con-

ference, and two representatives of the Methodist church with

whom the concordat agreement is made. Such concordats shall be

printed in the Daily Christian Advocate of that General Conference.

2. Such concordat agreement shall entitle the two churches to

the following rights and privileges:

a) A program of mutual visitation may be arranged by

the Council of Bishops in cooperation with the equivalent leader-

ship of the other concordat church. The Council of Bishops may

assign one or more of its members for episcopal visitation to con-

cordat churches.

b) Clergy may be transferred between the two churches

in accordance with ¶¶ 347.2b and 571.2.

J T U M C

¶ 575. A church outside the United States may join The

United Methodist Church when all of the following requirements

are fullled:

1. Said church shall accept and approve the Constitution,

Articles of Faith, Discipline, and polity of The United Methodist

Church.

2. Said church, if it is within the boundaries of a central or

provisional central conference, shall apply for membership in that

conference. Such application shall be approved by the central or

provisional central conference and by the General Conference. In

the event that said church is not within the boundaries of an exist-

ing central or provisional conference, then its membership appli-

cation shall be reviewed by the Council of Bishops and shall be

approved by the General Conference.

3. Said church shall declare its own constitution and church

order null and void.

4. The Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters

shall advise and assist said church in this process and prepare the

necessary enabling act for approval by the General Conference.

5. The General Conference shall approve legislation author-

izing the necessary adjustments in the organization of the cen-

tral or provisional central conference involved. In the event that

said church is not within the boundaries of an existing central or

400

¶ 575 THE CONFERENCES

provisional central conference, then legislation shall be approved

to either change boundaries of a contiguous conference or to

establish a new central or provisional central conference.

6. The Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters

shall assist said church in the process of becoming a part of The

United Methodist Church, determine when all requirements are

met, and report to the General Conference.

Section VI. Provisional Annual Conferences

¶ 580. Denition—A provisional annual conference is a con-

ference that, because of its limited membership, does not qualify

for annual conference status.

¶ 581. Provisions—Any missionary conference or mission

established under the provisions of the Discipline may be con-

stituted as a provisional annual conference by the General Con-

ference, in consultation with the central conference, provisional

central conference, or jurisdictional conference within which the

missionary conference or mission is located, provided that:

1. No provisional annual conference shall be organized with

fewer than ten clergy members or be continued with fewer than

six clergy members.

2. The total nancial support from the General Board of

Global Ministries, including the Advance, shall not exceed an

appropriate percentage as determined in consultation with the

board.

3. The membership and contributions of the conference have

shown a reasonable increase during the previous quadrennium

and give evidence of an aggressive program for continued prog-

ress in both areas.

¶ 582. Organization—A provisional annual conference shall

be organized in the same manner and have the same powers and

functions as an annual conference, subject to the approval of the

presiding bishop; and its members shall share pro rata in the pro-

ceeds of The United Methodist Publishing House with members

of the annual conferences, with the following exceptions:

1. The bishop having episcopal supervision of a provisional

annual conference in a foreign or a home mission eld may appoint

a representative as superintendent, to whom may be committed

specic responsibility for the representation of the General Board

of Global Ministries in its relation to the indigenous church and

also in cooperation with other recognized evangelical missions.

401

THE MISSIONARY CONFERENCE ¶ 585

Such duties shall be exercised so as not to interfere with the work

of the district superintendent. This superintendent may also be a

district superintendent, provided the superintendent is a member

of the said conference. The superintendent shall be responsible

directly to the bishop appointed to administer the work in that

episcopal area and shall make adequate reports of the work and

needs of the eld to the bishop and to the secretaries of the Gen-

eral Board of Global Ministries immediately concerned.

2. A provisional annual conference shall meet annually at the

time appointed by the bishop. If there is no bishop present, the

superintendent shall preside. In the absence of both, the presi-

dency shall be determined as in an annual conference (¶ 603.6).

The conference or a committee thereof shall select the place for

holding the conference.

3. In a provisional annual conference receiving major fund-

ing from the General Board of Global Ministries, the assigned staff

of the board shall provide consultation and guidance in setting

up the annual budget and Advance projects within the conference

and in the promotion of new mission projects. The conference,

in making requests for appropriations for support, including

grants and loans for building projects, shall submit to the General

Board of Global Ministries a statement of the proposed annual

budget and proposed nancial plan for new mission and building

plans. Items involving increased appropriations from the General

Board of Global Ministries or increased askings from the Advance

shall be subject to modications by the General Board of Global

Ministries.

4. A provisional annual conference shall elect one ordained

minister and one layperson as delegates with full voting and

other rights to the General Conference and to the jurisdictional

conference. Delegates to central conferences shall be elected in

accordance with ¶ 541.1.

¶ 583. Board of Global Ministries—In a provisional annual con-

ference in the United States or the Virgin Islands, there shall be a

conference board of global ministries constituted as in an annual

conference and having the same duties and powers.

Section VII. The Missionary Conference

¶ 585. Denition—A conference is a missionary conference

because of its particular mission opportunities, its limited mem-

bership and resources, its unique leadership requirements, its stra-

402

¶ 585 THE CONFERENCES

tegic regional or language considerations, and ministerial needs.

The General Board of Global Ministries shall provide administra-

tive guidance and major nancial assistance, including attention

to the distinctive property matters.

¶ 586. Organization—A missionary conference shall be orga-

nized in the same manner and with the same rights and pow-

ers as an annual conference (¶¶ 601-604), but with the following

exceptions:

1. The College of Bishops shall provide episcopal supervision

for any missionary conference(s) within its jurisdictional bound-

aries as are organized. The bishop thus placed in charge and hav-

ing episcopal supervision within the respective episcopal area

in cooperation with the General Board of Global Ministries shall

appoint a conference superintendent and/or district superinten-

dents. Such conference and/or district superintendent(s) shall be

an elder(s) and shall be subject to the same limitations on years of

service as district superintendents (¶ 418). Years of service may be

either consecutive or non-consecutive. Years of service as a confer-

ence and/or district superintendent in a missionary conference

shall be counted toward the total of twelve years permitted in a

regular annual conference.

2. The General Board of Global Ministries shall give close

supervision and guidance in setting up the administrative and

promotional budgets and Advance projects within the conference

and in the promotion of new mission projects. The conference, in

making requests for appropriations for support and grants and

loans for building projects, shall submit to the General Board of

Global Ministries a statement of the proposed annual promotional

and administrative budget and the proposed nancial plan for

new mission and building projects. New work and building proj-

ects involving increased appropriations from the General Board

of Global Ministries shall rst have the approval of the General

Board of Global Ministries.

3. Missionary conferences shall elect clergy and lay delegates

to General and jurisdictional conference on the same basis as

annual conferences as provided in ¶¶ 502 and 514.

4. a) Membership—A missionary conference shall determine

by majority vote whether it will establish the right of full minis-

terial membership. With approval and consent of the bishops or

26. See Judicial Council Decision 512.

403

THE MISSIONARY CONFERENCE ¶ 586

other judicatory authorities involved, appointments are to be

made by the resident bishop of the conference in which the cler-

gyperson is to serve.

b) An ordained minister in full connection with an annual

conference who is appointed to a missionary conference that has

previously voted to include full membership under § 4a may

choose either to request the bishop of the missionary conference

to seek the transfer of his or her membership into full membership

with the missionary conference or retain his or her membership in

a home conference and be considered in an afliated relationship

to the missionary conference.

c) In a missionary conference which has not voted to

include full membership, each United Methodist cleric appointed

by the bishop shall retain his or her membership in a home confer-

ence and be considered in an afliated relationship to the mission-

ary conference.

d) Afliated relationship shall entitle the ordained min-

ister to the fellowship of the conference, to full participation in

its activities, including holding ofce and representing the mis-

sionary conference in General and jurisdictional conferences. An

afliate member of a missionary conference shall not vote in his

or her annual conference while retaining the afliate relationship

to a missionary conference. Such afliate relationship to a mis-

sionary conference shall be only for the duration of the ordained

minister’s appointment to the conference.

An afliate member elected to a General or jurisdictional

conference from a missionary conference shall not be eligible to

be elected to such position from the conference where his or her

membership is held.

e) A missionary conference may elect into full ministerial

membership those persons desiring full membership in accor-

dance with ¶ 588.

f) A pastor under full-time appointment in a mission-

ary conference, upon consultation with and the approval of the

bishop and conference or district superintendent or cabinet, may

waive his or her claim upon the conference minimum salary. This

waiver is to be reviewed annually and is to be effective until the

time of subsequent appointment.

g) In a missionary conference that has not established

the right of full ministerial membership (§ 4a), if the mission-

ary conference is part of an episcopal area consisting of two or

404

¶ 586 THE CONFERENCES

more annual and missionary conferences, then for purposes of

candidacy for ordination (¶¶ 310-314), provisional membership

(¶¶ 324-327), and election to full conference membership (¶¶ 328-

336), the missionary conference may function as a district of an

annual conference in the same episcopal area, with and only with

the approval of the presiding bishop, the Board of Ordained Min-

istry of the annual conference, and the committee on ordained

ministry of the missionary conference. If the missionary con-

ference does not have a committee on ordained ministry, then

approval may be provided by the body of the missionary confer-

ence to which the functions of the committee on ordained minis-

try have been assigned.

5. A missionary conference may include in its membership

representation of such mission agencies within its boundaries as

it deems advisable, provided, however, such representation shall

not exceed a number equal to one-third of the total membership

of the missionary conference and that such representatives shall

be members of The United Methodist Church in accordance with

constitutional requirements.

6. In order to provide traditional and experimental ministries,

the bishop of the missionary conference may appoint an effective

elder to other than full-time pastoral appointment combined with

secular employment. This will in no way affect the conference

relationship. Pension and other benets shall be provided in con-

sultation with the parties involved and with the approval of the

missionary conference.

7. A missionary conference that has not established the right

of full ministerial membership may ordain indigenous racial and

ethnic persons as deacons who, although they are not associate

members, shall be accorded all the rights and privileges of associ-

ate membership in the missionary conference, provided that they

have completed all of the necessary requirements for candidacy

and such other requirements the missionary conference may

establish. Further, these persons have the right to pursue transfer

of their ministerial relationship to another annual conference as

an associate member and to pursue a relationship of full connec-

tion under the guidance of that annual conference.

¶ 587. Only the General Conference can create a mission-

ary conference or change a missionary conference to a provisional

27. See Judicial Council Decision 448.

25. See Judicial Council Decision 511.

405

MISSIONS ¶ 591

annual conference or an annual conference. A petition to the Gen-

eral Conference for change in status from a missionary conference

shall set forth details of the history and status of the conference

and shall be accompanied by a report and recommendation of the

General Board of Global Ministries.

¶ 588. Rights and Privileges—Missionary conferences shall

have the same rights as those given to the central conferences in

¶ 543.7, .8 to make such changes and adaptations regarding the

ministry and ordination of ordained ministers as the effective

use of indigenous leadership in the missionary conference may

require, provided that no action shall be taken that is contrary to

the Constitution and the General Rules of The United Methodist

Church, and provided further that a missionary conference that

does not have a board of ordained ministry must use the process

prescribed in ¶ 586.4g) for approval of candidates for ordination.

Section VIII. Missions

¶ 590. The purpose of a mission is to provide and develop

ministry with a particular group or region whose potential and

needs cannot be met within the existing structures and resources

of annual or district conference(s). A mission may also be the ini-

tial stage in moving toward the formation of a provisional annual

conference.

In accordance with the Wesleyan ecumenical spirit, in all

phases of mission development, the initiating United Methodist

entities will consult with, and where possible create cooperative

relationships with, Wesleyan communions. They will promote

relationships with other denominations serving in the area and

with interdenominational and ecumenical organizations. Where

appropriate, they will engage in dialogue with interfaith agencies

and organizations.

¶ 591. Powers and Duties—1. A mission is an organizational

body for a eld of work inside, outside, or across the structures of

annual conferences, or provisional annual conferences.

2. A mission may be established by the General Board of

Global Ministries, or by a central or annual conference in coopera-

tion with the General Board of Global Ministries.

3. The boundaries for a mission established by a central or

annual conference in cooperation with the General Board of Global

Ministries are to be determined by the central or annual con-

ference and the General Board of Global Ministries. If a mission

406

¶ 591 THE CONFERENCES

is established by the General Board of Global Ministries outside

territories of central conferences, the General Board of Global

Ministries will establish the boundaries.

4. (a) When the mission lies within the bounds of one epis-

copal area, the resident bishop shall preside over the mission.

(b) When the mission crosses the boundaries of one or more epis-

copal areas, jurisdictions, or central conferences, the College(s) of

Bishops, in consultation with the general secretary of the General

Board of Global Ministries, shall assign a bishop to the mission.

episcopal area in jurisdictions or central conferences, the Coun-

cil of Bishops, in consultation with the general secretary of the

General Board of Global Ministries, will assign a bishop to be its

presiding ofcer.

5. The entity or entities establishing a mission, in collabora-

tion with the assigned bishop, will seek a cooperative agreement

with an annual conference which will serve as the correspondent

annual conference to the mission for the purposes of ordination

and conference membership as well as for local pastor licensing.

6. The annual meeting of the mission shall have the power

to certify candidates for the ordained ministry, to receive and to

examine mission pastors and local elders in mission, and to rec-

ommend to an annual conference proper persons for provisional

or full membership and ordination.

7. The entity or entities initiating a mission shall be respon-

sible for its administration and development and for making sure

that the mission sets up, organizes and implements the necessary

mechanisms and processes to fulll the functions of the mission.

8. Neither the mission nor its ofcers shall assume nan-

cial obligations or make nancial commitments on behalf of the

General Board of Global Ministries without the board’s written

authorization.

9. Recommendations for a change of status of a mission shall

be made by the entity or entities that established the mission.

¶ 592. Membership—1. A mission shall be made up of all regu-

larly appointed missionaries, both lay and clergy, local elders in

mission, mission pastors, and other lay members. The mission

shall determine the number of lay members and the method of

their selection. In so doing, it shall ensure that all aspects of the

mission’s work are represented.

29. See Judicial Council Decision 341.

407

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 602

2. In territories outside the boundaries of central or annual

conferences, the bishop assigned to the mission and the General

Board of Global Ministries recommend the educational require-

ments for local elders in mission, and mission pastors. Such

recommendations and requirements shall be approved by the

General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

a) Local elders in mission are ordained members of the mis-

sion and are not members of an annual conference. Local elders in

mission are limited in their itineration and sacramental authority

to the bounds of the mission and as such are not eligible to trans-

fer their credentials to another annual conference.

b) Mission pastors are members of the mission without being

members of an annual conference. The mission shall determine

the requirements for a mission pastor in order to most effectively

utilize the indigenous leadership. Mission pastors are limited in

their itineration to the bounds of the mission.

¶ 593. Missions—Annual Meeting—1. A mission shall meet

annually at the time and place designated by the bishop in charge,

who shall preside. In the absence of the bishop, a superintendent

of the mission shall preside. The presiding ofcer shall bring for-

ward the regular business of the meeting and arrange the work.

2. The assigned bishop, in consultation with the entity or

entities establishing a mission, may appoint one or more superin-

tendents of the mission.

3. At the annual meeting, the bishop shall assign the mission-

aries, local elders in mission, and mission pastors to the several

charges for the ensuing year; provided that transfer of mission-

aries related to the General Board of Global Ministries shall be

completed only after consultation with the board.

4. A mission related to a central conference is authorized to

elect and send one lay and one clergy to the central conference as

its representative, with voice but not vote.

Section IX. The Annual Conference

¶ 601. Purpose—The purpose of the annual conference is to

make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world

by equipping its local churches for ministry and by providing a

connection for ministry beyond the local church; all to the glory

of God.

¶ 602. Composition and Character—1. The clergy membership

of an annual conference (¶ 369) shall consist of deacons and elders

408

¶ 602 THE CONFERENCES

in full connection (¶ 333), provisional members (¶ 327), associate

members, afliate members (¶¶ 344.4, 586.4), and local pastors

(¶ 317).

(See also ¶ 32.)

a) Clergy members in full connection shall have the right

to vote on all matters in the annual conference except in the elec-

tion of lay delegates to the General and jurisdictional or central

conferences and shall have sole responsibility for all matters of

ordination, character, and conference relations of clergy.

b) Provisional clergy members shall have the right to

vote in the annual conference on all matters except constitutional

amendments, election of clergy delegates to the General and juris-

dictional or central conferences and matters of ordination, charac-

ter, and conference relations of clergy. Provisional clergy members

who have completed all of their educational requirements may

vote to elect clergy delegates to General and jurisdictional or cen-

tral conferences.

c) Associate clergy members shall have the right to vote

in the annual conference on all matters except constitutional

amendments, and matters of ordination, character, and confer-

ence relations of clergy. When associate members are members

of the conference Board of Ordained Ministry, they have the right

to vote at clergy session on matters of ordination, character, and

conference relations of clergy (¶ 635.1). Afliate clergy members

shall have the right to vote in the annual conference on all mat-

ters except the constitutional amendments, election of clergy

delegates to the General jurisdictional or central conferences,

and matters of ordination, character, and conference relations of

clergy.

d) Full-time and part-time local pastors shall have the

right to vote in the annual conference on all matters except con-

stitutional amendments; election of delegates to the General and

jurisdictional or central conferences and matters of ordination,

character, and conference relations of clergy.

When local pastors

are members of the Conference Board of Ordained Ministry, they

have the right to vote at clergy session on matters of ordination,

character, and conference relations of clergy (¶ 635.1). Local pas-

tors who have completed course of study or an M. Div. degree and

30. See Judicial Council Decisions 477, 555, 1062.

31. See Judicial Council Decisions 406, 555, 686, 690.

32. See Judicial Council Decision 1181 and ¶ 35, Article IV.

33. See Judicial Council Decision 862.

409

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 602

have served a minimum of two consecutive years under appoint-

ment before the election may vote to elect clergy delegates to Gen-

eral and jurisdictional or central conferences.

e) Each annual conference having campus ministers,

chaplains and Wesley Foundation directors shall include the same

in its lay and clergy annual conference composition. In districts

where United Methodist laypersons serve as campus ministers/

directors of Wesley Foundations, they shall be added as district-

at-large lay members to the annual conference. In districts where

United Methodist clergy serve as chaplains, campus ministers,

and directors of Wesley Foundations, the laypersons elected as

their balancing counterpart shall be elected from either the cam-

pus ministry board of directors or a student from that ministry/

foundation. In making sure that such inclusion is adhered to,

special consideration shall be given to the inclusion of United

Methodist young adults who are active participants in campus

ministry.

2. Consecrated diaconal ministers serve as lay members of

the annual conference as long as they maintain this status in The

United Methodist Church.

3. Persons who become associate members prior to January

1, 1997, shall be allowed to continue in this relationship and serve

under the provision of the 1992 Book of Discipline as long as they

hold this status.

4. The lay membership of the annual conference shall consist

of a professing member elected by each charge, diaconal minis-

ters, deaconesses, home missioners, the conference president of

United Methodist Women, the conference president of United

Methodist Men, the conference lay leader, district lay leaders,

the president or equivalent ofcer of the conference young adult

organization, the president of the conference youth organiza-

tion, one youth between the ages of twelve and eighteen and

one young adult between the ages of eighteen and thirty from

each district to be selected in such a manner as may be deter-

mined by the annual conference (in the case of central confer-

ences, the youth member shall be not younger than twelve and

not older than twenty-ve and the young adult member shall be

not younger than eighteen and not older than thirty-ve), and

the chair of the annual conference college student organization.

34. See Judicial Council Decision 1181 and ¶ 35. Article IV.

35. See Judicial Council Decisions 989, 1005.

410

¶ 602 THE CONFERENCES

If the lay membership should number less than the clergy mem-

bers of the annual conference, the annual conference shall, by

its own formula, provide for the election of additional lay mem-

bers to equalize lay and clergy membership of the annual confer-

ence.

Each charge served by more than one clergy member under

appointment (including deacons in full connection for whom this

is their primary appointment) shall be entitled to as many lay

members as there are clergy members under appointment. The

lay members shall have been members of The United Methodist

Church for the two years preceding their election and shall have

been active participants in The United Methodist Church for at

least four years preceding their election (¶¶ 32, 251.2).

a) In the annual conference or the central conferences,

the four-year participation and the two-year membership require-

ments may be waived for young persons under thirty years of

age. Such persons must be members of The United Methodist

Church and active participants at the time of election.

b) By authorization of a central conference, national dia-

conal ministers may be given the same privileges as a diaconal

minister.

5. The lay member or alternate, whoever was last seated in

the annual conference, shall be seated in a special session of the

annual conference when convened, provided that no local charge

shall be deprived of its lay member due to death, serious ill-

ness, or cessation of membership. Under such circumstances,

another lay member may be elected by the charge conference.

(See

¶ 32.)

6. The lay members of the annual conference shall partici-

pate in all deliberations and vote upon all measures except on the

granting or validation of license, ordination, reception into full

conference membership, or any question concerning the character

and ofcial conduct of ordained ministers, except those who are

lay members of the Board of Ordained Ministry and committee on

investigation. Lay members shall serve on all committees except

those on ministerial relations.

36. See Judicial Council Decision 1212.

37. See Judicial Council Decision 505.

38. See Judicial Council Decision 319.

39. See Judicial Council Decisions 109, 505.

411

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 603

7. When at any time a lay member is excused by the annual

conference from further attendance during the session, the alter-

nate lay member, if present, shall be seated. The lay member or

the alternate shall be the lay member of the annual conference,

and it shall be the duty of the lay member to report to the local

church on actions of the annual conference.

8. It is the duty of every member and all provisional mem-

bers and local pastors of the annual conference to attend its ses-

sions and furnish such reports in such form as the Discipline may

require. Any such person unable to attend shall report by letter to

the conference secretary, setting forth the reason for the absence.

Should any ordained minister in active service be absent from the

session of the annual conference without a satisfactory reason for

the absence, the matter shall be referred by the conference secre-

tary to the Board of Ordained Ministry.

9. The following shall be seated in the annual conference

and shall be given the privilege of the oor without vote: of-

cial representatives from other denominations invited by the

annual conference; missionaries regularly assigned by the Gen-

eral Board of Global Ministries and serving within the bounds of

the annual conference; lay missionaries regularly appointed by

the General Board of Global Ministries in nations other than the

United States; and certied lay missionaries from nations other

than the United States; serving within the bounds of the annual

conference.

10. If not otherwise a voting member of the annual confer-

ence, the conference chancellor shall be seated in the annual con-

ference and shall be given the privilege of the oor without vote.

¶ 603. Organization—1. Annual conferences may become

severally bodies corporate, whenever practicable, under the law

of the countries, states, and territories within whose bounds they

are located.

2. The bishops shall appoint the times for holding the annual

conferences.

3. The annual conference or a committee thereof shall select

the place for holding the conference, but should it become nec-

essary for any reason to change the place of meeting, a majority

of the district superintendents, with the consent of the bishop in

charge, may change the place.

40. See Judicial Council Decision 108.

41. See Judicial Council Decision 1206.

412

¶ 603 THE CONFERENCES

4. The annual conference sessions shall be held in places that

are accessible to people with disabilities.

5. A special session of the annual conference may be held at

such time and in such place as shall have been determined by the

annual conference after consultation with the bishop, or by the

bishop with the concurrence of three-fourths of the district super-

intendents. A special session of the annual conference shall have

only such powers as are stated in the call.

6. The bishop assigned shall preside over the annual confer-

ence or, in case of inability, shall arrange for another bishop to

preside. In the absence of a bishop, the conference shall by ballot,

without nomination or debate, elect a president pro tempore from

among the traveling elders. The president thus elected shall dis-

charge all the duties of a bishop except ordination.

7. The annual conference at the rst session following the

General Conference or jurisdictional or central conferences (or,

if it may desire, at the last session preceding the General, juris-

dictional, or central conferences), utilizing such nominating pro-

cedure as the annual conference shall determine, shall elect a

secretary and statistician to serve for the succeeding quadren-

nium. In the case of a vacancy in either ofce in the interim of

the sessions, the bishop, after consultation with the district

superintendents, shall appoint a person to act until the next

session of the annual conference. (See ¶ 619 for election of the

treasurer.)

8. The annual conference shall designate a chancellor, and

may designate one or more associate chancellors. The chancellor

and any associate chancellors must be members in good standing

of a local church or an annual conference in the episcopal area,

and be licensed to practice law in the episcopal area. The chan-

cellor and any associate chancellors shall be nominated by the

bishop and elected quadrennially by the annual conference. If a

vacancy should occur during the quadrennium, the bishop shall

ll the vacancy until the next session of the annual conference.

The chancellor, assisted by the associate chancellors, if any, shall

serve as legal adviser(s) to the bishop and the annual conference.

Each annual conference shall report its election of the chancellor

and any associate chancellors to the General Council on Finance

and Administration.

42. See Judicial Council Decision 397.

413

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 604

9. The conference lay leader is the elected leader of confer-

ence laity and is an ofcer of the annual conference. The confer-

ence lay leader shall be a professing member of a local church in

the annual conference. The conference lay leader shall participate

in annual conference sessions as a partner in ministry with the

bishop.

¶ 604. Powers and Duties—1. The annual conference, for its

own government, may adopt rules and regulations not in con-

ict with the Discipline of The United Methodist Church, provided

that in exercise of its powers, each annual conference shall act in

all respects in harmony with the policy of The United Methodist

Church with respect to elimination of discrimination.

(See ¶ 4,

Article IV.)

2. An annual conference cannot nancially obligate any orga-

nizational unit of The United Methodist Church except the annual

conference itself.

3. The annual conference may admit into clergy membership

only those who have met all the disciplinary requirements for

membership and only in the manner prescribed in the Discipline.

4. The annual conference shall have power to make inquiry

into the moral and ofcial conduct of its clergy members. Sub-

ject only to the provisions of ¶¶ 2701-2719, the annual conference

shall have power to hear complaints against its clergy members

and may try, reprove, suspend, deprive of clergy ofce and cre-

dentials, expel, or acquit any against whom charges may have

been preferred. The annual conference shall have power to locate

a clergy member for failure to perform effectively and compe-

tently the duties of itinerant ministry.

5. The status of a clergy member and of a provisional mem-

ber and the manner and conditions of a transfer of a clergy mem-

ber from one annual conference to another are governed by the

section on the ordained ministry (Chapter Two).

6. Transfers of traveling preachers are conditioned on the

passing of their character by the conference to which they are

amenable. The ofcial announcement that a preacher is trans-

ferred changes the preacher’s membership so that all rights and

43. See Judicial Council Decisions 43, 74, 141, 318, 367, 373, 432, 435, 476, 536,

584, 590, 592, 699, 876, 1198.

44. See Judicial Council Decision 707.

45. See Judicial Council Decision 440.

46. See Judicial Council Decisions 534, 782.

414

¶ 604 THE CONFERENCES

responsibilities in the conference to which that preacher goes

begin from the date of transfer. Such member of an annual con-

ference shall not vote twice on the same constitutional question,

nor be counted twice in the same year in the basis for election

of delegates, nor vote twice in the same year for delegates to the

General, jurisdictional, or central conferences.

7. Whenever clergy members, whether provisional members

or in full connection, are transferred to another annual confer-

ence, either in connection with a transfer of the pastoral charge

to which they are appointed or by reason of the dissolution or

merger of the annual conference, they shall have the same rights

and obligations as the other members of the conference to which

they are transferred.

8. The annual conference shall have power to make inquiry

into the nancial status of the local churches, and where there is a

decit in nances, it may require the pastor and the lay member

to appear before the appropriate committee and make explana-

tion. Based upon its ndings, it shall provide counsel to help the

church overcome such a decit position.

9. The annual conference shall have the power to make

inquiry into the membership status of the local churches, and

where no members have been received on confession of faith

during the year, it may require the pastor and the lay member to

appear before the appropriate agency and make explanation.

10. The annual conference shall give recognition to any new

churches that have been organized during the year and shall,

through the presiding bishop and the secretary, send to each new

church a certicate of organization, which the district superinten-

dent shall, on behalf of the conference, present to the new church

in an appropriate ceremony.

11. The annual conference shall secure, during the course of

its annual session, the answers to the questions for conducting

annual conference sessions, and the secretary to the annual con-

ference shall include the answers to these questions in the con-

ference journal and in the report to the council on nance and

administration.

12. If any annual conference initiates, joins, monitors, or ter-

minates a boycott, the guidelines in The Book of Resolutions, 2008,

should be followed. The General Conference is the only body that

can initiate, empower, or join a boycott in the name of The United

Methodist Church.

415

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 605

13. The annual conference may choose to adopt a conference-

wide plan for compensation of pastors. Such a plan shall provide

the method for setting and funding the salaries, and/or other

compensation elements as specied in the plan, of the pastors

appointed to the charges of the annual conference.

¶ 605. Business of the Conference—1. The session shall open

with a period of devotion, followed by a call of the roll, including

the roll of the local pastors.

2. The annual conference, to expedite the transaction of its

business, may adopt an agenda as a basis of its procedure. Such

agenda shall be prepared by the bishop, the district superinten-

dents, the conference lay leader, and such others as the conference

may name and shall be submitted to the conference for adoption.

3. Members for all standing committees, boards, and com-

missions of the annual conference shall be selected in such man-

ner as the Book of Discipline may specically require or as the

annual conference may determine.

Attention shall be given to

inclusiveness (¶¶ 124, 140).

For the purpose of adjusting tenure, a certain number of mem-

bers may be elected or appointed for particular terms. Members

shall hold ofce until their successors are elected. For the annual

conference agencies provided for by the Discipline, see ¶ 610.1;

and for the agencies established by the annual conference itself,

see ¶ 610.2.

4. The business of the annual conference shall include receiv-

ing and acting upon reports from district superintendents, of-

cers, standing and special committees, boards, commissions, and

societies and also making such inquiries as the Council of Bishops

shall recommend by the provision of a supplemental guide.

5. The agenda of the annual conference shall provide time for

an address or report that shall be the responsibility of the confer-

ence lay leader.

6. At the request of the general secretary of the General Board

of Pension and Health Benets, the agenda of the annual confer-

ence shall provide time for an address of or report from the Gen-

eral Board of Pension and Health Benets in consultation with the

annual conference board of pensions for the purpose of discuss-

ing benet plans and related issues.

47. See Judicial Council Decision 559.

48. See Judicial Council Decision 367.

416

¶ 605 THE CONFERENCES

7. The annual conference shall make inquiry into the moral

and ofcial conduct of its ordained ministers and local pastors. In

response to the inquiry whether all such persons are blameless in

their life and ofcial administration, the district superintendent

may answer for all the preachers in the district in one answer, or

the Board of Ordained Ministry may make inquiry of each district

superintendent about each ordained minister in the district and

make one report to the bishop and the conference in open ses-

sion.

Questions relating to matters of ordination, character, and

conference relations of clergy shall be the business of the clergy

session. The actions of the clergy session shall be for and on behalf

of the annual conference. The provisions of the Book of Discipline

applicable to an annual conference shall also be applicable to the

clergy session. All clergy members (¶ 602.1) of the annual con-

ference and the lay members of the Board of Ordained Ministry

may attend and shall have voice in the clergy session. Only the

ordained clergy in full connection and the members of the Board

of Ordained Ministry may vote (¶ 602.1a). Others may be admit-

ted by express action of the clergy session, but shall not have vote,

nor, unless specically granted by the clergy session, shall have

voice (¶ 333).

8. At the conclusion of the examination of the standing of the

ordained ministers and local pastors in the conference or at such

later times as the bishop may designate, the presiding bishop may

call to the bar of the conference the class to be admitted into full

connection and receive them into conference membership after

asking the questions to be found in ¶ 336. This examination of the

ordained ministers and the passing of their characters may be the

business of one session.

9. The annual conference shall adopt a comprehensive pol-

icy for handling sexual and gender harassment of clergy when

laypersons are the perpetrators. This policy shall guide the local

church in how to handle the report, how to care for the accuser

and the accused, the victim and the perpetrator, the ndings and

settlement. It shall make provision for support of the pastor and

for care of church members.

¶ 606. Records and Archives—1. The annual conference shall

keep an exact record of its proceedings according to the forms

provided by the General, jurisdictional, and central conferences.

49. See Judicial Council Decisions 42, 406, 555.

50. See Judicial Council Decisions 686, 690, 769, 782, 1009.

417

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 606

If there are no archives of the annual conference, the secretary

shall keep the bound copy or copies or a digital version to be

handed on to the succeeding secretary. The conference shall send

to its jurisdictional conference or central conference copies of the

minutes of the quadrennium for examination.

2. Each annual conference shall send without charge to the

General Council on Finance and Administration, the General

Board of Pension and Health Benets, the General Commission

on Archives and History, the Central Conference or Jurisdictional

Commission on Archives and History, and the Annual Confer-

ence Commission on Archives and History two printed copies

or a digital version of its annual journal. In addition, the annual

conference shall send one printed copy or a digital version of its

annual journal to the Connectional Table and one printed copy or

a digital version to United Methodist Communications. If avail-

able, one copy of a digital version of the journal shall be sent to

the General Commission on Archives and History and one copy

to United Methodist Communications.

3. The annual conference may form a committee on journal

publication. The annual conference journal shall include the fol-

lowing divisions, in the following order:

a) Ofcers of annual conference,

b) Boards, commissions, committees; rolls of conference

members,

c) Daily proceedings,

d) Business of the annual conference report (formerly

known as the disciplinary questions),

e) Appointments,

f) Reports as ordered by the annual conference,

g) Annual report of the district superintendents, if any.

h) Memoirs as ordered by the annual conference follow-

ing the guidelines of the General Commission on Archives and

History,

i) Roll of dead-deceased clergy members,

j) Historical,

k) Miscellaneous,

l) Pastoral record (including the records of accepted local

pastors in such manner as the conference may determine),

m) Statistics,

n) Index.

418

¶ 606 THE CONFERENCES

4. An annual conference in the United States and Puerto Rico

shall include in its journal a list of the deaconesses and mission-

aries, clergy and lay, active and retired, who have gone from the

conference into mission service or who are presently serving in

such capacity within the bounds of the annual conference.

5. The annual conference journal shall include a listing of the

consecrated diaconal ministers and their service records.

6. The secretary, treasurer, or other administrative ofcer

named by the annual conference shall keep a complete service

record of ordained and diaconal ministry personnel in the annual

conference. Service records shall include but not be limited to bio-

graphical information supplied by the individual, a list of appoint-

ments, and a record of annual conference actions with regard to

conference relationships. In addition to service records, the secre-

tary, treasurer, or other administrative ofcer named by the annual

conference shall keep descriptions of circumstances related to

changes in conference relationships, credentials surrendered to the

bishop or district superintendent, and condential trial records.

7. The local church report to the annual conference shall be

submitted on the prescribed forms no later than thirty days fol-

lowing the close of the calendar year. If the annual conference sets

an earlier deadline for receiving the reports, the earlier deadline

shall apply.

8. Ofcial records of secretaries, statisticians, and treasur-

ers shall be kept according to the forms prepared by the General

Council on Finance and Administration so that ofcial statistical

and nancial items shall be handled alike in all annual confer-

ences and that uniformity of reporting shall be established as a

worldwide church policy.

9. All records of candidates and ordained and diaconal min-

istry personnel maintained by the conference secretary, treasurer,

or other administrative ofcer named by the annual conference,

Board of Ordained Ministry, board of pensions, and the district

committee on ordained ministry are to be kept on behalf of the

annual conference in conformity with guidelines provided by the

General Council on Finance and Administration, in consultation

with the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry and the

General Board of Pension and Health Benets, and the following

principles:

a) The annual conference is the owner of its personnel

records and les;

419

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 607

b) Individuals in whose name a record is kept shall have

access to the information contained in a record or le, with the

exception of surrendered credentials and information for which a

right-of-access waiver has been signed;

c) Access to unpublished records by persons other than

the bishop, district superintendent, conference secretary, treasurer,

or other administrative ofcer or the Board of Ordained Ministry,

through its chair, board of pensions, through its chair, the district

committee on ordained ministry, through its chair, counsel for the

Church, and committee on investigation, through its chair, shall

require written consent of the person in whose name a record is

kept; access to trial records shall be governed by the provisions of

¶¶ 2712.5, 2713.5.

¶ 607. The Conference Lay Leader

1. The conference lay leader is the elected leader of confer-

ence laity and will have responsibility for fostering awareness

of the role of the laity both within the congregation and through

their ministries in the home, workplace, community, and world in

achieving the mission of the Church and enabling and supporting

lay participation in the planning and decision-making processes

of the annual conference, district, and local church in cooperation

with the bishop, district superintendents, and pastors.

2. The conference lay leader shall relate to the organized

lay groups in the conference such as United Methodist Men,

United Methodist Women, United Methodist Youth, and Scout-

ing Ministries, encourage and support their work, and help them

coordinate their activities. The conference lay leader shall also

have the general responsibility in: (1) developing the advocacy

role for laity in the life of the Church; (2) increasing the participa-

tion of laity in the sessions and structure of the annual confer-

ence; and (3) encouraging laypersons in the general ministry of

the Church.

3. The conference lay leader shall be the chairperson of the

conference board of laity, or its equivalent structure, and shall

be a member of the annual conference, the conference council on

ministries or equivalent structure, the executive committee, if any,

of the conference council on ministries, the conference commit-

tee on nominations, the conference committee on episcopacy, and

the committee planning annual conference sessions; and may be

51. See Judicial Council Decisions 751, 765, 1024.

420

¶ 607 THE CONFERENCES

designated by virtue of ofce to membership on any conference

agency by the annual conference.

4. The annual conference shall provide time for an address

that shall be the responsibility of the conference lay leader.

5. The conference lay leader may serve on the conference

Board of Ordained Ministry and will participate in the Service of

Ordination at annual conference.

6. The conference lay leader shall meet with the cabinet when

matters relating to the coordination, implementation, or adminis-

tration of the conference program, or other matters as the cabinet

may determine are on the agenda.

7. The conference lay leader will meet regularly with the

bishop to discuss the state of the annual conference, the Church,

and the needs for ministry both locally and globally.

8. The conference lay leader shall ensure that the annual con-

ference has a conference director of Lay Speaking Ministries lled

in the manner determined by the annual conference and the con-

ference lay leader shall participate in Lay Servant Ministries.

9. The conference lay leader shall be elected for a term of not

less than four years by the annual conference as the annual con-

ference may determine. The method of nomination and term of

ofce shall be determined by the annual conference. Associate lay

leader(s), to work with the conference lay leader, may be elected

by the annual conference as it may determine. The conference lay

leader and associate lay leader(s) will receive reasonable reimburse-

ment for approved dues and expenses necessary for the ministry.

10. The conference lay leader shall be a member of the Asso-

ciation of Annual Conference Lay Leaders.

¶ 608. Connectional Ministries—Each annual conference is

responsible to focus and guide the mission and ministry of The

United Methodist Church within its boundaries by:

1. envisioning the ministries necessary to live out the mission

of the church in and through the annual conference;

2. creating and nurturing relationships and connections

among the local, district, annual conference, and general Church

ministries;

3. providing encouragement, coordination, and support for

the ministries of nurture, outreach, and witness in districts and

congregations for the transformation of the world;

4. ensuring the alignment of the total resources of the annual

conference to its mission;

421

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 609

5. developing and strengthening ethnic ministries, including

ethnic local churches and concerns;

6. providing for advocacy and monitoring functions to ensure

that the church is consistent with its stated values.

It is recommended that each annual conference have a direc-

tor of connectional ministries or designated person to focus and

guide the mission and ministry of The United Methodist Church

within the annual conference.

a) The director may be lay or clergy.

b) The director shall serve as an ofcer of the annual con-

ference and shall sit with the cabinet when the cabinet considers

matters relating to coordination, implementation, or administra-

tion of the conference program, and other matters as the cabinet

and director may determine. Whether appointed or elected to this

position, the director shall be amenable to the bishop, in consulta-

tion with the appropriate annual conference personnel body.

c) In partnership with the bishop and cabinet and the

elected leadership of the conference, the director of connectional

ministries shall have the following primary responsibilities:

(1) to serve as steward of the vision of the annual

conference, including the development, clarication, interpreta-

tion, and embodiment of the vision;

(2) to serve as leader of the continuous process of

transformation and renewal necessary for the annual conference

to be faithful to our Christian identity in a changing world;

(3) to ensure alignment of the total resources of the

conference to its vision;

(4) to ensure the connections among the local, district,

annual conference, and general Church ministries for the purpose of

networking, resourcing, and communicating their shared ministry.

¶ 609. There shall be in each annual conference or episcopal

area a director of communications or designated person to focus

and guide the communications ministry of The United Methodist

Church within the annual conference or episcopal area.

a) It is recommended that the director have the following

primary responsibilities:

(1) to help identify, equip, and coordinate the work

of a communications team (staff and/or volunteer);

(2) to develop and guide the implementation of

strategies for effective communication among annual conference

agencies, districts, and local churches;

422

¶ 609 THE CONFERENCES

(3) to promote and coordinate activities to enhance

the awareness and reputation of the Church;

(4) to help guide the strategy to interpret the confer-

ence budget and other benevolences;

(5) to provide guidance and training in effective com-

munications for annual conference, district, and/or local church

leaders;

(6) to lead the conference in developing effective

relationships with the news media within the annual conference;

(7) to guide conference leaders in developing and

implementing an effective communication strategy under the

connectional ministry;

(8) to lead the conference in using new and emerging

technologies as tools for ministry;

(9) to provide the connectional relationship between

the conference and United Methodist Communications.

b) It is recommended that the director or designated per-

son be a part of the extended cabinet (or equivalent leadership

structure) to provide advice and counsel concerning communi-

cations strategies relating to the conference program, apportion-

ment and benevolence interpretation, crisis management, and

other matters as the cabinet and director may determine.

C A

¶ 610. The annual conference is responsible for structuring its

ministries and administrative procedures in order to accomplish

its purpose (¶ 601), with the exception of the mandated provi-

sions of ¶¶ 611, 635, 636, 637, 639, 640, 647, 648. In so doing it

shall provide for the connectional relationship of the local church,

district, and conference with the general agencies. It will moni-

tor to ensure inclusiveness—racial, gender, age, and people with

disabilities—in the annual conference. Every board, standing

committee, commission, council, and work area of the annual

conference shall designate one of its members as its coordinator of

witness ministries. These persons shall help the groups of which

they are members to engage in witness ministries and, in particu-

lar, to ask, “How are we intentionally reaching new people for

Jesus Christ through our ministries?” and “How are we helping

new people grow and mature as disciples of Jesus Christ through

our ministries and areas of responsibility?”

423

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 610

1. Annual conferences are permitted the exibility to design

conference and district structures in ways that best support the mis-

sion of making disciples of Jesus Christ in an increasingly diverse

global community and that place secondary any prescribed struc-

ture, except for the mandated entities in ¶ 610 above. In doing so,

an annual conference shall provide for the functions and General

Conference connections with all general agencies provided by the

Discipline as follows: a) There shall be clear connections between

the General Conference agencies, annual conference program and

administrative entities, and the local congregations. These con-

nections shall be identied in the business questions of the annual

conference each year. b) There shall be clear checks and balances

regarding program functions and nancial/administration func-

tions within the annual conference. These structural matters will

be dened and approved by the annual conference session. Fur-

ther, conferences are permitted to create contextually appropriate

structures that encourage collaboration and partnerships among

all program, administrative, and nancial entities. Annual confer-

ences may fund their ministries in ways that reect conference

priorities and structures, as approved by the annual conference in

the budgeting process. All disciplinary references to “equivalent

structures” shall be dened by this paragraph.

2. The annual conference may appoint additional committees

for the purpose of promoting the work of The United Methodist

Church within the bounds of the said annual conference and may

prescribe their membership and their powers and duties.

3. Each annual conference may make its agencies of such

size as its work may require, provided that consideration shall be

given to the inclusion of lay and clergypersons from small mem-

bership churches. All local pastors serving charges are eligible for

election or appointment to such agencies, except those dealing

with qualications, orders, and status of clergy and local pastors.

4. Whenever possible, meetings scheduled by the annual

conference and its districts, boards, or committees should be held

in places that are accessible to persons with disabilities even if this

means scheduling meetings outside church-related facilities.

5. In the nomination and election of the membership on

councils, boards, and agencies of the annual conference, special

attention shall be given to the inclusion of clergywomen, youth

(¶ 256.3), young adults, older adults, persons from churches with

small memberships, people with disabilities, and racial and ethnic

424

¶ 610 THE CONFERENCES

persons, in keeping with policies for general Church agencies. It

is further recommended that the membership of such agencies,

except for the Board of Ordained Ministry, include one-third

clergy, one-third laywomen, and one-third laymen, who are pro-

fessing members of local churches.

6. Members of general agencies (¶ 701) shall serve as ex of-

cio members of the corresponding annual conference agency or

its equivalent structure (see ¶ 710.4, .6). If this results in a person

being a member of more than one annual conference agency in

violation of either annual conference policy or another provision

of the Book of Discipline, the person shall choose the annual confer-

ence agency on which to serve.

7. It is strongly recommended that the annual conference

provide for child and dependent care both during the sessions

of the annual conference and during meetings of the annual con-

ference boards and agencies. Child and dependent care should

follow the annual conference policy of child protection. If no

policy is in place, care should be given to keep all people safe,

and procedures should be followed as suggested by the General

Board of Discipleship and the General Council on Finance and

Administration.

8. Whenever possible, meetings scheduled by the annual

conference and its districts, boards, or committees shall be held

at a time and place that accommodates young people’s schooling

schedules.

T C C  F  A

¶ 611. In each annual conference there shall be a conference

council on nance and administration, hereinafter called the

council, or other structure to provide for the functions of this min-

istry and maintain the connectional relationships (¶ 610.1).

¶ 612. The council’s purpose, membership, organization, and

relationships shall be as follows:

1. Purpose—The purpose of the council shall be to develop,

maintain, and administer a comprehensive and coordinated plan

of scal and administrative policies, procedures, and manage-

ment services for the annual conference.

2. Membership—a) Each annual conference shall elect, at its

session next succeeding the General Conference or jurisdictional

52. See Judicial Council Decisions 446, 558.

53. See Judicial Council Decision 1054.

425

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 612

conference, a conference council on nance and administration,

or other structure to provide for the functions of this ministry.

It is recommended that it be composed of not less than ve nor

more than twenty-one members; it is recommended that there

be at least one layperson more than clergy included on the vot-

ing membership of the council.

Persons shall be nominated for

membership in a manner determined by the conference in accor-

dance with ¶ 610.5. It is recommended that churches of less than

two hundred members be represented on the conference council

on nance and administration. The term of ofce shall begin with

the adjournment of the annual conference session at which they

are elected and shall be for a period of four years and until their

successors are elected.

b) No member or employee of any conference agency

and no employee, trustee, or director of any agency or institution

participating in the funds of any conference budget shall be eli-

gible for voting membership on the council.

Any vacancy shall

be lled by action of the council until the next conference session,

at which time the annual conference shall ll the vacancy.

c) The following shall be ex ofcio members of the coun-

cil in addition to the number set by the annual conference under

¶ 612.2a: (1) the conference treasurer/director of administrative

services, without vote; (2) any members of the General Council

on Finance and Administration who reside within the bounds of

the conference, with vote unless voting membership is in conict

with another provision of the Book of Discipline, in which case their

membership shall be without vote; in either case, they shall not be

eligible to serve on an agency receiving funding; (3) the presiding

bishop, without vote; (4) a district superintendent chosen by the

cabinet, without vote; and (5) the director of connectional min-

istries or equivalent, or another representative of the conference

council on ministries, without vote.

d) The executive director of the conference or area United

Methodist foundation may be included in the membership, with-

out vote.

3. Ofcers—The council shall elect from its voting member-

ship a president, a vice president, a secretary, and such other of-

cers as it may deem necessary. Consideration shall be given to

inclusiveness (¶¶ 124, 140). The conference treasurer/director of

54. See Judicial Council Decision 441.

55. See Judicial Council Decisions 10, 493.

426

¶ 612 THE CONFERENCES

administrative services (¶ 619) shall be the treasurer of the coun-

cil. The treasurer/director of administrative services shall not be

eligible for voting membership on the council and shall not be

eligible for election to any of those ofces that are to be lled by

voting members of the council.

4. No member of the council shall vote on or take part in

deliberations on signicant matters directly or indirectly affect-

ing her or his business, income, or employment, or the business,

income, or employment of his or her immediate family.

5. Organization—a) Whether the conference chooses to organ-

ize the council as provided in ¶ 612 or to assign its functions to

another structure as authorized in ¶ 611, the restrictions set forth

in ¶ 612.2b, .4 shall apply to the members of any conference struc-

ture that has responsibility for the following functions:

(1) Preparing annual conference budgets or other

funding recommendations.

(2) Nominating the annual conference treasurer/

director of administrative services or other ofcer having the

functions described in ¶ 619.

(3) Having authority and supervision over the work

of the conference treasurer/director of administrative services.

(4) Having scal oversight responsibilities, such as

are described in ¶¶ 613.5 through 613.11, and 616-618, for annual

conference funds.

b) The council may establish committees and task forces

and dene their duties and authority as it deems necessary for

fullling its purpose and responsibilities.

c) The annual conference may enact bylaws governing

meetings, quorum, and other matters of procedure for the council,

or it may authorize the council to enact such bylaws; in any event,

such bylaws shall not be in conict with the Book of Discipline.

d) If deemed necessary for the fulllment of its functions

and if so authorized by the annual conference, the council may be

incorporated.

6. Amenability—The council shall be amenable and report

directly to the annual conference.

7. Relationships—a) The council and the annual conference

council on ministries shall cooperate in the development of the

conference benevolences budget (¶ 614.3).

56. See Judicial Council Decisions 551, 560.

427

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 613

b) In the interest of developing and implementing coordi-

nated annual conference policies in the areas of scal manage-

ment and administrative services, the council shall serve in a

liaison role among conference agencies with responsibilities in

these areas. It shall be authorized to convene representatives of

annual conference administrative and clergy support agencies for

the purpose of consulting on matters of mutual concern, such as

the coordination of scal management, fundraising activities, and

administrative services in the annual conference.

¶ 613. Responsibilities—The council shall have authority and

responsibility to perform the following functions:

1. To recommend to the annual conference for its action

and determination budgets of anticipated income and proposed

expenditures for all funds that provide for annual conference

clergy support, annual conference administrative expenses, and

annual conference benevolence and program causes (¶ 614).

2. To receive, consider, report, and make recommendations to

the annual conference regarding the following prior to nal deci-

sion by the annual conference: (a) any proposal to raise capital

funds for any purpose; (b) funding considerations related to any

proposal that may come before the conference; (c) any requests to

conduct a special conference-wide nancial appeal, whether by

special collections, campaigns, or otherwise in the local churches

of the conference.

3. To recommend to the annual conference for its action and

decision the methods or formulas by which apportionments to

churches, charges, or districts for duly authorized General, juris-

dictional, conference, and district funds shall be determined

(¶ 615.4).

4. To consult and cooperate with the commission on com-

munication in providing district superintendents, pastors, and

appropriate ofcers of the local churches and charge confer-

ences with interpretive aids or other materials to assist in gaining

understanding and support of the conference budget and other

approved conference causes. This shall include the theology and

discipline of nancial giving.

5. To develop policies governing the investment of conference

funds (except for pension funds as provided in ¶ 1508), whether in

debt or equity, short-term or long-term instruments, with the aim

57. See Judicial Council Decisions 521, 551, 560, 590, 744.

58. See Judicial Council Decision 983.

428

¶ 613 THE CONFERENCES

of maximizing funds available for mission in a manner consistent

with the preservation of capital, the Policies Relative to Socially

Responsible Investments (¶ 717), and the Social Principles of the

Church. A statement of such policies shall be printed in the con-

ference journal at least once in each quadrennium.

6. To recommend to the annual conference procedures for

funding local churches, including the theology of nancial giving.

7. To advise local churches about making their church build-

ings, facilities, and programs accessible.

8. To recommend to the annual conference for its action pro-

cedures for dealing responsibly with situations in which budgeted

funds, as approved by the annual conference, are inadequate to

meet emerging missional needs or unforeseen circumstances.

9. To review at least quarterly and to account to the annual

conference for the disbursement of funds in accordance with bud-

gets approved by the conference.

10. To recommend to the annual conference for its action and

determination the conditions under which it may borrow funds

for current expense purposes and the maximum amount of such

borrowing.

11. To have authority and supervision over the conference

treasurer/director of administrative services subject to ¶ 619; to

establish policies governing the treasurer/director’s work.

12. To work in cooperation with other annual conference

agencies for the design and implementation of a plan by which

the annual conference may designate the conference treasury as

a central treasury for funds designated for any or all conference

agencies participating in conference funds.

13. To establish uniform and equitable policies and practices

in the employment and compensation of personnel, in consulta-

tion and cooperation with other conference agencies that employ

staff, unless the annual conference has designated another agency

to carry this responsibility. These policies and practices shall be

in accordance with the Social Principles (¶ 162A, E, F, and I). In

addition, the council shall recommend that the annual conference

provide, effective on and after January 1, 2006, 100 percent vested

pension benets of at least three percent of compensation for lay

personnel of the annual conference who work at least 1,040 hours

per year, are at least 21 years of age, and have at least one year of

permanent service. The annual conference shall have authority to

provide such pension benets through either a denominational

429

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 613

pension program administered by the General Board of Pension

and Health Benets or another pension program administered by

another pension provider.

14. To cooperate with the General Council on Finance and

Administration and with the General Board of Discipleship in

promoting and standardizing the nancial recording and report-

ing system in the local churches of the conference.

15. To cooperate with the General Council on Finance and

Administration in order to provide leadership, training, and

encouragement in the areas of church business administration for

individuals and organizations of The United Methodist Church

by: (1) distributing information regarding certication as a church

business administrator; and (2) listing in the council’s report to

the annual conference the names of persons certied as church

business administrators by the General Council on Finance and

Administration who are employed within the bounds of the

annual conference.

16. To make recommendations to the annual conference for

its action and determination regarding plans to initiate or cause

to be organized a foundation or similar organization for the pur-

pose of securing, conserving, or expending funds for the direct or

indirect benet or support of the annual conference, or of any con-

ference agency, or any of its programs or work. The council shall

have opportunity to make its recommendations regarding such

plans if the foundation or similar organization is: (1) proposed

to be organized by the annual conference itself, whether acting

alone or in concert with other annual conferences; (2) proposed to

be organized by any conference council, board, commission, com-

mittee, or other agency; (3) to make use of the name United Meth-

odist in its title or solicitation; or (4) proposed for the purpose of

soliciting gifts primarily from the United Methodist constituency.

17. To perform such other administrative and scal func-

tions and services as the annual conference may assign.

18. To ensure that no apportioned conference funds are

expended for the use of alcoholic beverages.

19. To ensure that no annual conference board, agency, com-

mittee, commission, or council shall give United Methodist funds

to any gay caucus or group, or otherwise use such funds to pro-

mote the acceptance of homosexuality or violate the expressed

commitment of The UMC “not to reject or condemn lesbian and

gay members and friends” (¶ 161G). The council shall have the

430

¶ 613 THE CONFERENCES

right to stop such expenditures. This restriction shall not limit

the Church’s ministry in response to the HIV epidemic, nor shall

it preclude funding for dialogs or educational events where the

Church’s ofcial position is fairly and equally represented.

¶ 614. Budgets—The council shall recommend to the annual

conference for its action and determination budgets of anticipated

income and proposed expenditures for all funds to be apportioned

to the churches, charges, or districts.

Prior to each regular session of the annual conference, the

council shall make a diligent and detailed study of the needs

of all the conference agencies and causes asking to be included

in the budget of any conference fund. The chairperson of each

conference agency, or other duly authorized representative, shall

have opportunity to represent the claims of that agency before the

council.

1. Clergy Support Budgets—a) It shall be the duty of the coun-

cil, unless otherwise provided, to estimate the total amount neces-

sary to furnish a sufcient and equitable support for the district

superintendents of the conference, including base compensation,

travel, staff, ofce, and housing. The council shall report specic

recommendations to the annual conference for conference action

(¶ 669.4a).

b) The council shall report to the annual conference at each

session the Episcopal Fund apportionment to the annual conference

under the methodology approved by the General Conference and

shall include in its recommended clergy support budget the amount

determined by the treasurer of the General Council on Finance

and Administration as necessary to meet this apportionment.

c) Based on recommendations from the episcopal resi-

dence committee (¶ 638.4), the council shall recommend the

amount to be raised as the annual conference share of the cost of

the bishop’s housing.

d) After consultation with the conference board of pen-

sions, the council shall report to the annual conference the amounts

computed by that agency as necessary to meet the needs for pen-

sions and benet programs of the conference. Such amounts need

not be derived solely from apportionments.

59. See Judicial Council Decision 1054.

60. See Judicial Council Decisions 551, 560, 744, 1054, 1172.

61. See Judicial Council Decisions 590, 591, 1013.

62. See Judicial Council Decision 1132.

431

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 614

e) It shall recommend to the annual conference an

amount determined in consultation with the commission on equi-

table compensation to be used for compliance with the approved

schedule of equitable base compensation for pastors (¶ 625.3).

f) It shall recommend to the annual conference estimates

of the amounts needed for any other programs of clergy support

the conference may adopt, such as a Sustentation Fund (¶ 626) or

provision for the moving expenses of pastors.

2. Administration Budget—a) The council shall recommend to

the annual conference estimates of the amounts needed for admin-

istrative expenses of the conference, including its own expenses

and those of the conference treasurer’s ofce. It shall consult with

the conference agencies and ofcers to be included in the adminis-

trative budget regarding the estimated budgets of their expenses

and base its conference administration budget recommendations

on information thus received.

b) It shall include in its estimates recommendations

regarding the conference’s share of an area expense fund, if any,

and apportionments for administration properly made by the

jurisdictional conference and the General Conference (¶ 811.4).

3. Conference Benevolences Budget—a) In preparing the confer-

ence benevolences budget, the council, working together with the

conference council on ministries or alternative structure as pro-

vided in ¶ 614.3b, shall make diligent effort to secure full infor-

mation regarding all conference benevolence and service causes

that none may be neglected, jeopardized, or excluded. Basing

its judgment of needs upon the information secured, the coun-

cil shall recommend to the annual conference for its action and

determination the total amount to be apportioned for the confer-

ence benevolences budget. After receiving the recommendations

of the conference council on ministries or alternative structure,

the council shall also recommend the amount or the percentage

of the total of the conference benevolences budget that shall be

allocated to each cause included in the said budget. Such recom-

mendations should reect agreement with the conference council

on ministries or alternative structure on program agency alloca-

tions as specied below.

b) The council on nance and administration and the

annual conference council on ministries shall work together to

63. See Judicial Council Decisions 521, 551, 582.

432

¶ 614 THE CONFERENCES

establish and follow a procedure that shall preserve the following

principles:

(1) It is the responsibility of the conference council

on nance and administration to establish the total amount to be

recommended to the annual conference as the conference benevo-

lences budget and, within that amount, the total sum to be recom-

mended for distribution among the conference program agencies.

It is likewise the responsibility of the council to study the budget

requests for any agencies or causes to be included in the confer-

ence benevolences budget other than the conference program

agencies, including the requests of the conference council on min-

istries, and to give the chairpersons or other authorized represen-

tatives of such agencies and causes opportunity to represent their

claims before the council.

(2) It is the responsibility of the conference council on

ministries to study the budget requests of the conference program

agencies and to recommend to the conference council on nance

and administration amounts to be allocated from the conference

benevolences budget to each such agency, within the total estab-

lished by the conference council on nance and administration.

(3) It is the responsibility of the conference council

on nance and administration to present the conference benevo-

lences budget recommendations to the annual conference. The

recommended allocations to conference program agencies should

reect agreement between the council and the conference council

on ministries or alternative structure.

c) The term conference benevolences shall include those

conference allocations and expenditures directly associated with

the program, mission, and benevolent causes of annual confer-

ence program agencies and institutions. Annual conference pro-

gram agencies and institutions shall be dened as those agencies

with responsibilities parallel to those of the program-related gen-

eral agencies (¶ 703) and institutions whose work is within the

eld of responsibility of one or more of those agencies. Adminis-

trative expenses that are directly related to the program, mission,

and benevolent causes of conference program agencies, including

the expenses of the conference council on ministries or alternative

structure, may also be included in the conference benevolences

64. See Judicial Council Decisions 521, 551.

65. See Judicial Council Decisions 521, 551.

66. See Judicial Council Decision 551.

433

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 614

budget. The term conference benevolences shall not include alloca-

tions and expenditures for other conference agencies and ofcers

whose work is primarily administrative. It shall likewise not

include annual conference clergy support funds as set forth in

¶¶ 620-628, allocations and expenditures of conference agencies

responsible for administering clergy support funds, or apportion-

ments made to the annual conference by the General or jurisdic-

tional conferences.

d) The council, on receiving from the treasurer of the

General Council on Finance and Administration a statement of

the amount apportioned that annual conference for World Ser-

vice, may recommend that the conference combine the total World

Service apportionment, without reduction for the quadrennium,

and the approved conference benevolences budget (¶ 614.3a). If

combined the sum of these two amounts shall be known as World

Service and Conference Benevolences, and the combined budget

thus established shall include a statement of the percentage for

World Service and the percentage for conference benevolences.

(See also ¶ 619.1a(2).)

4. Other Apportioned Causes—The council shall include in its

budget recommendations specic amounts recommended for all

other funds properly apportioned to the annual conference for the

support of duly authorized general or other connectional funds.

The budget recommendations shall likewise include any other

amounts to be apportioned to the districts, charges, or churches by

the annual conference for conference or district causes of any kind.

5. Special Appeals—a) No annual conference agency or inter-

est, including any related agency or institution such as a school,

college, university, hospital, home, housing project, or other ser-

vice institution, shall make a special conference-wide appeal to the

local churches for funds without the approval of the annual con-

ference upon recommendation of the council, except in case of an

extreme emergency, when such approval may be given by a two-

thirds vote of the district superintendents and of the council, act-

ing jointly. Neither shall special conference-wide appeals to local

churches for funds be made by such boards, interests, agencies,

or institutions that are not related to the annual conference in

which the appeal is to be made, unless approval for such an appeal

is granted by the annual conference upon recommendation of the

67. See Judicial Council Decisions 348, 1135, 1146, 1172.

434

¶ 614 THE CONFERENCES

council. The annual conference approvals specied in this para-

graph shall not be required for special church-wide nancial

appeals that have been approved under the provisions of ¶ 819,

for solicitations that have been approved under the provisions of

¶ 812.3, or for any other general fund promotion or appeal autho-

rized by the General Conference or approved and conducted

under other provisions of the Book of Discipline.

b) When application is made to the council for the priv-

ilege of a special conference-wide nancial appeal, whether by

special collections, campaigns, or otherwise, the council shall

investigate the application and its possible relation to other obli-

gations of the conference and in the light of the facts make recom-

mendations to the conference for its action and determination. If

application for privilege of a special appeal is made directly to the

conference, the application shall be referred to the council before

nal action is taken.

c) The council may include in its budget recommenda-

tions to the annual conference amounts to be considered as goals

for special appeals or other nonapportioned causes.

6. The council shall make its budget recommendations to the

annual conference in a format based on guidelines suggested by

the General Council on Finance and Administration.

¶ 615. Apportionments—When a change to the apportionment

formula or method is proposed, the council should provide for a

study of the proposed change’s effects. After its study, which may

include resources supplied by the General Council on Finance

and Administration, the council shall recommend such formula

or method to the annual conference for its action and determi-

nation which shall include the approved budgeted amounts for

clergy support, administration, World Service, Conference Benev-

olences, and other apportioned causes (¶ 614.1-.4), the sum of

which shall be apportioned to the districts, churches, or charges

of the conference.

1. The council, on receiving from the General Council on

Finance and Administration a statement of the amount or meth-

odology for apportioning to the annual conference for the sev-

eral general funds as authorized by the General Conference, shall

apportion the same to the several districts, charges, or churches

by whatever method the conference may direct. The council shall

68. See Judicial Council Decisions 983, 1172.

435

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 615

make every effort for the full payment of these apportionments as

a part of the Church’s shared nancial covenant.

2. The council shall recommend to the annual conference for

its action and determination whether the apportionments referred

to in this paragraph shall be made by the council to the districts

only or to the churches or charges of the conference. If the appor-

tionments are made to the districts only, then the distribution to

the churches or charges of each district shall be made as provided

in ¶ 614.3. The conference may order that the district superinten-

dents make the entire distribution to all the churches or charges

of the conference.

3. Should the annual conference make the apportionments to

the districts only, the distribution to the churches or charges of

each district shall be made by its district board of stewards, com-

posed of the district superintendent as chairperson and the dis-

trict stewards elected by the several charge conferences (¶ 247.14).

In that case, the board, meeting on call of the district superinten-

dent as soon as practicable after the adjournment of the annual

conference, shall make the distribution to the churches or charges

of the district using such methods as it may determine, unless the

annual conference shall have determined the method of distribu-

tion to the churches or charges.

4. If the council recommends an apportioned fund that com-

bines two or more general apportioned funds with one another, or

that combines one or more general apportioned funds with funds

other than a general apportioned fund, the recommendation and

consequent annual conference actions shall include: (1) a state-

ment of the amount of each general fund apportionment included

in the combined fund, and (2) a statement of the percentage of

the combined fund total that corresponds to each general fund

apportionment.

5. If an annual conference establishes an apportioned fund

that combines funds subject to proportional payment under ¶ 622

with funds not subject to proportional payment, it shall establish

procedures to ensure that the proportional payment provisions of

¶ 622 are observed.

6. If an annual conference establishes an apportioned fund

that combines support for several distinct causes, it shall make

available to local churches information identifying the causes

supported by the fund.

69. See Judicial Council Decisions 1135, 1146, 1172.

436

¶ 616 THE CONFERENCES

¶ 616. Depository—The council shall be responsible for desig-

nating a depository or depositories for conference funds.

¶ 617. Auditing—The council shall have the following author-

ity and responsibility with respect to the auditing of the nancial

records of the conference and its agencies:

1. To have the accounts of the conference treasurer for the

preceding scal year audited by a certied public accountant

within 150 days after the close of the conference scal year and

to receive, review, and report such audit to the annual conference.

As a part of the audit, the accountant shall confer with the

presiding bishop of the annual conference and the president of

the council.

2. To require and review at least annually audited reports,

in such detail as it may direct, from all conference agencies and

from all agencies, institutions, and organizations receiving any

nancial support from conference funds or from any authorized

conference-wide appeal.

3. To require and review at least annually, in such detail as

it may direct, compiled or audited reports of all funds received

or administered by districts or district agencies, including funds

held or administered by treasurers or ofcers other than the con-

ference treasurer. Based on its review of such audits, the council

may make such recommendations to the annual conference as it

deems appropriate.

4. The council may establish an audit review committee to

review all of the reports and audits required by ¶ 617.1, .2. If the

council chooses to establish such a committee, at least half of its

members should be persons who are not members of the council

and who are chosen for their expertise in areas related to the work

of the committee. Consideration shall be given to inclusiveness

(¶¶ 124, 140) in the selection of persons to serve on the committee.

¶ 618. Bonding—The council shall have the following author-

ity and responsibility with respect to the bonding of conference

and conference agency ofcers and staff whose responsibilities

include the custody or handling of conference funds or other

negotiable assets:

1. The council shall provide for the delity bonding of the

conference treasurer and other staff under its authority and super-

vision in amounts it judges to be adequate.

2. In the case of those agencies, institutions, and organiza-

tions for which the conference treasurer does not serve as trea-

437

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 619

surer, the council shall have authority to require delity bonding

of their treasurers in such amounts as it deems adequate and to

withhold payment of the allocation of any such agency, institu-

tion, or organization until evidence of the required bonding has

been submitted.

3. The council may provide, or require any conference agency

to provide directors’ and ofcers’ liability insurance in amounts it

judges to be adequate.

4. The council shall require compliance with the policies

established as provided by this paragraph and shall report annu-

ally to the annual conference on such compliance.

¶ 619. Conference Treasurer/Director of Administrative Ser-

vices—Each annual conference, on nomination of its council on

nance and administration, shall at the rst session of the con-

ference after the quadrennial session of the General Conference

or jurisdictional conference, or at such other times as a vacancy

exists, elect a conference treasurer or conference treasurer/direc-

tor of administrative services.

The treasurer or treasurer/direc-

tor shall serve for the quadrennium or until a successor shall be

elected and qualify. If a vacancy should occur during the quadren-

nium, the council shall ll the vacancy until the next session of the

annual conference. After consultation with the bishop in charge,

the council may remove the treasurer or treasurer/director from

ofce for cause and ll the vacancy until the next session of the

conference. The treasurer/director shall be directly amenable to

the council. The treasurer/director may sit with the council and

its committees at all sessions and have the privilege of voice but

not vote.

1. As conference treasurer, this ofcer shall have the follow-

ing functions:

a) The conference treasurer shall receive and disburse,

in accordance with the actions of the annual conference and the

provisions of the Book of Discipline, remittances from local church

treasurers for all duly authorized General, jurisdictional, annual

conference, and district causes.

(1) Local church treasurers shall remit monthly to the

conference treasurer all amounts contributed in each local church

for: (a) the World Service Fund and the Conference Benevolences

fund, whether apportioned separately or as one combined fund;

70. See Judicial Council Decision 185.

71. See Judicial Council Decisions 456, 591.

438

¶ 619 THE CONFERENCES

(b) all other funds authorized by the General Conference and

apportioned to the annual conferences by the General Council on

Finance and Administration; (c) all other jurisdictional, annual

conference, and district funds or causes apportioned in accor-

dance with ¶ 615, unless otherwise directed by the annual con-

ference; (d) special Sunday offerings (¶ 262); (e) special appeals

(¶¶ 614.5, 819); (f) Advance Special Gifts (¶ 822); (g) World Ser-

vice Special Gifts (¶ 820); (h) Youth Service Fund (¶ 1208); and

(i) all other General, jurisdictional, annual conference, and district

funds not otherwise directed.

(2) The World Service Fund and the Conference Benevolences

Fund—(a) If apportioned as one combined fund, the treasurer shall

each month divide the total amount received from local churches

for World Service and Conference Benevolences, setting aside the

proper amount for World Service and the proper amount for con-

ference benevolences, according to the ratio of each established by

the annual conference in the total World Service and Conference

Benevolences budget (¶ 614.3c).

(b) Whether apportioned separately or as one combined

fund, the treasurer shall, from the share received for conference

benevolences, credit monthly the accounts of the several agencies

or causes included in the conference benevolences budget or make

monthly remittances to the treasurers of such agencies or causes

according to the rightful share and proportion of each (¶ 614.3a)

or according to a payment schedule approved by the conference

council on nance and administration, which shall provide that

the total allocated to each agency or cause during the year shall be

equal to the rightful share and proportion of each.

fund, the treasurer shall remit each month to the treasurer of the

General Council on Finance and Administration the total share

received during the month for World Service. When the share so

designated for World Service during a year exceeds the amount

apportioned to the annual conference, the entire share contrib-

uted for World Service shall be remitted in regular order to the

treasurer of the General Council on Finance and Administration

before the end of the scal year.

72. See Judicial Council Decision 591.

73. See Judicial Council Decision 332.

74. See Judicial Council Decision 400.

439

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 619

(d) If an annual conference establishes an apportioned

fund which combines two or more general funds with one another,

or which combines one or more general church funds with funds

other than general church funds, the conference treasurer shall

allocate to the general church funds amounts at least equal to the

percentage of receipts set under ¶ 614.3-.5. Amounts so allocated

shall be remitted at least monthly to the treasurer of the General

Council on Finance and Administration.

(3) The treasurer shall, as far as practicable, remit

monthly to the several district superintendents the amount due

each of them (¶ 614.1a).

(4) The treasurer shall likewise credit or remit each

month all funds received and payable for other jurisdictional,

annual conference, and district causes in accordance with budgets

adopted by the annual conference.

(5) The conference treasurer shall remit each month to

the treasurer of the General Council on Finance and Administration

the amounts received during the month for the General Adminis-

tration Fund, the Episcopal Fund, the Interdenominational Coop-

eration Fund, the Black College Fund, the Ministerial Education

Fund, World Service Special Gifts, Advance Special Gifts, gen-

eral Church special Sunday offerings (¶ 262), special churchwide

appeals (¶ 819), and all other general causes not otherwise directed.

b) The conference treasurer may serve as treasurer for any

or all agencies served by a conference central treasury (¶ 613.11).

The treasurer shall enter the proper credits to each at the end of

each month’s business. Disbursements from funds allocated to

any conference agency shall be made only on proper order from

the agency.

c) The treasurer shall prepare at regular intervals such

nancial statements and reports as may be required for the bishop

in charge, the district superintendents, the annual conference,

the council, the agencies served by the conference central trea-

sury and its ofcers, and the treasurer of the General Council on

Finance and Administration.

(1) The treasurer shall make each month a full report

of all general funds handled to the treasurer of the General Coun-

cil on Finance and Administration and to the presiding bishop of

the conference.

75. See Judicial Council Decision 400.

440

¶ 619 THE CONFERENCES

(2) The treasurer shall prepare annually a report of

all receipts, disbursements, and balances of all funds under his

or her direction, which report shall be printed in the conference

journal.

d) The treasurer may be authorized by the council to

invest funds in accordance with policies and procedures estab-

lished by the council (¶ 613.5). A listing of securities held shall be

printed annually in the conference journal.

e) The treasurer shall provide counsel and guidance to

local church business administrators, treasurers, nancial sec-

retaries, and committees on nance in the development of stan-

dardized nancial recording and reporting systems (¶ 613.13).

f) The treasurer shall perform such other staff services

as the council may require in the fulllment of its functions and

responsibilities.

2. As director of administrative services, this ofcer may have

responsibility in one or more of the following areas: ofce manage-

ment; payroll and personnel services; the provision of administra-

tive services for annual conference ofcers and agencies; property

management with respect to property owned by the annual con-

ference or any of its agencies; and such other responsibilities of an

administrative nature as the council, by mutual agreement with

other annual conference ofcers and agencies, may assign. The

director shall be present when the cabinet considers matters relat-

ing to conference administration related to the conference treasur-

er’s or conference treasurer/director of administrative services’

responsibilities, and other matters as the cabinet and director may

determine. The director shall not be present during the cabinet

discussions on matters related to the making of appointments.

3. The council shall have authority and supervision over the

director and shall, after consultation with those annual conference

ofcers and agencies for whom the director might be expected to

perform services, dene his or her specic responsibilities and do

regular evaluation.

P S

¶ 620. Assumption of the obligations of the itineracy, required

to be made at the time of admission into the traveling connection,

puts upon the Church the counter obligation of providing sup-

port for the itinerant ministry of the Church. In view of this, the

441

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 624

claim for pastoral support in each pastoral charge shall include

provisions for the support of pastors, district superintendents,

bishops, and conference claimants.

¶ 621. Apportionment Distribution—Each annual conference

shall determine what plan and method shall be used in distribut-

ing the apportionments to its several districts and charges for the

Episcopal Fund (¶ 818.1), for the support of district superinten-

dents and conference claimants, and for the Equitable Compensa-

tion Fund (¶ 625).

¶ 622. When the apportionments for bishops, district superin-

tendents, conference claimants, and the Equitable Compensation

Fund for the several districts and charges have been determined,

payments made to the same in each pastoral charge shall be

exactly proportional to the amount paid on the clergy base com-

pensation (¶ 818.3). The treasurer or treasurers of each pastoral

charge shall accordingly make proportional distribution of the

funds raised in that charge for the support of the ordained min-

istry and shall remit monthly if practicable and quarterly at the

latest the items for bishops, district superintendents, conference

claimants, and the Equitable Compensation Fund to the proper

treasurer or treasurers.

¶ 623. Base Compensation—The several charge conferences

shall determine the pastor’s base compensation according to the

provisions of ¶ 247.13. “Base Compensation” shall be dened in

“Guidelines: A Resource for the Conference Commission on Equi-

table Compensation” prepared by The National Association of

Commissions on Equitable Compensation (NACEC) and made

available by the General Council on Finance and Administration

(GCFA) either in print or on the GCFA website.

¶ 624. Payment Obligation—1. Each church or charge has an

obligation to pay the base compensation, the benets adopted by

the annual conference, and other ministerial support (including

housing) adopted by the charge conference, to its pastor(s). If it

becomes apparent that a church or charge will be unable to so

provide the base compensation, support, and benets adopted by

the charge conference, the church or charge SPRC chair, nance

chair, or treasurer, shall immediately notify, both in writing

and verbally, the pastor, district superintendent, and congregation.

76. See Judicial Council Decisions 306, 455, 579.

77. See Judicial Council Decisions 208, 455.

78. See Judicial Council Decisions 320, 401.

442

¶ 624 THE CONFERENCES

This communication shall indicate all avenues explored to meet

the base compensation, support, and benets, including request-

ing consideration for a short-term emergency subsidy grant from

the Equitable Compensation Fund (¶ 625.7). If it becomes neces-

sary to reduce a pastor’s compensation, it shall occur at the end of

the conference appointment year.

2. In the event the annual conference has no arrearage policy

in place, all such claims shall be subject to, and controlled by, the

civil laws applicable to such claims in the state in which the claim

arises. Any pastor who does not receive a full scheduled payment

of the approved compensation shall immediately report such, in

writing, to the church or charge SPRC chair, church council chair,

and district superintendent. Failure to report in a timely fashion

may result in surrender of any/all arrearage claims, subject to the

annual conference arrearage policy (¶ 625.2d).

¶ 625. Equitable Compensation—1. There shall be in each

annual conference a commission on equitable compensation or

other structure to provide for these functions and maintain the

connectional relationships. It shall be composed of an equal num-

ber of lay and clergypersons, including at least one layperson

and one clergyperson from churches of fewer than two hundred

members, who are nominated by the conference nominating com-

mittee and elected by and amenable to the annual conference. It

is recommended that in selection of commission members, con-

sideration shall be given to inclusiveness. In addition, one district

superintendent named by the cabinet shall be a member.

2. It is the purpose of the commission on equitable com-

pensation to support full-time clergy serving as pastors in the

charges of the annual conference by: (a) recommending confer-

ence standards for pastoral support; (b) administering funds to

be used in base compensation supplementation; and (c) provid-

ing counsel and advisory material on pastoral support to district

superintendents and committees on pastor-parish relations; and

(d) submitting an arrearage policy to be adopted by the annual

conference. For pastors receiving equitable compensation, once

the base compensation supplementation has been paid by the

annual conference, and the minimum base compensation and

base compensation supplementation has been received by the

pastor, the annual conference shall have no further nancial obli-

gation or responsibility to the pastor, the charge or anyone else

regarding the pastor’s compensation.

443

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 625

3. The commission shall carefully study the needs for addi-

tional support within the conference and the sources of income

and shall recommend annually to the conference for its action a

schedule of minimum base compensation for all full-time pastors

or those clergy members of the annual conference appointed less

than full-time to a local church, subject to such rules and regula-

tions as the conference may adopt (¶ 338.1, .2).

4. In some instances, for missional reasons, consideration

may be given by the conference commission on equitable com-

pensation to make funds available for the deacon in full connec-

tion when the primary appointment is to a local church.

5. Consistent with the provisions of this paragraph, the pri-

mary responsibility for the payment of pastoral base compensa-

tion remains with individual pastoral charges.

6. On recommendation of the commission on equitable com-

pensation, the annual conference may authorize the utilization

of the Equitable Compensation Fund to provide for supplement-

ing base compensation beyond the minimum base compensation

schedule. Special attention shall be given to ethnic pastors serv-

ing ethnic ministries, with particular attention given to Native

American pastors serving Native American ministries. In all

cases (ethnic or nonethnic), emphasis shall be given to funding

entry-level appointments in a teaching parish in a station church,

circuit, or cooperative parish and/or equivalent, or to a coopera-

tive parish.

7. In consultation with the Commission on Equitable Com-

pensation, the council on nance and administration shall rec-

ommend to the conference its estimate of the amount required to

support the schedule of minimum base compensation and base

compensation supplements for the pastors, as adopted by the

conference. The conference council on nance and administra-

tion shall apportion the amount approved by the conference as an

item of clergy support to the districts or the charges as the confer-

ence may direct (¶ 614.1e).

8. The Equitable Compensation Fund, secured as described

above in ¶¶ 614.1e and 625.7, shall be disbursed under the direc-

tion of the Commission on Equitable Compensation.

9. The Equitable Compensation Fund, secured as described

in ¶¶ 614.1e and 625.7, shall be used to provide each pastor who

79. See Judicial Council Decision 579.

80. See Judicial Council Decisions 90, 179, 1013.

444

¶ 625 THE CONFERENCES

receives less than the minimum base compensation with an addi-

tional amount sufcient to make the base compensation approved

by the pastoral charge plus the supplemental aid or income from

other sources equal to the minimum base compensation approved

by the conference. An annual conference may set a maximum

amount to be used in attaining such minimum base compensa-

tion in any given case, and it may set its own policy regarding the

number of years for which a pastoral charge is eligible to receive

equitable base compensation funds, provided that no member in

good standing who is appointed to a pastoral charge is denied the

minimum base compensation (¶ 342).

10. In light of our constitutional commitment to Ecumeni-

cal Relations (Division One—General, ¶ 6, Article VI), the com-

mission should give consideration in setting standards for clergy

support for those ministers who have had their orders recognized

for service in The United Methodist Church (¶ 346.2) and whose

years of service include ministry exercised in other denomina-

tions, especially those coming from the churches of the Pan-Meth-

odist Commission and other member churches of the Churches

Uniting In Christ.

11. The commission shall assemble and distribute to the

charges and the district superintendents advisory material for use

in the process of negotiating the total of each pastoral support

package, the schedule of minimum base compensation, and other

information relevant to the establishment of more equitable base

compensation by all the charges of the conference.

12. The guidelines of the annual conference program of equi-

table clergy support shall, insofar as possible, be observed by the

bishops and district superintendents in arranging charges and

making appointments. Each full-time pastor or those clergy mem-

bers of the annual conference appointed less than full-time under

episcopal appointment to a local church are eligible for participa-

tion in the annual conference program of equitable base compen-

sation (¶ 342.1, .2).

13. The commission may suggest to the annual conference

for its consideration equitable base compensation ranges for the

pastors and/or charges, and the annual conference may suggest

such equitable base compensation ranges to the charges for their

consideration.

81. See Judicial Council Decisions 456, 579, 587, 1013.

445

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 629

¶ 626. Sustentation Fund—An annual conference may estab-

lish a sustentation fund for the purpose of providing emergency

aid to the clergy of the conference who may be in special need. On

recommendation of the conference council on nance and admin-

istration, the amount needed for this purpose may be apportioned

to the pastoral charges as the conference may determine. The

fund, if established, shall be administered jointly by the bishop,

the appropriate district superintendent, and the chairperson of

the commission on equitable compensation or the chairperson of

such other agency as the annual conference may determine.

¶ 627. Pastors’ Expenses and Allowances—Local churches shall

report to the annual conference, in the manner indicated on the

annual conference report form, expenditures for the following

purposes: (1) amounts reimbursed to pastors for expenses incurred

by them in the fulllment of their professional responsibilities;

(2) amounts paid to or for pastors as allowances (including hous-

ing allowance) in addition to base compensation. Local churches

are encouraged to consider guidelines provided by the annual

conference and/or the General Council on Finance and Admin-

istration in setting and reporting the amounts of such allowances

and reimbursements.

¶ 628. Compensation for Extension Ministries—Every clergy

member of an annual conference appointed to extension ministry

shall furnish annually to the conference secretary at such time as

the secretary shall direct a statement of his or her total compensa-

tion (including base compensation, travel, automobile, housing,

and other expenses allowed and paid) for the year then ending,

and said compensation of all clergy appointed to extension min-

istry shall be published in the journal of the annual conference.

When this information is not furnished, the appointment of the

clergyperson shall be subject to review by the resident bishop and

the cabinet.

O C A

¶ 629. Conference Board of Church and Society—1. The annual

conference shall organize a board of church and society or other

structure to provide for the functions of this ministry and main-

tain the connectional relationship between the General Board of

Church and Society and the conference, district, and local church,

82. See Judicial Council Decisions 345, 465.

446

¶ 629 THE CONFERENCES

as well as for church and society responsibilities related to the

objectives and scope of work of the General Board of Church and

Society as set forth in ¶¶ 1002-1004.

2. The conference board of church and society or equivalent

structure shall be composed of those persons as determined by the

annual conference, including, by virtue of their ofces, the mission

coordinator for social action of the conference United Methodist

Women and members of the General Board of Church and Society

from the annual conference who shall serve within limits set by

¶¶ 610.6 and 710.6. The conference board of church and society

or equivalent structure shall also name a conference Peace with

Justice Coordinator who will be responsible for administering the

conference Peace with Justice Special Sunday Offering receipts

and for coordinating peace and justice ministries. Guidelines for

inclusiveness in the membership shall be followed (¶ 610.5).

3. The conference board, in cooperation with the General

Board of Church and Society and the annual conference council

on ministries, shall develop and promote programs on church and

society within the bounds of the conference that include prison

ministry and reform concerns. To this end, it may divide its mem-

bership into committees of approximately equal size patterned

after the organization of the General Board of Church and Society.

Committees of the board shall have responsibility to cooperate

with one another to advance the respective and mutual concerns

of their respective areas in social education, service, witness, and

action.

4. The conference board of church and society shall serve to

connect the General Board of Church and Society and the district

and local churches in relating the gospel of Jesus Christ to the

members of the Church and to the persons and structures of the

communities, nation, and world in which they live. Program shall

be developed that provides education and action on issues con-

fronting the Church consistent with the Social Principles and the

policies adopted by the General Conference.

5. The board shall estimate annually the amount necessary

for support of its work and shall report this amount according to

the procedure of the annual conference. The work of the board

may be considered a benevolence interest of the Church within

the conference.

6. The annual conference may employ a person or persons to

further its purposes. Two or more annual conferences may coop-

447

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 630

erate in developing their programs and in employing one or more

persons.

¶ 630. Conference Board of Discipleship—The annual confer-

ence shall organize a board of discipleship or other equivalent

structure to provide for these functions and maintain the con-

nectional relationship between the General Board of Discipleship

and the conference, district, and local church, and to provide for

discipleship functions related to the objectives and scope of work

of the General Board of Discipleship as set forth in ¶¶ 1101, 1102.

The person or persons serving as member(s) of the General Board

of Discipleship shall be member(s) of the conference board of dis-

cipleship and may be granted voting privileges.

1. General Responsibilities—a) To lead and assist the congre-

gations and districts in the conference in their efforts to commu-

nicate and celebrate the redeeming and reconciling love of God

as revealed in Jesus Christ to persons of every age, ethnic back-

ground, and social condition; to invite persons to commit their

lives to Christ and to his church; and to enable persons to live as

Christian disciples in the world.

b) To foster and promote a holistic approach to the devel-

opment of Christian disciples. This shall include such ministries

as Christian education and other small-group ministries; camp-

ing, retreat, and outdoor activities; evangelism; stewardship;

worship; lay development; Christian spiritual formation and

devotional life; age-level, life-span, and family-life ministries;

leadership education; and such other areas of work as the annual

conference may determine.

c) To foster and promote camping experiences for per-

sons with disabilities, including camps specically designed for

persons with disabilities, and the participation of persons with

disabilities, when feasible, in camps sponsored by the district and

conference.

d) To provide training for clergy and laity in ministries

with persons with disabilities, including the areas of the Sunday

school, camps and retreats, and faith development.

e) To provide guidance and training for related district

leaders and agencies and for local church councils, ofcers, and

committees.

f) To develop a unied and comprehensive program for

leadership training to serve all age groups in the home, church,

and community.

448

¶ 630 THE CONFERENCES

g) To provide continued training for pastors in effective

ministry with children, child and faith development of children,

and interpretation of curriculum resources.

h) To enable and strengthen the ministry with and to

youth at all levels of the Church.

i) To determine the necessary directors, coordinators, or

designated leaders for discipleship responsibilities at the annual

conference level, including the maintenance of linkage with the

General Board of Discipleship and related district committees

within the annual conference.

2. Responsibilities in the Area of Christian Education—a) To

develop and promote a conference program of Christian educa-

tion for the whole life span, to lead, assist, and support congre-

gations and districts in developing systems for educational and

small-group ministries that give children, youth, young adults,

adults, older adults, and families knowledge of and experience

in the Christian faith and the spiritual disciplines as motiva-

tion for Christian service in the Church, the community, and the

world. This may include guidance and training for district leaders

responsible for Christian education and for local church minis-

try areas and commissions on education, superintendents of the

church school, church school division superintendents, church

school teachers, and other leaders in the educational ministry of

local churches.

b) To develop and maintain an organized system for

communicating and working with persons responsible for Chris-

tian education programs in local churches, districts, jurisdictions,

and the General Board of Discipleship.

c) To provide training for conrmation leaders and to

equip local congregations in conrmation experiences and in the

use of approved resources.

d) To encourage the observance of the rst Sunday of

Christian Education Week, or some other day designated by the

annual conference, in each local church as Christian Education

Sunday for the purpose of emphasizing the importance of Chris-

tian education and for receiving an offering for the work of Chris-

tian education. (See ¶ 265.1.)

e) To develop and recommend to the annual conference

plans for the acquisition or disposition of conference camps and/

or retreat properties in accordance with standards of camping

developed by the General Board of Discipleship (¶ 1109.10).

449

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 630

f) To promote church school extension by: (1) encourag-

ing the development of new United Methodist church schools;

(2) starting new classes; (3) expanding teaching and learning

opportunities in the congregation and community.

g) To assist local congregations in initiating programs of

teacher recruitment, development, training, and retraining in bib-

lical, theological, and ethical thinking as well as in the procedures

and methods of Christian education.

h) To cooperate in the promotion of knowledge about

the support for all schools, colleges, universities, and seminaries

related to the conference, the United Methodist Student Move-

ment, and the campus ministry of the conference, region, or area

through the establishment and support of such programs as may

be approved by the annual conference in harmony with the poli-

cies and procedures of the General Board of Higher Education

and Ministry.

3. Responsibilities in the Area of Evangelism—a) To plan and

promote an effective, comprehensive ministry of evangelism for

people of all ages.

b) To create an understanding of, interest in, and commit-

ment to evangelism throughout the conference.

c) To provide for the training of clergy and laypersons

in leadership in ministries of evangelism, the distribution of pro-

motional literature, the encouragement and enlistment of local

church participation in an ongoing ministry of evangelism, and

the support of church revitalization and new church development.

d) To give guidance to the groups responsible for the

work of evangelism in the districts and to the ministry area of

evangelism in the local church.

e) To give particular emphasis to the promotion of minis-

tries of evangelism, which may include ministries in jails and

prisons with offenders, victims, and their families, in order that

all persons living in a community where there is a local United

Methodist church, and who are without a church afliation or

who make no profession of faith, will be included within the nur-

turing and caring responsibility of that local church.

f) To recommend annually, in consultation with the

Board of Ordained Ministry, to the conference and to the bishop in

charge the appointment of certain effective members of the confer-

ence as general evangelists, provided that such persons shall meet

the standards set for general evangelists by the General Board of

450

¶ 630 THE CONFERENCES

Discipleship. This person shall serve as an ex ofcio member of

the conference board of discipleship area of evangelism. In the

event that there is more than one general evangelist in said annual

conference, at least one shall be selected by the conference com-

mittee on nominations.

g) To recommend and endorse the ministry of said general

evangelist to the pastors and leadership of the annual conference.

4. Responsibilities in the Area of Worship—a) To be responsi-

ble for the concerns of worship for people of all ages within the

annual conference.

b) To foster the use of the best resources for worship at

conference meetings and in all the churches of the conference,

promote the use of The United Methodist Hymnal (1989) and The

United Methodist Book of Worship (1992) in all the churches of the

conference. To plan and promote seminars and demonstrations

on cooperative planning for worship involving pastors and musi-

cians, forms of worship, and the use of music and other arts, with

particular emphasis on congregational singing. This includes

cooperating with the resident bishop, who has primary responsi-

bility for planning all worship services at each annual conference.

c) To provide exhibits at the conference sessions, cooper-

ate with the General Board of Discipleship, the conference council

on ministries, the conference chapter of The Fellowship of United

Methodists in Music and Worship Arts, and the Order of St. Luke

in promoting seminars and training events in the area of worship,

including music and other arts.

d) To assist local congregations in discovering and recruit-

ing persons to serve as musicians (instrumentalists, singers, and

song leaders) and in developing the skills of those serving in local

congregations in cooperation with the General Board of Disciple-

ship. This focus shall include persons who work full-time, part-

time, and especially as volunteers in church music.

5. Responsibilities in the Area of Stewardship—a) To plan and

promote a comprehensive program of stewardship for people

of all ages throughout the conference in such areas as steward-

ship education, proportionate giving and tithing, funding the

Church’s ministries, planned giving, time and abilities, economics

and money management, and lifestyle.

b) To interpret the biblical and theological basis for

stewardship.

c) To promote giving consistent with a Christian lifestyle.

451

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 631

d) To develop funding concepts within annual confer-

ence, district, and local church consistent with sound stewardship

principles and the doctrine of The United Methodist Church.

e) To educate the local church that tithing is the minimum

goal of giving in The United Methodist Church.

f) To design and schedule training events, distribute pro-

motional material, and enlist local church participation in a year-

round program of stewardship.

g) To give guidance to the ministry area of stewardship

in the districts and to the ministry area of stewardship and the

committee on nance in the local church.

h) To develop a program that will create concern on the

part of every local church for the ecological and environmental

problems that confront the world and to motivate them to accept

responsibility for aiding in the solution of such problems.

i) To participate in the work of national and jurisdictional

organizations related to stewardship, such as the National Asso-

ciation of Stewardship Leaders and the National Association of

United Methodist Foundations.

6. Responsibilities in the Area of Spiritual Formation—It is rec-

ommended that a separate committee be established to carry out

the following responsibilities:

a) To promote spiritual formation and the development

of the devotional life for families and people of all ages, clergy and

laity, throughout the conference.

b) To conduct seminars and training events in the areas of

private and corporate prayer.

c) To encourage and assist with the distribution and use

of resources for spiritual formation as provided by The Upper

Room and the General Board of Discipleship.

d) To encourage every local church to have a prayer coor-

dinator to promote prayer and mobilize the local church to pray.

e) To encourage every local church to have a prayer room

or designated place for prayer and prayer resources.

f) To encourage intentional prayer for pastoral leadership

of the local church.

¶ 631. Conference Board of Laity—1. There shall be in every

annual conference a conference board of laity or other equivalent

structure to provide for these functions and maintain connec-

tional relationship.

It shall provide for the ministry of the laity

83. See Judicial Council Decision 835.

452

¶ 631 THE CONFERENCES

related to the objectives of the General Board of Discipleship as set

forth in ¶¶ 1101-1126.

2. The purpose of the conference board of laity shall be:

a) To foster an awareness of the role of the laity both

within the local congregation and through their ministries in the

home, workplace, community, and world in achieving the mis-

sion of the Church; to develop and promote programs to cultivate

an adequate understanding of the theological and biblical basis

for lay life and work among the members of the churches of the

annual conference.

b) To develop and promote stewardship of time, talent,

and possessions within the annual conference in cooperation with

the conference council on ministries or other appropriate confer-

ence bodies.

c) To provide for the training of lay members of annual

conference.

d) To provide support and direction for the ministry of

the laity on the local, district, and annual conference levels and to

promote the observance of Laity Sunday.

e) To provide organization, direction, and support for the

development of local church leaders.

3. The following membership of the board is recommended:

the conference lay leader, associate conference lay leaders, the

conference director of Lay Speaking Ministries, the conference

scouting coordinator, and the presidents and two representatives

elected by each of the conference organizations of United Meth-

odist Men, United Methodist Women, United Methodist Young

Adults, and the conference council on youth ministries; and in

addition, the district lay leaders, two laymen, two laywomen, and

two youth elected by the annual conference upon nomination of

the conference nominating committee, a district superintendent

designated by the cabinet, the director of the conference council

on ministries, and the presiding bishop. Special attention shall be

given to the inclusion of people with disabilities and racial and

ethnic persons. All members shall be professing members of local

churches.

4. The conference lay leader shall chair the board. Other of-

cers shall be elected as the board shall deem necessary.

5. The board shall relate to Lay Servant Ministries and other

organized lay groups in the conference, such as United Methodist

Men, United Methodist Women, United Methodist Young Adults,

453

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 631

and United Methodist Youth and shall support their work and

help them coordinate the activities of the organized laity of the

conference.

6. Conference Committee on Lay Servant Ministries—a) Every

annual conference is encouraged to create a conference commit-

tee on Lay Servant Ministries or other equivalent structure to ful-

ll the requirements of ¶¶ 266-268 and to relate to the conference

board of laity and the General Board of Discipleship as per ¶ 1116

and others that might apply.

b) The purpose of a conference committee on Lay Servant

Ministries is to set criteria and guidelines for district committees

on Lay Servant Ministries, to develop lay servant courses and

approve courses developed by district committees, and to orga-

nize conference-wide lay servant events.

c) A conference committee on Lay Servant Ministries

will consist, at a minimum, of the district directors of Lay Servant

Ministries or their equivalent.

d) There will be a conference director of Lay Speaking

Ministries. This position will be lled in a manner to be deter-

mined by the annual conference. This position shall be lled by a

certied lay servant. The conference director will chair the com-

mittee. Other ofcers will be elected by the committee as the com-

mittee deems necessary.

7. Responsibilities in the Area of Ministry of the Laity—a) To

develop and promote programs to cultivate an adequate under-

standing of the theological and biblical basis for ministry of the

laity among the members of the churches of the annual confer-

ence; to give special emphasis to programs and services that will

enable laity of all ages to serve more effectively as leaders in both

church and community.

b) To provide support and direction for such lay pro-

grams as Lay Servant Ministries, the observance of Laity Day, and

the work of lay leaders on the local and district levels.

c) To give support and direction to the conference and

district program for local church leadership development, coor-

dinating and developing training experiences that will enable

persons of all ages to serve more effectively as members of local

church councils on ministries, church councils, and the commit-

tees, commissions, and task forces related to these groups.

d) To organize a conference committee on Lay Servant

Ministries that will fulll the requirements of ¶¶ 266-268 on behalf

454

¶ 631 THE CONFERENCES

of the conference. This committee shall set guidelines and criteria

to be used by district committees (see ¶ 669).

¶ 632. Conference Committee on Ethnic Local Church Concerns—

1. There shall be in every annual conference a conference com-

mittee on ethnic local church concerns or other structure to

provide for these basic functions and to maintain connectional

relationship.

2. It shall provide for these functions:

a) Keeping the vision of ethnic local church concerns

before the annual conference;

b) Providing guidance and resources to churches

in the annual conference as they minister with and to ethnic

constituencies;

c) Coordinating annual conference strategies related to

ethnic local church concerns including general church emphases

and initiatives;

d) Providing a forum for dialogue among the ethnic con-

stituencies, as well as with annual conference agencies;

e) Providing training for annual conference and congre-

gational leaders;

f) Promoting and interpreting ethnic local church con-

cerns to the annual conference; and

g) Working with annual conferences to identify and nur-

ture leaders, lay and clergy, of ethnic communities.

3. The membership of this committee shall be nominated and

elected by established procedures of the annual conference. The

annual conference shall determine the number and composition

of the membership of the committee. It is recommended that the

committee be constituted so that the majority of the membership

be representative of racial and ethnic people, reecting the racial

and ethnic constituencies and local churches of the annual con-

ference (¶ 705.3). Care should be taken, where feasible, to ensure

balance of membership with clergy and laity, men and women,

youth and young adults.

¶ 633. Conference Board of Global Ministries—1. The annual

conference shall organize a board of global ministries or other

structure to maintain the connectional relationship and provide

for global ministries responsibilities related to the objectives and

scope of work of the General Board of Global Ministries as set

forth in ¶¶ 1302-1303.

455

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 633

2. The conference board of global ministries or equivalent

structure shall be composed of those persons as determined by

the annual conference and shall fulll those responsibilities as

assigned. The mission coordinator of education and interpre-

tation of the conference United Methodist Women, by virtue

of ofce, shall be a member of the conference board of global

ministries.

The chairperson of the conference board of global ministries

shall work with the conference secretary of global ministries to

relate the annual conference board of global ministries to the

objectives and scope of work of the General Board of Global Min-

istries. A person or persons serving as member(s) of the General

Board of Global Ministries from the annual conference shall, by

virtue of their ofce, be member(s) of the conference board of

global ministries (see ¶¶ 610.6 and 710.6).

3. There shall be a conference secretary of global ministries

who shall be a member of the annual conference board and may

be a member of the annual conference council on ministries or

equivalent structure.

The conference secretary of global ministries shall work with

the chairperson of the conference board of global ministries to

relate the annual conference board of global ministries to the objec-

tives and scope of work of the General Board of Global Ministries.

4. a) The annual conference and the General Board of Global

Ministries shall cooperate in carrying out the policies and promot-

ing all phases of the work as related to the scope of the board as

set forth in ¶ 1302.

b) Responsibilities—(1) To designate the necessary com-

mittees, sections, or commissions and individual secretaries, coor-

dinators, or other leaders for global ministries responsibilities at

the annual conference level.

(2) To interpret to the annual conference the pro-

grams, plans, and policies of the General Board of Global Minis-

tries and to plan and promote emphases on global ministries. To

undergird with education, constructive evaluation, communica-

tion, and cultivation the total program of the General Board of

Global Ministries.

(3) To receive reports of the liaison to the annual con-

ference from the General Board of Global Ministries.

(4) To interpret to the General Board of Global Min-

istries the mission program, priorities, and concerns of the annual

456

¶ 633 THE CONFERENCES

conference and the local churches to enable the board to fulll its

responsibilities as an extension of the local church.

(5) To plan and promote various kinds of meetings

and experiences throughout the conference for the purpose of

developing a spirit of mission and participation in global minis-

tries for training, education, and leadership development of mis-

sion leaders and persons in the eld of human services and health

and welfare ministries.

(6) To cooperate with the General Board of Global

Ministries in its program outside the United States.

(7) To identify with all who are alienated and dis-

possessed and to assist them in achieving their full human devel-

opment—body, mind, and spirit—including encouraging and

implementing afrmative action programs.

(8) To engage in direct ministries to human need,

both emergency and continuing institutional and noninstitu-

tional, however caused.

(9) To cooperate with the conference organization of

United Methodist Women in helping to equip all women for full

participation in the mission of the Church.

(10) To cultivate, through the channels of the Church

other than United Methodist Women, the Advance Special Gifts

for ministries administered by designated units of the General

Board of Global Ministries, including United Methodist Commit-

tee on Relief (UMCOR).

(11) To promote the development of covenant rela-

tionships between local churches and General Board of Global

Ministries personnel.

(12) To encourage, maintain, and strengthen the rela-

tionships between the annual conference and agencies related to

the appropriate divisions and departments of the General Board

of Global Ministries and provide a channel through which these

agencies shall report to the annual conference.

(13) To develop and implement Church nancial

support of conference mission projects and programs, and health

and welfare ministries, with particular emphasis on benevolent

care and Golden Cross, education and social service ministries,

and World Communion Scholarships.

(14) To enable, encourage, and support the develop-

ment of congregations, cooperative parishes, community centers,

education and human services, and health and welfare ministries

457

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 633

so that they may be units of mission in urban and rural areas and

partners with others in the worldwide mission of the Christian

church.

(15) To encourage and support specialized urban and

town and country ministries enabling comprehensive mission

related to broad metropolitan and rural issues, services minister-

ing to the needs of persons, and supportive programs strengthen-

ing the local church.

(16) To assist districts and local churches in explor-

ing and developing new methods and direct service ministries as

changing conditions and societal forms demand.

(17) To cooperate with Church and secular leaders at

all levels in strategic planning, developing programs, and advo-

cating legislation that impacts community and national issues.

(18) To envision and engage in imaginative new

forms of mission appropriate to changing needs and to share the

results of experimentation.

(19) To develop strategies in response to critical com-

munity issues, with special attention to the needs of ethnic and

language groups, people with disabilities, people in transitional

relationships, the working poor, and those living under repressive

systems

(20) To support United Methodist Committee on

Relief’s refugee ministry by promoting an annual conference

refugee committee that relates to the annual conference board of

global ministries and encourages, advises, and assists churches

with their refugee programs.

(21) To support the United Methodist Committee on

Relief’s World Hunger/Poverty Ministry by encouraging annual

conferences to appoint an annual conference hunger coordinator

and form an annual conference hunger committee that relates to

the annual conference board of global ministries.

(22) To appoint annual conference disaster response

coordinators to assist the United Methodist Committee on Relief

by encouraging the formation of an annual conference disaster

response committee that relates to the annual conference board

of global ministries and includes, when possible, members of the

General Board of Global Ministries from the annual conference.

The membership of the Disaster Response Committee may include

district disaster response coordinators and the conference director

of communications or member of the commission on communica-

458

¶ 633 THE CONFERENCES

tions. Annual conference and district disaster response coordina-

tors shall receive training at least once a quadrennium.

(23) To assist the program of Church and Commu-

nity Ministry in setting goals, developing programs, providing

funding, and evaluating the ministries.

(24) To cooperate with the General Board of Global

Ministries in the recruitment and support of missionaries and to

cooperate with the appropriate conference units such as a Confer-

ence Committee on Mission Personnel or an equivalent body in

the promotion and recruitment of persons for health and welfare

service careers and other Church-related occupations.

(25) To review and certify applications to the Gen-

eral Board of Global Ministries for loans, donations, and grants;

to administer such funds for their designated purposes in accor-

dance with the established guidelines; and to participate with the

General Board of Global Ministries in planning and evaluation

processes related to these funds.

(26) To cultivate gifts for those special Sunday offer-

ings that are administered through the General Board of Global

Ministries.

(27) To strive to ensure mutual representation

between the annual conference unit responsible for health and

welfare ministries and each health and welfare institution related

to the annual conference where such representation is called for

by mutual agreement of the institution and the annual conference.

(28) To encourage the health and welfare institu-

tions and programs within the annual conference related to a

connectional unit of The United Methodist Church to utilize the

programmatic standards, self-study, and peer review appropri-

ate to Church-related institutions and programs and available

to them through organizations that will promote excellence in

Christian ministry and mission and enhance the quality of ser-

vices offered.

(29) To assist the annual conference in assessing

needs in health and welfare ministries. To assist the annual con-

ference in development of health and welfare services in local

communities and within the annual conference.

(30) To work with the General Board of Global Minis-

tries in leadership development programs and the promotion of

health and welfare ministries, and to work with the United Meth-

odist Association of Health and Welfare Ministries in leadership

459

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 633

development programs and the promotion of health and welfare

ministries.

(31) To promote Christian, nancial, and profes-

sional standards in health and welfare ministries within the

annual conference.

(32) To aid in planning and developing a religious

ministry in annual conference-related institutions and programs

and, wherever practical, in state and other institutions and pro-

grams not related to the conference where there is a need.

(33) To serve in an advisory capacity to the confer-

ence nominating processes where the annual conference partici-

pates in the selection of trustees for health and welfare institutions

and programs related to the annual conference.

(34) To provide a channel through which health and

welfare programs and institutions report to the annual conference.

(35) To promote an annual Golden Cross offering or

other means of giving to be received in every local church on a

day or days designated by the annual conference in support of the

health and welfare ministries within the annual conference. This

offering shall provide nancial support to care for sick persons,

older persons, children and youth, and people with disabilities.

Special emphasis shall be given to aiding those ministries that

provide direct nancial assistance to persons in need. Promotion

also should include all units of the General Board of Global Min-

istries related to health and welfare ministries.

(36) To make available program and other resources

to local churches to help ensure physical accessibility of church

buildings.

5. The annual conference shall establish a committee on par-

ish and community development or assign this responsibility to

an existing agency in the annual conference that will fulll the

responsibilities related to the objectives and scope of the General

Board of Global Ministries (¶ 1313). The committee shall initiate

and develop programs with institutional and voluntary ministries

related to the work of the board. The committee may form sub-

committees for these areas. The committee shall be accountable to

the conference board of global ministries, or to such other agency

as the conference may determine. The chairperson of the commit-

tee and the chairpersons of the subcommittees shall be members

of the conference board of global ministries or such body to which

the committee shall be amenable.

460

¶ 633 THE CONFERENCES

a) The committee shall include persons involved in sig-

nicant types of parish and community ministries, lay and clergy

representatives of rural, town, and urban small-membership

churches, the area or conference superintendent or director of par-

ish development, representatives of related church agencies and

groups, and at-large community representatives.

b) The general responsibilities of the committee shall

include research, evaluation, planning and strategy development,

policy formulation, program implementation, local and national

liaison (denominational and ecumenical) related to parish and

community development, and such other functions as the con-

ference or agency to which the committee is accountable may

determine.

c) Responsibilities of the subcommittee on institutional

and voluntary ministries related to the General Board of Global

Ministries may include developing a relationship to all such insti-

tutional and voluntary ministries within the annual conference;

consulting with them in cooperative planning and strategy for the

implementation of national mission concerns relative to needs in

the area of social welfare as implemented through the ministries of

community centers, residences, health-care agencies, schools, and

other educational agencies; and working with funding sources to

provide the support needed for effective service in such agencies.

d) In annual conferences where church and community

workers are assigned through the General Board of Global Min-

istries, responsibilities of the subcommittee on church and com-

munity ministry shall include reviewing and evaluating projects;

serving as liaison between projects and the General Board of

Global Ministries; and securing consultative and nancial sup-

port for workers.

e) Responsibilities of the subcommittee on congrega-

tional development shall include encouraging and supporting the

development of new and established congregations; conducting

research studies and community surveys that plan for and assist

with developing innovative strategies for mission; and reviewing,

evaluating, and making recommendations for loans, donations,

and grants from the General Board of Global Ministries. The sub-

committee also shall encourage greater use of such pastoral min-

istry models as tentmaking/bi-vocational ministries, part-time

local pastors, and cooperative ministries by advocating for the

removal of impediments to their use and emphasizing the pas-

461

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 633

tors’ proven ability to produce effective nurture, outreach, and

witness ministries as the primary criterion for appointment.

f) Responsibilities of the subcommittee on town and

country ministries shall include mission development and min-

istry in town and country areas with a population of less than

50,000. These shall include incorporated areas of 10,000 to 50,000;

towns, villages, and incorporated areas with 10,000 or fewer; and

rural areas with population density of 200 or fewer persons per

square mile, fullling the functions outlined in ¶ 633.5h.

g) Responsibilities of the subcommittee on urban minis-

tries shall include long-range mission strategy development and

ministry for metropolitan communities with a population of more

than 50,000, fullling the functions outlined in ¶ 633.5h.

h) Responsibilities of the subcommittees on town and

country ministries and urban ministries shall include the following:

(1) consulting with the bishop, cabinet, area or con-

ference superintendent/director of parish development, district

representatives of town and country ministries and urban minis-

tries, and the conference agencies in the development of policies

for cooperative parish ministries, securing of funding for staff,

and in initiating and strengthening these ministries;

(2) developing a comprehensive related missional

strategy for the mission of the annual conference, the districts,

and the local churches and reporting this plan to the annual con-

ference for consideration, with the understanding that the plan

may relate to a regional mission organization for purposes of

larger geographical coordination; and

(3) initiating and/or assisting with programs to deal

with needs such as:

(a) local church and community outreach organi-

zation and development;

(b) ministries with specialized constituencies

and sectors of community life, agricultural and industrial produc-

tion, and other issue-oriented ministries;

regional and/or national networks and/or associations;

(d) ethnic and language groups;

(e) churches in transitional communities;

(f) small membership churches;

(g) the impact of oppressive systems on town

and country and urban people and their communities; and

462

¶ 633 THE CONFERENCES

(h) to fulll other functions as related to the

objectives and scope of work of the General Board of Global Min-

istries as set forth in ¶ 1314.

i) Responsibilities of the subcommittee on the small mem-

bership church shall include the following: (1) being informed

about needs and opportunities of the small membership church

in rural, town, and urban settings in the total life of the confer-

ence; (2) calling for representation by small membership churches

in the decision-making structures of the annual conference;

(3) informing and sensitizing leadership at all levels of the confer-

ence on issues that affect small membership churches; (4) enlist-

ing the support of the bishop, cabinet, council on ministries, and

conference staff on policies, plans, and practices that affect small

membership churches; (5) working with the subcommittees on

town and country ministries and urban ministries within the par-

ish and with the community development committee to develop

and implement strategies for the nurturing, outreach, and witness

ministries of small membership churches.

j) In metropolitan areas with a population of more than

50,000, consideration shall be given to the establishment of a met-

ropolitan commission whose purpose shall be to promote long-

range planning and to provide a coordinating framework for

United Methodism’s mission strategy for that metropolitan area.

The membership may include the bishop or bishop’s represen-

tative, the district superintendents involved, a selected group of

clergy and laypersons representing the annual conference board of

global ministries and the annual conference committee on urban

ministry, the conference commission on religion and race, the

annual conference United Methodist Women and United Method-

ist Men, representatives from community-based ministries, repre-

sentatives from district council(s) on ministries, representatives

from other boards and agencies deemed appropriate, and groups

and individuals who have skills and experience enabling them to

fulll creative planning and strategy functions for United Meth-

odism in the metropolitan area.

When the metropolitan area includes more than one

annual conference, representatives shall be elected from each

conference’s constituent boards and agencies to the metropolitan

commission.

6. There may be a volunteer-in-mission coordinator who

will coordinate the volunteer-in-mission ministries of the annual

463

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 634

conference in cooperation with the General Board of Global Min-

istries’ mission volunteers ofce and the jurisdictional volunteer-

in-mission ofce.

a) The coordinator shall be elected annually and shall be

a member of the annual conference board of global ministries.

b) The coordinator will be responsible to:

(1) match volunteers with mission opportunities;

(2) be responsive to volunteers’ desire to serve;

(3) train and mobilize volunteers for mission volun-

teer service;

(4) disseminate information on what is happening in

the area of short-term volunteer-in-mission programs.

¶ 634. Conference Board of Higher Education and Campus Minis-

try—1. There shall be in each annual conference a board of higher

education and campus ministry or other structure to provide for

these functions and maintain the connectional relationships. The

number of members shall be determined by the annual confer-

ence, including representation from appropriate constituencies.

2. The annual conference board of higher education and cam-

pus ministry or equivalent structure shall provide for the connec-

tional relationship between the Division of Higher Education of

the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry and the con-

ference, district, and local church and shall provide for a ministry

in higher education related to the objectives and scope of work

of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry and the

Division of Higher Education. A person serving as a member of

the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry from that

annual conference shall, by virtue of his or her ofce, be a member

of the conference board of higher education and campus ministry

or equivalent structure (see ¶¶ 610.6 and 710.6).

3. The annual conference chairperson of higher education

and campus ministry or equivalent structure shall be a member of

the annual conference council on ministries.

4. The responsibilities of an annual conference board of higher

education and campus ministry or equivalent structure include:

a) General Responsibilities—(1) To interpret and promote

the United Methodist ministries in higher education that are sup-

ported by the general Church and those specically related to the

annual conference.

84. See Judicial Council Decision 1171.

464

¶ 634 THE CONFERENCES

(2) To recommend the policies guiding the annual

conference in its program of ministry in higher education.

(3) To train and provide resources for district com-

mittees and local church ministry areas of higher education and

campus ministry.

(4) To apprise United Methodists of their historic

commitment to and present mission in higher education.

(5) To work with the annual conference council on

ministries and with districts and local churches to interpret and

promote higher education ministries supported by special Sun-

days and funds: Africa University Fund, Black College Fund;

Hispanic, Asian, and Native Americans (HANA) Educational

Ministries; Ministerial Education Fund, Native American Minis-

tries Sunday, United Methodist Student Day; World Communion

Sunday; and other funds and special days related to higher edu-

cation ordered by the General Conference or annual conference.

(6) To promote use of the United Methodist Loan

Fund and to designate appropriate persons to represent the

United Methodist Loan Fund on campuses, such persons nor-

mally being Wesley Foundation directors or ecumenical campus

ministers supported by the annual conference; to provide the

Ofce of Loans and Scholarships with the names and addresses

of those persons; and to apprise students of alternative ways to

apply for loans in the event there is no campus minister.

(7) To evaluate schools, colleges, universities, and

campus ministries related to the annual conference, with concern

for the quality of their performance, the integrity of their mission,

and their response to the missional goals of the general Church

and the annual conference.

(8) To promote the education award programs pro-

vided by The United Methodist Church, including the United

Methodist Higher Education Foundation’s award programs.

(9) To confer at once with representatives of the Gen-

eral Board of Higher Education and Ministry to determine what

resources and aid the board may be able to provide and to enable

the Division of Higher Education to carry out its responsibilities

in the event that any educational institution, Wesley Foundation,

or other campus ministry moves to sever or modify its connection

with the Church or violates the rules adopted by the division in

accordance with ¶ 1413.3.

465

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 634

(10) To provide that two or more annual conferences

may, on recommendation of their boards of higher education and

campus ministry or equivalent structures, join in constituting

an area or regional committee or commission on higher educa-

tion and campus ministry, the membership, scope, and functions

of which shall be determined by the cooperating conferences in

consultation with their bishop or bishops. The area committee

or commission shall include a majority of its members from the

participating annual conference boards of higher education and

campus ministry or equivalent structure with appropriate repre-

sentation of college presidents, campus ministers, students, and

ethnic persons.

b) Fiscal Responsibilities—In addition to its general

responsibilities, the annual conference board of higher education

and campus ministry shall carry out the following scal duties:

(1) To present to the council on ministries and then to

the council on nance and administration of the annual conference

the nancial needs for adequate support of the schools, colleges,

universities, theological schools, campus Christian movements,

Wesley Foundations,

and other campus ministries related to the

annual conference for apportionment to the churches within the

conference.

(2) To determine the distribution of the funds

received from undesignated gifts, returns from special days,

annual conference and district Advance Specials for higher edu-

cation and scholarships of the United Methodist Higher Educa-

tion Foundation.

(3) To establish, where appropriate, foundations or

other means to ensure the ongoing support of the annual confer-

ence program of ministry in higher education.

(4) To counsel United Methodist schools, colleges,

universities, and campus ministries related to the annual confer-

ence with regard to their charters and constitutions, reversionary

clauses, and liability.

(5) To counsel United Methodist institutions about

property and endowments entrusted to the institutions and to

maintain and enforce trust and reversionary clauses in accor-

dance with the provisions of the Division of Higher Education

under ¶ 1413.3c.

85. See Judicial Council Decision 191.

466

¶ 634 THE CONFERENCES

(6) To monitor duciary and legal relationships with

United Methodist schools, colleges, universities, and campus

ministries and to assist annual conferences in their responsibili-

ties in these matters.

(7) To administer the scholarship funds rebated to

the annual conference by the Ofce of Loans and Scholarships in

accordance with the guidelines of that ofce.

(8) To encourage the establishment of loan and

scholarship funds in the annual conference and local churches

and to administer the loan and scholarship funds of the annual

conference.

c) Responsibilities with Schools, Colleges, and Universities—

In addition to its general responsibilities, the annual conference

board of higher education and campus ministry or equivalent

structure shall carry out the following duties with regard to

United Methodist schools, colleges, and universities:

(1) To make known to the district, subdistricts, and

all local churches the names and location of all United Meth-

odist educational institutions and, wherever possible, provide

resources interpreting their work and special missions.

(2) To assist institutions related specically to the

annual conference in their efforts to raise funds, scholarships,

recruit students, and extend services to the annual conference.

(3) To assume responsibility, after consultation

with the annual conference committee on nominations and the

nominating committee of the institution’s board of trustees, for

the nomination of those trustees who are to be nominated and

elected by the annual conference to the boards of trustees of

United Methodist schools, colleges, and universities. In the event

that the annual conference conrms or elects trustees nominated

by trustee-nominating committees, to consult with those commit-

tees, having special concern for the selection of persons who will

appropriately address the nancial, missional, and educational

progress of the institution.

(4) To provide for interpretation of the programs of

United Methodist schools, colleges, and universities throughout

the educational program of the annual conference, especially in

cooperation with those committees and persons responsible for

youth and young-adult ministries.

(5) To interpret systematically to the districts, sub-

districts, and local churches the conference program with United

467

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 634

Methodist schools, colleges, and universities, encouraging their

support and participation.

(6) To represent the annual conference in its relation-

ship to United Methodist schools, colleges, and universities, espe-

cially those related to the annual conference.

d) Responsibilities with Campus Ministries—In addition to

the general responsibilities listed above, the annual conference

board of higher education and campus ministry or equivalent

structure shall have the following responsibilities with regard to

campus ministry:

(1) To have available the names and addresses of all

campus ministries supported by The United Methodist Church

and to supply the names and addresses of campus ministries sup-

ported by the annual conference to all districts and local churches.

(2) To ensure that each Wesley Foundation or cam-

pus ministry shall have a board of directors or a local church com-

mittee which provides for planning and implementing a program

of mission and ministry to the campus. It will also be the respon-

sibility of the board of directors or local church committee:

(a) to establish a budget to present to the board

of higher education and campus ministry, and to be responsible

for the fund-raising needs of the Wesley Foundation or campus

ministry;

(b) to have a personnel committee to confer with

and counsel the campus minister and staff, to evaluate for effec-

tive ministry, to develop and approve written job descriptions for

all staff, to interview campus minister candidates and to recom-

mend candidates for appointment or hiring to the board of higher

education and campus ministry, the district superintendent and

the bishop, to establish all personnel policies, to examine and rec-

ommend candidates for ordained or licensed ministry to the dis-

trict committee on ordained ministry, faithfully adhering to the

provisions of ¶ 310.2b);

board may hold property, to review the adequacy of the property,

liability, and crime insurance coverage, to establish policies on the

use of property by outside organizations, to receive and adminis-

ter all bequests made to the Wesley Foundation or campus min-

istry according to standards established by the board of higher

education and campus ministry or equivalent structure and the

annual conference, and the relevant civil governmental authori-

ties and to provide for the upkeep of all properties;

468

¶ 634 THE CONFERENCES

(d) to be encouraged to establish a Wesley Foun-

dation, or campus ministry, permanent endowment fund in

accord with the policies established by the board of higher educa-

tion and campus ministry and the annual conference;

(e) to have scal oversight of all income and

expenditures of the campus ministry, to develop sound account-

ing practices, and to ensure proper record keeping and reporting

according to the policies set by the board of higher education and

campus ministry;

(f) to review and recommend covenants and

agreements with ecumenical campus ministries and university

organizational policies.

(3) To ensure representation of the annual conference

board or equivalent structure on the boards of all campus minis-

tries supported by the annual conference.

(4) To interpret systematically to the districts, sub-

districts, and local churches the conference program of campus

ministry as a ministry to the whole campus (students, faculty,

staff, and administration), encouraging their support and urging

United Methodist students of all ages to participate.

(5) To support the development of the United Meth-

odist Student Movement (UMSM) within the annual conference,

including the organization of a UMSM student council and the

appointment of a UMSM adviser, and to encourage student par-

ticipation in the UMSM and other related student Christian orga-

nizations, both nationally and globally.

(6) To hold the Wesley Foundation board of direc-

tors responsible for the direction and administration of the

foundation in accordance with the policies and objectives of the

annual conference board of higher education and campus minis-

try or equivalent structure and the standards of the Division of

Higher Education of the General Board of Higher Education and

Ministry.

(7) To ensure that the Wesley Foundation board of

directors is related functionally and cooperatively to the United

Methodist local church or churches in the immediate vicinity of

the college or university and to the council on ministries or other

organization of the district in which it is located.

(8) To determine whether or not Wesley Foundation

boards of directors, when incorporated, may hold property and to

ensure such property is held and administered according to The

469

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 634

Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church and the laws of the

state in which the foundation is located.

(9) To determine the policies for nomination and

election by the annual conference of Wesley Foundation boards

of directors.

(10) To determine, in consultation with local boards,

the personnel needs of Wesley Foundations; to institute standards

for professional staff in accordance with the policies, standards

and goals of the Division of Higher Education of the General

Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

(11) To encourage the development of a permanent

endowment fund for Wesley Foundations and campus ministries;

and to set polices and investment standards, in consultation with

the conference foundation, for permanent endowment funds for

Wesley Foundations and campus ministries.

(12) To establish procedures for selection and termi-

nation of professional staff in Wesley Foundations; to determine

a procedure for a national search; and to consult with the bishop

and cabinet when securing the appointment of ministerial staff

members.

(13) To cooperate with the district superintendents in

the gathering of names and addresses of college students from

charge conferences in the districts to send to Wesley Foundations,

United Methodist-related campus ministries, and United Meth-

odist chaplaincies at the schools where the students are attending.

(14) To develop policies and procedures for the plan-

ning, nancing, and construction of any Wesley Foundation or

campus ministry building, in consultation with the appropriate

boards and agencies of the annual conference and in accordance

with the policies, and standards of the Division of Higher Educa-

tion of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

(15) To oversee the management and nancial sup-

port of the annual conference program of campus ministry in

Wesley Foundations, local churches, and ecumenical campus

ministries, in accordance with the policies, standards, and goals of

the Division of Higher Education of the General Board of Higher

Education and Ministry.

(16) To determine where new campus ministries are

needed after the completion of extensive study by an appointed

task force to assess the potential of campus ministry on a univer-

sity or college campus in accordance with the policies, standards,

470

¶ 634 THE CONFERENCES

and goals of the Division of Higher Education of the General

Board of Higher Education and Ministry. Such study shall include

but not be limited to: the unique missional opportunities and

needs of the campus, student demographics of the university or

college, number and size of other denominational campus min-

istries, student life plan of the university or college, long-range

development plan of the campus, scal and facilities needs, sup-

port and cooperation of nearby United Methodist churches and

district, and other items that may impact the campus ministry’s

ability to fulll the mission of the church on campus.

(17) Prior to the discontinuation of a Wesley Foun-

dation or campus ministry the board of higher education and

campus ministry shall conduct an assessment of its potential as

outlined in ¶ 634.4d) and ¶ 1413.3c). A recommendation to the

annual conference for discontinuation shall include proposals for

the future use of any property of the Wesley Foundation or cam-

pus ministry and for the disposition of any real, personal, tangible

and intangible property. Any proceeds from the sale of Wesley

Foundation or campus ministry property shall be reserved for

other campus ministry needs in the annual conference.

(18) To establish and review covenants and agree-

ments for ecumenical campus ministry and to ensure that they are

in harmony with the policies, standards, and goals of the Division

of Higher Education and the annual conference board of higher

education and campus ministry or equivalent structure.

(19) To oversee the management of the annual con-

ference program of campus ministry in Wesley Foundations, local

churches, and ecumenical campus ministries; to determine where

new campus ministries are needed, and to plan for their establish-

ment and nancial support.

(20) To provide resources for local churches and dis-

tricts with programs of ministry with students or to campuses

and, where those programs receive nancial support from or are

designated as ministries on behalf of the annual conference, to

ensure that the policies, standards, and goals of the conference

board of higher education and campus ministry or equivalent

structure are observed.

(21) To establish the procedures for the nomination

and election of United Methodist college students as lay mem-

bers to annual conference, and to encourage the election of United

Methodist college students to General conference.

471

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 635

(22) To work closely in cooperation with local church

and annual conference young adult councils and programs to

offer a cohesive approach to ministry with young adults.

e) Public Policy—In addition to its general responsibili-

ties, the annual conference board of higher education and cam-

pus ministry shall have the following duties with regard to public

policy and relationships to the state:

(1) To provide counsel, guidance, and assistance to

United Methodist schools, colleges, universities, and campus

ministries within the annual conference regarding their relation-

ships to the state.

(2) To interact with public higher education as it

reects on the wholeness of persons and the meaning of life.

(3) To identify and work with the annual conference,

church-related colleges, and campus ministries on issues of public

policy that bear on higher education, such as issues bearing on

access, equity, academic freedom, peace, and justice.

¶ 635. Conference Board of Ordained Ministry—1. Each annual

conference at the rst session following the General Conference,

shall elect for a term of four years a Board of Ordained Ministry.

At least six ordained elders and deacons in full connection and,

when possible, at least two associate members or local pastors

who have completed the Course of Study shall be included as

members of the board with voice and vote. Each annual confer-

ence shall elect at least one-fth laypersons, which may include

diaconal ministers, and may at its discretion elect further lay

members, up to one-third of the membership of the board. All

laypersons shall be professing members of local churches in

the annual conference. The board membership shall include

women and ethnic persons, at least one ordained clergyperson

in the retired relationship, at least one ordained clergyperson in

extension ministry, and when possible at least one young adult

clergyperson in full connection age 35 or younger, and a district

superintendent named by the bishop to represent the cabinet. No

district superintendent or extended cabinet member shall be the

chairperson of the Board of Ordained Ministry. Two-thirds of the

members who are elders shall be graduates of seminaries listed

by the University Senate.

a) Members shall be nominated by the presiding bishop

after consultation with the chairperson of the board, the executive

472

¶ 635 THE CONFERENCES

committee, or a committee elected by the board of the previous

quadrennium, and with the cabinet. To ensure adequate board

membership, consultation shall include an evaluation of the

workload of the board in meeting disciplinary and annual confer-

ence responsibilities. Vacancies shall be lled by the bishop after

consultation with the chairperson of the board. An elected board

member may serve a maximum of three consecutive four-year

terms. The chair of the Order of Deacons, the chair of the Order

of Elders, and the chair of the Fellowship of Local Pastors and

Associate Members shall be members of the Board of Ordained

Ministry (§ 1c) and its executive committee.

b) This board shall be directly amenable to the annual

conference, notwithstanding its organizational relationship

within any other program or administrative unit of the annual

conference. The annual conference council on nance and admin-

istration shall recommend adequate administrative funds for the

board and its staff in light of its workload.

c) The board shall organize by electing from its member-

ship a chairperson, registrars, and such other ofcers as it may

deem necessary. A vocational discernment coordinator may be

named to coordinate the candidacy mentoring process. The board

shall designate its executive committee, which shall include elders,

deacons, and laity. The board shall organize in such manner as to

care for its responsibilities, including the needs of certied per-

sons, diaconal ministers, local pastors, deacons, and elders. The

organization of the board shall include a committee to fulll the

governance responsibilities for diaconal ministers (see The Book of

Discipline, 1992, ¶¶ 301-317 and 734) and shall provide for certi-

cation in specialized ministry careers under the guidelines of the

General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (see ¶ 1421). The

board may include in its organization a division of deacons and a

division of elders.

d) Each annual conference Board of Ordained Ministry

shall establish a Conference Relations Committee of at least three

persons to hear requests for discontinuance of provisional mem-

bers, involuntary leave of absence, administrative location, invol-

untary retirement, or other such matters as may be referred to

them by the Board of Ordained Ministry. District superintendents

shall not serve on the Conference Relations Committee.

e) To ensure maximum contact with and support of per-

sons in appointments beyond the local church, the board shall

473

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 635

maintain relationships with all general agencies that have respon-

sibility for persons in such appointments.

f) The board shall meet at least once prior to its meeting

at the time of the annual conference session and may set a dead-

line prior to annual conference for transacting its business.

g) The board shall select from its own membership an

ofcial representative to serve as a member of each district com-

mittee on ordained ministry, which shall function as subcommit-

tees of the board.

h) The board shall provide orientation for new members,

including distribution of any available written guidelines.

2. The duties of the annual conference Board of Ordained

Ministry shall be:

a) To assume the primary responsibility for the enlist-

ment and recruitment of ministerial leadership for our churches

and other ministry settings by working in consultation with the

cabinet and the General Board of Higher Education and Minis-

try to study and interpret the ordained, licensed, certied, and

assigned ministerial leadership needs and resources of the annual

conference, with due regard to the inclusive nature of the Church.

It shall, with the assistance of the local church committee on

pastor-parish relations, conference agencies, and every ordained,

licensed, certied, and assigned leader of the conference, enlist

women and men of all races and ethnic origins for ministry as

a vocation and guide those persons in the process of education,

training, and discernment of the most appropriate path for their

ministry, recommending colleges and schools of theology listed

by the University Senate, licensing school, and other approved

educational opportunities. Persons recruited should have an

understanding of and appreciation for persons of different racial

and ethnic heritages.

b) To renew a culture of call in the church by giving stra-

tegic leadership to annual conferences, districts, congregations,

campus ministries, camps, and other appropriate ministries, espe-

cially among youth and young adults

c) To seek from a school of theology information about

the personal and professional qualities of an applicant for provi-

sional membership or of a provisional member; provided, how-

ever, that the applicant or member consent to the provision of

such information.

474

¶ 635 THE CONFERENCES

d) To receive annual reports on the progress made by

each ministerial student enrolled in a theological school and to

record credit for work satisfactorily completed.

e) It shall require a transcript of credits from each appli-

cant before recognizing any of the applicant’s educational claims.

In case of doubt, the board may submit a transcript to the General

Board of Higher Education and Ministry for evaluation.

f) The board shall annually appoint and train a sufcient

number of mentors in each district in consultation with the dis-

trict superintendent.

g) To guide the candidate for ordained ministry who

is not enrolled in a theological school and who is pursuing the

Course of Study as adopted by the General Board of Higher Edu-

cation and Ministry.

h) To examine all applicants as to their tness for the

ordained ministry and make full inquiry as to the tness of the

candidate for: (1) annual election as local pastor; (2) election to

associate membership; (3) election to provisional membership;

and (4) election to full conference membership.

i) To provide all candidates for ordained ministry a writ-

ten statement on the disciplinary and annual conference require-

ments for the local pastor, provisional, and full membership.

j) To interview and report recommendation concerning:

(1) student local pastors; (2) certied candidates for ordination as

deacons; and (3) certied candidates for ordination as elders.

k) To assign a board member to serve as liaison to retired

clergy in the conference.

l) To interview applicants and make recommendation

concerning: (1) changes from the effective relation to a leave of

absence or retirement; (2) return to the effective relation from

other relations; (3) honorable location; (4) readmission of located

persons and persons discontinued from provisional membership;

(5) sabbatical leave; (6) medical leave; (7) appointment as a stu-

dent; (8) termination; and (9) changes to or from less than full-

time ministry.

The board shall keep a record of these changes and the

reason behind them and place a copy in the permanent records

of the annual conference maintained by the secretary of the

conference.

86. See Judicial Council Decisions 405, 1263.

475

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 635

m) To ensure condentiality in relation to the interview

and reporting process. The personal data and private informa-

tion provided through the examinations of and by the Board of

Ordained Ministry will not be available for distribution and pub-

lication. There are occasions when the Board of Ordained Ministry

would not report privileged information, which in the judgment

of the board, if revealed in the executive session of clergy mem-

bers in full connection with the annual conference, would be an

undue invasion of privacy without adding measurably to the

conference’s information about the person’s qualications for

ordained ministry. However, it is the right of the executive ses-

sion of the clergy members in full connection with an annual

conference to receive all pertinent information, condential or

otherwise, related to the qualications and/or character of any

candidate or clergy member of the conference.

n) To be in consultation with the bishop through the

chairperson or the executive committee regarding transfers. This

consultation is to be at the bishop’s initiative and, where possible,

to take place prior to transfers into the annual conference.

o) To provide support services for all those in ministerial

leadership, including ordained, licensed, certied, and assigned;

to provide career development, including personal and career

counseling, continuing education, formation in servant leadership

and continuing spiritual growth in Christ, assistance in prepara-

tion for retirement, and all matters pertaining to clergy morale. In

providing such support, the board, in cooperation with the cabi-

net, shall give training and guidance to each local committee on

pastor-parish relations regarding its work and role.

p) To work with and support the Order of Deacons, the

Order of Elders, and the Fellowship of Local Pastors and Asso-

ciate Members (see ¶ 323), including receiving reports, offering

nancial support, and coordinating these groups’ activities with

the continuing formation offerings of the board. The board may

delegate continuing formation responsibility to the groups by

mutual agreement, with nal approval, evaluation, and budget-

ing remaining with the board.

q) To provide a means of evaluating the effectiveness of

ministerial leaders in the annual conference (¶¶ 604.4, 349). Sug-

gested guidelines will be provided by the General Board of Higher

87. See Judicial Council Decision 406.

476

¶ 635 THE CONFERENCES

Education and Ministry, Division of Ordained Ministry. In coop-

eration with the cabinet, the board shall develop standards of

effectiveness for ministerial leaders, whether ordained, licensed,

certied, or assigned, serving as pastors of congregations in that

annual conference.

r) To interpret the high ethical standards of ordained

ministry set forth in the Discipline and to study matters pertaining

to character (¶ 605.7).

s) To recommend to the full members of the annual con-

ference for validation special ministries for which members seek

appointment.

The appointment to such ministries is the prerogative of

the bishop and the cabinet.

t) To provide continuing support and management of

consecrated diaconal ministers using the policies described in

¶¶ 301-317 of the 1992 Book of Discipline.

u) To care for the administration of professional certica-

tion established by the General Board of Higher Education and

Ministry through (1) enlisting and recruiting clergy and laity to

become certied in Christian education, music, youth, evange-

lism, and other areas established by the General Board of Higher

Education and Ministry; (2) determining whether applicants meet

the standards established by the General Board of Higher Edu-

cation and Ministry; (3) to recommend to the annual conference

board and the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry;

(4) to renew or discontinue professional certication biannually

based on a review of their ministry; and (5) to report annually to

the annual conference for publication in the conference journal a

roster of all persons certied in professional careers for which they

have received certication, including places of service address.

v) To report annually to the annual conference for publi-

cation in the conference journal a roster of all persons certied as

Lay Ministers.

w) To administer the portion of the Ministerial Education

Fund for use by the annual conference in its programs of enlist-

ment, basic professional educational aid, continuing formation,

ethnic ministry and language training, and professional growth

of ordained ministers. Priority shall be given to scholarships for

seminary students preparing for ordination.

x) To cooperate with the General Board of Higher Educa-

tion and Ministry and assist in: (1) the interpretation of current

477

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 635

legislation concerning ordained ministry; (2) the interpretation

and promotion of the Ministerial Education Fund; (3) the promo-

tion and observance of Ministry Sunday; and (4) the supplying of

a record of all information, recommendations, and action on each

candidate for ordained ministry after each session of the annual

conference; (5) the promotion and addition of standards required

for certication in specialized ministry careers.

y) To promote in the annual conference and/or jurisdic-

tional conference a system of nancial aid to ministerial students.

A conference transferring a person with less than three years of

active service into another conference may require reimbursement

either from the person or from the receiving conference for out-

standing obligations for theological education nanced through

conference funds.

z) To report in a timely manner any change in the con-

ference relationship of a clergy member of the conference to the

conference board of pensions.

3. The board shall elect a registrar and such associate regis-

trars as it may determine; one such associate registrar to be given

responsibility for candidacy, including giving leadership to the

training and guidance of mentors in each district. A staff execu-

tive may be named by the board to fulll the functions of registrar.

a) The registrar shall keep full personnel records for all

candidates for ordained ministry under the care of the board,

including essential biographical data, transcripts of academic

credit, instruments of evaluation, and, where it applies, psycho-

logical and medical test records, sermons, theological statements,

and other pertinent data.

b) Pertinent information and recommendations concern-

ing each candidate shall be certied to the annual conference in

duplicate; one copy of this record shall be kept by the registrar

and one copy shall be mailed after each conference session to the

General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. The registrar

shall forward an acknowledgment of transfer to the pastor of the

local church where each newly elected provisional and associate

member held membership.

c) The registrar shall keep a record of the standing of the

students in the Course of Study and report to the conference when

required. This record shall include the credits allowed students for

work done in accredited schools of theology, in approved Course

of Study schools, or Course of Study correspondence.

478

¶ 635 THE CONFERENCES

d) The registrar shall le in the bishop’s ofce for per-

manent record a copy of circumstances involving the discontinu-

ance of provisional membership or termination of the local pastor

status.

e) The records and les of the Board of Ordained Ministry

are kept on behalf of the annual conference and shall be maintained

under guidelines provided by the General Council on Finance and

Administration in consultation with the General Board of Higher

Education and Ministry and the General Board of Pensions.

4. Administrative costs of the Board of Ordained Ministry

shall be a claim on the conference operating budget. The Board

of Ordained Ministry shall have direct access to the conference

council on nance and administration in support of its program.

¶ 636. Conference Administrative Review Committee—There

will be an administrative review committee composed of three

clergy in full connection and two alternates who are not mem-

bers of the cabinet, the Board of Ordained Ministry, or immediate

family members of the above. The committee shall be nominated

by the bishop and elected quadrennially by the clergy session of

members in full connection with the annual conference. Its only

purpose shall be to ensure that the disciplinary procedures for

discontinuance of provisional membership (¶ 327.6), involun-

tary leave of absence (¶ 354), involuntary retirement (¶ 357.3), or

administrative location (¶ 359) are properly followed. Addition-

ally, if in the event of unresolved issues related to medical leave

(¶ 356.4) a fair process hearing (¶ 361.2) occurs, the administra-

tive review committee shall ensure that fair process was followed.

The entire administrative process leading to the action for change

in conference relationship shall be reviewed by the administra-

tive review committee, and it shall report its ndings to the clergy

session of members in full connection with the annual confer-

ence prior to any action of the annual conference. The adminis-

trative review committee shall notify the parties of the review of

the process. The administrative fair process hearing procedures

(¶ 361.2) should be followed by the administrative review com-

mittee. Prior to its report, if the committee determines that any

error has occurred, it may recommend to the appropriate person

or body that action be taken promptly to remedy the error, decide

the error is harmless, or take other action.

88. See Judicial Council Decision 921.

479

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 637

¶ 637. Conference Committee on Episcopacy—1. There shall

be a conference committee on episcopacy elected quadrennially

by the annual conference at the session following the General

Conference. The committee’s membership shall number at least

seven, but no more than seventeen. One-fth of the committee’s

membership shall be appointed by the bishop. In addition to the

lay and clergy members of the jurisdictional committee on epis-

copacy, who shall be ex ofcio members with vote, it is recom-

mended that the committee consist of the following: one-third

laywomen, one-third laymen, and one-third clergypersons, pro-

vided that one layperson shall be the conference lay leader. All lay

members shall be professing members of local churches. Special

attention shall be given to the inclusion of racial and ethnic per-

sons, youth (¶ 256.3), young adults, older adults, and people with

disabilities. No member of the staff of the annual conference or

any of its agencies, nor an immediate family member of such staff,

shall serve as a member of the committee, except that a member

of the jurisdictional committee on episcopacy or the conference

lay leader shall not be disqualied from membership as a result

of this provision.

Two or more conferences under the presidency of a single

bishop may decide to have one committee on episcopacy, in which

case each annual conference shall be represented as stated in the

preceding paragraph and shall each elect its own representatives.

2. The committee shall meet at least annually. It shall be con-

vened by the bishop and shall elect a chairperson, a vice chair-

person, and a secretary. The bishop and/or chairperson are

authorized to call additional meetings when desired.

3. The functions of the conference committee on episcopacy

shall be:

a) To support the bishop of the area in the oversight of

the spiritual and temporal affairs of the Church, with special ref-

erence to the area where the bishop has presidential responsibility.

b) To be available to the bishop for counsel.

c) To assist in the determination of the episcopal needs

of the area and to make recommendations to appropriate bodies.

d) To keep the bishop advised concerning conditions

within the area as they affect relationships between the bishop

and the people of the conference agencies.

89. See Judicial Council Decisions 711, 778.

480

¶ 637 THE CONFERENCES

e) To interpret to the people of the area and to conference

agencies the nature and function of the episcopal ofce.

f) To engage in annual consultation and appraisal of the

balance of the bishop’s relationship and responsibilities to the

area and annual conferences, the jurisdiction, general Church

boards and agencies, and other areas of specialized ministry,

including, at all levels, concern for the inclusiveness of the Church

and its ministry with respect to sex, race, and national origin, and

understanding and implementation of the consultation process in

appointment-making.

g) To report needs for episcopal leadership to the juris-

dictional committee on episcopacy through the duly elected con-

ference members of that committee.

4. The conference council on nance and administration shall

make provision in its budget for the expenses of this committee.

¶ 638. Episcopal Residence Committee—1. The provision of

housing for effective bishops in the jurisdictional conferences

shall be the responsibility of the annual conference or conferences

comprising the episcopal area to which the bishop is assigned.

2. In each episcopal area in the jurisdictional conferences

there shall be an episcopal residence committee or other struc-

ture to provide for this function and maintain the connectional

relationship. The committee shall be composed of the following

persons:

a) The chairperson or designate of the conference com-

mittee on episcopacy from each conference.

b) The president or designate of the conference council

on nance and administration from each annual conference.

c) The president or designate of the conference board of

trustees from each annual conference.

d) Consultants without vote, with specic expertise

related to the tasks of the committee, may be utilized.

3. The chairperson of the episcopal residence committee shall

be the representative of the committee on episcopacy of the annual

conference in which the episcopal residence is currently located.

4. It shall be the responsibility of the episcopal residence

committee:

a) To make recommendations to the annual conference(s)

regarding the purchase or sale of an episcopal residence.

b) To prepare an annual budget covering the cost of

providing the episcopal residence, which may also include utili-

481

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 639

ties, insurance, and normal costs of upkeep in maintaining the

residence.

c) To forward the proposed budget to each conference

council on nance and administration, including a recommen-

dation for the proportionate share of the proposed budget to be

borne by that annual conference, such proportionate share to be

approved by each annual conference as it acts on budget recom-

mendations (¶ 614).

d) To supervise the expenditure of funds allocated from

all sources for expenses related to the provision of the episcopal

residence and to account for such expenditures annually to each

annual conference in the episcopal area.

e) To give oversight in all matters related to upkeep,

maintenance, improvements, and appropriate insurance cover-

ages for the episcopal residence.

5. Titles to properties held as episcopal residences shall be

held in accordance with ¶ 2514.

¶ 639. Conference Board of Pensions—1. Authorization—There

shall be organized in each annual conference a conference board,

auxiliary to the General Board of Pension and Health Benets, to

be known as the conference board of pensions, hereinafter called

the board, that shall have charge of the interests and work of pro-

viding for and contributing to the support, relief, assistance, and

pensioning of clergy and their families, other church workers,

and lay employees of the institutions, organizations, and agencies

within that annual conference of The United Methodist Church,

except as otherwise provided for by the general board.

2. Membership—a) It is recommended that the board be com-

posed of not less than twelve members not indebted to pension

and benet funds, plans, and programs; one-third laywomen,

one-third laymen, and one-third clergy; and in accordance with

¶ 605.3 elected for a term of eight years and arranged in classes

as determined by the annual conference; and in addition thereto,

any clergy member of the conference or lay member of a church

within the conference who is a member of the General Board of

Pension and Health Benets. Active and retired participants in

pension and benet funds, plans, and programs, whether or not

currently receiving benets, and not indebted as provided above,

are eligible to serve on the board. All lay members shall be pro-

fessing members of local churches. A vacancy in the membership

of the board may be lled by the board for the remainder of the

482

¶ 639 THE CONFERENCES

conference year in which the vacancy occurs, subject to the same

qualications before provided; and at its next session the confer-

ence shall ll the vacancy for the remainder of the unexpired term.

b) The members shall assume their duties at the adjourn-

ment of the conference session at which they were elected.

3. Organization—The board shall organize by electing a chair-

person, vice chairperson, secretary, and treasurer, who shall serve

during the ensuing quadrennium or until their successors shall

have been elected and qualied. These ofcers shall constitute an

executive committee; provided, however, that three members may

be added thereto by the board. The duty of the executive commit-

tee shall be to administer the work of the board during the confer-

ence year in the interim between regular or special meetings of

the board. The ofce of secretary may be combined with that

of treasurer. The treasurer may be a person who is not a member

of the board, in which case the person shall be an ex ofcio mem-

ber of the executive committee, without vote. Calls for special

meetings of the board shall be issued by the secretary on request

of the chairperson, or the vice chairperson when the chairperson

is unable to act.

4. Proportional Payment—The board shall compare the records

of the amounts paid by each pastoral charge for the support of

pastors and for pension and benet programs, computing the

proportional distribution thereof and keeping a permanent record

of defaults of the churches of the conference that have failed to

observe the following provisions pertaining to proportional pay-

ment, and shall render annually to each church that is in default a

statement of the amounts in default for that and preceding years.

a) When the apportionment to the pastoral charges for

the pension and benet program of the annual conference has

been determined, payments made thereon by each pastoral charge

shall be exactly proportionate to payments made on the salary or

salaries of the ordained minister or clergy serving it.

b) The treasurer of the pastoral charge shall be primar-

ily responsible for the application of proportional payment; but

in the event of the treasurer’s failure to apply it, the pastor shall

adjust cash salary and payment according to the proper ratio, as

provided above, before the pastor enters the respective amounts

in the statistical report to the annual conference.

90. See Judicial Council Decisions 50, 250, 390, 401, 471.

483

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 639

c) The conference statistical tables shall provide separate

columns for reporting the amount apportioned to each pastoral

charge for pension and benet purposes and the amount paid

thereon.

d) It shall not be permissible for a pastor to receive a

bonus or other supplementary compensation tending to defeat

proportional payment.

5. Reports to and Responsibilities Regarding the General Board—

The board shall have the powers and responsibilties with respect

to the General Board of Pension and Health Benets described

in ¶ 1506 and shall report to the general board immediately fol-

lowing the session of the conference, in such form as required by

the general board, the names and years of service approved for

pre-1982 pension credit for each eligible person and the names

and addresses of clergy who are members of funds, plans, or pro-

grams administered by the general board.

Moreover, annually, the board or other authorized agency

shall submit, annually, its group health care plan data, to the

extent the board maintains a group health care plan, de-identied

as necessary, including, but not limited to, nancial soundness,

claims experience and other cost drivers, plan designs and cover-

age, and eligibility criteria to the General Board of Pension and

Health Benets.

6. Annual Conference Retiree Health Care Access—The board or

other agency authorized by the annual conference shall respect

the health and wholeness of the annual conference’s clergy-

persons, who have retired in accordance with ¶ 357.1, ¶ 357.2b,

¶ 357.2c, or ¶ 357.2d other than as applied to ¶ 357.2a of the Book of

Discipline and lay employees of the annual conference who have

retired in accordance with the annual conference’s retirement pol-

icy, and are eligible for Medicare, and their spouses. The board or

agency shall provide access to Medicare supplement plans and

prescription drug coverage plans. Access for retirees and their

spouses may include, but shall not be limited to (i) sponsoring

an employer retiree health care plan that supplements Medicare;

(ii) participating in a multiple employer retiree health care plan

that supplements Medicare; (iii) securing individuals’ eligibility

under group contracts with Medicare supplement plan provid-

ers or exchanges; (iv) subsidizing the costs of coverage for retired

clergypersons and retired lay employees and their spouses

enrolled in Medicare Part D plans or Medicare Advantage plans;

484

¶ 639 THE CONFERENCES

(v) providing subsidies toward or group relationships with pro-

viders of individual Medicare supplement and other retiree cover-

age policies; and (vi) providing xed dollar retiree health benets

through health reimbursement arrangements, stipends, or other-

wise. Providing access does not compel an annual conference to

fund such coverage (i.e., coverage can be retiree-pay-all); how-

ever, an annual conference may fund or subsidize the cost of cov-

erage (e.g., through premium payment, premium reimbursement,

contributions to a health reimbursement arrangement, stipend, or

grant) for its retired clergy and lay employees in its discretion.

Additional eligibility may be determined by the annual confer-

ence; for example, for early retirees and surviving dependents.

7. Annual Conference Group Health Care Plans—The board or

other agency authorized by the annual conference shall sponsor or

participate in a group health care plan, which local churches may

adopt for their full-time appointed clergy, or which the annual

conference may require its local churches to adopt, that covers

the annual conference’s own full-time clergy employees and its

full-time lay employees in the United States. Clergy appointed to

an appointment extending the ministry of the local United Meth-

odist church under ¶ 344.1, except those serving in positions for

which the annual conference is responsible under ¶ 344.1a(1),

and lay employees who are not employees of the annual confer-

ence, such as lay employees of local churches and lay employees

of district and jurisdictional ofces, need not be covered under

the preceding sentence, but may be covered by the local church

or other common-law employer adopting the plan, at the discre-

tion of the annual conference. For the purpose of this paragraph,

group health care plan shall mean a health insurance plan, group

health care plan, or multiple-employer health care plan that cov-

ers benets for major medical and hospitalization expenses. The

board or authorized agency may recommend additional eligibil-

ity for its group health care plan in its discretion.

Alternatively, in the event that federal law or state law gov-

erning health care plans and health insurance establishes cov-

erage options for those persons without employer-provided

coverage that ensure access, regardless of health status or condi-

tion, to affordable coverage through health insurance exchanges,

connectors, single-payer systems, or other mechanisms, the board

may cease maintaining its group health care plan to the extent

such coverage is available to its clergy and lay employees. In such

485

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 641

event, the board nevertheless shall provide continued adminis-

trative support (e.g., through cafeteria plans, employer-adopted

exchange plans, or health reimbursement arrangements) for par-

ticipation in the exchanges or alternative systems, and recommend

an appropriate and adequate level of Church nancial support

(e.g., in the form of local church, employer, or annual conference

contributions toward premiums, additional compensation, or

apportionments) of full-time clergy and full-time lay employees

of the conference toward the purchase of such coverage through

these alternative mechanisms to the extent individuals’ coverage

may not be subsidized by government agencies, particularly con-

sidering (a) the tax advantages of employer-provided nancial

support toward health care coverage, and (b) the reduced avail-

ability of government subsidies for clergy whose compensation is

near or above denominational average compensation.

In addition, the board or authorized agency shall provide and

maintain health and wellness programs for the annual confer-

ence’s full-time clergy and full-time lay employees.

¶ 640. Each annual conference shall have a board of trustees,

whose membership and duties are detailed in ¶ 2512.1-.8.

¶ 641. 1. In each annual conference there shall be a conference

commission on archives and history. The number of members of

the commission and their terms of ofce shall be as the conference

may determine and may include an ex ofcio representative of

each United Methodist heritage landmark in its bounds. It shall be

the duty of the commission to collect, preserve, and make acces-

sible the historically signicant records of the annual conference

and its agencies, including data relating to the origin and history

of the conference and its antecedents; to encourage and assist the

local churches in preserving their records, compiling their histo-

ries, and celebrating their heritage; to provide for the permanent

safekeeping of the historical records of all abandoned or discon-

tinued churches in the bounds of the annual conference and its

antecedents (see ¶ 2549.3); to maintain a re-safe historical and

archival depository and to see that all items that obviously will

have value for future history are properly preserved therein; to

provide for the ownership of real property and to receive gifts and

bequests; to nominate to the General Commission on Archives

and History buildings, locations, or structures within the annual

conference for designation as historic sites or heritage landmarks;

to maintain contact with ofcially designated historic sites and

486

¶ 641 THE CONFERENCES

heritage landmarks in their bounds; to assist the bishop or the

appropriate conference committee in planning for the historical

hour and other appropriate historical observances at annual con-

ference sessions; to establish retention and disposition schedules

for annual conference and local church records under standards

or guidelines developed by the General Commission on Archives

and History; to cooperate with and report, when requested, to

the general and jurisdictional commissions on archives and his-

tory; and to engage with other Wesleyan, Methodist, or Evangeli-

cal United Brethren-related denominations in lifting up our joint

heritage.

2. The commission may organize a conference historical soci-

ety and encourage membership therein for the purpose of pro-

moting interest in the study and preservation of the history of

the conference and its antecedents. The ofcers of the conference

commission on archives and history may be the ofcers of the

conference historical society. Membership in the historical society

shall be established as the society may determine. Membership

may include the payment of dues as the society may direct, and

in return, members shall receive ofcial publications and public-

ity materials issued by the commission and the society and other

such benets as may be deemed suitable.

3. Each annual conference may have a historian to under-

take specic duties as may be designated by the commission. The

annual conference historian may be a member of the annual con-

ference commission on archives and history.

4. The annual conference commission on archives and his-

tory shall work with the ethnic congregations of the conference

to develop and preserve the historical records of those congrega-

tions and antecedent conferences.

¶ 642. 1. Each annual conference shall create appropriate

structures related to Christian unity and interreligious relation-

ships to provide for these functions and maintain the connectional

relationships with the Council of Bishops. The annual conference

structure will report each year to the conference in such manner

as the conference may direct. The responsibilities of this annual

conference structure for Christian unity and interreligious rela-

tionships may be assigned to an existing or newly created multi-

functional agency.

2. It is recommended that this annual conference structure be

composed of two United Methodists from each district (comply-

487

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 642

ing with ¶ 610.5), one of whom shall be district coordinator for

Christian unity and interreligious relationships and shall serve as

liaison with local church ministry areas on Christian unity and

interreligious relationships. Additional members may include

persons from The United Methodist Church or other member

churches of Churches Uniting in Christ as directed by the confer-

ence to ensure ecumenical expertise and interchange with other

agencies. Laypersons from The United Methodist Church shall

be professing members of local churches. Ex ofcio members of

the annual conference structure for Christian unity and inter-

religious relationships shall include the conference ecumenical

ofcer(s), if elected, and any United Methodists residing within

the conference bounds who are members of the following: Ofce

of Christian Unity and Interreligious Relationships of the Council

of Bishops, the governing board of the National Council of the

Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., the World Methodist Council,

the United Methodist delegation to the most recent World Council

of Churches Assembly, and the United Methodist delegation to

the most recent plenary meeting of Churches Uniting in Christ.

3. There shall be a representative of this structure who serves

as one of the conference representatives to state councils or con-

ferences of churches.

4. The duties of the annual conference structure shall be to act

in cooperation with the annual conference council on ministries,

and, as it may recommend, and to take initiative in ecumenical

and interreligious relationships as follows:

a) To interpret, advocate, and work for the unity of the

Christian church in every aspect of the life of the conference and

its churches and to encourage dialogue and cooperation with per-

sons of other living faiths.

b) To recommend to the conference the goals, objectives,

and strategies and to assist the conference, in cooperation with

the bishop and the cabinet, in the development of ecumenical

relationships and planning for mission with other judicatories,

particularly in the establishment of new churches, yoked congre-

gations, and in the process of local church union efforts.

c) To stimulate participation in and evaluation of mis-

sion programs ecumenically planned and implemented, such

as experimental parishes, ecumenical parish clusters, ecumeni-

cal task forces, and united ministries in higher education, and in

other issue-oriented tasks.

488

¶ 642 THE CONFERENCES

d) To stimulate conference, district, and congregational

participation in councils, conferences, or associations of churches,

in coalition task forces, and in interreligious groups through ecu-

menical educational or shared-time programs, jointly approved

curriculum resources, interreligious study programs, or ecumeni-

cal community action projects such as institutional ministries and

media communications, and various other modes of interchurch

cooperation.

e) To participate in the selection of conference delegates

to state councils or conferences of churches, which participation

may include nomination, in cooperation with the conference

nominating committee, for conference election of the delegates to

these bodies; to select representatives to district, area, and regional

ecumenical and interreligious task groups and workshops; and to

act as the body to which such delegates are accountable by receiv-

ing and acting on their reports and recommendations.

f) To promote and interpret the work of national and world

ecumenical bodies such as the National Council of the Churches

of Christ in the U.S.A., the World Council of Churches, Churches

Uniting in Christ, and the World Methodist Council; and to cooper-

ate in and provide leadership for specic ecumenical experiences

of worship and celebration such as the Week of Prayer for Christian

Unity, Pentecost Sunday, World Communion Sunday, Reforma-

tion Sunday, and other appropriate occasions.

g) To stimulate understanding and conversations with all

Christian bodies, to encourage continuing dialogue with Jewish

and other living-faith communities, and to encourage an openness

of mind toward an understanding of other major world religions.

h) To fulll other functions assigned by the annual con-

ference and to respond to such requests as may be made by its

leadership.

¶ 643. 1. There shall be in each annual conference including

those in central conferences a conference commission on religion

and race or other structure to provide for these functions and

maintain the connectional relationships. It shall follow the general

guidelines and structure of the General Commission on Religion

and Race as outlined in ¶¶ 2002 and 2008, where applicable.

2. The basic membership of the annual conference commis-

sion shall be nominated and elected by established procedure of

the respective annual conferences. Each annual and central con-

ference shall determine the number and composition of the total

489

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 643

membership. Care shall be taken to ensure that membership is

selected based primarily on the passion and expertise possessed in

the areas of training, resource development, evaluation, consulta-

tion, and strategic planning in the areas of diversity, intercultural

competency, racial and ethnic justice, reconciliation and equity, and

communicating/advocacy for change. The total membership shall

have an equitable balance in the number of laymen, laywomen,

and clergypersons. It is strongly urged that the conference com-

missions be constituted to reect the widest sense of racial, ethnic,

tribal, and cultural diversity relevant to that area. Selection of com-

mission members shall ensure adequate representation of women,

youth, young adults, older adults, and persons with disabilities.

Members of the General Commission on Religion and Race resid-

ing in the annual conference shall be ex ofcio members of the

annual conference commission on religion and race with vote.

3. The annual conference commissions including those in cen-

tral conferences shall assume responsibility for such matters as:

a) Interpreting the intent of all responsibilities given to

annual conference and central conference commission on religion

and race so that the responsibilities reect the context for ministry

and realities of the areas in which they serve.

b) Supporting and providing programs of education in

areas of intercultural competency, institutional equity and vital

conversations at every level of the conference.

c) Partnering with annual and central conference boards

and agencies as they seek to develop vital conversations, pro-

grams, and policies of racial/institutional equity and intercultural

competency.

d) Reviewing and making appropriate recommendations

for total inclusiveness and equity within the conference staff and

on all of the conference boards, agencies, commissions, and com-

mittees. Reports will be made yearly to the annual conference.

e) Providing resources and training to enable the work

of the local church ministry area of religion and race as speci-

ed in ¶ 252.2b, with particular emphasis placed on pastors and

congregations involved in cross-racial/cross-cultural ministry. In

the case of annual conferences within central conferences, cross-

racial/cross-cultural ministry may include tribes, ethnic commu-

nities, and cultural/language groups.

f) Consulting with the Board of Ordained Ministry and

the cabinet to ensure racial/ethnic inclusion and equity in the

490

¶ 643 THE CONFERENCES

recruitment, credentialing, and itineracy processes of the confer-

ence. The executive committee of the Board of Ordained Minis-

try and cabinet shall meet at least once per year in joint sessions

with the Conference Commission on Religion and Race to create

and assess long-term plans for identifying and developing clergy

leadership who will serve the growing racial and ethnic popula-

tions in the Church.

g) Consulting with local churches that are experiencing

changing demographics in the neighborhoods where they are

located, which demographics may be different from the church’s

racial/ethnic constituency, and that have a desire to be in ministry

with their community.

h) Coordinating conference leadership in and in support

of racial and social justice movements impacting local communi-

ties in consultation and partnership with other entities within and

outside the conference boundaries.

i) Partnering with the appropriate denominational bod-

ies to assist in resolution of complaints of racial/ethnic discrimi-

nation made by clergy or laity.

4. The annual conference commission on religion and race

shall develop an adequate budget for its operation as a commis-

sion, which shall be included within the annual conference budget.

5. The annual conference commission on religion and race, or

other structure to provide for its function and connectional rela-

tionship, shall have vote and voice in the decision-making unit of

the conference such as the conference connectional ministries or

equivalent structure.

¶ 644. There shall be in each annual conference, including the

central conferences, a conference commission on the status and

role of women or other structure to provide for these functions

and maintain the connectional relationships.

1. The responsibility of this commission shall be in harmony

with the responsibility of the general commission (see ¶ 2103),

with the following objectives established as guidelines for adapta-

tion to the needs of the respective annual conferences:

a) To be informed about the status and role of all women

in the total life of the conference. Data shall be gathered that relate

to all structural levels of the conference, including the local church.

Such information will be regularly updated and disseminated.

91. See Judicial Council Decision 712.

491

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 644

b) To initiate cooperation with United Methodist Women

at the annual conference level and other levels as appropriate

in order to achieve full participation of women in the decision-

making structures.

c) To develop ways to inform and sensitize the leadership

within the conference at all levels on issues that affect women,

which shall be projected into and through all districts within the

conference by the commission.

d) To focus on major priorities of issues related to women,

which may include sexual harassment policies and procedures,

and to enlist the support of the bishop, cabinet, and conference

staff in policies, plans, and practices related to those priorities.

e) To advise the general commission about the progress

and effectiveness of efforts to achieve full participation of women

in the life of the Church.

f) To participate in connectional programs and plans ini-

tiated or recommended by the general commission, and to utilize

the resources available from the general commission as needed.

2. The basic membership of the conference commission shall

be nominated and elected by established procedures of the respec-

tive annual conferences. Each annual conference shall determine

the number and composition of the total membership. All must

be members of The United Methodist Church. Special consultants

without vote may be used as resource persons. It is recommended

that the addition of the at-large membership ensure that the total

membership maintain a balance of one-third laywomen, one-

third laymen, and one-third clergy. The majority of the commis-

sion shall be women, including both clergy and lay. In an annual

conference where there is not a sufcient number of clergywomen

to meet the recommended balance, additional laywomen shall be

elected beyond the one-third proportion to bring the total mem-

bership to a majority of women. A person or persons serving as

member(s) of the General Commission on the Status and Role

of Women from that annual conference shall, by virtue of their

ofce, be member(s) of the conference commission on the status

and role of women (see ¶¶ 610.6 and 710.6). Selection of commis-

sion members shall ensure adequate representation of racial and

ethnic groups, youth, young adults, older adults, and persons of

varying lifestyles.

At least one member shall be named by the conference United

Methodist Women.

492

¶ 644 THE CONFERENCES

3. The chairperson of the commission shall be a woman.

4. The commission shall propose a budget and submit it for

inclusion in the budget of the annual conference according to pro-

cedures for funding of all boards, commissions, and agencies of

the annual conference.

¶ 645. There shall be in each annual conference a conference

commission on the small membership church, or the responsibili-

ties of the small membership church commission may be assigned

to an existing or newly created multifunctional agency of the

council or other structure that cares for the functions of support,

nurture, and growth of small membership churches and their

relationships to the conference, districts, and other local churches.

Where these responsibilities are assigned to new or existing agen-

cies within the conference, the individual(s) responsible for the

functioning of the commission shall be designated by the annual

conference and included in the listing of conference ofcers.

1. The responsibility of this commission shall be in harmony

with the responsibility of the general commission, with the fol-

lowing objectives established as guidelines for adaptation to the

needs of the respective annual conference:

a) To be informed about the needs and opportunities of

the small membership church in rural, suburban, and urban set-

tings in the total life of the conference. Specic data shall be gath-

ered that relate to all structural levels of the conference, including

the local church. This data shall include, but not be limited to,

demographics, membership, information on the formation and

effectiveness of cooperative ministries, information about pasto-

ral tenure, compensation, and other factors that affect the vitality

of the small membership churches. Such information will be regu-

larly updated and disseminated to bishops, district superinten-

dents, and to relating conference boards and agencies, the General

Board of Global Ministries, and the General Board of Discipleship.

b) To ensure representation from small member-

ship churches in the decision-making structures of the annual

conference.

c) To develop ways to inform and sensitize the leadership

within the annual conference at all levels on issues that affect small

membership churches, which shall be projected into and through

all districts within the annual conference by the commission.

d) To focus on major issues related to small membership

churches and to enlist the support of the bishop, cabinet, and

493

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 647

conference staff in policies, plans, and practices impacting those

issues.

e) To advise the general commission on the progress and

effectiveness of efforts to achieve full participation of laity and

clergy from small membership churches in the life of the Church.

f) To participate in connectional programs and plans ini-

tiated or recommended by the general commission as needed.

2. The basic membership of the conference commission

shall be nominated and elected by established procedures of the

annual conferences. All must be members of The United Meth-

odist Church. Special consultants without vote may be used as

resource persons.

3. The commission shall propose a budget and submit it for

inclusion in the budget of the annual conference according to pro-

cedures for funding of all boards, commissions, and agencies of

the annual conference.

¶ 646. In each annual conference there shall be a commission

on communication or other structure to provide for these func-

tions and maintain the connectional relationship. It shall include

persons with skills in communications nominated for member-

ship in a manner determined by the conference in accordance

with ¶ 610.5.

The commission shall be a service agency to meet the com-

munication, publication, multimedia, public and media relations,

interpretation, and promotional needs of the annual conference. It

may be responsible for providing resources and services to confer-

ence agencies, districts, and local churches in the eld of commu-

nication. The commission shall have a consultative relationship

with agencies and bodies within the conference structure.

¶ 647. United Methodist Women—Constitution of United Meth-

odist Women in the Conference

Article 1. Name—In each annual conference there shall be

a conference organization named United Methodist Women,

directly related to the jurisdictional and national organizations of

United Methodist Women.

Article 2. Function—The function of the conference organi-

zation of United Methodist Women shall be to work with the

district and local organizations of United Methodist Women to

develop programs to meet the needs and interests of women and

the concerns and responsibilities of the global Church; to encour-

age and support spiritual growth, missionary outreach, and

494

¶ 647 THE CONFERENCES

Christian social action; and to promote the plans and responsibili-

ties of the United Methodist Women’s national organization.

Article 3. Authority—Each conference organization of United

Methodist Women shall have authority to promote its work in

accordance with the plans, responsibilities, and policies of the

United Methodist Women’s national organization.

Article 4. Membership—The conference organization of United

Methodist Women shall be composed of members of United

Methodist Women existing within the conference. The resident

bishop shall be an ex ofcio member of the conference organiza-

tion of United Methodist Women and of the Leadership Team or

equivalent structure.

Article 5. Leadership Team—The conference organization shall

elect such leaders as may be needed to fulll the Purpose, includ-

ing at least a president, a treasurer, a secretary, and a Commit-

tee on Nominations. Additional committees and teams may be

formed to fulll the Purpose in accordance with this constitution

and guidance from the United Methodist Women’s national orga-

nization as set forth in the bylaws of the conference organizations

of United Methodist Women.

Article 6. Meetings and Elections—a) There shall be an annual

meeting of the conference organization of United Methodist

Women. At the annual meeting, the Leadership Team shall review

the conference events and priorities of the prior year, propose a

plan of activities and priorities for the following year, including

a supporting budget, elect members of the Leadership Team as

needed to implement the plan, and set the pledge amount for the

following year.

b) The voting body of the annual meeting of the confer-

ence organization shall be composed of members of United Meth-

odist Women organizations existing within the bounds of the

conference as determined by the conference organization; members

of the conference and district leadership teams; and members of

the board of directors of United Methodist Women and the United

Methodist Women Program Advisory Group and the jurisdictional

leadership team residing within the bounds of the conference.

c) At the annual meeting of the conference organization

prior to the quadrennial meeting of the jurisdictional organiza-

tion, three members of the Leadership Team or their designees

shall be elected according to provisions in ¶ 536.3 for membership

in the jurisdiction organization.

495

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 648

d) At the annual meeting of the conference organization

prior to the quadrennial meeting of the jurisdictional organiza-

tion, the conference organization shall nominate two women for

membership on the board of directors of the United Methodist

Women’s national organization, the names to be sent to the juris-

diction organization according to ¶ 536.4.

Article 7. Relationships—a) The president of the conference

organization of United Methodist Women is a member of the

annual conference, as set forth in ¶ 32.

b) The conference organization shall name representa-

tives from among its membership to serve on the various boards,

councils, commissions, and committees of the annual conference

as the constitutions and bylaws of such agencies provide.

c) The conference organization shall encourage women to

participate in the total life and work of the Church and shall sup-

port them in assuming positions of responsibility and leadership.

Article 8. Amendments—Proposed amendments to this consti-

tution may be sent to the recording secretary of the United Meth-

odist Women’s national organization for consideration by the

board of directors. The last date for consideration of any amend-

ments will be the last regular meeting of the board of directors

before the date by which it must submit proposed legislation for

action of the General Conference.

¶ 648. United Methodist Men—Constitution of United Methodist

Men in the Conference

Article 1. Name—In each annual conference there shall be a

conference organization named United Methodist Men, auxiliary

to the jurisdictional committee on United Methodist Men and to

the General Commission on United Methodist Men (¶ 2301).

Article 2. Function—The function of the conference organiza-

tion of United Methodist Men shall be to build and support the

district organizations of United Methodist Men in developing

resources to meet the needs and interests of men and the respon-

sibilities of discipleship; to empower personal witness and evan-

gelism; to enable outreach in individual and group mission and

ministry; to encourage and support spiritual growth and faith

development; and to promote the objectives and responsibili-

ties of the General Commission on United Methodist Men. In the

absence of a district organization, the conference organization, in

consultation with the district superintendent, shall fulll the dis-

trict responsibilities (¶ 671).

496

¶ 648 THE CONFERENCES

Article 3. Authority—Each conference organization of United

Methodist Men shall have the authority to promote its work in

accordance with the plans, responsibilities, and policies of the

General Commission on United Methodist Men.

Article 4. Membership—The conference organization of United

Methodist Men shall be composed of all men of local churches or

charges (chartered or unchartered) within the bounds of the con-

ference and all clergy.

Article 5. Ofcers and Committees—a) The conference organi-

zation shall elect a president, at least one vice president, a secre-

tary, and a treasurer.

b) The resident bishop shall serve as the honorary presi-

dent and be a member of the conference organization and its exec-

utive committee.

c) The conference lay leader (or designated representa-

tive) shall be a member of the conference organization and its

executive committee.

d) Additional ofcers (including civic youth-serving

agencies/scouting coordinator) and committees shall be elected

or appointed in accordance with the guidelines of the General

Commission on United Methodist Men and/or the bylaws of the

conference organization of United Methodist Men.

Article 6. Meetings and Elections—a) There shall be an annual

meeting of the conference organization of United Methodist Men,

at which time there shall be presented an annual report and a pro-

gram plan designed to meet the needs of the men of the confer-

ence. Ofcers and committees shall be elected in accordance with

the requirements of the organization’s bylaws.

b) The voting body of the annual meeting of the confer-

ence shall be determined by the organization’s bylaws but shall

include conference and district ofcers and committee chairper-

sons as determined, members of the General Commission on

United Methodist Men, and members of the jurisdictional com-

mittee on United Methodist Men residing within the bounds of

the conference.

Article 7. Relationships—a) The president of the conference

organization of United Methodist Men is a member of the annual

conference, as set forth in ¶ 32.

b) The president of the conference organization of United

Methodist Men shall represent the conference organization on

the jurisdictional committee on United Methodist Men. In the

497

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 648

absence of the president a designated vice president may repre-

sent the conference organization.

c) Designated ofcers or members shall represent the

conference organization on the various agencies, councils, com-

missions, and committees of the annual conference as the consti-

tutions, bylaws, and rules of such agencies provide.

d) The conference organization shall encourage men

to participate in the total life and work of the Church and shall

encourage them to assume positions of responsibility and leader-

ship as part of their discipleship.

Article 8. Finances—The Conference United Methodist Men

shall secure funds for the fulllment of its purpose. All funds

from whatever source secured by the Conference United Method-

ist Men belong to the organization and shall be disbursed only in

accordance with its constitution and/or bylaws and by its order.

a) Conference United Methodist Men may have their

own bank accounts.

b) It is recommended that there be an annual nancial

audit.

Article 9. Amendments—Proposed amendments to this con-

stitution may be sent to the recording secretary of the General

Commission on United Methodist Men prior to the last annual

meeting of the commission in the third year of the quadrennium.

Article 10. Connectional Reporting and Accountability—a) Each

annual conference United Methodist Men shall have on le a cur-

rent copy of their constitution and bylaws with the General Com-

mission on United Methodist Men.

b) Each annual conference shall submit an annual report

to the General Commission on United Methodist Men. This report

will be presented by the conference president at the spring meet-

ing of the National Association of Conference Presidents and shall

include but not be restricted to:

1. Annual goals and progress toward those goals in

the last 12 months.

2. A review of the work in evangelism, mission, and

spiritual growth within the annual conference or

beyond.

3. A listing of training events conducted at a con-

ference, district, and local church level to expand

men’s ministry in all levels of the church.

498

¶ 648 THE CONFERENCES

4. An assessment of the General Commission on

United Methodist Men to include the annual con-

ference UMM’s appraisal of the commission’s

goals and the commission’s progress toward those

goals in the last 12 months.

5. A report of the signicant challenges to men’s

ministry and the signicant successes of men’s

ministry to be shared with other conference orga-

nizations of UMM.

These reports will become part of the internal review process

of the General Commission on United Methodist Men and each

conference report shall be shared with the annual conference lead-

ership by the conference president.

¶ 649. 1. In each annual conference there shall be a conference

council on youth ministry or other equivalent structure to provide

for these functions and maintain the connectional relationships,

or the responsibilities outlined below may be assigned to such

organization that follows the same membership requirements as

the annual conference provides pursuant to ¶ 610.1. Its purpose

shall be to strengthen the youth ministry in the local churches and

districts of the annual conference. For administrative purposes,

the council shall be related to the annual conference council on

ministries or equivalent structure. (See ¶¶ 1201-1212 for the Divi-

sion on Ministries With Young People.)

2. Membership—No more than one-third of the membership

of the council shall be adults, one of whom may be the conference

lay leader or his or her representative. It is strongly recommended

that the membership of the council include an equal number of

persons with respect to race, ethnicity, gender and social status as

dened by the annual conference or episcopal area. Where ethnic

or language conferences overlap nonethnic conferences, provi-

sion shall be made for the inclusion of members of the ethnic or

language conferences and vice-versa. Those serving on the con-

ference council on youth ministry or equivalent structure shall be

baptized or professing members of The United Methodist Church.

3. Responsibilities—a) To initiate and support plans, activi-

ties, and projects that are of particular interest to youth.

b) To be an advocate for the free expression of the convic-

tions of youth on issues vital to them.

c) To support and facilitate, where deemed needed, the

formation of youth caucuses.

499

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 649

d) To cooperate with the boards and agencies of the

annual conference, receiving recommendations from and making

recommendations to the same.

e) To recommend to the annual conference committee

on nominations qualied youth for membership on boards and

agencies.

f) To elect and certify annual conference representatives

to the jurisdictional youth ministry organization convocation.

g) To promote, introduce and encourage youth in the

annual conference to become active in Wesley Foundations or

United Methodist campus ministries when they attend a college

or university and to become aware of opportunities to attend

United Methodist-related colleges and universities.

h) To cooperate with Wesley Foundations, United Meth-

odist campus ministries and United Methodist-related colleges

and universities to assist annual conference youth in the transi-

tion to college life.

i) To receive and set the policy and criteria for its portion

of the Youth Service Fund (¶ 1212). No more than one-third shall

be used for administrative purposes; at least one-third shall be

used for projects within the geographic bounds of the annual con-

ference; and at least one-third shall be used for projects outside

the geographic bounds of the annual conference.

j) To establish the policy for Youth Service Fund educa-

tion and be responsible for its promotion throughout the annual

conference, in cooperation with the Division on Ministries With

Young People of the General Board of Discipleship.

k) To establish a project review committee as an advi-

sory committee with regard to the use of the Youth Service Fund

receipts for projects. It is recommended that the committee be

composed of at least 50 percent racial and ethnic group persons.

l) To participate with the appropriate conference agen-

cies in the nomination of the conference coordinator of youth min-

istry, who shall serve as its adviser.

m) To promote an evangelistic outreach with youth and

through youth by providing educational opportunities and re-

sources that increase their awareness, exposure, and engagement

in the areas of mission, social justice, discipleship, leadership

development and spiritual formation as they relate back to their

local church.

500

¶ 650 THE CONFERENCES

¶ 650. 1. In each annual conference there shall be a confer-

ence council on young-adult ministry or equivalent structure. Its

purpose shall be to strengthen the young-adult ministry in the

local churches and districts of the annual conference. For adminis-

trative purposes, the council shall be related to the annual confer-

ence council on ministries or alternative structure.

2. Membership—The membership of the council shall be

young adults (as dened by annual conference or episcopal area).

It is recommended there be one young adult elected by each dis-

trict of the conference. There may also be members at large nomi-

nated by the conference nominating committee. It is strongly

recommended that the membership of the council include an

equal number of persons with respect to race, ethnicity, gender,

and social status as dened by annual conference or episcopal

area, as well as persons of both genders to ensure inclusiveness.

Those serving on the conference council on young-adult ministry

shall be members of The United Methodist Church. At least one-

half of the members shall be laypersons who are professing mem-

bers of The United Methodist Church. Members should represent

the diversity of young adults in the general population, including

college students, working persons, single, and married.

3. Responsibilities—a) To initiate and support plans and activ-

ities and projects that are of particular interest to young adults

who are college students, working persons, single, and married.

b) To be an advocate for the free expression of the convic-

tions of young adults on issues vital to them.

c) To support and facilitate, where deemed needed, the

formation of young-adult caucuses.

d) To cooperate with the boards and agencies of the

annual conference, including Wesley Foundations, United Meth-

odist-related campus ministries and chaplaincies, in assisting

graduating college students in the transition to congregational

life, and receiving recommendations from and making recom-

mendations to the same to provide for the needs of young adults

in The United Methodist Church.

e) To recommend to the annual conference committee on

nominations qualied young adults for membership on boards

and agencies.

f) To participate with the conference council on minis-

tries in the nomination of the conference coordinator of young-

adult ministry, who shall serve as its adviser.

501

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 651

¶ 651. 1. In each annual conference there may be a confer-

ence council on older adult ministries. Its purpose shall be to

strengthen the older-adult ministries in the local churches and

districts of the annual conference. For administrative purposes,

the council shall be related to the annual conference board of dis-

cipleship, or the annual conference board of laity, or equivalent

structure.

2. Membership—The majority of the membership of the coun-

cil should be older adults. It may also include persons (regard-

less of age) who, because of their specialized interests, education,

training, and experience, have developed a passion for ministry

with older adults. Those serving on the conference council on

older-adult ministries shall be professing members of The United

Methodist Church and shall include both laypersons and clergy.

There may also be members-at-large, nominated by the confer-

ence nominating committee and elected by the annual conference,

to achieve racial, ethnic, gender, and geographic inclusiveness

and to assure participation by people with specialized interests,

education, training, and experiences. The conference lay leader

(or designee), the conference coordinator of older-adult ministries

(if any), and a cabinet representative shall serve ex ofcio with

vote. Members should represent the diversity of older adults in

the general population, including retired persons, working per-

sons, persons with disabilities, persons with chronic illnesses, sin-

gle persons, widowed persons, married persons, persons living in

a variety of residential settings, and persons with a wide variety

of family situations.

3. Responsibilities—a) To initiate and support ministries,

plans, activities, and projects that are of particular interest to

older adults, including retired persons, working persons, persons

with disabling conditions, persons with chronic illnesses, single

persons, widowed persons, married persons, persons living in a

variety of residential settings, and persons with a wide variety of

family situations.

b) To advocate on behalf of older adults.

c) To support and facilitate, where appropriate, the for-

mation of older-adult caucuses.

d) To identify the needs, concerns, and potential contri-

butions of older adults in the annual conference and its districts.

e) To cooperate with the boards and agencies of the

annual conference in receiving and making recommendations to

502

¶ 651 THE CONFERENCES

provide for the needs of older adults in The United Methodist

Church.

f) To recommend to the annual conference committee on

nominations qualied and motivated older adults for member-

ship on boards and agencies.

g) To participate with the annual conference board of dis-

cipleship, or the annual conference board of laity, or equivalent

structure in the nomination of the coordinator of older-adult min-

istries for election by the annual conference.

h) To educate and keep before the annual conference

and its districts the lifelong process of aging with emphases on

the quality of life, intergenerational understandings, and faith

development.

i) To serve as a focal point for supplying information and

guidance on older-adult ministries within the annual conference

and its districts.

j) To support the development of resources that will

undergird older-adult ministries within the annual conference

and its districts.

¶ 652. Each annual conference shall establish a procedure

by which it will manage clergy medical leave. The annual con-

ference may establish a joint committee on clergy medical leave.

If the annual conference establishes such a committee, it should

be composed of at least two representatives each from the Board

of Ordained Ministry and the conference board of pensions, who

may be elected by those boards at the beginning of each qua-

drennium and at other times when vacancies occur, and a dis-

trict superintendent appointed from time to time by the bishop

to represent the cabinet. The joint committee shall be encouraged

to include in its composition a person with a disability, preferably

someone under appointment. Unless and until other members are

elected, the chairperson and registrar of the Board of Ordained

Ministry and the chairperson and secretary of the conference

board of pensions, or others designated by them, shall be autho-

rized to represent their respective boards. The committee shall

organize at the beginning of each quadrennium by the election of

a chairperson and a secretary. If the annual conference does not

establish a joint committee, the annual conference’s established

policy and process for managing clergy medical leave nonetheless

should involve the Board of Ordained Ministry, the conference

board of pensions and representation from the cabinet.

503

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 653

The duties of the annual conference, with respect to clergy

medical leave, or the joint committee on clergy medical leave, or

its equivalent, shall be:

a) To study issues related to clergy medical leave in the

annual conference.

b) To provide for a continuing personal ministry to any

clergy on medical leave of the conference and to aid them in main-

taining fellowship with the members of the conference.

c) To provide advice and support to and, where appropri-

ate advocacy for, clergy on medical leave in (i) applying for and

securing disability benets from the Comprehensive Protection

Plan and government programs, (ii) exploring possible sources

of interim nancial assistance before disability benets can be

obtained, (iii) establishing rehabilitation and return-to-service

programs, and (iv) assessing the need for and providing reason-

able accommodations.

d) To make recommendations to the Board of Ordained

Ministry, the conference board of pensions, and the cabinet on

matters related to clergy medical leave, including steps for the

prevention of the need for medical leave, the process of granting

medical leave, benets, grants, or other assistance, and programs

of rehabilitation.

e) To cooperate with and give assistance to the General

Board of Pension and Health Benets in its administration of the

Clergy Retirement Security Program, the Comprehensive Pro-

tection Plan and other benet plans for clergy on medical leave,

and to the extent applicable assist with the disability benets and

other benets provided under those plans.

¶ 653. There shall be in each annual conference a committee

on disability concerns or other structure to provide for the func-

tions of this ministry and maintain the connectional relationships.

1. The basic membership of the committee shall be nomi-

nated and elected by established procedures of the respective

annual conference. Each annual conference shall determine the

number and composition of the total membership. Membership

shall include persons with physical disabilities and persons with

mental disabilities.

2. It shall be the responsibility of this committee:

a) To be aware of, and advocate for, the role of persons

with disabilities in ministry, including ordained and diaconal

504

¶ 653 THE CONFERENCES

ministries and local church and annual conference leadership

positions.

b) To advocate for and help develop programs within the

annual conference that meet the needs of persons with disabilities.

c) To be informed about current ministries within the

annual conference that are related to persons with disabilities.

d) To develop ways to sensitize persons in leadership

positions on issues that affect persons with disabilities and there-

fore the entire Church.

e) To foster cooperation among ministries within the

annual conference that focus on specic disabilities (deaf, deaf-

ened, hard of hearing, development disabilities, mental retarda-

tion, mental illness, visual impairment, physical disabilities, etc.).

f) To be a resource for local churches who are attempt-

ing to develop ministries that are attitudinally and architecturally

accessible.

g) To promote the full inclusion of persons with disabili-

ties in the life of the local church and the annual conference.

h) To participate in jurisdictional accessibility associa-

tions in the sharing of knowledge and resources.

¶ 654. There shall be an annual conference committee on

Native American ministry or other structure to provide for these

ministries and maintain the connectional relationships. The basic

membership of the committee shall be nominated and elected

by established procedure of the respective annual conferences.

Each annual conference shall determine the number and compo-

sition of the total membership. Where possible, the membership

shall consist of a majority of Native Americans. It shall be the

responsibility of this committee to determine the distribution of

the Native American Ministries Sunday offering, coordinate the

promotion of Native American Ministries Sunday, and monitor

Native American ministries within the annual conference. Each

committee shall report on how the offering funds have beneted

Native Americans in their annual conference. Annual reports,

including the amount of the total receipts from the Native

American Ministries Sunday offerings, should be forwarded to

the conference council on ministries and to the Connectional

Table.

Every local church at charge conference shall designate by

nomination and election a minimum of one person per charge

(without regard to race or ethnic origin) or a designated mem-

505

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ¶ 656

ber of an established church committee to represent the need for

better awareness of Native American contributions in the local

church. These names are to be submitted to the district superin-

tendent at charge conference to be given to the annual conference

committee on Native American ministry.

¶ 655. The annual conference is encouraged to establish a

committee on Hispanic/Latino Ministries or other structure to

support the development, implementation, and evaluation of a

Hispanic/Latino Ministries comprehensive plan of action and the

strategies for working with the Hispanic/Latino persons of all

generations in the community. The membership of the committee

shall be nominated and elected by the established procedures of

the respective annual conference. The committee shall include at

least one-third Hispanic/Latino persons.

In those conferences where a committee on Hispanic/Latino

ministries or other structures is adopted, there shall be strategies

to: (1) strengthen existing ministries and congregations, (2) start

new congregations and ministries, including intentional min-

istries with children and youth, (3) identify, equip, and deploy

elders, local pastors, lay missioners, lay certied ministers, and

other lay leaders who can serve in this mission and ministry,

(4) identify nancial and material resources to support and

maintain its implementation. The plan shall be based on a clear

analysis of the socioeconomic, cultural, and religious realities of

the community where the conference is located. The Conference

Comprehensive Plans for Hispanic/Latino Ministries in the Juris-

dictional Annual Conferences are encouraged to be ready by the

2016 General Conference.

¶ 656. 1. There may be a conference Advance program,

established and carried out in the same spirit of partnership as

the general Advance program.

2. A conference Advance Special Gift is one made to a confer-

ence Advance Special project within bounds of the annual confer-

ence or episcopal area authorized by an annual conference upon

recommendation by the conference board of global ministries

or its equivalent structure and consistent with the goals of the

Advance. The funds as received shall be administered by the con-

ference board of global ministries or such structure as designated

by the conference.

3. An annual conference may undertake a conference-wide

campaign for a lump sum to be applied to its missionary and

506

¶ 656 THE CONFERENCES

church extension. The funds so received shall be designated as

conference Advance Specials and shall be administered by the

conference board of global ministries or equivalent structure.

Local churches shall report their contributions as conference

Advance Specials.

4. With the approval of the annual conference, a district

within the conference may authorize and promote Advance Spe-

cials for church extension and missionary needs within the dis-

trict, such funds to be administered by a district committee on

mission organized for that purpose or by a similar body set up

by the district. Such special funds secured and administered on a

district level shall be reported by each local church to the annual

conference as conference Advance Specials.

5. Local churches shall report their contributions to general

Advance Specials and conference Advance Specials to the charge

conference and in the manner indicated on the annual conference

report form.

¶ 657. The annual conference is encouraged to establish a

committee on criminal justice and mercy ministries (CJAMM) to

accomplish the following: (1) raise awareness and generate local

church involvement; (2) identify existing programs; (3) promote

criminal justice ministries; and (4) serve as a resource and con-

nectional link with local churches, general program agencies, and

ecumenical groups, and use prison ministry and prison reform

resources made available through the general agencies. The pur-

pose is to promote a ministry to persons of all genders and ages

who are in prison, to the families of those in prison, and to the

victims of crime and their families and to be an advocate for

prison concerns. The CJAMM committee may relate to the board

of global ministries and/or the board of church and society, which

shares social justice concerns. The results of the work in this area

will be reported to the annual conference.

Section X. The District Conference

Upon approval of the annual conference, the term subdistrict

may be used in the references to district in ¶¶ 658-672.

¶ 658. A district conference shall be held if directed by the

annual conference of which it is a part and may be held upon the

call of the district superintendent, which call shall specify the time

and place.

507

THE DISTRICT CONFERENCE ¶ 660

¶ 659. 1. A district conference shall be composed of mem-

bers as determined and specied by the annual conference, giving

attention to inclusiveness (see ¶¶ 124, 140).

2. The district conference may choose its own order of

business. The secretary duly elected shall keep an accurate record

of the proceedings and submit it to the annual conference for

examination.

3. The district conference shall issue certicates of candidacy

for the ordained ministry on recommendation of the district

committee on ordained ministry and shall consider for approval

the reports of this committee.

4. The district conference may incorporate a district union,

under the laws of the state in which it is located, to hold and

administer district real and personal property, receive and admin-

ister church extension and mission funds for use within the dis-

trict, and exercise such other powers and duties as may be set

forth in its charter or articles of incorporation as authorized by

the annual conference having jurisdiction over said district. If a

district union is so incorporated, it shall also assume the power

and duties of the district board of trustees (¶ 2518.2). All such dis-

trict unions chartered or incorporated by districts of the churches

that joined and united in adopting the Constitution of The United

Methodist Church are declared to be disciplinary agencies of

The United Methodist Church as though originally created and

authorized by that Constitution and may act for or as a district

conference when convened for that purpose by the district super-

intendent, who shall be its executive secretary, or by its president

or other executive ofcer.

5. If any district or conference initiates, joins, monitors, or ter-

minates a boycott, the guidelines in The Book of Resolutions, 2008,

should be followed. The General Conference is the only body that

can initiate, empower, or join a boycott in the name of The United

Methodist Church.

¶ 660. 1. The district lay leader is the elected leader of the

district laity and shall be a professing member of a local church.

The district lay leader shall provide for the training of local church

lay leaders for their ministries in the local churches in relation to

¶ 249. The district lay leader shall have responsibility for fostering

awareness of the role of the laity both within congregations and

through their ministries in the home, workplace, community, and

world in achieving the mission of the Church, and supporting and

508

¶ 660 THE CONFERENCES

enabling lay participation in the planning and decision-making

processes of the district and the local churches in cooperation

with the district superintendent and pastors.

2. The district lay leader shall be elected as determined by

the annual conference for a term of not less than four years. The

method of nomination and the maximum term of ofce shall be

determined by the annual conference.

There may be one or more associate district lay leader(s)

within a district. The associate district lay leader(s) shall be

elected as determined by the annual conference. The method of

nomination and the maximum term of ofce shall be determined

by the annual conference. The district lay leader and the associate

district lay leader(s) may be reimbursed for their approved

expenses.

3. The district lay leader will meet regularly with the district

superintendent to discuss the state of the district, the Church, and

the needs for ministry both locally and globally.

4. The district lay leader is a member of annual conference

(see ¶ 32).

5. The district lay leader shall be a member of the conference

board of laity or equivalent structure.

6. The district lay leader shall work with the district

superintendent to ensure that there is a district director of Lay

Servant Ministries and shall serve on the district committee on

Lay Servant Ministries.

7. The district lay leader is a member of the district conference

and shall be a member of the district council on ministries or

alternative structure and its executive committee. The district

lay leader shall also be a member of the committee on district

superintendency of the district.

8. The district lay leader may serve as a lay member of the

district committee on ordained ministry (or equivalent agency)

and the district board of church location and building (or

equivalent agency).

9. The district lay leader shall relate to the organized lay

groups in the district such as United Methodist Women, United

Methodist Men, and United Methodist Youth and support their

work and their activities.

10. The district lay leader may designate persons to serve as

proxy in any of the above groups except the annual conference, the

district conference, district council on ministries, and the district

509

THE DISTRICT CONFERENCE ¶ 664

council on ministries executive committee, district committee on

ordained ministry, and the district board of church location and

building.

¶ 661. Each district of an annual conference may organize

to develop, administer, and evaluate the missional life, advocacy

needs, and ministries of the Church in and through the district. It

shall maintain connectional relationships, organize to develop and

strengthen ethnic ministries, including ethnic local churches and

concerns, and provide encouragement, coordination, and support

for local churches in their ministries of nurture, outreach, and

witness in accordance with the mission of The United Methodist

Church. Every board, standing committee, commission, council,

and work area of the district shall designate one of its members as

its coordinator of witness ministries. These persons shall help the

groups of which they are members to engage in witness ministries

and, in particular, to ask, “How are we intentionally reaching new

people for Jesus Christ through our ministries?” and “How are we

helping new people grow and mature as disciples of Jesus Christ

through our ministries and areas of responsibility?”

¶ 662. The district superintendent, after consultation with

the conference board, may appoint a district director of church

and society. Also, if desirable, a district may create a committee

on church and society of laypersons and clergy, to work with the

district superintendent to further the purposes of the conference

board. The mission coordinator for social action of the district

United Methodist Women shall be an ex ofcio member.

¶ 663. The district superintendent, after consultation with

the annual conference ethnic local church concerns committee,

may appoint a district director of ethnic local church concerns.

This director would become a member of the district council on

ministries or its structural counterpart. A district may establish a

committee on ethnic local church concerns comprised of layper-

sons and clergy to work with the district superintendent to imple-

ment the annual conference’s comprehensive plan as it relates to

that district and to further the purposes of the annual conference

committee.

¶ 664. The district superintendent, after consultation with the

annual conference commission on religion and race, may appoint

a district director of religion and race. A district may establish a

committee on religion and race to work with the district super-

intendent to further the purposes of the annual conference com-

510

¶ 664 THE CONFERENCES

mission in the district. The district director, if appointed, shall be

a member of the annual conference commission on religion and

race. (See ¶ 643.2.)

¶ 665. The district superintendent, after consultation with the

conference council on young-adult ministries or equivalent struc-

ture, if available, may appoint a district coordinator of young-

adult ministries. This coordinator would become a member of

the district committee on ministries or its structural counterpart.

Also, if desirable, a district may create a committee on young-

adult ministries to work with the district superintendent to fur-

ther the purposes of increasing young adult participation in local

churches. The district coordinator, if appointed, shall be a mem-

ber of the annual conference council on young-adult ministries or

equivalent structure.

¶ 666. There shall be a district committee on ordained

ministry.

1. The district committee on ordained ministry shall be

amenable to the annual conference through the Board of Ordained

Ministry. All members shall be nominated annually by the district

superintendent in consultation with the chairperson or executive

committee of the Board of Ordained Ministry and approved by the

annual conference. Interim vacancies shall be lled by the district

superintendent. The committee shall be composed of at least three

professing members of local churches, a representative from the

Board of Ordained Ministry who may be named chairperson; the

district superintendent, who shall not be the chairperson, and at

least six other clergy in the district. The clergy shall include elders

and deacons, and where possible, women and ethnic clergy, a

deacon or elder who is age 35 or younger, an associate member,

and may include one local pastor who has completed the Course

of Study. All persons named to the district committee on ordained

ministry shall be members with vote. The conference Board of

Ordained Ministry shall provide orientation for new members,

including education regarding the ministry and roles of all clergy

and distribution of any available written guidelines.

2. The district committee on ordained ministry shall elect

its ofcers at the rst meeting following the annual conference

session when the members are elected.

3. The committee shall maintain a list of all persons who

have declared their candidacy for the ordained ministry and are

pursuing candidacy studies with a candidacy mentor. A duplicate

511

THE DISTRICT CONFERENCE ¶ 666

list shall be forwarded to the annual conference registrar for

candidacy; such list being made current at least prior to each

session of the annual conference.

4. The committee, through the Board of Ordained Ministry,

shall seek ways to make reasonable accommodations for cultural

and ethnic/racial realities and language translations as candidates

meet the requirements for candidacy, including interviews,

psychological assessments, criminal background, and credit

checks.

5. The committee shall offer counsel to candidates regarding

pre-theological studies.

6. The committee shall supervise all matters dealing with

candidacy for the ordained ministry and with the license for local

pastor.

7. The vote of the committee on matters of candidacy shall

be by individual written ballot of the committee present. A three-

fourths majority vote is required for certication. All other matters

of candidacy shall be by a simple majority vote.

8. The committee shall maintain a service record and le on

every local pastor and candidate for the ordained ministry until

the individual becomes an associate or provisional member of the

annual conference, at which time a copy of the les shall be for-

warded to the registrar of the Board of Ordained Ministry. The

records and les of the committee are kept on behalf of the annual

conference and shall be maintained under guidelines provided by

the General Council on Finance and Administration in consulta-

tion with the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry

and the General Board of Pension and Health Benets.

9. The committee shall recommend to the Board of Ordained

Ministry those persons who qualify for associate and provisional

membership, for license or continuance as local pastors, and for

restoration of credentials. All persons shall have been professing

members of The United Methodist Church or a baptized partici-

pant of a recognized United Methodist campus ministry or other

United Methodist ministry setting for a minimum of one (1) year.

10. The committee shall examine all persons who apply in

writing for certication or renewal of certicate. Where there is

evidence that their gifts, evidence of God’s grace, and useful-

ness warrant and that they are qualied under ¶¶ 315-319, and on

92. See Judicial Council Decision 586.

512

¶ 666 THE CONFERENCES

recommendation of their charge conference or the conference

Board of Ordained Ministry, the committee shall issue or renew

their certicate.

11. The committee shall examine all persons who apply in

writing to be certied as lay ministers. When there is evidence

that their gifts, evidence of God’s grace and usefulness, warrant

and that they are qualied under ¶ 268, and on recommendation

of their charge conference, the committee shall recommend their

certication or recertication. The district committee shall report

annually to the annual conference through the annual conference

Board of Ordained Ministry a roster of all persons certied as lay

ministers.

12. All persons interviewed by the district committee shall be

informed of decisions and recommendations as soon as possible,

both orally and in writing.

13. The committee shall assist the conference Board of

Ordained Ministry in providing support services for all clergy

under appointment within the district.

¶ 667. Each district of an annual conference may organize a

district board of laity or alternative structure.

1. The purpose of the district board of laity shall be:

a) To foster an awareness of the role of laity both within

the local congregation and through their ministries in the home,

workplace, community, and world in achieving the mission of the

Church.

b) To work with the district lay leader in: (1) developing

and promoting an increased role for laity in the life of the local

church, (2) increasing the participation of laity in the sessions and

programs of the district and local churches in cooperation with

the district superintendent and pastors, and (3) encouraging lay-

persons to participate in the general ministry of the Church in the

world. (See ¶ 661.)

c) To develop and promote stewardship of time, talent,

and possessions within the district in cooperation with the district

council on ministries.

2. The membership of the board shall include the district

lay leader, associate district lay leader(s), district director of Lay

Servant Ministries, and may include the district superintendent,

district president of United Methodist Women, district president

of United Methodist Men, district president of United Method-

ist Youth, district president of United Methodist Young Adults,

513

THE DISTRICT CONFERENCE ¶ 668

and, where organized, the district president of the Older Adult

Council, and others as deemed necessary. Special attention shall

be given to the inclusion of women, men, youth, young adults,

and older adults; people with disabilities; and racial and ethnic

group persons.

3. The district lay leader shall chair the board. Other ofcers

shall be elected as the board shall deem necessary.

4. The board shall relate to the lay servant program and to

the organized groups in the district such as the United Method-

ist Women, United Methodist Men, United Methodist Youth, and

United Methodist Young Adults and shall support their work and

help them coordinate their activities.

¶ 668. District Committee on Lay Servant Ministries—Districts

are encouraged to create a district committee on Lay Servant Min-

istries related to the annual conference through the conference

committee on Lay Servant Ministries. There shall be a district

director of Lay Servant Ministries lled in a manner determined

by the district. This position shall be lled by a certied lay

servant.

1. The purpose of the district committee on Lay Servant Min-

istries is to plan and supervise the program within the district.

2. The committee is chaired by the district director of Lay

Servant Ministries. In addition to the director, membership of the

committee will include the district lay leader, the district superin-

tendent, and an instructor of lay servant courses. Other resource

people may be added as needed.

3. The responsibilities of a district committee on Lay Servant

Ministries are to provide basic training for local church lay ser-

vants and advanced courses for certied lay servants as recom-

mended by the General Board of Discipleship, or as approved by

the conference committee on Lay Servant Ministries; to decide

who will be recognized as certied lay servants; to help match

lay servants and certied lay ministers with service opportunities;

and to support and afrm lay servants and certied lay ministers

as they serve.

4. The district committee shall plan advanced courses for lay

servants that will enable certied lay servants to maintain that

recognition.

5. The district committee will report to the pastor and charge

conference of each certied lay servant the courses that have been

satisfactorily completed by the certied lay servant.

514

¶ 669 THE CONFERENCES

¶ 669. Committee on District Superintendency—There shall be a

committee on district superintendency.

1. Membership—This committee shall be composed of eleven

members, including the district lay leader, and two persons

appointed by the district superintendent. It is recommended

that the remaining members of the committee consist of two lay-

women, two laymen, two clergy, and two at-large members, all of

whom should be selected with special attention to the representa-

tion of racial and ethnic persons, youth (¶ 256.3), young adults,

older adults, and people with disabilities. At least three of the

eleven persons shall be clergy, and seven shall be laypersons. All

laypersons shall be professing members of a local church.

2. Selection—The members shall be selected in such manner

as may be determined by the district conference or, where there is

no district conference, by the annual conference. The district com-

mittee shall be authorized to co-opt members as advisory mem-

bers who have expertise in areas of special need. The bishop of the

area, or his or her authorized representative, shall be an ex ofcio

member of said committee.

3. Meeting—The district committee shall meet at least annu-

ally and upon call of the district superintendent and/or the chair-

person of the committee. The committee shall elect a chairperson,

vice chairperson, and secretary.

4. Purpose—The purpose of the committee on district super-

intendency shall be to support the district superintendent of the

district in the oversight of the spiritual and temporal affairs of the

Church, with special reference to the district where the superin-

tendent has responsibilities. In fullling this purpose, the commit-

tee shall give attention to the following responsibilities:

a) To advocate for adequate budget-support services for

the district superintendent, such as adequate secretarial support,

travel, continuing education, and parsonage needs (¶ 614.1a).

b) To be available for counsel.

c) To keep the district superintendent advised concern-

ing conditions within the district as they affect relations among

the district superintendent, the laity, the clergy, and the district

agencies.

d) To establish a clearly understood process for observ-

ing the district superintendent’s ministry with direct evaluation

and feedback, with special concern for the inclusiveness of the

Church and its ministry with respect to sex, race, and national

515

THE DISTRICT CONFERENCE ¶ 670

origin, and implementation of the consultative process in

appointment-making.

e) To consult with the district superintendent concerning

continuing education and to arrange with the cabinet and bishop

for the necessary time and nancial assistance for the attendance

of the district superintendent at such continuing education events

as may serve his or her professional and spiritual growth.

f) To interpret to the people of the district and to the dis-

trict boards and agencies the nature and function of the district

superintendency.

5. Consultation—The district committee and the district super-

intendent shall engage in an annual consultation and appraisal of

the work of the district superintendent in the district and shall

serve in an advisory relationship with the bishop of the area.

¶ 670. United Methodist Women—Constitution of United Meth-

odist Women in the District

Article 1. Name—In each district there shall be a district orga-

nization named United Methodist Women, auxiliary to the con-

ference and national organizations of United Methodist Women.

Article 2. Responsibilities—The responsibilities of the district

organization of United Methodist Women shall be to work with

United Methodist Women members and local organizations of

United Methodist Women existing within the district to develop

programs to meet the needs and interests of women and the con-

cerns and responsibilities of the global Church; to encourage and

support spiritual growth, missionary outreach, and Christian

social action; and to promote the plans and responsibilities of

the conference and national organizations of United Methodist

Women.

Article 3. Authority—Each district organization of United

Methodist Women shall have authority to promote its work in

accordance with the plans, responsibilities, and policies of the con-

ference and national organizations of United Methodist Women.

Article 4. Membership—The district organization of United

Methodist Women shall be composed of members of United

Methodist Women existing within the district. The district super-

intendent shall be an ex ofcio member of the district organiza-

tion of United Methodist Women and of its leadership team or

equivalent structure.

Article 5. Leadership Team—The district organization shall elect

as its leaders those persons who are needed to help the organization

516

¶ 670 THE CONFERENCES

to fulll the Purpose, including at least a president, a treasurer, a

secretary, and a Committee on Nominations. Additional commit-

tees or teams may be formed to fulll the Purpose in accordance

with this constitution and guidance from the conference and

national organizations of United Methodist Women.

Article 6. Meetings and Elections—There shall be an annual

meeting of the district organization of United Methodist Women

to adopt a program designed to meet the needs of the women of

the district in harmony with the Purpose, the plans and respon-

sibilities of the conference and national organizations of United

Methodist Women, to elect members of the Leadership team and

the Committee on Nominations, to transact the necessary busi-

ness, and to receive pledges made for the ensuing year.

Article 7. Relationships—a) The district organization of United

Methodist Women shall designate members to serve on the vari-

ous boards, councils, commissions, and committees of the district

and/or the annual conference as the constitution and bylaws of

such agencies provide.

b) The district president shall be a member with vote of

the conference Leadership Team.

c) The district organization shall encourage women to

participate in the total life and work of the Church and shall sup-

port them in assuming positions of responsibility and leadership.

Article 8. Amendments—Proposed amendments to this consti-

tution may be sent to the recording secretary of the United Meth-

odist Women’s national organization for consideration by the

board of directors. The last date for consideration of any amend-

ments will be the last regular meeting of the board of directors

before the date by which it must submit proposed legislation for

action of the General Conference.

¶ 671. United Methodist Men—Constitution of United Methodist

Men in the District

Article 1. Name—In each district there shall be a district orga-

nization named United Methodist Men, auxiliary to the confer-

ence organization of United Methodist Men and the General

Commission on United Methodist Men (¶ 2301).

Article 2. Responsibilities—The responsibilities of the district

organization of United Methodist Men shall be to work with local

units of United Methodist Men in developing resources to meet

the needs and interests of men and the responsibilities of disciple-

ship; to empower personal witness and evangelism; to enable out-

517

THE DISTRICT CONFERENCE ¶ 671

reach in individual and group mission and ministry; to encourage

and support spiritual growth and faith development; and to pro-

mote the objectives and responsibilities of the conference organiza-

tion and the General Commission on United Methodist Men. The

district organization shall also encourage and promote the charter-

ing and annual recertication of local units through the General

Commission on United Methodist Men (¶¶ 2302 and 256.6).

Article 3. Authority—Each district organization of United

Methodist Men shall have the authority to promote its work in

accordance with the plans, responsibilities, and policies of the

conference organization and the General Commission on United

Methodist Men.

Article 4. Membership—All men and clergy of local churches

or charges (chartered and unchartered) of the district shall be con-

sidered members of the district organization.

Article 5. Ofcers and Committees—a) The district organiza-

tion shall elect a president, at least one vice president, a secretary,

and a treasurer.

b) Additional ofcers (including civic youth-serving

agencies/scouting coordinator) and committees shall be elected

or appointed in accordance with the guidelines of the General

Commission on United Methodist Men and/or the bylaws of the

district organization of United Methodist Men.

c) The district superintendent shall be a member of the

district organization and of its executive committee.

d) The district lay leader (or designated representative)

shall be a member of the district organization and of its executive

committee.

Article 6. Meetings and Elections—There shall be an annual

meeting of the district organization of United Methodist Men, at

which time there shall be presented an annual report as well as a

program plan designed to meet the needs of the men of the dis-

trict. Ofcers and committees shall be elected in accordance with

the requirements of the organization’s bylaws.

Article 7. Relationships—a) Designated ofcers or members

shall represent the district organization of United Methodist Men

on the various boards, councils, commissions, and committees of

the district as the constitutions, bylaws and rules of such agencies

provide.

b) The district president shall be a member of the confer-

ence executive committee.

518

¶ 671 THE CONFERENCES

c) The district organization shall encourage men to partic-

ipate in the total life and work of the Church and shall encourage

them to assume positions of leadership as part of their discipleship.

Article 8. Finances—The District United Methodist Men shall

secure funds for the fulllment of its purpose. All funds from

whatever source secured by the District United Methodist Men

belong to the organization and shall be disbursed only in accor-

dance with its constitution and/or bylaws and by its order.

a) District United Methodist Men may have their own

bank accounts.

b) It is recommended that there be an annual nancial

audit.

Article 9. Amendments—Proposed amendments to this con-

stitution may be sent to the recording secretary of the General

Commission on United Methodist Men prior to the last annual

meeting of the commission in the third year of the quadrennium.

Article 10. Connectional Reporting—a) Each district shall le a

current copy of their constitution with the conference organiza-

tion of United Methodist Men.

b) Each district shall submit an annual report to the con-

ference organization of United Methodist Men prior to its annual

meeting.

¶ 672. Each district of an annual conference may organize a

district council on youth ministry.

1. Purpose—The purpose of the district council on youth min-

istry is dened as follows: to assist local churches in ministry for,

with, and by junior high and senior high youth more effectively;

to serve as a channel of communication and involvement among

the youth ministry in the local churches, the conference council on

youth ministry, and the general agencies of the Church; to initi-

ate youth programs for the district to inuence the total program-

ming of the district and conference as it relates to the concerns and

needs of youth; and to take primary responsibility for promoting

and raising money for the Youth Service Fund.

2. Membership—Each district may determine the membership

and the method of election of its district council on youth ministry

in consultation with the conference council on youth ministry. It is

recommended that the membership include the following: a) no

more than one-third of the membership shall be adults; b) an equal

number of persons with respect to race, ethnicity, gender, and

social status as dened by the annual conference or episcopal area;

519

THE DISTRICT CONFERENCE ¶ 672

c) the district youth coordinator, to be a member by vir-

tue of his or her ofce; and d) representatives on the conference

council on youth ministry.

3. Functions—The functions of the district council on youth

ministry may be determined by the annual conference council on

youth ministry and/or the district council on youth ministry. The

following functions may be incorporated in its work:

a) To study the needs of the junior high and senior high

youth ministry of the local churches in the district and help them

establish and provide more effective ministry in and through the

district.

b) To keep local churches informed of the work of the

whole Church in youth ministry and to challenge each church to

full participation.

c) To serve as a two-way channel of communications

between the local church youth and the annual conference and

to assist local church youth in communication with one another.

d) To cooperate with the programming and ministry of

the district council on ministries as it serves to provide leadership

training to persons in the district.

e) To assist in the implementation of the program of

the annual conference and particularly of the annual conference

council on youth ministry.

f) To serve as an advocate for the free expression of youth

in the district and local churches of the district.

g) To provide leadership training.

h) To promote, introduce and encourage youth in the dis-

trict to become active in Wesley Foundations or United Methodist

campus ministries when they attend a college or university and

to become aware of opportunities to attend United Methodist-

related colleges and universities.

i) To cooperate with Wesley Foundations, United Metho-

dist campus ministries, and United Methodist-related colleges and

universities to assist district youth in the transition to college life.

j) To promote, educate, and be a resource to local churches

on Youth Service Fund.

k) To participate with the district superintendent and the

conference coordinator of youth ministry, who shall serve as its

adviser. The district council on youth ministry’s responsibilities

shall include organizing, programming, consulting with local

churches, and nurturing adult workers with youth in the district.

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521

Chapter Five

ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

Section I. General Provisions

¶ 701. Agencies and General Agencies—1. Connectionalism is

an important part of our identity as United Methodists. It is a vital

web of interactive relationships (¶ 132) that includes the agencies

of the Church, as dened in ¶¶ 701.2 and 701.3, with the purpose

of equipping local churches for ministry and by providing a con-

nection for ministry throughout the world, all to the glory of God.

It provides us with wonderful opportunities to carry out our mis-

sion in unity and strength.

2. We experience this connection in many ways, including

our systems of episcopacy, itineracy, property, and mutual coop-

eration and support. Our connectional system performs at least

three essential tasks: embracing God’s mission for the church as

making disciples for Jesus Christ; organizing our whole Church

to enable local congregations, the primary arena for mission,

faithfully and fruitfully to make disciples for Jesus Christ; and

ensuring that all components in the connection carry out their

appropriate responsibilities in ways that enable the whole United

Methodist Church to be faithful in its mission. The term agency,

wherever it appears in the Book of Discipline, is a term used to

describe the various councils, boards, commissions, committees,

divisions, or other units constituted within the various levels of

Church organization (General, jurisdictional, central, annual, dis-

trict, and charge conferences) under authority granted by the Book

of Discipline; the term does not and is not meant to imply a master-

servant or principal-agent relationship between these bodies and

the conference or other body that creates them, except where the

authority is specically granted.

3. General agencies, in particular, are important to our com-

mon vision, mission, and ministry. They provide essential services

and ministries beyond the scope of individual local congregations

and annual conferences through services and ministries that are

highly focused, exible, and capable of rapid response. The gen-

eral agencies of The United Methodist Church are the regularly

established councils, boards, commissions, committees, or other

units with ongoing responsibilities that have been constituted by

the General Conference. Not included are such commissions and

522

¶ 701 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

committees as are created by the General Conference to fulll a

special function within the ensuing quadrennium, ecumenical

groups on which The United Methodist Church is represented,

or committees related to the quadrennial sessions of the General

Conference.

The term general agency or agency, wherever it

appears in the Book of Discipline in reference to a general agency,

does not and is not meant to imply a master-servant or principal-

agent relationship between such a body and the General Confer-

ence or any other unit of the denomination, or the denomination

as a whole.

¶ 702. Amenability and Program Accountability—1. All the

general agencies of The United Methodist Church that have been

constituted by the General Conference are amenable to the Gen-

eral Conference, except as otherwise provided.

2. Each organization, group, committee, council, board, and

agency of the general Church shall adopt a code of ethics and poli-

cies that embody and live out our Christian values regarding con-

ict of interest, condentiality, whistleblower protection, record

retention and document destruction, and nepotism applicable to

both members and employees.

3. Between sessions of the General Conference, the follow-

ing general agencies are accountable to the Connectional Table for

those functions that are outlined in the 900 ¶¶s: the General Board

of Church and Society, the General Board of Discipleship, the

General Board of Global Ministries, the General Board of Higher

Education and Ministry, the General Commission on Religion and

Race, the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women,

the General Commission on Archives and History, the General

Commission on United Methodist Men, and the General Commis-

sion on Communication in matters pertaining to their program

responsibilities.

4. The Connectional Table shall review and evaluate the

effectiveness of the general program-related agencies and con-

nectional structures of the church as they collectively seek to aid

annual conferences and local churches as they fulll the mission

of The United Methodist Church to make disciples of Jesus Christ

for the transformation of the world.

5. Questions and concerns about programs, projects, or deci-

sions of a particular agency may be addressed to that agency, with

1. See Judicial Council Decision 139.

523

GENERAL PROVISIONS ¶ 703

copies to the Connectional Table. Agencies shall acknowledge

receipt of requests for information within ten days and provide

information requested within thirty days or as soon thereafter as

it is available.

6. If any district, annual conference, or general agency initi-

ates, joins, monitors, or terminates a boycott, the guidelines in the

2008 Book of Resolutions should be followed. The General Confer-

ence is the only body that can initiate, empower, or join a boycott

in the name of The United Methodist Church.

7. In all matters of accountability episcopal oversight as pro-

vided in ¶ 422 is assumed.

¶ 703. Denitions, Structures, and Titles—1. General Council—

An organization created by the General Conference to perform

dened responsibilities of review and oversight on behalf of the

General Conference in relation to the other general agencies and

to perform other assigned functions shall be designated as a gen-

eral council. General councils are amenable and accountable to

the General Conference and report to it. The General Council on

Finance and Administration is a council.

(Note: The Council of Bishops and Judicial Council are autho-

rized by the Constitution and are not created by the General

Conference.)

2. General Board—A continuing body of the Church created

by the General Conference to carry out assigned functions of pro-

gram, administration, and/or service shall be designated as a

general board.

3. General Commission—An organization created by the Gen-

eral Conference for the fulllment of a specic function for an

indenite period of time.

4. Study Committee—An organization created by the Gen-

eral Conference for a limited period of time for the purpose of

making a study ordered by the General Conference. The Connec-

tional Table shall provide for coordination with and among the

study committees except where General Conference otherwise

designates.

5. Program-Related General Agencies—The general boards

and commissions that have program and/or advocacy functions

shall be designated as program-related general agencies. These

agencies are amenable to the General Conference, and between

sessions of the General Conference are accountable to the Con-

nectional Table for those functions outlined in the 900 ¶¶s: the

524

¶ 703 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

General Board of Church and Society, the General Board of Dis-

cipleship, the General Board of Global Ministries, the General

Board of Higher Education and Ministry, the General Commis-

sion on Religion and Race, the General Commission on United

Methodist Men, and the General Commission on the Status and

Role of Women. In all matters of accountability, episcopal over-

sight as provided in ¶ 422 is assumed.

6. Administrative General Agencies—The general boards and

commissions that have primarily administrative and service

functions shall be designated as administrative general agencies.

These agencies are the General Board of Pension and Health Ben-

ets, The United Methodist Publishing House, and the General

Commission on Archives and History, and General Commission

on Communication, the last two of which also carry program-

related responsibilities for which they are accountable to the Con-

nectional Table.

7. Each general agency, unless otherwise provided, shall

adopt the following executive staff titles:

a) General Secretary—the chief staff ofcer of a general

agency. Each general agency is entitled to only one general secre-

tary, who is its chief administrative ofcer.

b) Deputy General Secretary—the chief staff ofcer

assigned to oversight of a major programmatic or administrative

unit(s), or with major programmatic or administrative responsi-

bilities with a general agency.

c) Associate General Secretary—the associate staff ofcer of

a general agency or the chief staff ofcer of a division or a depart-

ment of a general agency.

d) Assistant General Secretary—the assistant staff ofcer of

a general agency or the chief staff ofcer of a section or ofce of a

general agency.

e) Treasurer—the staff nancial ofcer of a general agency,

entrusted with the receipt, care, and disbursement of agency

funds. In some general agencies there may be associate and/or

assistant treasurers. There are general agencies in which “trea-

surer” is not a staff title but is an ofcer elected from the voting

membership of the agency.

8. Theme—A theme is a theological focus, missional empha-

sis, prophetic statement, or program catalyst for ministry. A theme

enhances programs or ministries basic to the life of the Church

525

GENERAL PROVISIONS ¶ 704

and serves as a rallying point for constituents involved in those

programs.

9. Missional Priority—A missional priority is a response to

a critical need in God’s world that calls The United Methodist

Church to a massive and sustained effort through primary atten-

tion and ordering or reordering of program and budget at every

level of the Church, as adopted by the General Conference or in

accord with ¶ 806.1b(2). This need is evidenced by research or

other supporting data, and the required response is beyond the

capacity of any single general agency or annual conference. How-

ever, the ongoing priority of The United Methodist Church both

in program and budget is to proclaim the good news that salva-

tion comes through Jesus Christ.

10. Special Program—A special program is a quadrennial

emphasis initiated by a general program-related agency in accor-

dance with ¶ 905, approved by General Conference, and assigned

to a general program-related agency. The program shall be

designed in response to a distinct opportunity or need in God’s

world that is evidenced by research or other supporting data and

shall propose achievable goals within the quadrennium.

11. Program—A program is an ongoing or special activity

designed and implemented to fulll a basic disciplinary responsi-

bility of a general agency accountable to the Connectional Table.

12. Association or Fellowship—Organizations not created by

nor ofcially related to the General Conference and intended to

provide professional relationships conducive to sharing profes-

sional techniques and information for groups within the denomi-

nation shall be designated as associations or fellowships.

¶ 704. Financial Accountability of General Agencies—All general

agencies receiving general church funds (see ¶ 810.2) shall account

for receipts and expenditures of funds in a format designed by the

General Council on Finance and Administration. A quadrennial

report of such accounting shall be included in the report of the

General Council on Finance and Administration to the General

Conference. The report will include, in fully descriptive form, the

amount of remuneration, in cash, and in cash value of any in-kind

benets provided to all executive employees, clergy and lay, of

all general agencies, where executives shall include at least those

persons in positions described in ¶ 703.7. No information in the

report will be considered to be condential, and in keeping with

526

¶ 704 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

the spirit of ¶ 702.4, all information therein will be made available

upon request.

Annual reports shall be made available by the respective

agencies upon the request of annual conferences and local church

councils or boards. The annual reports prepared by the agencies

shall include a listing of organizations, individuals, associations,

fellowships, coalitions, consultants, programs, and entities not

formally part of the Church, and the amount (expended annually)

of monetary and in-kind contributions. The listing shall include,

but not be limited to, ofce space, printing, staff assistance, pur-

chases, travel expense, and other forms of nancial assistance that

have been granted to such entities.

¶ 705. General Agency and Connectional Table Membership—The

people of God are called to faithful discipleship in the name of

Jesus Christ. “He gave some apostles, some prophets, some evan-

gelists, and some pastors and teachers. His purpose was to equip

God’s people for the work of serving and building up the body

of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12). In response to God’s call, some

are called forth from local congregations to fulll the common

mission of The United Methodist Church as an expression of the

Church made visible in the world. This call includes the invitation

to some to be in ministry with others who together seek to ful-

ll the vision for the Church as members of general Church bod-

ies. Such persons come to this ministry as servants of the whole

Church.

The following provisions shall govern the nomination and

election of the voting membership of those general Church bod-

ies to which the jurisdictional conferences elect and central con-

ferences nominate members.

All lay voting members of general

agencies and the Connectional Table shall be professing members

of The United Methodist Church and active in local churches

unless otherwise specied by the Book of Discipline. All provisions

pertaining to the nomination and election of general agency and

Connectional Table members shall take effect immediately upon

the adjournment of the General Conference that enacts them. The

secretary of the General Conference shall coordinate the processes

pertaining to nominations and elections of general agency and

Connectional Table members.

2. See Judicial Council Decisions 467, 1090, 1095.

527

GENERAL PROVISIONS ¶ 705

1. Nominations by Conferences—a) Each annual and mission-

ary conference in the United States, upon recommendation from a

committee composed of the bishop and the General and jurisdic-

tional conference delegation, and having allowed opportunity for

nominations from the oor, shall elect persons to be submitted to a

jurisdictional pool. The jurisdictional nominating committee shall

select persons for election to the following general Church bodies:

Connectional Table; General Board of Church and Society; Gen-

eral Board of Discipleship; General Board of Global Ministries;

General Board of Higher Education and Ministry; General Board

of Pension and Health Benets; The United Methodist Publishing

House; Ofce of Christian Unity and Interreligious Relationships;

General Commission on Communication; General Commission

on Religion and Race; and the General Commission on the Sta-

tus and Role of Women. Jurisdictional conferences may decide

that persons elected by the annual and missionary conferences

in the United States for inclusion in the jurisdictional pool shall

not serve as members of the jurisdictional nominating committee.

b) Each annual and missionary conference in the United

States shall nominate the persons most recently elected as dele-

gates to the General Conference to the jurisdictional pool. In addi-

tion, it may nominate at least fteen and not more than forty-ve

persons to the jurisdictional pool, including, where available, at

least two racial and ethnic persons from each of the ethnic groups

Asian American, African American, Hispanic American, Native

American, Pacic Islanders; and where available at least one and

not more than ve persons in each of the following seven cate-

gories: (1) clergy (including at least one woman), (2) laywomen,

(3) laymen, (4) youth (¶ 710.3), (5) young adults (¶ 710.3), (6) older

adults, and (7) persons with disabilities. Elected members of Gen-

eral and jurisdictional delegations, and others nominated by their

annual conference shall list all of the categories for which they

qualify, i.e., nationality, age, gender, ethnic origin, etc., and shall

be eligible to be nominated by the jurisdictional nominating com-

mittee to a general Church body in any one of the categories for

which a delegate is qualied.

c) Each central conference or a body authorized by it shall

nominate to each general program board membership at least

one person from each of the following three categories: (1) clergy,

(2) laymen, and (3) laywomen to form a pool from which each

board is to elect the additional members that are to come from the

528

¶ 705 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

central conferences pursuant to ¶ 705.4c. These lists shall be sent

to the Connectional Table for use by the general agencies in elect-

ing additional members.

d) All nominees shall list one to three preferences for

membership. In addition all nominees shall prepare an up to one-

hundred-word biographical statement listing experience, gifts,

training, and other qualications for general agency membership.

Biographical statements for all persons in the central and juris-

dictional conference pools shall be available to the nominating

committee members in the meeting at which they make their nom-

inations. Names and biographical data of all persons nominated

by the annual and missionary conferences in the United States or

the central conferences, but not elected, shall be forwarded by the

jurisdictional or central conference secretary to the Connectional

Table to be used by the general agencies as a pool from which

additional members may be elected (§§ 4e, 5b).

2. Additional Nominations—In addition to the foregoing pro-

visions (¶ 705.1), the Division on Ministries With Young People

of the General Board of Discipleship shall nominate ten youth

and ten young adults (¶ 710.3) to each jurisdictional pool, inclu-

sive of race, ethnicity, gender, size of church, and persons with

disabilities.

3. Members of the general agencies and the Connectional

Table shall be elected using the following provisions:

a) Each jurisdiction shall elect members of the general

agencies and the Connectional Table as provided in ¶¶ 705.4,

705.5, and 906.1. Persons within any jurisdiction elected by the

United Methodist Women’s national organization to serve as

members of the General Board of Global Ministries (¶ 1906) shall

be counted in, and not be additional to, the total number of mem-

bers allocated to each jurisdiction for purposes of determining

proportional distribution, but United Methodist Women mem-

bers are additional to the membership prescribed in ¶ 1311.1. The

secretary of the General Conference shall offer to each jurisdic-

tion a suggested fair and equitable allocation of members to the

annual and missionary conferences within each jurisdiction; how-

ever, each jurisdiction shall determine for itself how members will

be allocated among the annual and missionary conferences of the

jurisdiction.

3. See Judicial Council Decisions 520, 538.

529

GENERAL PROVISIONS ¶ 705

b) Each general agency may elect at least one member

with vote and voice from among the member churches of the Pan-

Methodist Commission. In addition, each general agency is per-

mitted to elect at least one member with voice but not vote from

among our Full Communion Ecumenical Partners. These mem-

bers would be in addition to those otherwise specied in ¶ 705.3a

above. The Council of Bishops shall assist general agencies if they

choose to elect such representatives.

c) It is recommended that, to the extent possible, at least

10 percent of the voting membership of each general agency be

youth and young adults (¶ 256.3), and that the number of youth

be equal to the number of young adults. Youth and young adult

members of general agencies shall serve with vote except when

local laws prohibit them from voting on corporate matters under

consideration (see ¶ 2506.1) in which case and for which purpose

youth and young adult members shall serve as non-director rep-

resentatives with voice, but not vote, until they reach the legal age

to serve as voting members for this purpose, at which time they

shall become voting members for all purposes. The youth and

young adult membership of each general board, agency, and the

Connectional Table shall be inclusive (consistent with ¶¶ 705.3d

and 2506.1).

d) It is recommended that the membership of each of the

general agencies seeks to be inclusive based on gender, racial and

ethnic persons, age, persons with disabilities, and size of church.

In order to ensure adequate representation of racial and ethnic

persons (Asian American, African Americans, Hispanic Ameri-

cans, Native Americans, Pacic Islanders), it is recommended

that a jurisdiction’s membership on each general agency be at

least 30 percent racial and ethnic persons and incorporate one-

third clergy, one-third laymen, and one-third laywomen (except

as provided in ¶¶ 1105, 1311). The episcopal members shall not be

counted in the computation of the clergy membership.

e) The membership of the General Commission on

United Methodist Men shall be elected in accordance with ¶ 537

and ¶ 2303.3. Other paragraphs of the Discipline notwithstanding,

members of the commission holding membership by virtue of

ofce may serve a maximum of three consecutive terms.

4. General Program Board Membership—a) Each general pro-

gram board shall have the number of members specied in

¶¶ 1006, 1105, 1311, and 1407.

530

¶ 705 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

b) Jurisdictional Membership—Each jurisdiction shall

elect the number of persons listed in the specic legislation for

membership on each of the four general program boards. In

the jurisdictional nominating process for membership on those

boards, special attention shall be given to the inclusion of clergy-

women, youth (¶ 256.3), young adults, older adults, people with

disabilities, and persons from small membership churches. In

order to ensure adequate representation of racial and ethnic per-

sons (Asian Americans, African Americans, Hispanic Americans,

Native Americans, Pacic Islanders), it is recommended that at

least 30 percent of a jurisdiction’s membership on each general

program board be racial and ethnic persons. It is further rec-

ommended that the jurisdiction membership on each program

board incorporate one-third clergy, one-third laymen, and one-

third laywomen (except as provided in ¶¶ 1105.1, 1311.2; see also

¶¶ 1311.6, 1407). The episcopal members shall not be counted in

the computation of the clergy membership.

c) Central Conference Membership—The total central con-

ference membership, including central conference bishops, in

general Church bodies shall be allocated as follows: four mem-

bers on the General Commission on Religion and Race; three each

(one from each region: Philippines, Europe, Africa) on the General

Commission on Archives and History, the General Commission

on Communication, the General Commission on United Method-

ist Men, and The United Methodist Publishing House; three each

on the General Council on Finance and Administration; seven

each (one from each Central Conference) on the Connectional

Table, and the General Board of Church and Society; three on the

General Board of Higher Education and Ministry; four (at least

one from each region from the Philippines, Europe, and Africa)

on the General Board of Discipleship and the General Commis-

sion on the Status and Role of Women; and eleven on the General

Board of Global Ministries, only two of whom shall be bishops. It

is recommended that the aggregate central conference member-

ship on the program boards be composed of one-third clergy (half

of whom shall be women), one-third laymen, and one-third lay-

women. The central conference membership, excluding episco-

pal members, shall be elected by the Council of Bishops, except

that central conference membership (except bishops) to the Global

4. See Judicial Council Decisions 446, 451, 467.

531

GENERAL PROVISIONS ¶ 705

Ministries board of directors shall be nominated and elected by

the central conferences as provided in ¶¶ 1311.1 and 1311.5b)

d) Episcopal Membership—The episcopal membership of the

general program boards shall be nominated by the Council of

Bishops and elected by the General Conference. At least one of

the episcopal members of each general agency, with the exception

of the General Board of Pension and Health Benets, shall be a

central conference bishop and, in the case of the General Board

of Global Ministries, two central conference bishops (from two of

three regions: Africa, Europe, Philippines). (See ¶ 1311.6.)

e) Additional Membership—Additional members shall be

elected by each general program board in order to bring into the

board persons with special knowledge or background that will

aid in the work of the agency, to consider differing theological

perspectives, and to perfect the representation of racial and eth-

nic persons, youth (¶ 710.3), young adults (¶ 710.3), older adults,

women and men, people with disabilities, and persons from

small-membership churches. After the election of central confer-

ence members as provided in ¶ 705.4c, and with the exception

of the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women

(¶ 2104.1b), the remaining number of additional members shall be

allocated by the secretary of the General Conference so as to insure

to the extent possible that membership of each board reects the

proportionate membership of the jurisdictions based upon the

combined clergy and lay membership, excluding episcopal mem-

bers. In the determination of proportionate allocation, minor frac-

tions shall be rounded down and major fractions rounded up to

the nearest integer, and there shall be no minimum number of

additional members assigned to any jurisdiction. Insofar as possi-

ble, the nominating committee shall select from the jurisdictional

nominating pool for the election of persons to ll the additional

membership positions from their jurisdictions insuring diversity

as otherwise provided in The Book of Discipline (¶ 705.4b). Each

general program board shall elect additional members as speci-

ed in general program board membership paragraphs. Insofar

as possible, no more than one person shall be elected from each

episcopal area. It is recommended that such additional member-

ship shall maintain the one-third laymen, one-third laywomen,

and one-third clergy balance.

5. See Judicial Council Decisions 446, 520, 601.

532

¶ 705 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

f) Liaison Representatives—The Methodist Church of

Puerto Rico (Iglesia Metodista Autonóma Afliada de Puerto Rico)

will have one liaison representative, at its own expense, to each

of the general program agencies of The United Methodist Church.

g) Status of Liaison Representatives—Because of the special

nature of the relationship between the Methodist Church of Puerto

Rico and the general agencies of The United Methodist Church as

established in the Concordat between the two churches, the liai-

son representatives of the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico to the

general agencies of The United Methodist Church will serve with

voice and vote and be afforded the same status on those agencies

as though they were members, except as provided in ¶ 705.4f).

5. Other General Agencies—a) Each jurisdictional confer-

ence shall elect members from the jurisdictional pool nominated

by the annual and missionary conferences in the United States

(¶ 705.1) in accordance with the specic membership provisions

of those agencies as set forth in the Book of Discipline: General

Board of Pension and Health Benets (¶ 1502.1a), The United

Methodist Publishing House (¶ 1602), Ofce of Christian Unity

and Interreligious Relationships (¶ 437), General Commission on

Communication (¶ 1807), General Commission on the Status and

Role of Women (¶ 2104), and General Commission on Religion

and Race (¶2003). With the exception of the General Board of Pen-

sion and Health Benets (¶ 1502.1) and The United Methodist

Publishing House (¶ 1602.1) the number of additional members

to be elected shall be allocated by the secretary of the General

Conference so as to insure to the extent possible that member-

ship of each agency reects the proportionate membership of the

jurisdictions based upon the combined clergy and lay member-

ship, excluding episcopal members. In the determination of pro-

portionate allocation, minor fractions shall be rounded down and

major fractions rounded up to the nearest integer, and there shall

be no minimum number of additional members assigned to any

jurisdiction. Insofar as possible the nominating committee shall

select from the jurisdictional nominating pool for the election of

persons to ll the additional membership positions from their

jurisdictions insuring diversity as otherwise provided in The Book

of Discipline (¶ 705.4b).

b) Episcopal and additional members, if any, of the gen-

eral agencies listed in ¶ 705.5a shall be nominated and elected by

the procedures specied in the paragraphs listed in ¶¶ 705.1b,

533

GENERAL PROVISIONS ¶ 706

705.1d, and 705.4e. The agencies shall consider names forwarded

to them by the Connectional Table as having been nominated

by the annual and missionary conferences in the United States

or in the central conferences, but not elected by these confer-

ences to general agency membership. Additional names may be

considered in order to perfect the representation as provided in

¶ 705.4e.

¶ 706. Nomination of Additional Board Members—1. Giving due

consideration to inclusiveness (see ¶¶ 124, 140), each jurisdic-

tion shall designate one clergy, one laywoman, and one layman

whom it has elected to a general program agency to nominate the

additional members of that program agency (¶ 705.4). The mem-

bers thus designated by the ve jurisdictions in each general pro-

gram agency shall constitute a committee to nominate additional

members for that agency and shall be convened as provided in

¶ 706.2. The number of additional members shall be allocated

by the secretary of the General Conference so as to insure to the

extent possible that membership of the program agency reects

the proportionate membership of the jurisdictions based upon

the combined clergy and lay membership, excluding episcopal

members. In the determination of proportionate allocation, minor

fractions shall be rounded down and major fractions rounded up

to the nearest integer, and there shall be no minimum number of

additional members assigned to any jurisdiction. In so far as pos-

sible, the nominating committee shall select from the jurisdictional

nominating pool for the election of persons to ll the additional

membership positions from their jurisdictions insuring diversity

as otherwise provided in The Book of Discipline (¶ 705.4b). In place

of the process outlined in this paragraph, the General Commis-

sion on the Status and Role of Women will use the procedures in

¶ 2104.1b) to select additional members.

2. A bishop designated by the president of the Council of

Bishops shall convene the committee as soon as practical after

jurisdictional elections have been completed. The committee shall,

in so far as possible, use the names forwarded to it by the jurisdic-

tions as having been nominated by the annual and missionary

conferences in the United States to their jurisdictional pool as well

as names from caucuses and other appropriate groups. To aid the

committee, biographical data submitted by the annual confer-

ences (¶ 705.1d) shall be made available from the jurisdictional

conference secretaries. In addition, general agencies shall submit

534

¶ 706 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

to the committee names and biographical data of persons eligible

for reelection who are willing to serve.

3. The committee shall complete its work prior to the organi-

zational meeting (¶ 707) of any of the agencies listed in ¶ 703.5 and

report by mail to the previously elected members of each of those

agencies the names of persons nominated as additional members

of that agency. All members shall be elected and seated before an

agency proceeds to the election of ofcers or any other business.

¶ 707. Meetings—1. In those years in which the General Con-

ference holds its regular session, all general program agencies

shall meet, organize, and conduct such business as may properly

come before the agency not later than ninety days after the close

of the jurisdictional conferences. Each organizational meeting

shall be convened by a bishop designated by the president of the

Council of Bishops.

2. All councils, boards, commissions, and committees estab-

lished by a General, jurisdictional, central, annual, or other con-

ference shall meet and organize as promptly as feasible following

the selection of their members.

3. Unless otherwise specied in the Discipline or by the estab-

lishing conference, every council, board, commission, and com-

mittee shall continue in responsibility until its successor council,

board, commission, or committee is organized.

¶ 708. Organization—1. Each program board shall elect a

president and one or more vice presidents from the voting mem-

bership of the board, and a secretary, treasurer, and such other

ofcers as it deems appropriate, giving consideration to inclusive-

ness (¶¶ 124, 140), provided that all ofcers shall be members of

The United Methodist Church.

2. Each program board shall elect chairpersons for its divi-

sions, departments, or other subunits from the voting member-

ship of the board. The divisions, departments, or other subunits

shall elect a vice chairperson, a secretary, and such other ofcers

as it deems appropriate.

3. Ofcers of boards, divisions, and departments, or other

subunits who do not serve on the board of directors as voting

members shall be elected for the quadrennium or until their suc-

cessors are elected.

4. No person shall serve as president or chairperson of more

than one general agency or division, department, or the structural

counterpart thereof.

535

GENERAL PROVISIONS ¶ 710

5. Staff of program boards shall not be eligible to serve as of-

cers of corresponding General Conference legislative committees.

¶ 709. Divisions and Subunits—The membership of each pro-

gram board shall be divided among the divisions or other sub-

units of the board in such number as the board determines.

¶ 710. Membership Qualications—1. Members of all general

agencies shall be professing members of The United Methodist

Church except as provided in ¶ 705.3b.

2. Members of all general agencies shall be persons of genu-

ine Christian character who love the Church, are morally disci-

plined and loyal to the ethical standards of The United Methodist

Church as set forth in the Social Principles, and are otherwise

competent to serve as members of general agencies.

3. All youth representatives (¶ 256.3) elected to general agen-

cies shall be at the time of organizational board meetings twelve

to sixteen years of age. All young adults (¶ 256.3) elected to gen-

eral agencies shall be at the time of organizational board meetings

seventeen to twenty-eight years of age. Youth and young adult

members serve with the voting limitations of ¶ 705.3c), as condi-

tioned by ¶ 2506.1. All older-adult representatives (¶ 705.1b(6))

shall be at the time of organizational board meetings at least sixty-

ve years of age.

4. A voting member of a general agency shall be eligible for

membership on that agency for no more than two consecutive

four-year terms. The four-year term shall begin at the rst orga-

nizational meeting of that agency following General Conference.

Service of more than one year in fullling an unexpired or vacated

position shall be considered as a full four-year term. To provide

a continuing membership on these agencies, it is recommended

that each nominating and electing body give special attention to

continuing and effective membership on these agencies. If a gen-

eral agency is merged with another agency, the years served by

members prior to the merger shall be counted as part of the maxi-

mum specied above.

A person who has been a voting member of general agencies

for four consecutive quadrennia shall be ineligible for election to

a general agency in the succeeding quadrennium. The foregoing

shall not apply to episcopal members.

5. No person shall serve at the same time on more than

one general agency or any part thereof, except where the Discipline

6. See Judicial Council Decision 495.

536

¶ 710 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

specically provides for such interagency representation; pro-

vided, however, that if this limitation would deprive a jurisdic-

tion of its full episcopal representation on an agency, it may be

suspended to the extent necessary to permit such representation.

(See ¶ 906.1a.)

6. A voting member of a general agency, by virtue of such

membership, shall become an ex ofcio (voting) member of the

corresponding agency or its equivalent structure, if any, in the

annual conference in accordance with the provisions of ¶ 610.6;

unless such membership would conict with ¶ 612.2c(2). Elected

members of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry

may serve as ex ofcio members on both corresponding boards

of their annual conference: the Board of Ordained Ministry and

the board of higher education. They shall be voting members,

however, only on the conference board of higher education unless

nominated by their resident bishop to be a voting member of the

conference Board of Ordained Ministry pursuant to ¶ 635.1a.

7. No person who receives compensation for services ren-

dered or commissions of any kind from an agency shall be eligible

for voting membership on that agency.

8. No elected member, ofcer, or other employee shall vote

on or take part in deliberations on signicant matters directly or

indirectly affecting his or her business, income, or employment,

or the business, income, or employment of a member of his or her

immediate family.

9. a) If any clergy member of a General or jurisdictional

agency who was elected to represent a certain annual conference

ceases to be a member of that annual conference, or if any lay

member so elected changes permanent residence to a place out-

side the bounds of that annual conference, that member’s place

shall automatically become vacant.

b) If any clergy member of a general agency who was

chosen to represent a certain jurisdiction ceases to be a member

of an annual conference in that jurisdiction, or if any lay mem-

ber so elected changes permanent residence to a place outside the

bounds of that jurisdiction, that member’s place shall automati-

cally become vacant.

c) If any clergy member of a jurisdictional agency ceases

to be a member of an annual conference in that jurisdiction, or if

7. See Judicial Council Decision 139.

537

GENERAL PROVISIONS ¶ 712

any lay member so elected changes permanent residence to a

place outside the bounds of the jurisdiction, that member’s place

shall automatically become vacant.

10. If a member of a general agency is absent from two con-

secutive meetings of the agency without a reason acceptable to

the agency, that person shall cease to be a member thereof. In that

case the person shall be so notied, and that place shall be lled

in accordance with the appropriate provisions of the Discipline.

¶ 711. Dismissal of Members and Employees—The councils,

boards, committees, or commissions elected, authorized, or pro-

vided for by the General Conference shall have full power and

authority to remove and dismiss at their discretion any member,

ofcer, or employee thereof:

1. Who has become incapacitated so as to be unable to per-

form ofcial duties.

2. Who is guilty of immoral conduct or breach of trust.

3. Who for any reason is unable to or who fails to perform

the duties of the ofce or for other misconduct that any council,

board, committee, or commission may deem sufcient to warrant

such dismissal and removal.

In the event that any member, ofcer, or employee of such

council, board, committee, or commission, elected, authorized, or

provided for by the General Conference, is found guilty of any

crime involving moral turpitude by any federal, state, or county

court or pleads guilty thereto, then the council, board, commit-

tee, or commission of which that person is a member, ofcer, or

employee shall be and is hereby authorized to remove such mem-

ber, ofcer, or employee so convicted; and the place so vacated

shall be lled as provided in the Discipline.

¶ 712. Vacancies—Unless otherwise specied, vacancies

on general agencies occurring during the quadrennium shall

be lled as follows: an episcopal vacancy shall be lled by the

Council of Bishops; a vacancy in the jurisdictional or central con-

ference membership shall be lled by the corresponding Col-

lege of Bishops (the replacement must be a member of the same

annual conference of the person being replaced), with notice of

the vacancy sent by the agency to the secretary of the Council of

Bishops; a vacancy in the additional membership shall be lled by

the agency itself. When the vacancy has been lled, the secretary

of the agency will immediately notify the new member’s annual

conference secretary.

538

¶ 713 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

¶ 713. Election of General Secretaries of Program Agencies and

Termination of General Agency Staff—The general secretary of each

general program agency that is accountable to the Connectional

Table shall be elected quadrennially by ballot of the board of the

agency involved. The balloting shall be secret, but the presiding

ofcer shall announce to the membership the results of the elec-

tion, including the number of votes for election, against election,

and in abstention. The termination of employment of an agen-

cy’s general secretary must be approved by the agency’s board.

Absent a contrary action by, or policy of, the agency’s board, the

agency’s general secretary may terminate the employment of all

other agency staff, including elected staff.

¶ 714. Each general agency shall appoint such other staff as

may be necessary by a process to be determined by the agency.

¶ 715. Provisions Pertaining to Staff—1. No elected general

program agency staff shall hold the same position more than

twelve years. Years of service prior to January 1, 1989, are not

counted. The agency responsible for the election of such staff may

annually suspend this provision by a two-thirds ballot vote.

2. Ofcial travel of the staffs of agencies shall be interpreted

to include all travel that is necessary in the performance of ofcial

duties directly related to the agency functions. No staff person

shall accept honoraria for such ofcial duties. A staff member may

accept an engagement not related to the functions of the employ-

ing agency when such an engagement does not interfere with

ofcial duties; the staff member may accept an honorarium for

services rendered in connection with such engagements.

3. Normal retirement for all general agency staff personnel

shall be at age sixty-ve or the completion of forty years of ser-

vice to The United Methodist Church in an elective, appointive,

or employed capacity. Mandatory retirement for elective and

appointive staff shall be at age seventy-two. There shall be no

mandatory retirement age for other employed staff. All general

agency staff personnel may elect to retire from the employing

general agency at any time in accordance with the policy in place

at the general agency or, if the general agency has a voting repre-

sentative on the Committee on Personnel Policies and Practices

of the General Council on Finance and Administration, with the

policy established by the General Council on Finance and Admin-

8. See Judicial Council Decision 858.

539

GENERAL PROVISIONS ¶ 715

istration upon recommendation of the Committee on Personnel

Policies and Practices.

4. Provisions of the Retirement Plan for General Agencies,

shall be reviewed, with recommendations, by the Committee on

Personnel Policies and Practices (¶ 807.12b).

a) Each general agency shall sponsor or participate in a

group health care plan that covers the agency’s full-time clergy

and full-time lay employees in the United States. For the purpose

of this paragraph, group health care plan shall mean a health

insurance plan, group health care plan, or multiple-employer

health care plan that provides benets for major medical and

hospitalization expenses. The sponsoring general agency may

determine additional eligibility for the group health care plan in

its discretion.

Alternatively, in the event that federal law or state law gov-

erning health care plans and health insurance establishes cov-

erage options for those persons without employer-provided

coverage that ensure access, regardless of health status or condi-

tion, to affordable coverage through health insurance exchanges,

connectors, single-payer systems, or other mechanisms, the gen-

eral agency may cease maintaining its group health care plan to

the extent such coverage is available to its clergy and lay employ-

ees. In such event, the general agency nevertheless shall provide

continued administrative and nancial support of full-time clergy

and full-time lay employees toward the purchase of such cover-

age through these alternative mechanisms to the extent such indi-

viduals’ coverage may not be subsidized by government agencies,

i.e., because their compensation exceeds certain thresholds, par-

ticularly considering the tax advantages of employer-provided

nancial support toward health care coverage.

In addition, general agencies shall develop and maintain

health and wellness programs for their full-time clergy and full-

time lay employees. Moreover, each general agency shall annu-

ally submit its health plan data to the extent the general agency

maintains a group health care plan, de-identied as necessary,

including, but not limited to, nancial soundness, claims experi-

ence and other cost drivers, plan designs and coverage, and eligi-

bility criteria to the General Board of Pension and Health Benets.

b) Each general agency shall respect the health and whole-

ness of its clergypersons and lay employees, who have retired in

accordance with the general agency’s retirement policy, and their

540

¶ 715 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

spouses, by providing access to Medicare supplement plans and

prescription drug coverage plans. Access for retirees and their

spouses may include, but shall not be limited to (i) sponsoring

an employer retiree health care plan that supplements Medicare;

(ii) participating in a multiple employer retiree health care plan

that supplements Medicare; (iii) securing individuals’ eligibility

under group contracts with Medicare supplement plan provid-

ers or exchanges; (iv) subsidizing the costs of coverage for retired

clergypersons and lay employees and their spouses enrolled in

Medicare Part D plans or Medicare Advantage plans; (v) provid-

ing subsidies toward and group relationships with providers of

individual Medicare supplement and other retiree coverage poli-

cies; and (vi) providing xed dollar retiree health benets through

health reimbursement arrangements, stipends, or otherwise.

c) Each general agency must submit a generally

accepted nancial valuation, such as in accordance with State-

ment of Financial Accounting Standard No. 106, as amended, of

its projected medical liabilities for its population covered by its

employer retiree health care plan to the General Board of Pension

and Health Benets biennially.

d) On or before December 31, 2013, and then annually

thereafter, each general agency must develop and implement a

formal comprehensive funding plan for funding its annual ben-

et obligations relating to its annual retirement, welfare and

health plan obligations (including those obligations of the Gen-

eral Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA) for bishops)

as well as its projected pension and retiree medical liabilities

(including those obligations of GCFA for bishops). The funding

plan or plans shall be submitted to the General Board of Pension

and Health Benets for review and be published along with a

favorable written opinion of the General Board of Pension and

Health Benets in an addendum to the agency’s annual nancial

report. In addition, the General Board of Pension and Health Ben-

ets shall include general agency benets and benets for bishops

in its quadrennial report to General Conference concerning the

long-term benet liabilities of the denomination. Therefore, each

general agency shall provide to the General Board of Pension and

Health Benets information periodically requested. Each general

agency shall document in writing its policy regarding the porta-

bility of retiree health care eligibility, coverage, cost-sharing, and

benets and communicate the policy to its clergy and lay employ-

541

GENERAL PROVISIONS ¶ 716

ees and incoming clergy and lay employees from annual confer-

ences or other general agencies. For the purpose of this paragraph,

portability encompasses credit given for service outside the gen-

eral agency within the denomination to clergy and lay employees

toward (i) eligibility for health care coverage in retirement and

(ii) accrual of employer subsidies toward or employer cost-shar-

ing of the cost of health care coverage

5. All general secretaries, deputy general secretaries, associ-

ate general secretaries, assistant general secretaries, and treasurers

of all general agencies and the publisher of The United Method-

ist Church shall be professing members of The United Methodist

Church. This provision shall not apply to persons employed prior

to the 2004 General Conference.

6. No member of the staff of a general agency shall be eligible

for voting membership on any general or jurisdictional agency of

The United Methodist Church, except where the Discipline speci-

cally provides for such interagency representation.

7. Elected staff shall be allowed voice, but not vote in the

agency and its subunits.

8. All elected staff persons of general agencies shall be per-

sons who model themselves after the servanthood of Jesus Christ.

They shall be persons of genuine Christian character who love the

Church and are committed to the oneness of the body of Christ,

are morally disciplined and shall uphold the doctrinal and ethical

standards of The United Methodist Church as set forth in the Doc-

trinal Standards (¶ 104) and Social Principles, and are competent

to administer the affairs of a general agency.

9. Prior to any interviews of clergypersons for general board

or agency staff positions, the bishop of the clergyperson under

consideration shall be consulted at the initiative of the gen-

eral agency. When a clergyperson’s employment with a general

agency is terminated, the general agency shall have no further

obligation to provide compensation or benets to the terminated

clergyperson, except as provided or permitted by the General

Council on Finance and Administration’s uniform personnel poli-

cies described in ¶ 807.12a.

¶ 716. Nondiscrimination Policies—1. It shall be the policy of

The United Methodist Church that all agencies and institutions,

including hospitals, homes, and educational institutions, shall:

9. See Judicial Council Decision 426.

542

¶ 716 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

(a) recruit, employ, utilize, recompense, and promote their profes-

sional staff and other personnel in a manner consistent with the

commitment of The United Methodist Church to women and men

of all races and ethnic origins, including persons with disabilities;

(b) fulll their duties and responsibilities in a manner that does

not involve segregation or discrimination on the basis of race,

color, age, sex, or disability, including HIV status; and (c) provide

for adequate representation by laity.

2. All agencies and institutions shall, insofar as reasonably

possible, schedule and hold all events, including designated

places of lodging and meals for the events, in accessible settings

that adequately accommodate persons with disabilities. They are

encouraged to include persons with disabilities in the planning

and presentation of events.

If for any reason whatsoever any event is scheduled or held

in a facility that does not so conform, all notices of the meeting

will include plainly stated advice to that effect, or alternatively

may bear a logo consisting of the international symbol for access

placed inside a slashed circle. The term event shall be given a

broad interpretation and shall include, by way of example, sched-

uled conferences, seminars, and other meetings to which persons

are invited or called to attend as representatives of the Church or

its various institutions and agencies.

¶ 717. Sustainable and Socially Responsible Investments—In the

investment of money, it shall be the policy of The United Meth-

odist Church that all general boards and agencies, including the

General Board of Pension and Health Benets, and all admin-

istrative agencies and institutions, including hospitals, homes,

educational institutions, annual conferences, foundations, and

local churches, make a conscious effort to invest in institutions,

companies, corporations, or funds with policies and practices

that are socially responsible, consistent with the goals outlined

in the Social Principles. All United Methodist institutions shall

endeavor to seek investments in institutions, companies, corpo-

rations, or funds that promote racial and gender justice, protect

human rights, prevent the use of sweatshop or forced labor, avoid

human suffering, and preserve the natural world, including miti-

gating the effects of climate change. In addition, United Method-

ist institutions shall endeavor to avoid investments in companies

engaged in core business activities that are not aligned with the

Social Principles through their direct or indirect involvement

543

GENERAL PROVISIONS ¶ 720

with the production of antipersonnel weapons and armaments

(both nuclear and conventional weapons), alcoholic beverages or

tobacco; or that are involved in privately operated correctional

facilities, gambling, pornography or other forms of exploitative

adult entertainment. The boards and agencies are to give careful

consideration to environmental, social, and governance factors

when making investment decisions and actively exercise their

responsibility as owners of the companies in which they invest.

This includes engaging with companies to create positive change

and hold them accountable for their actions, while also consider-

ing exclusion if companies fail to act responsibly.

¶ 718. Record Maintenance—Each general agency shall keep

a continuous record of its advocacy roles, coalitions, and other

organizations supported by membership or funds, and endorse-

ment or opposition of federal or state legislation. Information

concerning these activities shall be available to United Method-

ist churches upon written request. Organizations not ofcially

related to the General Conference may take positions only in

their own names and may not speak for a general agency or the

denomination as a whole (¶ 509.1).

¶ 719. Decisions for Program Expenditures—All programs or

general funds administered by any general agency of The United

Methodist Church (¶ 701) that are proposed to be used within an

annual conference shall be implemented or disbursed only after

consultation with the presiding bishop, the director of connec-

tional ministries or equivalent, the Council on Ministries, and the

appropriate district superintendent(s) of that annual conference.

Consultation in matters of program implementation, funding,

and relationships among various agencies, conferences, and other

bodies of the Church requires communication, including written

documentation, in which each party reveals plans and intents in

such a way as to assure dialogue and mutual awareness, even if

not agreement.

¶ 720. International and Ecumenical Settings—The General

Board of Global Ministries shall facilitate and coordinate the

program relationships of other program agencies of The United

Methodist Church with colleague churches and agencies in

nations other than the United States. The resources of the General

Board of Global Ministries shall also be available to the Council of

10. See Judicial Council Decision 518.

544

¶ 720 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

Bishops in the implementation of its responsibilities as dened in

¶ 416.2, .3. Central conferences of The United Methodist Church

may request program and other assistance through direct rela-

tionships with the program agencies of The United Methodist

Church.

¶ 721. Program and Fiscal Year—1. The program and scal

year for The United Methodist Church shall be the calendar year.

2. Unless otherwise specied in the Discipline for a specic

purpose, the term quadrennium shall be deemed to be the four-

year period beginning January 1 following the adjournment of the

regular session of the General Conference.

¶ 722. Restrictions on Closed Meetings—In the spirit of open-

ness and accountability, all meetings of councils, boards, agencies,

commissions, and committees of the Church at all levels of the

church, including subunit meetings and teleconferences, shall be

open. Regardless of local laws or customs, all participants shall

be notied at the beginning of any meeting, including telephone

or video conference calls, if the meeting is being recorded elec-

tronically and of the intended use of such recording. Portions of

a meeting may be closed for consideration of specic subjects if

such a closed session is authorized by an afrmative public vote

of at least three-fourths of the voting members present. The vote

shall be taken in public session and recorded in the minutes. Doc-

uments distributed in open meetings shall be considered public.

Great restraint should be used in closing meetings; closed

sessions should be used as seldom as possible. Subjects that may

be considered in closed session are limited to real estate mat-

ters; negotiations, when general knowledge could be harmful

to the negotiation process; personnel matters;

issues related to

the accreditation or approval of institutions; discussions relating

to pending or potential litigation or collective bargaining; com-

munications with attorneys or accountants; deployment of secu-

rity personnel or devices; and negotiations involving condential

third-party information. Meetings of the committee on pastor-

parish or staff-parish relations are to be closed meetings pursuant

to ¶ 258.2e. While it is expected that the General Conference, the

Judicial Council, and the Council of Bishops will live by the spirit

of this paragraph, each of these constitutional bodies is governed

by its own rules of procedure.

11. See Judicial Council Decision 559.

12. See Judicial Council Decision 869.

545

GENERAL COUNCIL ON FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 803

A report on the results of a closed session shall be made imme-

diately upon its conclusion or as soon thereafter as is practicable.

¶ 723. Translation of Church Name—The name of The United

Methodist Church may be translated by any central conference

into languages other than English. The United Methodist Church

in the Central and Southern Europe Central Conference and the

Germany Central Conference may use the name Evangelisch-

methodistische Kirche.

¶ 724. Church Founding Date—The United Methodist Church

(¶ 141) has become the successor to all rights, powers, and privi-

leges of The Evangelical United Brethren Church and The Meth-

odist Church. The two churches, from their beginnings, have had

a close relationship.

The Methodist Church, the rst of the two churches to orga-

nize, dates from the Christmas Conference of 1784. Therefore, The

United Methodist Church recognizes as its founding date the year

1784.

All General Conferences shall be designated not in numeri-

cal sequence from any particular date, but merely by the calendar

years in which they are respectively held. An annual conference,

local church, or other body within The United Methodist Church

that is composed of uniting units with differing dates of origin

shall use as the date of its founding the date of founding of the

older or oldest of the uniting units while remaining sensitive to

the recording of the entirety of the Church’s history, including all

information regarding the younger unit.

Section II. General Council on Finance and Administration

¶ 801. The work of the Church requires the support of our

people. Participation through service and gifts is a Christian duty,

a means of grace, and an expression of our love to God. In order

that all members of The United Methodist Church may share in its

manifold ministries at home and abroad and that the work com-

mitted to us may prosper, the following nancial plan has been

duly approved and adopted.

¶ 802. Name—There shall be a General Council on Finance

and Administration of The United Methodist Church, hereinafter

called the council.

¶ 803. Incorporation—The council shall be incorporated in

such state or states as the council shall determine. This corpora-

tion shall be the successor corporation and organization to the

546

¶ 803 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

Council on World Service and Finance (including the Council on

World Service and Finance of The United Methodist Church, an

Illinois corporation; the World Service Commission of the Meth-

odist Episcopal Church, an Illinois corporation; the General Coun-

cil of Administration of The Evangelical United Brethren Church,

an Ohio corporation; the Board of Administration, Church of the

United Brethren in Christ, an Ohio corporation) and the Board of

Trustees.

This corporation shall receive and administer new trusts

and funds, and so far as may be legal be the successor in trust

of: The Board of Trustees of The United Methodist Church; The

Board of Trustees of The Evangelical United Brethren Church,

incorporated under the laws of Ohio; The Board of Trustees of the

Church of the United Brethren in Christ, incorporated under the

laws of Ohio; The Board of Trustees of The Evangelical Church,

an unincorporated body; The Board of Trustees of The Method-

ist Church, incorporated under the laws of Ohio; The Trustees of

The Methodist Episcopal Church, incorporated under the laws of

Ohio; The Board of Trustees of The Methodist Episcopal Church,

South, incorporated under the laws of Tennessee; and The Board

of Trustees of The Methodist Protestant Church, incorporated

under the laws of Maryland; and so far as may be legal, as such

successor in trust, it is authorized to receive from any of its said

predecessor corporations all trust funds and assets of every kind

and character—real, personal, or mixed—held by them or any one

of them, or to merge into itself any one or more of its said prede-

cessor corporations. Any such trusts and funds coming to it as

successor corporation, either by transfer or by merger, shall be

administered in accordance with the conditions under which they

have been previously received and administered by said prede-

cessor corporations or unincorporated body.

¶ 804. Amenability—The council shall report to and be ame-

nable to the General Conference, and it shall cooperate with

the Connectional Table in the compilation of budgets for pro-

gram agencies participating in World Service Funds, as dened

in ¶ 806.1.

¶ 805. Organization—1. Membership—The twenty-one voting

members of the council shall be elected quadrennially.

a) Sixteen voting members of the council shall be elected

by the General Conference and be nominated as follows:

547

GENERAL COUNCIL ON FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 805

(1) two bishops nominated by the Council of Bishops;

(2) eleven persons from the jurisdictions, nominated

by the college of bishops in each jurisdiction based upon an allo-

cation by the secretary of the General Conference so that the mem-

bership of the council reects the proportionate membership of

the jurisdictions based upon their combined clergy and lay mem-

bership; and

(3) three persons from the central conferences—one

from Africa, one from Europe, and one from the Philippines—

nominated by the Council of Bishops.

b) It is recommended that in selecting the voting mem-

bers from the jurisdictions and central conferences attention be

given to ensuring representation of racial and ethnic groups and

young people, and that approximately one-third be clergy in full

connection, one-third be laymen, and one-third be laywomen.

c) Five voting members of the council shall be nomi-

nated and elected by the council in such a manner as set forth in

the council’s bylaws, provided, not more than one of these ve

voting members shall be from the same jurisdictional or central

conference. These ve voting members shall be selected for the

purpose of bringing to the council special knowledge, experience,

or diversity.

d) The general secretaries who serve as the chief execu-

tive ofcers of the general agencies and the president/chief exec-

utive ofcer of The United Methodist Publishing House may sit

with the council and shall have the right to the oor without the

privilege of voting.

e) The voting members, including bishops, shall not be

eligible for membership on, or employment by, any other general

agency of The United Methodist Church (¶ 701.2), except where

the Book of Discipline specically provides for such interagency

representation. Members shall also be guided by such conict-

of-interest policies and provisions as may from time to time be

adopted by the General Conference or by the council itself.

f) Members shall serve until their successors are elected

and qualied.

g) Vacancies occurring between sessions of the General

Conference shall be lled by the council on nomination of the

College of Bishops of the jurisdiction concerned (see ¶ 712) if the

vacancy is among members chosen to represent a jurisdiction, or,

548

¶ 805 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

in the event of a vacancy among the episcopal or central confer-

ence representative members, on nomination of the Council of

Bishops. Vacancies among the ve voting members nominated

and elected by the council shall be lled in such a manner as set

forth in the council’s bylaws.

2. Meetings—The council shall meet at least annually and at

such other times as are necessary on call of the president or on

written request of one-fth of the members. Eleven voting mem-

bers shall constitute a quorum.

3. Ofcers

a) The council shall elect from its membership a presi-

dent, a vice president, and a recording secretary, whose duties

shall be prescribed in its bylaws.

b) The council shall elect quadrennially, in such manner

as it shall provide in its bylaws, a general secretary, who shall also

be the treasurer and chief executive ofcer of the council. The gen-

eral secretary shall have the right to the oor at all meetings of the

council and its committees without the privilege of voting.

4. Committees—a) Committee on Audit and Review—The coun-

cil shall appoint a Committee on Audit and Review, no members

of which shall be ofcers of the council, and at least half of whom

shall not be members of the council, whose duty it shall be to

review audits of all treasuries receiving general Church funds (see

¶ 810.2) in accordance with all established auditing standards,

including the funds of the council, related policies with nancial

implications, and the utilization of nancial assets in achieving

the stated mission of the entity as dened by the General Confer-

ence, the governing board, and donor designations. Not included

are the audits of the General Board of Pension and Health Benets

and The United Methodist Publishing House. In any matter of pos-

sible or potential nancial impropriety reported to the committee

by the auditors, the committee chair shall immediately inform the

president and general secretary of the General Council on Finance

and Administration and the president and general secretary of the

applicable agency. If any matter involves the president or general

secretary of the General Council on Finance and Administration

(GCFA) or the applicable agency, the committee shall determine

other reporting avenues within GCFA or the applicable agency,

as appropriate. The committee shall report its ndings to the next

meeting of the council.

549

GENERAL COUNCIL ON FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 805

b) Committee on Personnel Policies and Practices—The

council shall organize a committee consisting of three represen-

tatives from the General Council on Finance and Administration,

one of whom shall serve as chairperson, and one representative

of each of the following agencies: the General Board of Church

and Society, the General Board of Discipleship, the General Board

of Global Ministries, the General Board of Higher Education and

Ministry, the General Commission on Archives and History, the

General Commission on Communication, the General Commis-

sion on Religion and Race, the General Commission on the Sta-

tus and Role of Women, and the General Commission on United

Methodist Men. Each of the aforementioned representatives shall

be selected by the council, board, or commission represented

from its membership. The general secretary of the council, or his

or her designee, shall sit with this committee with voice but not

vote.

The committee shall have duties and responsibilities as

dened in ¶ 807.12b.

c) Committee on Legal Responsibilities and Corporate Gover-

nance—The council shall organize a committee composed of six

persons: three members of the council, two active annual confer-

ence chancellors, and one at-large attorney. The committee shall

be amenable to the council and shall make recommendations to

the council regarding the fulllment of its responsibilities dened

in ¶ 807.9 and its exercise of appropriate principles of corporate

governance. The Legal Services Department of the council shall

be responsible to the Committee on Legal Responsibilities and

Corporate Governance.

d) Other Committees—The council shall establish such

other committees and task forces as needed for the performance

of its duties.

5. Staff—On nomination of the general secretary, the council

may elect deputy and/or associate general secretaries, who shall

work under the direction of the general secretary.

6. Financial Support—a) Financial support from general

church funds for the work of the council shall be from the fol-

lowing sources: (1) an on-ratio allocation from the General

Administration Fund, in an amount determined by the General

Conference; (2) xed charges against the World Service Fund,

the Episcopal Fund, the Interdenominational Cooperation Fund,

and such other general funds as the General Conference may

550

¶ 805 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

authorize, on recommendation of the council. Fixed charges shall

be in proportion to the funds’ receipts.

b) The council shall submit to each quadrennial session of

the General Conference budgets of estimated income and expense

for the four years of the ensuing quadrennium. Prior to the begin-

ning of each scal year, the council shall approve a budget for

its operation for the following year. In the event of unanticipated

circumstances, the council may amend a budget it had previously

approved for its own operation.

c) The council shall report to each quadrennial session

of the General Conference the amounts of its actual income and

expenditures for the four preceding years.

¶ 806. Fiscal Responsibilities—All monies contributed by a

local church to any of the general funds of the Church, as listed

or dened in ¶ 810.1, and such other funds as may have been

authorized by the General Conference shall be held in trust by

the council and distributed only in support of the ministries of the

respective funds. The council shall be accountable to The United

Methodist Church through the General Conference in all matters

relating to the receiving, disbursing, and reporting of such funds,

and agencies receiving such funds shall be scally accountable

to the council. In the exercise of its scal accountability role, the

council shall have the authority and responsibility to perform the

following functions:

1. It shall submit to each quadrennial session of the General

Conference, for its action and determination, budgets of expense

for each of the general funds of the Church, as listed or dened in

¶ 810.1, and such other general funds as the General Conference

may establish. It shall also make recommendations regarding all

other funding considerations to come before General Conference.

Actual receipts for each fund for the quadrennium then ending

shall be the basis for all budgeting procedures and comparisons

for the coming quadrennium.

a) The council shall make recommendations to the Gen-

eral Conference as to the amount and distribution of the Episco-

pal Fund and General Administration Fund, and, in consultation

with the Connectional Table, other apportioned general funds.

b) In the case of the World Service Fund, Ministerial Edu-

cation Fund, Black College Fund, Africa University Fund, and

Interdenominational Cooperation Fund, the General Council on

Finance and Administration and the Connectional Table shall pro-

551

GENERAL COUNCIL ON FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 806

ceed in the following manner to develop budget recommenda-

tions as they relate to allocations to the general program agencies

of the Church and funding level recommendations:

(1) The General Council on Finance and Administra-

tion shall establish the estimated amount available for distribu-

tion from the World Service Fund among the general program

agencies and through the other funds.

(2) The Connectional Table will review the program

priorities, missional priorities, and special programs and the esti-

mated amount available to the general program agencies, and

then establish the amounts to be distributed to those agencies

from the annual World Service allocation. The Connectional Table

will review both the funding priorities and the estimated amount

available to the other funds and then establish the amounts to be

distributed to each.

(3) The General Council on Finance and Administra-

tion will review the recommended allocations to the several gen-

eral program agencies within the total sum of the World Service

Fund budget, and the funding levels for each of the other listed

apportioned funds. When the General Council on Finance and

Administration and the Connectional Table agree, these alloca-

tions and total sum will be included in the World Service bud-

get and the funding levels of all these listed general apportioned

funds will be recommended to the General Conference by the

General Council on Finance and Administration.

c) It shall recommend the formulas by which all appor-

tionments to the annual conferences shall be determined, subject

to the approval of the General Conference.

d) Before the beginning of each year, the General Council

on Finance and Administration shall estimate and communicate to

the Connectional Table the sum available at that time from World

Service contingency funds to meet requests for additional funding

from the general program agencies. The Connectional Table shall

be authorized to approve allocations to the general program agen-

cies for additional program funding up to the limit so established.

No money shall be allocated by the Connectional Table from this

source for general administrative costs, xed charges, or capital

outlay without approval by the General Council on Finance and

Administration.

e) The Connectional Table shall receive from the General

Council on Finance and Administration copies of the proposed

552

¶ 806 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

annual budgets of the general program agencies, in order that it

may review such budgets in relation to the program proposals

made by those agencies in their quadrennial budget requests.

2. It shall receive and disburse in accordance with budgets

and/or directives approved by the General Conference all funds

raised throughout the Church for any of the general funds of the

Church, as listed or dened in ¶ 810.1, and for any other fund or

funds, as directed by the proper authority.

3. Accounting and Reporting—It shall require all agencies

receiving general Church funds (see ¶ 810.2) to follow uniform

accounting classications and procedures for reporting. It shall

include in its quadrennial report to the General Conference a s-

cal report for each such agency receiving general Church funds.

4. General Agency Budget Review—It shall require annually

one month in advance of its annual meeting, or as is deemed nec-

essary, and in such form as the council may require, statements of

proposed budgets of all treasuries receiving general Church funds

(see ¶ 810.2). It shall review the budget of each treasury receiving

general Church funds in accordance with guidelines that it shall

establish and communicate to the agencies, including the relation-

ship between administration, service, and promotion, and consid-

eration of evaluations from the Connectional Table on the missional

effectiveness of the general program-related agencies and con-

nectional structures of the Church. In the interest of sound scal

management, the council will ensure that expenditures of agencies

receiving general Church funds do not exceed receipts and avail-

able reserves, and this within a budget approved by the council.

5. General Agency Audits—It shall require an annual audit of

all treasuries receiving general Church funds (see ¶ 810.2), follow-

ing such auditing procedures as it may specify. It shall select the

auditing rm for these annual audits based on a recommendation

by the Committee on Audit and Review.

6. Internal Audit Functions—It shall establish and conduct

the internal auditing functions for all treasuries receiving general

Church funds (see ¶ 810.2).

7. It shall establish policy governing the functions of banking,

payroll, accounting, budget control, and internal auditing for all

agencies receiving general Church funds (see ¶ 810.2). The council

may, upon mutual consent of the agencies involved, perform the

functions of banking, check preparation, and payroll on behalf of

an agency in order to maximize efciency of operation.

553

GENERAL COUNCIL ON FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 806

8. It shall review for approval plans for nancing all inter-

national or national conferences and convocations to be held

under the auspices of any general agency receiving general

Church funds (see ¶ 810.2).

9. It shall be responsible for ensuring that no board, agency,

committee, commission, or council shall give United Methodist

funds to any gay caucus or group, or otherwise use such funds to

promote the acceptance of homosexuality or violate the expressed

commitment of The United Methodist Church “not to reject or

condemn lesbian and gay members and friends” (¶ 161G). The

council shall have the right to stop such expenditures.

It shall

not limit the Church’s ministry in response to the HIV epidemic.

10. It shall be responsible for ensuring that no board, agency,

committee, commission, or council shall expend United Method-

ist funds in a manner that violates the expressed commitment of

The United Methodist Church to “oppose the use of late-term

abortion known as dilation and extraction (partial-birth abor-

tion) and call for the end of this practice [with rare exceptions]”

(¶ 161K). The council shall have the right to stop such expenditures.

11. In keeping with the Church’s historic stand on total absti-

nence, the council shall seek to ensure that no apportioned gen-

eral funds are expended for the use of alcoholic beverages.

12. It shall develop general investment policies and guide-

lines for all agencies receiving general Church funds (see ¶ 810.2),

following consultation with those agencies. The council, in its

oversight capacity, shall review those agencies’ compliance with

the general investment policies and guidelines. Upon their review,

the council may recommend that an agency take certain actions

to conform with these policies and guidelines. These guidelines

are recommended for all Church organizations. If requested by an

agency, the council shall provide consultation and assistance on

the development of specic investment policies and the selection

of investment counselors and managers. The council shall review,

on at least an annual basis, the performance of all invested funds

of all agencies receiving general Church funds. The council shall

have complete authority to manage any portfolio of less than

$5,000,000 and may, upon request by the agency, manage larger

portfolios. The council and general agencies are encouraged to

invest in institutions, companies, corporations, or funds that make

13. See Judicial Council Decisions 597, 1264.

554

¶ 806 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

a positive contribution toward the realization of the goals out-

lined in the Social Principles of The United Methodist Church

(¶¶ 160-166).

13. The Committee on Audit and Review (¶ 805.4a), on behalf

of the council, shall monitor the compliance of treasuries receiv-

ing general Church funds (see ¶ 810.2) with the scal accountabil-

ity policies and practices set forth in ¶ 806, the personnel policies

and procedures set forth in ¶ 807.12, the general policies set forth

in ¶¶ 811.1-3, .6, 819, and all applicable accounting standards and

practices. The committee will also review recommendations made

by the independent and/or internal auditors under ¶ 805.4a, with

respect to matters of possible or potential nancial impropriety

or violation of policies and procedures. The council shall have

authority to implement actions which it may approve based on

recommendations from the committee.

a) If the committee nds that there are violations of such

policies, practices, or recommendations, it shall request, within a

specied timeline, a written response to the committee’s ndings,

with the written response to include additional information and/

or proposed corrective action.

b) After receiving the response, the committee may take

one or more of the following actions:

(1) It may determine that the response and any addi-

tional information supplied is sufcient to explain the issue or

situation that occasioned the initial nding, and that no further

action is needed.

(2) It may determine that the proposed corrective

action is sufciently responsive to the issue or situation, and that,

when implemented, no further action will be needed. It shall also

notify the president and general secretary of the council of its

ndings, in writing.

(3) It may determine that the response is insufcient

to address the issue or situation. In that case, it may recommend

the type of corrective actions that it believes necessary to address

the issue or situation adequately, along with a timeline for report-

ing corrective action taken. It shall also notify the president and

general secretary of the council of its ndings, in writing.

(4) It may prepare an informational report on the

matter for those members of the council who have been assigned

responsibility for reviewing the annual budget. It shall also notify

555

GENERAL COUNCIL ON FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 807

the president and general secretary of the council of its ndings,

in writing.

c) It may recommend to the General Council on Finance

and Administration for its action, with notice of the recommenda-

tion given to the appropriate leadership of the treasury involved,

one or more of the following steps:

(1) Continuing monitoring by the council’s internal

audit department, at the expense of the treasury involved, until

the committee nds that the issue has been satisfactorily resolved.

(2) Withholding of an appropriate amount of fund-

ing from general fund receipts that would otherwise be payable to

the treasury, until the council, on recommendation of the commit-

tee, nds that the issue has been satisfactorily resolved.

(3) Reporting of any unresolved issues to the next

session of the General Conference, along with recommendations

for General Conference action.

¶ 807. Other Fiscal Responsibilities—The council shall have the

following additional scal responsibilities:

1. To receive, collect, and hold in trust for the benet of The

United Methodist Church, its general funds, or its general agen-

cies any and all donations, bequests, and devises of any kind, real

or personal, that may be given, devised, bequeathed, or conveyed

to The United Methodist Church as such or to any general fund or

agency of The United Methodist Church for any benevolent, char-

itable, or religious purposes, and to administer the same and the

income therefrom in accordance with the directions of the donor,

trustor, or testator.

2. To take such action, in cooperation with the Board of Dis-

cipleship, as is necessary to encourage United Methodists to pro-

vide for their continued participation in World Service, in one or

more of the World Service agencies, or in other general Church

benevolence funds or interests, through current and planned giv-

ing, including wills and trusts.

3. a) When the use to be made of any such donation, bequest,

or devise of under $50,000 is not otherwise designated, the same

shall be added to and become a part of the World Service Contin-

gency Fund, which shall be held and administered by the council.

b) Any such donation, bequest, or devise of $50,000 or more not

otherwise designated shall be added to the “Permanent Fund” of

The United Methodist Church. This fund shall be held and admin-

istered by the council, as the General Conference shall direct.

556

¶ 807 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

4. Where annual conferences, individually or in groups, have

established United Methodist foundations, the council may pro-

vide staff leadership on request to advise in matters of nancial

management, to the end that foundation assets shall be wisely

managed on behalf of the Church.

5. To make recommendations to the General Conference, in

consultation with the Connectional Table and the Council of Bish-

ops, regarding any offerings to be received in connection with

special days observed on a church-wide basis. These recommen-

dations shall include the number and timing of such special days

with offerings, the amount, if any, to be established as a goal for

each such offering, the causes to be beneted by each, the method

by which the receipts on each such offering shall be distributed

among the causes beneting from it, and the method by which

such receipts shall be remitted and reported by local churches. All

such recommendations are subject to the approval of the General

Conference.

6. To establish general policy governing the ownership, sale,

rental, renovation, or purchase of property by a general agency

in the United States. The council shall consider the plans of any

general agency proposing to acquire or sell real estate or erect a

building or enter into a lease in the continental United States and

determine whether the proposed action is in the best interest of

The United Methodist Church. On the basis of that determination

it shall approve or disapprove all such proposed actions. In the

case of such proposed action by a general program agency, it shall

solicit and consider the recommendation of the Connectional Table.

If either the General Council on Finance and Administration or the

Connectional Table disapproves, the agency shall delay the project

until it can be considered by the next General Conference. Noth-

ing in the foregoing shall include the operational requirements

of The United Methodist Publishing House, the General Board of

Pension and Health Benets, or United Methodist Women.

7. To establish a procedure for making a quadrennial review,

initiating proposals and/or responding to proposals by the gen-

eral agencies regarding the location of headquarters and staff and

reporting the same to the General Conference.

8. To exercise on behalf of the General Conference a property

reporting function by receiving reports annually from general

agencies of the Church concerning property titles, values, debts,

general maintenance, lease or rental costs, space usage, and such

557

GENERAL COUNCIL ON FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 807

other information as the council may deem relevant. The coun-

cil may consult and advise with the general agencies concerning

any property problems that may arise. A summary of the property

data shall be reported to each quadrennial General Conference.

This provision shall apply to headquarters buildings but not to

properties that are part of the program responsibilities of the Gen-

eral Board of Global Ministries or to any of the properties of The

United Methodist Publishing House or United Methodist Women.

9. To take all necessary legal steps to safeguard and protect

the interests and rights of the denomination; to maintain resources

related to the denominational interests of The United Methodist

Church, and to make provisions for legal counsel where neces-

sary to protect the interests and rights of the denomination. The

council shall have the authority to pursue policies and procedures

necessary to preserve the tax-exempt status of the denomination

and its afliated organizations.

10. To supervise the use of the ofcial United Methodist insig-

nia and preserve the integrity of its design, in cooperation with the

General Commission on Communication. It shall maintain appro-

priate registration to protect the insignia on behalf of the denomi-

nation. The insignia may be used by any ofcial United Methodist

agency, including local churches, to identify United Methodist

work, programs, and materials. The use indicates the identity of

The United Methodist Church, with the cross proclaiming Jesus

Christ as its foundation, and the two ames descending to one

point celebrating its origin when two denominations became one,

and afrming its readiness to go forth to the ends of the earth to

all people to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation

of the world, as the anointing of the Holy Spirit with “individual

ames of re” sent forth the apostles speaking the language of

people wherever they went. In order to preserve the integrity of

its design, the insignia should not be altered or modied. Users

of the insignia must ensure that it stands independent from and

is not covered by or layered over other designs or words. Any

commercial use of the design requires express prior authoriza-

tion in writing by an appropriate ofcer of the General Council

on Finance and Administration and shall be used only in accor-

dance with guidelines and fees set forth by the General Council

on Finance and Administration.

14. See Judicial Council Decision 458.

15. See Judicial Council Decision 828.

558

¶ 807 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

11. To supervise the use of the name “United Methodist” and

maintain the appropriate registrations of this name on behalf of

the denomination.

12. a) The council shall: (1) require each general agency as

listed in ¶ 805.4b, including itself, to follow uniform policies and

practices in the employment and remuneration of personnel, rec-

ognizing differences in local employment conditions (these poli-

cies and practices shall be consistent with the Social Principles

and resolutions of The United Methodist Church); and (2) be

authorized to gather from all general agencies, at such intervals

and in such format as it may determine, information regarding

salary remuneration and pay equity and the number of agency

employees and staff. Information related to the remuneration of

specic employees may be released only by the employing agency

or employee.

b) The Committee on Personnel Policies and Practices

(¶ 805.4b) shall: (1) review annually the uniform policies and

practices referred to in ¶ 807.12a, (2) annually recommend to the

council an appropriate salary schedule, based upon responsibili-

ties, for personnel of the councils, boards, and commissions rep-

resented on the committee; and (3) recommend annually to the

council a schedule of benets for an employee benet program for

personnel of each general agency as listed in ¶ 805.4b.

c) The Committee on Audit and Review shall (1) receive

from agencies and institutions receiving general Church funds (see

¶ 810.2) statements regarding their compliance with the policies

stated or referenced in ¶¶ 807.12a and 811.1; and (2) receive from

all general agencies information necessary to evaluate pay equity.

Based on these statements, and in consultation with and upon

the advice of the General Commission on Religion and Race and

the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women, the

committee shall prepare for the General Council on Finance and

Administration reports and recommendations deemed appropri-

ate by the committee, in accordance with the procedures set forth

in ¶ 806.12.

d) In the event it is determined by the council that an

agency or institution receiving general Church funds is not in

compliance with the policies stated or referenced in ¶¶ 807.12a

and 811.1, the council shall notify in writing the agency so named

and suspend, after a three-month period of grace, an appropriate

amount of future funding until the agency or institution complies.

559

GENERAL COUNCIL ON FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 807

13. To maintain a consultative service to assist general agen-

cies in planning and making arrangements for national meetings,

conferences, and convocations.

14. To establish and supervise denitions and policies for

general agencies receiving general church funds regarding the

collection, processing, and distribution of certain authoritative

data of the denomination, such as contact information for local

churches, clergy, and leadership of The United Methodist Church,

in collaboration with the Council of Bishops and in consultation

with the general agencies.

15. To maintain the authoritative database for the general

agencies receiving general Church funds (see ¶ 810.2) of the

ofcial data of all bishops; ordained and consecrated ministers

in effective relation; local pastors, including retired ordained

ministers serving charges; charges, local churches, parishes, fel-

lowships, and new church starts; and such lists of General, juris-

dictional, and conference boards, commissions, and committees,

and ofcers of same, and of such other ofcers as the council may

determine necessary. No one other than authorized bodies or of-

cers of the Church shall be permitted to use these records.

16. To establish an electronic means that local churches shall

use to collect, prepare, and report, in an accurate and timely man-

ner, their statistical information to the council. It shall provide

for the distribution of such information to annual conferences,

the general planning and research agencies of the Church, and

other interested parties. The council may establish an appropriate

schedule of fees and charges to defray the cost of such informa-

tion distribution services.

17. To assist and advise the jurisdictions, annual conferences,

districts, and local churches in all matters relating to the work of

the council. These matters shall include, but shall not be limited

to, business administration, investment and property manage-

ment, information technology, and auditing. The council may per-

form certain functions for the jurisdictions, annual conferences,

districts, or local churches if the particular organization so elects

and a suitable plan of operation can be determined. In accordance

with ¶ 810.1, any assistance or resources provided by the council

hereunder shall be in-kind and not a direct grant of funds.

18. To provide guidance and consultation to individuals pro-

viding services to the Church in the following areas: local church

business administration; administrative assistance; equitable

560

¶ 807 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

compensation; information technology; and legal guidance to

annual conferences. Such guidance and consultation may, as the

council deems appropriate, include: establishing relevant profes-

sional standards, training programs, continuing education, and

certications; encouraging participation in associations related

to these services (for example, the Professional Association of

United Methodist Church Secretaries, the United Methodist Net-

work of Practice, the National Association of Commissions on

Equitable Compensation of The United Methodist Church, the

United Methodist Information Technology Association, and the

United Methodist Church Conference Chancellors Association,

or similar organizations); and providing staff and/or in-kind ser-

vices to such associations.

19. To institute, manage, and maintain an insurance program

available, where approved by regulatory agencies, to all United

Methodist local churches in the United States and, where accept-

able on an underwriting basis, to all United Methodist annual

conferences, agencies, and institutions in the United States.

20. To designate a staff member who, in cooperation with the

general secretary, will fulll such responsibilities as may be needed

to assist the Commission on the General Conference with prep-

aration for sessions of the General Conference. In fullling this

role, the staff member will function as the commission’s business

manager and shall be related operationally to the Commission.

21. To provide guidance and consultation to churches, con-

ferences and other United Methodist organizations on fund-rais-

ing campaigns conducted via the Internet and social media where

capital can be solicited from a large pool of potential donors, also

known as crowd funding. The General Council on Finance and

Administration shall prepare a list of approved crowd funding

websites. This consultation shall be limited to churches and con-

ferences residing in the United States.

¶ 808. Conference Payments of Apportioned Funds—1. The trea-

surer of the General Council on Finance and Administration shall,

not less than ninety days prior to the session of each annual con-

ference or as soon thereafter as practical, transmit to the presiding

bishop thereof, to the president of the conference council on nance

and administration, and to the conference treasurer a statement of

the apportionments to the conference for the World Service Fund,

the General Administration Fund, the Episcopal Fund, the Interde-

nominational Cooperation Fund, the Ministerial Education Fund,

561

GENERAL COUNCIL ON FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 810

the Black College Fund, the Africa University Fund, and such other

funds as may have been apportioned by the General Conference.

2. The treasurer shall keep an account of all amounts remit-

ted by the conference treasurers and from other sources intended

for the funds listed in ¶ 810.1 and any other fund so directed by

the proper authority, and shall disburse the same as authorized

by the General Conference and directed by the council. A separate

account shall be kept of each such fund, and none of them shall be

drawn on for the benet of another fund.

3. If more than the amount approved by the General Con-

ference for a fund total, or for a line item within a fund total, is

received in any given year, the excess funds shall be held in trust

by the council in an apportionment stabilization fund. All mon-

ies placed in such a fund shall be considered as fund balances

restricted by the General Conference to the fund(s) or line item(s)

in which the surplus occurred. They shall be held by the coun-

cil until such time as shortfalls in such receipts occur during the

same quadrennium, at which time they shall be released to com-

pensate for the shortfalls. If undistributed funds remain in an

apportionment stabilization fund at the end of the quadrennium,

the council shall recommend, for action by the next General Con-

ference, the disposition of any remaining fund balances, provided

that those recommendations shall be consistent with the purposes

for which the funds were raised.

¶ 809. Annual Reports by the General Treasurer to the Annual

Conferences of All General Church Expenditures—The treasurer shall

report annually to the council and to the respective conference

councils as to all amounts received and disbursed during the year.

The treasurer shall also make to each quadrennial session of the

General Conference a full report of the nancial transactions of

the council for the previous four scal years. The treasurer shall

be bonded for such an amount as may be determined by the coun-

cil. The books of the treasurer shall be audited annually by a certi-

ed public accountant selected by the General Council on Finance

and Administration upon recommendation by the Committee on

Audit and Review (¶ 805.4a).

G F

¶ 810. Denition of General Funds—1. The terms general

fund(s) and general Church fund(s), wherever they appear in the

Book of Discipline, refer to: the World Service Fund; the General

562

¶ 810 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

Administration Fund; the Episcopal Fund; the Interdenomina-

tional Cooperation Fund; the Ministerial Education Fund; the

Black College Fund; the Africa University Fund; World Service

Special Gifts; general Advance Special Gifts; the World Commu-

nion Fund; the Human Relations Day Fund; the United Method-

ist Student Day Fund; the UMCOR Sunday Fund

; Peace with

Justice Sunday Fund; Native American Ministries Sunday Fund;

the Youth Service Fund; and such other funds as may have been

established by the General Conference and have been specically

authorized by the General Conference to be raised on a church-

wide basis. They are restricted assets and are not funds of local

churches, annual or jurisdictional conferences, or other units of

the denomination. Such general funds are to be disbursed for

the purpose or purposes set forth in ¶¶ 812-824 and budgets or

similar directives adopted for the respective funds by the General

Conference. The General Council on Finance and Administration,

in the fulllment of its scal responsibilities pursuant to ¶ 806,

shall only have authority to disburse monies contributed to any

of these funds in a manner specically authorized by the Book of

Discipline or for a purpose set forth in the budget or directives

adopted by the preceding General Conference for that particular

fund. The General Council on Finance and Administration’s Com-

mittee on Audit and Review shall review the internal and external

audits of these funds and report the results of its ndings to the

treasuries receiving these funds, the General Council on Finance

and Administration, and/or any other entity it deems appropri-

ate. The provisions of ¶ 806.13 shall apply to this function of the

Committee on Audit and Review.

2. The terms agency(ies) receiving general Church funds and

treasury(ies) receiving general Church funds, as used in ¶¶ 701-824

of the Book of Discipline, refer to agencies whose operational or

administrative budgets are directly supported, in whole or in

part, by allocations from one or more general Church funds. For

the purposes of ¶¶ 701-824, the General Board of Pension and

Health Benets, The United Methodist Publishing House, and

United Methodist Women shall be deemed not to be agencies

or treasuries whose operational or administrative budgets are

directly supported, in whole or in part, by allocations from one or

more general Church funds.

16. Changed from One Great Hour of Sharing Fund to be consistent with General

Conference 2016 Calendar Items 53 and 54 (DCA page 2101).

563

GENERAL COUNCIL ON FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 811

¶ 811. General Policies—1. The General Council on Finance

and Administration is authorized to withhold approval of a por-

tion or all of the budget of any agency or any Church-related

institution receiving general Church funds (see ¶ 810.2) until such

agency or Church-related institution shall submit to the council

in writing its established policies of: (a) recruiting, employing,

utilizing, recompensing, and promoting professional staff and

other personnel without regard to race, ethnicity, age, or gender;

(b) fullling its duties and responsibilities in a manner that does

not involve segregation or discrimination on the basis of race,

ethnicity, age, or gender; and (c) insofar as possible, purchasing

goods and services from vendors who are in compliance with

such policies as are described in sections (a) and (b) of this para-

graph. In the fulllment of this directive, the council shall take

the following steps: (1) collaborate with the General Commission

on Religion and Race and the General Commission on the Status

and Role of Women in the development of a certication form to

be submitted to the council by agencies and institutions receiving

general Church funds; (2) review copies of such certications with

the two commissions; (3) in consultation with the two commis-

sions determine adequate recommendations regarding possible

noncompliance with these policies by agencies and institutions

receiving general Church funds; and (4) in collaboration with the

General Commission on Religion and Race and the General Com-

mission on the Status and Role of Women, the General Council

on Finance and Administration shall determine fair and just rec-

ommendations for withholding funds from agencies and church-

related institutions that are non-compliant.

2. It may withhold approval of any item or items in the bud-

get or budgets receiving general Church funds (see ¶ 810.2) that in

its judgment represent unnecessary duplication of administrative

functions and services. Such functions and services shall include,

but not be limited to, accounting, databases, equipment, human

resources, information technology, maintenance, and meeting

planning. In cooperation with and on recommendation of the

Connectional Table, it may withhold approval of any such item

that represents unnecessary duplication of program within an

agency or between two or more agencies. If the council nds that

there is such duplication in existing activities, it shall promptly

direct the attention of the agencies involved to the situation and

shall cooperate with them in correcting the same, and it may

564

¶ 811 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

decline to supply from general fund receipts money to continue

activities that have been held to duplicate each other unnecessar-

ily or plainly violate the principle of correlation as applied to the

total benevolence program of the Church.

3. An agency of The United Methodist Church receiving gen-

eral Church funds (see ¶ 810.2) proposing to borrow funds for

a period in excess of twelve months or in an amount in excess

of 25 percent of its annual budget or ve hundred thousand dol-

lars, whichever amount is smaller, whether for building or current

expense purposes, shall submit such proposal, accompanied by a

plan for amortization, to the council for approval. If the council

disapproves, the agency shall delay such borrowing until it can be

considered by the next General Conference.

4. The apportionments for all apportioned general Church

funds, as approved by the General Conference, shall not be sub-

ject to reduction either by the annual conference or by the charge

or local church (¶ 615.1).

5. Individual donors or local churches may make contribu-

tions to the support of any cause or project that is a part of the

work of any general Church agency. Such miscellaneous gifts

shall be sent to the General Council on Finance and Administra-

tion, which shall then forward the gift to the agency for which it

is intended. Agencies receiving miscellaneous gifts shall acknowl-

edge receipt of the gift to the donor. No agency shall solicit or cul-

tivate gifts for any cause or project in a Churchwide appeal that

has not been approved for support through World Service Special

Gifts (¶ 820), general Advance Special Gifts (¶ 822), or a special

appeal (¶ 819).

6. No general council, board, commission, or committee

receiving general Church funds (see ¶ 810.2) shall initiate or

cause to be organized without approval of the General Council

on Finance and Administration a foundation, endowment fund,

or similar organization for the purpose of securing, conserving,

or expending funds for the direct or indirect benet or support of

any general agency or any of its programs or work. Foundations,

endowment funds, and similar organizations related directly or

indirectly to any general Church agency receiving general Church

funds shall report annually to the council in a manner determined

by the council.

17. See Judicial Council Decisions 818, 1146.

565

GENERAL COUNCIL ON FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 813

¶ 812. The World Service Fund—The World Service Fund is

basic in the nancial program of The United Methodist Church.

World Service on apportionment represents the minimum needs

of the general agencies of the Church. Payment in full of these

apportionments by local churches and annual conferences is the

rst benevolent responsibility of the Church.

1. The council shall recommend to each quadrennial session

of the General Conference the amount of the annual World Service

budget for the ensuing quadrennium and the method by which

it shall be apportioned to the annual conferences. In cooperation

with the Connectional Table, it shall prepare and recommend a

plan of distribution of World Service receipts among the World

Service agencies, in accordance with the procedures described in

¶ 806.1b. In the planning of the World Service budget, it shall be

the role of the General Council on Finance and Administration

to facilitate sound scal and administrative policies and practices

within and among the general agencies of the Church. It shall be

the role of the Connectional Table to relate the budget requests of

the program agencies to one another in such a way as to imple-

ment the program and mission of the Church.

2. The general secretary or other duly authorized representa-

tive of each agency of The United Methodist Church seeking

support from the World Service Fund and the authorized repre-

sentative of any other agency for which requests are authorized

by the General Conference shall have the right to appear before

the council at a designated time and place to represent the cause

for which each is responsible, provided such representation has

been previously made to the Connectional Table.

3. The World Service agencies shall not solicit additional or

special gifts from individual donors or special groups, other than

foundations, unless approval for such solicitation is rst secured

from the council.

4. The General Commission on Communication shall pro-

mote the World Service Fund.

¶ 813. General Administration Fund—1. The General Admin-

istration Fund shall provide for the expenses of the sessions of

the General Conference, the Judicial Council, special commissions

and committees constituted by the General Conference, and other

administrative agencies and activities recommended for inclusion

18. See Judicial Council Decision 818.

566

¶ 813 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

in the general administration budget by the General Council on

Finance and Administration and approved by the General Con-

ference. Any agency or institution requiring or desiring support

from the General Administration Fund shall present its case to

the council at a time and place indicated by council ofcers. The

council, having heard such requests, shall report the same to the

General Conference with recommendations for its action and

determination.

2. The treasurer of the council shall disburse the General

Administration Fund as authorized by the General Conference

and as directed by the council. Where the General Conference has

not allocated denite sums to agencies receiving money from the

General Administration Fund, the council or a committee desig-

nated by the General Council on Finance and Administration shall

have authority to determine the amount to be allocated to each.

3. The expenses of the Judicial Council shall be paid from the

General Administration Fund, within a budget submitted annu-

ally by the Judicial Council to the General Council on Finance and

Administration for its approval and subject to the requirement of

¶ 813.4.

4. The General Administration Fund, and all payments made

from this fund, shall be subject to the nancial, accounting, and

auditing requirements of ¶ 806.

5. The General Commission on Communication shall pro-

mote the General Administration Fund.

¶ 814. Interdenominational Cooperation Fund—1. This fund

shall provide United Methodist support of the basic budgets of

those organizations that relate to the ecumenical responsibilities of

the Council of Bishops. Those organizations are described in Chap-

ter Three, Section IX—Ecumenical Relationships in ¶¶ 431-442.

2. The Council of Bishops, shall recommend to the General

Council on Finance and Administration the amounts of the sev-

eral annual allocations from the Interdenominational Coopera-

tion Fund budget. The council shall recommend to the General

Conference the amounts to be included in the annual Interdenom-

inational Cooperation Fund budget.

3. The Council of Bishops shall determine annually the desig-

nations of all funds for ecumenical agencies to be paid from the fol-

lowing year’s Interdenominational Cooperation Fund budget that

have not been specically designated by the prior General Confer-

ence. The Council of Bishops shall communicate such designations

567

GENERAL COUNCIL ON FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 814

to the General Council on Finance and Administration prior to the

beginning of the scal year made the subject of such designations.

The General Council on Finance and Administration shall then

disburse funds to each recipient in accordance with such designa-

tions during that scal year to the extent funds are available.

4. The fund shall also provide for the expenses of represen-

tatives chosen by the Council of Bishops to attend meetings and

committees of such ecumenical agencies. The General Council on

Finance and Administration shall reimburse such expenses from

vouchers approved by persons designated by the ecumenical of-

cer of the Council of Bishops.

5. Disbursement of Funds to Ecumenical Organizations—

a) The General Council on Finance and Administration shall remit

monthly to each organization included in the approved Interde-

nominational Cooperation Fund budget an on-ratio share of the

fund’s net receipts, after the payment of any xed charges.

b) In the interim between sessions of the General Confer-

ence, exceptions to this directive may occur under one of the fol-

lowing circumstances:

(1) If the organization is unable to fulll, or ceases

to fulll, the purpose or purposes which were the basis for the

Council of Bishops’ original recommendation for funding.

(2) If the organization ceases to exist.

c) If the Council of Bishops determines that such circum-

stances warrant, it may recommend to the General Council on

Finance and Administration that funding for the organization be

suspended or reduced, either indenitely or for a specied period

of time. The Council shall then reduce or suspend remittance of

fund receipts to the organization until such time as the Council

of Bishops determines that the circumstances which led to reduc-

tion or suspension of payments no longer exist. The Council of

Bishops shall then recommend to the General Council on Finance

and Administration whether remittances to the organization are

to be resumed in amounts based on current Interdenominational

Cooperation Fund receipts only, or whether amounts previously

withheld should be disbursed along with the amounts payable

from current receipts.

d) If funding to an organization is reduced or suspended,

the funds which otherwise would have been disbursed shall be

held by the General Council on Finance and Administration until

the Council of Bishops recommends that they be restored to the

568

¶ 814 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

organization or used to support a similar ecumenical organiza-

tion. If the funds are not expended prior to the next session of the

General Conference, the General Council on Finance and Admin-

istration, after consultation with the Council of Bishops, shall

report to the General Conference the amount of funds being held

and may recommend, for General Conference action, the disposi-

tion of the funds.

6. Before the beginning of each calendar year, the General

Council on Finance and Administration shall determine and com-

municate to the Council of Bishops the sum available from the

Interdenominational Cooperation Fund Contingency Reserve to

be allocated to meet emerging needs of ecumenical agencies.

7. The General Commission on Communication shall pro-

mote the Interdenominational Cooperation Fund.

¶ 815. Black College Fund—The General Council on Finance

and Administration shall recommend to the General Conference

the sum that the Church shall undertake for the Black colleges and

the method by which it shall be apportioned to the annual confer-

ences. The purpose of the fund is to provide nancial support for

current operating budgets and capital improvements of the Black

colleges related administratively to the Church.

1. The treasurer of the General Council on Finance and

Administration shall remit monthly receipts for this fund to the

General Board of Higher Education and Ministry for distribution

to those Black colleges whose eligibility under adopted guide-

lines of management, educational quality, and measurement by

announced objectives shall be the precondition of participation.

These guidelines and a formula for distribution shall be revised

and administered by the Division of Higher Education of the Gen-

eral Board of Higher Education and Ministry, in consultation with

the Council of Presidents of the Black Colleges. The formula for

distribution is as follows;

a) Five-sixths of the receipts of the fund shall be distrib-

uted to the colleges to assist in supporting their current operating

budgets:

(1) 75 percent of the ve-sixths operating portion

shall be shared equally by each college.

(2) 20 percent of the ve-sixths operating portion

shall be distributed on the basis of enrollment.

(3) The remaining 5 percent of the ve-sixths operat-

ing portion shall be distributed equally to each college annually

569

GENERAL COUNCIL ON FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 816

for long-range planning, special academic programs, and meet-

ing challenge grants in complying with the guidelines for support

established by the General Conference.

b) One-sixth of the fund receipts shall be set aside for capi-

tal improvements, to be distributed by the General Board of Higher

Education and Ministry on the basis of need and matching funds.

2. In the interim between sessions of the General Conference,

the guidelines for support and formula for distribution may be

changed as necessary upon recommendation of the Council of

Presidents of the Black Colleges and the General Board of Higher

Education and Ministry and with the consent of the General

Council on Finance and Administration.

3. Promotion of the Black College Fund shall be by the Divi-

sion of Higher Education and in consultation with the Council

of Presidents of the Black Colleges, in cooperation with and with

the assistance of the General Commission on Communication, the

cost being a charge against the Black College Fund receipts and

within a budget approved by the Division of Higher Education

and the General Council on Finance and Administration.

4. An annual conference may make direct and/or desig-

nated gifts for current expense or capital funds purposes to one

or more of these colleges, but only after it has met its full Black

College Fund apportionment. There may be reasonable excep-

tions to this restriction, but such exceptions shall be negotiated

with the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry prior

to implementation.

¶ 816. The Ministerial Education Fund—The council shall rec-

ommend to the General Conference the sum that the Church shall

undertake for the Ministerial Education Fund and the method

by which it shall be apportioned to the annual conferences, in

accordance with the provisions adopted by the 1968 General Con-

ference in establishing the Ministerial Education Fund. The pur-

pose of the fund is to enable the Church to unify and expand its

program of nancial support for the recruitment and education

of ordained and diaconal ministers and to equip the annual con-

ferences to meet increased demands in this area. The maximum

amount possible from this fund shall go directly for programs

and services in theological education, the enlistment and continu-

ing education of ordained and diaconal ministers, and courses of

study. When these funds are used to nance continuing education

events sponsored by the Board of Ordained Ministry of an annual

570

¶ 816 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

conference, such events may be open to laity for their attendance

and participation at the option of the Board of Ordained Ministry

of each annual conference.

1. Of the total money raised in each annual conference for

the Ministerial Education Fund, 25 percent shall be retained by

the annual conference that raised it, to be used in its program of

ministerial education as approved by the annual conference and

administered through its Board of Ordained Ministry. The Board

of Ordained Ministry will confer concerning use of the Ministerial

Education Fund. Administrative costs of the Board of Ordained

Ministry shall be a claim on the conference’s operating budget.

No annual conference that participated in a 1 percent plan or

other conference program of ministerial student scholarships and

loan grants prior to the establishment of this fund shall receive

less for this purpose than it received in the last year of the qua-

drennium preceding the establishment of the fund, provided the

giving from that conference for ministerial education does not fall

below the level achieved in the quadrennium preceding the estab-

lishment of the fund.

a) “Service Loans” from the conference portion of the

Ministerial Education Fund may be considered repaid if the

recipients served ve years in the connection in appointments

approved by their bishop.

b) In case the recipients of these loans do not satisfy the

terms of the “Service Loans” by service in the “connection,” they

would make arrangements to repay the loans with the confer-

ences from which they received their loans.

2. Of the total money raised in each annual conference for the

Ministerial Education Fund, 75 percent shall be remitted by the

conference treasurer to the treasurer of the council for distribution

to the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry for sup-

port of ministerial education and shall be administered by that

board. It shall be distributed as follows:

a) At least 75 percent of the amount received by the divi-

sions shall be distributed to the theological schools of The United

Methodist Church on a formula established by the General Board

of Higher Education and Ministry after consultation with the

theological schools. United Methodist theological schools where

less than 40 percent of the regular rank faculty are United Meth-

19. See Judicial Council Decision 1175.

571

GENERAL COUNCIL ON FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 816

odist or another historic Wesleyan denomination will forfeit 1/3

of their Ministerial Education funding, which will go back to the

General Board of Higher Education and Ministry to be distributed

as scholarship aid for certied candidates for United Method-

ist ordained ministry enrolled in United Methodist institutions of

theological education that have been approved by the Commission

on Theological Education. All money allocated to the theological

schools shall be used for current operations, not for physical expan-

sion. Ministerial Education funds allocated to United Methodist

theological schools for current operations shall only be used for:

—United Methodist student scholarships

—Faculty and staff salaries and benets for those who

prepare United Methodist students (implementing the curricu-

lum required in ¶ 324.4) for ordained ministry or service as local

pastors through the Course of Study program.

All United Methodist theological schools receiving Min-

isterial Education Fund allocations shall submit annual reports

to the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry detailing

how the Ministerial Education Fund allocations were spent.

b) The remaining portion of the amount received shall

be used for supplemental distributions to the theological schools

and for board use in its program of ministerial enlistment and

development. The General Board of Higher Education and Minis-

try will recommend to the general secretary of the General Board

of Higher Education and Ministry appropriate funding for divi-

sional programs of ministerial enlistment and development.

c) Beginning in the 2009-2012 quadrennium, the Gen-

eral Board of Higher Education and Ministry shall facilitate the

creation of United Methodist Ministerial Education Funds in the

central conferences, including the development and provision of

funds for this new initiative. The purpose of this initiative is to

improve and strengthen the existing indigenous structures for

theological education in order to create a sustainable system of

education for central conference clergy.

3. Annual conferences shall regard this fund as a priority to

be met before any additional benevolences, grants, or funds are

allocated to a theological school or school of religion.

4. The General Commission on Communication shall pro-

mote the Ministerial Education Fund.

20. See Judicial Council Decision 545.

572

¶ 817 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

¶ 817. Central Conference Theological Education Fund—There

shall be a Central Conference Theological Education Fund. Funds

for this purpose shall be provided from the World Service Fund.

a) There shall be a Commission on Central Conference

Theological Education Fund elected by the Council of Bishops to

determine policies and procedures for this fund. It shall approve

disbursements from this fund. The commission will include one

person from each central conference, and shall include members

of the Council of Bishops, members of Boards of Ordained Min-

istry, representatives of theological schools, representatives from

the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, the General

Board of Global Ministries, and the Standing Committee on Cen-

tral Conference Matters. The Council of Bishops shall take into

consideration both geographical and proportional representation

when selecting the members of the commission.

b) It shall be used in central conferences outside the

United States to in any or all of the following ways at the discre-

tion of the commission: (1) development of theological schools;

(2) development of courses of study; (3) development of libraries

and contextually developed resources; (4) scholarships and faculty

development; (5) support for associations and networks of faculty

and schools; (6) support for new and innovative approaches to

theological education.

c) The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry

will administer this fund.

d) All money collected from the central conference

apportionments for the General Administration Fund in excess of

$750,000 (the costs of the Standing Committee on Central Confer-

ence Matters, including its work on the General Book of Discipline)

is to be directed to the Central Conference Theological Education

Fund.

T E F

¶ 818. Purpose—1. The Episcopal Fund, raised in accordance

with ¶ 818.3, shall provide for the salary and expenses of effective

bishops from the date of their consecration and for the support

of retired bishops and surviving spouses and minor children of

deceased bishops. Subject to the approval of the General Council

on Finance and Administration, the treasurer shall have author-

ity to borrow for the benet of the Episcopal Fund such amounts

as may be necessary for the proper execution of the orders of the

573

GENERAL COUNCIL ON FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 818

General Conference. The General Commission on Communica-

tion shall promote the Episcopal Fund.

2. Requirements—The council shall recommend to each qua-

drennial session of the General Conference for its action and

determination: (1) the amounts to be xed as salaries of the effec-

tive bishops or a formula by which the council shall x the sala-

ries; (2) a schedule of such amounts as may be judged adequate to

provide for their ofce expense; (3) provision for an annual oper-

ating budget for the Council of Bishops, including the salaries and

ofce and travel expenses of the executive secretary and the ecu-

menical ofcer of the Council of Bishops; (4) guidelines govern-

ing the payment of bishops’ travel expenses, including all travel

authorized by the Council of Bishops; (5) the amounts needed to

fund the Clergy Retirement Security Program or the Global Epis-

copal Pension Program (or, in either case, any successor bishop

pension or retirement plan or program); and (6) provisions for

allowance for the surviving spouses and for the support of minor

children of deceased bishops. From the facts in hand, the council

shall estimate the approximate total amount required annually

during the ensuing quadrennium to provide for the items of epis-

copal support mentioned above and shall report the same to the

General Conference. This amount as nally determined shall be

the estimated episcopal budget. The administration of the Episco-

pal Fund budget as determined by the General Conference shall

be under the direction and authority of the General Council on

Finance and Administration, including annual scal statements

and audits. Nothing in this paragraph shall preclude the annual

conference or conferences of an episcopal area from including in

their budgets amounts for an area expense fund.

3. Proportionality—The amount apportioned to a charge for

the Episcopal Fund shall be paid in the same proportion as the

charge pays its pastor (see also ¶ 622).

4. Bishops’ Salaries—The treasurer of the General Council on

Finance and Administration shall remit monthly to each effec-

tive bishop one-twelfth of the annual salary as determined by the

General Conference, less such deductions or reductions from the

salary as each bishop may authorize. Allowances for retired bish-

ops and for the surviving spouses and minor children of deceased

bishops shall be paid in equal monthly installments.

21. See Judicial Council Decisions 320, 1298.

574

¶ 818 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

5. Housing Expenses—The General Council on Finance and

Administration shall provide an annual grant from the Episcopal

Fund to share in the costs of providing the episcopal residence

owned by the annual or central conference(s) in the episcopal

area. The amount of such grant is to be approved by the Gen-

eral Conference on recommendation of the council. The Episcopal

Fund shall not make a payment directly to a bishop for housing. It

shall go to the annual conference(s) for episcopal residence hous-

ing purposes. The treasurer of the General Council on Finance

and Administration shall remit the annual housing grant to the

respective annual or central conference(s) in the episcopal area.

The treasurer shall also remit periodic installments of the amount

approved by the council as ofce expenses to each bishop, or to

the ofce designated by the bishop to receive such payments.

6. Episcopal Expense Reimbursement and Honoraria Policies—

The treasurer of the council shall pay monthly the claim for the

ofcial travel of each bishop upon presentation of an itemized

voucher with such supporting data as may be required by the

General Council on Finance and Administration. Ofcial travel of

an effective bishop shall be interpreted to include: (1) all visita-

tions to local churches and to institutions or enterprises of The

United Methodist Church within the area; (2) such travel outside

the area, but within the jurisdiction, as is approved by the College

of Bishops; and (3) such other travel as may be consistent with

guidelines approved by the General Conference as being within

the meaning of ofcial travel. No part of the expense and no hono-

raria for any such visitations shall be accepted from local churches

or enterprises or institutions of The United Methodist Church,

such expense being a proper claim against the Episcopal Fund.

Nothing in this interpretation is intended to preclude special or

nonofcial engagements of a bishop other than the oversight of

the temporal and spiritual affairs of the Church, such as series of

lectures in educational institutions, baccalaureate addresses, and

preaching missions for several days’ duration when such engage-

ments do not interfere with ofcial duties, nor does it preclude the

acceptance of honoraria for such services.

7. Audit of Episcopal Area Ofces—Fiscal reporting and audit

procedures of each area ofce shall be determined according to

a schedule as set forth by the council upon recommendation of

a committee designated by the General Council on Finance and

Administration.

575

GENERAL COUNCIL ON FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 818

8. Episcopal Pensions—The pensions for the support of retired

bishops elected by General, jurisdictional, or central conferences

and the surviving spouses and minor dependent children of such

deceased bishops shall be administered by the General Council

on Finance and Administration in consultation with the General

Board of Pension and Health Benets and in accordance with such

program and procedures as may from time to time be determined

by the General Council on Finance and Administration with the

approval of the General Conference. For service years beginning

January 1, 1982, and thereafter, the pensions for the support of

bishops elected by jurisdictional conferences and those of their

surviving spouses and dependent children shall include the ben-

ets provided by the Clergy Retirement Security Program (or any

successor bishop pension or retirement plan or program) and

the Comprehensive Protection Plan of the General Board of Pen-

sion and Health Benets. The pensions for the support of bishops

elected by central conferences and those of their surviving spouses

and, for service years beginning before January 1, 1982, the pen-

sions for the support of bishops elected by jurisdictional confer-

ences and those of their surviving spouses shall both include the

benets provided by the Global Episcopal Pension Program.

9. Episcopal Group Health Care Plan—The General Council

on Finance and Administration shall sponsor or participate in a

group health care plan that covers bishops elected by jurisdic-

tional conferences, in the United States. For the purpose of this

paragraph, group health care plan shall mean a health insurance

plan, group health care plan, or multiple-employer health care

plan that provides benets for major medical and hospitalization

expenses. The General Council on Finance and Administration

may recommend additional eligibility for the group health care

plan in its discretion.

Alternatively, in the event that federal law or state law gov-

erning health care plans and health insurance establishes coverage

options for those persons without employer-provided coverage

that ensure access, regardless of health status or condition, to

affordable coverage through health insurance exchanges, con-

nectors, single-payer systems, or other mechanisms, the General

Council on Finance and Administration may cease maintaining

its group health care plan for bishops to the extent such cover-

age is available to the bishops. In such event, the General Coun-

cil on Finance and Administration nevertheless shall provide

576

¶ 818 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

continued administrative and nancial support of bishops toward

the purchase of such coverage through these alternative mecha-

nisms to the extent individuals’ coverage may not be subsidized

by government agencies, i.e., because their compensation exceeds

certain thresholds, particularly considering the tax advantages of

employer-provided nancial support toward health care coverage.

In addition, the Council of Bishops shall provide and maintain

health and wellness programs for bishops. Moreover, annually,

the General Council on Finance and Administration shall submit

Episcopal health plan data, to the extent the General Council on

Finance and Administration maintains a group health care plan

for bishops, de-identied as necessary, including, but not limited

to, nancial soundness, claims experience and other cost drivers,

plan designs and coverage, and eligibility criteria to the General

Board of Pension and Health Benets.

10. Episcopal Retiree Health Care Access—The General Coun-

cil on Finance and Administration shall respect the health and

wholeness of retired bishops in the United States and their

spouses by facilitating access to Medicare supplement plans and

prescription drug coverage plans. Access for retirees and their

spouses may include, but shall not be limited to (i) sponsoring

an employer retiree health care plan that supplements Medicare;

(ii) participating in a multiple employer retiree health care plan

that supplements Medicare; (iii) securing individuals’ eligibility

under group contracts with Medicare supplement plan providers

or exchanges; (iv) subsidizing the costs of coverage for retirees

and their spouses enrolled in Medicare Part D plans or Medi-

care Advantage plans; (v) providing subsidies toward and group

relationships with providers of individual Medicare Supplement

and other retiree coverage policies; and (vi) providing xed dol-

lar retiree health benets through health reimbursement arrange-

ments, stipends, or otherwise. The General Council on Finance

and Administration must submit a generally accepted nancial

valuation, such as in accordance with Statement of Financial

Accounting Standard No. 106, as amended, of its projected medi-

cal liabilities for the retired population covered by the Episco-

pal Group Health Care Plan to the General Board of Pension and

Health Benets, biennially.

11. Bishops Whose Service Is Interrupted—Should any effec-

tive bishop in the interim of the quadrennial sessions of the juris-

dictional conference be relieved by the College of Bishops of the

577

GENERAL COUNCIL ON FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 819

jurisdiction from the performance of regular episcopal duties on

account of ill health or for any other reason, the president of the

said College of Bishops shall so notify the treasurer of the Episco-

pal Fund. Beginning ninety days after such notication, the said

bishop shall receive at least the minimum regular pension allow-

ance of a retired bishop; the amount of such benet for which the

Episcopal Fund is responsible shall be reduced by the amount of

any disability benet payable from the Comprehensive Protec-

tion Plan of the General Board of Pension and Health Benets.

Such pension allowance shall continue until the regular duties of

an effective bishop are resumed or until the bishop’s status shall

have been determined by the jurisdictional conference. Assign-

ment of another bishop or bishops to perform the regular episco-

pal duties of a bishop so disabled or otherwise incapacitated, for

a period of sixty days or more, shall be interpreted as a release of

the said bishop from the performance of regular episcopal duties.

12. Retired Bishops Appointed to Ad Interim Service—Should

any retired bishop, in the interim of the quadrennial sessions of

the jurisdictional conference, be called into active service and

assigned to active episcopal duty (¶ 406.3), that bishop shall be

entitled to remuneration for such service. The Episcopal Fund

shall be responsible for the difference between the pension of the

retired bishop and the remuneration of an active bishop. In the

event of such assignment of a retired bishop to active episcopal

duty, the president or secretary of the Council of Bishops shall

notify the treasurer of the Episcopal Fund. The treasurer of the

Episcopal Fund shall make remittance accordingly.

F A B  G F

¶ 819. Special Churchwide Financial Appeals—1. Any general

appeal to the Church at large for nancial support for any cause,

agency, institution, or purpose shall be subject to the provisions of

this paragraph. Appeals in conjunction or partnership with other

corporations for projects that are believed to be consistent with

the established mission and ministry of The United Methodist

Church shall also be subject to the provisions of this paragraph.

Appeals to special or limited groups such as alumni of an educa-

tional institution are not included.

2. Any general board, cause, agency, or institution or any

organization, group, ofcer, or individual of The United Method-

ist Church or to which The United Methodist Church contributes

578

¶ 819 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

nancial support desiring or proposing to make a special church-

wide nancial appeal during the quadrennium shall present

a request for authorization to make such appeal to the General

Council on Finance and Administration at the time budgets for

the ensuing quadrennium are being considered. All such appeals

shall be reviewed by the Connectional Table, and its actions shall

be reported to the General Council on Finance and Administra-

tion. The council shall then report such request to the General

Conference with a recommendation for its action thereon.

3. In the interim between the quadrennial sessions of the

General Conference, such proposed churchwide nancial appeal

shall require the approval of the General Council on Finance and

Administration, the Connectional Table and the Council of Bish-

ops. In case of emergency, the executive committee, if any, of these

bodies may act in such matter for the body itself, but only by a

three-fourths vote.

4. All requests for approval of a special churchwide nancial

appeal, whether as a request for General Conference action or in

the interim between sessions of General Conference, shall include

a proposed budget for a promotion of the appeal, including pro-

posed promotional expenditures and the sources of funding (see

¶ 1806.13).

5. Any individual or agency authorized to make a church-

wide appeal for funds shall channel all gifts through the General

Council on Finance and Administration.

6. The General Council on Finance and Administration may

withhold payment of the allocation from any general fund to any

agency or institution that it nds to be in violation of the provi-

sions of this paragraph.

¶ 820. World Service Specials—1. World Service Specials are

ofcial programs within The United Methodist Church through

which support may be designated for projects approved by the

General Conference and in the interim by the General Council on

Finance and Administration and the Connectional Table.

2. A World Service Special donation is a designated nancial

contribution made by an individual, local church, organization,

district, or annual conference to a project authorized as a World

Service Special project. All general boards and commissions (see

¶ 810.2) except those units of the General Board of Global Minis-

tries authorized to receive general Advance Specials are autho-

rized to recommend World Service Special projects for approval,

579

GENERAL COUNCIL ON FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 820

provided the project is specically related to one or more of the

disciplinary functions of the recommending agency.

3. General guidelines governing the types of projects that

may be recommended as World Service Special projects shall

be approved by the General Conference on recommendation of

the Connectional Table and the General Council on Finance and

Administration.

4. The World Service Specials program shall be under the

administrative supervision of the General Council on Finance

and Administration, and programmatic supervision of the Con-

nectional Table, which jointly shall: (a) establish project approval

criteria consistent with the guidelines adopted by the General

Conference; (b) establish the process by which projects may be rec-

ommended and approved; (c) approve projects to receive World

Service Special support; and (d) provide adequate staff adminis-

tration and program accountability.

5. Churches and individuals shall give priority to the support

of World Service and conference benevolences and other appor-

tioned funds. World Service Special giving shall be voluntary and

in addition to the support of apportioned funds. World Service

Specials shall not be raised as a part of a fund apportioned by an

annual conference.

6. Local church treasurers shall remit World Service Special

donations in full to annual conference treasurers, who shall remit

each month to the General Council on Finance and Administra-

tion the total amounts received during the month as World Ser-

vice Specials. The council shall remit such funds in full to the

administering agencies, which shall acknowledge the receipt of

every donation to the donor or the local church.

7. General promotion of this program, for purposes of name

identication and visibility, shall be the responsibility of the Gen-

eral Commission on Communication.

8. Specic cultivation of approved projects shall be done by

the administering agencies to specic audiences that have dem-

onstrated their interest and concern for the ministry contained in

the approved project. Expenses for specic cultivation shall be

borne by the administering agencies. No promotional or cultiva-

tion expenses shall be paid from World Service Special receipts.

Such expenses shall not exceed amounts approved by the Gen-

eral Council on Finance and Administration under guidelines

approved by the General Conference.

580

¶ 821 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

¶ 821. General Directives, World Service Specials, and UMCOR

Sunday—The following general directives shall be observed in

the promotion and administration of World Service Specials and

UMCOR Sunday:

1. In the appeal and promotion of World Service Specials and

UMCOR Sunday offerings, there shall be no goals or quotas except

as they may be set by the annual conferences for themselves.

2. The treasurer of the General Council on Finance and

Administration shall be treasurer of World Service Specials and

UMCOR Sunday.

3. Promotional expenses for World Service Specials shall be

borne by the respective participating agencies in proportion to the

amount received by each in World Service Specials. The causes of

World Service Specials shall be coordinated with other nancial

appeals and shall be promoted by the General Commission on

Communication.

4. The appeals for World Service Specials shall be channeled

through bishops, district superintendents, and pastors. Details of

the procedure shall be determined by the General Commission on

Communication in consultation with representatives of the recipi-

ent agencies or entities.

5. In each annual conference, World Service Specials and

UMCOR Sunday shall be promoted by the appropriate confer-

ence agency with the appropriate general agency and the General

Commission on Communication.

6. Should a clear emergency arise or an appropriate outreach

opportunity emerge requiring urgent response between ses-

sions of the General Conference, any feature of the structure and

administration of World Service Specials may be altered on the

approval of a majority of the Council of Bishops and of the Gen-

eral Council on Finance and Administration in consultation with

the Connectional Table. The executive committee, if any, of each

of these bodies may act in such matter for the body itself, but only

by a three-fourths vote.

¶ 822. The Advance—1. The Advance for Christ and His

Church (hereafter referred to as the Advance) is an ofcial program

within The United Methodist Church through which support may

be designated for projects approved by the Advance Committee

of the General Board of Global Ministries (hereafter referred to

as the Advance Committee). Cultivation for the Advance shall

581

GENERAL COUNCIL ON FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 822

be through channels of the church other than United Methodist

Women who have other means of mission giving.

2. A general Advance Special Gift is a designated nancial

contribution made by an individual, local church, organization,

district, or conference to a project authorized for this purpose by

the Advance Committee.

a) Gifts as Advance Specials may be made for specic

projects or purposes authorized by the Advance Committee.

b) Gifts as Advance Specials may be made for broadly

designated causes (such as a type of work, a country, or a region)

or for use as block grants to a certain country or administrative

unit, provided such causes are authorized by the Advance Com-

mittee. In such case the administering agency shall provide the

donor with information about the area to which the funds have

been given and, where practicable, establish communication with

a person or group representative of that type of work.

c) Rather than being given to a specic project, an

Advance Special Gift may be given to the mission program units

of the General Board of Global Ministries or the United Methodist

Committee on Relief. In such cases the program unit shall deter-

mine the Advance Special project(s) to which such a gift shall be

allocated.

3. Funds given and received as a part of the general Advance

shall be subject to the following conditions:

a) Churches and individuals shall give priority to the

support of the World Service Fund and conference benevolences

and other apportioned funds. Advance giving shall be voluntary

and in addition to the support of apportioned funds.

b) Funds shall be solicited or received only for autho-

rized projects. Programs and institutions having general Advance

Special projects shall promote only the projects approved and

shall ask that gifts be remitted in the manner described in ¶ 822.4

below.

c) Donor-designated gifts received through the Advance

shall be used solely for project support and are not to be used for

general Church administration or promotional costs. Donors will

be offered the option to add an additional contribution to cover

administrative costs.

d) Advance Special Gifts shall not be raised as a part

of a fund apportioned by an annual conference. (For conference

Advance Special Gifts, see ¶ 656.)

582

¶ 822 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

e) Upon receipt of funds for a general Advance Spe-

cial, the General Board of Global Ministries shall communicate

promptly with the donor, acknowledging receipt of the gift and

suggesting avenues for communication if communication has not

already been established.

4. Receipts for general Advance Specials shall be remitted by

the local church treasurer to the conference treasurer, who shall

make remittance each month to the participating agencies in a

manner determined by the treasurer of the General Council on

Finance and Administration. Individuals may remit directly to

respective program units in a manner determined by the treasurer

of the General Council on Finance and Administration, includ-

ing online giving, with these remittances reported to the General

Council on Finance and Administration.

¶ 823. General Directives, Advance Specials—The following

general directives shall be observed in the promotion and admin-

istration of the Advance:

1. In the appeal and promotion of Advance Specials, there

shall be no goals or quotas except as they may be set by the annual

conferences for themselves.

2. The treasurer of the General Council on Finance and

Administration shall be treasurer of the Advance. The treasury

function for the Advance is performed by the treasurer of the

General Board of Global Ministries on behalf of the General Coun-

cil on Finance and Administration.

3. Promotional expenses for Advance Specials shall be borne

by the respective participating units in proportion to the amount

received by each in Advance Specials. The causes of the Advance

shall be coordinated with other nancial appeals and shall be pro-

moted by the General Commission on Communication.

4. The appeal for Advance Specials shall be channeled

through bishops, district superintendents, pastors, and other

individuals. Details of the procedure shall be determined by the

General Commission on Communication in consultation with the

designated unit of the General Board of Global Ministries and the

Advance Committee.

5. In each annual conference the conference board of global

ministries (if any; see ¶ 633), in cooperation with the General

Board of Global Ministries, shall promote Advance Specials

through conference and district secretaries of global ministries,

conference and district mission events, and other effective means

as it may determine.

583

GENERAL COUNCIL ON FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 824

¶ 824. General Church Special Sunday Offerings—The follow-

ing are the churchwide special Sundays with offerings to be used

in support of general Church causes:

1. Human Relations Day—Historically, Human Relations Day

has been celebrated with an offering on the Sunday before the

observance of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. Congregations are

encouraged to observe Human Relations Day on this date or on

another date appropriate to the local church. The purpose shall be

to further the development of better human relations. The obser-

vance shall be under the general supervision of the General Board

of Global Ministries and the General Board of Church and Society.

In connection with Human Relations Day, the General Commis-

sion on Communication shall conduct a churchwide appeal. The

treasurer of the General Council on Finance and Administration

shall allocate net receipts, after payment of promotional expenses

(see ¶ 263.1). Funds shall be administered by the agencies under

which approved programs are lodged.

2. UMCOR Sunday—Historically, UMCOR Sunday

has been

celebrated with an offering on the Fourth Sunday in Lent. Congre-

gations are encouraged to observe UMCOR Sunday on this date or

on another date appropriate to the local church. The purpose shall

be to share the goodness of life with those who hurt (¶ 263.2). The

observance shall be under the general supervision of the United

Methodist Committee on Relief, General Board of Global Minis-

tries (¶ 1315.1c(5), in accordance with the following directives:

a) All local churches shall be fully informed and encour-

aged to receive a freewill offering in behalf of the relief program.

b) Insofar as possible, planning and promotion of One

Great Hour of Sharing

shall be done cooperatively with other

denominations through the National Council of the Churches of

Christ in the U.S.A. Offering receipts shall be administered by

The United Methodist Church. In connection with UMCOR Sun-

day,

the General Commission on Communication shall conduct

a churchwide appeal. The treasurer of the General Council on

Finance and Administration shall allocate net receipts after pay-

ment of promotional expenses. Funds shall be administered by

the agency under which approved programs are lodged.

22. One Great Hour of Sharing is now called UMCOR Sunday in The United

Methodist Church. See General Conference 2016 Calendar Item 53 (DCA page 2101).

23. Changed from One Great Hour of Sharing to be consistent with General Con-

ference 2016 Calendar Item 53 (DCA page 2101).

584

¶ 824 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

3. United Methodist Student Day—Historically, United Meth-

odist Student Day has been celebrated with an offering on the last

Sunday in November. Congregations are encouraged to observe

United Methodist Student Day on this date or on another date

appropriate to the local church. The offering shall support United

Methodist scholarships and the United Methodist Student Loan

Fund (¶ 263.4). The observance shall be under the general super-

vision of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. In

connection with United Methodist Student Day, the General Com-

mission on Communication shall conduct a churchwide appeal.

The treasurer of the General Council on Finance and Adminis-

tration shall allocate net receipts, after payment of promotional

expenses. Funds shall be administered by the agency under which

approved programs are lodged.

4. World Communion Sunday—Historically, World Commu-

nion Sunday has been celebrated with an offering on the rst Sun-

day of October. Congregations are encouraged to observe World

Communion Sunday on this date or another date appropriate to

the local church. The purpose shall be to assist racial and ethnic

persons pursuing various avenues of ministry. In connection with

World Communion Sunday, the General Commission on Com-

munication shall conduct a churchwide appeal according to the

following directives:

a) Each local church shall be requested to remit as pro-

vided in ¶ 824.8 all of the communion offering received on World

Communion Sunday and such portion of the communion offering

received at other observances of the sacrament of the Lord’s Sup-

per as the local church may designate.

b) The treasurer of the General Council on Finance and

Administration shall allocate net receipts, after payment of pro-

motional expenses, to be divided as follows: 50 percent World

Communion Scholarships; 35 percent Ethnic Scholarship Pro-

gram, and 15 percent Ethnic In-Service Training Program. Funds

shall be administered by the General Board of Global Ministries

and the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, in con-

sultation with various ethnic groups (¶ 263.3).

5. Peace with Justice Sunday—Historically, Peace with Justice

Sunday has been celebrated with an offering on the rst Sunday

after Pentecost. Congregations are encouraged to observe Peace

with Justice Sunday on this date or on another date appropriate

to the local church. The purpose shall be to witness “to God’s

585

GENERAL COUNCIL ON FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION ¶ 824

demand for a faithful, just, disarmed, and secure world” (¶ 263.5).

The observance shall be under the general supervision of the Gen-

eral Board of Church and Society. In connection with Peace with

Justice Sunday, the General Commission on Communication shall

conduct a churchwide appeal.

a) The annual conference treasurer shall retain 50 percent

of the monies for Peace with Justice Ministries in the annual con-

ference, to be administered by the conference board of church and

society or an equivalent structure.

b) The annual conference treasurer shall remit the remain-

ing 50 percent of the monies to the General Council on Finance

and Administration.

c) The treasurer of the General Council on Finance and

Administration shall allocate net receipts, after payment of the

promotional expenses, to the General Board of Church and Soci-

ety under which approved programs are lodged.

6. Native American Ministries Sunday—Historically, Native

American Ministries Sunday has been celebrated with an offer-

ing on the Third Sunday of Easter. Congregations are encouraged

to observe Native American Ministries Sunday on this date or on

another date appropriate to the local church. The purpose shall

be to develop and strengthen Native American ministries in the

annual conferences and in Native American rural, urban, and res-

ervation ministries and communities relating to the General Board

of Global Ministries, and to provide scholarships for Native Amer-

icans attending United Methodist schools of theology (¶ 263.6).

The observance shall be under the general supervision of the Gen-

eral Board of Global Ministries and the General Board of Higher

Education and Ministry. In connection with Native American

Ministries Sunday, the General Commission on Communication

shall conduct a churchwide appeal. The treasurer of the General

Council on Finance and Administration shall allocate net receipts,

after payment of promotional expenses. Funds shall be adminis-

tered by the agencies under which approved projects are lodged.

7. The General Commission on Communication shall pro-

mote all authorized churchwide special Sundays with offerings

in consultation with participating agencies. Promotional expenses

for each offering shall be a prior claim against the receipts of the

offering promoted. In each case, such expenses shall be within a

budget approved by the General Council on Finance and Admin-

istration upon recommendation of the General Commission on

586

¶ 824 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

Communication after consultation with participating agencies.

In the promotion of these offerings, the spiritual implications of

Christian stewardship shall be emphasized.

8. Receipts from all authorized churchwide special Sunday

offerings shall be remitted promptly by the local church treasurer

to the annual conference treasurer, who shall remit monthly to

the treasurer of the General Council on Finance and Administra-

tion. Local churches shall report the amount of the offerings in the

manner indicated on the annual conference report form.

Section III. Connectional Table

¶ 901. Name—There shall be a Connectional Table in The

United Methodist Church where ministry and money are brought

to the same table to coordinate the mission, ministries, and resources

of The United Methodist Church. Effective January 1, 2005, the

Connectional Table shall be assigned the primary responsibilities,

general policies and practices found in the relevant 700 paragraphs.

¶ 902. Incorporation—The Connectional Table shall be incor-

porated in such state or states, as the Connectional Table shall

determine. This corporation shall be the successor corporation

and organization to the General Council on Ministries of The

United Methodist Church, an Ohio corporation, and the Program

Council of The United Methodist Church.

¶ 903. Amenability—The Connectional Table shall report and

be amenable to the General Conference.

¶ 904. Purpose—The purpose of the Connectional Table (CT)

is for the discernment and articulation of the vision for the church

and the stewardship of the mission, ministries, and resources of

The United Methodist Church as determined by the actions of

the General Conference and in consultation with the Council of

Bishops. As part of the total mission of the church, the CT is to

serve as a steward of the vision and resources for mission and

ministry, provide scal responsibility, and establish policies and

procedures to carry out the mission of the church.

¶ 905. Objectives—The essential functions of the Connec-

tional Table are:

1. To provide a forum for the understanding and implemen-

tation of the vision, mission, and ministries of the global church

as determined in consultation with the Council of Bishops and/or

the actions of the General Conference.

2. To enable the ow of information and communication

587

CONNECTIONAL TABLE ¶ 906

among annual conferences, jurisdictions, central conferences,

general agencies, and the Council of Bishops.

3. Consistent with actions of the General Conference, to coor-

dinate the program life of the church with the mandates of the

gospel, the mission of the church, and the needs of the global com-

munity by listening to the expression of needs, addressing emerg-

ing issues, and determining the most effective, cooperative, and

efcient way to provide optimum stewardship of ministries, per-

sonnel, and resources.

4. To review and evaluate the missional effectiveness of gen-

eral program-related agencies and connectional structures of the

church as they collectively seek to aid annual conferences and

local churches as they fulll the mission of The United Methodist

Church to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of

the world.

5. To recommend to the General Conference such changes

and implementing legislation as may be appropriate to ensure

effectiveness of the general agencies.

6. To provide leadership in planning and research, assisting

all levels of the church to evaluate needs and plan strategies to

carry out the mission of the church.

7. In order to be accountable, along with the General Council

on Finance and Administration, to The United Methodist Church

through the General Conference, the Connectional Table shall

have the authority and responsibility in the following matters:

a) To collaborate with the General Council on Finance

and Administration in the preparation of budgets for the appor-

tioned funds as provided for in ¶¶ 806.1 and 810.1.

b) To receive from the General Council on Finance and

Administration and approve all general agency budget reviews.

c) To review and approve special offerings and church-

wide appeals.

¶ 906. Organization of the Connectional Table—1. Membership—

The voting members of the Connectional Table shall consist of 49

persons as follows:

a) Twenty-eight persons elected through jurisdictional

and central conferences, one from each of the central conferences

by their own nomination processes and 21 from the jurisdictional

conferences elected by the jurisdictional nomination process.

Jurisdictional membership shall include one person from each

jurisdiction and the balance of the jurisdictional members shall

588

¶ 906 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

be allocated by the Secretary of the General Conference so as to

insure to the extent possible that the members represent the pro-

portionate membership of the jurisdictions based upon the com-

bined clergy and lay membership.

b) An effective bishop, selected by the Council of Bish-

ops, serves as the chair of the Connectional Table.

c) The ecumenical ofcer of the Council of Bishops and

the presidents of the following agencies: General Board of Church

and Society, General Board of Discipleship, General Board of

Global Ministries, General Board of Higher Education and Min-

istry, General Commission on Religion and Race, General Com-

mission on Status and Role of Women, General Commission on

United Methodist Men, General Commission on Communication,

and General Commission on Archives and History, program-

related agencies that are accountable to the Connectional Table (as

expressed in ¶ 702.3). The chairperson of the Commission on the

General Conference, the chairperson of the Standing Committee

on Central Conference Matters, and the president of the General

Council on Finance and Administration shall also sit with voice

and vote on the Connectional Table.

d) One youth and one young adult elected by the Con-

nectional Table upon nomination by the membership of the Divi-

sion on Ministries With Young People from among its members

shall serve on the Connectional Table.

e) One member from each of the racial/ethnic caucuses

as elected by the Connectional Table upon nomination from: Black

Methodists for Church Renewal, Methodists Associated to Repre-

sent Hispanic Americans, Native American International Caucus,

National Federation of Asian American United Methodists and

Pacic Islanders National Caucus United Methodist.

f) The general secretaries of the above-named agencies

and the General Board of Pension and Health Benets, the United

Methodist Women, the publisher of The United Methodist Pub-

lishing House, and the secretary of General Conference shall sit at

the Table and have the right of voice but no vote.

g) Jurisdictional, central conferences, and other groups

involved in the nominating and election of persons to the Connec-

tional Table shall ensure the diversity objectives of, insofar as pos-

sible, fty percent clergy, fty percent laity, fty percent female,

fty percent male, not less than thirty percent members of racial/

ethnic groups (excluding central conference members), and not

589

GENERAL BOARD OF CHURCH AND SOCIETY ¶ 1003

less than ten percent youth and young adults, ensuring diversity

as otherwise provided in ¶ 705.4b.

h) Vacancies of members elected from central and juris-

dictional conferences occurring between sessions of the general

conference shall be lled by the College of Bishops where the

vacancy occurred, in so far as possible from the same annual

conference.

i) Members shall meet all the membership qualications

as expressed in ¶ 710.

2. Meetings—The Connectional Table shall meet at least semi-

annually and at such other times as are necessary on call of the

president or on written request of one-fth of the members.

One more than half of the voting membership shall constitute a

quorum.

3. Ofcers—The ofcers of the Connectional Table, other than

the chair, shall be elected from the Connectional Table and shall

serve for a quadrennium or until their successors are duly elected.

4. Internal Structure—The Connectional Table shall determine

its own internal structure as it deems appropriate for the perfor-

mance of its duties.

5. Staff—The Connectional Table shall determine the support

staff that it deems appropriate to facilitate its work.

¶ 907. Effective Date—The organizational plan for the Con-

nectional Table shall be effective January 1, 2005.

Section IV. General Board of Church and Society

¶ 1001. Name—There shall be a General Board of Church and

Society in The United Methodist Church, as an expression of the

mission of the Church.

¶ 1002. Purpose—The purpose of the board shall be to relate

the gospel of Jesus Christ to the members of the Church and to the

persons and structures of the communities and world in which

they live. It shall seek to bring the whole of human life, activities,

possessions, use of resources, and community and world rela-

tionships into conformity with the will of God. It shall show the

members of the Church and the society that the reconciliation that

God effected through Christ involves personal, social, and civic

righteousness.

¶ 1003. Objectives—To achieve its purpose, the board shall:

1. Project plans and programs that challenge the members of

The United Methodist Church to work through their own local

590

¶ 1003 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

churches, ecumenical channels, and society toward personal,

social, and civic righteousness;

2. Assist the district and annual conferences with needed

resources in areas of such concerns;

3. Analyze the issues that confront persons, communities,

nations, and the world; and

4. Encourage Christian lines of action that assist humankind

to move toward a world where peace and justice are achieved.

¶ 1004. Responsibilities—The prime responsibility of the

board is to seek the implementation of the Social Principles and

other policy statements of the General Conference on Christian

social concerns.

Furthermore, the board and its executives shall provide forth-

right witness and action on issues of human well-being, justice,

peace, and the integrity of creation that call Christians to respond

as forgiven people for whom Christ died. In particular, the board

shall conduct a program of research, education, and action on the

wide range of issues that confront the Church.

The board shall analyze long-range social trends and their

underlying ethical values. It shall explore systemic strategies for

social change and alternative futures. It shall speak its convictions,

interpretations, and concerns to the Church and to the world.

The board shall develop, promote, and distribute resources

and conduct programs to inform, motivate, train, organize, and

build networks for action toward social justice throughout society,

particularly on the specic issues prioritized by the board. Special

attention shall be given to the nurture of the active constituency of

the board. The board will encourage an exchange of ideas on strat-

egy and methodology for social change. Through conferences,

districts, coalitions, and networks, it will assist Church members

as they identify and respond to critical social issues at community,

regional, national, and international levels. The board shall pro-

mote education, prayer, and advocacy on behalf of our brothers

and sisters in Christ around the world who suffer persecution for

their faith.

All the above shall be consistent with the Social Principles

and policies adopted by the General Conference.

The board shall maintain close relationships with the General

Commission on Religion and Race, the General Commission on

the Status and Role of Women, and the Appalachian Develop-

591

GENERAL BOARD OF CHURCH AND SOCIETY ¶ 1006

ment Committee as they seek to coordinate denominational sup-

port and cooperation with various movements for racial, sexual,

and social justice, according to guidelines stated in the Book of

Discipline. In cooperation with ecumenical agencies and other

appropriate boards and agencies, the board shall encourage and

promote ministries and models of mediation and conict resolu-

tion, both ecumenically and within the agencies and institutions

of The United Methodist Church.

The board shall facilitate and coordinate the legislative advo-

cacy activities in the United States Congress of other general

agencies of The United Methodist Church that receive General

Church funds.

¶ 1005. Incorporation—The General Board of Church and

Society shall be a corporation existing under the laws of the Dis-

trict of Columbia and shall be the legal successor and successor in

trust of the corporations, boards, departments, or entities known

as the General Board of Christian Social Concerns of The United

Methodist Church; the Department of Christian Social Action of

The Evangelical United Brethren Church; the Board of Christian

Social Concerns of The Methodist Church; the Division of Gen-

eral Welfare of the General Board of Church and Society of The

United Methodist Church; the Division of General Welfare of the

General Board of Christian Social Concerns of The United Meth-

odist Church; the Division of Alcohol Problems and General Wel-

fare of the Board of Christian Social Concerns of The Methodist

Church; the Division of Temperance and General Welfare of the

Board of Christian Social Concerns of The Methodist Church; the

Board of Temperance of The Methodist Church; the Board of Tem-

perance, Prohibition, and Public Morals of The Methodist Episco-

pal Church; the Board of World Peace of The Methodist Church;

the Commission on World Peace of The Methodist Church; the

Commission on World Peace of The Methodist Episcopal Church;

the Division of World Peace of the General Board of Church and

Society of The United Methodist Church; the Board of Social and

Economic Relations of The Methodist Church; the Division of

Human Relations of the General Board of Church and Society of

The United Methodist Church.

¶ 1006. Organization—1. The General Board of Church and

Society shall have sixty-two members, constituted in accordance

24. See Judicial Council Decision 387.

592

¶ 1006 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

with ¶ 705.3d, and shall be organized as specied in its bylaws

and in harmony with ¶¶ 702-710 of the General Provisions. The

membership shall be constituted as follows:

a) Jurisdictional Members—Clergy, laywomen, and lay-

men shall be elected to the board by the jurisdictional conference

upon nomination from the annual conference in accordance with

¶ 705.5b, based on the following formula: North Central—7,

Northeastern—8, South Central—11, Southeastern—12, and

Western—3.

b) Central Conference Members—Six central conference

members shall be elected to the board on nomination by the

Council of Bishops, according to the provisions in ¶ 705.4c.

c) Episcopal Members—Six episcopal members, including

at least one from the central conferences, shall be named by the

Council of Bishops.

d) Additional Members—(1) United Methodist—Addi-

tional members are nominated by a committee composed of three

persons from each jurisdiction (one clergy, one laywoman, and

one layman) elected by the jurisdictional conference. They shall

elect up to nine additional members to ensure inclusivity and

expertise.

(2) The board may elect one of the additional mem-

bers with vote from among our Full Communion Ecumenical

Partners.

¶ 1007. Vacancies—Vacancies in the board membership shall

be lled by the procedure dened in ¶ 712.

¶ 1008. Financial Support—1. The General Conference shall

determine and provide the funding for the board in accord with

policies and procedures of ¶ 806.

2. Either on behalf of its total work or on behalf of one of its

programs, the board may solicit and create special funds, receive

gifts and bequests, hold properties and securities in trust, and

administer all its nancial affairs in accordance with its own rules

and provisions of the Book of Discipline. Funds vested in any of the

predecessor boards shall be conserved for the specic purposes

for which such funds have been given.

¶ 1009. Staff—1. The general secretary shall be the chief

administrative ofcer of the board, responsible for the coordina-

tion of the total program of the board, the supervision of staff,

and the administration of the headquarters ofce. The general

593

GENERAL BOARD OF DISCIPLESHIP ¶ 1101

secretary shall be an ex ofcio member of the executive commit-

tee without vote and shall sit with the board when it is in session,

with voice but without vote.

2. All other staff are to be elected or appointed in a manner

prescribed by the board consistent with the afrmative action pol-

icies of the Church and the board.

¶ 1010. Headquarters—The headquarters location shall be

determined in accordance with ¶ 807.7. A United Nations Ofce

shall be maintained in cooperation with the General Board of

Global Ministries and the United Methodist Women’s national

organization.

¶ 1011. Bylaws—The General Board of Church and Society

shall provide its own bylaws, which shall not violate any pro-

visions of the Constitution or the Book of Discipline. The bylaws

may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members present

and voting thereon at a regular or special meeting, provided

that notice of such amendment has previously been given to the

members.

Section V. General Board of Discipleship

¶ 1101. Purpose—1. There shall be a General Board of Dis-

cipleship, the purpose of which is found within the expression of

the total mission of the Church. Its primary purpose shall be to

assist annual conferences, districts, and local churches of all mem-

bership sizes in their efforts to win persons to Jesus Christ as his

disciples and to help these persons to grow in their understand-

ing of God that they may respond in faith and love, to the end

that they may know who they are and what their human situation

means, increasingly identifying themselves as children of God

and members of the Christian community, to live in the Spirit of

God in every relationship, to fulll their common discipleship in

the world, and to abide in the Christian hope.

2. The board shall use its resources to enhance the meaning

of membership as dened in ¶¶ 216-220, which emphasizes the

importance of the identication of church membership with dis-

cipleship to Jesus Christ. The board shall seek to enable congrega-

tions to carry out their primary task and shall provide resources

that support growth in Christian discipleship. In doing its work,

the board shall listen to the needs and requests of the Church, con-

duct research, design and produce resources, offer training, and

deliver resources. All of this is to support congregations in their

594

¶ 1101 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

primary task of reaching out and receiving all who will respond,

encouraging people in their relationship with God and inviting

them to commitment to God’s love made known in Jesus Christ,

providing opportunities for them to be nurtured and formed in

the Christian faith, and supporting them to live lovingly and

justly in the power of the Holy Spirit as faithful disciples. The

board, through all activities, shall lead and assist congregations in

becoming inclusive communities of growing Christians, celebrat-

ing and communicating to persons of every age, racial and ethnic

background, and social condition the redeeming and reconciling

love of God as revealed in Jesus Christ.

3. Members of the General Board of Discipleship shall

assume duciary, strategic, and generative governing functions.

Fiduciary responsibilities include ensuring nancial, legal, and

ethical stewardship of tangible assets; accountability for stated

performance standards; ensuring the annual evaluation of the

general secretary; and providing counsel to the general secretary

regarding evaluation and deployment of staff. Strategic responsi-

bilities include ensuring that priorities, goals, achievement mark-

ers, and agency resources are aligned with the mission, vision,

and values of the agency. Generative responsibilities include

long-range analysis and planning in accordance with agency

mission, vision, and values; setting direction and priorities for

the agency; and exploring options in order to amend priorities

when needed.

4. Members of the General Board of Discipleship (GBOD) are

to be dedicated Christian leaders who have a heart for the local

church and a passion for making disciples. They must be willing

to invest time and skills to support the work of the board, includ-

ing interpreting and articulating the GBOD strategy in a variety

of contexts. They must engage in regular and intentional conver-

sation with networks and individuals throughout the church to

ensure that the wide diversity of people and perspectives pres-

ent in The United Methodist Church are considered as the board

carries out its responsibilities. They must be committed to sup-

porting and implementing the mandates and foci of the general

church as well as the General Board of Discipleship.

¶ 1102. Responsibilities—All the responsibilities assigned to

the units within the board shall be considered to be the respon-

sibilities of the board. In addition to these, the board shall have

authority to:

595

GENERAL BOARD OF DISCIPLESHIP ¶ 1102

1. Provide for special publications directed toward the local

church nurture, outreach, witness ministries, age-level and fam-

ily ministries, ministry group representatives, the ministry group

chairpersons, the pastor, and the other local church ofcers for

whom the board has primary responsibility.

2. Manage and produce The Upper Room daily devotional

guide and a wide range of other resources to help people grow in

their relationship with God.

3. Provide systems of resources and support to users of

resources that will assist people in the historic disciplines of the

Church, i.e., Christian education, evangelism, lay ministries,

spiritual growth, stewardship, and worship. These resources will

address ministry concerns across children, youth, and adult ages

and family groupings and across programmatic and administra-

tive functions of the congregation in order to improve ministry

and the quality of Christian leadership for the future ministry of

the Church.

4. Develop and provide resources, training, and consultation

for pastors of congregations. These resources will focus on equip-

ping pastors for their spiritual and visioning leadership role with

their congregations and their role as partners with the laity.

5. Develop and provide resources, training, and consultation

for pastors and congregational leaders as they enhance and evalu-

ate the ministries of the laity and initiate new forms of ministry

that nurture faith, build Christian community, and equip people

for ministry in daily life.

6. Provide resources and training that will assist annual con-

ference leaders in building, improving, and sustaining systems

that develop spiritual leaders for congregations.

7. Provide resources and training that will assist leaders in

planning and administering comprehensive children, youth,

young-adult, adult, and older-adult ministries that encourage

lifelong learning and growth in faith, that strengthen understand-

ing of God and relationship with God and other people, and that

lead to spiritual maturity in faith and in practice.

8. Provide representation in ecumenical and interdenomina-

tional agencies as they relate to the work of the board.

9. Respond to requests and needs for ministries through-

out the world, in consultation with conferences and appropriate

agencies.

596

¶ 1102 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

10. Engage in research, experimentation, innovation, and the

testing and evaluation of programs, resources, and methods to

discover more effective ways to help persons achieve the purpose

set forth in ¶ 1101. This responsibility will include authority for

experimentation and research in all areas of ministry assigned to

the General Board of Discipleship and will encourage cooperation

with other agencies in the conduct of such research and experi-

mentation. This research and experimentation may be assigned to

appropriate units within the board.

11. Ensure that ethnic local church concerns shall be an inte-

gral part of the total life of the board, providing guidance, resourc-

ing, and training so that these concerns are incorporated in all

areas of discipleship in the local church.

¶ 1103. The board shall provide such bylaws as necessary to

facilitate the work of the board, which shall not violate any provi-

sions of the Discipline and which may be amended by a two-thirds

vote of the members present and voting thereon at a regular or

special meeting; provided that written notice to such amend-

ment has been given to the members and the vote thereon shall be

delayed at least one day. The board shall have the power and right

to do any and all things that shall be authorized by its charter(s)

and by the Book of Discipline. It shall have authority to develop and

carry out its responsibilities as described in ¶ 1102; to buy, acquire,

or receive by gift, devise, or bequest property—real, personal, and

mixed; to hold, mortgage, sell, and dispose of property; to sue

and be sued; to borrow money in case of necessity in a manner

harmonious with ¶¶ 806-807; to develop and maintain ecumeni-

cal relations to carry out its responsibilities; and to administer its

affairs through the board and its various units and committees.

¶ 1104. Incorporation—1. The General Board of Discipleship

shall be a corporation existing under the laws of Tennessee and

shall be the legal successor and successor in trust of the corpora-

tions known as the General Board of Evangelism of The United

Methodist Church and the General Board of Laity of The United

Methodist Church, and it shall further be responsible for the per-

formance of the functions previously conducted by the Commis-

sion on Worship of The United Methodist Church, the Division of

the Local Church, and the Division of Curriculum Resources of

the General Board of Education of The United Methodist Church.

2. The General Board of Discipleship is authorized to take

such action as is appropriate under the corporation laws of Ten-

597

GENERAL BOARD OF DISCIPLESHIP ¶ 1104

nessee so as to accomplish the end result stated above, and under

which the General Board of Discipleship shall be one legal entity.

3. The divisions of the General Board of Education were not

incorporated separately; it is the intent, however, that responsibil-

ity for the functions delegated to the divisions by prior legislative

action be transferred consistent with the separation of the divisions

between the General Board of Discipleship and the General Board

of Higher Education and Ministry. In the division of the assets of

the General Board of Education, it is the intent that all assets be

used in keeping with the original intent and purpose for which

they were established or acquired, and so be assigned as appropri-

ate to the General Boards of Discipleship and Higher Education

and Ministry, respectively. It is further intended that the annuities,

bequests, trusts, and estates formerly held by the General Board of

Education be used for the benet and use of the General Boards of

Discipleship and Higher Education and Ministry (in accord with

their purposes as dened in the Discipline), respectively, as their

interests may appear, and that real estate titles be authorized to be

conveyed as appropriate and apportioned where indicated.

4. In the event that the intent of the original donor of exist-

ing annuities, bequests, trusts, and estates cannot clearly be deter-

mined in relation to the interests of the two boards, such assets

shall be divided equally between the two boards.

5. It is further intended that should additional assets accrue

to the former General Board of Education by reason of annuities,

bequests, trusts, and estates not now known and where the intent

of the donor can be clearly ascertained, the assets shall be used

in keeping with the original intent and purpose for which they

were established or acquired and so be assigned as appropriate

to the General Boards of Discipleship and Higher Education and

Ministry, respectively.

6. It is further intended that should additional assets accrue

to the former General Board of Education by reason of annuities,

bequests, trusts, and estates not now known and where the intent

of the original donor cannot be clearly determined in relation

to the interests of the two boards, such assets shall be divided

equally between the two boards.

7. The spiritual formation responsibilities of the general

board as described in ¶ 1115 may be carried out primarily by its

subsidiary The Upper Room, incorporated in the State of Tennes-

see as a nonprot, charitable organization that relates to the Gen-

598

¶ 1104 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

eral Board of Discipleship (GBOD) and whose board members are

elected by the GBOD. The Upper Room is authorized, subject to

¶ 1107, to establish long-range investments and engage in fund-

raising that shall guarantee, insofar as possible, a continuous ow

of nancial resources for the development of devotional litera-

ture, programs, and experiences.

8. The president of the board, the general secretary, and

the treasurer shall have the power to execute on behalf of the

board legal paper such as conveyances of real estate, releases on

mortgages, transfer of securities, contracts, and all other legal

documents.

¶ 1105. Organization—1. The board shall consist of twenty-

two members constituted in accordance with ¶ 705.3 of the

General Provisions. It shall be organized to accomplish its work

through elected ofcers as prescribed in ¶ 708. The membership

shall be constituted as follows:

a) Jurisdictional Members—Each jurisdiction shall elect

one member to the board in accordance with ¶ 705.3a. Before

election, nominated members will be informed of the duciary,

strategic, and generative responsibilities they will be assuming

upon election so that they may clearly understand the time and

resource commitment they are making. Other paragraphs of the

Discipline notwithstanding, the secretary of the General Confer-

ence shall offer to each jurisdiction a suggested member alloca-

tion to ensure that, when combined with the board members from

the central conferences, the resulting membership will reect a

balance of clergy, laywomen, and laymen. The secretary will also

establish an equitable rotation to ensure that over the course of

several quadrennia each jurisdiction will have the opportunity to

elect a laywoman, a layman, and a clergy member.

b) Central Conference Members—The Council of Bish-

ops shall elect three members from the central conferences in

accordance with ¶ 705.4c, one each from Africa, Europe, and the

Philippines.

c) Episcopal Members—The Council of Bishops will nomi-

nate two bishops to be members in accordance with ¶ 705.4d.

d) Division on Ministries With Young People—The Division

on Ministries With Young People will elect two members, one

youth and one young adult as dened by the age qualications

for the Division on Ministries With Young People in accordance

with ¶ 1207.

599

GENERAL BOARD OF DISCIPLESHIP ¶ 1106

e) Additional Members—Other paragraphs of the Disci-

pline notwithstanding, the members of the board shall elect ten

additional members based on expertise needed to accomplish the

duciary, generative, and strategic work of the board. Particular

attention will be given to ensuring an inclusive board member-

ship that is sensitive to the wide diversity of people and perspec-

tives throughout The United Methodist Church. The board may

select these members from any jurisdiction or central conference

in The United Methodist Church. Before election, nominated

members will be informed of the duciary, strategic, and genera-

tive responsibilities they will be assuming upon election so that

they may clearly understand the time and resource commitment

they are making.

2. Liaison Representative—The board will name a liaison repre-

sentative according to ¶ 705.4f and may name other individuals as

liaison representatives to provide networking and advice related

to areas of mutual concern. When invited to board meetings, they

shall have voice but not vote.

3. The board shall determine and establish the appropriate

organization of the board and its staff in order to best carry out

the work of the board.

¶ 1106. Financial Support—1. The nancial support of the

board shall be determined as follows: the General Conference

shall determine and provide the budget for the board in accord

with procedures dened in ¶ 806.

2. The board shall have authority to receive and administer

funds, gifts, or bequests that may be committed to it for any por-

tion of its work and to solicit, establish, and administer any spe-

cial funds that may be found necessary for the carrying out of its

plans and policies in accordance with ¶ 811.3. In the investment

of any funds, the board shall adhere to the specic investment

guidelines adopted by the General Conference.

3. When special missions are conducted or special projects

are undertaken by the board, offerings and contributions may be

received toward defraying expenses.

4. In the discharge of its responsibility for Christian educa-

tion in The United Methodist Church, the board may establish

and provide for participation by church school groups in a fund

(or funds) for missions and Christian education in the United

States and overseas. Plans for the allocation of, administration of,

and education for this fund(s) shall be developed cooperatively

600

¶ 1106 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

by such means as the board shall determine in consultation with

the General Board of Global Ministries.

¶ 1107. Financial Relationship of The Upper Room to the Gen-

eral Board of Discipleship—1. The funds for the fulllment of the

responsibilities of The Upper Room shall be derived from sales of

resources, gifts, devises, bequests, annuities, events, and funds

raised from subscribers, customers, foundations, and other lim-

ited groups of faithful subscribers, supporters, and interested par-

ties (as dened in ¶ 819.1).

2. No funds, property, or other investments either now in

hand or hereafter accumulated by The Upper Room or other devo-

tional and related literature hereafter produced by The Upper Room

shall be used for the support of other features of the board’s work,

but all funds from the sale of such publications shall be conserved

by the board for the purpose of preparing and circulating such

literature and cultivating the devotional life; provided, however,

that this shall not prevent the setting up of a reserve fund out of

such income as a protection against unforeseen emergencies.

3. Administrative support services are provided to The Upper

Room by the General Board of Discipleship (GBOD) on a reim-

bursable basis. As a subsidiary of the GBOD, The Upper Room par-

ticipates in the general church pension and benets programs and

receives administrative, nancial, and personnel-related services

from the General Council on Finance and Administration to the

same extent as GBOD.

¶ 1108. Christian Education—1. The board shall have general

oversight of the educational interests of the Church as directed

by the General Conference. The board shall be responsible for the

development of a clear statement of the biblical and theological

foundations of Christian education, consistent with the doctrines

of The United Methodist Church and the mission of the board.

The board shall devote itself to strengthening and extending the

teaching ministry of the Church through research; testing new

approaches, methods, and resources; evaluation; and consultation.

2. Through the ministry of Christian education, United Meth-

odist congregations shall reach out to people of all ages as they are,

encourage them to commit themselves to Christ and membership

in his church, provide opportunities for them to grow in faith and

to connect that faith with their daily lives, and equip them to live

as God’s people in the world. Opportunities for Christian educa-

tion shall include educational aspects of all the general areas and

601

GENERAL BOARD OF DISCIPLESHIP ¶ 1109

interests of the denomination, such as evangelism, stewardship,

missions, Christian social action, and Bible instruction. The minis-

try of Christian education shall be developed as a comprehensive,

unied, and coordinated program for children, youth, adults, and

families in local churches. It shall be promoted and administered

by the board in cooperation with those agencies responsible for

Christian education in jurisdictions, annual conferences, districts,

and local churches. It shall give careful consideration to the needs

of all churches, such as small and large membership churches,

rural and urban settings, and ethnic populations.

¶ 1109. Education Responsibilities and Standards—The board

shall organize as may be necessary for carrying on the educational

ministry throughout the whole life span of persons. The board

shall:

1. Formulate and interpret the philosophy of Christian edu-

cation based on biblical, theological, and educational foundations

(consistent with the Doctrinal Standards and General Rules of

The United Methodist Church, ¶ 104) as they relate to the church

school and related activities; individual or group study; fellow-

ship, education, and action groups for children, youth, and adults;

related educational programs provided by civic youth-serving

agencies; weekday preschools and kindergartens; daycare cen-

ters; choirs, drama groups, mission studies; education for leisure;

outdoor education; camping; education of persons with develop-

mental disabilities and others of special need; special Bible study

groups; conrmation and church membership training.

2. Develop educational approaches in a variety of settings

that appeal to persons of different ages, lifestyles, learning needs,

and theological perspectives.

3. Develop educational approaches that will enable persons

of different racial, ethnic, and cultural groups to appropriate the

gospel for their own life situations.

4. Promote church school extension in a variety of ways, such

as providing resources and training that help persons in sponsor-

ing new church schools, starting new church school classes, and

expanding teaching and learning opportunities in the congrega-

tion and the community.

5. Provide resources and support services for pastors, par-

ents, educational leaders, teachers, and others responsible for

teaching and learning with persons across the life span at the local

church, district, and conference levels.

602

¶ 1109 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

6. Provide resources and support services for teacher recruit-

ment, development, and training in biblical, theological, and ethi-

cal thinking, as well as in procedures and methods; work with the

colleges and seminaries of the Church wherever possible to for-

ward the common interest in the training of professional Christian

educators and the training of ministerial students in local church

Christian education; provide national camp training events and

assist jurisdictions and annual conferences in designing, guiding,

and resourcing camp training programs and outdoor Christian

education.

7. Set standards and provide guidance concerning program-

ming, leadership, and grouping for the various educational set-

tings of the Church, including the church school.

8. Establish guidelines for the organization and administration

of the church school, for recording and reporting membership and

attendance of the church school, and for the equipment, arrange-

ment, and design for church school buildings and rooms, with

particular attention given to the needs of persons with disabilities.

9. Provide resources and services related to the training and

work of local church directors, ordained and diaconal ministers,

and associates of Christian education and educational assistants.

10. Provide assistance and information for groups and organi-

zations with direct oversight for United Methodist-related camp/

retreat centers and ministries, to help them with their responsi-

bility to establish standards, policies, and procedures related to

physical facilities, program, and leadership. To the extent pos-

sible, all camps/retreat centers shall be accessible to persons with

disabilities.

11. Cooperate with the General Board of Higher Education

and Ministry as they develop standards for certifying profes-

sional ministry careers as provided in ¶ 1421.2c and promote the

continuing growth of local church staff related to educational

ministries.

12. Provide resources, models, and training to support annual

conferences and local churches as they help people make deci-

sions related to their general Christian vocation as well as their

specic occupations or careers.

13. Review and recommend for approval the curriculum

plans developed in cooperation with the other boards and agen-

cies in the Curriculum Resources Committee and interpret and

support the curriculum developed by the committee.

603

GENERAL BOARD OF DISCIPLESHIP ¶ 1110

14. Promote the observance of Christian Education Sunday

(¶¶ 265.1, 1806.12).

¶ 1110. Cooperation—1. The board shall cooperate with other

general boards and agencies in the promotion of stewardship,

evangelism, worship, mission education, and social action, and in

the evaluation of these ministries from the perspective of sound

educational procedure.

2. The board, in cooperation with the General Board of Global

Ministries, shall be responsible for developing a unied pro-

gram of mission education for all age groups in the local church.

The mission education program shall include provisions for the

following:

a) Linking emerging philosophies of mission and of edu-

cation through information ow and cooperative work of the

respective staffs and boards;

b) Developing and interpreting varied styles of mission

education appropriate to different groups, including age group-

ings and the various racial and ethnic cultures;

c) Curriculum planning for education in mission, provid-

ing mission information about projects supported by The United

Methodist Church (including ecumenical projects) through the

church school resources, and preparing curricular and other

materials for mission education;

d) Participating with various agencies in the design,

development, and promotion of ecumenical mission education

resources;

e) Developing and interpreting educational approaches

and channels for mission giving of children, youth, and adults,

such as the Children’s Fund for Christian Mission;

f) Developing and interpreting models for new

approaches to mission study and educational participation in

mission;

g) Providing information regarding educational criteria

to the staff of the General Board of Global Ministries for use in

certifying leaders for schools of mission;

h) Disseminating a comprehensive listing of mission

resources for leaders;

i) Cooperating with the General Board of Higher Edu-

cation and Ministry and the General Board of Global Ministries

in providing an emphasis on mission education in the schools of

theology through United Methodist courses on history, polity, and

604

¶ 1110 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

doctrine now required for candidates considering ordination or

consecration.

3. The board shall have authority to cooperate with other

agencies of the Church, with dened organizations, and with ecu-

menical agencies to promote the ministry of Christian education.

4. The board is authorized to cooperate with the General Board

of Global Ministries in the planning and execution of programs

for the strengthening and development of the town and country,

urban, and ethnic local church ministries of The United Methodist

Church and of interdenominational cooperation in these elds.

¶ 1111. Evangelism—The board shall have general oversight

of the evangelism ministries of the Church as directed by the

General Conference. Evangelism is central to the mission of the

Church. Evangelism is dened in the Book of Discipline, ¶ 630.1.

The board shall share the blessing of the gospel of the Lord

Jesus Christ with people of all age groupings and the various

racial and ethnic cultures by the development, promotion, and

support of all phases of evangelism throughout The United Meth-

odist Church.

¶ 1112. Evangelism Responsibilities—In response to God’s

love in Jesus Christ, the board shall have general oversight of the

evangelism ministries of The United Methodist Church by the

envisioning and developing of resources and by training and con-

sultation in various settings. The board shall:

1. Set forth an adequate biblical and theological basis and

understanding for the personal, corporate, and social aspects of

evangelism, consistent with the doctrine and tradition of The

United Methodist Church, and it shall communicate and interpret

the same to the membership of the Church.

2. Give emphasis to the development, interpretation, and

promotion of ministries of evangelism at the conference, district,

and local church levels so that persons who are not active Chris-

tian disciples through any local church will be invited and cared

for by a United Methodist church.

3. Provide resources and training for strategies, ministries,

and programs in evangelism, including resources for the local

church ministry of evangelism (¶ 254).

4. Cooperate with other program agencies of the Church in

supporting and equipping both clergy and laity at all levels in

involvement in evangelism, church growth, and new congre-

gational development.

605

GENERAL BOARD OF DISCIPLESHIP ¶ 1112

5. Provide and encourage research in what creative congre-

gations of various membership sizes and settings are doing in

effective evangelism that can serve as models for other churches,

and foster experimentation and demonstration of additional evan-

gelistic approaches, consistent with the nature of the Christian

gospel and the Church, at all levels of the Church’s life, including

new congregations and all racial and cultural groups.

6. Provide resources and services for those serving as pastors,

diaconal ministers, directors of evangelism, general evangelists,

and other professionals in evangelism in local churches.

7. Set standards for elders desiring to serve as general evan-

gelists. The board shall send copies of these standards quadrenni-

ally to the bishops, district superintendents, conference boards of

discipleship, and general evangelists. An elder who feels called by

God to be a general evangelist should prepare denitely for such

service under the guidance of the annual conference to which that

person belongs.

8. Relate and provide liaison services to denominational and

ecumenical associations and fellowships of evangelism.

9. Seek mutual cooperation among and with the seminaries

of the Church and the General Board of Higher Education and

Ministry in the training and nurturing of persons for ministry and

in continuing education where the responsibilities intersect.

10. Communicate with other agencies in whose programs

the subject matter of evangelism would be included, and provide

counsel, guidance, and resources for the implementation of such

programs.

11. Participate in and cooperate with the work of the Curricu-

lum Resources Committee of the board for the inclusion of evan-

gelism concepts and resources in local church study curriculum.

12. Provide consultation with conferences, districts, local

congregations, and other agencies to develop strategies in evan-

gelism for outreach, church revitalization, and new congrega-

tional development.

13. Work with the General Board of Global Ministries for the

extension of the Church. To this end there shall be a Joint Com-

mittee on Congregational Development with equal representa-

tion of members from the General Board of Discipleship and the

General Board of Global Ministries, which shall meet regularly for

mutual learning, developing strategies for Church extension, and

providing resources and assistance to conferences and districts in

606

¶ 1112 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

the eld of new congregational development and congregational

revitalization.

¶ 1113. Worship Responsibilities—The board shall: 1. Set forth

and interpret the biblical and theological basis for corporate wor-

ship with people of all age groupings and the various racial and

ethnic cultures through resources, programs, and training materi-

als consistent with the doctrines of The United Methodist Church,

and cultivate the fullest possible meaning in the corporate wor-

ship celebrations of the Church to the glory of God, including

liturgy, preaching, the sacraments, music, related arts, and the

observance of the liturgical seasons of the Christian Year.

2. Develop standards and resources for the conduct of public

worship in the churches, including liturgy, preaching, the sacra-

ments, music, and related arts.

3. Make recommendations to the General Conference re-

garding future editions of a book of worship and a hymnal and,

as ordered, provide editorial supervision of the contents of these

publications, which shall be published by The United Methodist

Publishing House. The hymnals of The United Methodist Church

are The United Methodist Hymnal (1989), Mil Voces Para Celebrar:

Himnario Metodista (1996), and Come, Let Us Worship: The Korean-

English United Methodist Hymnal (2000). The ritual of the Church is

that contained in The United Methodist Hymnal (1989), The United

Methodist Book of Worship (1992), Mil Voces Para Celebrar: Himnario

Metodista (1996), and Come, Let Us Worship: The Korean-English

United Methodist Hymnal (2000).

4. Prepare revisions of the ritual of the Church and approved

orders of worship for recommendation to the General Conference

for adoption.

5. Work with other North American Christian denomina-

tions through the Consultation on Common Texts in the con-

tinuing development of a common calendar and lectionary, and

encourage the voluntary use of the Revised Common Lectionary and

resources based upon it.

6. Prepare and sponsor the publication of supplemental

orders and texts of worship.

7. Maintain a cooperative but not exclusive relationship with

The United Methodist Publishing House in the preparation and

publication of worship resources.

25. See Judicial Council Decision 445.

607

GENERAL BOARD OF DISCIPLESHIP ¶ 1114

8. Advise the general agencies of the Church in the prepara-

tion, publication, and circulation of orders of service and other

liturgical materials bearing the imprint of The United Methodist

Church, encouraging use of racial and ethnic worship resources

and incorporation of language that recognizes the several constit-

uencies of the Church. (See ¶ 4.)

9. Counsel with the editors of the periodicals and publica-

tions of The United Methodist Church concerning material offered

in the elds of worship, including preaching, music, and the other

liturgical arts.

10. Participate in and cooperate with the Curriculum

Resources Committee of the board for the inclusion of worship

concepts and resources in local church study curriculum.

11. Encourage in the schools of theology and pastors’ schools,

and other settings, the offering of instruction in the meaning and

design of worship. This should include the worship practices and

expressions of various styles (i.e., traditional, contemporary), cul-

tures, and races.

12. Counsel with those responsible for planning and con-

ducting the worship services of the General Conference and other

general assemblies of the Church.

13. Give guidance to, provide resources for, and encourage

the continuing growth of those persons responsible for music

leadership in the local church, i.e., directors, ordained ministers,

associates, music assistants, and those volunteering in music and

the other worship arts. (See ¶ 1405.7.)

14. Cooperate with the Fellowship of United Methodists in

Music and Worship Arts and The Order of St. Luke in afrming

the sacramental life embracing liturgy, preaching, music, and

other arts appropriate for the inclusive worship life of the Church.

15. Develop performance standards for associates, directors,

and ministers of music in cooperation with the General Board of

Higher Education and Ministry, and cooperate with the General

Board of Higher Education and Ministry in the development of

standards and requirements for certication of directors, associ-

ates, and ministers of music as provided in ¶ 1405.7.

¶ 1114. Stewardship Responsibilities—1. To interpret the bib-

lical and theological basis for stewardship through programs,

resources, and training materials for people of all ages consistent

with the doctrines of The United Methodist Church.

608

¶ 1114 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

2. To provide education, counsel, resourcing, and training for

the local church stewardship ministry group chairperson, com-

mission on stewardship, board of trustees, endowment and per-

manent fund committees, wills and estate planning committees,

memorial committees, committee on nance, committee on nance

chairperson, nancial secretaries, and treasurers, and to develop

program resources and training materials for use with and by the

above-named persons and/or groups (see ¶ 807.17). Matters relat-

ing to procedures involving ofcial records, forms, and reporting

of statistical and nancial information shall be the responsibility

of the General Council on Finance and Administration.

3. To create within The United Methodist Church a deepen-

ing commitment to personal and corporate Christian steward-

ship, which includes the use and sharing of talents and resources

and the practice of a Christian lifestyle.

4. To develop strategies, provide resources, and implement

actions that lead to a continuing improvement in the level of giv-

ing of United Methodists in providing adequate support for the

mission of the Church.

5. To counsel in the area of stewardship and nance with

jurisdictional and annual conference program agencies relative

to their organizational structure and program responsibilities and

assist them in their interpretation of program and resources.

6. To provide counsel, resources, and guidance to conference

and area foundations as they fulll their stewardship functions

and to associations such as the National Association of United

Methodist Foundations and the National Association of Steward-

ship Leaders.

7. To call together regularly United Methodist general agency

leaders whose programs include the subject matter of steward-

ship to work toward common language, consistent stewardship

theology, and cooperative efforts, in cooperation with the General

Council on Finance and Administration.

¶ 1115. Spiritual Formation Responsibilities of The Upper Room—

1. To develop resources that foster an international community of

people and congregations who are seeking God, building a vision

of new life in Christ, nurturing one another by sharing experi-

ences of God’s love and guidance, and encouraging one another

in Christian action to transform the world.

2. To explore and communicate a biblically and theologically

informed vision of the spiritual life that encourages and supports

609

GENERAL BOARD OF DISCIPLESHIP ¶ 1116

spiritual leaders in the church who can guide people of all ages

into a more vital, intimate, and transforming relationship with

God through Christ.

3. To maintain and extend the worldwide ministry of The

Upper Room and other resources, which are available in an increas-

ing number of languages and which address the spiritual needs of

people throughout their life and continue to embody the interde-

nominational character of the ministry of The Upper Room.

4. To cooperate with all other units within the board, as well

as other groups within United Methodism, and other denomina-

tions whose concerns are related to the spiritual life.

¶ 1116. Ministry of the Laity—The board shall interpret and

spread through the Church all the rich meanings of the universal

priesthood of believers, of Christian vocation, and of the ministry

of the laity in daily life.

The United Methodist Church has the responsibility of train-

ing and enabling the laos—the whole body of its membership—

to enter into mission and to minister and witness in the name of

Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church. Although all units of the

Church have some responsibility for this imperative, the General

Board of Discipleship has a preeminent responsibility in that it is

charged with developing discipleship. To this end, the board shall:

1. Help develop an adequate understanding of the theologi-

cal and biblical basis for ministry of the laity.

2. Develop and interpret ministry of the laity both inside and

outside the institutional Church.

3. Provide resources and support services for the develop-

ment and improvement of leadership in the local church, except

as specically delegated to other agencies, and especially for those

persons who serve as members of charge conferences, church

councils, councils on ministries, committees on pastor-parish rela-

tions, personnel committees, committees on lay leadership, those

who serve as lay leaders, lay members of annual conferences, and

leaders of related organizations in local churches, districts, annual

conferences, and jurisdictions.

4. Assist congregations, districts, and annual conferences in

equipping persons for leadership in community ministries.

5. Provide resources and suggested plans for the observance

of Laity Sunday in the local church.

6. Provide support to conference director and district director

of Lay Servant Ministries, to conference and district committees

610

¶ 1116 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

on Lay Servant Ministries, and to the Association of Confer-

ence Directors of Lay Servant Ministries. In consultation with

the conference directors, set standards for certied lay servants,

certied lay speakers, and certied lay ministers and provide

teaching resources for use by annual conference and district

committees.

7. Provide support services to conference and district lay

leaders and conference and district boards of laity or equivalent

structures, to the Association of Annual Conference Lay Leaders,

and to other appropriate associations and conference and district

ofcers and agencies.

8. Initiate a process of coordination and collaboration in

developing a comprehensive approach to leadership develop-

ment and training within all program areas for which the General

Board of Discipleship has responsibility.

9. Encourage ordained elders to select and train laity to

distribute the consecrated Communion elements to sick or

homebound persons following a service of Word and Table.

This distribution also may apply to laypersons who have been

assigned pastoral roles in a church or in more than one church by

the district superintendent.

¶ 1117. Christian Discipleship Formation Responsibilities—The

board shall interpret and promote group ministries in local con-

gregations in order to support the formation of Christian disciples

focused on the transformation of the world.

1. Small-Group Ministries—Recognizing the diverse means of

grace necessary in forming Christian disciples, the General Board

of Discipleship shall assist local congregations in developing a

comprehensive system of small-group ministries by:

a) providing resources, training, and support services

for leaders of small-group ministries that support people in their

search for God, in their yearning for community, and in their

desire to be formed as Christian disciples;

b) providing resources and support services for groups

such as cell groups, life groups, care groups, or small groups that

equip people throughout the life span for faithful Christian liv-

ing in the world, and especially those areas for which the Gen-

eral Board of Discipleship has responsibility. When developing

resources, attention should be given to the impact of the oral and

visual cultures in which we live and to the importance of stories

of transformation.

611

GENERAL BOARD OF DISCIPLESHIP ¶ 1119

2. Accountable Discipleship—Afrming that our Wesleyan her-

itage embraces a distinct emphasis of mutual accountability, the

General Board of Discipleship shall encourage accountability in

congregations by:

a) promoting the General Rule of Discipleship: “To wit-

ness to Jesus Christ in the world, and to follow his teachings

through acts of compassion, justice, worship, and devotion, under

the guidance of the Holy Spirit”

;

b) advocating the formation of Covenant Discipleship

Groups or equivalent models applicable to the cultural context

of the Central Conferences for all ages throughout the church by

providing resources, training, and support services that ground

leadership in the richness of our Wesleyan tradition;

c) providing resources, training, and support services for

revitalizing the role of class leaders so that they may interpret the

General Rule of Discipleship to all church members and assist the

pastor in fostering mutual accountability throughout the congre-

gation and other ministries;

d) providing consultative services to jurisdictions, con-

ferences, and districts in the introduction and development of

Covenant Discipleship Groups and class leaders in congregations.

¶ 1118. Ethnic Local Church Concerns—The board shall func-

tion as an advocate for programs and concerns of ethnic local

churches. It shall coordinate efforts to keep the needs of the mem-

bership of ethnic churches uppermost in the minds of its mem-

bership. The board will ensure that adequate resources—scal,

human, and programmatic—are used to support and encourage

the ministries of the ethnic local churches.

¶ 1119. Age-Level, Life-Span, and Family Ministries—The board

will provide for an integrated and coordinated approach in devel-

opment of resources and service support for ministries with chil-

dren, youth, adults of all ages, and families. Through its services

to administrative and coordinating leaders, the board will assist

congregations and conferences to:

a) Build knowledge for development of ministries that

support the primary task of the local congregation;

b) Provide for the development and nurture of persons

at all age levels and stages of growth and for families in diverse

congurations;

26. Adapted version of Wesley’s General Rules; see Gayle Turner Watson’s

A Guide to Covenant Discipleship Groups (Discipleship Resources, 2000), p. 12.

612

¶ 1119 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

c) Assist individuals and families in spiritual develop-

ment and growth; and

d) Promote the making and keeping of covenants as

foundations for family living.

The board will also engage in research and testing, consul-

tation and training, and collaborative planning so as to enhance

the delivery of resources and services to leaders with age-level

and family ministries responsibilities.

1. Comprehensive Children’s Ministries—The board will assist

congregations and conferences in developing comprehensive

ministries for and with children. Such ministries may include, but

shall not be limited to, the following: Sunday school and vacation

Bible school, weekday ministries for preschool and elementary

ages, fellowship and neighborhood groups, scouting ministries,

and short-term studies and activities within and outside the

church facilities. Ministries should focus on biblical foundations,

prayer and spiritual formation, community service, personal

worth through Jesus Christ, human sexuality, values, United

Methodist studies, creative and ne arts, multicultural aware-

ness, outreach to others, and celebration of signicant moments

in children’s lives.

Responsibilities may include such supportive tasks as: assist-

ing congregations to be advocates on behalf of children; iden-

tifying the needs and concerns of children, their families and

congregations; assessing the status of ministries with children

in The United Methodist Church; collecting and disseminating

pertinent data on issues, models, and programs that inform the

leaders in congregations and church structures to strengthen the

quality of life of children.

2. Comprehensive Young People’s Ministries—There shall be a

comprehensive approach to development and implementation

of youth and young-adult ministry programming at all levels of

the Church. The comprehensive approach is based on the under-

standing of the primary task of young people’s ministry: to love

young people where they are, to encourage them in developing

their relationship to God, to provide them with opportunities for

nurture and growth, and to challenge them to respond to God’s

call to serve in their communities. Four component parts under-

gird this comprehensive ministry:

a) Curriculum—Through the Curriculum Resources Commit-

tee (¶ 1121), the General Board of Discipleship shall ensure the

613

GENERAL BOARD OF DISCIPLESHIP ¶ 1119

availability of curriculum and leaders’ guides for use in a variety

of settings suitable for the needs of all young people, age specic

depending on the U. S. or central conference denitions;

b) Program Resources—Additional and supplemental guide-

books and other program aids shall be developed and promoted

for effective young people’s ministries programs in the local

church and at the district, conference, jurisdictional, and general

Church levels;

c) Leadership Training and Networking—Leadership training

shall be provided to encourage and support adult workers with

young people in their roles as teachers, counselors, advisers, and

enablers at all levels of the Church. Networking shall be devel-

oped through ongoing communication to include workshops,

social media, online platforms and publications between lead-

ers in young people’s ministries across the denomination for the

enhancement of skills and the sharing of effective models and

resources;

d) Structures—Active and effective structures for young peo-

ple’s ministries programming shall be promoted and maintained

at all levels of the United Methodist connection, as identied in

the U. S. and central conferences. These structures will encourage

the full involvement of young people in leadership and member-

ship and for the advocacy of young people’s concerns in all areas

of Church life, planning, and administration.

3. Comprehensive Adult Ministries—The board will assist con-

gregations and conferences in developing comprehensive minis-

tries by, with, and for adults. In keeping with the primary task of

the board, adult ministries may include but need not be limited to:

education and ministries with young adults, middle adults, older

adults, and single adults (i.e., widowed, always single, separated,

and divorced), and intergenerational programs involving adults.

Such a plan would include biblical foundation and study, devel-

opmental stages and tasks of adults, faith development and spiri-

tual formation, and leadership training in various models of adult

educational ministries.

Responsibilities may include such supportive tasks as: identi-

fying the needs and concerns of adults (i.e., young adults, middle

adults, older adults, and single adults); assessing the status of min-

istries by, with, and for adults in The United Methodist Church;

collecting and disseminating pertinent data on issues, models,

and programs that inform the leaders in local congregations,

614

¶ 1119 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

districts, conferences, boards, and agencies to strengthen the qual-

ity of faith and life of adults.

4. Comprehensive Family Ministries—The board will assist

congregations and conferences in developing comprehensive

ministries with families. In alignment with the primary task, the

ministries may assist families in the following areas: spiritual for-

mation and development, marital growth ministries, parenting,

human sexuality, care giving, and issues affecting the quality of

family life. Such a plan would include: biblical exploration and

study, as well as theological and experiential understandings of

family life and the evolving patterns of family living. Ministries

with families will focus on persons rather than structures.

The board may organize and administer a Committee on

Family Life. The committee will provide an arena for information

sharing, collaborative planning, and/or cooperative program-

ming in alignment with the purpose and responsibilities of repre-

sentative participants. The committee will serve as advocates for

ministries with families in all boards and agencies.

Responsibilities may include such supportive tasks as: iden-

tifying the needs and concerns of families and of congregations,

assessing the status of ministries with families in The United

Methodist Church, collecting and disseminating pertinent data on

issues, models, and programs that inform the work of the boards

and agencies to strengthen the quality of family life. The commit-

tee will relate to and provide liaison services to ecumenical and

interdenominational agencies in the area of family life.

¶ 1120. General Provisions for the Committee on Older Adult

Ministries—1. There shall be a Committee on Older Adult Minis-

tries, which shall be administratively related to the General Board

of Discipleship.

2. Purpose—The committee will provide a forum for informa-

tion sharing, cooperative planning, and joint program endeavors

as determined in accordance with the responsibilities and objec-

tives of the participating agencies. The committee shall serve as

an advocate for older-adult concerns and issues and shall serve to

support ministries by, with, and for older adults throughout The

United Methodist Church and its afliated agencies and in the

larger society.

3. Responsibilities—The responsibilities of the committee shall

include the following:

615

GENERAL BOARD OF DISCIPLESHIP ¶ 1120

a) Identify the needs, concerns, and potential contribu-

tions of older adults.

b) Promote a plan of comprehensive ministry by, with,

and for older adults in local churches that includes spiritual

growth, education, training, mission, service, and fellowship.

c) Encourage and support the development of resources

and programs that will undergird local church ministries by, with,

and for older adults.

d) Advocate development and implementation of poli-

cies and service designed to impact systems and concepts that

adversely affect older adults.

e) Educate and keep before the Church the lifelong pro-

cess of aging, with emphasis on the quality of life, intergenera-

tional understanding and interaction, and faith development.

f) Encourage and support the development of resources

and programs that can be used by annual conferences, jurisdic-

tions, central conferences, and the denomination at large in train-

ing and equipping older adults for new roles in the ministry and

mission of the Church.

g) Serve as focal point for supplying information and

guidelines on older-adult ministries to local churches.

h) Encourage coordination and networking opportuni-

ties among agencies responsible for the development of resources,

programs, and policies relating to older-adult ministries.

i) Support and advocate the provisions contained in The

Book of Resolutions of The United Methodist Church related to

aging.

j) Support and encourage resource development for the

celebration of an annual Older Adult Recognition Day.

k) Develop and administer a program of nancial grants

for older-adult ministries throughout The United Methodist

Church.

4. Membership—The committee shall be composed of one

board member and one staff member from each of the following

agencies: the General Board of Discipleship, the General Board of

Global Ministries, the General Board of Church and Society, the

General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, and the Gen-

eral Board of Pension and Health Benets; one member (board

or staff) from each of the following: the Commission on the Sta-

tus and Role of Women, the Commission on Religion and Race,

the General Commission on United Methodist Men, The United

616

¶ 1120 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

Methodist Publishing House, the General Commission on Com-

munication, United Methodist Women; one active or retired

bishop representing the Council of Bishops, and one central con-

ference representative; ve older adults, one to be selected by each

jurisdictional College of Bishops; and no more than three mem-

bers to be selected by the committee for expertise and/or profes-

sional qualications, and no more than three additional members

to be selected by the committee for inclusiveness (racial/ethnic,

disability, age, gender, laity, clergy, or geographic distribution).

Staff and/or board members will provide appropriate liaison and

reports to their respective agencies. Board members and central

conference and jurisdiction representatives shall serve no more

than two consecutive terms (one term equals four years). Each

board and agency will be responsible for travel, lodging, and

other expenses incurred by representatives attending meetings of

the Committee on Older Adult Ministries.

5. Meetings—The committee will meet at least once a year in

conjunction with a meeting of the General Board of Discipleship.

¶ 1121. Duties and Responsibilities of the Curriculum Resources

Committee—There shall be a Curriculum Resources Committee,

organized and administered by the General Board of Disciple-

ship, which shall be responsible for the construction of plans for

curriculum and curriculum resources to be used in the Christian

educational ministry of the Church and other study settings. (See

¶ 258.1.)

1. The Curriculum Resources Committee shall carefully re-

view and act on the plans constructed and proposed by the staff of

Church School Publications based upon research, including ideas

from the Curriculum Resources Committee and other persons in

United Methodist educational ministries.

2. The plans for curriculum and curriculum resources shall

be designed to help local churches carry out the Church’s educa-

tional ministry.

3. The plans for curriculum and curriculum resources shall

be consistent with the educational philosophy and approach for-

mulated for the educational ministry of the Church by the Gen-

eral Board of Discipleship and shall reect a unity of purpose and

a planned comprehensiveness of scope. They shall be designed to

support the total life and work of the Church, shall teach Chris-

tian truth consistent with the Doctrinal Standards and General

Rules of The United Methodist Church (¶ 104), and shall reect

617

GENERAL BOARD OF DISCIPLESHIP ¶ 1124

the ofcial positions of The United Methodist Church as autho-

rized by the General Conference.

¶ 1122. Curriculum Requirements—When the plans for cur-

riculum and curriculum resources have been approved by the

General Board of Discipleship, the editorial staff of Church School

Publications shall be responsible for the development of cur-

riculum resources based on the approved plans. The curriculum

resources shall be based on the Bible, shall reect the universal

gospel of the living Christ, shall be in agreement with United

Methodist doctrine as delineated in ¶¶ 104 and 105 of the Book

of Discipline, and shall be designed for use in the various settings

that are dened by the board.

¶ 1123. Authority of the Curriculum Resources Committee to

Review Teaching Resources of General Agencies—The Curriculum

Resources Committee may review, approve, and recommend

existing or projected resources from other agencies. The com-

mittee shall make certain that all approved materials conform to

United Methodist doctrine as delineated in ¶¶ 104 and 105 of the

Book of Discipline. All curriculum resources that are approved by

the General Board of Discipleship shall be authorized for use in

the teaching and learning ministries of the Church.

¶ 1124. Relationship of the Curriculum Resources Committee to

the General Board of Discipleship and to The United Methodist Pub-

lishing House—1. The Curriculum Resources Committee shall be

related to the General Board of Discipleship as follows:

The committee shall be responsible to the board with respect

to educational philosophy and approaches and shall seek to main-

tain the standards set by the board.

2. The Curriculum Resources Committee shall be related to

The United Methodist Publishing House as follows:

a) The publisher of The United Methodist Publishing

House or the chairperson of the board of The United Methodist

Publishing House may sit with the General Board of Disciple-

ship for consideration of matters pertaining to joint interests of

the Curriculum Resources Committee and The United Methodist

Publishing House and shall have the privilege of the oor without

vote.

b) The United Methodist Publishing House shall publish,

manufacture, and distribute the curriculum resources prepared

by the editorial staff of Church School Publications. The United

Methodist Publishing House and the General Board of Discipleship

618

¶ 1124 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

shall be responsible jointly for interpretation and support of these

resources.

c) The work of the Curriculum Resources Committee

shall be nanced by The United Methodist Publishing House.

3. The committee shall exercise this additional relationship:

The committee may cooperate with The United Methodist

Publishing House and the General Board of Discipleship in edu-

cational research, in the development of experimental resources,

and in the evaluation of resources that are provided for the teach-

ing and learning ministries of the church.

¶ 1125. Editor of Church School Publications—1. The editor of

Church School Publications shall be responsible for the adminis-

tration of the work of the Curriculum Resources Committee and

the editorial staff of Church School Publications, the general edi-

torial policy, and the nal determination of editorial content of the

church school publications.

2. The editor shall be elected by the General Board of Dis-

cipleship upon nomination by a joint committee composed of the

president of the General Board of Discipleship, the chairperson of

the Curriculum Resources Committee, one other member of the

General Board of Discipleship representing educational concerns,

the chairperson and two other members of The United Methodist

Publishing House. The election of the editor shall be subject to

conrmation by the board of The United Methodist Publishing

House.

3. The editor shall be responsible to the General Board of Dis-

cipleship for seeing that the content of church school publications

is consistent with the educational philosophy formulated by the

board.

¶ 1126. Membership of the Curriculum Resources Committee—

1. The Curriculum Resources Committee shall consist of eight

voting members elected quadrennially by the General Board of

Discipleship as follows:

a) A bishop not serving on the General Board of Disciple-

ship and with experience in teaching and learning ministries, to

be nominated by the Council of Bishops.

b) Seven members, nominated by the board, at least three

of whom are members of the General Board of Discipleship. Up

to four additional members shall be selected for expertise in edu-

cational ministries and knowledge of the various concerns of con-

gregations in teaching and learning ministries.

619

DIVISION ON MINISTRIES WTH YOUNG PEOPLE ¶ 1203

c) The publisher of The United Methodist Publishing

House and the general secretary of the General Board of Disci-

pleship shall be ex ofcio members of the Curriculum Resources

Committee with the privilege of voice but without vote.

d) The chairperson of the committee shall be a member of

the General Board of Discipleship.

2. The Curriculum Resources Committee shall include staff

of Church School Publications and of the General Board of Dis-

cipleship, with the privilege of voice but without vote. The Cur-

riculum Resources Committee may select other people to assist

in its work, including people nominated by other boards, agen-

cies, and general commissions of the Church. Members of other

boards, agencies, and general commissions will serve at their own

expense.

3. The committee may prepare such bylaws and operating

guidelines as are necessary to facilitate the work of the committee.

Section VI. Division on Ministries With Young People

¶ 1201. There shall be a Division on Ministries With Young

People of the General Board of Discipleship.

¶ 1202. Purpose—The purpose of the Division on Ministries

With Young People is to empower young people as world-chang-

ing disciples of Jesus Christ, to nurture faith development, and to

equip young leaders by

1. Developing youth/young adult spiritual leaders of local

congregations to transform lives by making disciples of Jesus

Christ;

2. Challenging The United Methodist Church to embrace,

conrm, and celebrate God’s call on the lives of young people;

3. Cultivating and nurturing life-giving ministries where

inuence and worth are not limited by age or experience;

4. Advocating for the issues and concerns of young people in

the church and the global community;

5. Empowering young people to work as agents of peace, jus-

tice, and mercy;

6. Building a network of support and providing resources

that connect the diverse experiences of youth and young adults in

local ministries and communities across the globe.

¶ 1203. Responsibilities—The responsibilities of the Division

on Ministries With Young People shall be:

620

¶ 1203 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

1. to promote and maintain active and effective systems for

youth and young-adult ministry programming at the local church,

district, conference, jurisdictional/central conference, and general

church levels for the full involvement of young people in leader-

ship and membership;

2. to advocate for the needs and concerns of young people

throughout all arenas of church life, planning, and administra-

tion. Attention shall be given to the vast array of the life realities

of young people;

3. to develop and support three constituency networks: a Net-

work for United Methodist Youth, a Network for United Method-

ist Young Adults, and a Network for United Methodist Workers

With Young People (may include youth workers, youth pastors,

campus ministers, conference staff, chaplains, young adult work-

ers, and so forth). These networks will provide ongoing commu-

nication and connectional links between local churches and other

arenas of church life, relational ties to the denomination and

one another, and resources for the spiritual formation of young

people;

4. to provide leadership training models and resources that

will support youth, young adults, and adult workers with young

people to be full and active participants in the life and mission of

the Church;

5. to plan and carry out a quadrennial global young people’s

convocation and to provide program resources and support ser-

vices for regional and national convocations;

6. to provide administrative oversight to the grants for minis-

tries with young people distributed in consultation with the Gen-

eral Board of Church and Society, General Board of Discipleship,

General Board of Global Ministries, and General Board of Higher

Education and Ministry;

7. to provide administrative oversight to the Youth Service

Fund;

8. to recommend youth and young adults to nomination com-

mittees of general boards and agencies, considering suggestions

from annual conference councils on youth and young-adult min-

istry (¶¶ 649.3e and 650.3e) and other appropriate organizations;

9. to collaborate with appropriate boards and agencies to pro-

vide young people with effective strategies and opportunities to

live out their faith through ministries of peace, justice, and mercy

in vocational choices and other avenues of service;

621

DIVISION ON MINISTRIES WTH YOUNG PEOPLE ¶ 1207

10. to collaborate with appropriate boards and agencies to

strengthen the church’s challenge for young people to respond

to God’s call to licensed and ordained ministry and to support

young clergy through the development of networks and other

appropriate resources;

11. to collaborate with appropriate boards and agencies

to encourage the participation of young people in appropriate

denominational, ecumenical, and interreligious relationships and

deliberations.

¶ 1204. Authority and Accountability—The Division on Minis-

tries With Young People shall be accountable to the General Board

of Discipleship in programming, personnel, and administration.

The division shall have the authority to determine and interpret

program directions that support its mandate. These program

directions shall be in harmony with the charter of the General

Board of Discipleship (GBOD) and have the GBOD’s approval.

¶ 1205. Relationship of the Division on Ministries With Young

People to the General Board of Discipleship—The Division on Minis-

tries With Young People shall be related to the General Board of

Discipleship as follows: Two members of the Division on Minis-

tries With Young People shall be elected to the board, one youth

and one young adult as dened by the age qualications for the

Division on Ministries With Young People in accordance with

¶ 1207.

¶ 1206. Structure—The Division on Ministries With Young

People shall be organized around three basic units: United Meth-

odist Youth, United Methodist Young Adults, and United Meth-

odist Workers With Young People.

¶ 1207. Membership—The membership of the Division on

Ministries With Young People shall be inclusive with respect to

gender, race/ethnicity, lay/clergy, and vocation.

1. Membership shall be as follows:

a) Twelve youth—1 youth, elected by the youth orga-

nization of each central conference (according to the age deni-

tion of each central conference, but not to exceed the age of 24);

1 youth, sixteen or younger at the time of election, elected by the

jurisdictional youth convocation;

b) Twelve young adults—1 young adult elected by the

young adult organization of each central conference (according to

the age denition of each central conference, but not to exceed the

age of 35); 1 young adult elected by the jurisdictional conference;

622

¶ 1207 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

c) Twelve adult workers with young people—1 adult

from each central conference, appointed by the central conference

nominating committee; 1 adult from each jurisdiction, elected by

the jurisdictional conference;

d) Additional Members:

(1) One member of the General Board of Discipleship;

(2) Two members of the United Methodist Student

Movement steering committee (¶ 1412.2g);

(3) up to 5 additional members who, as determined

by the General Board of Discipleship, may be nominated by the

division to ensure inclusiveness and expertise.

(4) One bishop selected by the Council of Bishops.

2. Resource People—The division shall be responsible for con-

necting and highlighting the work of general agencies and other

United Methodist entities in youth and young-adult ministry.

In order to effectively carry out that charge, one staff person (or

board member when staff are not available) from the following

entities shall be present (with voice but not vote) at meetings of

the division. These representatives shall attend at the expense of

the sending agency and shall relate the priorities of the division to

their agency and serve as resource people to the division:

a) General Board of Church and Society

b) General Board of Discipleship

c) General Board of Global Ministries

d) General Board of Higher Education and Ministry

e) General Commission on Religion and Race

f) General Commission on the Status and Role of Women

g) General Commission on United Methodist Men

h) General Council on Finance and Administration

i) Connectional Table

j) United Methodist Communications

k) United Methodist Publishing House

l) United Methodist Women

¶ 1208. Youth Service Fund—There shall be a Youth Service

Fund.

1. Organization—The Youth Service Fund shall be a means

of stewardship education and mission support of youth within

The United Methodist Church. As a part of the Fund’s cultiva-

tion, youth shall be challenged to assume their nancial respon-

sibilities in connection with the total program and budget of the

church of which they are members. Local church treasurers shall

623

DIVISION ON MINISTRIES WTH YOUNG PEOPLE ¶ 1209

send the full amount of Youth Service Fund offerings to the

treasurer of the annual conference, who shall retain 70 percent

of the amount for distribution by the annual conference council

on youth ministry. The annual conference treasurer shall send

the remaining 30 percent monthly to the treasurer of the General

Council on Finance and Administration to be forwarded to the

General Board of Discipleship, Division on Ministries With Young

People. All other Youth Service Fund money raised in the annual

conference shall be divided in the same manner and distributed

in the same way.

2. Project Review—The youth network of the Division on

Ministries With Young People shall constitute a project review

committee to advise the network in the selection of projects. The

project review committee shall be comprised of youth and adult

worker members of the Division on Ministries With Young People

in a ratio of at least ve youth to one adult as determined by the

Division on Ministries With Young People. The projects shall be

chosen according to the policies and criteria established by the

youth network of the Division on Ministries With Young People.

3. A minimum of 70 percent of the general portion of the

Youth Service Fund shall be used to fund Youth Service Fund

projects; the remaining amount shall be used for ofce resourc-

ing and Youth Service Fund promotion and interpretation. United

Methodist Communications shall assist the Division on Ministries

With Young People in the promotion and interpretation of the

Youth Service Fund.

¶ 1209. Grants for Ministries With Young People—There shall be

grants made available to local churches, afliated organizations,

campus ministries, districts, annual conferences, provisional con-

ferences, jurisdictional conferences, and central conferences of

The United Methodist Church.

1. Purpose—The purpose of these grants is to fund dynamic,

creative ministries with young people that can serve as model

programs for other organizations throughout the connection.

2. Project Review—The Division on Ministries With Young

People shall constitute a project review committee made up of

three youth, three young adults, and three adult workers with

young people who are members of the division. The committee

may also include one staff representative and one board member

each from the General Board of Church and Society, the General

Board of Discipleship, the General Board of Global Ministries,

624

¶ 1209 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

and the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. The

Division on Ministries With Young People shall establish crite-

ria in consultation with the four participating program boards

and in relation to the purposes of the division and the program

boards.

¶ 1210. Global Young People’s Convocation—There shall be a

Global Young People’s Convocation.

1. Purpose—The Global Young People’s Convocation shall be

a global event held once every four years for the purpose of cel-

ebrating the mission and vitality of young people in The United

Methodist Church, raising the joys and concerns of young people

from the global community, developing young people as leaders

for effective ministry in local churches and communities of faith,

highlighting emerging trends in youth and young-adult ministry,

and providing a common forum that embraces the global reality

of the church.

2. Legislation—During the convocation there shall be oppor-

tunities for jurisdiction and central conference delegations and

individuals to propose legislation in an appropriate forum. This

forum shall be made up of delegations as dened under “Vot-

ing members.” Legislation brought to the forum shall relate to

issues of concern to young people. Legislation adopted by the

forum may be referred to the Division on Ministries With Young

People or sent to the General Conference of The United Method-

ist Church carrying the name “United Methodist Young People’s

Convocation.” All legislation, petitions, and programming must

be in accordance with ¶ 806.9 and ¶ 806.11.

3. Membership—The membership at the forum of the United

Methodist Young People’s Convocation shall be inclusive in

nature and selected as follows:

a) Voting members

(1) Five youth (ages 12-18) from each jurisdiction and

ve youth from each central conference according to the age de-

nition of each central conference. These youth shall be chosen by

the process outlined by each Jurisdictional Young People’s Min-

istry and by central conference youth organizations in the year

preceding the Global Young People’s Convocation.

(2) Five young adults (ages 19-30) from each jurisdic-

tion and ve young adults from each central conference accord-

ing to the age denition of each central conference. These young

adults shall be chosen by the process outlined by each Jurisdic-

625

DIVISION ON MINISTRIES WTH YOUNG PEOPLE ¶ 1212

tional Young People’s Ministry and central conference young-

adult organizations.

(3) Two adult workers with young people from each

jurisdiction and two youth and young-adult workers from each

central conference. These adults shall be chosen by the process

outlined by each Jurisdictional Young People’s Ministry and by

central conference youth organizations in the year preceding the

Global Young People’s Convocation.

b) Nonvoting members (In all cases, nonvoting members

will have the status of voice without vote.)

(1) Youth and young-adult members of the general

agencies

(2) Members and staff of the Division on Ministries

With Young People

(3) Additional members from jurisdictions, central

conferences, and ecumenical partners

4. Expenses—The expenses for the Global Young People’s

Convocation are to be borne by participants wherever possible.

An adequate funding plan shall be devised by the Division on

Ministries With Young People to ensure the full participation of

elected delegates to Global Young People’s Convocation. It is

strongly recommended that jurisdictions, central conferences, and

annual conference councils on youth and young-adult ministries,

or equivalent structures, secure funding for Convocation partici-

pants who are elected from said conference. A limited amount

of need-based scholarships shall be made available through the

Division on Ministries With Young People to promote the full par-

ticipation of the body.

¶ 1211. Staff—1. The Division on Ministries With Young

People shall have as its chief staff ofcer an Associate General

Secretary. This staff ofcer shall be nominated by the personnel

committee of the General Board of Discipleship for election by

the board. The search committee shall be chaired by the General

Secretary of the General Board of Discipleship and composed of

equal representation from the General Board of Discipleship and

the Division on Ministries With Young People.

2. All other staff members of the division will be elected or

appointed in a manner prescribed by the board (¶ 714).

¶ 1212. Division Funding—The operating funds for the divi-

sion shall be derived from three main sources: World Service

626

¶ 1212 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

Fund, self-funding programs, and the general portion of the

Youth Service Fund.

Section VII. General Board of Global Ministries

¶ 1301. There shall be a General Board of Global Ministries,

hereinafter referred to as the board, the purpose of which is found

within the expression of the total mission of the Church. It is a

missional instrument of The United Methodist Church, its annual

conferences, missionary conferences, and local congregations in

the context of a global setting.

The Church in mission is a sign of God’s presence in the

world. By the authority of God and the power of the Holy Spirit,

the Church:

1. Joins God’s mission to reclaim, restore, and redeem the life

of all creation to its divine intention;

2. Confesses by word and deed the redeeming activity of

God in Christ among the whole human family;

3. Seeks to embody and realize the potential of new life in

Christ among all human beings; and

4. Looks forward in faith and hope for the fulllment of

God’s reign and the completion of God’s mission.

¶ 1302. Responsibilities—1. To discern those places where the

gospel has not been heard or heeded and to witness to its meaning

throughout the world, inviting all persons to newness of life in

Jesus Christ through a program of global ministries.

2. To encourage and support the development of leadership

in mission for both the Church and society.

3. To challenge all United Methodists with the New Testa-

ment imperative to proclaim the gospel to the ends of the earth,

expressing the mission of the Church; and to recruit, send, and

receive missionaries, enabling them to dedicate all or a portion of

their lives in service across racial, cultural, national, and political

boundaries.

4. To plan with others and to establish and strengthen Chris-

tian congregations where opportunities and needs are found, so

that these congregations may be units of mission in their places

and partners with others in the worldwide mission of the Chris-

tian church.

5. To advocate the work for the unity of Christ’s church

through witness and service with other Christian churches and

through ecumenical councils.

627

GENERAL BOARD OF GLOBAL MINISTRIES ¶ 1303

6. To engage in dialogue with all persons, including those of

other faiths, and to join with them where possible in action on

common concerns.

7. To assist local congregations and annual conferences in

mission both in their own communities and across the globe by

raising awareness of the claims of global mission and by provid-

ing channels for participation.

8. To address the concerns of women organized for mission

and to help equip women for full participation both locally and

globally in the Church and the world.

9. To engage in direct ministries to human need, both emer-

gency and continuing, institutional and noninstitutional, how-

ever caused.

10. To work within societies and systems so that full human

potential is liberated and to work toward the transformation of

demonic forces that distort life.

11. To identify with all who are alienated and dispossessed

and to assist them in achieving their full human development-

body, mind, and spirit.

12. To envision and engage in imaginative new forms of

mission appropriate to changing human needs and to share the

results of experimentation with the entire Church.

13. To facilitate the development of cooperative patterns of

ministry so that the unied strength of local congregations and

other units of the Church in designated areas can respond with

more effective ministries of justice, advocacy, compassion, and

nurture.

14. To afrm Volunteers in Mission as an authentic form of

personal missionary involvement and devise appropriate struc-

ture to interpret and implement opportunities for mission volun-

teers in the global community.

15. To facilitate the receiving and assignment of missionaries

from churches in nations other than the United States in coopera-

tion with the other general agencies and with annual conferences.

¶ 1303. Objectives—1. The objectives of the board shall be:

a) To plan for the implementation of the responsibilities

of the board in the missional outreach of The United Methodist

Church.

b) To establish the appropriate organization of the board

and staff to accomplish its program and fulll the responsibilities

of the board.

628

¶ 1303 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

c) To determine, in cooperation with mission consti-

tuencies, the areas to be served and the nature of the work to be

undertaken.

d) To determine policy and program, to establish goals

and priorities, to project long-range plans, to evaluate the pro-

gram and services of the board as to the progress made in fulll-

ing its purpose in accordance with ¶¶ 1301 and 1302, and to seek

to achieve its objectives through the programs of the board.

e) To coordinate and harmonize the work of the board.

f) To elect or appoint, according to the bylaws, the staff

of the board.

g) To assign responsibility and delegate authority to staff

and to provide oversight of the staff.

h) To receive and properly administer all properties, trust

funds, permanent funds, annuity funds, and other special funds.

i) To receive, secure, appropriate, and expend funds to

underwrite its program and fulll its responsibilities.

j) To receive and act upon the reports of its units, com-

mittees, and their staff.

k) To make a report of its activities during the quadren-

nium to the General Conference.

l) To develop and maintain cooperative relations with

other general agencies and with jurisdictional, central, annual,

and missionary conferences.

m) To be responsible for implementing a policy stating

that The United Methodist Church is not a party to any comity

agreement that limits the ability of any annual conference in any

jurisdiction to develop and resource programs of ministry of any

kind among Native Americans, including the organization of

local churches where necessary.

2. The board shall develop and maintain cooperative work-

ing relationships with churches and ecumenical agencies on

matters of mutual concern in the implementation of disciplinary

responsibilities.

3. The board shall facilitate and coordinate the program

relationships of other program agencies of The United Method-

ist Church with churches and agencies in nations other than the

United States.

¶ 1304. Authority—The board shall have authority to make

bylaws and regulate its proceedings in accordance with the Book

of Discipline. Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the

629

GENERAL BOARD OF GLOBAL MINISTRIES ¶ 1305

members at a regular or special meeting, provided that required

notice of such amendment has previously been given to the mem-

bers. The board shall have the power and right to do any and all

things that shall be authorized by its charter, except when there is

duplication of activities from one agency to another. It shall have

authority to develop and carry out its responsibilities as described

in ¶ 1302; to buy, acquire, or receive by gift, devise, or bequest

property—real, personal, and mixed; to hold, mortgage, sell, and

dispose of property; to sue and be sued; to borrow money in case

of necessity in accordance with ¶¶ 806-807; to develop and main-

tain ecumenical relations to carry out its responsibilities; and to

administer its affairs through the board and its various units and

committees.

¶ 1305. Incorporation—1. The board shall be incorporated

and shall implement its responsibilities through its corporate

structure and the corporate structures of the entities that it con-

trols or that are administratively organized as divisions or depart-

ments of the board.

2. The board or another entity described in ¶ 1305.1 shall be

the successor to the following corporations: the Board of Missions

of The Evangelical United Brethren Church, the Home Missions

and Church Erection Society of the Church of the United Brethren

in Christ, the Foreign Missionary Society of the United Brethren

in Christ, the Missionary Society of The Evangelical Church, and

the Board of Church Extension of The Evangelical Church, and

as such successor it shall be and is authorized and empowered to

receive from its said predecessor corporations all trust funds and

assets of every kind and character—real, personal, or mixed—

held by them, and it shall and hereby is authorized to administer

such trusts and funds in accordance with the conditions under

which they have been previously received and administered by

the said predecessor corporations.

In the case of administering “conditional donations secured

by trust agreements and mortgages” issued prior to 1980, the Gen-

eral Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church

may negotiate payment of less than original value of any out-

standing notes that are associated with former conditional grants

or donations secured by trust agreements or mortgages.

3. The board or another entity described in ¶ 1305.1 shall

have control of all the work formerly controlled and administered

by the following: the Board of Health and Welfare Ministries; the

630

¶ 1305 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

Board of Missions of The United Methodist Church; the Board of

Missions and Church Extension of The Methodist Church; the Mis-

sionary Society, the Board of Foreign Missions, the Board of Home

Missions and Church Extension, the Board of Missions, and the

Board of Church Extension of The Methodist Episcopal Church,

South; the Board of Missions of The Methodist Protestant Church;

the Board of Missions of The Methodist Church; such other

incorporated or unincorporated divisions and departments and

their predecessors as may have been merged into the board; and

such other corporations or agencies of the General Conference as

do similar work; but this list shall not be construed as exhaustive.

4. Subject to the limitations hereinafter specied, any cor-

porations within the board shall be subject to the supervision

and control of the General Conference of The United Methodist

Church in all things not inconsistent with the Constitution and

laws of the United States and of the states of incorporation.

5. The board shall have the authority to create those subsidiary

units or sections needed in the fulllment of designated functions.

¶ 1306. Executive Committee—There shall be an executive

committee, which shall exercise the powers of the board ad interim,

and whose membership and responsibilities shall be determined

by the board’s bylaws.

¶ 1307. Corporate Ofcers—The board shall elect as its corpo-

rate ofcers a president, one vice president, a general treasurer, a

corporate secretary, and such other ofcers as it shall deem nec-

essary. The board shall determine the powers and duties of the

ofcers.

¶ 1308. Elected Staff—1. The board shall elect the general sec-

retary for a quadrennial term by ballot. As chief staff ofcer of the

board, the general secretary shall have direct involvement in staff

selections.

2. The board shall elect, for quadrennial terms, a general trea-

surer/chief operating ofcer and as many executive directors as

the board thinks are appropriate to carry out its work.

3. The board’s personnel committee, in consultation with the

general secretary, shall recommend candidates for the positions

described in the preceding sub-paragraph 2.

4. The general secretary may add positions to the cabinet in

consultation with the board’s personnel committee.

¶ 1309. Personnel Policies—1. Selection—The staff of the board

shall be selected on the basis of competency and with represen-

631

GENERAL BOARD OF GLOBAL MINISTRIES ¶ 1310

tation of ethnic and racial groups, young adults, and women, in

accordance with policies in ¶ 714.

2. Staff Participation of Women—a) Of the cabinet-level staff

positions within the board, a minimum of 40 percent shall be

occupied by women.

b) A minimum of 40 percent of all elected staff, as well as

a minimum of 40 percent of the appointed staff, shall be women.

¶ 1310. Properties, Trusts, and Annuities—1. All properties,

trust funds, annuity funds, permanent funds, and endowments

now or formerly held and administered by the Board of Missions,

the Board of Health and Welfare Ministries, and the United Meth-

odist Committee on Relief of The United Methodist Church; the

Board of Missions of The Methodist Church; the Board of Missions

of The Evangelical United Brethren Church or their successors;

and their respective divisions and departments or their succes-

sors shall be carefully safeguarded. The board shall endeavor to

invest in institutions, companies, corporations, or funds that make

a positive contribution toward the realization of the goals outlined

in the Social Principles of The United Methodist Church and to

administer such investments in the best interest of those persons

and causes for which said funds were established. Such properties,

trust funds, annuity funds, permanent funds, and endowments

shall be transferred to the board from merged boards and societies

only when such transfers can be made in accordance with the laws

of the states where the several boards and societies are chartered

and on the recommendation of the board and the approval of such

boards and societies. Funds of the board and its preceding cor-

porations and societies that are subject to appropriation shall be

appropriated only on recommendation of the board. (See ¶ 806.12.)

2. Former Evangelical United Brethren mission agencies

located within the United States not directly owned by the board,

which receive more than 50 percent of their charitable dona-

tions through United Methodist channels of giving shall be gov-

erned by a board of trustees or directors of whom two-thirds of

its elected voting membership shall be members of The United

Methodist Church.

3. The nancial affairs of the board shall be as follows:

a) The income of the board shall be derived from appor-

tionments, assessments, or askings distributed to jurisdictions,

annual conferences, and pastoral charges by the budget-making

process of the General Conference in such manner as the General

632

¶ 1310 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

Conference may prescribe, and from church schools, gifts, dona-

tions, freewill offerings, annuities, bequests, specials, and other

sources from which missionary and benevolence funds are usu-

ally derived, in accordance with The Book of Discipline and actions

of the General Conference.

b) All contributions to and income on all funds of the

board should be used for current expenses and annual appropria-

tions unless otherwise designated by the donor.

4. Askings shall be received from the elds, and budgets shall

be prepared by the board, consistent with its constitution and

charter, and the budget shall be presented to the Connectional

Table in accordance with ¶ 806.

¶ 1311. Membership—The policies, plans of work, manage-

ment, business, and all affairs of the board shall be governed and

administered by it according to the following conditions:

1. The basic members (clergy, laity) are elected by the juris-

diction upon the nomination of the annual conferences.

The jurisdictions shall use the following formula when

electing members: Northeastern Jurisdiction—3; Southeastern

Jurisdiction—4; Western Jurisdiction—2; North Central Jurisdic-

tion—3; and South Central Jurisdiction—3. Each central confer-

ence shall nominate one member to the basic membership of the

board for a total of seven (7). The additional members of the board

shall be nominated and elected in accordance with the board’s

bylaws. There may be up to ve (5) additional members from the

ve jurisdictions, one of whom shall be from either the Oklahoma

Indian Missionary Conference or the Rio Grande Annual Confer-

ence, unless they are already represented in the basic membership

of the board. There shall be two (2) additional members from the

central conferences

2. The United Methodist Women shall elect three members of

its board of directors to serve as directors of the General Board of

Global Ministries with voice and without vote.

3. The composition of the board and its units should reect

the major recognized categories of Church members. (See ¶ 705.)

A minimum of one-half of the membership should be women.

4. Members of the board shall be distributed across the com-

ponent units and standing committees in accordance with the

board’s bylaws. The members elected by the United Methodist

Women shall serve on the program committees of the board with

voice and without vote.

633

GENERAL BOARD OF GLOBAL MINISTRIES ¶ 1313

5. a) Except as provided below in subparagraph 1311.5b, the

term of ofce of all members whose election is provided for in

this paragraph shall begin and the board shall organize at a meet-

ing to be held within ninety days after the adjournment of the

last meeting of the several jurisdictional conferences held after the

adjournment of the General Conference.

b) The term of ofce of each basic member elected by the

central conferences shall begin immediately following the central

conference meeting at which he or she was elected to the board.

The term of ofce of any additional members nominated by the

central conferences shall begin at the board meeting at which he

or she is elected in accordance with the bylaws. Unless otherwise

specied in the Discipline or the board’s bylaws, the term of ofce

of each member whose election is provided for in this paragraph

shall end when his or her successor takes ofce as provided for in

this paragraph.

6. On nomination of the Council of Bishops, the General

Conference shall elect three bishops from the ve jurisdictions

and two bishops from two of the three central conference regions

(Africa, Europe, Philippines) to the board. Each jurisdiction and

each central conference region shall have representation from this

category on the board at least once within a three-quadrennia

period. Except as provided in the preceding sentence, bishops

shall not be permitted to serve as members of the board.

7. The general secretary, the general treasurer, and the deputy

general secretaries of the board shall be members without vote.

8. Salaried members of staff of any agency receiving appro-

priation funds from the board shall not be eligible to serve as vot-

ing members of the board, except in order to fulll the provisions

of ¶ 705.

¶ 1312. Relationship to the United Methodist Women—The board

shall elect three of its directors to serve as members of the United

Methodist Women Program Advisory Group.

¶ 1313. Advance Committee—The Advance for Christ and His

Church is the designated giving channel of The United Methodist

Church. The Advance Committee shall have general oversight of

the Advance for Christ and His Church (¶ 822).

1. The Advance Committee shall be organized under the

authority and direction of the board as determined by the bylaws

of the board

634

¶ 1313 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

2. General Advance Special Projects—It shall be the responsi-

bility of the Advance Committee to determine which projects are

approved to receive general Advance Special Gifts (¶ 822.2). The

Advance fosters partnership between those who give and those

who receive, and it afrms the right of persons to determine the

priority of their own needs.

M P A

¶ 1314. Program Areas—The program responsibilities within

the General Board of Global Ministries shall be assigned to its

units as it seeks to enhance the involvement of all United Method-

ists in Christian mission and develop ways to facilitate this mis-

sion involvement. The membership of the program areas shall be

constituted in accordance with the bylaws of the General Board of

Global Ministries.

The General Board of Global Ministries shall engage in mis-

sion programming around the following areas:

1. Congregational and Community Development

a) Evangelization among people who have not heard or

heeded the gospel.

b) Strategic new mission initiatives and establishing new

congregations where United Methodism and/or cooperative

church relationships do not exist.

c) Leadership development, including identifying, pre-

paring, training, and empowering persons for leadership in the

church and community so that vital mission-oriented congrega-

tions may be developed.

d) Resourcing leadership training programs and admin-

istering scholarships, including the World Communion Scholar-

ship Program.

e) Church growth, including revitalization of existing

congregations and faith communities, and congregational devel-

opment, particularly among racial and ethnic congregations and

congregations in transitional communities/neighborhoods. Con-

gregational development shall be carried out in cooperation with

the General Board of Discipleship through a Joint Committee on

Congregational Development composed of equal representation

from the General Board of Global Ministries and the General

Board of Discipleship, which shall meet at least annually to expe-

dite cooperation between these two boards in the eld of congre-

gational development of both new congregations as well as the

635

GENERAL BOARD OF GLOBAL MINISTRIES ¶ 1314

revitalization of existing congregations, with a priority given to

racial and ethnic congregations.

f) Church and community development, including

grants, loans and technical assistance for programs of self-devel-

opment and self-determination pertaining to social needs arising

from concerns for ethnic and cultural pluralism, economic and

sexual exploitation, and political and racial oppression.

g) Community-based programs in areas such as agricul-

tural mission, communications, student and youth ministries.

h) Development of strong local and regional organiza-

tions for community development with the capacity to network

and become part of an internationally related program.

i) To foster and facilitate cooperative patterns of minis-

try, including cooperative parishes, metropolitan ministries, rural

and town and country ministries.

j) Administering funding and other forms of resource

sharing for projects and programs—especially those serving

women, children, and youth of partner churches and ecumenical

bodies.

2. Connectional and Ecumenical Relationships

a) Working with denominational, ecumenical, and sec-

ular coalitions, as appropriate, to develop new patterns of joint

mission.

b) Identication and analysis of the missional concerns

that shape the conditions under which the church is called to

engage in God’s mission.

c) Development of and sustaining cooperative relation-

ships and mission partnerships that include sharing of opportu-

nities and resources, networking and collaboration. This includes

the maintaining and fullling of connectional relationships with

annual conferences, missionary conferences, and central confer-

ences; autonomous, afliated autonomous, and united churches;

and ecumenical church bodies.

d) Developing missional relationships in countries where

The United Methodist Church has no commitments by pursuing

a working agreement with the church or churches, a united mis-

sion organization, or ecumenical bodies related to the area, if such

exists. If these approaches are not available, the board may partic-

ipate in the formation of a new United Methodist denominational

structure, in which case it may request the Council of Bishops to

provide any necessary episcopal oversight.

636

¶ 1314 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

e) Liaising with each central conference and its confer-

ences, both annual and provisional, and each afliated autono-

mous Methodist church or united church, and where applicable,

requesting that these bodies make provision for liaison functions

with the board.

f) Providing information and assisting in developing

action and advocacy for global justice, peace, and freedom through

working cooperatively with other agencies of the Church; other

denominations; and ecumenical, interfaith, and secular coalitions.

The General Board of Global Ministries will maintain its special

consultative status with the United Nations and its collaborations

with United Methodist Women and the General Board of Church

and Society through the United Methodist Ofce at the Church

Center for the UN.

g) Fostering interaction of churches and ecumenical

groups for the purpose of mutuality in the denition and imple-

mentation of Christian mission and international concerns.

3. Mission Education and Interpretation

a) Providing opportunities for United Methodists to

understand the global mission of The United Methodist Church

and for personal and corporate witness through involvement in

and support of this mission.

b) Initiating and developing programs and resources that

will encourage persons of particular cultures to become receivers

and bearers of the gospel across boundaries and to live faithfully

within a multicultural world.

c) Engaging in programs of mission interpretation,

including training mission interpreters.

d) Training of connectional mission leaders to fulll their

responsibilities.

e) Working with schools of theology and professors of

mission, in cooperation with the General Board of Higher Edu-

cation and Ministry, in providing an emphasis on education for

mission.

f) Cooperating with the General Board of Discipleship,

especially the Curriculum Resources Committee, in providing

opportunities for mission involvement and understanding of all

age levels.

g) Initiating and developing special programs and

resources through which children and youth may understand the

mission of the Church.

637

GENERAL BOARD OF GLOBAL MINISTRIES ¶ 1314

h) Working with ecumenical agencies in fullling mis-

sion education responsibilities.

i) Providing opportunities for United Methodists to

gather and witness as a global church.

4. Mission Service

a) Planning for and developing a broad range of mission

volunteer opportunities for short-term assignments, including

promoting and interpreting the need for volunteers with a variety

of skills and abilities; working in close relationship with confer-

ence and jurisdictional ofcers (i.e., volunteers in mission, disas-

ter response) to assist in identifying, developing, and supporting

opportunities for mission volunteer service.

b) Promoting opportunities for mission service related to

the General Board of Global Ministries throughout the constituen-

cies of the Church, through the recruitment, selection, prepara-

tion, commissioning, and assignment of all categories of mission

personnel, with necessary supervision and support of these per-

sons in assignments in the widest variety of church and ecumeni-

cal partners in the United States and around the globe.

c) Relating to persons in mission of partner churches.

5. Global Health

a) Engaging in, supporting, facilitating, advocating, and

partnering with others (including UM organizations and ecumen-

ical, interfaith, and secular organizations, as appropriate) to pro-

vide global and local health ministries that, in the spirit of Jesus

Christ, foster abundant health for all, including holistic physical,

mental and spiritual well-being, regardless of religion, national-

ity, culture, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or physical

or mental disability.

b) Combating preventable diseases of poverty and sup-

porting comprehensive community-based health care.

c) Convening, mobilizing, resourcing, and equipping

United Methodists to engage in, support, and advocate holistic

health ministries, locally and globally.

d) Encouraging awareness of the gifts, graces, assets,

and needs of persons with special physical, mental, and other

developmental needs, fostering a culture of inclusivity within

The United Methodist Church as a place where people with spe-

cial needs will be embraced in all aspects of worship, leadership,

and ministry.

638

¶ 1314 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

e) Encouraging and supporting congregations to respond

effectively and compassionately to those affected by substance

abuse and related violence.

U M C  R

¶ 1315. 1. General Provisions—a) Purpose—The United Meth-

odist Committee on Relief (“UMCOR”) exists to assist United

Methodists and churches to become involved globally in direct

ministry to persons in need through programs of relief, rehabilita-

tion, and service, including issues of displaced persons, hunger

and poverty, disaster response, and disaster risk reduction; and to

assist organizations, institutions, and programs related to annual

conferences and other units of The United Methodist Church in

their involvement in direct service to such persons in need.

b) Authority—UMCOR is a not-for-prot corporation

whose directors are elected by the General Board of Global Min-

istries. UMCOR shall operate in a manner consistent with the

policies set by the General Board of Global Ministries and in

accordance with the bylaws of the General Board of Global Min-

istries and UMCOR.

c) Responsibilities—The responsibilities of UMCOR shall

be as follows:

(1) seek to address human need in the spirit of Jesus

Christ;

(2) provide immediate relief of acute human need

and respond to the suffering of persons in the world caused by

disaster;

(3) work cooperatively with the appropriate confer-

ence units, ecumenical bodies, interdenominational agencies and

other partners in the identication of, advocacy for, and assistance

with ministries with displaced persons, hunger and poverty,

disaster response, and disaster risk reduction;

(4) administer these ministries described in sub-

paragraph three (3) above in the spirit of Jesus Christ, preserving

the dignity of persons without regard to religion, race, nationality,

or gender, and seek to enhance the quality of life in the human

community;

(5) work cooperatively with The General Commis-

sion on Communication in promotion of the UMCOR Sunday;

(6) initiate printed, audiovisual, electronic, and other

resources to interpret, support, and communicate with confer-

639

GENERAL BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND MINISTRY ¶ 1401

ences and churches concerning appeals for help and information

related to ministries with displaced persons, hunger and poverty,

disaster response, and disaster risk reduction; and

(7) assist and train conference coordinators and other

partners to address emerging and ongoing issues related to dis-

placed persons’ ministries, root causes of hunger and poverty,

disaster relief, disaster risk reduction, and rehabilitation;

d) Response to Requests for Disaster Funding—UMCOR

shall respond to a disaster response proposal only if the request

for such funds comes from either (i) an appropriate body related

to The United Methodist Church, preferably an annual confer-

ence, or (ii) an appropriate body of an entity that is not related

to The United Methodist Church. UMCOR will review disaster

response proposals for compliance with international or national

standards for humanitarian assistance. UMCOR will review pro-

posals for funding to repair places of worship or church property

damaged by disasters in consultation with conference disaster

response coordinators, bishops, and district superintendents in

The United Methodist Church, or with persons in similar posi-

tions from other religious institutions, and will arrange an on-

site visit to evaluate and initiate an ongoing consultative process

when appropriate.

e) Limitation of Responsibility—UMCOR shall not be

responsible, legally or morally, for the debts, contracts, or obliga-

tions or for any other nancial commitments of any character or

description created, undertaken, or assumed by any institution or

interest related to a unit of The United Methodist Church, whether

or not such institution or interest shall be approved, accepted, or

recognized by UMCOR or shall be afliated with UMCOR, or

whether or not the promotion or establishment of the same shall

be approved by the constitution of UMCOR. No such institution

or interest related to a unit of The United Methodist Church and

no ofcer or member of UMCOR shall have any authority what-

soever to take any action directly or by implication at variance

with, or deviating from, the limitation contained in the preceding

sentence hereof, except as UMCOR may directly own and manage

an institution in its own name.

Section VIII. General Board of Higher Education and Ministry

¶ 1401. There shall be a General Board of Higher Education

and Ministry, hereinafter referred to as the board.

640

¶ 1402 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

¶ 1402. Incorporation—The General Board of Higher Educa-

tion and Ministry shall be a corporation under the laws of Tennes-

see and shall be responsible for the functions previously conducted

by the Division of Higher Education of the General Board of Edu-

cation and the Commission on Chaplains and Related Ministries

of The United Methodist Church.

The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry is

authorized to take such action as is appropriate under the corpo-

ration laws of Tennessee so as to accomplish the end result stated

above, and under which the General Board of Higher Education

and Ministry shall be one legal entity.

The divisions of the General Board of Education were not

incorporated separately; it is the intent, however, that responsibil-

ity for the functions delegated to the divisions by prior legislative

action be transferred consistent with the separation of the divi-

sions between the General Board of Discipleship and the General

Board of Higher Education and Ministry. In the division of the

assets of the General Board of Education, it is the intent that all

assets be used in keeping with the original intent and purpose

for which they were established or acquired, and so be assigned

as appropriate to the General Boards of Discipleship and Higher

Education and Ministry, respectively. It is further intended that

the annuities, bequests, trusts, and estates formerly held by the

General Board of Education be used for the benet and use of the

General Boards of Discipleship and Higher Education and Min-

istry (in accord with their purposes as dened in the Discipline),

respectively, as their interests may appear, and that real estate

titles be authorized to be conveyed as appropriate and appor-

tioned where indicated.

In the event that the intent of the original donor of existing

annuities, bequests, trusts, and estates cannot be clearly deter-

mined in relation to the interests of the two boards, such assets

shall be divided equally between the two boards.

It is further intended that should additional assets accrue to

the former General Board of Education by reason of annuities,

bequests, trusts, and estates not now known and where the intent

of the donor can be clearly ascertained, the assets shall be used

in keeping with the original intent and purpose for which they

were established or acquired and so be assigned as appropriate

to the General Boards of Discipleship and Higher Education and

Ministry, respectively.

641

GENERAL BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND MINISTRY ¶ 1405

It is further intended that should additional assets accrue to

the former General Board of Education by reason of annuities,

bequests, trusts, and estates not now known and where the intent

of the original donor cannot be clearly determined in relation

to the interests of the two boards, such assets shall be divided

equally between the two boards.

¶ 1403. Amenability and Accountability—The board shall be

amenable to the General Conference, and between sessions of the

General Conference it shall be accountable to the Connectional

Table.

¶ 1404. Purpose—The board exists, within the expression of

the total mission of the Church, for the specic purpose of prepar-

ing and assisting persons to fulll their ministry in Christ in the

several special ministries, ordained and diaconal; and to provide

general oversight and care for campus ministries and institutions

of higher education, including schools, colleges, universities, and

theological schools.

¶ 1405. Objectives—All the objectives assigned to the divi-

sions shall be considered to be the objectives of the board. In sum-

mary, the board shall have authority:

1. To maintain the historic mission of The United Methodist

Church in higher education and to serve as advocate for the intel-

lectual life of the Church.

2. To seek to understand and communicate the signicance of

the Christian mission in higher education and ministry through-

out the world as the context in which values and Christian life-

style are shaped.

3. To encourage a Christian presence in institutions related to

The United Methodist Church.

4. To ensure that the board’s programs and policies address

the needs and concerns for ministry with racial and ethnic per-

sons and people with disabilities.

5. To provide counsel, guidance, and assistance to annual

conferences through their boards of ordained ministry and higher

education and campus ministry, and other such program units as

may be organized in the annual conferences.

6. To study needs and resources for ordained and diaconal

ministries, including identication of new types of ministry.

7. To develop and maintain standards and procedures for

certication in professional ministerial careers and for ordination

into the ordained ministry.

642

¶ 1405 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

8. To promote and give direction to work among racial and

ethnic groups, and people with disabilities for enlistment, train-

ing, and placement of persons in the professional Church-related

ministries.

9. To coordinate and make visible information about career

assessment opportunities and continuing education that will

assist persons in professional Church-related ministries with their

professional growth and development.

10. To recruit, endorse, and provide general oversight of

United Methodist ordained ministers, including persons who

speak languages in addition to English, who desire to serve as

chaplains in specialized institutional ministry settings in both pri-

vate and governmental sectors.

11. To represent The United Methodist Church in, and pro-

vide liaison with, United Methodist ordained ministers certied

by professional certifying and accrediting organizations related to

ministry in specialized settings.

12. To plan and implement a continuing ministry to United

Methodist laity in institutions and armed forces who are sepa-

rated from their local churches.

13. To develop and provide services directed to enlistment

for specialized Church-related ministries, professional growth

and development, and counseling.

14. To offer personnel and placement assistance for persons

involved in professional Church-related ministries.

15. To conduct research on human needs to be met by the

Church through its resources in higher education.

16. To provide for the allocation of funds to institutions and

to programs related to the board.

17. To maintain adequate duciary and legal relationships

with institutions and ministries and to assist annual conferences

and other judicatories in their responsibilities in these matters.

18. To provide counsel, guidance, and assistance to institu-

tions of higher education in their relationships with governmental

agencies.

19. To guard property and endowments entrusted to the

institutions and to maintain and enforce adequate trust and rever-

sionary clauses.

20. To monitor and interact with public higher education

in terms of its reection on the wholeness of persons and the

meaning of life, and to study and inform constituencies of public

643

GENERAL BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND MINISTRY ¶ 1405

policy issues related to higher education, both independent and

public.

21. To promote, in cooperation with the General Commis-

sion on Communication, churchwide special Sundays and funds:

Africa University Fund, Black College Fund, Ministerial Educa-

tion Fund, Native American Ministries Sunday, United Method-

ist Student Day, World Communion Sunday, and other funds and

special days ordered by the General Conference.

22. To evaluate United Methodist higher education and pro-

fessional Church-related ministries with concern for the quality of

their performance and the integrity of their mission.

23. To provide standards and support for and interpretation

of the work of United Methodist theological schools.

24. To analyze needs of those in Church-related ministries for

continuing education, including assessment of effectiveness, pro-

fessional growth and development, and funding.

25. To provide professional ministerial courses of study

for orderly entrance into ordained ministry. In providing these

courses of study, consideration shall be given to languages other

than English and to persons with disabilities.

26. To provide for a continuing discussion of the theologi-

cal bases for professional Church-related ministries and higher

education.

27. To provide such services as will create a climate of accep-

tance and empowerment for women, racial and ethnic persons,

and people with disabilities in higher education and professional

Church-related ministries, and to be alert to the necessity of advo-

cacy in behalf of these professional ministries in questions of

equity and justice.

28. To provide counsel, guidance, and assistance to profes-

sional associations and fellowships related to diaconal and other

Church-related special ministries.

29. To interpret, promote, and administer the loan and schol-

arship programs of the board, and to cooperate with the General

Board of Global Ministries in matters related to the World Com-

munion Scholarship Program.

30. To engage in research related to personnel needs and

interpretation of occupational opportunities in the Church.

31. To provide such support agencies as are deemed neces-

sary to carry out the functions of the board.

644

¶ 1405 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

32. To give priority to the planning and policy development

functions of the board on behalf of the Church.

¶ 1406. Responsibilities—The responsibilities of the General

Board of Higher Education and Ministry shall be:

1. To establish and review the objectives of the General Board

of Higher Education and Ministry within the wider mission of

The United Methodist Church.

2. To establish appropriate organizational structures within

the board and staff to achieve established objectives, including

writing bylaws, electing ofcers, establishing committees, elect-

ing staff, and lling vacancies in accord with ¶ 712.

3. To determine policy and program, establish goals and pri-

orities, project long-range plans, and evaluate program and ser-

vices of the board.

4. To give direction to the staff and to delegate authority to

board executives through general oversight of the administration.

5. To report the activities of the board to The United Method-

ist Church through appropriate agencies of the General and juris-

dictional conferences.

6. To develop and maintain cooperative relationships with

ecumenical agencies and other denominations for the full dis-

charge of the objectives of the board.

7. To cooperate with other agencies in The United Meth-

odist Church in the fulllment of the programs of the General

Conference.

8. To develop and maintain cooperative relationships with

higher educational institutions, campus ministries, chaplains and

related ministries, and diaconal ministries throughout the world

in collaboration with the General Board of Global Ministries.

9. Upon request, to provide resources and technical assis-

tance in higher education throughout the world in collaboration

with churches of the Wesleyan tradition.

10. In cooperation with the General Council on Finance and

Administration, to develop long-range investments and fund-rais-

ing projects within the Church that shall guarantee, insofar as pos-

sible, the continuous ow of resources for United Methodist higher

education for the decades and the centuries to come. In developing

such long-range investments, the board shall adhere to the spe-

cic investment guidelines adopted by the General Conference.

11. To promote awareness of and concurrence with “Policies

Relative to Socially Responsible Investments” (¶ 717), the Social

645

GENERAL BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND MINISTRY ¶ 1408

Principles (¶¶ 160-166), and The Book of Resolutions of The United

Methodist Church.

¶ 1407. Organization—1. The membership shall be twenty-

two persons, constituted in accordance with ¶ 705.3a and .4 of the

General Provisions.

2. The membership shall be constituted as follows:

a) Jurisdictional Members—Each jurisdiction shall elect

one member to the board. Other paragraphs of the Book of Dis-

cipline notwithstanding, the secretary of the General Conference

shall offer to each jurisdiction a suggested member allocation to

ensure that, when combined with the board members from cen-

tral conferences, the resulting membership will reect a balance

of clergymen and clergywomen, laywomen and laymen. The sec-

retary will also establish an equitable rotation to ensure that over

the course of several quadrennia, each jurisdiction will have the

opportunity to elect a laywoman, a layman, a clergywoman, and

a clergyman.

b) Central Conference Members—Three central confer-

ence members shall be elected to the board on nomination by the

Council of Bishops according to the provisions in ¶ 705.4c. There

shall be alternate members of the central conferences selected to

ensure consistent representation at board meetings.

c) Episcopal Members—Three episcopal members shall be

named by the Council of Bishops, including at least one from the

central conferences (see ¶ 705.4d).

d) Additional Members—United Methodist—Additional

members are nominated by a committee composed of one per-

son from each jurisdiction elected by the jurisdictional conference.

They shall elect up to eleven additional members from the juris-

dictions to ensure inclusivity and expertise. It is recommended

that at least four (4) of the additional members be racial and ethnic

persons from historically underrepresented groups.

e) If a vacancy occurs in the board, it shall be lled in

accordance with ¶ 712.

f) Liaison Representatives—The board may name other

individuals as liaison representatives to provide networking and

advice related to the areas of mutual concern. When invited to

board meetings, they shall have voice but not vote.

¶ 1408. 1. Divisions—The board shall provide for a Division

of Higher Education and a Division of Ordained Ministry pro-

viding support for ordained clergy, local pastors, and diaconal

646

¶ 1408 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

ministers. Further, the board is authorized to alter its organiza-

tion to adjust to changing circumstances, within the parameters of

responsibility established by the Book of Discipline.

2. Ofces—The board, in implementing the objectives

(¶¶ 1403, 1405), shall have authority to establish and main-

tain the following ofces: (a) Interpretation, and (b) Loans and

Scholarships.

¶ 1409. Provision for Funding—1. The work and program of

the board shall be supported from the general benevolences of the

Church and the Ministerial Education Fund. Funds received by

the board for the divisions from the Ministerial Education Fund

shall be restricted to the support of theological schools and the

Division of Ordained Ministry in the development of their pro-

grams of enlistment, basic professional degree programs, and

continuing education (in accordance with ¶ 816.2a and b).

2. Administration and other programs of the divisions shall

be supported solely from World Service moneys. The associate

general secretaries shall recommend through the general secre-

tary of the board to the General Council on Finance and Admin-

istration the amount of nancial support that should be allocated

for the divisions.

D  H E

¶ 1410. Duties and Responsibilities—1. Higher education is a

signicant part of our Wesleyan heritage, our present task, and

our future responsibility. The Church continues its historic mis-

sion of uniting knowledge and vital piety by maintaining educa-

tional institutions and a campus ministry, and through them an

intellectual, spiritual, and material ministry to all persons within

the academic community without respect to sex, race, creed, or

national origin.

2. There shall be a Division on Higher Education represent-

ing The United Methodist Church in its relationships with edu-

cational institutions and the campus ministry. The division shall

have an advisory relationship to all United Methodist-afliated

institutions, including universities, colleges, secondary and spe-

cial schools, Wesley Foundations, and similar organizations as

well as ecumenical campus ministry groups. The division will,

on request, serve in an advisory and consultative capacity to all

agencies of the Church owning or administering educational

institutions and campus ministry units.

647

GENERAL BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND MINISTRY ¶ 1410

3. The nominating committee of the board shall, insofar as

possible, provide representation for nomination as members of

the Division of Higher Education an equitable number of persons

directly related to the areas of concern of the division.

4. Principal objectives of the division are:

a) To determine the nature of the United Methodist mis-

sion in and through its elementary, secondary, and higher educa-

tional institutions and campus ministries.

b) To develop policy that enables The United Methodist

Church to engage effectively in higher education throughout the

world.

c) To encourage the Church in programs designed to

nurture and sustain educational institutions and campus ministry

units as invaluable assets in the ongoing life of the Church.

d) To promote the United Methodist Student Movement,

along with other Methodist and ecumenical student Christian

movements around the world, and a concerned Christian ministry

of the educational community; to witness in the campus commu-

nity to the mission, message, and life of Jesus Christ; to deepen,

enrich, and mature the Christian faith of college and university

students, faculty, and staff through commitment to Jesus Christ

and the Church and to assist them in their service and leadership

to the world, in and through the Church.

e) To interpret both the Church and its educational insti-

tutions and campus ministry to each other; to help the agencies of

the Church and higher education participate in the greater real-

ization of a fully humane society committed to freedom and truth,

love, justice, peace, and personal integrity.

f) To foster within educational institutions the highest

educational standards, effective programs of Church relation-

ships, the soundest business practices, the nest ethical and moral

principles, and especially Christian ideals; to help people experi-

ence release from enslavement, fear, and violence; to help people

live in love; and to raise the awareness of and sensitivity to per-

sons with special needs.

g) To preserve and protect resources, property, and invest-

ments of The United Methodist Church or any conference, agency,

or institution thereof, in any educational institution, Wesley Foun-

dation, or other campus ministry unit founded, organized, devel-

oped, or assisted under the direction or with the cooperation of

The United Methodist Church.

648

¶ 1410 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

h) To relate to professional organizations of higher edu-

cation and campus ministry on behalf of The United Methodist

Church.

i) To enable the division’s constituencies to develop an

interest in and response to public policies bearing on higher edu-

cation, both independent and public.

j) To provide resources and suggest guidelines for annual

conference boards of higher education and campus ministry.

5. The division shall appoint personnel, including an assis-

tant general secretary for campus ministry, an assistant general

secretary for schools, colleges, and universities, and an assistant

general secretary for the Black College Fund, and it shall establish

such committees and commissions as may be necessary for effec-

tive fulllment of its objectives. It may adopt such rules and regu-

lations as may be required for the conduct of its business.

¶ 1411. Responsibilities to General and Annual Conferences—

The Division of Higher Education will cooperate with and assist

the General and annual conferences and their respective boards

and area commissions organized in behalf of educational institu-

tions and the campus ministry. (For annual conference boards, see

¶ 634.2.)

1. The division shall:

a) Provide for the cooperative study of plans for maxi-

mum coordination of the work of United Methodist higher educa-

tion with the Church’s mission in Christian education.

b) Direct attention of Church members to the contribution

of United Methodist educational institutions and campus ministry

units to the life and character of students, faculty, and staff and to

the place the institutions and campus ministry have in the preser-

vation and propagation of the Christian faith for our time.

2. The division shall assess institutional and campus ministry

relationships with and responsibilities to the Church, and it shall

aid in the determination of the degree of active accord between

institutional and campus ministry policies and practices and the

policies of the Church as expressed in the Discipline and in Gen-

eral Conference enactments.

3. The division shall assist educational societies and foun-

dations related to the annual conferences for the promotion of

Christian higher education and the campus ministry, and it shall

recognize such societies and foundations as auxiliaries of the

division when their objectives and purposes, articles of incorpo-

649

GENERAL BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND MINISTRY ¶ 1412

ration, and administrative policies shall have been approved by

the annual conference within whose boundaries they have been

incorporated.

4. The division should provide the connectional relation-

ship whenever agencies of the General Church wish to enter into

discussion with or make inquiry into United Methodist-related

schools, colleges, and universities.

5. The division shall direct attention to the work and needs of

those educational institutions that stand in special relationship to

The United Methodist Church and shall request support for them.

Due recognition shall be given to the needs of the Black colleges

historically related to The United Methodist Church. (See ¶¶ 815,

1420.)

6. The division shall approve changes in institutional spon-

sorship and relationships to the general or annual conferences,

including separation from United Methodist program boards,

from the general or one or more annual conferences, or from the

University Senate as the certifying agency of The United Method-

ist Church.

¶ 1412. Responsibilities to Educational Institutions—The Divi-

sion of Higher Education shall establish policy and practice

providing for consultation with and support of United Method-

ist educational institutions, campus ministry units, and annual

conference boards of higher education and campus ministry in

matters of institutional study and evaluation, promotion, inter-

pretation, management, program, and nance.

1. The division shall, in cooperation with the University

Senate:

a) Study trends in higher education, the needs of the

Church, and public and private educational opportunities and

requirements and make recommendations to the educational

institutions and state commissions or other bodies or publics con-

cerned with higher education.

b) Recommend and approve plans for institutional coop-

eration, consolidation, or merger between or among United Meth-

odist-related colleges and/or between them and institutions of

other denominations that ensure that the interests of The United

Methodist Church are adequately protected.

c) Investigate the objectives, academic programs, edu-

cational standards, personnel policies, plant and equipment,

business and management practices, nancial program, public

650

¶ 1412 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

relations, student personnel services, student development pro-

grams, religious life, and Church relations of any educational

institution claiming or adjudged to be related to The United

Methodist Church.

d) Evaluate and classify institutions in order to authen-

ticate relatedness to the Church and determine eligibility for

Church nancial support.

2. The division shall, in regard to campus ministry, Wesley

Foundations, and ecumenical campus ministry groups, provide a

structure within the division in order to:

a) Assist in development of plans for the systematic eval-

uation of these units in cooperation with their regularly consti-

tuted boards of directors or trustees and with conference boards of

higher education and campus ministry, and with area or regional

committees or commissions on Christian higher education and

campus ministry or appropriate ecumenical agencies.

b) Study the trends in programming and funding in cam-

pus ministry, review reports from the United Methodist Campus

Ministers Association (UMCMA), conference agencies and local

units, and interpret these ndings to the constituency as appropri-

ate and to The United Methodist Church.

c) Afrm its commitment to an ecumenical approach to

campus ministry; encourage local, campus, state, regional, and

global units of that ministry to work toward ecumenical program-

ming and structures where appropriate to provide counsel and

support to conference boards and agencies in reviewing, evaluat-

ing, and strengthening existing and proposed local and regional

ecumenical covenants for campus ministry; and ensure that ecu-

menical covenants and procedures for these units are on le with

the annual conference boards of higher education and campus

ministry.

d) Develop standards and policies for the professional

staff of Wesley Foundations, campus ministries and chaplaincies

and provide educational and training opportunities for campus

ministers and chaplains.

e) Establish policies and guidelines for the work and

responsibilities of oversight of the annual conference board of

higher education and ministry programs of campus ministry in

Wesley Foundations, local churches, and ecumenical campus min-

istries, and the work and responsibilities of local Wesley Founda-

tions and campus ministry boards of directors.

651

GENERAL BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND MINISTRY ¶ 1413

f) Establish procedures and guidelines for the establish-

ment of a new Wesley Foundation or campus ministry unit and

the planning and construction of Wesley Foundation or campus

ministry buildings.

g) Recognize and cooperate with agencies with whom

relationships may serve to further the objectives of the division.

h Provide for representation and participation, as deemed

necessary, with other national and international ecumenical cam-

pus ministry agencies and associations.

i) Provide services to meet specic denominational needs.

j) Relate college and university students of The United

Methodist Church to the United Methodist Student Movement

and such Methodist and ecumenical student organizations around

the world as may be appropriate.

3. The division shall, as it seeks to interpret higher education:

a) Promote the Church’s mission in higher education,

including the special missions and educational ministries to eth-

nic groups, people with disabilities, and other peoples disadvan-

taged by world conditions.

b) Promote Christian instruction and provide opportu-

nity for Christian service.

c) Encourage educational institutions and campus minis-

try units to inculcate human and humane values consistent with

the gospel and the public good.

d) Foster the development of Christian community with-

in the life of educational institutions and campus ministry units.

e) Make use of the existing Church organization and

publications for interpreting the mission of higher education.

f) Participate in the World Communion Scholarship

program.

g) Design and organize the promotion of United Method-

ist Student Day to recognize United Methodist students in higher

education.

¶ 1413. Financial Support of Higher Education—1. In recogni-

tion of its heritage and the mandate to maintain its mission in

higher education and in light of emergent scal concerns, The

United Methodist Church afrms its commitment to higher edu-

cation and to the means by which it can be continuously sup-

ported and renewed.

2. The Division of Higher Education shall be empowered to

take such action as may be necessary to:

652

¶ 1413 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

a) Promote the nancial support of Christian higher edu-

cation within the Church.

b) Create arrangements that shall provide for the ow

of supporting funds from the whole Church to the institutions

afliated with the Church as afrmed by the University Senate

(¶ 1416).

c) Develop corporations, or other scal or duciary agen-

cies, for the purpose of nancing, creating, recycling, managing,

or otherwise caring for institutions and campus ministry units or

their assets and liabilities.

3. The division, in regard to scal matters, shall:

a) Study the nancial status of United Methodist edu-

cational institutions and campus ministry units, encourage the

Church to give them continuous support, and provide consulta-

tive services in scal affairs and other aspects of institutional man-

agement. The division shall study all appropriate related data and

may recommend to each conference or agency the support levels

appropriate for each related institution or institutions.

b) Appropriate such funds as are available for the sup-

port of educational institutions, Wesley Foundations, or other

campus ministry units related to The United Methodist Church

under such rules as the board may adopt.

c) Take such action as is necessary to protect or recover

resources, property, and investments of The United Methodist

Church or any conference, agency, or institution thereof, in capi-

tal or endowment funds of any educational institution, Wesley

Foundation, or other campus ministry unit founded, organized,

developed, or assisted under the direction or with the coopera-

tion of The United Methodist Church should any such institution

discontinue operation or move to sever or modify its connection

with the Church or violate the terms of any rules adopted by the

board or the terms of any such grant of new capital or endow-

ment funds made by The United Methodist Church or any confer-

ence, agency, or institution thereof. In order to carry out its duties

under this paragraph, the division shall, at its discretion, inves-

tigate, audit, and review all necessary records and documents of

any educational institution claiming or adjudged by the division

to be related to The United Methodist Church. In the event any

such educational institution, Wesley Foundation, or other campus

ministry unit shall endeavor to discontinue operation or move to

sever or modify its connection with the Church or violate the rules

653

GENERAL BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND MINISTRY ¶ 1414

adopted by the division in accordance with ¶ 1413.3b, it shall be

the duty of the trustees and the administrators of such institu-

tions, along with the conference agency on higher education and

the resident bishop of the conference in which such institution is

located, to confer at the earliest possible opportunity with appro-

priate representatives of the division to determine what resources

and aid the division may be able to provide and to permit the

division to carry out its responsibilities under this paragraph.

d) (1) Foster and aid through a special apportionment the

United Methodist institutions historically related to education for

African Americans. It shall have authority to institute plans by

which colleges sponsored by the division may cooperate with or

may unite with colleges of other denominations or under inde-

pendent control, provided that the interests of The United Meth-

odist Church are adequately protected. (2) Encourage such Black

colleges to secure adequate endowments for their support and

maintenance. Whenever the division is assured that their support

will be adequate and the property will be conserved and perpetu-

ated for Christian education under the auspices and control of The

United Methodist Church, it may transfer the colleges to boards

of trustees under such conditions as the General Board of Higher

Education and Ministry may prescribe, which shall include the

right of reversion to the board under conditions prescribed by the

board.

U S

¶ 1414. Organization and Membership—1. The University Sen-

ate is an elected body of professionals in higher education created

by the General Conference to determine which schools, colleges,

universities, and theological schools meet the criteria for listing as

institutions afliated with The United Methodist Church.

2. The senate shall be composed of twenty-seven (27) voting

members who, at the time of election, are actively engaged in the

work of education through employment in an educational insti-

tution and are tted by training and experience for the techni-

cal work of evaluating educational institutions. Election is for the

quadrennium, except in cases where conict of interest arises as

a result of change in employment. Nine (9) of these members shall

be elected quadrennially by the National Association of Schools

27. See Judicial Council Decision 589.

654

¶ 1414 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

and Colleges of The United Methodist Church—seven of whom

shall be chief executive ofcers of United Methodist-related edu-

cational institutions, the other two holding other positions rele-

vant to academic or nancial affairs or Church relationships; six

(6) by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry—two

of whom shall be chief executive ofcers of United Methodist-

related higher educational institutions, two holding other posi-

tions relevant to academic or nancial affairs, and two holding

positions relevant to Church relationships; four (4) by the Gen-

eral Conference—two of whom shall be chief executive ofcers

of United Methodist-related educational institutions at the time

of their election, the other two holding other positions relevant to

academic or nancial affairs or Church relationships; four (4) by

the senate itself, without limitation other than the general provi-

sions of this paragraph; and four (4) shall be appointed by the

Council of Bishops—two of whom shall be chief executive ofcers

of United Methodist-related educational institutions, the other

two holding other positions relevant to academic or nancial

affairs or Church relationships. Each of the ve electing bodies

shall elect at least one woman.

Members elected by the General Conference shall be nomi-

nated and elected by the following procedure: Twelve persons

shall be nominated by the Council of Bishops, six of whom shall

be chief executive ofcers of United Methodist-related edu-

cational institutions, the other six holding other positions rel-

evant to academic or nancial affairs or Church relationships.

At the same daily session at which the above nominations are

announced, additional nominations may be made from the oor

but at no other time. From these nominations, the General Con-

ference shall elect without discussion, by ballot and by plurality

vote, the four persons to serve on the senate, two from each of the

two categories of nominees. Should a vacancy occur in the mem-

bers elected by General Conference in the interim prior to the

next General Conference, the Council of Bishops shall appoint

a replacement taken from the remaining nominees. The election

process shall be repeated at each succeeding General Conference.

Care should be taken that women, racial and ethnic persons, and

representatives from the United Methodist-related Black colleges

and graduate theological seminaries shall be members of the

senate. If a member (other than the four elected by the General

Conference) retires from educational work, or for any other cause

655

GENERAL BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND MINISTRY ¶ 1415

a vacancy occurs during the quadrennium, it shall be lled by

the agency by which the retiring member was elected at its next

meeting. The general secretary of the General Board of Higher

Education and Ministry and the associate general secretaries of

the Divisions of Higher Education and Ordained Ministry of that

board shall serve as ex ofcio members of the senate, with voice

but without vote. There shall be one staff representative on the

senate from the General Board of Global Ministries, with voice

but without vote, named by the general secretary of the General

Board of Global Ministries.

3. The associate general secretary of the Division of Higher

Education shall be the executive secretary of the senate. The gen-

eral secretary of the board shall convene it for organization at the

beginning of each quadrennium. The senate shall elect its own

ofcers, including a president, a vice president, and a recording

secretary, and it may appoint such committees and commissions

and delegate to them such powers as are incident to its work.

Thereafter, it shall meet semiannually at such time and place as

it may determine. Special meetings may be called on the written

request of ve members or at the discretion of the president and

the executive secretary.

4. After consultation with the ofcers of the senate, the Divi-

sion of Higher Education shall provide in its annual budget for

the expense of the senate as it may deem sufcient, except that

expenses incurred by the senate on behalf of any other board of

the Church shall be borne by that board.

¶ 1415. Purposes and Objectives—1. To establish the criteria

that must be met by schools, colleges, universities, and theologi-

cal schools to achieve and retain listing as institutions afliated

with The United Methodist Church.

2. To support the development of institutions whose aims are

to address and whose programs reect signicant educational,

cultural, social, and human issues in a manner reecting the val-

ues held in common by the institutions and the Church.

3. To provide an effective review process to ensure that

schools, colleges, universities, and theological schools listed by

the University Senate and qualifying for Church support have

institutional integrity, well-structured programs, sound manage-

ment, and clearly dened Church relationships.

28. See Judicial Council Decision 589.

656

¶ 1415 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

4. To establish effective annual reporting procedures that will

provide the senate with the data necessary to complete its review

of the institutional viability and program integrity of member

institutions.

5. At the conclusion of each General Conference a complete set

of the Daily Christian Advocate for that General Conference shall be

sent to each theological school approved by the University Senate.

¶ 1416. Institutional Afliation

—1. Approval by the senate is

prerequisite to institutional claim of afliation with The United

Methodist Church.

2. Every effort shall be made by both the annual conferences

and institutions to sustain and support each other, but identi-

cation of an institution with The United Methodist Church shall

depend upon its approval by the senate. The senate shall provide

adequate guidelines and counsel to assist institutions seeking ini-

tial or renewed afliation.

3. Only institutions afliated with The United Methodist

Church through approval by the senate shall be eligible for fund-

ing by annual conferences, General Conference, general boards,

or other agencies of The United Methodist Church.

4. To qualify for afliation with The United Methodist Church,

institutions must maintain appropriate academic accreditation.

5. Assessment of Church relationships shall be a part of the

process for those institutions seeking approval of the senate for

afliation with The United Methodist Church. Inasmuch as decla-

rations of Church relationships are expected to differ one from the

other, and because of the diversity in heritage and other aspects of

institutional life, declarations of Church relationship will neces-

sarily be of institutional design.

¶ 1417. Annual Reports of Approved Institutions—1. Each

year the senate shall publish a list classifying United Methodist-

afliated institutions. These institutions shall include secondary

schools, colleges, universities, graduate theological seminaries,

and special schools.

2. The senate shall also prepare annually a list of approved

schools, colleges, universities, and graduate theological seminar-

ies for use by annual conference boards of ordained ministry in

determining candidate educational eligibility for admission into

full connection.

29. See Judicial Council Decision 589.

657

GENERAL BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND MINISTRY ¶ 1420

3. An institution that chooses to disafliate with The United

Methodist Church for any reason shall: a) inform the University

Senate as soon as possible after discussions begin concerning dis-

afliation; b) inform all appropriate United Methodist judicato-

ries; and c) seek technical and legal assistance from the Division

of Higher Education regarding duciary issues.

4. The senate shall publish annually, with its list of United

Methodist-afliated institutions, the names of institutions of other

historic Methodist Churches that wish to participate in research

projects, the insurance program, and technical services of the

General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. Such institu-

tions shall be designated as “associate” institutions.

¶ 1418. Consultative Services—1. Support for approved insti-

tutions shall include, through the appropriate divisions of the

General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, consulting

teams with skills in comprehensive institutional design, manage-

ment, governance, and program.

2. Support for approved institutions shall include an inter-

pretation of and consultation on data in the annual institutional

reports.

3. The Division of Higher Education shall report annually to

the senate on the level and types of institutional support rendered

by related conferences and agencies and shall evaluate such sup-

port, including specic responses of conferences and agencies to

recommended levels.

U M H E F

¶ 1419. The United Methodist Higher Education Foundation

is incorporated in the State of Tennessee as a nonprot, charitable

organization with permanent ties to the Division of Higher Edu-

cation, which elects its board of trustees. The general purpose of

the foundation is to foster the growth and development of institu-

tions of higher education by encouraging persons and corpora-

tions to provide nancial support and by acting as a foundation

for such support. The foundation is also authorized to serve as

a trustee and administrator of gifts and bequests designated by

donors to specic institutions.

C  P   B C

¶ 1420. Council of Presidents of the Black Colleges—1. There

shall be an organization known as the Council of Presidents of the

658

¶ 1420 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

Black Colleges. It shall be composed of all the presidents of the

United Methodist institutions historically related to the educa-

tion of African Americans and with a current relationship to The

United Methodist Church.

2. Purposes and Objectives—The purpose of the council shall

be to:

a) Help identify and clarify the roles of these colleges in

higher education and in The United Methodist Church.

b) Promote fund-raising efforts through the Church.

c) Study, review, and discuss programs of member

institutions.

The council shall have a minimum of two regular meetings

in each calendar year and shall be amenable to the Division of

Higher Education in the implementation of its responsibilities.

D  O M

¶ 1421. Duties and Responsibilities of the Division of Ordained

Ministry—The Division of Ordained Ministry shall be responsible

for leading and serving the church in inviting, equipping, and sup-

porting faithful and effective spiritual leaders from all cultural,

ethnic, and racial backgrounds, who serve as ordained deacons

and elders, licensed local pastors, diaconal ministers, certied

persons in specialized ministries, and clergy endorsed for exten-

sion ministries in order to fulll the mission of The United Meth-

odist Church and the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The division’s work includes all men and women who are serving

in categories of appointment by a bishop. This responsibility shall

be discharged in active relationship with bishops, schools of the-

ology, annual conference boards of ordained ministry, cabinets,

jurisdictional boards or committees on ordained ministry, central

conferences, ethnic caucuses, and other appropriate bodies. This

division shall be responsible for the promotion of theological edu-

cation and its support for the whole church.

In fulllment of this responsibility and in accordance with

the disciplinary requirements established for each region of the

church in the world, the division will organize its work around

the following core responsibilities:

1. Administration—a) Provide leadership in the interpretation

of the need for ministry in The United Methodist Church in ways

that are appropriate to each region of the church in the world.

The interpretation of ministry includes the ministry of deacons,

659

GENERAL BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND MINISTRY ¶ 1421

elders, local pastors, those approved for extension ministries, and

certied for specialized ministries.

b) Maintain contact with the constituencies of the divi-

sion through gatherings of the chairs of the Order of Deacons and

the Order of Elders and the Fellowship of Local Pastors, personal

communication, newsletters, and other consultative services.

c) In consultation with ethnic constituencies, work with

boards of ordained ministry, district committees on ordained min-

istry, and other appropriate agencies by developing guidelines,

training, and resources for their work; providing guidance and

counseling in the examination of ministerial students; and inter-

preting current disciplinary legislation concerning ordained and

licensed ministry.

d) Provide resources and training to conference boards of

ordained ministry and similar recognized bodies in their responsi-

bility for administering the standards, requirements, examination,

and interviews for ordination and certication in ministry careers.

e) Provide the connectional relationship whenever agen-

cies of the general Church wish to enter into discussion with or

make inquiry into the work of United Methodist seminaries.

f) Study and coordinate mutual ministry between United

Methodist schools of theology and annual conferences in the ful-

llment of their responsibilities for the education and formation

of candidates for ordained, licensed, and certied ministries.

g) Lead in the Church-wide interpretation and promo-

tion of the Ministerial Education Fund, and support other funds

and programs that assist in training persons for ordained ministry.

h) Relate to the University Senate and its Commission on

Theological Education in the review and approval of non-United

Methodist seminaries for candidates for ordination as elder and

deacon.

i) Cooperate with other agencies and ethnic groups

within The United Methodist Church in matters related to the

calling, training, and support of ministerial leadership through-

out the church.

j) Participate in professional, ecumenical, national, and

international associations that support professional ministry.

k) Cooperate with the General Council on Finance and

Administration and boards of ordained ministry concerning legal

issues, policies of professional ethics, and other matters related to

the practice of ministry.

660

¶ 1421 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

l) Foster cooperative relationships among persons in the

diaconate of The United Methodist Church and their colleagues in

other Christian churches.

2. Enlistment, Candidacy, and Conference Relations—The divi-

sion shall: a) Lead the church in lifting up God’s call to set-apart

ministry in The United Methodist Church through discernment

and enlistment programs.

b) Study ministerial needs and resources in The United

Methodist Church and cooperate with the general boards and

agencies, and other appropriate ethnic and cultural groups, in the

interpretation of ministry as a vocation, in an effort to enlist suit-

able persons for ordained, licensed, and certied ministry.

c) Study the ministerial needs of the annual and central

conferences in terms of pastoral leadership, the ministry of the

deacon, and certied ministries, including candidacy statistics,

retirement trends, retention of clergy, and the changing demand

for ministerial supply.

d) Study the ministerial needs of the world and provide

resources for the enlistment of persons for service in ministries

beyond the local church.

e) Provide program materials and training resources for

the enlistment and support of candidates for ordained, licensed,

and certied ministry.

f) Work with ethnic centers related to the United Method-

ist seminaries, general church initiatives, and the ethnic caucuses

to enlist racial and ethnic persons as candidates for ordained,

licensed, and certied ministry.

3. Theological Education—The division shall: a) Develop and

maintain the educational programs and standards for those who

are ordained as deacons and elders, licensed as local pastors,

and certied for specialized ministries in The United Methodist

Church and shall disseminate the approved courses and stan-

dards to appropriate oversight bodies and boards.

b) Certify the course offerings in United Methodist his-

tory, doctrine, and polity as specied in ¶ 335.(3), and provide the

University Senate and boards of ordained ministry with a list of

the courses approved.

c) Prescribe a theological studies program which will

include basic graduate theological studies for those preparing for

ordination as a deacon, an advanced course of studies program

for local pastors preparing for ordination as an elder, and a cur-

661

GENERAL BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND MINISTRY ¶ 1421

riculum of studies for those seeking certication in areas of spe-

cialized ministry.

d) Prescribe a Course of Study for local pastors that

include the studies for license for pastoral ministry and the

Course of Study curriculum. All work in the Course of Study shall

be taken in programs approved by the Division of Ordained Min-

istry. Upon approval of the conference Board of Ordained Minis-

try, a candidate may complete up to one-half of the work through

online courses developed by the Division of Ordained Ministry.

e) Identify the areas of need for specialized ministries;

provide standards and educational programs that may lead to cer-

tication in those areas; and review the qualications of persons

recommended for certication by conference boards of ordained

ministry.

f) Consult with the schools of theology and programs of

pastoral training in the central conferences concerning pastoral

needs, the relationship between United Methodist seminaries in

the central conferences and the United States, and other resources

for training pastors to serve in the central conferences.

g) Promote attending United Methodist seminaries for

theological training in the Wesleyan tradition.

h) Cooperate with the Ofce of Loans and Scholarships,

the Higher Education Foundation, the World Communion Schol-

arship Program, and other funding agencies in regard to schol-

arship assistance for racial and ethnic students preparing for

ordained ministry.

4. Support, Supervision, and Accountability—The division shall:

a) Provide guidance and resources for the continuing education,

spiritual formation, and career development for elders, deacons,

diaconal ministers, chaplains and pastoral counselors, and per-

sons certied for specialized ministries serving in local churches,

extension ministries, and other appointment settings in the church

and world.

b) Support and cooperate with bishops and district

superintendents in the fulllment of their ministry of superin-

tending by (1) providing jointly with the Connectional Table and

the Council of Bishops for the training of new district superin-

tendents; (2) providing ongoing training and support for bishops

and superintendents in their work; and (3) developing resources

to assist clergy, superintendents, and local churches in assess-

ment and evaluation of ministry, including providing tools for

662

¶ 1421 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

staff-parish relations committees, pastors, boards of ordained

ministry, and cabinets on ensuring effective cross-racial and cross-

cultural appointments.

c) Encourage and resource conference boards of ordained

ministry, the Order of Deacons and the Order of Elders, and the

Fellowship of Local Pastors for the ongoing support of persons

in ordained, consecrated, licensed, and certied ministry in The

United Methodist Church.

d) Provide guidance to cabinets and other annual confer-

ence agencies to ensure conditions of employment, support, and

benets commensurate with their training, ability, and experience

for those ordained, consecrated, licensed, or certied for ministe-

rial service.

e) Support members of the endorsed community through

relationships to certifying bodies and professional organizations;

linking congregations, conferences, and church structures with

persons in specialized settings; assisting persons in receiving spe-

cialized training for ministry in pastoral care and pastoral coun-

seling settings; and providing retreats, convocations, and other

special programs.

f) Lead the church in the acceptance and support of

women of all ethnic and racial groups in ordained and licensed

ministry.

g) Give attention to the specic needs of clergy with

disabilities.

h) Work with bishops, cabinets, boards of ordained minis-

try, the Order of Deacons and the Order of Elders, the Fellow-

ship of Local Pastors, and other church agencies in maintaining

the professional and ethical standards of ministry in The United

Methodist Church.

i) Encourage and support the continuing education,

spiritual formation, and career development of effective spiritual

leaders of all races and ethnic origins.

5. Endorsement—The division shall: a) Identify, assess, and

support chaplains and clergy who show demonstrated ability to

provide pastoral care in health-care settings, children’s homes,

retirement homes, prisons, workplaces, counseling centers, and

the military.

b) Establish standards required for endorsed persons in

the areas of specialized education, training and skills, and when

required, professional certication, to ensure that The United

663

GENERAL BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND MINISTRY ¶ 1421

Methodist Church provides quality pastoral care to patients, resi-

dents, prisoners, workers, counselees, and military personnel and

their families.

c) Maintain policies and procedures to provide Ecclesi-

astical Endorsement for associate members, deacons and elders

under appointment to ministries of chaplaincy and pastoral care

where endorsement is required.

(1) The Division of Ordained Ministry, through its

endorsing committee, the United Methodist Endorsing Agency,

has the authority to grant and remove endorsement and to adopt

appropriate rules of procedure, to include procedure for appeals.

(2) An endorsing committee consisting of elected

members of the Division of Ordained Ministry and chaired by a

bishop shall represent The United Methodist Church in all endors-

ing procedures.

(3) Endorsement is the credential which certies that

a clergyperson performs a valid ministry of The United Meth-

odist Church and has presented evidence of required special-

ized education, training, skills, and, when required, professional

certication necessary to perform that ministry. Once the clergy-

person no longer serves in that particular setting, the endorse-

ment is withdrawn.

d) Establish and follow procedures for ecclesiastical

approval for persons in the military student chaplain candidate

programs, intermittent chaplaincy with the Department of Veter-

ans Affairs, and other identied entities.

e) Maintain programs for the oversight and advocacy of

endorsed/approved persons.

f) Provide general oversight for all those under endorse-

ment, particularly those serving outside the bounds of their

annual conferences.

g) Assure conference boards of ordained ministry

concerning the validity of ministry of clergy serving under

endorsement.

h) Verify annually, to bishops and conference boards of

ordained ministry, those clergy under endorsement and where

necessary request their reappointment.

i) Establish and maintain standards for ecclesiastical

endorsement.

(1) Establish standards for endorsements for all min-

istry settings in ¶ 344.1b.

664

¶ 1421 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

(2) Provide standards for use by annual conference

boards of ordained ministry to determine the appropriateness of

other extension ministry settings not identied in ¶ 344.1, and

will assist, as requested, to evaluate specic settings.

(3) Provide advocacy for persons appointed under

¶ 344.1d and encourage new efforts to widen the understanding

of ministry through the development of new extension ministry

settings.

(4) Coordinate with certifying bodies in the devel-

opment of standards for pastoral care certication in a variety of

ministry settings.

j) Link congregations, conferences, and church agencies

with those persons in extension ministry settings.

k) Advise congregations, conferences, and church agen-

cies in the development of programs of pastoral care in extension

ministries.

l) Interpret extension ministries to the church and serve

as an advocate for persons in extension ministries under its

endorsement.

m) Assist in providing a ministry to United Methodist

laity in or associated with the military, particularly outside the

continental United States. The Division of Ordained Ministry,

with the General Board of Discipleship, the General Board of

Global Ministries, and other agencies of the Church, shall work

together to prepare materials, programs, and continuing minis-

tries that include retreats, conrmation classes, and other pastoral

functions.

n) Receive and distribute funds and special gifts as have

been or shall be given specically for the support of endorsing

agency responsibilities.

o) Sponsor the Chaplains Supplemental Pension Grant

Fund for certain endorsed clergy, with administration and over-

sight provided by the General Board of Pension and Health

Benets.

6. Constituency Relationships—Establish three teams (elders

and local pastors, deacons and diaconal ministers, chaplains and

endorsed clergy) to relate directly with the constituents of the

Division of Ordained Ministry to resource, support and interpret

the work of the Division of Ordained Ministry. Each team shall be

led by a member of that particular constituency.

665

GENERAL BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND MINISTRY ¶ 1422

S  T  T U M C

¶ 1422. Goals—1. United Methodist schools of theology

share a common mission of preparing persons for leadership in

the ministry of The United Methodist Church; of leading in the

ongoing reection on Wesleyan theology; and of assisting the

church in fullling its mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ

for the transformation of the world. They contribute to the life of

the global United Methodist connection through theological edu-

cation for the sake of the worldwide mission of the church. These

schools of theology are maintained for the education of ordained

and lay leadership, for the interpretation of the Christian faith

and United Methodist tradition through biblical and theologi-

cal research, and for prophetic leadership. The General Board of

Higher Education and Ministry provides leadership and support

in this common mission and in the development of relationships

among the schools of theology in the U.S.A. and the central con-

ferences and the various agencies of the general Church.

2. All candidates for ordination as deacon or elder in The

United Methodist Church are strongly encouraged to attend

United Methodist schools of theology since these schools share

with the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry and the

conference boards of ordained ministry in the work of preparing

persons for ordination and leadership in The United Methodist

Church.

3. Schools of theology of The United Methodist Church located in

the U.S.A.—a) Schools of theology of The United Methodist

Church located in the U.S.A. exist to serve The United Method-

ist Church, primarily in the United States, but with concern for

the witness of the church around the world. In addition to their

commitment to United Methodism, they also serve students of

other denominations in witness to United Methodism’s ecumeni-

cal relationships. As denominational schools, they have a historic

relationship to the denomination and are ofcially related to The

United Methodist Church through the Board of Higher Educa-

tion and Ministry and the approval of the University Senate. The

following schools comprise this network of United Methodist

schools of theology in the U.S.A.: Boston University School of The-

ology, Claremont School of Theology, Duke Divinity School, Can-

dler School of Theology, the Theological School-Drew University,

Gammon Theological Seminary (ITC), Garrett-Evangelical Theo-

logical Seminary, Iliff School of Theology, Methodist Theological

666

¶ 1422 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

School in Ohio, Perkins School of Theology, Saint Paul School of

Theology, United Theological Seminary (Dayton, Ohio), and Wes-

ley Theological Seminary. They are accountable to the Church

through the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry and

the University Senate. Therefore, agencies of the church seeking

to monitor the use of the schools will do so in cooperation with

the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, Division of

Ordained Ministry.

b) These schools of theology shall receive nancial sup-

port for the current operating expenses from the annual confer-

ences in the U.S.A. through the Ministerial Education Fund,

administered by the Division of Ordained Ministry, General

Board of Higher Education and Ministry. (See ¶ 816.2.) The Minis-

terial Education Fund shall be regarded by the annual conferences

in the U.S.A. as a priority to be met before any additional benevo-

lence, grants, or funds are allocated to other theological schools or

schools of religion.

c) In fullling their task of preparing persons for effective

service for Christ and the church, The United Methodist schools

of theology located in the U.S.A. shall acquaint students with the

current polity, theology and programs of The United Methodist

Church and shall offer practical experience in administration,

evangelism, stewardship, and other areas which will prepare

them for effective Christian ministry in a multicultural society.

Each school of theology, in consultation with the General Board

of Higher Education and Ministry, Division of Ordained Ministry,

shall provide the courses in United Methodist history, doctrine,

and polity specied in ¶ 335.(3) and seek to form persons for min-

istry in the Wesleyan tradition.

d) Any institution seeking afliation with The United

Methodist Church for the preparation of candidates for ordination

must rst present its plan to the General Board of Higher Educa-

tion and Ministry, Division of Ordained Ministry for approval and

recommendation to the University Senate, which alone can grant

afliation and listing as a United Methodist school of theology. A

select number of non-United Methodist schools of theology may

be granted approval for the preparation of candidates for ordina-

tion under the criteria of the University Senate.

4. Schools of Theology of The United Methodist Church located

in the Central Conferences—a) In order to meet the needs for theo-

30. See Judicial Council Decision 545.

667

GENERAL BOARD OF PENSION AND HEALTH BENEFITS ¶ 1501

logical education and clergy training in their regions, the cen-

tral conferences establish schools of theology to serve the United

Methodists in their distinct cultural, social, and linguistic con-

text. Schools of theology and programs of clergy training are also

established by General Board of Global Ministries and the Gen-

eral Board of Higher Education and Ministry to serve the needs of

the central conferences. These schools may be supported through

the central conference and/or the General Board of Global Minis-

tries and/or the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry

and are accountable to the appropriate bodies for their program

and their relationship to the denomination.

b) Additional schools of theology and pastoral training

may be established by the central conference, General Conference,

General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, or the General

Board of Global Ministries and accountability depends on the

founding documents of the institutions.

5. The United Methodist Church also shares in global theo-

logical education through ecumenical schools of theology where

The United Methodist Church is a partner. Though not United

Methodist-related, these institutions serve on behalf of United

Methodists in those regions and may relate to the General Board

of Global Ministries and/or General Board of Higher Education

and Ministry, in accordance with their charter and mission.

¶ 1423. Education of Ordination Candidates—The United Meth-

odist schools of theology share with the conference boards of

ordained ministry the responsibility for the education and forma-

tion of candidates for admission to the annual conferences.

Section IX. General Board of Pension and Health Benets

G A

¶ 1501. Establishment—1. a) There shall be a General Board

of Pension and Health Benets of The United Methodist Church,

hereinafter called the general board, having the general supervi-

sion and administration of the support, relief, and assistance and

pensioning of clergy of this denomination, lay workers of the var-

ious units of the Church, and their families.

b) The general board shall be the successor to the General

Board of Pensions of The United Methodist Church, the Board

of Pensions of The Evangelical United Brethren Church, and the

General Board of Pensions of The Methodist Church.

668

¶ 1501 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

2. The general board shall have authority to establish, main-

tain, and discontinue the location of its headquarters ofce and

such auxiliary ofces as it shall deem proper and advisable.

3. The general board shall report to and be amenable to the

General Conference.

¶ 1502. 1. Membership—a) The membership of the general

board shall be composed of two bishops, elected by the Council

of Bishops; sixteen members elected by the jurisdictional confer-

ences from the annual conference nominations on a ratio provid-

ing for an equitable distribution among the various jurisdictions,

based on the combined clergy and laity membership thereof, as

determined by the secretary of the General Conference; six mem-

bers, with not more than two from the same jurisdiction, elected

by the General Conference on nomination of the Council of Bish-

ops; and eight additional members for the purpose of bringing

to the general board special knowledge or background, not more

than two from the same jurisdiction, nominated and elected by

the general board in such manner as it shall provide in its bylaws.

b) The aforementioned electing bodies shall give consid-

eration during the nominating process to equitable representation

on the basis of race, color, age, gender, and people with disabilities.

c) The general secretary of the general board shall be an

ex ofcio member thereof, without vote.

d) The terms of all members so elected shall be four years,

to take effect at the rst meeting of the general board following

the General Conference, hereinafter referred to as the organiza-

tional meeting.

(1) Members shall serve during the terms for which

they are elected and until their successors shall have been elected

and qualied.

(2) Other paragraphs of the Discipline notwithstand-

ing, members of the general board may serve a maximum of three

consecutive terms.

(3) In case a vacancy occurs between regular sessions

of the jurisdictional conferences for any cause, the general board

shall ll the vacancy for the unexpired term from that jurisdiction

in the representation of which the vacancy occurs, except in the

case of members elected by the General Conference or the general

board where such vacancies would be lled by the general board

in the manner prescribed by its bylaws without regard to geo-

graphic or jurisdictional representation.

669

GENERAL BOARD OF PENSION AND HEALTH BENEFITS ¶ 1502

2. Ofcers—a) The general board shall elect from its member-

ship at its organizational meeting a chairperson, a vice chairper-

son, and a recording secretary whose duties shall be prescribed in

its bylaws.

b) The general board shall elect quadrennially, in such

manner as it shall provide in its bylaws and policies, a general

secretary, who shall be the chief executive ofcer of the general

board.

c) Other ofces that are deemed desirable and in the best

interest of the general board for carrying out its purposes may

be created by the general board, and persons may be elected or

appointed to ll such ofces.

d) A vacancy in any of these ofces shall be lled by the

general board for the remainder of the unexpired term in a man-

ner prescribed in its bylaws.

3. Meetings—The general board shall hold at least one meet-

ing in each calendar year.

a) The place and time of all meetings shall be designated

by the general board, but if it fails to do so, then the time and place

shall be designated by the chairperson.

b) It shall convene at such other times on call of the chair-

person, on written request by one-fth of its members, or on writ-

ten request by a majority of its executive committee.

c) A majority of the members of the general board shall

constitute a quorum.

4. Committees—The general board shall establish the follow-

ing committees:

a) Executive Committee—An executive committee shall

be elected by the general board from its membership. During the

periods between the meetings of the general board, its business

and affairs shall be managed by the executive committee.

b) Committee on Audit and Review—A committee on audit

and review shall be elected by the general board. The committee

on audit and review shall be responsible for reviewing the nan-

cial audits and related policies of the general board and its con-

stituent legal entities.

c) Committee on Appeals—A committee on appeals shall

be elected by the general board. The committee on appeals shall

hear appeals from participants in the funds, plans, and programs

administered by the general board. Decisions of the committee on

appeals shall be nal and not reviewed by the full general board.

670

¶ 1502 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

d) Other Committees—The general board shall have the

authority to establish, from time to time, such other standing com-

mittees or special committees as provided in its bylaws.

e) Committee Membership—The general board shall elect

the membership of its standing committees in accordance with

its bylaws. The membership of any special committees shall be

selected in accordance with the resolution establishing such spe-

cial committee.

f) Committee Members at Large—The general board shall

have the authority to elect additional members to its committees,

not to exceed one-half of the committee membership, for the pur-

pose of bringing to those committees special knowledge or back-

ground. These committee members at large shall have full voice

and vote on the committee, but they shall have voice, but not vot-

ing privileges, on the general board.

¶ 1503. Legal Entities—1. Subject to the continuing control

and direction of the General Conference of The United Methodist

Church as set forth from time to time in the Discipline, the general

board is authorized and empowered to cause the operations of

the General Board of Pension and Health Benets to be carried on

and the general authorizations dened in ¶ 1504 to be achieved

in such manner, through or by means of such agencies or instru-

mentalities, and by use of such procedures as the general board

may from time to time determine to be necessary, advisable, or

appropriate, with full power and authority in the premises to take

all such action and to do all such other acts and things as may be

required or found to be advisable. In particular, and without lim-

iting the generality of the foregoing, the general board is autho-

rized and empowered, for the purposes of this paragraph:

a) To use, manage, operate, and otherwise utilize all

property and assets of every kind, character, and description

of any corporation(s) created by the general board pursuant to

¶ 1503.2 below, as well as all income from such property and assets

and the avails thereof, all with liability or obligation to account for

such property and assets, the use thereof, the income therefrom,

and avails thereof only to the General Conference of The United

Methodist Church.

b) To cause a corporation(s) created by the general board

pursuant to ¶ 1503.2 to take all such action and to do all such

things as the general board may deem necessary or advisable to

carry out the intent and purposes of this paragraph. The govern-

671

GENERAL BOARD OF PENSION AND HEALTH BENEFITS ¶ 1504

ing body of said corporation(s) from time to time shall take all

action that the general board deems necessary or advisable to

carry out the intent and purpose of this paragraph, unless local

law would require such governing bodies to make independent

decisions with respect to particular actions.

2. The general board is authorized and empowered in its dis-

cretion at any time it may deem such action to be desirable or

convenient to create corporations or other legal entities through

which it shall fulll its responsibilities described hereunder.

a) The general board is authorized and empowered in its

discretion to cause its general operations to be conducted through

a corporation, the name of which shall be the General Board of

Pension and Health Benets of The United Methodist Church,

Incorporated in Illinois.

b) The general board is authorized and empowered in its

discretion to cause its general trust operations to be conducted

through a corporation, the name of which shall be the UMC Ben-

et Board, Inc.

c) If the general board creates and directs more than one

legal entity, it is authorized and empowered at its discretion at

any time it may deem such action desirable or convenient to take

action in the name of said legal entities to surrender the charter or

charters of one or several or all of said legal entities or to merge,

consolidate, or afliate such corporations, or any of them, in com-

pliance with appropriate state or federal laws.

d) The governing bodies of such legal entities shall be

determined by the general board in conformance with applicable

local law. A majority of the members of the governing bodies shall

be elected from the membership of the general board.

e) The legal entities created under this paragraph are

agencies or instrumentalities through which the denomination

known as The United Methodist Church provides benets, invest-

ment services, and other services outlined in ¶ 1504 below in the

name of the General Board of Pension and Health Benets.

¶ 1504. Authorizations—The General Board of Pension and

Health Benets is authorized and empowered to provide admin-

istrative, trust, and investment support to The United Methodist

Church and its constituent boards, agencies, conferences, organi-

zations, and other institutions in their efforts to provide support,

relief, and assistance, and pension, welfare, and other benets for

clergy of this denomination, lay workers of the various units of

672

¶ 1504 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

the Church, and their families. Subject to the provisions of ¶ 2506

herein the general board shall perform its duties and responsi-

bilities in the spirit of the Church’s mandate for inclusiveness and

racial and social justice. In particular, and without limiting the

generality of the foregoing, the general board, directly or through

any entity created by it, is authorized and empowered:

1. To operate, manage, and administer the mandatory ben-

et funds, plans, and programs established by the General Con-

ference: (a) the Ministerial Pension Plan, amended and restated

effective January 1, 2007, as the Clergy Retirement Security Pro-

gram; (b) the Retirement Security Program for General Agencies

of The United Methodist Church, amended and restated effective

January 1, 2010, as the Retirement Plan for General Agencies; and

mandatory benet programs shall be incorporated by reference

into the Discipline and shall have the full force of law as if printed

in the Discipline. No proposal shall be made to the General Confer-

ence that changes a benet presently in effect without rst secur-

ing through the General Board of Pension and Health Benets an

actuarial opinion concerning the cost and other related aspects of

the proposed change.

2. To create, amend, operate, manage, administer, and ter-

minate nonmandatory relief, assistance, and benet funds, plans,

products, and programs for interested members, conferences,

local churches, boards, agencies, institutions, and other afliated

units of The United Methodist Church.

3. To continue the operation, management, and administra-

tion of relief, assistance, and benet funds, plans, and programs

created prior to 1981.

4. To make reports to the General Conference with respect

to the support, relief, assistance, and pension, welfare, and other

benets for clergy of this denomination, lay workers of the vari-

ous units of the Church, and their families.

5. To adopt rules, regulations, and policies for the admin-

istration of the relief, assistance, and benet funds, plans, and

programs that the general board administers, in all matters not

specically covered by General Conference legislation or by rea-

sonable implication, and to prescribe such forms and records

as are needed for the administration of such funds, plans, and

programs.

673

GENERAL BOARD OF PENSION AND HEALTH BENEFITS ¶ 1504

6. To prepare and publish benet summaries, manuals, and

other publications or media related to the funds, plans, and pro-

grams administered by the general board.

7. To compile and maintain complete service records of clergy

members in full connection, associate members, and provisional

members, and of local pastors whose service may be related to

potential annuity claims of the annual conferences of The United

Methodist Church situated within the boundaries of the United

States and Puerto Rico. Such service records shall be based on

answers to the Business of the Annual Conference questions

as published in the journals of the annual conferences situated

within the boundaries of the United States and Puerto Rico and

in the General Minutes of The United Methodist Church, or in

comparable publications of either or both of the uniting churches,

and from information provided by annual conference boards of

pensions. The conference boards of pensions shall be responsible

for providing census data when requested by the general board

on participants and their families, including but not limited to

such data as birth dates, marriage dates, divorce dates, and dates

of death.

8. The general board shall have the authority to allocate the

costs of the mandatory benets plans among the annual confer-

ences situated within the boundaries of the United States and

Puerto Rico, in accordance with the terms of the appropriate ben-

ets plan.

a) The general board shall have authority to determine

the liabilities allocated to and contributions due from each annual

conference, in accordance with the terms of the appropriate plan.

b) The general board shall have the authority to collect

from each annual conference the amount required by the clear-

inghouse to provide benets pursuant to the terms of the appro-

priate benets plan. Each annual conference shall provide funds

to meet its benet responsibilities to clergy serving the annual

conference and their spouses, as applicable, who are members of

other annual conferences on the same basis as it provides pension

payments for beneciaries related directly to itself.

c) The general board is authorized and empowered to

make all the rules concerning details that may be necessary to

implement the foregoing.

9. On request of an annual conference or conference orga-

nization or agency of The United Methodist Church, to receive

674

¶ 1504 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

therefrom distributable and reserve pension funds and to make

the periodic pension payments to the beneciaries of such annual

conference, conference organization, board, or agency, in accor-

dance with a schedule of distribution, which shall be provided

for the guidance of the general board in making such payments.

The general board shall report annually the details of transac-

tions under this provision. The general board shall be entitled to

recover the cost of performing such services.

10. To administer the Chartered Fund for the benet of all

the annual and provisional annual conferences in The United

Methodist Church, the boundaries of which are within the

United States, its territorial and insular possessions, and Cuba,

unless the General Conference shall order otherwise. Once a

year the net earnings of the fund, after provision for deprecia-

tion, shall be divided equally among such annual and provi-

sional annual conferences in accordance with the restrictive rule

contained in ¶ 22.

11. To order and direct that the income from the General

Endowment Fund for Conference Claimants (formerly known as

the General Endowment Fund for Superannuates of The Meth-

odist Episcopal Church, South) held by the UMC Benet Board,

Inc., shall be distributed on account of service of conference

claimants rendered in an annual conference of The United Meth-

odist Church; provided, however, that such distribution shall be

restricted to annual conferences that, directly or through their pre-

decessor annual conferences, participated in raising this fund, in

proportion to the number of approved years of annuity respon-

sibility of each annual conference as shall be determined by the

General Board of Pension and Health Benets.

12. To distribute on the basis it determines the appropriations

from the net earnings of the publishing interests that are contrib-

uted to the pension programs of The United Methodist Church

and of the several annual conferences.

13. To create such legal entities in order to obtain, accept,

receive, manage, and administer any and all assets or property,

absolute or in trust, for the purpose of providing for, aiding in,

and contributing to the support, relief, assistance, and pension,

welfare, and other benets for clergy of this denomination, lay

workers of the various units of the Church, and their families and

for other purposes stated in the trust instrument.

675

GENERAL BOARD OF PENSION AND HEALTH BENEFITS ¶ 1504

14. To discharge its duciary duties with respect to a benet

fund, plan, or program solely in the interest of the participants

and beneciaries and for the exclusive purpose of providing

benets to participants and their beneciaries and defraying rea-

sonable expenses of administering the plan, with the care, skill,

prudence, and diligence under the circumstances then prevailing

that a prudent person acting in a like capacity and familiar with

such matters would use in the conduct of an enterprise of a like

character and with like aims.

15. To receive, hold, manage, merge, consolidate, administer,

invest, and reinvest all connectional relief, support, and benet

funds. The general board is encouraged to invest in institutions,

companies, corporations, or funds that make a positive contri-

bution toward the realization of the goals outlined in the Social

Principles of the Church, subject to other provisions of the Disci-

pline, and with due regard to any and all special contracts, agree-

ments, and laws applicable thereto. Among the tools the general

board may use are shareholder advocacy, selective divestment,

and advocacy of corporate disinvestment from certain countries

or elds of business.

16. To receive, hold, manage, administer, and invest and

reinvest, by and through its constituent corporations, endow-

ment funds or other funds of an annual conference, local church,

board, agency, or other unit afliated with The United Methodist

Church that have been designated for the funding of relief, sup-

port, or benet funds, plans, or programs, and endowment funds

or other funds of such units not so designated. The general board

is encouraged to invest in institutions, companies, corporations,

or funds that make a positive contribution toward the realization

of the goals outlined in the Social Principles of the Church; pro-

vided, however, that at no time shall any part of the principal of

the endowment funds be appropriated by the general board for

any other purpose. The general board shall annually provide to

such units an accounting of such funds.

17. To receive, hold, manage, administer, invest and rein-

vest, funds of and offer administrative services to other nonprot

organizations.

18. To collect, receive, and administer such gifts, devises, and

bequests, and other funds as may be specically designated for

the general board or any constituent corporation of the general

board by donors, subject to the rules, regulations, and policies

676

¶ 1504 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

of the general board with respect thereto. All undesignated gifts,

devises, bequests, and donations shall be collected, received, and

administered under the direction of the general board.

19. To charge the various trusts, funds, plans, and programs

for which it is responsible an administrative fee for its general

services and to charge reasonable and appropriate transactional

fees for specic services provided to a unit of the Church or to

a participant or beneciary. The general board shall not use for

operational or administrative purposes moneys allocated from

any of the general Church funds of The United Methodist Church.

20. To create, administer, and encourage funding for the pro-

grams of the Central Conference Pension Initiative, in consulta-

tion with the General Council on Finance and Administration,

and supported by a multi-agency task force.

21. To support the health as wholeness of the clergy and lay

workers of the denomination, and thereby mitigate the frequency

and duration of disability and incapacity, by collecting, analyzing,

and disseminating the group health care plan data and health and

wellness program information submitted by annual conferences,

the General Council on Finance and Administration for bishops,

and general agencies. The General Board of Pension and Health

Benets shall use the collected group health care plan data and

health and wellness program information to (a) establish denomi-

nation-wide benchmarks and standards; (b) identify and dissemi-

nate best practices for healthy lifestyles and health and disability

costs management; (c) provide reports of data; (d) share data and

analyses with the denomination; (e) advise about health care plan

designs, coverage, nancial soundness, and wellness programs

and initiatives; and (f) recommend health and wellness strategies

and guidelines for annual conferences, the General Council on

Finance and Administration for bishops in the United States, and

general agencies.

22. To cause its operations to be carried on and the objectives

dened above to be achieved in such manner by use of such pro-

cedures as the general board may from time to time determine

to be necessary, advisable, or appropriate, with full power and

authority in the premises to take all such action and to do all such

other acts and things as may be required or found to be advisable.

¶ 1505. General Agency Pension Credit—Pension for service

approved for pension credit by an agency of The United Method-

ist Church receiving nancial support from the general Church

677

GENERAL BOARD OF PENSION AND HEALTH BENEFITS ¶ 1506

funds shall be provided by the employing agency in uniformity

with that provided by other agencies under one of the pension

funds, plans, or programs administered by the General Board of

Pension and Health Benets of The United Methodist Church;

provided, however, that where service has been rendered in two

or more agencies, the total pension benet shall be calculated as

if all such service had been with one agency, and the nal agency

shall provide any additional pension benets necessary to accom-

plish this; furthermore, such agency may not make any arrange-

ment with a life insurance company or any other entity for the

purchase of annuities for the benet of individual effective or

retired employees or take any steps to nullify, in whole or in part,

the pension plans or program of The United Methodist Church by

making contracts with outside parties.

A C A

¶ 1506. Powers, Duties, and Responsibilities of Annual Conferences

1. The annual conferences have the following powers, duties,

and responsibilities with respect to clergy benet plans admin-

istered by the General Board of Pension and Health Benets:

(a) executing an adoption agreement, including making any

optional elections; (b) enrolling clergy; (c) making contribu-

tions; (d) determining the appointment status of a clergyperson

for a given period, including the classication of the clergyper-

son and his or her full-time or part-time status; (e) reporting on

a clergyperson’s compensation; (f) determining a clergyperson’s

conference relationship status, including the termination thereof;

(g) determining a clergyperson’s leave of absence status; (h) report-

ing on any waivers of plan participation made by a clergyper-

son; and (i) determining the retirement status of a clergyperson,

including determining how many years of service a clergyperson

has earned toward the number prescribed in the Book of Discipline

to qualify for retirement.

2. The annual conference, on recommendation of the con-

ference Board of Pensions, shall determine the admissibility and

validity of pre-January 1, 1982 service approved, or compensa-

tion considered, for pension credit, subject to the provisions of the

Discipline and the rules and regulations of the pension and benet

funds, plans, and programs of The United Methodist Church.

31. See Judicial Council Decisions 81, 360, 379.

678

¶ 1506 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

3. Concerning the normal conditions for pension credit and

pro rata pension credit, the following provisions shall apply

for service rendered prior to January 1, 1982, in determining

approval for pension credit, eligibility for pension, and allocation

of responsibility:

a) Full Pension Credit—Full pension credit may be granted

for persons not meeting some or all of the above conditions by a

three-fourths vote of those present and voting in the annual con-

ference on recommendation of the conference board of pensions.

b) Service of a local pastor prior to 1982 may be approved

for pension credit only by vote of the annual conference, on rec-

ommendation of the conference board of pensions, after consulta-

tion with the district superintendents. If such credit is granted,

it should be included under the Discipline question, “What other

personal notation should be made?”

c) Upon recommendation of the conference board of pen-

sions and by a three-fourths vote of those present and voting in

the annual conference, pension credit may be granted to a clergy

member in full connection, provisional member, or associate

member of the conference on account of full-time service previ-

ously rendered as an approved local pastor or approved supply

pastor to an institution, organization, or agency, which in the

judgment of the annual conference rendered to it some form of

service sufcient to warrant pension credit; provided, however,

that such institution, organization, or agency shall accept and pay

such apportionment as the conference may require.

4. If the conference board of pensions so recommends, a pen-

sion shall be payable on account of pension credit for service prior

to 1982 for an ordained minister from another Christian denom-

ination who shall have rendered not less than four consecutive

years of full-time service with pension credit for service prior to

1982 or with full participation in the Comprehensive Protection

Plan since 1981, or a combination thereof, in one annual confer-

ence while qualied under ¶ 346.2, who has attained the age of

voluntary retirement for a conference clergy member.

5. The annual conference, on recommendation of the confer-

ence board of pensions, shall have the power to revise, correct, or

adjust a clergyperson’s record of pension credit as set forth in his

or her service record to align such record with the Discipline and

32. See Judicial Council Decision 386.

679

GENERAL BOARD OF PENSION AND HEALTH BENEFITS ¶ 1506

Supplement One of the Clergy Retirement Security Program (or

any successor clergy pension or retirement plan or program).

Prior to the revision of such record, the General Board of Pen-

sion and Health Benets may be requested to review relevant data

and report its ndings thereon. Such revisions, corrections, and

adjustments shall be published in the journal of the annual con-

ference in answer to Business of the Annual Conference questions

and shall be reported to the General Board of Pension and Health

Benets by the conference board of pensions.

6. Each annual conference shall develop, adopt, and imple-

ment a formal comprehensive funding plan or plans for funding

all of its benet obligations. The funding plan or plans shall be

submitted annually to the General Board of Pension and Health

Benets for review and be approved annually by the annual

conference, following the receipt and inclusion of a favorable

written opinion from the General Board of Pension and Health

Benets. In addition, the General Board of Pension and Health

Benets shall present a quadrennial report to General Conference

concerning the long-term benet liabilities of the denomination.

Therefore, each annual conference shall provide to the General

Board of Pension and Health Benets information periodically

requested.

7. The responsibility for pension for service approved for

pension credit under Supplement One of the Clergy Retirement

Security Program (or any successor clergy pension or retirement

plan or program) shall rest with the annual conference in which

the service was rendered; provided, however, that in the event

of mergers, unions, boundary changes, or transfers of churches,

such responsibility shall rest with the successor annual conference

within whose geographical boundaries the charge is located.

8. Pension for service approved for pension credit by an

annual conference shall be provided by the annual conference

under one of the pension funds, plans, or programs adminis-

tered by the General Board of Pension and Health Benets of The

United Methodist Church.

9. An annual conference may not make any arrangement

with a life insurance company for the purchase of annuities for the

benet of individual effective or retired clergy or take any steps

to nullify, in whole or in part, the pension plans and programs of

33. See Judicial Council Decision 386.

34. See Judicial Council Decisions 203, 389, 523.

680

¶ 1506 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

The United Methodist Church by making contracts with outside

parties.

10. Other Annual Conference Organizations—a) Annual con-

ferences, hereinafter called conferences, are authorized to estab-

lish, incorporate, and maintain investment funds, preachers’ aid

societies, and organizations and funds of similar character, under

such names, plans, rules, and regulations as they may determine,

the directors of which shall be elected or otherwise designated by

the conference, where permissible under the laws of the state of

incorporation, and the income from which shall be applied to the

support of the pension, health, and welfare benet programs for

clergy through the conference board of pensions.

b) Distributable pension, health, and welfare benet funds

from all sources shall be disbursed by or under the direction of the

conference board of pensions, excepting only such funds as are

otherwise restricted by specic provisions or limitations in gifts,

devises, bequests, trusts, pledges, deeds, or other similar instru-

ments, which restrictions and limitations shall be observed.

c) It shall not be permissible for any conference or perma-

nent fund organization thereof to deprive its beneciaries who

are beneciaries in other conferences of the privilege of sharing in

the distribution of the earned income of such funds through the

clearinghouse administered by the General Board of Pension and

Health Benets.

d) Each conference, on recommendation of its conference

board of pensions or one of the organizations mentioned in § a

above, may select a Sunday in each year to be observed in the

churches as Retired Ministers Day, in honor of the retired clergy,

their spouses, and the surviving spouses of clergy in recognition

of the Church’s responsibility for their support. The bishop may

request each conference in the area to insert a Retired Ministers

Day in its calendar.

11. A conference board of pensions may make special grants to

clergy or former clergy of an annual conference who have served

under appointment in that conference; or to their spouses, for-

mer spouses, surviving former spouses, or surviving dependent

children (including adult dependent children). A report of such

special grants shall be made annually to the annual conference.

35. See Judicial Council Decision 716.

36. See Judicial Council Decision 218.

681

GENERAL BOARD OF PENSION AND HEALTH BENEFITS ¶ 1506

12. Clergy members in full connection, provisional members,

and associate members in an annual conference who voluntarily

withdraw from the ministry of The United Methodist Church

to enter the ministry of another church or denomination, on the

attainment of age sixty-two and on recommendation of the confer-

ence board of pensions and a three-fourths vote of those present

and voting in any annual conference in which approved service

was rendered prior to January 1, 1982, or the legal successor, may

be recognized and granted approved pension service rendered in

that conference.

13. The responsibility for providing pension on account of

service rendered prior to January 1, 1982, in a missionary con-

ference, provisional annual conference, or former mission within

the United States or Puerto Rico that has been approved for pen-

sion credit shall rest jointly with: (a) the missionary conference,

provisional annual conference, or former mission concerned,

(b) the General Board of Pension and Health Benets with funds

provided by the General Council on Finance and Administration,

and (c) the General Board of Global Ministries. The revenue for

pension purposes covering such service shall be provided by the

aforesaid parties in accordance with such plan or plans as may be

mutually agreed to by them.

14. Pension and benet contributions are the responsibil-

ity of the Plan Sponsor for participants in the Clergy Retirement

Security Program (or any successor clergy pension or retirement

plan or program) and the Comprehensive Protection Plan. Unless

otherwise determined by vote of the annual, missionary, or pro-

visional conference, the treasurer of a local church or pastoral

charge shall remit such contributions related to the participant’s

compensation that is provided from local church funds to the Plan

Sponsor. If compensation from the local church or pastoral charge

is supplemented from other church sources, pension and benet

contributions related to such supplements shall be paid from that

same source. If the entire compensation for a participant is from a

salary-paying unit other than a local church or a pastoral charge,

the unit responsible for compensation shall remit the pension and

benet contributions to the Plan Sponsor. Nothing in this para-

graph shall be understood as preventing an annual, missionary,

or provisional conference from raising part or all of the annual

contributions for the Clergy Retirement Security Program (or

any successor clergy pension or retirement plan or program) or

682

¶ 1506 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

the Comprehensive Protection Plan by an apportionment to the

churches of the conference and remitting payments to the General

Board of Pension and Health Benets on behalf of all the pastors

covered; there is no time limit on this provision.

15. Effective January 1, 2007, pension contributions will

be determined in accordance with the provisions of the Clergy

Retirement Security Program (or any successor clergy pension or

retirement plan or program). Actual compensation, limited by 200

percent of the denominational average compensation, is the basic

contribution base of the Comprehensive Protection Plan.

16. An annual conference may establish a pension support

fund to be administered by the conference board of pensions.

Local churches may request pension assistance from this fund

when special circumstances arise that result in nonpayment of

pension contributions and/or apportionments for pension and

benet purposes. The board shall present its estimate of the

amount required to the conference council on nance and admin-

istration, which shall include it in its recommendation to the con-

ference. If the amount is approved by the conference, it shall be

apportioned as an item of clergy support.

17. The annual conference board of pensions, in consulta-

tion with the General Board of Pension and Health Benets, shall

have the responsibility to enroll clergy of the annual conference in

the Clergy Retirement Security Program (or any successor clergy

pension or retirement plan or program) and the Comprehensive

Protection Plan in accordance with the provisions of such plans.

18. Optional provisions contained in the Clergy Retirement

Security Program (or any successor clergy pension or retire-

ment plan or program) and Comprehensive Protection Plan may

be adopted by vote of the annual conference subsequent to the

receipt of a recommendation from the conference board of pen-

sions. Effective January 1, 2007, contributions and credited service

are determined in accordance with the provisions of the Clergy

Retirement Security Program (or any successor clergy pension or

retirement plan or program).

19. On or before December 31, 2008, each annual conference’s

board of pensions or other agency authorized by the annual con-

ference must submit a generally accepted nancial valuation,

such as in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting

Standard No. 106, as amended, of its projected medical liabilities

for its population covered by its employer retiree health care plan

683

GENERAL BOARD OF PENSION AND HEALTH BENEFITS ¶ 1508

to the General Board of Pension and Health Benets, and must

submit a similar report biennially thereafter.

20. On or before December 31, 2008, each annual conference

shall document in writing its policy regarding the portability of

retiree health care eligibility, coverage, cost-sharing, and benets

and communicate the policy to its clergy and lay employees and

incoming clergy and lay employees from other annual confer-

ences or general agencies. For the purpose of this paragraph, por-

tability encompasses credit given for service outside the annual

conference within the denomination to clergy and lay employees

toward (a) eligibility for health care coverage in retirement and

(b) accrual of annual conference subsidies toward or annual con-

ference cost-sharing of the cost of health care coverage.

¶ 1507. Financing Pension and Benet Programs—The annual

conference shall be responsible for annually providing moneys

in the amount necessary to meet the requirements of the pension

and benet funds, plans, and programs of the conference.

1. The board shall compute the amount to be apportioned

annually to meet the requirements of the pension and benet pro-

grams of the conference.

2. After consultation with the board, the conference council

on nance and administration shall report to the annual confer-

ence the amounts computed by the board that are required to

meet the needs of the pension, benet, and relief programs of the

conference.

3. Distributable pension funds from all sources, unless

restricted by specic provisions or limitations, shall be disbursed

by, or under the direction of, the conference board of pensions.

4. The board may accumulate a fund from the income for

pension purposes in order to stabilize the pension program of the

conference.

¶ 1508. Policies Related to Conict of Interest and Investment

Management—The following rules shall apply to the nancial

administration of annual conference pension and pension-related

funds:

1. A member of the board connected or interested in any way

with the securities, real estate, or other forms of investment sold

to or purchased from such funds, or with an insurance program

or a contract under consideration by the board, shall be ineligible

37. See Judicial Council Decision 50.

684

¶ 1508 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

to participate in the deliberation of the investment committee or

of the board or to vote in connection therewith.

2. No ofcer or member of a conference agency handling such

funds shall receive a personal commission, bonus, or remunera-

tion, direct or indirect, in connection with the purchase or sale of

any property the loan of any money, the letting of any annuity or

insurance contract, the making or acceptance of any assignment,

pledge, or mortgage to secure the payment of any loan, or for the

purchase or sale of any securities or other properties from or to

that agency, or be eligible to obtain a loan in any amount from

funds committed to the care of that agency. No investment shall

be purchased from or sold to any member of the board or any

member of the family of a member of the board.

3. To prevent development of any conict of interest or

preferential treatment and to preserve goodwill and condence

throughout the Church, no local church, Church-related institu-

tion, or organization thereof shall be eligible to obtain a loan in

any amount from such funds.

4. The principle of diversication of investments shall be

observed, with the agency encouraged to invest in institutions,

companies, corporations, or funds that make a positive contribu-

tion toward the realization of the goals outlined in the Social Prin-

ciples of our Church, however with primary consideration given

to the soundness and safety of such investments.

5. Real property may hereafter be accepted as consideration

for gift annuity agreements only with the stipulation that the

annuity shall not exceed the net income from the property until

such property shall have been liquidated. Upon liquidation, the

annuity shall be paid upon the net proceeds at the established

annuity rate.

6. An annual conference agency handling such funds shall

not offer higher rates of annuity than those listed in the annuity

schedule approved by the General Board of Pension and Health

Benets.

7. a) There shall be printed in the annual conference journal

a list of the investments held by each agency handling such funds

directly or indirectly under the control of the annual conference,

or such list may be distributed directly to the members of the

annual conference at their request.

38. See Judicial Council Decision 145.

685

GENERAL BOARD OF PENSION AND HEALTH BENEFITS ¶ 1509

b) The conference board of pensions shall require an

annual audit of pension and pension-related funds setting forth

the total asset value of such funds and the distribution of income

from such funds from persons and organizations appointed or

employed for the management of these funds.

8. The borrowing of money in any conference year by a

conference corporation or organization to enable the conference

board of pensions to meet the requirements of the pension and

benet programs shall be done only on authority of the confer-

ence granted by three-fourths vote of the members present and

voting.

9. Depositories and Bonding—a) The conference board of

pensions shall designate a bank or banks or other depository or

depositories for deposit of the funds held by the board and may

require a depository bond from such depository or depositories.

b) The board, through the conference council on nance

and administration, shall provide a delity bond in suitable

amount for all persons handling its funds.

¶ 1509. Joint Distributing Committees—1. Authorizations—

Whenever two or more annual or provisional annual conferences

are to be merged, in whole or in part, there shall be elected by each

conference affected a distributing committee of three members

and three alternates, which shall act jointly with similar commit-

tees from the other conference or conferences. The joint distrib-

uting committee thus formed shall have power and authority:

(a) to allocate the pension responsibility involved; (b) to distrib-

ute equitably the permanent funds and all other pension assets of

the conference or conferences affected, taking into consideration

the pension responsibility involved, such distribution to be made

within twelve months of the date of the dissolution of the commit-

tee as provided in ¶ 1509.3d; (c) to the extent not otherwise pre-

viously provided for by the conference or conferences involved,

to apportion or distribute equitably any other assets or property

and any other liabilities or obligations. It shall be governed by the

legal restrictions or limitations of any contract, trust agreement,

pledge, deed, will, or other legal instrument.

2. Organization—The committee shall be convened by the

general secretary of the General Board of Pension and Health

Benets, or by some other ofcer of that board designated by the

general secretary in writing, and shall elect from its membership

a chairperson, a vice chairperson, and a secretary.

686

¶ 1509 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

3. Powers, Duties, and Responsibilities—a) The committee shall

determine the number of years of service approved for pension

credit rendered in the conferences that will lose their identity in

the merging of conference territories, and the ndings of the com-

mittee shall be nal unless substantial evidence to the contrary

is presented, and the annuity payments by the continuing con-

ference or conferences shall be made accordingly. The determi-

nation of pension benets in The United Methodist Church shall

recognize all pension rights to which clergy are entitled under

the pension plans in existence at the time of Church union and

shall recognize all approved service that has been rendered in The

Evangelical United Brethren Church and The Methodist Church

prior to the date of Church union.

b) The committee shall keep complete minutes of its

transactions, and a copy thereof shall be led with the secretary of

each annual conference involved and with the General Board of

Pension and Health Benets.

c) Until the committee’s work shall have been com-

pleted, the corporate organization of each conference in the pro-

cess of merger shall be maintained. After the committee shall have

completed its work, the ofcers of such corporation, subject to the

completion of its business, shall dissolve or merge it, in accor-

dance with applicable corporate laws, after being authorized to

do so by the conference involved.

d) The committee, having completed its work in connec-

tion with the merger or mergers for which it was organized and

having led copies of its ndings and actions with the secretar-

ies of the conferences involved for publication in the respective

conference journals, and with the General Board of Pension and

Health Benets, shall be dissolved; subject, however, to recall by

the general secretary of the General Board of Pension and Health

Benets in the event of the discovery and presentation to the gen-

eral board of data substantially at variance with those previously

submitted, for the purpose of reviewing such data and possible

revision of its previous actions.

4. Whenever a single annual conference or provisional annual

conference is to be divided into two or more conferences, the

provisions of ¶ 1509 shall be applied, provided the distributing

committee members of each resulting conference shall be named

subsequent to the effective date of the division and no later than

the rst regular annual session of such conferences.

687

THE UNITED METHODIST PUBLISHING HOUSE ¶ 1602

Section X. The United Methodist Publishing House

¶ 1601. Authorization and Establishment—The United Method-

ist Publishing House comprises the publishing interests of The

United Methodist Church. It shall have responsibility for and

supervision of the publishing and distribution for The United

Methodist Church. The United Methodist Publishing House

shall, through agencies or instrumentalities it deems necessary,

achieve the objectives set forth in ¶ 1613. The United Method-

ist Publishing House shall provide publishing and distribution

services for other agencies of The United Methodist Church and

shall share with other agencies of The United Methodist Church

in the total program of The United Methodist Church, as well as

share in the total ecumenical program in the area of publishing for

the advancement of the cause of Christ and his Kingdom as The

United Methodist Publishing House shall determine to be appro-

priate. All matters related to the work of The United Methodist

Publishing House shall be under the direction of the Board of The

United Methodist Publishing House.

¶ 1602. Membership—1. The Board of The United Methodist

Publishing House, hereinafter called the board, shall consist of up

to twenty-ve members as follows:

a) Episcopal members—Two bishops, one from the central

conferences and one from the jurisdictional conferences named by

the Council of Bishops.

b) Jurisdictional members—Fifteen members elected by the

jurisdictional conferences based on the following formula: North

Central—3, Northeastern—2, South Central—3, Southeastern—6,

and Western—1.

c) Central Conference Members—Two members elected by

the Council of Bishops.

d) Additional members—Up to six additional members

may be elected by the board, with consideration given to repre-

sentation of women and racial and ethnic groups not elected by

the jurisdictions, and to special knowledge specic to the work

of the publishing house. It is recommended that where possible

persons elected by each jurisdiction be inclusive of women and

racial/ethnic groups—Asian Americans, African Americans, His-

panic Americans, Native Americans, and Pacic Islanders.

e) At least two persons who are young adults at the time

of election shall be elected each quadrennium.

688

¶ 1602 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

f) Membership on the board shall be equally divided, as

far as practicable, between clergy and laity.

g) Other paragraphs of the Discipline notwithstanding,

jurisdictional and central conference membership shall also be by

classes based on term of ofce for one, two, or three quadrennia,

attention being given to the principle of rotation so that, as far

as practicable, one third of the membership shall be elected each

quadrennium.

The principle of rotation is also applicable to the

executive committee.

h) In case a vacancy occurs between sessions of the juris-

dictional conferences for any cause, the board shall ll the vacancy

for the unexpired term from that jurisdiction in the representa-

tion of which the vacancy occurs, except in the case of members

elected by the board where such vacancies would be lled by the

board in the prescribed manner without regard to geographic or

jurisdictional relationship.

i) The president/CEO of The United Methodist Publish-

ing House shall be an ex ofcio member of the board without vote.

¶ 1603. Annual Meeting—The board shall hold at least one

meeting in each calendar year. The place and time of all meet-

ings shall be designated by the board, but if it fails to do so, then

the time and place shall be designated by the chairperson. It shall

convene at such other times on call of the chairperson or by the

board or by the executive committee. At all meetings of the board,

a majority of the members shall constitute a quorum.

¶ 1604. Record of Proceedings—The board shall keep a correct

record of its proceedings and make written report thereof to the

Church through the General Conference.

¶ 1605. Tenure of Board Members and Ofcers—The members

of the board and all ofcers of the board elected by it shall hold

ofce until their successors are chosen and the new board is duly

organized.

¶ 1606. Executive Committee—The board is authorized to per-

fect its organization from its membership, including the ofces of

chairperson, vice chairperson, and secretary. The board shall elect

from its membership at the quadrennial organizational meeting

an executive committee of eight members, including the chairper-

son, vice chairperson, and secretary of the board, who shall serve,

respectively, as chairperson, vice chairperson, and secretary of the

39. See Judicial Council Decision 593.

689

THE UNITED METHODIST PUBLISHING HOUSE ¶ 1611

committee. Special attention shall be given to representation of

racial and ethnic groups and women. Not more than three mem-

bers of the executive committee shall be from any one jurisdiction,

and there shall be at least one member from each of the ve juris-

dictional conferences. The U.S. bishop serving on the board shall

be an ex ofcio member, and the president/CEO of The United

Methodist Publishing House shall be an ex ofcio member with-

out vote. Any vacancy occurring in the membership of the execu-

tive committee shall be lled by it, subject to conrmation by the

board at its next meeting.

¶ 1607. Powers and Duties of the Executive Committee—The

executive committee shall have and may exercise all the powers

of the board except those expressly reserved by the board and/or

by the Discipline for board action.

¶ 1608. Successor in Interest—The board shall be the successor

in interest to and carry on the work of the Board of Publication of

The Evangelical United Brethren Church and the General Board

of Publication of The Methodist Church.

¶ 1609. Powers and Duties of the Board—1. The board is

empowered and authorized in its discretion to carry out its gen-

eral operations under the corporate name of The United Method-

ist Publishing House.

2. The board is authorized and empowered in its discretion at

any time it may deem such action to be desirable or convenient to

create an additional corporation(s), in compliance with appropri-

ate state corporation laws.

3. If the board creates and directs more than one corporate

entity, it is authorized and empowered in its discretion at any time

it may deem such action desirable or convenient to take corporate

action in the name of said corporations to surrender the charter or

charters of one or several or all of said corporations or to merge,

consolidate, or afliate such corporations, or any of them, in com-

pliance with appropriate state laws.

¶ 1610. Board Members as Trustees—The members of the board

shall serve and act as directors or trustees of the corporation(s)

named or authorized in ¶ 1609.

¶ 1611. Agency Status—The corporation(s) named or autho-

rized in ¶ 1609 is an agency or instrumentality through which The

United Methodist Church conducts its publishing and distribution

in the name of The United Methodist Publishing House in accor-

dance with the objectives set forth in ¶ 1613. The corporation(s)

shall comply with the policies set forth in ¶ 715.

690

¶ 1612 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

¶ 1612. Report to General Conference—The board shall examine

carefully the affairs of The United Methodist Publishing House

and make written report thereof to the Church through the Gen-

eral Conference.

¶ 1613. Objectives—The objectives of The United Method-

ist Publishing House shall be: the advancement of the cause of

Christianity throughout the world by disseminating religious

knowledge and useful literary, scientic, and educational infor-

mation in the form of books, tracts, multimedia, electronic media,

and periodicals; the promotion of Christian education; the imple-

mentation of any and all activities properly connected with the

publishing, production in a variety of media, and distribution of

an array of print, video, digital resources, and many types of sup-

plies for ministry used by individuals, leaders, congregations, and

other entities of the church to advance the ecumenical outreach of

Christianity, and such activities as the General Conference may

direct and the board may authorize.

¶ 1614. Direction and Control—The United Methodist Publish-

ing House shall be under the direction and control of the board,

acting through a president/CEO elected quadrennially by the

board, and a publisher who shall be elected annually as the pub-

lisher of The United Methodist Church, and such other ofcers as

the board may determine.

¶ 1615. Appropriation of Net Income—The net income from the

operations of The United Methodist Publishing House, after pro-

viding adequate reserves for its efcient operation and allowing

for reasonable growth and expansion, shall be appropriated by

the board and distributed annually on the basis of a just plan pro-

vided by the General Board of Pension and Health Benets to the

several annual conferences for the persons who are and shall be

conference claimants. The just plan may encompass dispropor-

tionate allocations to annual conferences where there is a dispa-

rate need relative to other annual conferences, as, for example, in

developing nations relative to developed nations.

¶ 1616. Designation of Net Income—The net income from the

operations of The United Methodist Publishing House shall be

appropriated to no other purpose than its own operating require-

ments and for persons who are or shall be conference claimants as

provided in ¶ 22 and ¶ 1615.

40. See Judicial Council Decisions 322, 330.

691

THE UNITED METHODIST PUBLISHING HOUSE ¶ 1618

¶ 1617. Board Members as Successors—The members of the

board and their successors in ofce are declared to be the succes-

sors of the incorporators named in the charters of The Methodist

Book Concern issued by the States of New York and Ohio and in

the charter of the Board of Publication of the Methodist Protestant

Church issued by the State of Pennsylvania. The president/CEO

of the board, elected from time to time under this or any subse-

quent Discipline, is declared to be the successor in ofce of the

Book Agents of The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, named

in the charter issued to the corporation of that name by the State

of Tennessee.

¶ 1618. Powers and Duties of the Board—Subject to the pro-

visions of ¶ 1614 and to the continuing control and direction of

the General Conference of The United Methodist Church as set

forth from time to time in the Discipline, the board is authorized

and empowered to cause the operations of The United Methodist

Publishing House to be carried on and the objectives dened in

¶ 1613 to be achieved in such manner, through or by means of

such agencies or instrumentalities and by use of such procedures

as the board may from time to time determine to be necessary,

advisable, or appropriate, with full power and authority in the

premises to take all such action and to do all such other acts and

things as may be required or found to be advisable. In particular,

and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the board is

authorized and empowered, for the purposes of this section:

1. To use, manage, operate, and otherwise utilize all prop-

erty and assets of every kind, character, and description of any

corporation(s) created by the board pursuant to ¶ 1609.2, as well

as all income from such property and assets and the avails thereof,

all with liability or obligation to account for such property and

assets, the use thereof, the income therefrom, and avails thereof,

only to the General Conference of The United Methodist Church

or as it shall direct.

2. To cause a corporation(s) created by the board pursu-

ant to ¶ 1609.2 to take all such action and to do all such things

as the board may deem necessary or advisable to carry out the

intent and purposes of this paragraph. The governing body of

said corporation(s) from time to time shall take all action that the

board deems necessary or advisable to carry out the intent and

purposes of this paragraph. The board shall cause all legal obliga-

tions of said corporation(s) to be met, fullled, and performed.

692

¶ 1618 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

3. To continue to exercise the powers and administer the

duties and responsibilities conferred on it as an agency of The

United Methodist Church through the corporation named The

United Methodist Publishing House, incorporated under the

laws of the State of Illinois in accord with authority delegated to it

by the General Conference of 1952, or through such other means

and agencies as it may from time to time determine to be expe-

dient and necessary in order to give full effect to the purposes

expressed in this section.

¶ 1619. Ownership and Control of Assets—1. The property,

assets, and income of the Illinois corporation shall be held by

it, under the direction of the board, as an agency of The United

Methodist Church and shall at all times be subject to the control

and direction of the General Conference of The United Methodist

Church as set forth from time to time in the Discipline.

2. In carrying out and executing its operations and func-

tions, the board of The United Methodist Publishing House shall

be entitled to hold, use, manage, operate, and otherwise utilize

all property and assets of every kind, character, and description

of the corporation(s) identied in ¶ 1618.1 (other than its corpo-

rate powers and franchises) and all income therefrom and avails

thereof for the purposes and objectives dened in this section.

3. The Illinois corporation and any corporation(s) created by

the board pursuant to ¶ 1609.2 shall from time to time take all

such action as the board deems necessary or advisable to carry out

the intent and purposes of this paragraph and section.

4. The board of The United Methodist Publishing House shall

be liable for and shall execute and satisfy all legal obligations of

the corporation(s) created by the board pursuant to ¶ 1609.2, but

neither it nor the board shall have or be under any obligation to

account for principal and income to any such other corporation or

to otherwise report to any of them.

¶ 1620. Dissolution of The Evangelical Press and Otterbein

Press—Pursuant to the Declaration of Union of The Evangelical

United Brethren Church and The Methodist Church and under

the authority of ¶¶ 939, 950-954 of The Book of Discipline of The

United Methodist Church, 1968, The Otterbein Press, an Ohio cor-

poration, and The Evangelical Press, a Pennsylvania corporation,

have been legally dissolved and their charters have been surren-

41. See Judicial Council Decision 330.

693

THE UNITED METHODIST PUBLISHING HOUSE ¶ 1628

dered. The proceeds of their corporate assets have been and are

being administered pursuant to said disciplinary provisions.

¶ 1621. Corporate Ofcers—The ofcers of the corporation(s)

under the direction of the board shall be elected in accordance

with the bylaws.

¶ 1622. Corporate President—The chief executive ofcer (CEO)

elected pursuant to ¶ 1614 shall also be elected the president of

the corporation(s) under the direction of the board.

¶ 1623. Salaries for Corporate Ofcers—The board shall x the

salaries of the ofcers of the corporation(s) and shall report the

same quadrennially to the General Conference.

¶ 1624. Quarterly Financial Reports—The board shall require

the president/CEO to submit quarterly to the executive commit-

tee and annually to the board written reports of the nancial con-

dition and operating results of The United Methodist Publishing

House.

¶ 1625. Authority to Extend Activities—The president/CEO

and the board shall have authority to extend the activities of The

United Methodist Publishing House in such manner as they may

judge to be for the best interests of the Church.

¶ 1626. Fidelity Bonding of President/Chief Executive Ofcer and

Corporate Ofcers—The board shall require the president/CEO

and other corporate ofcers to give bond conditioned on the faith-

ful discharge of their respective duties. It also shall authorize the

execution of a blanket bond covering all staff personnel whose

responsibilities justify such coverage. The amount of the bonds

shall be xed by the board, and the bonds shall be subject to the

approval of the board. The premiums shall be paid by The United

Methodist Publishing House, and the chairperson of the board

shall be the custodian of the bonds.

¶ 1627. Power to Suspend Ofcers—The board shall have

power to suspend, after hearing, and to remove, after hearing, the

president/CEO, publisher, or any of the ofcers for misconduct or

failure to perform the duties of their ofces.

¶ 1628. Book Editor—The board shall elect annually a book

editor, who shall be designated chief content ofcer. The book

editor shall have joint responsibility with the publisher for

approving manuscripts considered for publication. The book edi-

tor shall edit or supervise the editing of all books and materials

of our publication. In the case of church school publications and

ofcial forms and records, the book editor shall collaborate with

694

¶ 1628 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

the appropriate agencies or groups whenever such collaboration

is mutually desirable and benecial. The book editor shall per-

form such other editorial duties as may be required by the board.

¶ 1629. Salary of Book Editor—The board shall x the salary of

the book editor.

¶ 1630. Suspension of Book Editor—The board shall have

power to suspend or remove, after hearing, the book editor for

misconduct or failure to perform the duties of the ofce.

¶ 1631. Editor of Church School Publications—There shall be

an editor of Church School Publications, elected as set forth in

¶ 1125.

¶ 1632. Duties of Editor of Church School Publications—The

editor of Church School Publications shall be responsible for the

preparation of all curriculum materials as set forth in ¶ 1125.

¶ 1633. Church School Curriculum—The curriculum of the

church school shall be determined by the Curriculum Resources

Committee, which shall include in its membership the publisher

and an associate publisher named by The United Methodist Pub-

lishing House.

¶ 1634. Salary of Editor of Church School Publications—The

board shall x the salary of the editor of Church School Publica-

tions and shall have full nancial responsibility for all expenses

connected with this work.

¶ 1635. Publications of the Curriculum Resources Commit-

tee—The publications of the Curriculum Resources Committee

shall be manufactured, published, and distributed through The

United Methodist Publishing House. In matters involving nan-

cial responsibility, the nal determination in every case shall lie

with the board. After consultation with the publisher, the editor

of Church School Publications shall prepare a complete budget

for this work, including salaries of assistants and ofce secretaries

and travel, etc., to be effective when approved by the board, and

shall direct its operation from year to year.

¶ 1636. Service of the Entire United Methodist Church—There

shall be one complete, coordinated system of literature published

by the board for the entire United Methodist Church. This lit-

erature is to be of such type and variety as to meet the needs

of all groups of our people. The publisher and such other staff

as the board and president/CEO shall determine shall consult

with the general program agencies, the General Commission on

Communication, and the Connectional Table with regard to their

695

THE UNITED METHODIST PUBLISHING HOUSE ¶ 1641

publishing needs in order to avoid unnecessary overlapping and

duplication.

¶ 1637. Financial Feasibility—The board and the publisher

shall have authority to decline to publish any item of literature

when in their judgment the cost would be greater than should be

borne by The United Methodist Publishing House.

¶ 1638. Board Participation—The editor of Church School Pub-

lications (¶ 1125) and a member of the General Board of Disciple-

ship designated by its president shall have the right to sit with the

board and shall have the privilege of the oor without vote for the

consideration of matters pertaining to their joint interests.

¶ 1639. Cooperative Publications—The United Methodist Pub-

lishing House shall explore and engage in cooperative publica-

tion of United Methodist church school curriculum resources

wherever both The United Methodist Publishing House and the

Curriculum Resources Committee of the General Board of Dis-

cipleship nd this to be practicable and in harmony with related

editorial and publishing policies.

¶ 1640. Use of Distribution System by General Agencies—It is

recommended that all general agencies of The United Methodist

Church use the distribution system of The United Methodist Pub-

lishing House for distribution of resources, materials, and sup-

plies needed for use in the local church.

¶ 1641. Real Estate Purchases—The United Methodist Pub-

lishing House shall not buy any real estate costing in excess of

$500,000 and shall not sell or exchange any real estate having a

fair market value in excess of $500,000 except by the order of the

General Conference or, between sessions of the General Confer-

ence, by a two-thirds vote of all the members of the board. In

either case, such vote shall be taken at a regular or called meeting

of the board, and if at a called meeting, the purpose of this meet-

ing shall have been stated in the call. The erection of a new build-

ing or improvement, alteration, or repair of an existing building

or the purchase of real estate for retail purposes involving an

expenditure of not more than $500,000, or the sale or exchange

of real estate used by the publishing house for retail purposes

that has a fair market value of not more than $500,000, may be

authorized by the vote of a majority of the executive committee.

These provisions shall not prevent the making of investments on

mortgage security or the protection of the same or the collection

of claims and adjustments.

696

¶ 1701 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

Section XI. General Commission on Archives and History

¶ 1701. Authorization and Establishment—The name of the of-

cial historical agency of The United Methodist Church shall be the

General Commission on Archives and History.

¶ 1702. Incorporation—The General Commission on Archives

and History shall be incorporated under the laws of whatever

state the commission may determine.

¶ 1703. Purpose—1. The purpose of the commission shall

be to promote and care for the historical interests of The United

Methodist Church at every level. It shall gather, preserve, and

hold title to library and archival materials, and it shall dissemi-

nate interpretive materials on the history of The United Meth-

odist Church and its antecedents. It shall cooperate with other

bodies, especially the Historical Society of The United Method-

ist Church, the African American Methodist Heritage Center, the

World Methodist Historical Society, and the World Methodist

Council in areas of mutual concern. It shall maintain archives

and libraries in which shall be preserved historical records

and materials of every kind relating to The United Methodist

Church and shall see that such holdings are available for respon-

sible public and scholarly use. It shall provide guidance for the

proper creation, maintenance, and disposition of documentary

record material at all levels of The United Methodist Church (see

¶ 1711.1b). It shall provide support, direction, and encouragement

for the work of annual conference and jurisdictional historical

agencies and organizations by developing and making available

historical, interpretive, and training media. It shall develop poli-

cies and resources for the designated United Methodist Historic

Sites and United Methodist Heritage Landmarks. It shall provide

general supervision for the observance of Heritage Sunday (see

¶ 264.1). It shall engage with other Wesleyan, Methodist, or Evan-

gelical United Brethren-related denominations in lifting up our

joint heritage.

2. The commission shall be accountable to the Connectional

Table for all programmatic assignments.

3. The commission shall have responsibility for and super-

vision of its archives and historical libraries and other depositories

of similar character, if any, established by The United Methodist

Church.

4. The commission shall promote collection and dissemina-

tion of information and materials concerning the historic witness

697

GENERAL COMMISSION ON ARCHIVES AND HISTORY ¶ 1705

made individually and collectively by women, racial and ethnic

peoples, and other constituencies not covered extensively in tra-

ditional historical documentation in the worldwide life of The

United Methodist Church and its antecedents.

5. The commission shall develop and make available inter-

pretive materials such as handbooks, services of worship and

celebrations of historical events, training lms, and other media

helpful to annual conferences and local churches.

6. Once each quadrennium, the commission may hold a

historical convocation, to which may be invited members of

jurisdictional and annual conference historical agencies and

organizations; appropriate faculty and students in institutions of

higher education related to The United Methodist Church; mem-

bers of the Historical Society of The United Methodist Church;

members of other Wesleyan, Methodist, and Evangelical United

Brethren-related historical organizations; and such other persons,

groups, or organizations as may be interested.

¶ 1704. Membership—1. The commission shall be constituted

quadrennially, and its members and all ofcers elected by it shall

hold ofce until their successors have been chosen. The commis-

sion may ll interim vacancies during a quadrennium where not

otherwise provided by the Discipline.

2. The commission shall be composed of twenty-four mem-

bers in the following manner: ten members elected by the General

Conference on nomination of the Council of Bishops, in which

two shall be from the central conferences; two bishops (one of

whom shall come from the central conferences); ve presidents of

the jurisdictional commissions on archives and history, or where

no commission exists or any disciplinary conict arises, a person

designated by the jurisdictional College of Bishops; and, other

paragraphs of the Discipline notwithstanding, seven additional

members elected by the general commission, at least one of whom

may be from a central conference, ensuring that all three regions

of the central conferences are represented. It is recommended that

careful consideration be given to people with special interests and

skills in the history of United Methodism and that careful consid-

eration be given to inclusiveness, including representation from

men, women, age levels, and all racial and ethnic groups.

¶ 1705. Meetings—The commission shall meet annually at

such time and place as it may determine, subject to the provisions

of the act of incorporation. The commission may hold special

698

¶ 1705 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

meetings on the call of the president. A majority of the members

of the commission shall constitute a quorum.

¶ 1706. Ofcers—The commission shall elect from its member-

ship a president, vice president, secretary, and such other ofcers

as may be needed. The president shall be a bishop. The ofcers

shall perform the duties usually incident to their positions.

¶ 1707. Staff—The commission shall elect a general secretary

and such other staff ofcers as may be needed. The general sec-

retary shall be the executive and administrative ofcer and shall

carry on the work of the commission, keep the records and min-

utes, serve as editor of ofcial publications of the commission,

supervise the depositories, make an annual report to the com-

mission, and furnish such reports as are required to the General

Conference and General Conference agencies. The general secre-

tary shall attend meetings of the commission and the executive

committee and shall have the privilege of the oor without vote.

Archivists, curators, and librarians employed by the commission

shall be responsible to the general secretary. They shall attend

meetings of the commission and the executive committee when

it is deemed necessary by the general secretary. When in atten-

dance, they shall have the privilege of the oor without vote.

¶ 1708. Executive Committee—There shall be an executive

committee, composed of the president, vice president, secretary,

and two members from each of the three standing committees-

Heritage Landmarks, Archives and Library, and History and

Interpretation. The executive committee shall perform the duties

and exercise the authority of the commission between meetings.

Its minutes shall be submitted to the commission for approval.

The executive committee and the commission may vote on any

matter by mail. Mail polls shall be directed by the general secre-

tary, who shall state clearly the propositions to be voted on and

announce the results to all the members.

¶ 1709. Finances—The commission shall be nanced by

appropriations of the General Conference; the sale of literature

and historical materials; subscriptions to the commission’s ofcial

publications; dues from associate members; and gifts, grants, and

bequests of interested individuals and organizations.

¶ 1710. Historical Society of The United Methodist Church—

1. The general commission shall endorse and encourage the His-

torical Society of The United Methodist Church and encourage

membership therein for the purpose of promoting interest in the

699

GENERAL COMMISSION ON ARCHIVES AND HISTORY ¶ 1711

study, preservation, and dissemination of the history and heritage

of The United Methodist Church and its antecedents. The Histori-

cal Society shall be encouraged to enlist the support and coopera-

tion of commission on archives and history (or equivalent) at the

annual conference, jurisdictional conference, and general Church

levels as well as other interested agencies and organizations in

the promotion of the historical interests of the Church. The soci-

ety shall be nancially self-supporting through dues and other

sources, except for such services as may be provided by the Gen-

eral Conference Commission on Archives and History.

2. Membership in the Historical Society shall be established

as the society may determine. Membership shall entail the pay-

ment of such dues as the society may direct, in return for which

members shall receive publications and other benets as are

deemed suitable.

¶ 1711. 1. Archival Denitions—a) Archives, as distinguished

from libraries, house not primarily books, but documentary

record material.

b) Documentary record material shall mean all documents,

minutes, journals, diaries, reports, pamphlets, letters, papers,

manuscripts, maps, photographs, books, audiovisuals, sound

recordings, magnetic or other tapes, electronic data processing

records, artifacts, or any other documentary material, regardless

of physical form or characteristics, made or received pursuant to

any provisions of the Discipline in connection with the transaction

of Church business by any general agency of The United Method-

ist Church or of any of its constituent predecessors.

c) General agency of The United Methodist Church or of

its constituent predecessors shall, in turn, mean and include every

Church ofce, Church ofcer, or ofcial (elected or appointed)—

including bishop, institution, board, commission, bureau, council,

or conference—at the national level.

2. Custodianship of Records—The church ofcial in charge of

an ofce having documentary record material shall be the custo-

dian thereof, unless otherwise provided.

3. Procedures—a) The general commission shall establish a

central archives of The United Methodist Church and such regional

archives and record centers as in its judgment may be needed.

b) The bishops, General Conference ofcers, the Judicial

Council, general boards, commissions, committees, and agencies

of The United Methodist Church shall deposit ofcial minutes or

700

¶ 1711 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

journals, or copies of the same, in the archives quadrennially and

shall transfer correspondence, records, papers, and other archival

materials described above from their ofces when they no lon-

ger have operational usefulness. No records shall be destroyed

until a disposal schedule has been agreed upon by the General

Commission on Archives and History and the agency. When

the custodian of any ofcial documentary record material of a

general agency certies to the General Commission on Archives

and History that such records have no further use or value for

ofcial and administrative purposes and when the commission

certies that such records appear to have no further use or value

for research or reference, then such records may be destroyed or

otherwise disposed of by the agency or ofcial having custody

of them. A record of such certication and authorization shall

be entered in the minutes or records of both the commission

and the agency. The General Commission on Archives and His-

tory is hereby authorized and empowered to make such provi-

sions as may be necessary and proper to carry this paragraph

into effect.

c) The commission shall have the right to examine the

condition of documentary record material and shall, subject to

the availability of staff and funds, give advice and assistance to

Church ofcials and agencies in regard to preserving and dispos-

ing of documentary record material in their custody. Ofcials of

general agencies shall assist the commission in the preparation of

an inventory of records in their custody. To this inventory shall be

attached a schedule, approved by the head of the agency having

custody of the records and the commission, establishing a time

period for the retention and disposal of each series of records.

So long as such approved schedule remains in effect, destruction

or disposal of documentary record material in accordance with

its provisions shall be deemed to have met the requirements of

¶ 1711.3b.

d) The commission is authorized and directed to conduct

a program of inventorying, repairing, and microlming among

all general agencies of The United Methodist Church for security

purposes that documentary record material which the commis-

sion determines has permanent value and to provide safe storage

for microlm copies of such material. Subject to the availability of

funds, such program may be extended to material of permanent

value of all agencies of The United Methodist Church.

701

GENERAL COMMISSION ON ARCHIVES AND HISTORY ¶ 1711

e) The general boards, commissions, committees, and

agencies of The United Methodist Church shall place two copies,

as they are issued, of all their publications, of whatever kind, in

the archives or in lieu thereof shall le a statement with the archi-

vist afrming that they are preserving copies of all such items in

their own libraries or depositories.

f) Ofcial documents, or copies thereof, such as articles

of incorporation, constitutions, bylaws, and other ofcial papers

of the boards and agencies of The United Methodist Church shall

be deposited in the archives.

g) Whoever has the custody of any general agency records

shall, at the expiration of the term of ofce, deliver to the successor,

custodian, or, if there be none, to the commission all records, books,

writings, letters, and documents kept or received in the transac-

tion of ofcial general agency business. This will also apply to the

papers of temporary and special general Church committees.

h) The bishops, General Conference ofcers, and the

general boards, commissions, committees, and agencies of The

United Methodist Church are urged to counsel with the central

archivist concerning the preservation of all materials.

i) Jurisdictional, central, and annual conference secretar-

ies shall deposit, without charge, two paper copies of their respec-

tive conference journals quadrennially or annually, as the case may

be, with the General Commission on Archives and History and in

the archives of the central, jurisdictional, and annual conference as

appropriate. One copy of a digital version of the journal will be sent

to the General Commission on Archives and History, if available.

j) Secretaries of jurisdictional and annual conference

boards, commissions, committees, and agencies shall deposit

annually, or as often as they meet, copies of their minutes (as dis-

tinguished from reports that are printed separately or in the juris-

dictional and annual conference journals) in the central archives

or in the appropriate regional archives.

k) Bishops, General Conference ofcers, general agency

staff personnel, missionaries, and those ordained ministers and

laypersons in positions of leadership and inuence at any level of

the Church are urged to deposit or bequeath their personal papers

to the archives of the general commission.

l) Organizations and individuals may negotiate appro-

priate restrictions on the use of materials that they deposit in the

archives.

702

¶ 1711 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

m) Upon recommendation of its executive committee,

the commission may authorize the transfer of materials to an

organization, agency, or family.

n) All materials in the archives shall be available for

research and exhibition, subject to such restrictions as may be

placed on them.

¶ 1712. Historic Sites and Heritage Landmarks—1. a) His-

toric Sites—Historic sites are buildings, locations, or structures that

are specically related to a signicant event, development, or

personality in the history of an annual, central, or jurisdictional

conference (or its antecedents). Historic sites are designated by

formal action of the annual, central, or jurisdictional conference

within whose regions the site is located. Such designation shall

rst be considered and reviewed by the respective commission on

archives and history (or equivalent). After action by the annual,

central, or jurisdictional conference to designate a building, struc-

ture, or location as a historic site, the president or chairperson

of the commission on archives and history (or equivalent) shall

advise the General Commission on Archives and History of the

action taken and provide such documentation as may be required.

The general commission in turn shall provide an ofcial historic

site marker, keep a register of all historic sites, and maintain an

ongoing le of pertinent information concerning them.

b) Heritage Landmarks—Heritage landmarks of The United

Methodist Church are buildings, locations, or structures that are

specically related to signicant events, developments, or person-

alities in the overall history of The United Methodist Church or

its antecedents. They must have distinctive historic interest and

value for the denomination as a whole, as contrasted with local

or regional historic signicance. Ordinarily, buildings, locations,

or structures that have achieved historic signicance within the

preceding fty years shall not be considered for designation as a

heritage landmark.

c) Designation of Heritage Landmarks—All nominations for

the designation of buildings, locations, and structures as United

Methodist heritage landmarks shall be made by the annual, cen-

tral, or jurisdictional conference commission on archives and his-

tory (or equivalent) within whose regions they are located. Such

nominations shall be referred for consideration to the General

Commission on Archives and History, in accord with guidelines

established by the commission. Through its Committee on Heri-

703

GENERAL COMMISSION ON ARCHIVES AND HISTORY ¶ 1712

tage Landmarks, the commission shall consider the merits of each

nomination and shall make such recommendation as it deems

appropriate to the ensuing General Conference for its action and

determination.

The commission shall recommend only a building, loca-

tion, or structure for designation as a heritage landmark that has

been registered as a historic site by an annual, central, or juris-

dictional conference and has met the requirements established by

the commission. The commission shall keep a register of all duly

designated heritage landmarks and maintain an ongoing le of

pertinent information concerning them.

d) Quadrennial Review—The commission shall be respon-

sible for making a quadrennial review of the existing duly des-

ignated heritage landmarks, according to the criteria that it shall

prepare and which shall be compatible with the Book of Discipline.

The commission shall further be responsible for recommending to

the General Conference the redesignation or reclassication of the

designated heritage landmarks as such action may be appropriate

in keeping with such criteria.

2. Present Heritage Landmarks—The present heritage land-

marks of The United Methodist Church (and the year of their

designation by General Conference) are: Acuff’s Chapel, between

Blountville and Kingsport, TN (1968); Albright Memorial Chapel,

Kleinfeltersville, PA (1968); Asbury Manual Labor School and

Mission, Ft. Mitchell, AL (1984); Barratt’s Chapel, near Frederica,

DE (1968); Bethune-Cookman College, Daytona Beach, FL (1984);

Bishop John Seybert/Flat Rock Cluster, Flat Rock and Bellevue,

OH (1992); Boehm’s Chapel, Willow Street, PA (1984); College of

West Africa, Monrovia, Liberia (2012); Cokesbury College, Abing-

don, MD (1984); Cox Memorial United Methodist Church, Hal-

lowell, ME (1992); Deadwood Cluster, Deadwood, SD (1984);

Edward Cox House, near Bluff City, TN (1968); First Evangelical

Association Church Building and Publishing House, New Berlin,

PA (1988); First United Methodist Church, Johnstown, PA (1996);

Green Hill House, Louisburg, NC (1968); Gulfside Assembly,

Waveland, MS (2016); Hanby House, Westerville, OH (1988); John

Street Church, New York City (1968); John Wesley’s American

Parish, Savannah, GA (1976); Keywood Marker, Glade Spring, VA

(1988); Isaac Long’s Barn, Landis Valley, Lititz, PA (2008); Lovely

Lane Chapel, Baltimore, MD (1972); Mary Johnston Hospital,

Manila, The Philippines (2012); McMahan’s Chapel, Bronson,

704

¶ 1712 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

TX (1972); Methodist Hospital, Brooklyn, NY (1972); Newtown

Indian United Methodist Church, Okmulgee, OK (2012); Old

McKendree Chapel, Jackson, MO (1968); Old Mutare Mission,

Zimbabwe (2012); Old Otterbein Church, Baltimore, MD (1968);

Old Stone Church Cemetery and Site, Leesburg, VA (1968); Orga-

nization of The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, Louisville, KY

(1984); Pearl River United Methodist Church, Madison County,

MS (2016); Peter Cartwright United Methodist Church, Pleas-

ant Plains, IL (1976); Rehoboth Church, near Union, WV (1968);

Robert Strawbridge’s Log House, near New Windsor, MD (1968);

Rutersville Cluster, Rutersville, TX (1988); St. George’s Church,

Philadelphia, PA (1968); St. Simon’s Island, GA (1968); Simpson

House, Philadelphia, PA (2012); Wesley Foundation, University of

Illinois, Champaign, IL (1996); Town of Oxford, GA (1972); United

Brethren Founding Sites Cluster, Frederick, Keedysville, and

Beaver Creek, MD (2000); United Methodist Building on Capitol

Hill, Washington, DC (2016); Wesleyan College Cluster, Macon,

GA (1992); Whitaker’s Chapel, near Eneld, Halifax County, NC

(1972); Willamette Mission, near Salem, OR (1992); Woman’s For-

eign Missionary Society founding site, Boston, MA (2004); Wyan-

dot Indian Mission, Upper Sandusky, OH (1968); and Zoar United

Methodist Church, Philadelphia, PA (1984).

Section XII. General Commission on Communication

¶ 1801. As United Methodists, our theological understanding

obligates us, as members of the body of Christ, to communicate

our faith by speaking and listening to persons both within and

outside the Church throughout the world, and to utilize all appro-

priate means of communication.

The responsibility to communicate is laid upon every church

member, every pastor, every congregation, every annual confer-

ence, every institution, and every agency of the Church. Within

this total responsibility, there are certain functions that the Gen-

eral Conference has assigned to the General Commission on Com-

munication, to be performed in behalf of all through the talents

and resources at its command.

¶ 1802. Name—There shall be a General Commission on

Communication of The United Methodist Church, which for com-

munication and public relations purposes may be designated as

United Methodist Communications (UMCom).

705

GENERAL COMMISSION ON COMMUNICATION ¶ 1806

¶ 1803. Incorporation—The General Commission on Com-

munication is successor to the Joint Committee on Communica-

tions, incorporated in the State of Ohio, and shall be authorized

to do business as United Methodist Communications (UMCom).

It is authorized to create such other corporate substructures as the

commission deems appropriate to carry out its functions.

¶ 1804. Amenability and Accountability—The General Com-

mission on Communication shall be amenable to the General

Conference. As an administrative general agency that carries sig-

nicant program functions in addition to its many service and

support responsibilities, the commission shall be accountable to,

report to, and be evaluated by the Connectional Table in program

matters and shall be accountable to and report to the General

Council on Finance and Administration in nancial matters.

¶ 1805. Purpose—The General Commission on Communica-

tion shall lead the Church in communication. It shall meet the

communication, public relations, and marketing needs of the

entire Church, reecting the cultural and racial diversity within

The United Methodist Church. It shall provide communication

resources and services to local churches and annual conferences.

It shall have a consultative relationship with all general agencies

of the Church and with any structures for communication and

public relations at the jurisdictional, episcopal area, annual con-

ference, district, or local church level.

¶ 1806. Responsibilities—Communication is a strategic func-

tion necessary for the success of the mission of The United Meth-

odist Church. Specic responsibilities and functions of the General

Commission on Communication and its staff are as follows:

1. It shall be the ofcial newsgathering and distributing

agency for The United Methodist Church and its general agencies.

In discharging its responsibilities, in keeping with the historic

freedom of the press, it shall operate with editorial freedom as an

independent news bureau serving all segments of church life and

society, making available to both religious and public news media

information concerning the Church at large.

2. It shall have primary responsibility on behalf of the denom-

ination to relate to the public media in presenting the Christian

faith and work of the Church to the general public through the

most effective communication channels. It will provide such

structures and strategies as are deemed helpful to the Church

in its witness through the media. It shall unify and coordinate

706

¶ 1806 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

public media messages and programs of United Methodist gen-

eral agencies.

3. It shall give special attention to television, including

broadcast television, cable, videotape, videodisc, and satellite. It

shall provide counsel and resources to annual conferences—and

through conferences, to districts and local churches—to develop

and strengthen their television ministries. Responsibilities of the

commission shall include program production and placement,

and relationships to commercial broadcasters at the national level

in the United States.

4. It shall create and participate in partnerships with national,

international, interdenominational, interfaith, and other organi-

zations working in communications as deemed relevant to the

mission and ministry of The United Methodist Church.

5. It shall have responsibility to work toward promotion and

protection of the historic freedoms of religion and the press, and

it shall seek to increase the ethical, moral, and human values of

media structures and programs.

6. It shall have general supervision over the public relations

strategy and activity for The United Methodist Church.

7. It shall plan, create, produce or cause to be produced, and

distribute or cause to be distributed resources that are informative

and vital to the religious life of all United Methodists. It shall work

with all United Methodist agencies in coordinating resources pro-

duced for strategic Church initiatives.

8. It shall oversee a comprehensive communication system

for the Church, providing a total view of communication struc-

ture and practices, including telecommunications. It shall create

networks of communicators at all levels, including local church,

district, conference, jurisdiction, and general church. These net-

works may include periodic consultations for such purposes as

idea exchange, information sharing, joint planning, and moni-

toring and evaluating the total Church’s communication enter-

prises. With respect to the use of computers for communication

purposes, the agency shall cooperate with the General Council on

Finance and Administration.

9. It shall provide guidance, resources, and training for the

local church coordinator of communications (¶ 255[3]), provided

that training at the local level shall be through and in cooperation

with annual conferences.

707

GENERAL COMMISSION ON COMMUNICATION ¶ 1806

10. It shall educate and train in communication principles

and skills, including the following: (a) national workshops and

training experiences in communication skills related to various

media; (b) consultation with and assistance to annual conferences,

districts, and racial and ethnic groups in training local church

persons, especially the local church coordinator of communica-

tions; (c) training experiences for bishops, personnel of general

Church agencies, and other groups on request; (d) providing and

facilitating apprenticeship, internship, and scholarship programs

for church communicators; and (e) counseling schools of theology

and other institutions of higher education about the training of

faculty, candidates for the ordained ministry, and laypersons in

the principles and skills of communication, media resource devel-

opment, and media evaluation.

11. It shall determine and implement, after consultation with

the General Council on Finance and Administration, policy for

the marketing of all nancial causes demanding churchwide pro-

motion or publicity.

12. It shall be the central agency marketing throughout the

Church the following general Church funds: World Service Fund

(¶ 812.1), Africa University Fund (¶ 806.2), Black College Fund

(¶ 815), Episcopal Fund (¶ 818.1), General Administration Fund

(¶ 813), Interdenominational Cooperation Fund (¶ 814), Minis-

terial Education Fund (¶ 816), Human Relations Day (¶¶ 824.1

and 263.1), UMCOR Sunday (¶¶ 821, 824.2 and 263.2), Native

American Ministries Sunday (¶¶ 824.6 and 263.6), Peace with

Justice Sunday (¶¶ 824.5 and 263.5), World Communion Sunday

(¶¶ 824.4 and 263.3), United Methodist Student Day (¶¶ 824.3

and 263.4), the Advance for Christ and His Church (¶¶ 822 and

823), World Service Special Gifts (¶ 820), Christian Education Sun-

day (¶ 265.1), Golden Cross Sunday (¶ 265.2), Rural Life Sunday

(¶ 265.3), Disability Awareness Sunday (¶ 265.4), Youth Service

Fund (¶ 1208), and all other general Church funds approved by the

General Conference, as well as any emergency appeals authorized

by the Council of Bishops and the General Council on Finance

and Administration (¶ 819). In the marketing of these causes, this

agency shall consult with and is encouraged to use content mate-

rial provided by the program agency responsible for the area and

with the agency responsible for the administration of the funds.

Budgets for the above funds shall be developed in cooperation

with the General Council on Finance and Administration. In cases

708

¶ 1806 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

where the General Conference assigns a portion of the marketing

responsibility to some other agency, such marketing work shall be

subject to coordination by the General Commission on Commu-

nication. The cost of marketing the funds, as set in the approved

marketing budget, shall be a charge against receipts, except that

the cost of marketing general Advance Specials shall be billed

to the recipient agencies in proportion to the amount of general

Advance Special funds received by each (¶ 823.3), and the cost of

marketing World Service Special Gifts shall be borne by admin-

istering agencies (¶ 820.8). The administration of the money thus

set aside for marketing shall be the responsibility of the General

Commission on Communication.

13. It shall undertake the marketing of any cause or undertaking,

nancial or otherwise, not herein mentioned demanding Church-

wide promotion or publicity, provided such action is approved by

the Council of Bishops and the General Council on Finance and

Administration, or their respective executive committees, if any. The

General Council on Finance and Administration shall determine

the source of the funding for any such authorized promotions.

14. Appeals for giving that are made to United Methodists

shall be consistent with the aims of Christian stewardship. The

General Commission on Communication and the General Board

of Discipleship will cooperate in order that programs and resource

materials of the two agencies may be in harmony in their presen-

tation of Christian stewardship.

15. It shall provide content for clergy and laity in local con-

gregations in a variety of accessible formats to promote under-

standing and appreciation of the global, connectional Church, to

develop support for and encourage participation in initiatives,

ministries, and missions of the general Church and its agencies,

and to provide resources and information to assist local congre-

gations and their leaders in carrying out their ministries. This

agency shall obtain from the churches or district superintendents

the names of church leaders entitled to receive this content so as

to compile a subscription list.

16. It shall lead in communication study and research, apply-

ing ndings from the professional and academic communities

to the work of the Church, and in evaluative communication

research. It shall cooperate with other agencies and other levels

of the Church in communication research and development work

and share the ndings of study and research.

709

GENERAL COMMISSION ON COMMUNICATION ¶ 1807

17. It shall represent United Methodist interests in new tech-

nological developments in the eld of communication, including

research, the evaluation of new devices and methods, and the

application of technological developments to the communication

services of the Church.

18. It may develop information, resources, databases, and

services that provide channels of communication to and from all

levels of the Church.

19. It shall provide resources, counsel, and staff training

for area, conference, and district communication programs and

develop guidelines in consultation with persons working in areas,

conferences, and districts.

20. It shall produce materials for program interpretation in

cooperation with the Connectional Table and the general pro-

gram boards, including the ofcial program calendar of the

denomination.

21. The General Commission on Communication shall be

charged with planning and implementation of the ofcial United

Methodist presence on and use of the Internet, the World Wide

Web, or other computer services that can connect United Method-

ist conferences, agencies, and local churches with one another and

with the larger world.

22. The General Commission on Communication shall be

responsible for setting the ofcial brand guidelines of The United

Methodist Church. Such branding guidelines shall be consistent

with the standards established by the General Council on Finance

and Administration to preserve the integrity of the denomina-

tion’s intellectual property (see ¶¶ 807.10-.11, 2502). The com-

mission shall work with the General Council on Finance and

Administration to ensure the use of the cross and ame logo at

every level of the church (see ¶ 807.10).

¶ 1807. Organization—1. Membership—The membership of

the General Commission on Communication shall be composed

of twenty-seven members as follows:

a) Two bishops, including one from the United States and

one from the central conferences named by the Council of Bishops.

b) Eleven members elected by the jurisdictional confer-

ences based on the following formula: North Central—2, North-

eastern—2, South Central—3, Southeastern—3, and Western—1.

It is recommended that at least one of the persons elected by the

jurisdictional conferences be a racial or ethnic person.

710

¶ 1807 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

c) A total of seven members of the central conferences,

plus one bishop referenced above, named by the Council of Bishops.

d) Seven additional members elected by the commission

to ensure membership of persons with expertise in communication.

e) The additional members shall be nominated by a com-

mittee composed of one commission member designated from

each jurisdiction and one of the member bishops.

f) In order to ensure inclusiveness, the composition of

the commission shall reect the major recognized categories of

Church members (see ¶ 705.3c).

2. Meetings—The commission shall hold at least one meeting

in each calendar year. Fifteen members shall constitute a quorum.

3. Ofcers—The commission shall elect a president, at least

one vice president, a recording secretary, and such other ofcers

as it determines.

There may be an executive committee comprised of not more

than one-third of the total membership of the commission and

elected by the commission. The membership of the executive com-

mittee shall be representative of the composition of the commission.

4. Internal Organization—The General Commission on Com-

munication is empowered to create internal structures as it deems

appropriate for effective operation.

5. Staff—The commission shall elect annually a general secre-

tary upon nomination by the executive committee or a nominat-

ing committee and shall elect such deputy general secretaries as

needed, and it shall provide for election or appointment of other

staff. The general secretary shall cooperate with the Connectional

Table for program services and with the general secretary of the

General Council on Finance and Administration for nancial

services.

¶ 1808. Finance—The General Conference shall provide for

the nancial needs of the General Commission on Communica-

tion upon recommendation by the General Council on Finance

and Administration. The commission shall consult with the Con-

nectional Table in the area of program matters in development of

an annual budget, which shall be reported to the General Council

on Finance and Administration for approval.

Section XIII. United Methodist Women

¶ 1901. There shall be an organization called United Method-

ist Women in The United Methodist Church in the United States,

711

UNITED METHODIST WOMEN ¶ 1903

organized at the local church, district, conference, jurisdiction,

and national levels.

¶ 1902. Purpose—United Methodist Women shall be actively

engaged in fullling the mission of Christ and the Church and

United Methodist Women’s national organization shall interpret

the Purpose of United Methodist Women for the whole organi-

zation. With continuing awareness of the concerns and responsi-

bilities of the Church in today’s world, United Methodist Women

shall support ministry with and advocate for the oppressed and

dispossessed with special attention to the needs of women, chil-

dren, and youth; shall work to build a supportive community

among women; and shall engage in activities that foster growth

in the Christian faith, mission education, and Christian social

involvement throughout the organization.

¶ 1903. Responsibilities—United Methodist Women’s national

organization shall:

1. Recommend program and policies to local, district, confer-

ence, and jurisdiction organizations of United Methodist Women.

2. Interpret the role and responsibility of United Methodist

Women in fullling the mission of Christ and the Church.

3. Express the concerns of women organized for mission.

4. Provide resources and opportunities for women that enrich

their spiritual life and increase their knowledge and understand-

ing of the needs of the world and their responsibility in meeting

those needs.

5. Secure funds through the channels of United Methodist

Women for God’s mission in the world, with special concern for

the needs and responsibilities of women, children, and youth.

6. Project plans specially directed toward leadership devel-

opment of women through appropriate planning with the other

organizations of the church and ecumenical community.

7. Strengthen the Church’s challenge to men and women to

respond to God’s call by serving as missionaries, deaconesses or

home missioners, and in all other avenues of service and leader-

ship in the church.

8. Enlist women in activities that have a moral and religious

signicance for the public welfare and that contribute to the estab-

lishment of a just global society.

9. Administer the Ofce of the Deaconess and Home

Missioner Order.

712

¶ 1903 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

10. Strengthen and support direct ministries to human need,

both emerging and continuing, through national mission institu-

tions working on behalf of women, children, and youth, and com-

passion response around the world.

11. Provide leadership and support for persons serving as

regional missionaries.

12. Work with the other agencies of the Church and com-

munity in areas of common concern and responsibility. A United

Nations Ofce shall be conducted in cooperation with the General

Board of Church and Society.

13. Give visible evidence of oneness in Christ by uniting in

fellowship and service with other Christians, including the World

Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church Women, Church

Women United, and other similar groups, thereby strengthening

the ecumenical witness and program of the Church.

14. Participate in developing mission theology.

¶ 1904. Authority—The Board of Directors of United Method-

ist Women shall meet at least annually and at such other times as

it may deem necessary and shall have the authority to:

1. Make its bylaws and regulate its proceedings in harmony

with its charter; buy and sell property; solicit and accept contribu-

tions, and appropriate its funds; decide on policy matters pertain-

ing to the homes for retired workers that are owned by United

Methodist Women. Organize jurisdiction, conference, district, and

local church organizations of United Methodist Women, which

shall be directly related to the national organization.

2. Make constitutions and recommend bylaws for United

Methodist Women at local, district, conference, jurisdiction levels.

3. Appropriate funds received through United Methodist

Women.

4. Serve as the national ofcial policy-making body of United

Methodist Women, with the ofcers of the national organization

designated as the national ofcers.

¶ 1905. Successor entity—United Methodist Women shall be

the name of the organization of The United Methodist Church for-

merly known as Women’s Division of the General Board of Global

Ministries of The United Methodist Church, which shall succeed

to, control, and be responsible for the work formerly carried out

by the Woman’s Society of Christian Service of The Methodist

Church, the Women’s Society of World Service of The Evangelical

United Brethren Church, the Women’s Society of Christian Service

713

UNITED METHODIST WOMEN ¶ 1909

of The United Methodist Church, and those other organizations of

women of similar purposes that have operated in the churches

forming the United Methodist tradition, including the Women’s

Missionary Association of the Church of the United Brethren

in Christ; the Woman’s Missionary Society of The Evangelical

Church; the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society, the Woman’s

Home Missionary Society, the Wesleyan Service Guild, and the

Ladies’ Aid Societies of The Methodist Episcopal Church; the

Woman’s Missionary Society, the Woman’s Board of Foreign Mis-

sions, the Woman’s Board of Home Missions, and the Woman’s

Missionary Council of The Methodist Episcopal Church, South;

and the Woman’s Convention of the Board of Missions of The

Methodist Protestant Church. This list shall not be construed as

exhaustive.

¶ 1906. Membership of the Board of Directors—United Method-

ist Women shall have a board of directors composed of 25 mem-

bers as follows: 20 shall be laywomen elected by the jurisdiction

organizations of United Methodist Women at quadrennial meet-

ings (¶ 536.4); and ve shall be laywomen elected by the board of

directors. The staff cabinet of United Methodist Women shall be

members ex ofcio, without vote.

¶ 1907. Organization—The board of directors of United Meth-

odist Women may elect an executive committee of such mem-

bership as it may determine, which shall exercise the powers of

the board ad interim. The members of the staff cabinet of United

Methodist Women shall be members of the executive committee,

ex ofcio without vote. The board of directors of United Method-

ist Women shall be organized into sections or committees as the

directors shall determine.

¶ 1908. Assembly—There may be an assembly of United

Methodist Women. The board of directors of United Methodist

Women shall determine the time and place of meeting and the

purpose of the Assembly.

¶ 1909. Finances—The funds for the fulllment of the respon-

sibilities of United Methodist Women shall be derived from annual

voluntary pledges, offerings, gifts, devises, bequests, annuities, or

money received through special emphases and meetings held in

the interest of United Methodist Women. All funds, except those

designated for local purposes, shall be forwarded through the

channels of giving of the organization to the treasurer of United

Methodist Women’s national organization. The board of directors

714

¶ 1909 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

of United Methodist Women shall allocate undesignated funds it

receives for the work of its various sections and committees as

well as for grants and allocations to other organizations within

the church and the world as may be necessary or useful for the

fulllment of its Purpose.

¶ 1910. Relationship to the General Board of Global Ministries—

The board of directors of United Methodist Women shall elect

three members to serve as directors of the General Board of Global

Ministries with voice and without vote. The elected United Meth-

odist Women directors shall serve on the program committees as

dened in the General Board of Global Ministries’ bylaws.

¶ 1911. United Methodist Women Program Advisory Group—

United Methodist Women shall organize a Program Advisory

Group to provide input at regular intervals to the board of

directors about the program and planning of the organization.

The Program Advisory Group shall have between 80-90 mem-

bers including all members of the board of directors of United

Methodist Women, the jurisdiction presidents, a representative

from each conference organization of United Methodist Women

not already represented on the board (elected on nomination

of the conference nominating committee), two members of the

Order of Deaconess and Home Missioner elected by the order,

seven to ten directors from other agencies of The United Meth-

odist Church including three members elected by the General

Board of Global Ministries and up to ve members selected by

the board of directors of United Methodist Women for diversity

of age, experience, cultural background, race, physical ability,

and employment status. United Methodist Women’s regional

missionaries, a representative from the World Federation of

Methodist and Uniting Church Women and a representative of

its North America Region shall be ex ofcio members, with voice

and without vote. The national president of United Methodist

Women shall convene the sessions of this group, which may be

organized in committees, groups, or teams as needed to accom-

plish its work.

¶ 1912. Constitution of United Methodist Women—For the Con-

stitution of United Methodist Women in the jurisdiction, see ¶ 536;

for the Constitution of United Methodist Women in the confer-

ence, see ¶ 647; for the Constitution of United Methodist Women

in the district, see ¶ 670; for the Constitution of United Methodist

Women in the local church, see ¶ 256.5.

715

UNITED METHODIST WOMEN ¶ 1913

O  D  H M

¶ 1913. General Provisions—1. There shall be in The United

Methodist Church the Ofce of Deaconess and Home Missioner.

The purpose of the Ofce of Deaconess and Home Missioner shall

be to express representatively the love and concern of the believ-

ing community for the needs in the world and to enable, through

education and involvement, the full ministry and mission of

the people of God. Deaconesses and home missioners function

through diverse forms of service directed toward the world to

make Jesus Christ known in the fullness of his ministry and mis-

sion, which mandate that his followers:

a) Alleviate suffering;

b) Eradicate causes of injustice and all that robs life of

dignity and worth;

c) Facilitate the development of full human potential;

and

d) Share in building global community through the

church universal.

2. Deaconesses, who are laywomen, and home missioners,

who are laymen, are professionally trained persons who have

been led by the Holy Spirit to devote their lives to Christlike

service under the authority of the Church. They are approved

through a process established by United Methodist Women, con-

secrated and commissioned by a bishop at settings approved by

the board of directors of United Methodist Women. They shall

have a continuing relationship to The United Methodist Church

through United Methodist Women.

Deaconesses and home missioners are available for service

with any agency or program of The United Methodist Church.

Deaconesses and home missioners may also serve in other than

United Methodist Church agencies or programs, provided that

approval is given by United Methodist Women in consultation

with the bishop of the receiving area.

3. Full-time service is the norm for the ministry of a deacon-

ess or home missioner, meaning that the person’s entire voca-

tional time is devoted to work of ministry in the eld of labor to

which one is appointed by the bishop.

a) Appointments for deaconesses and home missioners

shall be recommended in consultation with the bishop of the area,

in accordance with the policies and procedures of United Method-

ist Women.

716

¶ 1913 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

b) The appointment shall be xed by the bishop (¶ 415.7)

at the session of annual conference and printed in the list of

appointments in the annual conference journal.

c) The annual conference secretary shall:

(1) Keep a record of all persons in the annual con-

ference who have been commissioned and/or consecrated to the

Ofce of Deaconess or Home Missioner.

(2) Publish annually in the annual conference journal

the list of appointments of deaconesses and home missioners.

4. A deaconess or home missioner shall hold church mem-

bership in a local church within the conference where her or

his appointment is located and shall be a voting member of the

charge conference of that church. Those serving in appointments

with a general board or connectional agency of The United Meth-

odist Church or where annual conference borders meet may hold

church membership in an annual conference within reasonable

distance of the ofce location at which they serve. A deaconess or

home missioner whose appointment is located outside the bound-

aries of an annual conference may hold her or his church member-

ship in a local church in her or his home conference or in the local

church in the annual conference in which she or he last held her

or his church membership.

5. Deaconesses and home missioners shall be seated at the

sessions of the annual conference with voice and vote as lay mem-

bers of the annual conference in accordance with ¶¶ 32 and 602.4.

6. Deaconesses and home missioners shall be subject to the

administrative authority of the program or agency to which they

are appointed. In matters of their assignment they are subject to

the authority of United Methodist Women and may not contract

for service that would nullify this authority.

7. Each deaconess or home missioner shall enroll in a pension

plan. The rights of any deaconess or home missioner in any prior

or existing agreement or pension plan shall be fully protected.

8. A deaconess or home missioner may request a leave of

absence according to the administrative guidelines and proce-

dures of United Methodist Women.

9. Involuntary termination for a deaconess or home mis-

sioner shall follow the procedural guidelines as set forth in ¶ 2702.

¶ 1914. Deaconess and Home Missioner Order—Individuals

consecrated and commissioned to the Ofce of Deaconess and

Home Missioner in The United Methodist Church form a cove-

717

UNITED METHODIST WOMEN ¶ 1917

nant community as laity in service as an order. Like other orders

in the church, they respond to a calling from God. In their distinct

tradition, they commit to a lifetime vocation in full-time minis-

tries of love, justice, and service. In covenant with one another,

they nurture and care for each other in their individual ministry

calls and in community. They share a common study and are pre-

pared based upon their unique gifts.

¶ 1915. Home Missionaries—All persons commissioned to the

ofce of home missionary shall retain that ofce with all of the

rights and privileges pertaining thereto.

¶ 1916. Committee on Deaconess and Home Missioner Service—

United Methodist Women’s national organization will organize

the Committee on Deaconess and Home Missioner Service.

1. The Committee on Deaconess and Home Missioner Service

shall be composed of one bishop (active or retired) named by the

Council of Bishops; two representatives of the Order of Deaconess

and Home Missioner, named by the Order; two representatives

of United Methodist Women, named by the board of directors of

United Methodist Women; and one representative of the National

Association of Deaconesses, Home Missioners, and Home Mis-

sionaries, named by the Association. The committee may name

additional members as it deems necessary, but will consist of no

more than twelve persons in total.

2. There may be an executive committee and other commit-

tees as necessary for carrying out the duties of the Committee on

Deaconess and Home Missioner Service.

3. The work of the committee shall be carried out in accor-

dance with the bylaws as approved by the board of directors of

United Methodist Women.

¶ 1917. Supporting the Work of Deaconesses and Home Mis-

sioners—United Methodist Women’s national organization shall

retain staff whose primary assignment is to represent deaconesses

and home missioners on a national level and to maintain a com-

munity of professionally competent persons who are committed

to service under authority of the Church. At least one of the execu-

tive staff assigned to the work of deaconess and home missioner

shall be a deaconess or home missioner.

1. All administrative policies and procedures that pertain to

deaconesses and home missioners shall also apply to home mis-

sionaries and be administered by the executive staff with primary

718

¶ 1917 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

assignment to the work with deaconesses and home missioners

(¶¶ 1913-1917).

2. There may be a national association of deaconesses, home

missioners, and home missionaries in relationship with United

Methodist Women.

3. There may be jurisdictional organizations of deaconesses,

home missioners, and home missionaries and their support

constituencies.

¶ 1918. Ecclesiastical Support—Ecclesiastical support is an

afrmation provided by The United Methodist Church to employ-

ers and professional certication organizations that a deaconess/

home missioner is in good standing and has the appropriate pro-

fessional training and equipping for ministry in specialized set-

tings. Ecclesiastical support acknowledges a covenant of mutual

commitment, accountability and support between The United

Methodist Church, through United Methodist Women, and the

deaconess/home missioner. Deaconesses and home missioners

who are called to and professionally trained for chaplain or coun-

seling ministry are eligible for ecclesiastical support for service

in ministries not requiring them to administer the sacraments.

The ecclesiastical support approval policies, guidelines, and pro-

cess for those commissioned/consecrated deaconesses and home

missioners are administered by the administrative ofce for the

Ofce of Deaconess and Home Missioner with United Methodist

Women.

Section XIV. General Commission on Religion and Race

¶ 2001. Authorization and Establishment—There shall be a

General Commission on Religion and Race.

1. Amenability and Accountability—The general commission

shall be amenable to the General Conference of the United Meth-

odist Church. Between sessions of the General Conference, the

commission shall be accountable to the Connectional Table by

reporting and interpreting activities designed to fulll the pur-

pose of the commission and by cooperating with the council in the

fulllment of its legislated responsibilities.

¶ 2002. Purpose—The purpose of the General Commission

on Religion and Race shall be to challenge, lead, and equip the

people of The United Methodist Church to become intercultur-

ally competent, to ensure institutional equity and to facilitate vital

conversations about religion, race, and culture.

719

GENERAL COMMISSION ON RELIGION AND RACE ¶ 2006

¶ 2003. Membership—The total membership of the com-

mission shall be twenty-one board members constituted in

accordance with ¶ 705.3 of the General Provisions of the Book of

Discipline. The board shall be organized to accomplish its work

through elected ofcers as prescribed in ¶ 708. The membership

shall be composed of:

1. Two bishops, including one from the central conferences,

named by the Council of Bishops in accordance with ¶ 705.4d.

2. Each jurisdiction shall elect two members to the board in

accordance with ¶ 705.3a. It is recommended that persons elected

by each jurisdiction include persons who have demonstrated

expertise in the areas of nance, program planning and evalua-

tion, education, advocacy, and racial justice; and have indicated a

desire to actively support the work assigned to the General Com-

mission on Religion and Race. Other paragraphs of the Discipline

notwithstanding, the secretary of the General Conference shall

offer to each jurisdiction a suggested member allocation to ensure

that when combined with the board members from the central

conferences, the resulting membership will reect a balance of

clergy and laity, men and women. The secretary will also estab-

lish an equitable rotation to ensure that over the course of several

quadrennia each jurisdiction will have the opportunity to elect a

laywoman, a layman, and a clergy member.

3. Three central conference members named to the board by

the Council of Bishops according to the provisions in ¶ 705.4c.

4. Other paragraphs of the Discipline notwithstanding, the

members of the board shall elect six additional members based

on the expertise needed to accomplish the duciary, generative,

and strategic work of the board. Consideration should be given

to achieving jurisdictional, lay/clergy, gender, racial/ethnic, and

age balance.

¶ 2004. Vacancies—Vacancies in the commission membership

shall be lled by the procedure dened in ¶ 712 of the General

Provisions.

¶ 2005. Ofcers—The General Commission on Religion and

Race shall elect as its ofcers a president, a vice president, a secre-

tary, and such other ofcers as it shall deem necessary.

¶ 2006. Staff—The General Commission on Religion and

Race shall elect its general secretary quadrennially by written,

electronic, or other means of secret balloting (¶ 713). The com-

mission shall select by whatever process it chooses the additional

720

¶ 2006 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

staff needed to assist the general secretary in carrying out the

commission’s responsibilities.

¶ 2007. Finances—The General Council on Finance and

Administration shall make provision for the support of the work

of the commission, including provision for a general secretary

and associated staff and an ofce for the commission.

¶ 2008. Responsibilities—The General Commission shall

equip, hold accountable, and partner with the Council of Bish-

ops, jurisdictions, central conferences, annual conferences, local

churches, general agencies, and other connectional structures of

The United Methodist Church and shall assume responsibilities

for such matters as:

1. Empowering visible and prophetic leadership at every

level of the Global Church with regards to race, ethnicity, and

culture.

2. Providing training, resources, and consultation at all lev-

els of the Global Church in order to:

a. Increase interculturally competent leaders who can

engage in ministries that promote intentional diversity at every

level of the Church.

b. Expand contextually relevant local church ministry in

order to reach more people, younger people, and more diverse

people.

c. Promote anti-racism efforts and challenge issues of

privilege.

d. Work with cabinets, local churches, and Boards of

Ordained Ministry to develop and support cross-racial/cross-

cultural and multicultural ministries.

e. Engage in vital conversations about the realities of race

and culture in local and global contexts through consultations,

research, reports, and annual conference training.

3. Identifying and responding to global racism, ethnocen-

trism, and tribalism in order for the Church to more effectively

move its mission forward in a diverse and global society.

4. Administering the CORR (Commission on Religion and

Race) Action Fund. The CORR Action Fund is established by

the General Conference of The United Methodist Church for the

empowerment of diversity, inclusion, and racial justice work

within and outside the Church. The fund:

a) is available through grants to congregations, connec-

tional structures, and other groups.

721

STATUS AND ROLE OF WOMEN ¶ 2103

b) shall be administered by the General Commission on

Religion and Race on behalf of The United Methodist Church. The

General Commission shall be responsible for developing guide-

lines and policies regarding grants and for evaluation of projects

receiving support.

5. Providing resources and consultations for just and equi-

table policies and processes at every level of the Global Church.

Section XV. General Commission on the Status

and Role of Women

¶ 2101. There shall be a General Commission on the Status

and Role of Women in The United Methodist Church.

¶ 2102. Purpose—The primary purpose of the General Com-

mission on the Status and Role of Women shall be to challenge The

United Methodist Church, including its general agencies, institu-

tions, and connectional structures, to a continuing commitment

to the full and equal responsibility and participation of women in

the total life and mission of the Church, sharing fully in the power

and in the policy-making at all levels of the Church’s life.

Such commitment will conrm anew recognition of the fact

that The United Methodist Church is part of the universal church,

rooted in the liberating message of Jesus Christ, that recognizes

every person, woman or man, as a full and equal part of God’s

human family.

The general commission shall function as an advocate with

and on behalf of women individually and collectively within The

United Methodist Church; as a catalyst for the initiation of creative

methods to redress inequities of the past and to prevent further

inequities against women within The United Methodist Church;

and as a monitor to ensure inclusiveness in the programmatic and

administrative functioning of The United Methodist Church.

¶ 2103. Responsibility—The general commission shall be

charged with the responsibility of fostering an awareness of issues,

problems, and concerns related to the status and role of women,

with special reference to their full participation in the total life of

the Church at least commensurate with the total membership of

women in The United Methodist Church.

1. In the fulllment of its mandate, this commission shall

have the authority to initiate and utilize such channels, develop

such plans and strategies, and assign staff as may be required in

the implementation of the following primary needs across The

722

¶ 2103 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

United Methodist Church: leadership enablement, resources and

communication, afrmative action and advocacy roles, and inter-

agency coordination.

Such plans and strategies related to these needs shall be

directed toward the elimination of sexism in all its manifestations

from the total life of The United Methodist Church, including

general agencies as well as the various connectional channels and

structures that reach the local church. The commission shall work

with the respective agencies as needs may determine in achiev-

ing and safeguarding representation and participation of women,

including racial and ethnic groups.

2. The commission, through its various research and moni-

toring processes, shall continue to gather data, make recom-

mendations, and suggest guidelines for action as appropriate to

eradicate discriminatory policies and practices in any form or dis-

criminatory language and images wherever found in documents,

pronouncements, publications, and general resources.

3. The commission shall stimulate ongoing evaluation pro-

cedures and receive progress reports toward the end of effecting

the guidelines in § 2 above in all responsible bodies of the Church.

4. The commission shall establish and maintain a working

relationship with annual conference commissions, taking into

account the objectives and guidelines for conferences in ¶ 644.1

and seeking to develop and strengthen the leadership of the con-

ference for the realization of these objectives within the general

context of the responsibilities of the general commission (¶ 2103.1).

5. The commission shall recommend plans and curricula for

new understanding of theology and biblical history affecting the

status of women. The commission shall also be encouraged to

explore the relationships between spiritual gifts and women in

the Bible.

6. The commission shall create needed policies and recom-

mendations and program for immediate and long-range imple-

mentation related to the enhancement of the role of women in

professional and voluntary leadership in the Church.

7. The commission shall serve in an advocacy role to ensure

openness and receptivity in matters related to women’s role in

the Church’s life, with particular attention to the contributions

of clergy and lay professional women, racial and ethnic women,

and those experiencing changing lifestyles. The commission in its

role as advocate shall assist the local church, annual conferences,

723

STATUS AND ROLE OF WOMEN ¶ 2103

the councils, boards, commissions, schools of theology, and other

related institutions on eradicating the problems of sexual harass-

ment by developing policies and procedures for addressing these

problems.

8. The commission shall generate active concern and give full

support toward immediate efforts in the fulllment of the follow-

ing directive: Councils, boards, commissions, committees, person-

nel recruitment agencies, schools of theology, and other related

institutions are directed to establish guidelines and policies for

specic recruitment, training, and full utilization of women in

total employment, which includes but is not limited to pastoral

and related ministries, health and welfare ministries, and faculties

and staffs of seminaries and other educational institutions.

9. Advise the General Council on Finance and Administra-

tion (¶ 811.1) with regard to the policies and practices of agencies

and Church-related institutions receiving general Church funds

concerning their implementation of the denomination’s policy of

inclusiveness and nondiscrimination on the basis of gender. This

shall be done by: (1) consulting with the council in development,

review, and maintenance of the certication form to be submit-

ted to the council by agencies and institutions receiving general

Church funds; (2) reviewing annually the submissions of certica-

tions of compliance with ¶ 811.1a, b, and c; and (3) recommending

to the council acceptance of the certications, or other appropriate

action, including withholding approval of the entire budget of an

agency or institution because of noncompliance with ¶ 811.1a, b,

or c.

10. The commission shall provide resources for the local

church ministry group on the status and role of women.

11. The commission shall assist in addressing the problem of

sexual misconduct in the church. The commission shall provide

leadership in providing resources for the prevention of and edu-

cation about misconduct of a sexual nature, training opportuni-

ties for clergy and laity, policy and procedural recommendations

for transformative and administrative fair processes, victim/sur-

vivor support, and congregational healing. The commission shall

promote interagency coordination through its leadership of the

Interagency Sexual Ethics Task Force and by assisting annual con-

ferences, local churches, councils, boards, commissions, schools

of theology, and other related institutions in witnessing to healthy

boundaries within ministerial relationships.

724

¶ 2104 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

¶ 2104. Membership—1. The policies, plans, and administra-

tion of the work of the general commission shall be determined

by its membership, which shall be composed of nineteen persons

in accord with the following guidelines:

a) Jurisdictional membership shall be nominated and

elected by the jurisdictional conferences, ensuring that the plural-

ism and diversity of the Church’s membership is reected in the

representation of racial and ethnic minorities and various age cat-

egories. Each jurisdiction shall elect one person for membership.

Before election, nominated members will be informed of the du-

ciary, strategic, and generative responsibilities they will be assum-

ing upon election so that they may clearly understand the time

and resource commitment they are making. Other paragraphs of

the Discipline notwithstanding, the secretary of the General Con-

ference shall offer to each jurisdiction a suggested member alloca-

tion to ensure that, when combined with the board members from

central conferences, the resulting membership will reect a bal-

ance of clergywomen and clergymen, laywomen and laymen. The

secretary will also establish an equitable rotation to ensure that

over the course of several quadrennial each jurisdiction will have

the opportunity to elect a laywoman, a layman, a clergywoman,

and a clergyman.

b) There shall be nine additional members elected by the

general commission, in accord with the provisions of ¶ 705.3a.

The election of the additional members shall take into account

the need to provide adequate representation of racial, ethnic, and

national origin groups; persons with disabilities; persons from

the various age categories, and to include persons of special com-

petence, and striving for proportional representation among the

jurisdictions. It is recommended that the addition of the at-large

membership ensure that the total membership maintains a bal-

ance, 50 percent clergy (including the range of clergy as dened

in ¶ 142) and 50 percent lay, as well as majority membership of

women. It is further recommended that such additional members

shall maintain a membership total of at least 10 percent youth and

10 percent young adults. Before election, nominated members will

be informed of the duciary, strategic, and generative responsibili-

ties they will be assuming upon election so that they may clearly

understand the time and resource commitment they are making.

c) There shall be two bishops, including at least one from

the central conferences, named by the Council of Bishops.

725

STATUS AND ROLE OF WOMEN ¶ 2104

d) There shall be three central conference members, not

including the central conference bishop, named to the board by

the Council of Bishops according to the provisions in ¶ 705.4c.

e) The general commission shall be authorized to ll

vacancies in its membership during the quadrennium.

f) Members who do not meet the requirements of ¶ 2506.1

shall serve with voice and vote, except in matters related to the

duciary responsibilities of the board, in which they shall have

voice only and not vote in accordance with the laws of the state of

incorporation (Illinois).

g) The board may name other individuals as liaison rep-

resentatives to provide networking and advice related to the areas

of mutual concern. Likewise, United Methodist Women may

name one or two such liaison representatives who may serve for a

full quadrennium. When present at board meetings, liaison repre-

sentatives shall have voice but not vote.

2. Members of the General Commission on the Status and

Role of Women shall assume duciary, strategic, and generative

governing functions. Fiduciary responsibilities include ensur-

ing nancial, legal, and ethical stewardship of tangible assets;

accountability for stated performance standards; ensuring the

annual evaluation of the general secretary; and providing coun-

sel to the general secretary regarding evaluation and deploy-

ment of staff. Strategic responsibilities include ensuring that

priorities, goals, achievement markers, and agency resources are

aligned with the mission, vision, and value of the agency. Genera-

tive responsibilities include long-range analysis and planning in

accordance with agency mission, vision, and values; setting direc-

tion and priorities for the agency; and exploring options in order

to amend priorities when needed.

3. Members of the General Commission on the Status and

Role of Women (GCSRW) are to be dedicated Christian leaders

who have a passion for ensuring the full and equal participation

of women at all levels of the Church. They must be willing to

invest time and skills to support the work of the board, including

interpreting and articulating GCSRW strategy in a variety of con-

texts. They must engage in regular and intentional conversation

with networks and individuals throughout the Church to ensure

that the wide diversity of people and perspectives present in The

United Methodist Church are considered as the board carries out

its responsibilities. They must be committed to supporting and

726

¶ 2104 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

implementing the mandates and foci of the general Church as well

as the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women.

¶ 2105. Ofcers—The president of the general commis-

sion shall be a woman elected by the total commission from its

membership. Other ofcers shall be elected as the commission

determines.

¶ 2106. Meetings—The general commission shall meet annu-

ally, with such additional meetings as needs demand.

¶ 2107. Funding—The funds for carrying out the general com-

mission’s purpose shall be authorized by the General Conference.

¶ 2108. Staff—The general commission shall elect quadrenni-

ally by ballot its general secretariat or general secretary who shall

provide executive, administrative, and program staff leadership

(¶ 713). The commission shall elect such other staff members as

needs require within the General Conference mandates and the

authority vested in the commission to develop policies and pro-

grams directed toward the realization of its purpose.

¶ 2109. Relationships—In order to fulll its responsibilities

and the directives of the General Conference, the general commis-

sion shall work with the Council of Bishops, the general agencies,

institutions, and other appropriate structures and channels at all

levels of the Church.

Section XVI. Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters

¶ 2201. General Provisions—1. The General Conference rec-

ognizes the differences in conditions that exist in various areas

of the world and the changes taking place in those areas. There

shall be a Standing Committee on Central Conference Mat-

ters serving as an independent coordinating body. The General

Board of Global Ministries shall be the facilitating agency to

the standing committee. The standing committee shall serve as

the coordinating body to study the structure and supervision

of The United Methodist Church in its work outside the United

States and its territories and its relationships to other Church

bodies.

2. The standing committee shall meet at least twice within

the quadrennium in order to review, consider, and develop reso-

lutions and petitions related to central conferences and may be

called into session during General Conference as needed. It shall

review and prepare such recommendations as it considers neces-

sary for presentation directly to the General Conference. The com-

727

COMMITTEE ON CENTRAL CONFERENCE MATTERS ¶ 2201

mittee shall submit its report and recommendations in accordance

with the timelines governing general agencies for submission of

petitions and resolutions. All resolutions and petitions related to

central conferences presented to the General Conference shall be

referred to the committee for consideration, and the committee

shall report its recommendations directly to the General Confer-

ence. On matters dealing with the determination of episcopal

areas (¶ 404.1), afliation and autonomy (¶ 572), and joining The

United Methodist Church (¶ 575), the committee shall report

directly to the General Conference.

3. Other paragraphs of the Discipline notwithstanding, mem-

bers may serve for three (3) four-year terms and may serve on

one other general agency. The standing committee shall be com-

posed of one bishop from each jurisdiction and from each central

conference named by the Council of Bishops; one ordained min-

ister and one layperson from each jurisdiction and from each cen-

tral conference who are delegates to the General Conference and

named by the Council of Bishops; central conferences with more

than three episcopal areas shall elect additional members, lay or

clergy, up to the total number of episcopal areas in the central

conference; one bishop, one ordained minister, and one layper-

son who are members of the General Board of Global Ministries

and named by the General Board of Global Ministries. The central

conference bishop assigned to the Ofce of Christian Unity and

Interreligious Relationships shall also be a member of this com-

mittee. Special attention shall be given to the inclusion of women,

lay, clergy, youth, and young adults. The chairperson of the com-

mittee shall be a central conference bishop and shall also serve as

a member of the Connectional Table. (This legislation will take

effect immediately upon action by General Conference for the

membership of the Standing Committee on Central Conference

Matters for 2016-2020.)

4. The Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters

will convene at the conclusion of the General Conference at which

it was elected and continue its work through the following Gen-

eral Conference. To facilitate transition, incoming members shall

participate in the deliberations of the committee during such

General Conference, having voice but no vote until the organiz-

ing meeting.

5. The General Council on Finance and Administration

shall recommend to the General Conference for its action and

728

¶ 2201 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

determination a provision in the budget of an appropriate general

Church fund for the expenses incurred by the standing committee.

Section XVII. General Commission on United Methodist Men

¶ 2301. There shall be a General Commission on United

Methodist Men in The United Methodist Church.

The general commission shall be amenable to the General

Conference of The United Methodist Church. Between sessions of

the General Conference, the general commission shall be account-

able to the Connectional Table by reporting and interpreting

activities in its purpose (¶ 702.3).

¶ 2302. Purpose—The General Commission on United Meth-

odist Men shall have primary oversight for the coordination

and resourcing of men’s ministry within The United Methodist

Church.

1. United Methodist Men exists to declare the centrality of

Christ in every man’s life. Men’s ministry leads to the spiritual

growth of men and effective discipleship. This purpose is served

as men are called to model the servant leadership of Jesus Christ.

2. Individual and group strategies form the foundation of

UMMen ministry:

a) enhance Evangelism, Mission, and Spiritual Life

(EMS), as men become servant leaders.

b) advocate programs that train men within local

churches to promote specic ministries including prayer, mis-

sions, stewardship, and civic/youth-serving ministries.

c) forge pastoral partnerships by men committed to the

effective support and service of clergy and local congregations.

d) enhance organizational strength by effective leader-

ship, resources, membership growth, and nancial accountability.

e) assist men in their ever-changing relationships, roles

and responsibilities in their family setting, workplace, and society.

f) cultivate leadership among men for a policy of no tol-

erance of sexual harassment in family, church, workplace and

society

g) understand the organization, doctrines, and beliefs of

The United Methodist Church.

h) fulll the membership vows through commitment to

prayer, presence, gifts, service, and witness in congregational life.

i) fulll the Great Commission with and through The

United Methodist Church as one part of the body of Christ.

729

GENERAL COMMISSION ON UNITED METHODIST MEN ¶ 2302

3. To provide support services to promote the ministry and

growth of United Methodist Men:

a) provide specic and optional models for men in the

local church, district, annual conference, and jurisdiction;

b) maintain effective communications and cooperation

with the National Association of Conference Presidents of United

Methodist Men and other national organizations representing the

central conferences and other worldwide Methodist liaisons;

c) promote the annual certication of local church men’s

ministry and the chartering/annual renewal of local church men’s

units (¶ 256.6) with the General Commission on United Methodist

Men.

4. To provide resources that assist men in their growing rela-

tionship with the Lord Jesus Christ and his church:

a) programs of evangelism that are geared to men’s needs

in cooperation with all areas of the Church dealing with the area

of evangelism that model to men that witness is an integral part

of daily life;

b) programs of mission in cooperation with all areas of the

Church dealing with missional opportunities enabling men for out-

reach and service as an integral part of their Christian discipleship;

c) programs of spiritual life in cooperation with areas

of faith development will assist men to realize that witness and

outreach, with mission and ministry, become extensions of their

faith development and their personal relationship to God through

Jesus Christ;

d) programs of stewardship in cooperation with the area

of stewardship that will lead men to an understanding of their

responsibility as stewards of God’s creation and personal stew-

ardship of time, talent, money, and prayer;

e) programs that afrm the role of men in their family

situations;

f) to advocate, research, and develop programs for The

United Methodist Church to minister to and through men;

g) program partnership with The Upper Room in the

Living Prayer Center ministry, including support for toll free tele-

phone service and promotion. At all levels of the United Method-

ist Men’s network there shall be prayer advocates;

h) United Methodist Men shall be in partnership with

other general agencies and be a resource for men engaged in

restorative justice and prison ministries.

730

¶ 2302 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

5. The General Commission will provide resources and sup-

port for the ofce of Civic Youth-Serving Agencies/Scouting

Ministries:

a) to provide training of local church, district, annual

conference, and jurisdictional scouting coordinators;

b) to promote and counsel with youth-serving organiza-

tions selected at the discretion of the commission;

c) to coordinate, promote, and resource as needed annual

conference Bishop’s Dinners for Scouting.

¶ 2303. Membership—1. The commission shall consist of

twenty (20) voting members as dened in ¶ 705.3 in the General

Provisions and ¶ 537. Other paragraphs of the Discipline notwith-

standing, members of the commission holding membership by

ofce or organization, may serve a maximum of three consecutive

terms. The membership shall be composed of:

a) three bishops, including at least one from the central

conferences, named by the Council of Bishops;

b) the ve (5) jurisdictional presidents of United Method-

ist Men;

c) the president of the National Association of Confer-

ence Presidents of United Methodist Men;

d) two central conference members named by the Coun-

cil of Bishops;

e) the president of the United Methodist Men Foundation;

f) eight (8) members at large elected by the commission

for inclusiveness, expertise, and balance, which should include at

least one young person under the age of 30 and at least two mem-

bers of the commission from the previous quadrennium.;

g) The commission may include one representative from

a men’s ministry from a Pan-Methodist Church.

2. Vacancies—Vacancies in the general commission member-

ship shall be lled by procedures dened in ¶ 712 of the General

Provisions.

3. Ofcers—The General Commission on United Methodist

Men shall elect as its ofcers a president, vice president, secretary,

treasurer, and other such ofcers as it shall deem necessary. In

addition, the president of the National Association of Conference

Presidents of United Methodist Men shall also be considered an

ofcer.

4. Staff—The General Commission on United Methodist Men

shall elect quadrennially by ballot its general secretary, who shall

731

JUSTPEACE CENTER FOR MEDIATION AND CONFLICT ¶ 2401

provide executive, administrative, and programmatic leadership

(¶ 713). The commission shall elect such other staff members as

needs require within the General Conference mandates and the

authority vested in the commission to develop policies and pro-

grams directed toward the realization of its purpose.

5. Meetings—The general commission shall meet annually,

with such additional meetings as needs demand.

6. Funding—The General Council on Finance and Adminis-

tration shall make provision for the necessary support of the work

of the commission by providing World Service Funds to comple-

ment the direct revenue and contributions from United Methodist

Men.

7. Advisory panel—The commission may create an advisory

panel consisting of representatives of afliated organizations.

Section XVIII: JUSTPEACE Center for Mediation

and Conict Transformation

¶ 2401. 1. Mission—JUSTPEACE Center for Mediation and

Conict Transformation is a mission of The United Methodist

Church to engage conict constructively in ways that strive for

justice, reconciliation, resource preservation and restoration of

community in and through The United Methodist Church and

with the Church universal to the world in which we live.

2. Relationship With the Church—JUSTPEACE shall be an

incorporated resource of The United Methodist Church. It shall

be accountable to the General Conference and in order to fulll

its mission be authorized to seek and create relationships with

the agencies and organizations of The United Methodist Church

and other organizations, while preserving its role as an impartial

entity. JUSTPEACE shall be proactive in its efforts to transform

conict by accepting invitations to intervene in conicts, train

church leaders and members of annual conference conict trans-

formation teams in conict transformation, connect and nurture a

community of practitioners, and develop resources.

3. Financial Support—Either on behalf of its total work or

on behalf of a specic program, JUSTPEACE may charge fees,

solicit and create special funds or endowments, receive gifts and

bequests, hold properties and securities in trust, and administer

all its nancial affairs in accordance with its own rules and rel-

evant provisions of the Book of Discipline.

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733

Chapter Six

CHURCH PROPERTY

Section I. All Titles—In Trust

¶ 2501. Requirement of the Trust Clause for All Property—1. All

properties of United Methodist local churches and other United

Methodist agencies and institutions are held, in trust, for the

benet of the entire denomination, and ownership and usage of

church property is subject to the Discipline. This trust requirement

is an essential element of the historic polity of The United Meth-

odist Church or its predecessor denominations or communions

and has been a part of the Discipline since 1797. It reects the con-

nectional structure of the Church by ensuring that the property

will be used solely for purposes consonant with the mission of

the entire denomination as set forth in the Discipline. The trust

requirement is thus a fundamental expression of United Method-

ism whereby local churches and other agencies and institutions

within the denomination are both held accountable to and benet

from their connection with the entire worldwide Church.

In consonance with the legal denition and self-understand-

ing of The United Methodist Church (see ¶ 141), and with par-

ticular reference to its lack of capacity to hold title to property,

The United Methodist Church is organized as a connectional

structure, and titles to all real and personal, tangible and intan-

gible property held at jurisdictional, annual, or district conference

levels, or by a local church or charge, or by an agency or institu-

tion of the Church, shall be held in trust for The United Methodist

Church and subject to the provisions of its Discipline. Titles are

not held by The United Methodist Church (see ¶ 807.1) or by the

General Conference of The United Methodist Church, but instead

by the incorporated conferences, agencies, or organizations of

the denomination, or in the case of unincorporated bodies of the

denomination, by boards of trustees established for the purpose

of holding and administering real and personal, tangible and

intangible property.

2. The trust is and always has been irrevocable, except as pro-

vided in the Discipline. Property can be released from the trust,

transferred free of trust or subordinated to the interests of credi-

tors and other third parties only to the extent authority is given

by the Discipline.

734

¶ 2501 CHURCH PROPERTY

3. Local churches and other United Methodist agencies

and institutions may acquire, hold, maintain, improve, and sell

property for purposes consistent with the mission of the Church,

unless restricted or prevented by the Discipline.

¶ 2502. Registration of the Name United Methodist—The words

United Methodist are not to be used as, or as a part of, a trade name

or trademark or as a part of the name of any business rm or

organization, except by corporations or other business units cre-

ated for the administration of work undertaken directly by The

United Methodist Church. The General Council on Finance and

Administration is charged with supervision and registration of

“United Methodist” and the denomination’s insignia (¶ 807.10

and ¶ 807.11).

¶ 2503. Trust Clauses in Deeds—1. Except in conveyances

that require that the real property so conveyed shall revert to

the grantor if and when its use as a place of divine worship has

been terminated, all written instruments of conveyance by which

premises are held or hereafter acquired for use as a place of divine

worship or other activities for members of The United Methodist

Church shall contain the following trust clause:

In trust, that said premises shall be used, kept, and maintained as a

place of divine worship of the United Methodist ministry and members

of The United Methodist Church; subject to the Discipline, usage, and

ministerial appointments of said Church as from time to time authorized

and declared by the General Conference and by the annual conference

within whose bounds the said premises are situated. This provision is

solely for the benet of the grantee, and the grantor reserves no right or

interest in said premises.

2. All written instruments by which premises are held or

hereafter acquired as a parsonage for the use and occupancy of

the ministers of The United Methodist Church shall contain the

following trust clause:

In trust, that such premises shall be held, kept, and maintained as

a place of residence for the use and occupancy of the ordained ministers

of The United Methodist Church who may from time to time be entitled

to occupy the same by appointment; subject to the Discipline and usage

of said Church as from time to time authorized and declared by the Gen-

eral Conference and by the annual conference within whose bounds the

said premises are situated. This provision is solely for the benet of the

grantee, and the grantor reserves no right or interest in said premises.

1. See Judicial Council Decision 688.

735

ALL TITLES—IN TRUST ¶ 2503

3. In case the property so acquired is to be used for both a

house of worship and a parsonage, the provisions of both trust

clauses specied in §§ 1 and 2 above shall be inserted in the

conveyance.

4. In case the property so acquired is not to be used exclu-

sively for a place of worship, or a parsonage, or both, all writ-

ten instruments by which such premises are held or hereafter

acquired shall contain the following trust clause:

In trust, that said premises shall be kept, maintained, and disposed

of for the benet of The United Methodist Church and subject to the

usages and the Discipline of The United Methodist Church. This provi-

sion is solely for the benet of the grantee, and the grantor reserves no

right or interest in said premises.

5. When property is acquired from another United Method-

ist entity or organization, whether it is to be used as a place of

divine worship, parsonage, or other use, all written instruments

by which such premises are held or hereafter acquired shall con-

tain the following trust clause:

In trust, that said premises shall be held, kept, maintained, and dis-

posed of for the benet of The United Methodist Church and subject to

the usages and the Discipline of The United Methodist Church.

6. However, the absence of a trust clause stipulated in §§ 1,

2, 3, 4, or 5 above in deeds and conveyances executed previously

or in the future shall in no way exclude a local church or church

agency, or the board of trustees of either, from or relieve it of its

connectional responsibilities to The United Methodist Church.

Nor shall it absolve a local church or church agency or the board

of trustees of either, of its responsibility and accountability to The

United Methodist Church, including the responsibility to hold

all of its property in trust for The United Methodist Church; pro-

vided that the intent of the founders and/or a later local church or

church agency, or the board of trustees of either, is shown by any

or all of the following:

a) the conveyance of the property to a local church or

church agency (or the board of trustees of either) of The United

Methodist Church or any predecessor to The United Methodist

Church;

b) the use of the name, customs, and polity of The United

Methodist Church or any predecessor to The United Methodist

Church in such a way as to be thus known to the community as a

part of such denomination; or

736

¶ 2503 CHURCH PROPERTY

c) the acceptance of the pastorate of ordained ministers

appointed by a bishop or employed by the superintendent of the

district or annual conference of The United Methodist Church or

any predecessor to The United Methodist Church.

¶ 2504. Effect of Union—Nothing in the Plan of Union at any

time after the union is to be construed so as to require any exist-

ing local church of any predecessor denomination to The United

Methodist Church to alienate or in any way to change the title to

property contained in its deed or deeds at the time of union, and

lapse of time or usage shall not affect said title or control. Title to

all property of a local church, or charge, or agency of the Church

shall be held subject to the provisions of the Discipline, whether

title to the same is taken in the name of the local church trustees,

or charge trustees, or in the name of a corporation organized for

the purpose, or otherwise.

¶ 2505. Oil, Gas, and Mineral Leases—Subject to and in accor-

dance with the laws of the state, province, or country, the govern-

ing body of any church unit or agency owning land in trust for

The United Methodist Church as provided in this Discipline may

lease said land for the production of oil, gas, coal, and other min-

erals, upon such terms as it may deem best; provided, however,

that such production shall not interfere with the purpose for which

said land is held. The moneys received from such leases as rentals,

royalties, or otherwise shall be used so far as practicable for the

benet of the church unit and for the promotion of the interests

of The United Methodist Church. The lessee shall have no control

over or responsibility for the payments made under such lease.

Section II. Compliance With Law

¶ 2506. Conformity With Local Law—Church Corporations —

1. All provisions of the Discipline relating to property, both real

and personal, and relating to the formation and operation of any

corporation, and relating to mergers are conditioned upon their

being in conformity with the local laws, and in the event of con-

ict therewith the local laws shall prevail; provided, however,

that this requirement shall not be construed to give the consent of

The United Methodist Church to deprivation of its property with-

out due process of law or to the regulation of its affairs by state

statute where such regulation violates the constitutional guaran-

tee of freedom of religion and separation of church and state or

violates the right of the Church to maintain its connectional struc-

737

COMPLIANCE WITH LAW ¶ 2508

ture. Local laws shall be construed to mean the laws of the country,

state, or other like political unit within the geographical bounds

of which the church property is located.

2. Any corporation which is or has been formed or is con-

trolled by a church agency (¶ 701), acting alone or with another

church agency, shall include in its articles of incorporation (or

charter) and its bylaws (“corporate documents”) the following:

a) identication of the sponsoring church agency or

agencies (“sponsor(s)”) to which it relates and the relationship of

the corporation to its sponsor(s),

b) recognition that its corporate powers are subject to the

Discipline to the same extent as its sponsor(s), and

c) recognition that the corporation’s powers cannot

exceed those given by the Discipline to its sponsor(s).

3. The corporate documents shall contain language consis-

tent with the Internal Revenue Code to protect its tax-exempt sta-

tus. Also, the corporate documents shall name the corporation’s

sponsor(s) as the recipient(s) of corporate property in the event

the corporation is abandoned, discontinued, or ceases to exist as

a legal entity. The corporate documents shall also include a refer-

ence to the provisions of ¶ 2501.

4. The corporate documents shall contain provisions prohib-

iting the corporation’s trustees, directors, or ofcers from chang-

ing the corporation’s connectional relationship to its sponsor(s)

without the sponsor(s)’ consent, or otherwise acting in a manner

contrary to the purpose of its sponsor(s) or the Discipline.

¶ 2507. The Terms Trustee, Trustees, and Board of Trustees—

Trustee, trustees, and board of trustees, as used herein or elsewhere

in the Discipline, may be construed to be synonymous with direc-

tor, directors, and board of directors applied to corporations.

¶ 2508. Conformity of Deeds and Conveyances with Local Law—

In order to secure the right of property, with the appurtenances

thereof, of the churches and parsonages of The United Method-

ist Church, care shall be taken that all conveyances and deeds be

drawn and executed in due conformity to the laws of the respec-

tive states, provinces, and countries in which the property is

situated and also in due conformity to the laws of The United

Methodist Church. Deeds shall be registered or recorded directly

upon their execution.

2. See Judicial Council Decision 315.

738

¶ 2509 CHURCH PROPERTY

¶ 2509. Instituting and Defending Civil Action—Because of the

nature of The United Methodist Church (¶ 141), no individual or

afliated church body or unit, nor any ofcial thereof, may com-

mence or participate in any suit or proceeding in the name of or

on behalf of The United Methodist Church, excepting, however,

the following:

1. The General Council on Finance and Administration or any

person or church unit served with legal process in the name of The

United Methodist Church may appear for the purpose of pre-

senting to the court the nonjural nature of The United Methodist

Church and to raise issues of lack of jurisdiction of the court, lack of

capacity of such individual or unit to be served with process, and

related constitutional issues in defense of denominational interests.

2. Any denominational unit authorized to hold title to prop-

erty and to enforce trusts for the benet of the denomination may

bring suit in its own name to protect denominational interests.

¶ 2510. Limitation of Financial Obligations—No conference,

council, board, agency, local church, or other unit can nancially

obligate the denomination or, without prior specic consent, any

other organizational unit thereof.

Section III. Audits and Bonding of Church Ofcers

¶ 2511. All persons holding trust funds, securities, or moneys

of any kind belonging to the General, jurisdictional, annual, or

provisional annual conferences or to organizations under the con-

trol of the General, jurisdictional, annual, or provisional annual

conferences shall be bonded by a reliable company in such good

and sufcient sum as the conference may direct. The accounts of

such persons shall be audited at least annually by a recognized

public or certied public accountant. A report to an annual confer-

ence containing a nancial statement that the Discipline requires

to be audited shall not be approved until the audit is made and

the nancial statement is shown to be correct. Other parts of the

report may be approved pending such audit.

Section IV. Annual Conference Property

¶ 2512. 1. Conference Trustees—Each annual conference may

be incorporated in its own name if permitted by local law. It shall

3. For authority regarding property held by general agencies of the Church,

see ¶ 807.6, .8.

739

ANNUAL CONFERENCE PROPERTY ¶ 2512

have a board of trustees, which shall be incorporated if the confer-

ence itself is not incorporated. In either case, the board shall con-

sist of twelve persons, and it is recommended that one-third be

clergy, one third laywomen, and one-third laymen, in accordance

with the provisions of ¶ 610.5.

Said persons must be of legal age

as determined by law, and lay members shall be members in good

standing of local churches within the bounds of the conference.

Such persons shall be the directors of the corporation. They shall

be elected by the conference for staggered terms of four years,

except for the rst board, one-fourth of whom shall be elected for

a term of one year, one-fourth for a term of two years, one-fourth

for a term of three years, and one-fourth for a term of four years,

and shall serve until their successors have been elected; provided,

however, that existing incorporated trustees of any annual con-

ference may continue unaffected while the charter or articles of

incorporation are amended to bring them into conformity with

this paragraph.

2. The board of trustees shall meet at least annually and

organize by electing a president, vice president, secretary, and

treasurer, whose duties shall be those usually pertaining to such

ofces. They shall be amenable to the annual conference. Vacan-

cies occurring between sessions of an annual conference shall be

lled as follows: Upon nomination by the conference commit-

tee on nominations, the district superintendents shall, by major-

ity vote, elect a trustee to serve until the next annual conference.

Vacancies shall be lled by the annual conference for the unex-

pired term.

3. The board of trustees shall have the following authority

with respect to the properties of the annual conference and its

agencies:

a) The said corporation shall receive, collect, and hold in

trust for the benet of the annual conference any and all donations,

bequests, and devises of any kind or character, real or personal,

that may be given, devised, bequeathed, or conveyed to the said

board or to the annual conference as such for any benevolent, char-

itable, or religious purpose, and shall administer the same and the

income therefrom in accordance with the directions of the donor,

trustor, or testator and in the interest of the church, society, insti-

tution, or agency contemplated by such donor, trustor, or testator,

4. See Judicial Council Decision 446.

5. See Judicial Council Decision 1170.

740

¶ 2512 CHURCH PROPERTY

under the direction of the annual conference. When the use to

be made of any such donation, bequest, or devise is not other-

wise designated, the same shall be used as directed by the annual

conference.

b) When so directed by the annual conference, the said

corporation may receive and hold in trust for and on behalf of

the annual conference, its districts, or any of its agencies any real

or personal property previously acquired by the conference, its

districts, or its agencies to be used in carrying out their mission,

ministry, and program. When such property is in the form of

investable funds, the board of trustees may consider placing the

funds for investment and administration with the United Meth-

odist conference or area foundation serving that conference or,

in the absence of such a foundation, with the United Methodist

Church Foundation. A conscious effort shall be made to invest in

a manner consistent with the Social Principles and the creation of

an investment policy. With respect to such properties, the board

shall take no action that would alter or interfere with their mis-

sional or programmatic use or function unless such action is spe-

cically directed by the annual conference. The provisions of this

subsection shall not apply to educational or health and welfare

institutions whose properties are held in their own name or in the

name of their own duly elected boards of trustees or directors; nor

shall they apply to the property of local churches except as such

local church property may have been declared discontinued or

abandoned under the provisions of ¶ 2549.

c) Except as restricted in § 3b, the board shall have the

power to invest, reinvest, buy, sell, transfer, and convey any and

all funds and properties that it may hold in trust, subject always

to the terms of the legacy, devise, or donation.

d) Unless the annual conference provides otherwise, any

contract, deed, bill of sale, mortgage, or other necessary written

instrument needed to implement any resolution authorizing pro-

posed action regarding annual conference property may be exe-

cuted by and on behalf of the annual conference board of trustees

by any two of its ofcers, who thereupon shall be duly authorized

to carry out the direction of the annual conference; and any writ-

ten instrument so executed shall be binding and effective as the

action of the annual conference.

e) The conference board of trustees is encouraged to

invest in institutions, companies, corporations, or funds that

741

ANNUAL CONFERENCE PROPERTY ¶ 2512

make a positive contribution toward the realization of the goals

of the Social Principles of our Church. The board of trustees shall

act as a socially responsible investor and report annually to the

annual conference regarding its carrying out of this responsibility.

Among the tools the board may use are shareholder advocacy,

selective divestment, advocacy of corporate disinvestment from

certain countries or elds of business, and afrmative invest-

ments (as in affordable housing, care of the environment, minor-

ity business and banks, and so forth), as well as other appropriate

strategies.

f) Funds committed to this board may be invested by it

only in collateral that is amply secured and after such investments

have been approved by the said board or its agency or committee

charged with such investment, unless otherwise directed by the

annual conference.

4. The board may intervene and take all necessary legal steps

to safeguard and protect the interests and rights of the annual

conference anywhere and in all matters relating to property and

rights to property whether arising by gift, devise, or otherwise,

or where held in trust or established for the benet of the annual

conference or its membership.

5. It shall be the duty of the pastor within the bounds of

whose charge any such gift, bequest, or devise is made to give

prompt notice thereof to said board, which shall proceed to take

such steps as are necessary and proper to conserve, protect, and

administer the same; provided, however, that the board may

decline to receive or administer any such gift, devise, or bequest

for any reason satisfactory to the board. It shall also be the duty of

the pastor to report annually to the board of trustees of the annual

conference a list of all property, including real, personal, or mixed,

within the charge belonging to or which should be under the con-

trol or jurisdiction of the said board.

6. The board shall make to each session of the annual confer-

ence a full, true, and faithful report of its doings, of all funds, mon-

ies, securities, and property held in trust by it, and of its receipts

and disbursements during the conference year. The beneciary of

a fund held in trust by the board shall also be entitled to a report

at least annually on the condition of such fund and on the transac-

tions affecting it.

6. See Judicial Council Decisions 160, 190.

742

¶ 2512 CHURCH PROPERTY

7. Establishment of Annual Conference Policy With Regard to

Gov-ernment Efforts to Designate Church-Owned Property as Land-

marks—The board, after consultation with the conference commis-

sion on archives and history, or alternate structure, shall develop

a policy for an annual conference response, on behalf of any local

church, Church-related agency, or district or annual conference

board of trustees located within the bounds of the annual confer-

ence, to any governmental effort to designate a property held in

trust for the benet of The United Methodist Church (¶ 2501) by

any such board of trustees as a cultural, historical, or architectural

landmark.

8. In cooperation with the General Council on Finance and

Administration, related annual conference agencies and institu-

tions, and local churches, to make recommendations to the annual

conference regarding the development, promotion, and review

of a broad general program of insurance protection, except for

employee benet programs.

¶ 2513. United Methodist Foundations—An annual conference

or conferences may establish a United Methodist Foundation. The

purposes for establishing such a foundation may include:

1. Providing the services described in ¶ 2512.3 as designated

by the donor or upon delegation from the conference board of

trustees;

2. The promotion of planned-giving programs on behalf

of local churches, conferences, and general Church boards and

agencies;

3. Furnishing counsel and guidance to local churches with

regard to promotion and management of permanent funds; and

4. Other responsibilities as requested by the annual con-

ference. The United Methodist Foundation shall have an inde-

pendent governing board as determined by the incorporating

documents approved by the annual conference. The governing

board will establish all policies and procedures upon which the

foundation will operate. Due care will be exercised to maintain

prudent organizational separation from beneciary organizations

while striving to maintain missional purpose and connection.

¶ 2514. Jointly Owned Episcopal Residences—When authorized

by two-thirds of the annual conferences comprising an episco-

pal area, an episcopal residence for the resident bishop may be

acquired, the title to which shall be held in trust by the trustees

of the annual conference within which the residence is located.

743

ANNUAL CONFERENCE PROPERTY ¶ 2516

Any such property so acquired and held shall not be sold or dis-

posed of except with the consent of a majority of the conferences

that participate in the ownership. Whenever there is a plan to sell

an episcopal residence or to transfer an annual conference from

one episcopal area to another, that plan shall include provision

for safeguarding each conference’s equity, if any, in an episcopal

residence; except that an annual conference, by its own decision,

may relinquish its claims to an equity interest in an episcopal

residence.

¶ 2515. Sale, Transfer, Lease, Mortgage, or Purchase of Annual

Conference Property—No annual conference real property shall be

sold, transferred, or leased for a term that exceeds twenty years,

or mortgaged or purchased without the consent of the annual

conference or, ad interim, (a) the consent of the presiding bishop

and of a majority of the district superintendents, and, in the case

of discontinued or abandoned local church property or property

to be purchased, the consent of a majority of the district board of

church location and building (see ¶ 2549), and, in case of a dis-

continued Wesley Foundation or campus ministry property, the

consent of the majority of the conference board of higher educa-

tion and campus ministry, and the consent of the annual confer-

ence (see ¶ 634.4d); and (b) the bishop’s determination that such

transfer or encumbrance conforms to the Discipline. The bishop’s

written statement evidencing the satisfaction of this condition

shall be afxed to or included in any instrument of transfer or

encumbrance. Any required written instrument necessary to

carry out the action so authorized shall be executed in the name

of the conference corporation by any two of its ofcers or, where

the conference is unincorporated, by any two ofcers of its board

of trustees, and any written instrument so executed shall be bind-

ing and effective as the action of the conference.

¶ 2516. Camps, Conference Grounds, and Retreat Centers—Title

to annual conference or district camps, conference grounds, and

retreat centers held in trust by an incorporated board or agency of

an annual conference or district, or by an unincorporated board,

commission, society, or similar body of the conference or district,

can be mortgaged or sold and conveyed by such corporation or

unincorporated body only after authorization by the annual or

district conference to which such body is related.

7. See Judicial Council Decision 194.

744

¶ 2517 CHURCH PROPERTY

¶ 2517. Responsibilities of Annual Conference Trustees Related to

Health and Welfare Institutions.

1. The annual conference shall designate a body that shall be

responsible for establishing and maintaining the annual confer-

ence’s relationship statements with related health and welfare

organizations. If the annual conference does not designate a body

for this purpose, the responsibility shall rest with the annual con-

ference board of trustees. A related health and welfare organiza-

tion is any organization that:

a) Provides health or welfare services;

b) Is located within the bounds of the annual conference;

and

c) Either

(1) Seeks, or already has, a relationship or connection

with an annual conference, regardless of whether the relationship

or connection is formal or informal, ofcial or unofcial, or does

or does not involve any nancial or legal commitments; or

(2) Markets, publicizes, or promotes itself as having

a connection to the annual conference or to the denomination or

uses the ofcial United Methodist insignia or the term “United

Methodist” in any way; provided, however, that health and wel-

fare organizations that have a covenant relationship with the

national ofce of the United Methodist Women may also seek a

relationship or connection with an annual conference, pursuant

to this section, but shall not be required to do so.

2. The body designated by the annual conference shall con-

sult with the conference chancellor and the conference Health and

Welfare Committee (or equivalent structure) in the development

of relationship statements.

3. The body designated by the annual conference shall pro-

vide the General Council on Finance and Administration with

current copies of all of the conference’s relationship statements.

4. If the annual conference has a relationship with a related

health and welfare organization, the legal and nancial relation-

ships between the annual conference and the health and welfare

organization must be memorialized in a clearly stated document

describing such relationships. This relationship statement shall:

a) Not purport to name as a party “The United Method-

ist Church” and/or any general agency of “The United Methodist

Church”;

745

DISTRICT PROPERTY ¶ 2518

b) Require the health and welfare organization to acquire

approval from the General Council on Finance and Administra-

tion if the health and welfare organization wishes to use the of-

cial United Methodist insignia or the term “United Methodist”

in its name, mission statement, publications, or promotional or

marketing material;

c) Acknowledge that the annual conference shall not be

legally responsible for the debts, contracts, or obligations, or for

any other nancial commitments of any character or description

created, undertaken, or assumed by the health and welfare insti-

tution, absent the express consent of the annual conference;

d) Require the body designated by the annual conference

and the health and welfare institution to review the relationship

statement at least every four years; and

e) Comply with any further requirements adopted by

the General Council on Finance and Administration, in collabora-

tion with the United Methodist Association of Health and Welfare

Ministries.

5. The body designated by the annual conference may

encourage or require the health and welfare organization to:

a) Hold membership in the United Methodist Associa-

tion of Health and Welfare Ministries;

b) Pursue accreditation in one of the industry-recognized,

national accreditation bodies appropriate to faith-based organiza-

tions; or

c) Utilize the programmatic standards, self-study, and

peer review appropriate to Church-related institutions and pro-

grams available to them through organizations that will promote

excellence in Christian ministry and mission and enhance the

quality of services offered.

6. If the body designated by the annual conference terminates,

decides not to renew, or is unable, after reasonable efforts, to agree

to, a relationship statement with a health and welfare organization,

it shall report such termination, non-renewal, or inability to agree

at the next session of the annual conference. This report shall then

be published in the annual conference journal. The organiza-

tion may then establish a relationship statement with the United

Methodist Association consistent with the requirements of ¶ 2517.

Section V. District Property

¶ 2518. District Parsonages and Boards of Trustees—1. A dis-

trict parsonage for the district superintendent may be acquired

746

¶ 2518 CHURCH PROPERTY

when authorized by the charge conferences of two-thirds of the

charges in the district or when authorized by a two-thirds vote

of the district conference, subject to the advice and approval of

the district board of church location and building as provided in

¶¶ 2519-2524.

2. Any district conference or district union that owns prop-

erty or has employees may be incorporated in its own name if

permitted by local law. Unless the district conference or district

union is incorporated in its own name, each district’s board of

trustees shall be incorporated. The district board shall consist of

not fewer than three nor more than nine members in accordance

with ¶ 610.5, having the same qualications provided for trustees

of local churches (¶ 2525), who shall be nominated by the dis-

trict superintendent in consultation with the district nominating

committee, if one exists, and elected by the district conference.

Where there is no district conference, they may be elected by the

district board of stewards or by the annual conference on nomi-

nation of the district superintendent. They shall be elected for a

term of one year and serve until their successors shall have been

elected, and they shall report annually to the district conference or

annual conference. Title to district property may be held in trust

by the incorporated district conference or union, the incorporated

district board of trustees, or the annual conference of which such

district is a part, and such trustees shall report annually to the dis-

trict or annual conference. Except as the laws of the state, territory,

or country prescribe otherwise, district property held in trust by a

district board of trustees may be mortgaged or sold and conveyed

by them only by authority of the district conference or annual con-

ference, or if such property is held in trust by the trustees of the

annual conference, it may be mortgaged or sold and conveyed by

such trustees only by authority of the annual conference. The dis-

trict conference, or annual conference in the case of property held

in trust by the trustees of the annual conference, may include in

the resolution authorizing such proposed action a direction that

any contract, deed, bill of sale, mortgage, or other necessary writ-

ten instrument may be executed by and on behalf of the respec-

tive board of trustees by any two of its ofcers, who thereupon

shall be duly authorized to carry out the direction of the district

conference or annual conference; and any written instrument so

executed shall be binding and effective as the action of the district

conference or annual conference. The purchase price and main-

747

DISTRICT PROPERTY ¶ 2519

tenance cost of a district parsonage may be equitably distributed

among the charges of the district by the district board of stewards.

Where there is an incorporated district union (¶ 659.4), the board

of directors of the district union shall have the same duties and

responsibilities with respect to district property as are described

here for the district board of trustees.

3. When district boundaries are changed by division, rear-

rangement, or consolidation so that a district parsonage pur-

chased, owned, and maintained by one district is included within

the bounds of another district, each such district shall be entitled

to receive its just share of the then-reasonable value of the parson-

age in which it has invested funds; and the amount of such value

and just share shall be determined by a committee of three per-

sons, appointed by the bishop of the area, who shall not be resi-

dents of any of the said districts. The committee shall hear claims

of each district regarding its interest therein before making a deci-

sion. From any such determination, there is reserved unto each

of the interested districts the right of appeal to the next succeed-

ing annual conference. The same procedure shall be followed in

determining equities of a district in any other property that may

be included in another district by changes in district boundaries.

¶ 2519. Authorization and Establishment of District Boards of

Church Location and Building—There shall be in each district of an

annual conference a district board of church location and build-

ing. The board shall consist of the district superintendent and

a minimum of six and a maximum of nine additional persons

nominated by the district superintendent in consultation with the

district nominating committee, if one exists, and elected annu-

ally by the annual conference, provided that in a district of great

geographical extent an additional board may be so elected. It is

recommended that the membership include one-third clergy, one-

third laymen, one-third laywomen, and, where possible, should

be inclusive of gender, race, age, and people with disabilities.

These persons shall be professing members of The United Meth-

odist Church. The members of the board, excluding the district

superintendent, shall be divided into three classes. One third

shall be elected annually for a three-year term. A chairperson and

a secretary shall be elected annually at the rst meeting follow-

ing annual conference. The board shall le a report of any actions

taken with the charge conference of each local church involved,

and the report so led shall become a part of the minutes of

748

¶ 2519 CHURCH PROPERTY

the said conference or conferences. The board shall also make a

written report to the district conference (or, if there is no district

conference, to the district superintendent), and this report shall

become a part of the records of that conference.

¶ 2520. Duties and Responsibilities of the District Boards of

Church Location and Building—1. Local Church Building Sites and

Plans—The board of church location and building shall investi-

gate all proposed local church building sites, ascertaining that

such sites are properly located for the community to be served

and adequate in size to provide space for future expansion and

parking facilities. (See ¶¶ 259.1, 2544.2.)

2. If there is a district strategy committee for parish devel-

opment or a metropolitan commission (¶ 633.5j) in the district,

the board shall consider its recommendations in planning a strat-

egy for continuing the service of The United Methodist Church

in changing neighborhoods. If no parish development commit-

tee or commission is operative, the board shall study the duties

assigned to each and seek ways to provide continuity of service in

parishes where there is a change in the racial, ethnic, or cultural

character of the residents, to the end that the resolutions of the

General Conference involving such neighborhoods be given care-

ful consideration. One member of the board shall also have mem-

bership on the strategy committee or on the commission.

3. The board of church location and building shall investigate

all proposed local church or parsonage buildings to determine the

best method to make the structure energy-efcient.

¶ 2521. Standards for the Approval of Building Proposals—1. The

District Board of Church Location and Building shall review the

plans of any church in the district which proposes to construct or

purchase a new church or educational building or a parsonage, or

remodeling of such a building if the cost will exceed 25 percent of

the value of the building. Such proposal shall include a statement

of the need for the proposed facilities, preliminary architectural

plans, cost estimate of the project, and a nancial plan for defray-

ing such costs. Before nally approving the building project, the

board shall determine that the preliminary architectural design

and nancial plans have been evaluated and approved by proper

authorities. Building plans shall provide for equal access to per-

sons with disabilities as per ¶ 2544.4b(1), (2).

2. When the local church has secured nal architectural plans

and specications and a reliable and detailed estimate of the cost

749

LOCAL CHURCH PROPERTY ¶ 2525

of the proposed undertaking as provided in ¶ 2544.7, the board

shall require their submission for consideration and approval. The

board shall study carefully the feasibility and nancial soundness

of the undertaking and ascertain whether the nancial plan will

provide funds necessary to ensure prompt payment of all pro-

posed contractual obligations and provide for the full nancial

support of the program ministries, including annual conference

and general Church benevolences. It shall report its conclusions

to the Church and to the cabinet in writing.

3. A nal decision of the board approving purchase, building,

or remodeling shall automatically terminate after a period of one

year where no action has been taken by the local church to carry

out such decision.

¶ 2522. Appeals of District Boards of Church Location and Build-

ing Decisions—A decision of the board disapproving such pur-

chase, building, or remodeling shall be nal unless overruled by

the annual conference, to which there is reserved unto the local

church the right of appeal.

¶ 2523. Application of Standards to the Acquisition of a District

Parsonage—The above provisions shall apply to the acquisition of

a district parsonage.

¶ 2524. Sale, Transfer, Lease, or Mortgage of District Property—

No district property shall be sold, transferred, or leased for a term

that exceeds twenty years, or mortgaged, without: (a) the consent

of the presiding district superintendent; and (b) the district super-

intendent’s determination that such transfer or encumbrance

conforms to the Discipline. The district superintendent’s writ-

ten statement evidencing the satisfaction of this condition shall

be afxed to any instrument or transfer or encumbrance. Any

required written instrument necessary to carry out the action so

authorized shall be executed in the name of the corporation by

any two of its ofcers, or any two ofcers of its board of trust-

ees, and any written instrument so executed shall be binding and

effective as the action of the corporation.

Section VI. Local Church Property

¶ 2525. Local Church Board of Trustees’ Qualications—In each

pastoral charge consisting of one local church, there shall be a

board of trustees, consisting of not fewer than three nor more

than nine persons, and it is recommended that at least one-third

be laywomen and that at least one-third be laymen. The trustees

750

¶ 2525 CHURCH PROPERTY

shall be of legal age as determined by law, and at least two-thirds

shall be professing members of The United Methodist Church (see

¶¶ 258.1, .3; 2530). No pastor is a voting member of the board of

trustees unless elected as a member.

¶ 2526. Local Church Board of Trustees’ Election—The members

of the board of trustees shall be divided into three classes, and

each class shall as nearly as possible consist of an equal number

of members. At the charge conference, on recommendation by the

committee on nominations and leadership development or from

the oor, it shall elect, to take ofce at the beginning of the ensu-

ing calendar year or at such other times as the charge or church

conference may set, to serve for a term of three years or until their

successors have been duly elected and qualied, the required

number of trustees to succeed those of the class whose terms then

expire; provided, however, that nothing herein shall be construed

to prevent the election of a trustee to self-succession.

The charge

conference may assign the responsibility for electing trustees to a

church conference.

¶ 2527. Church Local Conference—Duties, Authority, and Mem-

bership—1. In a pastoral charge consisting of two or more local

churches, a church local conference, constituted and organized

under the Discipline of The United Methodist Church in each

local church therein, shall be vested with authority and power

in matters relating to the real and personal property of the local

church concerned. Such church local conference shall elect the

board of trustees of such local church in number and manner

described in ¶ 2526, and the duties of such trustees, duly elected,

shall be the same as and identical with the duties described in

¶ 2528. The duties, authority, and power vested in the church

local conference, insofar as they relate to the property, real and

personal, of the local church concerned, are the same as and iden-

tical with the authority and power vested in the charge conference

of a pastoral charge of one local church (¶ 2529); and the author-

ity, power, and limitations therein set forth shall be applicable

to the church local conference as fully and to the same extent as

if incorporated herein. The effect of the provisions for a church

local conference is to give to each local church in a charge of two

or more churches, rather than to the pastoral charge conference,

supervision over and control of its own property, subject to the

8. See Judicial Council Decision 130.

751

LOCAL CHURCH PROPERTY ¶ 2528

limitations prescribed in the Discipline with regard to local church

property.

2. Whenever required under The Book of Discipline of The United

Methodist Church for matters relating to real or personal property

of the local church or to mergers of churches, a local church in

a pastoral charge consisting of two or more local churches shall

organize a church local conference. The membership of the church

local conference shall consist of the persons specied for member-

ship of the charge conference (¶ 246.2) so far as the ofcers and

relationships exist within the local church, except that the pastor

shall be a member of each church local conference. The provisions

of ¶ 246.2-.10 relating to membership qualication and proce-

dures of a charge conference shall be applicable to membership

qualications and procedures of a church local conference.

¶ 2528. Charge or Cooperative Parish Board of Trustees—1. A

pastoral charge composed of two or more churches, each having a

local board of trustees, may have, in addition, a board of trustees

for the charge as a whole. This board shall hold title to and man-

age the property belonging to the entire charge, such as parson-

age, campground, burial ground, and such other property as may

be committed to it. It shall receive and administer funds for the

charge in conformity with the laws of the state, province, or coun-

try in which the property is located. This board shall consist of no

fewer than three persons, at least two-thirds of whom shall be pro-

fessing members of The United Methodist Church and of legal age

as determined by law. These trustees shall be elected by the charge

conference for three years or until their successors are elected.

2. A cooperative parish composed of two or more charges

may have, in addition to its charge trustees and local church trust-

ees, a board of trustees for the cooperative parish as a whole. This

board shall hold title to and manage the property belonging to the

cooperative parish in accordance with ¶¶ 2503, 2527, and 2528.

These trustees shall be elected by the charge conference and/or

church local conference related to the cooperative parish and shall

be representative of each congregation that composes the coop-

erative parish.

3. The board of trustees of a charge shall provide for the secu-

rity of its funds, keep an accurate record of its proceedings, and

report to the charge conference to which it is amenable.

4. When two or more local churches compose a single pastoral

charge having a parsonage and one or more thereof is separated

752

¶ 2528 CHURCH PROPERTY

from such charge and established as a pastoral charge or united

with another pastoral charge, each such local church shall be enti-

tled to receive its just share of the then-reasonable value of the

parsonage in which it has invested funds, with the exception that

those churches departing from a circuit who had joined the circuit

after the parsonage was acquired would have no claim on any

value of the parsonage. The amount of such value and just share

shall be determined by a committee of three persons, appointed

by the district superintendent, who shall be members of The

United Methodist Church but not of any of the interested local

churches. Such committee shall hear all interested parties and

shall take into account the investment of any church in any such

property before arriving at a nal determination. From any such

determination there is reserved to each of the interested churches

the right of appeal to the next succeeding annual conference, the

decision of which shall be nal and binding. Any sum received

as or from such share shall not be applied to current expense or

current budget.

¶ 2529. Charge Conference Authority—In a pastoral charge

consisting of one local church, the charge conference, constituted

as set forth in ¶¶ 246-247, shall be vested with power and author-

ity as hereinafter set forth in connection with the property, both

real and personal, of the said local church. In fullling that duty,

the charge conference may delegate certain duties and responsi-

bilities to the board of trustees as described below. However, the

board of trustees shall always be subject to the direction of the

charge conference. The charge conference may:

1. a) If it so elects, direct the board of trustees to incorporate

the local church, expressly subject, however, to the Discipline of

The United Methodist Church (see ¶ 2506) and in accordance with

the pertinent local laws and in such manner as will fully protect

and exempt from any and all legal liability the individual of-

cials and members, jointly and severally, of the local church and

the charge, annual, jurisdictional, and general conferences of The

United Methodist Church, and each of them, for and on account

of the debts and other obligations of every kind and description

of the local church.

b) Regardless of whether the charge conference elects to

incorporate the local church, the local church:

(1) must be organized and operated in compliance

with the Discipline;

753

LOCAL CHURCH PROPERTY ¶ 2529

(2) cannot act in a manner contrary to the purpose

of The United Methodist Church, the annual conference, or the

Discipline; and

(3) cannot sever its connectional relationship to The

United Methodist Church without the consent of the annual

conference.

c) The organizing documents (articles of incorporation,

charter, bylaws, or equivalents) of a local church shall reect its

connectional relationship to The United Methodist Church. The

adoption or modication of a local church’s organizing docu-

ments must be approved, in writing, by its pastor and district

superintendent. Specically, local church organizing documents

shall, at a minimum:

(1) require the local church to be organized and oper-

ated in compliance with the Discipline;

(2) prohibit the local church from acting in a man-

ner contrary to the purpose of The United Methodist Church, the

annual conference, or the Discipline;

(3) prohibit the local church from severing its con-

nectional relationship to The United Methodist Church without

the annual conference’s consent;

(4) require the pastor and the district superintendent

to approve, in writing, the adoption of, and changes to, the local

church’s organizing documents; and

(5) include language consistent with the Internal

Revenue Code to protect the local church’s tax-exempt status.

d) The failure of a local church’s organizing documents

to meet the requirements of ¶ 2529.1c(1)-(4) does not relieve the

local church of its connectional responsibilities to The United

Methodist Church, nor does it absolve its pastor and member-

ship of the responsibility to operate the local church as a United

Methodist church, in accordance with the Discipline. The organiz-

ing documents are deemed modied to the extent necessary to

comply with ¶ 2529.1c(1)-(4) if any of the circumstances described

in ¶ 2503.6a-c apply.

2. Direct the board of trustees with respect to the purchase,

sale, mortgage, encumbrance, construction, repairing, remodel-

ing, and maintenance of any and all property of the local church.

3. Direct the board of trustees with respect to the acceptance

or rejection of any and all conveyances, grants, gifts, donations,

legacies, bequests, or devises, absolute or in trust, for the use and

754

¶ 2529 CHURCH PROPERTY

benet of the local church, and to require the administration of

any such trust in accordance with the terms and provisions thereof

and with the local laws appertaining thereto. (See ¶ 2533.5.)

4. Direct the board of trustees to do any and all things nec-

essary to exercise such other powers and duties relating to the

property, real and personal, of the local church concerned as may

be committed to it by the Discipline.

5. To recommend that consideration be given to placing such

investable property with a United Methodist foundation serving

such charge conference, to benet the local church, charge confer-

ence or their successors, or in the absence of such a foundation,

with the United Methodist Foundation.

¶ 2530. Local Church Board of Trustees’ Organization and Mem-

bership—The board of trustees shall organize as follows:

1. Within thirty days after the beginning of the ensuing

calendar or conference year (whichever applies to the term of

ofce), each board of trustees shall convene at a time and place

designated by the chairperson, or by the vice chairperson in the

event that the chairperson is not reelected a trustee or because of

absence or disability is unable to act, for the purpose of electing

ofcers of the said board for the ensuing year and transacting any

other business properly brought before it.

2. The board of trustees shall elect from the membership

thereof, to hold ofce for a term of one year or until their suc-

cessors shall be elected, a chairperson, vice chairperson, secre-

tary, and, if need requires, a treasurer; provided, however, that

the chairperson and vice chairperson shall not be members of the

same class; and provided further, that the ofces of secretary and

treasurer may be held by the same person; and provided further,

that the chairperson shall be a professing member of the local

church. The duties of each ofcer shall be the same as those gen-

erally connected with the ofce held and which are usually and

commonly discharged by the holder thereof. The church local

conference may, if it is necessary to conform to the local laws, sub-

stitute the designations president and vice president for and in place

of chairperson and vice chairperson.

3. Where necessity requires, as a result of the incorporation

of a local church, the corporation directors, in addition to elect-

ing ofcers as provided in § 2 above, shall ratify and conrm by

appropriate action and, if necessary, elect as ofcers of the corpo-

ration the treasurer or treasurers, as the case may be, elected by

755

LOCAL CHURCH PROPERTY ¶ 2533

the charge conference in accordance with the provisions of the

Discipline, whose duties and responsibilities shall be as therein

set forth. If more than one account is maintained in the name of

the corporation in any nancial institution or institutions, each

such account and the treasurer thereof shall be appropriately

designated.

¶ 2531. Removal of Local Church Trustees; Vacancies—1. Should

a trustee withdraw from the membership of The United Methodist

Church or be excluded therefrom, trusteeship therein shall auto-

matically cease from the date of such withdrawal or exclusion.

2. Should a trustee of a local church or a director of an incor-

porated local church refuse to execute properly a legal instrument

relating to any property of the church when directed so to do by

the charge conference and when all legal requirements have been

satised in reference to such execution, the said charge conference

may by majority vote declare the trustee’s or director’s member-

ship on the board of trustees or board of directors vacated.

3. Vacancies occurring in a board of trustees shall be lled by

election for the unexpired term. Such election shall be held in the

same manner as for trustees. A vacancy occurring ad interim may

be lled until the next charge conference by the church council.

¶ 2532. Meetings of Local Church Boards of Trustees—The board

of trustees shall meet at the call of the pastor or of its chairperson

at least annually at such times and places as shall be designated

in a notice to each trustee and the pastor(s) at a reasonable time

prior to the appointed time of the meeting. Waiver of notice may

be used as a means to validate meetings legally where the usual

notice is impracticable. A majority of the members of the board of

trustees shall constitute a quorum.

¶ 2533. Board of Trustees’ Powers and Limitations—1. Subject

to the direction of the charge conference, the board of trustees

shall have the supervision, oversight, and care of all real prop-

erty owned by the local church and of all property and equipment

acquired directly by the local church or by any society, board,

class, commission, or similar organization connected therewith,

provided that the board of trustees shall not violate the rights of

any local church organization elsewhere granted in the Discipline;

provided further, that the board of trustees shall not prevent or

interfere with the pastor in the use of any of the said property

for religious services or other proper meetings or purposes recog-

nized by the law, usages, and customs of The United Methodist

756

¶ 2533 CHURCH PROPERTY

Church, or permit the use of said property for religious or other

meetings without the consent of the pastor or, in the pastor’s

absence, the consent of the district superintendent; and provided

further, that pews in The United Methodist Church shall always

be free; and provided further, that the church local conference

may assign certain of these duties to a building committee as set

forth in ¶ 2544 or the chairperson of the parsonage committee, if

one exists.

2. The board of trustees shall annually compare the existence

and adequacy of the church’s insurance coverages to an insurance

schedule annually published by the General Council on Finance

and Administration. The purpose of this review is to ensure that

the church, its properties, and its personnel are properly protected

against risks. The board shall include in its report to the charge

conference (¶ 2550.7) the results of its review and recommenda-

tions needed to timely bring the church into compliance with the

published schedule.

3. When a pastor and/or a board of trustees are asked to

grant permission to an outside organization to use church facili-

ties, permission can be granted only when such use is consistent

with the Social Principles (¶¶ 160-166) and ecumenical objectives.

4. The chairperson of the board of trustees or the chairper-

son of the parsonage committee, if one exists, the chairperson

of the committee on pastor-parish relations, and the pastor shall

make an annual review of the church-owned parsonage to ensure

proper maintenance.

5. Subject to the direction of the charge conference as herein-

before provided, the board of trustees shall receive and administer

all bequests made to the local church; shall receive and administer

all trusts; and shall invest all trust funds of the local church in

conformity with laws of the country, state, or like political unit in

which the local church is located. Nevertheless, upon notice to the

board of trustees, the charge conference may delegate the power,

duty, and authority to receive, administer, and invest bequests,

trusts, and trust funds to the permanent endowment commit-

tee or to a local church foundation and shall do so in the case

of bequests, trusts, or trust funds for which the donor has des-

ignated the committee or the local church foundation to receive,

administer, or invest the same.

9. See Judicial Council Decisions 866, 1142.

757

LOCAL CHURCH PROPERTY ¶ 2534

The board of trustees is encouraged to invest in institutions,

companies, corporations, or funds that make a positive contribution

toward the realization of the goals outlined in the Social Principles

of our Church. The board of trustees is to act as a socially responsible

investor and to report annually to the charge conference regarding

its carrying out of this responsibility. When such property is in the

form of investable funds, the board of trustees shall consider place-

ment for investment and administration with the United Method-

ist foundation serving that conference or, in the absence of such

a foundation, with the United Methodist Church Foundation. A

conscious effort shall be made to invest in a manner consistent

with the Social Principles and the creation of an investment policy.

6. The board of trustees shall conduct or cause to be con-

ducted an annual accessibility audit of their buildings, grounds,

and facilities to discover and identify what physical, architectural,

and communication barriers exist that impede the full participa-

tion of people with disabilities and shall make plans and deter-

mine priorities for the elimination of all such barriers. It is highly

encouraged that members of the congregation or from the com-

munity who have disabilities, who are family members of persons

with disabilities, and who are builders or architects or rehabilita-

tion professionals be involved in conducting the audit. The Acces-

sibility Audit for churches shall be used in lling out the annual

church and/or charge conference reports.

¶ 2534. Permanent Endowment and Planned Giving Ministry

Committee—A charge conference may establish a local church per-

manent endowment and planned giving ministry committee. The

purposes for establishing such a committee include the responsi-

bilities to:

1. Provide the services described in ¶ 2533.5 as designated

by the donor or at the direction of the charge conference upon

notice to the board of trustees. When such property is in the form

of investable funds, the permanent endowment fund commit-

tee may consider placement for investment and administration

with the United Methodist foundation serving that conference or,

in the absence of such a foundation, with the United Methodist

Church Foundation. A conscious effort shall be made to invest in

a manner consistent with the Social Principles and the creation of

an investment policy.

When the charge conference has designated the committee to

provide the services described in ¶ 2533.5, the committee shall

758

¶ 2534 CHURCH PROPERTY

have the same investment and reporting duties as are imposed on

the board of trustees in that paragraph.

2. The charge conference shall adopt guidelines for endow-

ment and planned giving as developed by the permanent endow-

ment and planned giving ministry committee. Subject to the

direction and supervision of the charge conference, the commit-

tee shall fulll its responsibilities in administering the planned-

giving and/or permanent endowment fund.

Following each General Conference, the charge conference

shall update any required changes in the planned-giving and/or

permanent endowment fund documents.

3. Emphasize the need for adults of all ages to have a will

and an estate plan and provide information on the preparation of

these to the members of the congregation.

4. Stress the opportunities for church members and constit-

uents to make provisions for giving through United Methodist

churches, institutions, agencies, and causes by means of wills,

annuities, trusts, life insurance, memorials, and various types of

property.

5. Arrange for the dissemination of information that will be

helpful in preretirement planning, including such considerations

as establishing a living will, a living trust, and the need for each

person to designate someone to serve as a responsible advocate

should independent decision-making ability be lost.

6. Permanent endowment and planned giving ministry com-

mittee trustees are directed by the charge conference to follow the

guidelines and actions initiated by the charge conference, over-

turn any transaction that the charge conference may deem exces-

sive, and remove any trustee who does not carry out the directions

of the charge conference. Careful attention will be given to the

election of trustees to ensure that there is no conict of interest.

Following each General Conference, the permanent endowment

document shall be brought into line with any changes in the

Discipline.

7. Other responsibilities as determined by the charge

conference.

8. Resources for these tasks may be secured from conference

and/or area United Methodist foundations and development

ofces, the National Association of United Methodist Founda-

tions, the General Board of Discipleship, the General Council on

759

LOCAL CHURCH PROPERTY ¶ 2537

Finance and Administration, and other appropriate sources for

program assistance and direction.

¶ 2535. Local Church Foundations—After securing the writ-

ten consent of the pastor and of the district superintendent, local

churches may, by charge conference action, establish local church

foundations whose trustees, directors, or governing body shall be

elected by the charge conference. Such foundations shall be incor-

porated, organized, and function in compliance with state law

and subject to the provisions of the Discipline. Any such founda-

tion shall not violate the rights of any other local church organiza-

tion and shall be subject to the direction of the charge conference.

The charge conference may delegate to the foundation the power

and authority to receive, invest, and administer in trust for the

local church bequests, trusts, and trust funds upon notice to the

board of trustees as provided in ¶ 2533.5, in which event the foun-

dation shall have the same investment and reporting duties as are

imposed on the board of trustees. No such delegation of authority

shall be construed to be a violation of the rights of any other local

church organization. Consideration shall be given to the place-

ment of funds with the conference or area United Methodist foun-

dation for administration and investment.

¶ 2536. Unincorporated Local Church Property—Title and Pur-

chase—Unless otherwise required by local law (¶ 2506), title to all

property now owned or hereafter acquired by an unincorporated

local church, and any organization, board, commission, society, or

similar body connected therewith, shall be held by and/or con-

veyed and transferred to its duly elected trustees, their successors

and assigns, in trust for the use and benet of such local church

and of The United Methodist Church. The trustees shall be named

as the board of trustees of the local church in the written instru-

ment conveying or transferring title. Every instrument of convey-

ance of real estate shall contain the appropriate trust clause as set

forth in the Discipline (¶ 2503).

¶ 2537. Unincorporated Local Church Property—Notice and

Authorization—Prior to the purchase by an unincorporated local

church of any real estate, a resolution authorizing such action

shall be passed at a meeting of the charge conference by a major-

ity vote of its members present and voting at a regular meeting or

a special meeting of the charge conference called for that purpose;

provided, however, that not less than ten days’ notice of such

meeting and the proposed action shall have been given from the

760

¶ 2537 CHURCH PROPERTY

pulpit and in the weekly bulletin, newsletter, or electronic notice

of the church; and provided further, that written consent to such

action shall be given by the pastor and the district superintendent.

(See ¶ 2544.)

¶ 2538. Incorporated Local Church Property—Title and Pur-

chase—Unless otherwise required by local law (¶ 2506), the title to

all property now owned or hereafter acquired by an incorporated

local church, and any organization, board, commission, society, or

similar body connected therewith, shall be held by and/or con-

veyed to the corporate body in its corporate name, in trust for the

use and benet of such local church and of The United Method-

ist Church. Every instrument of conveyance of real estate shall

contain the appropriate trust clause as set forth in the Discipline

(¶ 2503).

¶ 2539. Incorporated Local Church Property—Notice and Authori-

zation—Prior to the purchase by a local church corporation of any

real estate, a resolution authorizing such action shall be passed by

the charge conference in corporate session, or such other corpo-

rate body as the local laws may require, with the members thereof

acting in their capacity as members of the corporate body, by a

majority vote of those present and voting at any regular or special

meeting called for that purpose, provided that not less than ten

days’ notice of such meeting and the proposed action shall have

been given from the pulpit and in the weekly bulletin, newsletter,

or electronic notice of the local church or other means if required

or permitted by local law, and provided further, that written con-

sent to such action shall be given by the pastor and the district

superintendent, and provided further, that all such transactions

shall have the approval of the charge conference.

¶ 2540. Unincorporated Local Church Property—Sale, Trans-

fer, Lease, or Mortgage—Any real property owned by or in which

an unincorporated local church has any interest may be sold,

transferred, leased for a term of thirty days or more (which shall

include leases for less than thirty days if such a lease is consecu-

tive with the same lessee), or mortgaged subject to the following

procedure and conditions:

1. Notice of the proposed action and the date and time of the

regular or special meeting of the charge conference at which it is to

be considered shall be given at least ten days prior thereto from the

pulpit of the church and in its weekly bulletin, newsletter, or elec-

tronic notice, or other means if required or permitted by local law.

761

LOCAL CHURCH PROPERTY ¶ 2541

2. A resolution authorizing the proposed action shall be passed

by a majority vote of the charge conference members (in a pastoral

charge consisting of two or more local churches, the church local

conference; see ¶ 2527) present and voting at a special meeting

called to consider such action.

3. The written consent of the pastor of the local church and

the district superintendent to the proposed action shall be neces-

sary and shall be afxed to or included in the instrument of sale,

conveyance, transfer, lease, or mortgage. Prior to consenting to

any proposed action required under this paragraph involving any

United Methodist church property, the pastor, district superinten-

dent, and the district board of church location and building shall

ensure that: (a) a full investigation shall be made and an appro-

priate plan of action shall be developed for the future missional

needs of the community; (b) the transfer or encumbrance shall

conform to the Discipline; (c) the congregation, if no longer to con-

tinue as an organized local United Methodist Church, does not

sell but may transfer title of its facilities to another United Meth-

odist church or agency; and (d) the congregation, in case of reloca-

tion, rst offers its property to a United Methodist congregation

or agency at a price not to exceed fair market value. The district

strategies or other missional strategies should include the minis-

tries of both United Methodist congregations and the community

where the existing facility is located. Certication by the district

superintendent shall be conclusive evidence that the transfer or

encumbrance conforms to the Discipline. The requirements of

investigation and the development of a plan of action, however,

shall not affect the merchantability of the title to the real estate or

the legal effect of the instruments of sale or transfer.

4. Unless the charge conference directs otherwise, any con-

tract, deed, bill of sale, mortgage, or other necessary written

instrument needed to implement any resolution authorizing

action regarding local church property may be executed by and

on behalf of the local church by any two ofcers of the board of

trustees, who thereupon shall be duly authorized to carry out the

direction of the charge conference; and any written instrument so

executed shall be binding and effective as the action of the local

church.

¶ 2541. Incorporated Local Church Property—Sale, Transfer,

Lease, or Mortgage—Any real property owned by or in which an

incorporated local church has any interest may be sold, trans-

762

¶ 2541 CHURCH PROPERTY

ferred, leased for a term of thirty days or more (which shall

include leases for less than thirty days if such a lease is consecu-

tive with the same lessee), or mortgaged subject to the following

procedure and conditions:

1. Notice of the proposed action and the date and time of

the regular or special meeting of the members of the corporate

body—i.e., members of the charge conference at which it is to be

considered—shall be given at least ten days prior thereto from the

pulpit of the church and in its weekly bulletin, newsletter, or elec-

tronic notice or other means if required or permitted by local law.

2. A resolution authorizing the proposed action shall be

passed by a majority vote of the members of the corporate body

present and voting at any regular or special meeting thereof called

to consider such action and a majority vote of the members of the

charge conference, if the corporate members are different than the

charge conference members.

3. The written consent of the pastor of the local church and

the district superintendent to the proposed action shall be neces-

sary and shall be afxed to or included in the instrument of sale,

conveyance, transfer, lease, or mortgage. Prior to consenting

to any proposed action required under this paragraph involv-

ing any United Methodist church property, the pastor, the dis-

trict superintendent, and the district board of church location

and building shall ensure that—(a) a full investigation shall be

made and an appropriate plan of action shall be developed for

the future missional needs of the community; (b) the transfer or

encumbrance shall conform to the Discipline; (c) the congrega-

tion, if no longer to continue as an organized United Method-

ist church, does not sell but may transfer title of its facilities to

another United Methodist church or agency; and (d) the congre-

gation, in case of relocation, rst offers its property to a United

Methodist congregation or agency at a price not to exceed fair

market value. The district strategies or other missional strategies

should include the ministries of both United Methodist congre-

gations and the community where the existing facility is located.

Certication by the district superintendent shall be conclusive

evidence that the transfer or encumbrance conforms to the Dis-

cipline. The requirements of investigation and the development

of a plan of action shall not affect the merchantability of the title

to the real estate or the legal effect of the instruments of sale or

transfer.

763

LOCAL CHURCH PROPERTY ¶ 2543

4. The resolution authorizing such proposed action shall

direct and authorize the corporation’s board of directors to take

all necessary steps to carry out the action and to cause to be exe-

cuted, as hereinafter provided, any necessary contract, deed, bill

of sale, mortgage, or other written instrument.

5. The board of directors at any regular or special meeting

shall take such action and adopt such resolutions as may be neces-

sary or required by the local laws.

6. Any required contract, deed, bill of sale, mortgage, or other

written instrument necessary to carry out the action so authorized

shall be executed in the name of the corporation by any two of its

ofcers, and any written instrument so executed shall be binding

and effective as the action of the corporation.

¶ 2542. Disposition and Mortgage of Church Building or Parson-

age—Real property acquired by a conveyance subject to the trust

clause may be sold in conformity with the provisions of the Dis-

cipline of The United Methodist Church when its use as a church

building or parsonage, as the case may be, has been, or is intended

to be, terminated; and when such real estate is sold or mortgaged

in accordance with the provisions of the Discipline of The United

Methodist Church, the written acknowledged consent of the

proper district superintendent representing The United Methodist

Church to the action taken shall constitute a release and discharge

of the real property so sold and conveyed from the trust clause

or clauses; or in the event of the execution of a mortgage, such

consent of the district superintendent shall constitute a formal

recognition of the priority of such mortgage lien and the subordi-

nation of the foregoing trust provisions thereof; and no bona de

purchaser or mortgagee relying upon the foregoing record shall

be charged with any responsibility with respect to the disposition

by such local church of the proceeds of any such sale or mortgage;

but the board of trustees receiving such proceeds shall manage,

control, disburse, and expend the same in conformity to the order

and direction of the charge conference or church local conference,

subject to the provisions of the Discipline of The United Methodist

Church with respect thereto.

¶ 2543. Restriction on Proceeds of Mortgage or Sale

—1. No

real property on which a church building or parsonage is located

shall be mortgaged to provide for the current budget or operating

10. See Judicial Council Decision 688.

764

¶ 2543 CHURCH PROPERTY

expense of a local church. The principal proceeds of a sale of any

such property shall not be used for the current budget or operat-

ing expense of a local church. Provided that provisions are made

for the current and future missional needs of the congregation

and the current and future housing needs of a pastor, the prin-

cipal may be used for capital improvements beyond the regular

operating budget when written approval is granted by the dis-

trict superintendent and pastor. This provision shall apply alike

to unincorporated and incorporated local churches.

2. A local church, whether or not incorporated, on complying

with the provisions of the Discipline may mortgage its unencum-

bered real property as security for a loan to be made to a con-

ference board of global ministries or a city or district missionary

society, provided that the proceeds of such loan shall be used only

for aiding in the construction of a new church.

3. Exception to this restriction may be granted in specically

designated instances to allow use of equity and/or accumulated

assets from the sale of property to provide for congregational

redevelopment efforts including program and staff. Such excep-

tion may be granted by the annual conference, the bishop, and

the cabinet upon request of the local church in consultation with

congregation development staff where applicable. A clear and

detailed three-to-ve-year redevelopment plan that projects a

self-supporting ministry must accompany the request.

¶ 2544. Planning and Financing Requirements for Local Church

Buildings—1. If any local church desires to:

a) build a new church, a new educational building, or a

new parsonage; or

b) purchase a church, educational building, or parson-

age; or

c) remodel an existing church, an existing educational

building, or an existing parsonage where the cost of the remodel-

ing will exceed 25 percent of the value of the existing structure or

require mortgage nancing, then the local church shall rst estab-

lish a study committee to:

(1) analyze the needs of the church and community;

(2) project the potential membership with average

attendance;

(3) write up the church’s program of ministry (¶¶ 201-

204); and

11. See Judicial Council Decision 399.

765

LOCAL CHURCH PROPERTY ¶ 2544

(4) develop an accessibility plan including chancel

areas.

The information and ndings obtained by the study

committee shall:

(a) form the basis of a report to be presented to

the charge conference (¶ 2544.4);

(b) be used by the building committee (¶ 2544.5);

and

board of church location and building (¶¶ 2544.6, 2521.1).

2. After the study committee nishes its work, the local

church shall secure the written consent of the pastor and the dis-

trict superintendent to the building project, purchase proposal, or

remodeling project.

3. In the case of a building project or purchase proposal, the

local church shall secure the approval of the proposed site by the

district board of church location and building as provided in the

Discipline (¶ 2520.1).

4. The charge conference of the local church shall authorize

the building project, purchase proposal, or remodeling project at

a regular or called meeting. Notice of the meeting and the pro-

posed action shall have been given for not less than ten days prior

thereto from the pulpit of the church, and in its weekly bulletin,

newsletter, or electronic notice or other means if required or per-

mitted by local law.

a) After approving a building project or a remodeling

project, the charge conference shall elect a building committee

of not fewer than three members of the local church to serve in

the development of the project as hereinafter set forth; provided

that the charge conference may commit to its board of trustees the

duties of the building committee.

b) After approving a purchase proposal, the charge con-

ference shall be deemed to have authorized and directed the

board of trustees to proceed with the purchase. In the case of the

purchase of a parsonage, the board of trustees shall either:

(1) purchase a parsonage that has on the ground-

oor level:

(a) one room that can be used as a bedroom by a person

with a disability;

(b) one fully accessible bathroom; and

766

¶ 2544 CHURCH PROPERTY

(2) purchase a parsonage without the accessible fea-

tures for persons with disabilities specied above and remodel it

within one year’s time, so that it does have those features.

5. The building committee shall:

a) use the information and ndings of the study com-

mittee and any other relevant information to estimate carefully

the building facilities needed, as the case may be, to house the

church’s program of worship, education, and fellowship or to

provide for the present and future pastors and their families;

b) ascertain the cost of any property to be purchased; and

c) develop preliminary architectural plans that:

(1) comply with local building, re, and accessibility

codes;

(2) clearly outline the location on the site of all pro-

posed present and future construction; and

(3) provide adequate facilities for parking, entrance,

seating, rest rooms, and accessibility for persons with disabilities,

but providing for such adequate facilities shall not apply in the

case of a minor remodeling project;

d) provide on the ground-oor level of a newly con-

structed parsonage:

(1) one room that can be used as a bedroom by a per-

son with a disability;

(2) a fully accessible bathroom; and

(3) fully accessible laundry facilities;

e) secure an estimate of the cost of the proposed

construction;

f) develop a nancial plan for defraying the total cost,

including an estimate of the amount the membership can contrib-

ute in cash and pledges and the amount the local church can bor-

row if necessary.

6. The building committee shall submit to the district board

of church location and building for its consideration and prelimi-

nary approval:

a) a statement of the need for the proposed facilities;

b) the preliminary architectural plans, including accessi-

bility plans;

c) the preliminary cost estimate; and

d) the preliminary nancial plan.

7. After preliminary approval by the district board of church

location and building, the pastor, with the written consent of the

767

LOCAL CHURCH PROPERTY ¶ 2544

district superintendent, shall call a church conference, giving not

less than ten days’ notice (except as local laws may otherwise pro-

vide) of the meeting and the proposed action from the pulpit or in

the weekly bulletin. At the church conference, the building com-

mittee shall present:

a) the preliminary architectural plans;

b) the preliminary cost estimate;

c) the preliminary nancial plan; and

d) the building committee’s recommendation.

A majority vote of the membership present and voting at

the church conference shall be required to approve the prelimi-

nary architectural plans, cost estimate, and nancial plan and the

building committee’s recommendation.

8. After approval by the church conference, the building com-

mittee shall develop detailed plans and specications and secure

a reliable and detailed estimate of cost, which shall be presented

for approval to the charge conference and to the district board of

church location and building.

9. After approval by the charge conference and district board

of church location and building, the building committee may

begin the building project or remodeling project. Written docu-

mentation substantiating the approvals of the charge conference

and the district board of church location and building shall be

lodged with the district superintendent and the secretary of the

charge conference.

10. In metropolitan areas, the building committee shall

ensure that adequate steps are taken to obtain the services of

minority (nonwhite) and female skilled persons in the construc-

tion in proportion to the racial and ethnic balance in the area. In

non-metropolitan areas, the building committee shall ensure that

racial and ethnic persons are employed in the construction where

available and in relation to the available workforce.

11. The local church shall acquire a fee simple title to the lot

or lots on which any building is to be erected. The deed or con-

veyance shall be executed as provided in this chapter. It is recom-

mended that contracts on property purchased by a local church

be contingent upon the securing of a guaranteed title, and the

property’s meeting of basic environmental requirements of lend-

ing institutions and of local and state laws.

12. If a loan is needed, the local church shall comply with the

provisions of ¶ 2540 or ¶ 2541.

768

¶ 2544 CHURCH PROPERTY

13. The local church shall not enter into a building contract or,

if using a plan for volunteer labor, incur obligations for materials

until it has cash on hand, pledges payable during the construction

period, and (if needed) a loan or written commitment therefore

that will assure prompt payment of all contractual obligations

and other accounts when due.

14. Neither the trustees nor any other members of a local

church shall be required to guarantee personally any loan made

to the church by any board created by or under the authority of

the General Conference.

15. It is recommended that a local church not enter into a

binding building contract without the contractor being properly

bonded or furnishing other forms of security, such as an irrevo-

cable letter of credit approved by the conference, district, or local

church attorney.

¶ 2545. Consecration and Dedication of Local Church Buildings—

On acquisition or completion of any church-owned building, a

service of consecration may be held. Before any church-owned

building is formally dedicated, all indebtedness against the same

shall be discharged.

¶ 2546. Merger of Local United Methodist Churches—Two or

more local churches, in order to more effectively fulll their min-

istry (¶¶ 201-204), may merge and become a single church by pur-

suing the following procedure:

1. The merger must be proposed to the charge conference of

each of the merging churches by a resolution stating the terms and

conditions of the proposed merger.

2. The plan of the merger as proposed to the charge confer-

ence of each of the merging churches shall be approved by each

of the charge conferences in order for the merger to be effected,

except that for a charge conference that includes two or more local

churches, the required approval shall be by the church local con-

ference of each local church in accordance with the requirements

of ¶ 2527.

3. The merger must be approved by the superintendent or

superintendents of the district or districts in which the merging

churches are located.

4. The requirements of any and all laws of the state or states

in which the merging churches are located affecting or relating

to the merger of such churches must be complied with, and in

any case where there is a conict between such laws and the pro-

769

LOCAL CHURCH PROPERTY ¶ 2548

cedure outlined in the Discipline, said laws shall prevail and the

procedure outlined in the Discipline shall be modied to the extent

necessary to eliminate such conict.

5. All archives and records of churches involved in a merger

shall become the responsibility of the successor church.

¶ 2547. Interdenominational Local Church Mergers—One or

more local United Methodist churches may merge with one

or more churches of other denominations and become a single

church by pursuing the following procedure:

1. Following appropriate dialogue, which shall include dis-

cussions with the United Methodist district superintendent of

the district in which the merging churches are located and the

corresponding ofcials of the other judicatories involved, a plan

of merger reecting the nature and ministry of the local church

(¶¶ 201-204) shall be submitted to the charge conference of the

local United Methodist church and must be approved by a resolu-

tion stating the terms and conditions and missional plans of the

proposed merger, including the denominational connection of the

merger church.

2. The plan of merger, as approved by the charge conference

of the United Methodist church, in a charge conference including

two or more local churches must be approved by the church local

conference of each local church in accordance with the require-

ments of ¶ 2527.

3. The merger must be approved in writing by the superin-

tendent of the district, a majority of the district superintendents,

and the bishop of the area in which the merging churches are

located.

4. The provisions of ¶ 2503 shall be included in the plan of

merger where applicable.

5. The requirements of any and all laws of the state or states

in which the merging churches are located affecting or relating

to the merger of such churches must be complied with, and in

any case where there is a conict between such laws and the pro-

cedure outlined in the Discipline, said laws shall prevail and the

procedure outlined in the Discipline shall be modied to the extent

necessary to eliminate such conict.

6. Where property is involved, the provisions of ¶ 2548

obtain.

¶ 2548. Deeding Church Property to Federated Churches or Other

Evangelical Denominations—1. With the consent of the presiding

770

¶ 2548 CHURCH PROPERTY

bishop and of a majority of the district superintendents and of the

district board of church location and building and at the request

of the charge conference or of a meeting of the membership of the

church, where required by local law, and in accordance with the

said law, the annual conference may instruct and direct the board

of trustees of a local church to deed church property to a federated

church.

2. With the consent of the presiding bishop and of a majority

of the district superintendents and of the district board of church

location and building and at the request of the charge conference

or of a meeting of the membership of the local church, where

required by local law, and in accordance with said law, the annual

conference may instruct and direct the board of trustees of a local

church to deed church property to one of the other denominations

represented in the Pan-Methodist Commission or to another evan-

gelical denomination under an allocation, exchange of property, or

comity agreement, provided that such agreement shall have been

committed to writing and signed and approved by the duly quali-

ed and authorized representatives of both parties concerned.

¶ 2549. Disposition of Property of a Closed Local Church—

1. Except as provided in ¶ 2549.3, the district superintendent

may, pursuant to this paragraph, recommend the closure of a local

church, upon a nding that:

a) The local church no longer serves the purpose for

which it was organized or incorporated (¶¶ 201-204); or

b) The local church property is no longer used, kept, or

maintained by its membership as a place of divine worship of The

United Methodist Church.

2. Procedure—a) Prior to a recommendation to close a local

church, the district superintendent shall:

(1) Guide the congregation in an assessment of its

potential as outlined in ¶ 213, in consultation with the appropriate

agency assigned the responsibility of the conference parish and

community development strategy;

(2) Obtain and consider an opinion of legal counsel

as to the existence of any reversion, possibility of reverter, right

of reacquisition, or similar restrictions to the benet of any party;

(3) Develop, in consultation with the appropriate dis-

trict board of church location and building, a plan for the future

use of all the real and personal, tangible and intangible property

of the local church; and

771

LOCAL CHURCH PROPERTY ¶ 2549

(4) Develop a plan for the transfer of the member-

ship of the local church (¶ 229).

b) Upon a recommendation by the district superinten-

dent, and with the consent of the presiding bishop, a majority of

the district superintendents, and the appropriate district board of

church location and building, the annual conference may declare a

local church closed. If the annual conference closes a local church,

title to all the real and personal, tangible and intangible property

of the local church shall immediately vest in the annual confer-

ence board of trustees, who shall hold said property in trust for

the benet of the annual conference.

c) The annual conference board of trustees may retain,

sell, lease, or otherwise dispose of the property of a closed local

church in accordance with the direction of the annual conference,

if any. It shall be the duty of the annual conference board of trust-

ees to remove, insofar as reasonably practicable or necessary, all

Christian and United Methodist insignia and symbols from such

property. In the event of loss, damage to, or destruction of such

local church property, the annual conference board of trustees, as

the duly and legally authorized representative of such local church,

is authorized to make a claim for, and collect on, any applicable

insurance policies. If the annual conference board of trustees sells

or leases the property, consideration should be given to selling or

leasing the property to one of the other denominations represented

in the Commission on Pan-Methodist Cooperation and Union.

d) If the annual conference closes any local church, the

failure to complete any of the prior steps will not invalidate such

closure.

3. Ad Interim Procedures—a) At any time between sessions of

annual conference, a local church may voluntarily transfer title

to all its real and personal, tangible and intangible property to

the annual conference board of trustees following the procedures

set forth in ¶ 2540 or ¶ 2541. In such case, the annual conference

board of trustees shall hold or dispose of such property in its sole

discretion, subject to any standing rule of the annual conference.

When it next meets, the annual conference shall decide whether to

formally close the local church.

b) At any time between sessions of annual conference, if the

presiding bishop, the majority of the district superintendents,

and the appropriate district board of church location and build-

ing all consent, they may, in their sole discretion, declare that

772

¶ 2549 CHURCH PROPERTY

exigent circumstances exist that require immediate protection of

the local church’s property, for the benet of the denomination.

In such case, title to all the real and personal, tangible and intan-

gible property of the local church shall immediately vest in the

annual conference board of trustees who may hold or dispose of

such property in its sole discretion, subject to any standing rule

of the annual conference. Exigent circumstances include, but are

not limited to, situations where a local church no longer serves

the purpose for which it was organized or incorporated (¶¶ 201-

204) or where the local church property is no longer used, kept, or

maintained by its membership as a place of divine worship of The

United Methodist Church. When it next meets, the annual confer-

ence shall decide whether to formally close the local church.

4. All the deeds, records, and other ofcial and legal papers,

including the contents of the cornerstone, of a closed local church

shall be collected by the district superintendent and shall be

deposited for permanent safekeeping with the annual conference

commission on archives and history.

5. The annual conference board of trustees shall review all

gifts held in trust, assets of any endowment funds, and assets of

any foundation of the closed local church. The annual conference

board of trustees shall dispose of the property in its discretion,

unless otherwise directed by the annual conference or as required

by law.

6. Any gift, legacy, devise, annuity, or other benet that

accrues to a closed local church shall become the property of the

annual conference board of trustees. The annual conference board

of trustees shall dispose of the property in its discretion, unless

otherwise directed by the annual conference or as required by law.

7. If a local church in an urban center with more than 50,000

population is closed, any proceeds of the sale of its property must

be used for new and/or existing ministries within urban transi-

tional communities, as described in ¶ 212.

If a local church in a non-urban center is closed, any pro-

ceeds of the sale of its property may be used for new churches,

new faith communities, new missional initiatives, relocating

churches, churches building multi-campus facilities for the pur-

pose of evangelistic church extension, or an organization that is

a nonprot and has values consistent with The United Methodist

Church’s values and is consistent with our Wesleyan heritage,

theology, and United Methodist polity. In addition, the proceeds

773

LOCAL CHURCH PROPERTY ¶ 2550

may be used to revitalize or enhance church ministry, or be given

to an organization that is a vetted nonprot and has values con-

sistent with The United Methodist Church’s values and is consis-

tent with our Wesleyan heritage, theology, and United Methodist

polity. In addition, the proceeds may be used to embrace or

continue the work and vision of ministry with the poor in the

community.

¶ 2550. Board of Trustees Report to the Charge Conference—The

board of trustees shall annually make a written report to the

charge conference, in which shall be included the following:

1. The legal description and the reasonable valuation of each

parcel of real estate owned by the church;

2. The specic name of the grantee in each deed of convey-

ance of real estate to the local church;

3. An inventory and the reasonable valuation of all personal

property owned by the local church;

4. The amount of income received from any income-produc-

ing property and a detailed list of expenditures in connection

therewith;

5. The amount received during the year for building, rebuild-

ing, remodeling, and improving real estate, and an itemized state-

ment of expenditures;

6. Outstanding capital debts and how contracted;

7. A detailed statement of the insurance carried on each par-

cel of real estate, indicating whether restricted by co-insurance

or other limiting conditions and whether adequate insurance is

carried;

8. The name of the custodian of all legal papers of the local

church, and where they are kept;

9. A detailed list of all trusts in which the local church is the

beneciary, specifying where and how the funds are invested,

clarifying the manner in which these investments made a positive

contribution toward the realization of the goals outlined in the

Social Principles of the Church, and in what manner the income

therefrom is expended or applied.

10. An evaluation of all church properties, including the

chancel areas, to ensure accessibility to persons with disabilities;

and when applicable, a plan and timeline for the development of

accessible church properties.

12. See Judicial Council Decision 1202.

774

¶ 2551 CHURCH PROPERTY

¶ 2551. Covenant Relationships in Multi-Ethnic and Multi-Lan-

guage Settings—Ministry in The UMC tradition is about partner-

ship and mission. In situations where a local church or churches

share a building with a congregation or with another group per-

forming ministries in different languages and/or with different

racial and ethnic groups, it shall be in accordance with ¶¶ 202,

206, and 212. The district superintendent must consent to any

such action before implementation. The district board of church

location and building must be informed of such action.

1. If the congregations are United Methodist, the following

shall apply:

a) By action of the charge conference(s) involved, a cov-

enant relationship shall be mutually agreed upon in written form

and shall include a statement of purpose for sharing the facility

and shall state whether the agreement is seen as temporary, long-

term, or permanent. The covenant of relationship may provide for

mutual representation on such bodies as church council and other

committees and work groups. The board of trustees of the church

that holds title to the property may form a property committee

composed of representatives of each congregation. The purpose

of this arrangement is to enhance communication between the

two or more congregations, to coordinate schedules and building

usage, to involve the congregations in building maintenance and

care under supervision of the board of trustees, and to coordinate

cooperative programs.

b) The covenant relationship shall not require that a United

Methodist congregation pay rent to another United Methodist

church, or a United Methodist community of faith or a social minis-

try. The nancial relationship established in the covenant is neither

intended to generate prot nor to support the general budget (other

than appropriate normal operating costs) of the receiving local

church or any other entity involved in the sharing of the facilities.

c) Congregations that share the same facility and other

properties are encouraged to organize and share intentionally in

some mutual ministries to strengthen their relationships and their

effectiveness when focusing on the same objectives. Cooperative

programs may be developed that enhance the ministry of both

congregations and their witness to the love of Jesus Christ in the

community. Such programs may include joint bilingual worship

services and Christian education programs, fellowship meals, and

community outreach ministries.

775

LOCAL CHURCH PROPERTY ¶ 2551

d) Each congregation in a shared facility is strongly

encouraged to accept an interdependent relationship in refer-

ence to use of the facility. Such a relationship afrms coopera-

tively planned and executed programs and activities as well as

independently planned and executed programs and activities.

Thus, scheduling programs and using the facility will be imple-

mented in a manner that contributes to the positive growth of

each congregation.

e) In situations where local congregations and/or minis-

tries that share facilities cannot negotiate decisions that are sup-

portive mutually by each congregation or ministry, the district

superintendent shall consult with the leadership of each congre-

gation and/or ministry prior to the implementing of any deci-

sion that may adversely affect the future of either congregation

or ministry.

2. If a United Methodist church is sharing with a congrega-

tion of another denomination, the following should apply:

a) Prior to agreeing to share facilities with a congregation

that is not United Methodist and is of a different ethnic or lan-

guage background, the United Methodist pastor and the district

superintendent shall rst contact district and conference congre-

gational development agencies and ethnic leadership to explore

the possibilities of organizing as an ecumenical shared ministry

or a new United Methodist congregation with that ethnic or lan-

guage group.

b) If it is decided that the United Methodist congregation and

the congregation of another denomination should share facilities,

as a part of the covenant of mission, a property-use agreement

shall be negotiated in writing in accordance with ¶ 2503; this

agreement shall have the consent of the district superintendent

and shall be approved by the United Methodist charge or church

conference. Shared activities may be entered into to enhance the

ministry of both congregations. A liaison committee to both con-

gregations may be appointed to resolve conicts, clear schedules,

and plan cooperative activities.

3. Ninety-day notication of intent to terminate the covenant

relationship shall be made to the district superintendent and to

the other parties in the covenant relationship. This termination

shall require the consent of the district superintendent following

consultation with the parties involved.

776

¶ 2551 CHURCH PROPERTY

4. The district committee on religion and race shall monitor

all consultations and plans related to the transfer or use of prop-

erty to ensure fairness and equity in situations involving two or

more local congregations or ministries.

Section VII. Requirements—Trustees of Church Institutions

¶ 2552. Standards and Requirements—Trustees of schools, col-

leges, universities, hospitals, homes, orphanages, institutes, and

other institutions owned or controlled by any annual, jurisdic-

tional, or central conference or any agency of The United Method-

ist Church shall be at least twenty-one years of age. At all times,

not less than three-fths of them shall be members of a local

church and/or members of an annual conference or the Council

of Bishops of The United Methodist Church, and all must be nom-

inated, conrmed, or elected by such conference or agency of the

Church or by some body or ofcer thereof to which or to whom

this power has been delegated by such conference or agency; pro-

vided that the number of trustees of any such institution owned

or controlled by any annual conference or conferences required

to be members of a local church and/or annual conference or

the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church may be

reduced to not less than the majority by a three-fourths vote of

such annual conference or conferences; and provided further,

that when an institution is owned and operated jointly with some

other religious organization, said requirement that three-fths of

the trustees shall be members of a local church and/or annual

conference or the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist

Church shall apply only to the portion of the trustees selected by

the United Methodist agency or annual, jurisdictional, or central

conference. It is recognized that there are numerous educational,

health-care, and charitable organizations that traditionally have

been afliated with The United Methodist Church and its prede-

cessor denominations, which are neither owned nor controlled by

any unit of the denomination.

777

Chapter Seven

JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION

Section I. The Judicial Council

¶ 2601. Duties and Responsibilities of the Judicial Council—The

Judicial Council is the highest judicial body in The United Meth-

odist Church. The Judicial Council shall have authority as speci-

ed in the Constitution, ¶¶ 55-57, and in ¶¶ 2609-2612.

¶ 2602. Members—1. Composition and Term—The Judicial

Council shall be composed of nine members and should reect

the diversity of The United Methodist Church, including racial,

age, ethnic, gender, jurisdiction and central conferences, and con-

gregational size. In the year 2000 and each sixteen years thereafter,

there shall be elected three laypersons and two ordained clergy

other than bishops. In 2004 and each eight years thereafter, there

shall be elected two ordained clergy other than bishops and two

laypersons. In 2008 and each sixteen years thereafter, there shall

be three ordained clergy other than bishops and two laypersons.

The laypersons shall be professing members of The United Meth-

odist Church. Elections shall be held at each session of the Gen-

eral Conference for only the number of members whose terms

expire at such session. A member’s term of ofce shall be eight

years. A member may serve a maximum of two consecutive eight-

year terms, with a minimum of four years before reelection to the

council.

2. Nominations and Election—Members of the council shall

be nominated and elected in the manner following: At each qua-

drennial session of the General Conference, the Council of Bish-

ops shall nominate by majority vote three times the number of

ordained ministers and laypersons to be elected at such session

of the General Conference. The number to be elected shall corre-

spond to the number of members whose terms expire at the con-

clusion of such session. Each of the jurisdictions and the central

conferences as a group shall be represented by at least one nomi-

nee, but it shall not be a requirement that each of the jurisdictions

or the central conferences as a group be represented by an elected

member.

At the same daily session at which the above nomina-

tions are announced, nominations of both ministers and laypersons

1. See Judicial Council Decision 540.

778

¶ 2602 JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION

may be made from the oor, but at no other time. The names of all

nominees, identied with the conference to which each belongs,

and a biographical sketch that does not exceed one hundred

words shall be published by the Daily Christian Advocate at least

forty-eight hours prior to the time of election, which shall be set

by action of the General Conference at the session at which the

nominations are made; and from these nominations the General

Conference shall elect without discussion, by ballot and majority

vote, the necessary number of ministerial and lay members.

¶ 2603. Alternates—There shall be six alternates for the clergy

members and six alternates for the lay members, and their quali-

cations shall be the same as for membership on the Judicial Coun-

cil. The term of the alternates shall be for four years.

The alternates shall be elected in the following manner: From

the clergy and lay nominees remaining on the ballot after the elec-

tion of the necessary number of members of the Judicial Council

to be elected at sessions of the General Conference, the General

Conference shall by separate ballot, without discussion and by

majority vote, elect the number of clergy and lay alternates to be

chosen at such session of the General Conference.

¶ 2604. Vacancies—1. If a vacancy in the membership of the

council occurs during the interim between sessions of the General

Conference, a clergy vacancy shall be lled by the rst-elected

clergy alternate and a lay vacancy by the rst-elected lay alter-

nate. The alternate lling such vacancy shall hold ofce as a mem-

ber of the Judicial Council for the unexpired term of the member

whom the alternate succeeds. In the event of any vacancy, it shall

be the duty of the president and secretary of the council to notify

the alternate entitled to ll it.

2. In the event of an absence of one or more members of the

council during a session of the Judicial Council, such temporary

vacancy among the clergy members may be lled for that session

or the remainder thereof by the clergy alternates in order of elec-

tion who can be present, and such temporary vacancy among the

lay members by the lay alternates in order of election who can

be present; but inability or failure to ll a vacancy does not affect

the validity or any action of the council so long as a quorum is

present.

¶ 2605. Expiration of Term—The term of ofce of the members

of the council and of the alternates shall expire upon the adjourn-

779

THE JUDICIAL COUNCIL ¶ 2608

ment of the General Conference at which their successors are

elected.

¶ 2606. Ineligibility of Members—Members of the council shall

be ineligible to serve as delegates to the General, jurisdictional,

or central conference or to serve in any General, jurisdictional, or

central conference board or agency.

¶ 2607. Condentiality and Ex Parte Communication—1. The

members of the Judicial Council will not permit discussion with

them on matters pending before them or that may be referred to

them for determination, save and except before the Judicial Coun-

cil in session. Questions of procedure may be raised with the pre-

siding ofcer or secretary of the Judicial Council. While strictly

observing the intent of the preceding paragraph, a member of the

council to whom a case has been assigned by the president may

request that the secretary secure from persons and agencies con-

cerned directly or indirectly with the case pertinent facts, briefs,

and statements shall be sent promptly by the secretary of the

council to other members of the council as is deemed necessary.

2. Prior to the decision of a case in question, members of the

Judicial Council shall not discuss with any party matters of sub-

stance pending in the judicial process unless all parties are privy

to the discussion. Nor shall members of the Judicial Council or

staff allow to be published or communicated, including electronic

communications, to third parties any matters of substance pend-

ing in the judicial process.

The Judicial Council shall in all cases in which a decision or

memorandum is issued set forth the specic provisions of the

Constitution or the Discipline that provide the basis of the deci-

sion and the rationale that led to the conclusion.

¶ 2608. Organization and Procedure—1. The Judicial Council

shall provide its own method of organization and procedure, both

with respect to hearings on appeals and petitions for declaratory

decisions. All parties shall have the privilege of ling briefs and

arguments and presenting evidence under such rules as the coun-

cil may adopt from time to time; provided that at the time of l-

ing, copies of such briefs are delivered to all parties of record. The

complete wording in the document requesting an appeal, declara-

tory decision, or ruling on a question of law shall be posted on the

2. See Judicial Council Decision 196; and Decision 3, Interim Judicial Council.

3. See Judicial Council Decision 763.

780

¶ 2608 JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION

Judicial Council website no less than thirty (30) days prior to the

deadline for submitting briefs and arguments to allow for the l-

ing of amicus curiae briefs. The council shall employ a part-time

clerk to assist the council in all matters designated by the council

as needed, but no more than an average 20 hours per week, and

shall in consultation with the General Council on Finance and

Administration provide an ofce for the clerk suitable to maintain

records and conduct business as the council shall direct.

Funds for the operations of the clerk’s ofce shall be appro-

priated by the General Conference. In selecting the location of

the clerk’s ofce, consideration shall be given to a location that

provides visibility and reasonable accessibility to the church and

parties. The council shall also give consideration to visibility and

accessibility to the church and parties in selecting the places it

holds sessions.

2. Time and Place—The council shall meet at the time and

place of the meeting of the General Conference and shall con-

tinue in session until the adjournment of that body, and at least

one other time in each calendar year and at such other times as it

may deem appropriate, at such places as it may select from time

to time. Seven members shall constitute a quorum except on

questions of the constitutionality of acts of General Conference

in which case a quorum shall be nine members or alternates duly

seated according to the rules established by the Judicial Council.

An afrmative vote of at least six members of the council shall

be necessary to declare any act of the General Conference uncon-

stitutional. On other matters, a majority vote of the entire coun-

cil shall be sufcient. The council may decline to entertain an

appeal or a petition for a declaratory decision in any instance in

which it determines that it does not have jurisdiction to decide

the matter.

¶ 2609. Jurisdiction and Powers—1. The Judicial Council shall

determine the constitutionality of any act of the General Confer-

ence upon an appeal by a majority of the Council of Bishops or

one-fth of the members of the General Conference.

2. The Judicial Council shall have jurisdiction to determine

the constitutionality of any proposed legislation when such

declaratory decision is requested by the General Conference or by

the Council of Bishops.

3. The Judicial Council shall determine the constitutionality

of any act of a jurisdictional or central conference upon an appeal

781

THE JUDICIAL COUNCIL ¶ 2609

by a majority of the bishops of that jurisdictional or central confer-

ence or upon an appeal by one-fth of the members of that juris-

dictional or central conference.

4. The Judicial Council shall hear and determine the legal-

ity of any action taken by any body created or authorized by the

General Conference or any body created or authorized by a juris-

dictional or central conference, upon appeal by one-third of the

members thereof or upon request of the Council of Bishops or a

majority of the bishops of the jurisdictional or central conference

wherein the action was taken.

5. The Judicial Council shall hear and determine the legality

of any action taken by any body created or authorized by a Gen-

eral Conference or any body created or authorized by the jurisdic-

tional or central conference on a matter affecting an annual or a

provisional annual conference, upon appeal by two-thirds of the

members of the annual or provisional annual conference present

and voting.

6. The Judicial Council shall pass upon and afrm, modify, or

reverse the decisions of law made by bishops in central, district,

annual, or jurisdictional conferences upon questions of law sub-

mitted to them in writing in the regular business of a session; and

in order to facilitate such review, each bishop shall report annu-

ally in writing to the Judicial Council on forms provided by the

council all the bishop’s decisions of law. No such episcopal deci-

sion shall be authoritative, except in the case pending, until it has

been passed upon by the Judicial Council, but thereafter it shall

become the law of the Church to the extent that it is afrmed by

the council. Normally, the bishop shall rule before the close of the

annual conference session during which the question was sub-

mitted, but in no case later than thirty days after the close of the

session. The annual conference secretary shall enter in the annual

conference journal an exact statement of the question submitted

and the ruling of the bishop.

7. The Judicial Council shall hear and determine any appeal

from a bishop’s decision on a question of law made in a central,

district, annual, or jurisdictional conference when said appeal has

been made by one-fth of that conference present and voting.

4. See Judicial Council Decision 338.

5. See Judicial Council Decisions 153, 747, 762, 763, 799, 1004, 1078, 1120, 1130,

1161, 1166, 1167, 1188.

782

¶ 2609 JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION

8. The Judicial Council shall have power to review an opin-

ion or decision of a committee on appeals of a jurisdictional or

central conference if it should appear that such opinion or deci-

sion is at variance with the Book of Discipline, a prior decision of

the Judicial Council, or an opinion or decision of a committee on

appeals of another jurisdictional or central conference on a ques-

tion of Church law. In the event the committee on appeals’ decision

appears to be at variance with the decision of another committee

on appeals, then the following procedure should be followed:

a) Any party to the opinion or decision may appeal the

case to the Judicial Council on the ground of such conict of deci-

sions; or

b) The committee on appeals rendering the last of such

opinions or decisions may certify the case to, and le it with, the

Judicial Council on the ground of such conict of decisions; or

c) The attention of the president of the Judicial Council

being directed to such conict or alleged conict of decisions, the

president may issue an order directing the secretaries of the com-

mittees on appeals involved to certify a copy of a sufcient por-

tion of the record to disclose the nature of the case and the entire

opinion and decision of the committee on appeals in each case to

the Judicial Council for its consideration at its next meeting.

The Judicial Council shall hear and determine the question

of Church law involved but shall not pass upon the facts in either

case further than is necessary to decide the question of Church

law involved. After deciding the question of Church law, the Judi-

cial Council shall cause its decision to be certied to each of the

committees on appeals involved, and such committees on appeals

shall take such action, if any, as may be necessary under the law as

determined by the Judicial Council.

d) All opinions and decisions of jurisdictional and cen-

tral conference committees on appeal shall be sent to the secretary

of the Judicial Council within thirty days after a decision. These

decisions shall be made available to those who are involved in tri-

als and appeals when needed and for those preparing for trial or

appeal, but not otherwise.

9. The Judicial Council shall have jurisdiction to hear and

determine all appeals from decisions of the jurisdictional appeals

committee.

6. See Judicial Council decision 1276.

783

THE JUDICIAL COUNCIL ¶ 2610

10. The Judicial Council shall have other duties and powers

as may be conferred upon it by the General Conference.

11. All decisions of the Judicial Council shall be nal. How-

ever, when the Judicial Council shall declare any act of the Gen-

eral Conference then in session unconstitutional, that decision

shall be reported to that General Conference immediately. This

legislation shall take effect immediately upon passage by the Gen-

eral Conference.

12. The Judicial Council shall not have the authority to grant

or award compensation to cover or reimburse attorney fees to a

party to an appeal in a matter of Church law.

¶ 2610. Declaratory Decisions—1. The Judicial Council, on

petition as hereinafter provided, shall have jurisdiction to make

a ruling in the nature of a declaratory decision as to the constitu-

tionality, meaning, application, or effect of the Discipline or any

portion thereof or of any act or legislation of a General Confer-

ence; and the decision of the Judicial Council thereon shall be as

binding and effectual as a decision made by it on appeal.

2. The following bodies in The United Methodist Church are

hereby authorized to make such petitions to the Judicial Council

for declaratory decisions: (a) the General Conference; (b) the Coun-

cil of Bishops; (c) any body created or authorized by the General

Conference on matters relating to or affecting the work of such

body; (d) a majority of the bishops assigned to any jurisdiction on

matters relating to or affecting jurisdictions or the work therein;

(e) a majority of the bishops assigned to any central conference on

matters relating to or affecting the central conferences or the work

therein; (f) any jurisdictional conference on matters relating to or

affecting jurisdictions or jurisdictional conferences or the work

therein; (g) any body created or authorized by the jurisdictional

conference on matters relating to or affecting the work of such

body; (h) any central conference on matters relating to or affecting

central conference or the work therein; (i) any body authorized or

created by a central conference on matters relating to or affecting

the work of such body; and (j) any annual conference on matters

relating to annual conferences or the work therein.

3. When a declaratory decision is sought, all persons or bodies

who have or claim any interest that would be affected by the dec-

laration shall be parties to the proceeding, and the petition shall

7. See Judicial Council Decision 1230.

784

¶ 2610 JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION

name such parties. After receiving such request the secretary of

the Judicial Council shall publish on the ofcial United Meth-

odist Internet pages a brief statement of the question involved.

If the president of the council determines that other parties not

named by the petition would be affected by such a decision, such

additional parties shall also be added, and the petitioner or peti-

tioners, upon direction of the secretary of the Judicial Council,

shall then be required to serve all parties so joined with a copy of

the petition within fteen days after such direction by the secre-

tary of the Judicial Council. In like manner, any interested party

may, on the party’s own motion, intervene and answer, plead, or

interplead.

¶ 2611. Precedential Value—The decisions of the Judicial

Council of The Methodist Church heretofore issued shall have the

same authority in The United Methodist Church as they had in

The Methodist Church, persuasive as precedents, except where

their basis has been changed by the terms of the Plan of Union or

other revisions of Church law.

¶ 2612. Notication and Publication—The decisions of the Judi-

cial Council on questions of Church law, with a summary of the

facts of the opinion, shall be led with the secretary of the General

Conference and with the bishop, chancellor, and secretary of each

annual conference. Publication of decisions shall be as follows:

1. The decisions of the Judicial Council shall be posted on the

ofcial United Methodist Internet pages as soon as practicable, no

later than ninety days following each meeting.

2. When the Judicial Council shall have declared unconsti-

tutional any provision of the Discipline, the secretary of the Judi-

cial Council shall notify the chairperson of the Committee on

Correlation and Editorial Revision and the Editor of the Discipline

which phrase or sentence was found to violate the Constitution

so that it will not appear in the next edition. All such deletions

also shall appear in the Advance Daily Christian Advocate or suc-

cessor publication of the next General Conference for information

purposes.

Section II. Investigations, Trials, and Appeals

F P  J P

¶ 2701. Preamble and Purpose—The judicial proceedings and

the rights set forth in this paragraph commence upon referral of

785

INVESTIGATIONS, TRIALS, AND APPEALS ¶ 2701

a matter as a judicial complaint from the counsel for the Church

to the committee on investigation. The judicial process terminates

at the end of any appeal or right of appeal. The judicial process

shall have as its purpose a just resolution of judicial complaints,

in the hope that God’s work of justice, reconciliation and healing

may be realized in the body of Jesus Christ. The following proce-

dures are presented for the protection of the rights of individuals

guaranteed under Section III, Article IV, of our Constitution and

for the protection of the Church. The presumption of innocence

shall be maintained until the conclusion of the trial process. Spe-

cial attention should be given to ensuring racial, ethnic, age, and

gender diversity of boards, committees, and courts and the timely

disposition of all matters.

1. Rights of the Complainant (the person ling the complaint)

a) Right to Be Heard—In any judicial proceeding, the com-

plainant shall have a right to be heard before any nal action is

taken.

b) Right to Notice of Hearings—Notice of any hearing shall

advise the complainant about proposed procedures, with suf-

cient detail to allow the complainant to prepare. Notice shall be

given not less than twenty (20) days prior to the hearing. The com-

plainant shall have the right to be present at any judicial process

hearing.

c) Right to Be Accompanied—The complainant shall have

the right to be accompanied by another person to any interview

or hearing to which they are subject. The person accompanying

the complainant may be an attorney, but shall not have the right

to voice. In no instance and under no circumstances shall the com-

plainant be entitled to receive an award of compensation for or

reimbursement of any expenses or fees associated with the com-

plainant’s use of an attorney.

d) Right to Be Informed of Resolution—The complain-

ant shall have the right to be informed of the disposition of the

complaint of the judicial proceeding as part of a holistic process of

healing. Church ofcials are encouraged, as may be permissible,

to include rationale.

2. Rights of the Respondent

a) Right to Be Heard—In any judicial proceeding, the

respondent (the person to whom the procedure is being applied)

shall have a right to be heard before any nal action is taken.

786

¶ 2701 JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION

b) Right to Notice of Hearings—Notice of any judicial pro-

cess hearing shall advise the respondent of the reason for the pro-

posed procedures, with sufcient detail to allow the respondent

to prepare a response. Notice shall be given not less than twenty

(20) days prior to the hearing. The respondent shall have the right

to be present at any judicial process hearing.

c) Right to Be Accompanied—The respondent shall have

a right to be accompanied by a clergyperson in full connection

pursuant to ¶ 2706.2. The clergyperson accompanying the respon-

dent shall have the right of advocacy. The respondent shall be

entitled to choose one assistant counsel without voice who may

be an attorney. In no instance and under no circumstances shall

the respondent be entitled to receive an award of compensation

for or reimbursement of any expenses or fees associated with the

respondent’s use of an attorney.

d) Right Against Double Jeopardy—No bill of charges shall

be certied by any committee on investigation after an earlier

bill of charges has been certied by a committee on investigation

based on the same alleged occurrences.

e) Right of Access to Records—The respondent and the

Church shall have access to all records relied upon in the deter-

mination of the outcome of the committee on investigation, trial

court, or appeal committee or body.

3. Rights of the Church

a) Right to Be Heard—In any judicial proceeding, the Church

shall have the right to be heard before any nal action is taken.

b) For other rights and responsibilities of the Church and

counsel for the Church see ¶ 2706.

4. Process and Procedure

a) Failure to Appear or Respond—In the event that the

respondent fails to appear for any judicial process hearing, refuses

mail, refuses to communicate personally with the bishop or dis-

trict superintendent, or otherwise fails to respond to requests

from ofcial judicial committees, such actions or inactions shall

not be used as an excuse to avoid or delay any Church processes,

and such processes may continue without the participation of

such individual.

b) Communications—In any judicial proceeding, under no

circumstances shall one party or counsel, in the absence of the other

8. See Judicial Council Decisions 691, 765.

787

INVESTIGATIONS, TRIALS, AND APPEALS ¶ 2701

party or counsel, discuss substantive matters with members of the

pending hearing, trial, or appellate body while the case is pend-

ing. Questions of procedure may be raised and discussed ex parte,

but only with the presiding ofcer or secretary of the hearing or

appellate body.

c) Healing—As a part of the judicial process, the bishop

and cabinet, in consultation with the presiding ofcer of the

pending hearing, trial, or appellate body then sitting, shall pro-

vide for healing if there has been signicant disruption to the

congregation, the annual conference, or the context of ministry by

the judicial matter. This may include a just resolution process for

unresolved conicts, support for victims, and reconciliation for

all who are involved. This process may also include the sharing of

information by the bishop or a cabinet member about the nature

of the complaint without disclosing alleged facts underlying the

complaint that might compromise the judicial process.

d) Immunity of Participants—In order to preserve the

integrity of the Church’s judicial process and ensure full par-

ticipation in it at all times, the resident bishop, the cabinet, the

presiding ofcer of the trial, trial ofcers, trial court, witnesses,

counsels, assistant counsels, advocates, complainant, committee

on investigation, and all others who participate in the Church’s

judicial process shall have immunity from prosecution of com-

plaints brought against them related to their role in a particu-

lar judicial process, unless they have committed a chargeable

offense in conscious and knowing bad faith. The complainant

in any proceeding against any such person related to their role

in a particular judicial process shall have the burden of prov-

ing, by clear and convincing evidence, that such person’s actions

constituted a chargeable offense committed knowingly in bad

faith. The immunity set forth in this provision shall extend to

civil court proceedings, to the fullest extent permissible by the

civil laws.

5. A Just Resolution in Judicial Proceedings—A just resolution

is one that focuses on repairing any harm to people and com-

munities, achieving real accountability by making things right in

so far as possible and bringing healing to all the parties. Special

attention should be given to ensuring that cultural, racial, ethnic,

age, and gender contexts are valued throughout the process in

terms of their understandings of fairness, justice, and restoration.

During the just resolution process, the parties may be assisted

788

¶ 2701 JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION

by a trained, impartial third party facilitator(s) or mediator(s),

in reaching an agreement satisfactory to all parties. Processes

that seek a just resolution are encouraged at any time, including

through the judicial proceedings. After the referral of a matter as

a judicial complaint from counsel for the Church to the committee

on investigation, if a process seeking a just resolution is used, the

appropriate persons, including the counsel for the Church and the

counsel for the respondent, should enter into a written agreement

outlining such process, including any agreement on condenti-

ality. If resolution is achieved, a written statement of resolution,

including terms and conditions, shall be signed by the same per-

sons who signed the written agreement outlining the process, and

they shall agree on any matters to be disclosed to third parties.

If the resolution results in a change of ministerial status, the dis-

closure agreement shall not prevent the disciplinary disclosures

required for possible readmission.

C O   S  L

¶ 2702. 1. A bishop, clergy member of an annual conference

(¶ 370), local pastor,

clergy on honorable or administrative loca-

tion, or diaconal minister may be tried when charged (subject

to the statute of limitations in ¶ 2702.4)

with one or more of

the following offenses: (a) immorality including but not limited

to, not being celibate in singleness or not faithful in a heterosex-

ual marriage;

(b) practices declared by The United Methodist

Church to be incompatible with Christian teachings,

includ-

ing but not limited to: being a self-avowed practicing homo-

sexual; or conducting ceremonies which celebrate homosexual

unions; or performing same-sex wedding ceremonies;

(d) disobedience to the order and discipline of The United Meth-

odist Church; (e) dissemination of doctrines contrary to the estab-

lished standards of doctrine of The United Methodist Church;

(f) relationships and/or behavior that undermines the ministry of

9. See Judicial Council Decision 982.

10. The statute of limitations went into effect as law on a prospective basis

starting on January 1, 1993. All alleged offenses that occurred prior to this date are

time barred. See Judicial Council Decisions 691, 704, and 723.

11. The language beginning “including but not limited to . . . ” rst appeared

in the 2004 Book of Discipline, effective January 1, 2005.

12. See Judicial Council Decisions 702, 984, 985, 1185.

13. The language beginning “including but not limited to . . . ” rst appeared

in the 2004 Book of Discipline, effective January 1, 2005.

789

INVESTIGATIONS, TRIALS, AND APPEALS ¶ 2702

another pastor;

(g) child abuse;

(h) sexual abuse;

i) sexual

misconduct

including the use or possession of pornography,

(j) harassment, including, but not limited to racial and/or sexual

harassment; (k) racial or gender discrimination; or (l) scal mal-

feasance.

2. A bishop, clergy member of an annual conference, or dia-

conal minister may be brought to trial when the appropriate body

recommends involuntary termination.

3. A professing member of a local church may be charged with

the following offenses, and, if so, may choose a trial: (a) immoral-

ity; (b) crime; (c) disobedience to the order and discipline of The

United Methodist Church; (d) dissemination of doctrines contrary

to the established standards of doctrine of The United Methodist

Church; (e) sexual abuse; (f) sexual misconduct;

(g) child abuse;

(h) harassment, including, but not limited to racial and/or sexual

harassment; (i) racial or gender discrimination; (j) relationships

and/or behaviors that undermine the ministry of persons serving

within an appointment; or (k) scal malfeasance.

4. Statute of Limitations—No judicial complaint or charge

shall be considered for any alleged occurrence that shall not have

been committed within six years immediately preceding the l-

ing of the original complaint, except in the case of sexual or child

abuse and in the case of immorality or crime, when the alleged

occurrence(s) include allegations of sexual abuse or child abuse,

there shall be no limitation (¶ 2704.1a).

Time spent on leave of absence shall not be considered as part

of the six years.

5. Time of Offense—A person shall not be charged with an

offense that was not a chargeable offense at the time it is alleged

to have been committed. Any charge led shall be in the language

of the Book of Discipline in effect at the time the offense is alleged to

have occurred except in the case of immorality or crime, when the

alleged occurrence(s) include allegations of sexual abuse or child

abuse. Then it shall be in the language of the Book of Discipline in

14. See Judicial Council Decision 702.

15. This offense was rst listed as a separate chargeable offense in the 1996

Book of Discipline effective April 27, 1996. See Judicial Council Decision 691.

16. See Judicial Council Decisions 736, 768

17. See Judicial Council Decision 767.

18. This offense was rst listed as a separate chargeable offense in the 2000

Book of Discipline, effective January 1, 2001. See Judicial Council Decision 691.

790

¶ 2702 JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION

effect at the time the charge was led. Any charge must relate to

an action listed as a chargeable offense in the Discipline.

P  R  I

  J C

¶ 2703. Composition of the Committee on Investigation

1. When respondent is a bishop—There shall be a committee on

investigation elected by each jurisdictional or central conference.

Nominations shall be made by the College of Bishops in con-

sultation with the jurisdictional episcopacy committee. Further

nominations may be offered from the oor of the jurisdictional or

central conference. The committee shall consist of seven clergy in

full connection (with not more than one clergyperson from each

annual conference, if possible), two lay observers, and six alter-

nate members, ve of whom shall be clergypersons in full con-

nection (with not more than one clergyperson from each annual

conference, if possible), and one of whom shall a layperson. If

additional members or alternates are needed, they may be named

by the College of Bishops. Committee members shall be in good

standing and should be deemed of good character. The committee

should reect racial, ethnic, and gender diversity. The committee

shall elect a chairperson and organize at the jurisdictional or cen-

tral conference. Seven clergy or alternates seated as members of

the committee shall constitute a quorum.

2. In each annual conference, there shall be a committee on

investigation to consider judicial complaints against clergy mem-

bers of the annual conference, clergy members on honorable loca-

tion or administrative location from that annual conference, local

pastors, and diaconal ministers. It shall consist of four clergy mem-

bers in full connection, three professing members, three alternate

clergy members in full connection, and six alternate lay members,

three of whom shall be diaconal ministers if available within the

bounds of the annual conference. The committee shall be nomi-

nated by the presiding bishop in consultation with the Board of

Ordained Ministry (for clergy members) and the conference board

of laity (for professing members) and elected quadrennially by

the annual conference. If additional members or alternates are

needed, the annual conference may elect members to serve for

the remainder of the quadrennium. Committee members shall

be in good standing and shall be deemed of good character. The

committee should reect racial, ethnic, and gender diversity. The

791

INVESTIGATIONS, TRIALS, AND APPEALS ¶ 2704

committee on investigation shall elect a chair and organize at

the annual conference. None of the members or alternates shall

be members of the Board of Ordained Ministry, the cabinet, or

immediate family members of the above. Should a member of the

committee on investigation have been a party to any of the prior

proceedings in the case that nally comes before the committee,

he or she shall be disqualied from sitting on the committee

during its consideration of that case, and his or her place shall

be taken by an alternate member. Seven members or alternates

seated as members of the committee shall constitute a quorum.

a) In cases of complaints against clergy members of the

annual conference, clergy members on honorable location or

administrative location from that annual conference, or local pas-

tors, the committee shall consist of four clergy members and three

professing members.

b) In cases of complaints against diaconal ministers, the

committee shall consist of four clergy members and ve profess-

ing members, two of whom shall be diaconal ministers if available

within the bounds of the annual conference.

3. When respondent is a layperson—In all cases, the pastor or

district superintendent should take pastoral steps to resolve any

complaints. If such pastoral response does not result in resolution

and a written complaint is made against a professing member for

any of the offenses in ¶ 2702.3, the pastor in charge or co-pas-

tors (¶ 205.1) of the local church, in consultation with the district

superintendent and the district lay leader, may appoint a com-

mittee on investigation consisting of four professing members

and three clergy in full connection (both clergy and professing

members must come from other congregations, exclusive of the

churches of the respondent or the complainant). Committee mem-

bers shall be in good standing and should be deemed of good

character. The committee should reect racial, ethnic, and gender

diversity. When the pastor in charge is (or co-pastors are) bringing

the charge, the district superintendent, in consultation with the

district lay leader, shall appoint the committee on investigation.

Five members shall constitute a quorum.

¶ 2704. Referral of Original Complaint to Counsel for the Church,

Who Shall Prepare Judicial Complaint and Supporting Material for

Consideration by Committee on Investigation

19. See Judicial Council Decision 1296.

792

¶ 2704 JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION

1. When respondent is a bishop

a) Judicial Complaint—A complaint based on allegations

that a bishop has committed one or more of the offenses listed in

¶ 2702 shall initially be served on the president and secretary of

the College of Bishops. Upon receipt of the complaint the presi-

dent of the College of Bishops shall forthwith deliver a copy of

the complaint to the respondent bishop, notify active bishops

of the existence and nature of the complaint, and refer the com-

plaint to an elder in full connection within the same jurisdictional

or central conference, who shall serve as counsel for the Church.

By agreeing to serve, counsel for the Church signies his or her

willingness to uphold the requirements of Church law and the

Discipline. Counsel for the Church shall represent the interests

of the Church in pressing the claims of the person making the

complaint. Counsel for the Church shall have the right to choose

one assistant counsel without voice who may be an attorney. The

counsel for the Church shall draft and sign the complaint as a

judicial complaint, forward it to the jurisdictional or central con-

ference committee on investigation (¶ 2703), and represent the

Church in the judicial process. The fair process provisions in

¶ 2701 shall apply to this judicial process. The statute of limita-

tions in ¶ 2702.4 should be considered prior to the referral of a

judicial complaint.

b) If a written complaint is made against a bishop for any

of the offenses in ¶ 2702.1, the counsel for the Church, as appointed

under ¶ 2704.1a, shall prepare, sign, and forward the judicial com-

plaint and all documentary evidence under consideration to the

chairperson of the committee on investigation, the person mak-

ing the original complaint, and the bishop being charged (respon-

dent). The respondent shall be given an opportunity to submit to

the committee on investigation a written response to the judicial

complaint within thirty days of receipt of the judicial complaint.

The chairperson shall convene the committee on investigation

within sixty days of receiving the judicial complaint.

c) If ve or more members of the committee on investiga-

tion so recommend, the jurisdictional committee on the episco-

pacy may suspend the respondent pending the conclusion of the

trial process.

20. The statute of limitations for bishops went into effect as law on a prospec-

tive basis on April 27, 1996. All alleged offenses that occurred prior to this date are

time-barred. See Judicial Council Decisions 691, 704, and 761.

793

INVESTIGATIONS, TRIALS, AND APPEALS ¶ 2704

2. When respondent is a clergy member of an annual conference,

clergy on honorable or administrative location, or a local pastor

a) Judicial Complaint—If the complaint is not dismissed

pursuant to the provisions of ¶ 362 and if the bishop determines

that the complaint is based on allegations of one or more offenses

listed in ¶ 2702.1, the bishop shall refer the complaint to the coun-

sel for the Church, who shall be appointed by the bishop. The

counsel for the Church shall be a clergyperson in full connection

and shall have the right to choose one assistant counsel with-

out voice who may be an attorney. By agreeing to serve, coun-

sel for the Church signies his or her willingness to uphold the

requirements of Church law and the Discipline. The counsel for

the Church shall draft and sign a judicial complaint, attaching as

exhibits all relevant written materials, including but not limited to

information from the supervisory process and a suggested list of

witnesses as deemed appropriate, forward the judicial complaint

to the committee on investigation and represent the Church in the

judicial process. The statute of limitations in ¶ 2702.4 should be

considered prior to the referral of a judicial complaint.

b) If a written complaint is made against a clergyper-

son for any of the offenses in ¶ 2702.1, the bishop shall appoint

a clergyperson in full connection as counsel for the Church (see

¶ 362.1e). Counsel for the Church shall prepare, sign, and refer the

judicial complaint, with all relevant material, to the chairperson

of the conference committee on investigation and represent the

interests of the Church in pressing the claims of the person mak-

ing the original complaint in any proceedings before the commit-

tee. A copy of the complaint and documentary evidence under

consideration shall be sent to the respondent, the person making

the original complaint, and the bishop. The respondent shall be

given an opportunity to submit to the committee on investigation

a written response to the judicial complaint within thirty days of

receipt of the judicial complaint. The chairperson of the conference

committee on investigation shall have sixty days to convene the

committee on investigation after receiving the judicial complaint.

c) If ve or more members of the committee on investiga-

tion so recommend, the bishop may suspend the person charged

from all clergy responsibilities pending the outcome of the judi-

cial process. The respondent retains all rights and privileges as

stated in ¶ 334.

794

¶ 2704 JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION

3. When respondent is a diaconal minister

a) If a written complaint is made against a diaconal min-

ister for any of the offenses in ¶ 2702.1, the supervisory response

should be initiated and a just resolution process may be used. (See

¶ 362.1c for a discussion of a just resolution.) If the supervisory

process does not result in resolution, the respondent’s district

superintendent may appoint a clergyperson in full connection or

diaconal minister as counsel for the Church. By agreeing to serve,

counsel for the church signies his or her willingness to uphold

the requirements of Church law and the Discipline. Counsel for

the Church shall prepare, sign, and refer the judicial complaint,

with all relevant material, to the chairperson of the conference

committee on investigation for diaconal ministers and represent

the interests of the Church in pressing the claims of the person

making the original complaint in any proceedings before the

committee. A copy of the complaint and documentary evidence

under consideration shall be sent to the respondent, the person

making the original complaint, and the bishop. The respondent

shall be given an opportunity to submit to the committee on

investigation a written response to the judicial complaint within

thirty days of receipt of the judicial complaint. The chairperson of

the conference committee on investigation shall have sixty days to

convene the committee on investigation after receiving the judi-

cial complaint.

b) If at least two-thirds of the committee on investigation

so recommend, the bishop may suspend the person charged from

all professional responsibilities pending the conclusion of the trial

process.

4. When respondent is a layperson

a) In all cases, the pastor or district superintendent should

take pastoral steps to resolve any grievances or complaints. Such

steps may include a just resolution process. See ¶ 362.1c for a dis-

cussion of a just resolution. If after such steps have been taken and

have not resulted in a resolution and a written complaint is made

against a layperson for any of the offenses in ¶ 2702.3, the pastor

in charge or co-pastors (¶ 205.1) of the local church, in consulta-

tion with the district superintendent and the district lay leader,

may appoint counsel for the Church, who shall be a United Meth-

odist. By agreeing to serve, counsel for the Church signies his or

her willingness to uphold the requirements of Church law and the

Discipline. Counsel for the Church shall prepare, sign, and refer

795

INVESTIGATIONS, TRIALS, AND APPEALS ¶ 2706

the judicial complaint, with all relevant material, to the chairper-

son of committee on investigation.

b) If ve or more members of the committee so recom-

mend, the pastor may suspend the charged professing member

from exercising any Church ofce pending conclusion of the trial

process.

c) All complaints against a professing member under

¶ 2702.3 shall be submitted in writing, signed by the person(s)

making the original complaint, and delivered to the pastor in

charge of the local church of which the respondent is a member,

and a copy shall be sent to the respondent.

d) The member shall be given an opportunity to submit to

the committee on investigation a written response to the judicial

complaint within thirty days of a receipt of the judicial complaint

and the appointing of the committee and before consideration of

the judicial complaint by the committee.

e) The district superintendent shall preside at all meet-

ings of the committee, shall be given a copy of the judicial com-

plaint and any response, and shall have the right to be present and

to speak at all meetings of the committee.

¶ 2705. The Form of the Judicial Complaint—The judicial com-

plaint shall be prepared and signed by counsel for the Church.

The complaint should explain to the committee on investiga-

tion the alleged events surrounding and relating to one or more

chargeable offense(s). All relevant documents and other exhibits

supporting the judicial complaint may be attached; and a true

copy of the complaint and reproducible documents and exhibits

shall be sent by counsel for the Church to the respondent and his

or her counsel at the same time as they are sent to the commit-

tee on investigation. The judicial complaint should include the

appropriate chargeable offense(s) based on the list in ¶ 2702 and

proposed specications.

¶ 2706. Committee on Investigation—Procedures

1. Introduction—The role of the committee on investigation is

to conduct an investigation into the allegations made in the judicial

complaint and to determine if reasonable grounds exist to bring

a bill of charges and specications to trial. If so, it shall prepare,

sign and certify a bill of charges and specications. The commit-

tee’s duty is only to determine whether reasonable grounds exist

to support the charges. It is not the committee’s duty to determine

guilt or innocence.

796

¶ 2706 JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION

2. Parties and Counsel—The parties are the respondent and the

Church.

a) Counsel for the Church—Counsel for the Church shall

be appointed as provided in ¶ 2708.7. Counsel for the Church

shall be entitled to choose one assistant counsel without voice

who may be an attorney.

b) Committee on Investigation—The committee on investi-

gation may have legal counsel present, who shall not be the con-

ference chancellor, for the sole purpose of providing advice to the

committee.

c) When respondent is a bishop, a clergy member of an annual

conference, clergy on honorable or administrative location, a local pas-

tor, a clergyperson, or a diaconal minister—A respondent who is a

bishop, a clergyperson, or a diaconal minister shall be entitled to

select a clergyperson in full connection to serve as respondent’s

counsel. A respondent shall be entitled to choose one assistant

counsel without voice who may be an attorney. In no instance and

under no circumstances shall the respondent be entitled to receive

an award of compensation for or reimbursement of any expenses

or fees associated with the respondent’s use of an attorney.

d) Investigation of a respondent who is a layperson—A lay

respondent shall be entitled to select a lay member or clergyper-

son to serve as respondent’s counsel. A respondent shall be enti-

tled to choose one assistant counsel without voice who may be

an attorney. In no instance and under no circumstances shall the

respondent be entitled to receive an award of compensation for

or reimbursement of any expenses or fees associated with the

respondent’s use of an attorney.

3. Preliminary Meeting—Basic procedural decisions shall be

made in a preliminary meeting. During this meeting, the respon-

dent and the respondent’s counsel, the person making the origi-

nal complaint, and the counsel for the Church shall have the right

to argue procedural points before a decision is made by the chair.

All advance procedural decisions and such unanticipated deci-

sions as may come in the course of the meeting of the committee

on investigation shall be rendered in writing so as to be available

for consideration in all further possible stages of the case.

4. Hearing before the Committee on Investigation

a) If possible, the respondent and the person(s) bringing

the original complaint shall be brought face to face, but the inabil-

ity to do this shall not invalidate an investigation. Notice of the

797

INVESTIGATIONS, TRIALS, AND APPEALS ¶ 2706

hearings shall be given to all parties, and the person(s) bringing

the original complaint and they all shall be permitted to be pres-

ent during testimony, but not during deliberations. Proceedings

in the investigation shall be informal. No oaths shall be taken. All

procedural decisions shall be made by the chairperson.

b) Interview of witness prior to or outside of hearing—The

chairperson shall have the power, whenever it is appropriate in

the committee’s own discretion, to appoint a member(s) of the

committee to interview any witness(es), provided that all parties

may be present (without voice) and that three days notice of the

time and place of such interview shall have been given to all par-

ties. The person(s) so appointed shall create a verbatim record of

the interview and certify the record by signature for transmittal to

the chairperson.

c) Examination of witnesses—The committee on investi-

gation may call and question such persons or request such writ-

ten information, including but not limited to materials from the

supervisory process, as it deems necessary to establish whether

or not there are reasonable grounds for formulating a charge or

charges. The committee may receive from the counsels suggested

lists of persons to be questioned, sources of written material or

questions. There shall be no right of cross-examination by either

the respondent or the person(s) bringing the original complaint.

d) Evidence—The committee should only consider testi-

mony or evidence which is relevant and reliable. The chairper-

son or presiding ofcer, after consultation with counsel for both

parties, shall rule on challenges to relevance and reliability. The

introduction of any material relating to events barred by the stat-

ute of limitations (¶ 2702.4) as evidence, as preface to evidence,

or as build-up for evidence in the procedures of the committee on

investigation or the trial proceedings shall be permitted when the

presiding ofcer, after consultation with counsel for both parties,

rules that such material is relevant and reliable.

e) Verbatim transcript—There shall be a verbatim record of

all proceedings of the committee on investigation, except when

the committee meets in executive session. The term executive ses-

sion shall mean the committee meeting alone or with its legal

counsel. If the complaint is dismissed or returned to the bishop,

no verbatim record need be transcribed and the record that exists

will be sent to the conference secretary for retention.

798

¶ 2706 JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION

5. Bill of Charges and Specications, Deliberations, Vote, and

Referral—A vote on each charge and each specication shall be

taken separately. It is incumbent on each member of the commit-

tee to base his or her vote solely on whether reasonable grounds

exist to support the charges. If there are members who are unwill-

ing to uphold the Discipline for reasons of conscience or otherwise,

such members must step aside in this matter and either alter-

nate members or others who are willing to uphold the Discipline

must be appointed to the Committee to enable it to complete its

responsibility.

a) Bill of Charges and Specications—A charge is one of the

chargeable offenses listed in ¶ 2702. A charge shall not include

more than one such chargeable offense. More than one charge

against the same person may be presented and tried at the same

time. Each charge must be written, with specications that sup-

port the charge. Each charge must be accompanied by one or

more specications of fact. Each specication, standing alone,

must allege a factual occurrence that, if found to be true, would

support a nding of guilty on the related charge. The specica-

tions should be as specic as possible with information such as

date, place, and specic events alleged to have occurred.

b) Finding of reasonable grounds by committee and referral of

bill of charges and specications for trial

(1) When respondent is a bishop—A vote to adopt any

charge or specication shall require ve votes. Any bill of charges

and specications adopted shall be sent to the bishop charged,

to the secretary of the jurisdictional or central conference, to the

president and secretary of the College of Bishops, to counsel for

the Church, and to the chairperson of the jurisdictional committee

on the episcopacy.

(2) When respondent is a clergyperson other than a

bishop—A vote to adopt any charge or specication shall require

ve votes. Any bill of charges and specications adopted by the

committee on investigations shall be sent by the chairperson

within ve days to the respondent, the person making the com-

plaint, the secretary of the annual conference, the counsel for the

Church, and the resident bishop.

(3) When respondent is a diaconal minister—A vote to

adopt any charge or specication shall require two votes. Any bill

21. See Judicial Council Decision 980.

22. See Judicial Council Decision 1275.

799

INVESTIGATIONS, TRIALS, AND APPEALS ¶ 2706

of charges and specications adopted shall be sent to the respon-

dent within ve days, the secretary of the annual conference, the

chairperson of the Board of Ordained Ministry, the respondent’s

district superintendent, counsel for the Church, and the resident

bishop.

(4) When respondent is a layperson—A vote to adopt

any charge or specication shall require ve votes. Any bill of

charges and specications adopted by the committee shall be

sent to the person charged, the recording secretary of the charge

conference, counsel for the Church, the pastor(s), and the district

superintendent.

c) Findings other than reasonable grounds by committee

or other actions

(1) If the committee on investigation determines that

there are no reasonable grounds for charges, it may dismiss the

judicial complaint. When deemed appropriate, it may also refer

matters of concern to the proper referring Church ofcial (to the

president or secretary of the College of Bishops in the case of

bishop, to the resident bishop in the case of a clergyperson, or

a diaconal minister, or to the pastor or co-pastors in the case of

layperson) for administrative or other action. Notication of these

actions, should be given to the respondent, the person making the

original complaint, counsel for the Church and the proper refer-

ring Church ofcials.

(2) If the committee on investigation determines that

the judicial complaint is not based upon chargeable offenses, or

for other good cause, the committee may refer the complaint to

the proper referring Church ofcial (see ¶ 2706.5c[1] above) for

administrative or other action. Such referral will not constitute

a dismissal or double jeopardy under ¶ 2701.2d. Notication of

these actions should be given to the respondent, the person mak-

ing the original complaint, counsel for the Church and the proper

referring Church ofcials.

(3) Upon recommendation of the counsel for the

Church and the counsel for the respondent, the committee may

refer the matter to the resident bishop as deemed appropriate for

a process seeking a just resolution. The bishop shall institute such

a process and may use the assistance of a trained, impartial third

party facilitator(s) or mediator(s). Such referral will not constitute

a dismissal or double jeopardy under ¶ 2701.2d. The appropriate

persons, including the counsel for the Church and counsel for the

800

¶ 2706 JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION

respondent, should enter into a written agreement outlining the

process, including any agreements on condentiality. If resolu-

tion is achieved, a written statement, afrming such resolution,

including any terms and conditions, shall be signed by the same

persons who signed the written agreement outlining the process,

and they shall agree on any matters to be disclosed to third par-

ties. If the resolution results in a change of ministerial status, the

disclosure agreement shall not prevent the disciplinary disclo-

sures required for readmission. The committee on investigation

shall retain jurisdiction for the period of time stated for the imple-

mentation of the resolution agreement. The committee shall peri-

odically monitor the progress of the completion of the terms and

conditions of the resolution agreement, and shall certify when the

terms and conditions of the agreement are completed. When the

terms and conditions of the agreement are completed, the com-

mittee on investigation shall report its certication, and the status

of the respondent as a result of completing the terms and condi-

tions of the resolution agreement, to the resident bishop. If the

process does not result in resolution, the matter shall be returned

to the committee on investigation for further consideration. Also,

decision(s) of a trial court that call for certication as to the com-

pletion of terms and conditions of the trial court’s decision(s) after

the end of a trial are to be assigned to the committee on investiga-

tion for monitoring and certication of completion of the decision.

If the respondent fails to complete the terms and conditions of a

trial court decision, the committee shall notify the presiding of-

cer of the trial, who may reconvene the trial court for its further

consideration.

6. Special Investigations—In the event that jurisdiction in a

judicial proceeding is ended as a result of the death of, or surren-

der of credentials by, the respondent in cases where the charge-

able offense includes those listed in ¶ 2702.1(h), (i), or (j), the

committee on investigation may be convened at the request of the

presiding bishop to make pastoral inquiry into the charges. The

inquiry shall:

(a) not be judicial in nature;

(b) be empowered to receive witnesses and to consider

evidence; and

respondent’s membership was held, including recommendations

if any.

801

INVESTIGATIONS, TRIALS, AND APPEALS ¶ 2708

7. Records of the Committee on Investigation—At the conclusion

of the investigation process, all documents used by the committee

on investigation, including transcriptions of its hearings, shall be

sent to the secretary of the annual conference, the jurisdictional or

central conference in the case of a bishop, who shall keep them in

custody. Such documents are to be held in a condential le and

shall not be released except for the purposes of trial and then only

to counsels for the Church and the respondent and to the presid-

ing ofcer of the trial court who shall return them to the secretary

of the annual, jurisdictional, or central conference following the

conclusion of the trial and any appeal.

T

¶ 2707. Fundamental Principles for Trials—Church trials are to

be regarded as an expedient of last resort. Only after every rea-

sonable effort has been made to correct any wrong and adjust

any existing difculty should steps be taken to institute a trial.

No such trial as herein provided shall be construed to deprive the

respondent or the Church of legal civil rights, except to the extent

that immunity is provided as in ¶ 2701.4d. All trials shall be con-

ducted according to the Book of Discipline in a consistent Christian

manner by a properly constituted court after due investigation.

¶ 2708. General Organization and Pre-Trial Procedures

1. Ofcers of the Court—Ofcers shall consist of a presiding

ofcer (see ¶¶ 2712.2, 2713.2, 2714.2), who shall appoint a secre-

tary and such other ofcers as deemed necessary. The presiding

ofcer may have legal counsel, who shall not be the conference

chancellor, at the expense of the annual conference holding the

trial, for the sole purpose of advice to the presiding ofcer during

the trial.

2. Time and Place of Trial—The ofcial charged with convening

the trial shall also x the time and place for the trial and will notify

the presiding ofcer, the respondent, counsel for the Church and

the person making the original complaint. In all cases, sufcient

time shall be allowed for these persons to appear at the given

place and time and for the respondent to prepare for the trial. The

presiding ofcer shall decide what constitutes “sufcient time,”

but in no case shall this time be less than twenty days.

3. Pre-Trial Motions and Referrals—All appeals of any proce-

dural or substantive matters that have occurred prior to referral

of the charges to trial must be appealed to the presiding ofcer

802

¶ 2708 JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION

of the trial court before the convening of the trial. Otherwise, the

right to appeal on such matters is forfeited. All objections to and

motions regarding the regularity of the proceedings and the form

and substance of charges and specications must be made before

the convening of the trial court. The presiding ofcer may deter-

mine all such preliminary objections and motions; in furtherance

of truth and justice may permit amendments to the specications

or charges not changing the general nature of the same; and may

dismiss all or any part of the bill of charges upon a nding by

the presiding ofcer (1) that all or such part is without legal or

factual basis or (2) that, even assuming the specications to be

true, they do not constitute a basis for a chargeable offense. The

presiding ofcer may refer the matter as deemed appropriate for

a process seeking a just resolution to the resident bishop upon

consultation with the counsel for the Church and counsel for the

respondent. The bishop shall institute such a process and may

use the assistance of a trained, impartial third party facilitator(s)

or mediator(s). Such referral will not constitute a dismissal or

double jeopardy under ¶ 2701.2d. If a process seeking a just

resolution is used, the appropriate persons, including the coun-

sel for the Church and counsel for the respondent, should enter

into a written agreement outlining such process, including any

agreement on condentiality. If resolution is achieved, a written

statement, afrming such resolution, and any terms and condi-

tion, shall be signed by the same persons who signed the writ-

ten agreement outlining the process, and they shall agree on all

matters to be disclosed to third parties. Such a written statement

shall be given to the presiding ofcer and the presiding ofcer

shall take action consistent with the agreement. If no resolution

results, the matter is returned to the presiding ofcer for further

action.

4. Change of Venue—The respondent may request a change of

venue. This shall be a written request to the presiding ofcer of

the court within ten days of receipt of notice to appear for trial.

The presiding ofcer shall rule upon the request after hearing

arguments by the respondent and the Church. If the motion is

approved, the presiding ofcer shall name the annual conference

outside the episcopal area wherein the trial shall be held and shall

notify the resident bishop of that conference, who shall convene

the court. The cost of prosecution shall be borne by the conference

where the case originated.

803

INVESTIGATIONS, TRIALS, AND APPEALS ¶ 2708

5. Notice

a) All notices required or provided for in relationship to

investigations, trials, and appeals shall be in writing, signed by

or on behalf of the person or body giving or required to give such

notice, and shall be addressed to the person or body to whom it is

required to be given. Such notices shall be served by delivering a

copy thereof to the party or chief ofcer of the body to whom it is

addressed in person or sent by other delivery system to the last-

known residence or address of such party. Proof of notice shall be

provided and becomes a part of the record of the case.

b) In all cases wherein it is provided that notice shall be

given to a bishop or district superintendent and the charges are

against that particular person, then such notice (in addition to

being given to the accused) shall be given, in the case of a bishop,

to another bishop within the same jurisdiction and, in the case of

a district superintendent, to the bishop in charge.

6. Trial Scheduling and Continuances—If in any case the respon-

dent, after due notice (twenty days) has been given, shall refuse or

neglect to appear at the time and place set forth for the hearing,

the trial may proceed in the respondent’s absence. However, if in

the sole discretion of the presiding ofcer there is good and suf-

cient reason for the absence of the respondent or another essential

person, the presiding ofcer may reschedule the trial to a later

date.

7. Counsel—In all cases, a respondent shall be entitled to

appear and to select and be represented by counsel, a clergyper-

son in full connection of The United Methodist Church if the

respondent is a bishop, a clergyperson, or a diaconal minister; and

a lay or clergy member of The United Methodist Church if the

respondent is a lay member. The respondent and the Church shall

be entitled to have counsel heard in oral or written argument or

both. The ofcial charged with convening the court (see ¶¶ 2712.1,

2713.1, 2714.1) shall, within thirty days after receiving a copy of

the charges and specications, appoint counsel for the Church, if

counsel has not been previously appointed. In the case of a trial

of a bishop, clergyperson, or local pastor, counsel for the Church

shall be a clergyperson in full connection (¶¶ 2704.2a, 2712.4) to

represent the interests of the Church in pressing the claims of the

person making the complaint.

No person who was a member of the cabinet, Board of

Ordained Ministry, or committee on investigation who earlier

804

¶ 2708 JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION

considered the case now before the trial court shall be appointed

counsel for the Church or serve as counsel for the respondent or

any of the persons bringing complaints in a case. In all cases of

trial where counsel has not been chosen by the respondent, coun-

sel shall be appointed by the presiding ofcer. The counsel for the

Church and for the respondent each shall be entitled to choose

one assistant counsel, who may be an attorney, without voice.

“Without voice” means without the ability to speak to or within

the hearing of the trial court. In no instance and under no cir-

cumstances shall the respondent be entitled to receive an award

of compensation for or reimbursement of any expenses or fees

associated with the respondent’s use of an attorney.

8. Witnesses—Notice to appear shall be given to such wit-

nesses as either party may name and shall be issued in the name

of the Church and be signed by the presiding ofcer of the trial.

It shall be the duty of all clergy and lay members of The United

Methodist Church to appear and testify when summoned. Refusal

to appear or to answer questions ruled by the presiding ofcer to

be relevant may be considered as disobedience to the order and

discipline of The United Methodist Church except when refusal to

answer is based on a good faith claim that answering might tend

to incriminate the witness under state or federal criminal law or is

based on a claim of condential communication to a clergyperson

under ¶ 341.5.

9. Witness Qualications—A witness, to be qualied, need not

be a member of The United Methodist Church.

10. Commissioned Out-of-Court Testimony—The presiding of-

cer of any court before which a case may be pending shall have

power, whenever the necessity of the parties or witnesses shall

require, to appoint, on the application of either party, a commis-

sioner or commissioners, either a clergy or a layperson or both,

to examine the witnesses; provided that three days’ notice of the

time and place of taking such testimony shall have been given to

the adverse party. The party making this request shall have the

burden of showing good cause and shall bear the cost of such

commissioned out-of-court testimony. Counsel for both parties

shall be permitted to examine and cross-examine the witness or

witnesses whose testimony is thus taken. The commissioners so

appointed shall take such testimony in writing as may be offered

by either party. The testimony properly certied by the signa-

ture of the commissioner or commissioners shall be transmit-

805

INVESTIGATIONS, TRIALS, AND APPEALS ¶ 2709

ted to the presiding ofcer of the court before which the case is

pending.

11. Amendments to Bill of Charges and Specications—After con-

sultation with counsels, the presiding ofcer of the trial may make

amendments to the bill of charges, or request that the committee

on investigation make amendments to the bill of charges; provided

that they do not change the nature of the charges and specica-

tions and do not introduce new matter of which the respondent

has not had due notice. When an amendment or amendments

to a bill of charges is or are denied by the presiding ofcer, it or

they shall not be introduced in the form of testimony in the trial.

Charges or specications previously considered and dropped by

the committee on investigation shall not be introduced in the trial

in the form of evidence or otherwise.

12. Open or Closed Trials—The deliberations of the trial court

shall be closed. All other sessions of the trial shall be open. The

presiding ofcer may, in extenuating circumstances, in his or her

judgment on motion of counsel for either party or on the presid-

ing ofcer’s own motion, declare a particular session of the court

to be closed. At all times, however, in the hearing portion of the

trial, the presiding ofcer, the members of the trial court, the

person(s) making the original complaint, the person representing

the Church as well as counsel for the Church, the respondent, and

counsel for the respondent shall have a right to be present.

13. Combined Trials of Multiple Persons—In cases in which a

number of persons have allegedly engaged in the same offense

at the same time and place, their trials may be combined into one

trial for that same offense. The presiding ofcer shall make the

determination on combination of trials.

¶ 2709. Trial Convening and Organization

1. Convening of the Trial—The convenor shall notify the

respondent in writing to appear at a xed time and place no less

than twenty days after service of such notice and within a reason-

able time thereafter for selection of the members of the trial court.

2. Trial Pool—At the appointed time, in the presence of the

respondent, counsel for the respondent, counsel for the Church,

and the presiding ofcer, thirteen persons shall be selected as a

trial court out of a pool of thirty-ve or more persons selected

according to ¶¶ 2712.3, 2713.3, and 2714.3. Special consideration

should be given so that the pool includes persons representative

of racial, ethnic, and gender diversity.

806

¶ 2709 JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION

3. Selection of the Trial Court—No person shall serve as a mem-

ber of the trial court who was a member of the cabinet, Board

of Ordained Ministry, or committee on investigation who consid-

ered the case in the process of coming to trial court. The coun-

sel for the Church and the respondent shall each have up to four

peremptory challenges and challenges for cause without limit. If

by reason of challenges for cause being sustained the number is

reduced to below thirteen, additional appropriate persons shall

be nominated in like manner as was the original panel to take the

places of the numbers challenged, who likewise shall be subject to

challenge for cause. This method of procedure shall be followed

until a trial court of thirteen members and two alternate members

has been selected.

4. Alternates—The two alternate members shall sit as observ-

ers of the trial. They shall replace members of the trial court who

are not able to continue to serve, so that the trial court shall always

consist of thirteen members, unless the respondent and counsel

for the Church agree to a lesser number.

5. Trial Court Questions—The members of the trial court,

including the alternate members, may, subject to the approval

of the presiding ofcer of the court, ask questions on matters on

which evidence has been presented.

¶ 2710. Trial Guidelines and Rules

1. Authority of Presiding Ofcer—After the trial is convened

the authority of the presiding ofcer shall include the right to

set reasonable time limits, after consultation with counsel for the

Church and counsel for the person charged, for the presentation

of the case, provided such time is equal for both. The authority of

the presiding ofcer shall be limited to ruling upon proper repre-

sentation of the Church and the person charged, admissibility of

evidence, recessing, adjourning, and reconvening sessions of the

trial, charging the members of the trial court as to the Church law

involved in the case at the beginning of the trial and just before

they retire to make up their verdict, and such other authority as

is normally vested in a civil court judge sitting with a jury, but he

or she shall not have authority to pronounce any judgment in favor

of or against the person charged other than such verdict as may be

returned by the trial court, which body shall have the exclusive

right to determine the innocence or guilt of the person charged.

2. Order of Trial—After selection of the trial court, each coun-

sel may make an opening statement to inform the trial court of

807

INVESTIGATIONS, TRIALS, AND APPEALS ¶ 2710

what the evidence is expected to be. Evidence shall then be offered

by questioning of witnesses and by documents shown to be reli-

able. Each counsel shall have opportunity to make closing argu-

ments before the trial court begins deliberations. Deliberations of

the trial court and receiving of the verdict shall follow.

3. Oaths—The administration of oaths shall not be required.

At the beginning of the trial, the presiding ofcer shall remind all

parties of the duties and responsibilities of Church membership

(¶ 218) and/or the clergy covenant (¶¶ 304.2 and 330.5c[3]).

4. Entering of the Plea—At the beginning of the trial, the

respondent shall be called upon by the presiding ofcer to plead

to the charge, and the pleas shall be recorded. If the respondent

pleads “guilty” to the charges preferred, no trial shall be neces-

sary, but evidence may be taken with respect to the appropriate

penalty, which shall thereupon be imposed. If the respondent

pleads “not guilty” or if the respondent should neglect or refuse

to plead, the plea of “not guilty” shall be entered, and the trial

shall proceed. The respondent shall at all times during the trial,

except as hereinafter provided, have the right to produce testi-

mony and that of witnesses and to make defense.

5. Recess and Trial Procedures—The court may recess from time

to time as convenience or necessity may require. During the time

of recess, the members of the trial court shall be instructed that

under no circumstance will they speak to one another or to others

about the trial or observe media reports regarding the case. When,

in consultation with counsel for both parties, the presiding ofcer

nds it advisable, the members and reserves shall be sequestered.

Threatening or tampering with the trial court or ofcers of the

trial court shall be considered disobedience to the order and disci-

pline of The United Methodist Church. The presiding ofcer shall

remain and preside until the decision is rendered and the ndings

are completed and shall thereupon sign and certify them.

6. Objections and Rulings—Objections of any party to the pro-

ceedings shall be entered on the record. All rulings on pre-trial

appeals, objections, and motions shall be entered on the record.

All objections and motions from counsels during the proceedings

of the trial shall be made in open session before the trial court and

entered on the record along with the rulings of the presiding of-

cer on all such objections and motions.

7. Exclusion of Witnesses—With the exception of the complain-

ant and respondent, no witness to be examined shall be present

808

¶ 2710 JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION

during the examination of another witness if the opposing party

objects. Witnesses shall be examined rst by the party produc-

ing them, then cross-examined by the opposite party and may be

questioned by members of the trial court, with the approval of

the presiding ofcer. The presiding ofcer of the court shall deter-

mine all questions of relevancy and competency of evidence.

8. Recording of Proceedings—A verbatim record of all proceed-

ings of the trial shall be by stenograph or other appropriate means

and reduced to writing and certied by the presiding ofcer or

secretary. The record, including all exhibits, papers and evidence

in the case, shall be the basis of any appeal that may be taken.

9. Evidence—The introduction of any material relating to

events happening before the six-year statute of limitation period

as evidence, as preface to evidence, or as build-up for evidence in

the procedures of the trial proceedings may be permitted when

the presiding ofcer, after consultation with counsel for both par-

ties, rules that such material is relevant and reliable. Documen-

tary evidence deemed by the presiding ofcer to be relevant and

reliable may be in the physical possession of the trial court during

deliberations.

10. Instructions and Charges—The presiding ofcer shall not

deliver a charge reviewing or explaining the evidence or setting

forth the merits of the case. The presiding ofcer shall express

no opinion on the law or the facts while the court is deliberat-

ing. If requested by either party’s counsel, the presiding ofcer

shall instruct the trial court on Church law applicable to the case.

Instructions may be given at the beginning of the trial, during the

trial, before the trial court begins deliberations or a combination

of any of these. If requested by the trial court, instructions may be

given during deliberations. The presiding ofcer shall not review

or explain the evidence or comment on the merits of the case.

¶ 2711. Power of the Trial Court

1. Instruction, Disqualication, Voting, and Verdicts—The trial

court shall have full power to try the respondent. The trial court

shall be a continuing body until the nal disposition of the charge.

If any regular or alternate member of the trial court fails to attend

any part of any session at which evidence is received or oral argu-

ment is made to the trial court by counsel, that person shall not

thereafter be a member of the trial court, but the rest of the trial

court may proceed to judgment.

809

INVESTIGATIONS, TRIALS, AND APPEALS ¶ 2712

2. Votes—It shall require a vote of at least nine members of

the trial court to sustain the charge(s) and nine votes also shall

be required for conviction. Fewer than nine votes for conviction

shall be considered an acquittal. The burden of proof for a vote to

convict shall be clear and convincing. The trial court shall present

to the presiding ofcer a decision on each charge and each indi-

vidual specication under each charge. Its ndings shall be nal,

subject to appeal to the committee on appeals of the jurisdictional

conference or the central conference, as the case may be.

3. Penalties—If the Trial Results in Conviction.—Further testi-

mony may be heard and arguments by counsel presented regard-

ing what the penalty should be. The trial court shall determine the

penalty, which shall require a vote of at least seven members. The

trial court shall have the power to remove the respondent from

professing membership, terminate the conference membership,

and revoke the credentials of conference membership, commis-

sioning, ordination, or consecration of the respondent, suspend

the respondent from the exercise of the functions of ofce, or to x

a lesser penalty. The penalty xed by the trial court shall take effect

immediately unless otherwise indicated by the trial court. Should

any penalty xed by a trial court be altered or reduced as a result

of the appellate process, the respondent shall be restored and/

or compensated as appropriate, provided that in no instance and

under no circumstances shall the respondent be entitled to receive

an award of compensation for or reimbursement of any expenses

or fees associated with the respondent’s use of an attorney.

¶ 2712. Trial of a Bishop

1. The president of the College of Bishops of the jurisdictional

or central conference—or in case the person charged is the presi-

dent, the secretary of the college—shall proceed to convene the

court under the provisions of ¶ 2709.

2. The president of the College of Bishops (or in the case the

person charged is the president, the secretary) may preside or des-

ignate another bishop to serve as presiding ofcer.

3. The trial shall be convened as provided in ¶ 2709 with the

pool of thirty-ve or more persons to consist of clergy in full con-

nection named by the College of Bishops in approximately equal

numbers from each episcopal area within the jurisdictional or cen-

tral conference. Special consideration should be given so that the

23. See Judicial Council Decision 1201.

810

¶ 2712 JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION

pool includes persons representative of racial, age, ethnic, and

gender diversity.

4. Counsel for the Church shall be a bishop or another clergy-

person in full connection.

5. The secretary of the court shall at the conclusion of the pro-

ceedings send all trial documents to the secretary of the jurisdic-

tional or central conference, who shall keep them in custody. If an

appeal is taken, the secretary shall forward the materials forth-

with to the secretary of the Judicial Council. After the appeal has

been heard, the records shall be returned to the secretary of the

jurisdictional or central conference.

6. A bishop suspended from ofce shall have claim on the

Episcopal Fund for salary, dwelling, pension, and other related

benets. A bishop removed from ofce shall have no claim upon

the Episcopal Fund for salary, dwelling, pension and other related

benets from the date of such removal.

¶ 2713. Trial of a Clergy Member of an Annual Conference, Local

Pastor, Clergy on Honorable or Administrative Location, or Diaconal

Minister

1. The resident bishop of the respondent shall proceed to con-

vene the court under the provisions of ¶ 2709.

2. The resident bishop shall designate another bishop to be

presiding ofcer.

3. a) The trial for a clergy member or a local pastor shall be

convened as provided in ¶ 2709 with the pool of thirty-ve or

more persons to consist of clergy in full connection. If there are

not enough persons in appropriate categories in an annual confer-

ence to complete the pool, additional persons may be appointed

from other annual conferences. All appointments to the pool shall

be made by the district superintendents. Special consideration

should be given so that the pool includes persons representative

of racial, age, ethnic, and gender diversity.

b) The trial for a diaconal minister shall be convened as

provided in ¶ 2709 and shall consist of a pool of thirty-ve or

more persons who shall be diaconal ministers or, when necessary,

members of the Church. Special consideration should be given so

that the pool includes persons representative of racial, ethnic, and

gender diversity.

4. Counsel for the Church shall be a clergyperson in full

connection.

811

INVESTIGATIONS, TRIALS, AND APPEALS ¶ 2714

5. The secretary of the court shall at the conclusion of the pro-

ceedings send all trial documents to the secretary of the annual

conference, who shall keep them in custody. Such documents are

to be held in a condential le and shall not be released for other

than appeal or new trial purposes without a signed release from

both the clergyperson charged and the presiding ofcer of the

trial that tried the case. If an appeal is taken, the secretary shall

forward the materials forthwith to the president of the court of

appeals of the jurisdictional or central conference. If a president

has not been elected, the secretary shall send the materials to such

members of the court of appeals as the president of the College

of Bishops shall designate. After the appeal has been heard, the

records shall be returned to the secretary of the annual conference

unless a further appeal on a question of law has been made to the

Judicial Council, in which case the relevant documents shall be

forwarded to the secretary of that body.

¶ 2714. Trial of Lay Member of a Local Church

1. The district superintendent of the person charged shall

proceed to convene the court under the provisions of ¶ 2709.

2. The district superintendent may be the presiding ofcer or

may designate another clergyperson in full connection to preside.

3. The trial shall be convened as provided in ¶ 2709, with the

pool of thirty-ve or more persons to consist of professing mem-

bers of local churches other than the local church of the charged

layperson within the same district. Appointments to the pool shall

be made by the district superintendent, who may consult with the

district lay leader. Special consideration should be given so that

the pool includes persons representative of racial, age, ethnic, and

gender diversity.

4. Counsel for the Church shall be a professing member or

clergyperson of The United Methodist Church.

5. The person charged may request a change of venue. This

shall be a written request to the ofcers of the court within ten

days of receipt of notice to appear for trial. The presiding of-

cer shall rule upon the request after hearing argument for the

defense and the Church. If the motion is approved, the presiding

ofcer shall name another district wherein the trial shall be held

and shall notify the district superintendent, who shall convene

the court. The thirty-ve-member pool shall consist of professing

24. See Judicial Council Decisions 751, 1201, 1250.

812

¶ 2714 JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION

members from that district. The cost of prosecution shall be borne

by the annual conference.

6. If the trial court nds that the charges are proven by clear

and convincing evidence, then it may impose such penalties as

it may determine, including that the professing membership of

the charged layperson in The United Methodist Church be termi-

nated; provided that the trial court shall rst consider other rem-

edies that would fulll the provisions of ¶ 221.

7. The appropriate ofcer of the trial shall, at the conclusion

of the proceeding, deposit all trial documents with the secretary

of the charge conference. If an appeal is taken, the secretary shall

deliver all documents to the district superintendent. After the

appeal has been heard, the records shall be returned to the cus-

tody of the secretary of the charge conference.

A

¶ 2715. Appeal Procedures—General

1. In all cases of appeal, the appellant shall within thirty days

give written notice of appeal and at the same time shall furnish to

the ofcer receiving such notice (¶¶ 2716.2, 2717.1, 2718.2) and to

the counsel a written statement of the grounds of the appeal, and

the hearing in the appellate body shall be limited to the grounds

set forth in such statement.

2. When any appellate body shall reverse in whole or in part

the ndings of a committee on investigation or trial court, or

remand the case for a new hearing or trial, or change the penalty

imposed by the trial court, it shall return to the convening ofcer

a statement of the grounds of its action.

3. An appeal shall not be allowed in any case in which the

respondent has failed or refused to be present in person or by

counsel at the investigation and the trial. Appeals shall be heard

by the proper appellate body unless it shall appear to the said

body that the appellant has forfeited the right to appeal by mis-

conduct, such as refusal to abide by the ndings of the trial court;

or by withdrawal from the Church; or by failure to appear in per-

son or by counsel to prosecute the appeal; or, prior to the nal

decision on appeal from conviction, by resorting to suit in the civil

courts against the complainant or any of the parties connected

with the ecclesiastical court in which the appellant was tried.

25. See Judicial Council Memorandum 826.

26. See Judicial Council Decision 3.

813

INVESTIGATIONS, TRIALS, AND APPEALS ¶ 2715

4. The right of appeal, when once forfeited by neglect or oth-

erwise, cannot be revived by any subsequent appellate body.

5. The right to prosecute an appeal shall not be affected by

the death of the person entitled to such right. Heirs or legal repre-

sentatives may prosecute such appeal as the appellant would be

entitled to do if living.

6. The records and documents of the trial, including the evi-

dence, and these only, shall be used in the hearing of any appeal.

7. The appellate body shall determine two questions only:

(a) Does the weight of the evidence sustain the charge or charges?

(b) Were there such errors of Church law as to vitiate the verdict

and/or the penalty? These questions shall be determined by the

records of the trial and the argument of counsel for the Church

and for the respondent. The appellate body shall in no case hear

witnesses. It may have legal counsel present, who shall not be the

conference chancellor for the conference from which the appeal

is taken, for the sole purpose of providing advice to the appellate

body.

8. In all cases where an appeal is made and admitted by the

appellate committee, after the charges, ndings, and evidence

have been read and the arguments conclude, the parties shall

withdraw, and the appellate committee shall consider and decide

the case. It may reverse in whole or in part the ndings of the

committee on investigation or the trial court, or it may remand

the case for a new trial to determine verdict and/or penalty. It

may determine what penalty, not higher than that afxed at the

hearing or trial, may be imposed. If it neither reverses in whole or

in part the judgment of the trial court, nor remands the case for a

new trial, nor modies the penalty, that judgment shall stand. The

appellate committee shall not reverse the judgment nor remand

the case for a new hearing or trial on account of errors plainly not

affecting the result. All decisions of the appellate committee shall

require a majority vote.

9. In all cases, the right to present evidence shall be exhausted

when the case has been heard once on its merits in the proper

court, but questions of Church law may be carried on appeal, step

by step, to the Judicial Council.

10. The Church shall have no right of appeal from ndings

of the trial court. In regard to cases where there is an investiga-

tion under ¶ 2702, but no trial is held, egregious errors of Church

814

¶ 2715 JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION

law or administration may be appealed to the jurisdictional com-

mittee on appeals by counsel for the Church. The committee on

investigation’s decision not to certify a bill of charges does not

alone constitute an egregious error of Church law or administra-

tion. When the committee on appeals shall nd egregious errors of

Church law or administration under this part, it may remand the

case for a new hearing, in which event it shall return to the chair

of the committee on investigation a statement of the grounds of its

action. This is not to be double jeopardy.

11. Questions of procedure may be raised with the presiding

ofcer or secretary of the appellate body. Under no circumstances

shall one party in the absence of the other party discuss substan-

tive matters with members of any appellate body while the case is

pending (cf. ¶¶ 2607, 2701.4).

12. In all matters of judicial administration, the rights, duties,

and responsibilities of clergy members and diaconal ministers of

missionary conferences and provisional annual conferences are

the same as those in annual conferences, and the procedure is the

same.

13. Contacts with members of any appellate body shall be

limited to matters of procedure and shall be directed only to the

presiding ofcer or secretary of the appellate body. Under no cir-

cumstances shall matters of substance be discussed.

¶ 2716. Appeal of a Bishop, Clergy Member of an Annual Confer-

ence, Clergy on Honorable or Administrative Location, Local Pastor, or

Diaconal Minister

1. Each jurisdictional and central conference, upon nomina-

tion of the College of Bishops, shall elect a committee on appeals

composed of four clergy, one diaconal minister, one full-time local

pastor, and three laypersons who have been at least six years suc-

cessively members of The United Methodist Church, and an equal

number of corresponding alternates. This committee shall serve

until its successors have been elected. No member shall partici-

pate in the hearing of an appeal who is a member of a conference

in the episcopal area of the appellant. Any vacancy shall be lled

by the College of Bishops.

The committee on appeals shall have full power to hear and

determine appeals of bishops, clergy members, clergy members

on honorable or administrative location, local pastors, and dia-

27. See Judicial Council Decision 985.

815

INVESTIGATIONS, TRIALS, AND APPEALS ¶ 2716

conal ministers from any annual conference, provisional or mis-

sionary conference within the jurisdiction or central conference.

The committee shall elect its own president and secretary and

shall adopt its own rules of procedure, and its decisions shall be

nal, except that an appeal may be taken to the Judicial Council

only upon questions of law related to procedures of the jurisdic-

tional committee on appeals, central conference committee on

appeals, or under the provisions of ¶ 2609.8. A bishop designated

by the College of Bishops shall convene the committee at the site

of jurisdictional or central conference for the purpose of electing

ofcers.

2. In case of conviction by a trial court, a bishop, clergy mem-

ber, local pastor, clergy on honorable or administrative location,

or diaconal minister shall have the right of appeal to the jurisdic-

tional or central conference committee on appeals above consti-

tuted, provided that within thirty days after the conviction, the

appellant shall notify the presiding bishop of the conference (or,

when the appellant is a bishop, the president and secretary of the

College of Bishops) and the presiding ofcer of the court in writ-

ing of the intention to appeal.

3. When notice of an appeal has been given to the presiding

ofcer of the court, the presiding ofcer shall give notice of the

same to the secretary of the committee on appeals of the jurisdic-

tional or central conference and submit the documents in the case,

or in case the documents have been sent to the secretary of the

annual conference, instruct the secretary to send the documents

to the president of the committee on appeals. The jurisdictional or

central conference committee on appeals shall within thirty days

give notice to the presiding bishop of the conference from which

the appeal is taken (or to the president and secretary of the Col-

lege of Bishops when the appellant is a bishop) and to the appel-

lant of the time and place where the appeal will be heard. Such

hearing shall occur within 180 days following receipt of notice to

the committee on appeals. Both the annual conference, mission-

ary conference, or provisional conference and the appellant may

be represented by counsel as specied in ¶ 2708.7. The presiding

bishop of the conference or, in the appeal of a bishop, the presi-

dent or secretary of the College of Bishops, shall appoint counsel

for the Church.

4. All necessary traveling and sustenance expense incurred

by the committee on appeals, including any cost for legal coun-

816

¶ 2716 JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION

sel retained to advise the committee, in the hearing of an appeal

case coming from an annual conference and appearing before any

jurisdictional or central conference committee on appeals, shall be

paid out of the administrative fund of the central or jurisdictional

conference in which the proceedings arise. The president of the

committee on appeals shall approve all expenses. Expenses for

counsel for the Church shall be paid by the annual conference.

Such expenses for counsel for the respondent shall be paid by the

respondent, unless in the interest of fairness, the committee on

appeals orders the annual conference or jurisdictional conference

to reimburse the respondent.

¶ 2717. Appeal of a Lay Member

1. A lay member convicted by a trial court shall have the right

of appeal and shall serve written notice of appeal with the pastor

and the district superintendent within thirty days of conviction.

2. The district superintendent shall, on receipt of notice of

appeal, give written notice to all concerned of the time and place

of the convening of a committee on appeals not less than ten nor

more than thirty days after such notice has been delivered.

3. The committee on appeals shall be constituted in the fol-

lowing manner: The district superintendent shall appoint eleven

professing members of United Methodist churches within the

annual conference other than the appellant’s local church, none

of whom shall have been members of the trial court, and who

hold ofce either as lay leader or lay member of the annual confer-

ence. At the convening of the committee on appeals, from seven

to eleven of these shall be selected to serve on the committee. The

counsel for the appellant and the counsel for the Church shall

have the right to challenge for cause, and the decisions on the

validity of such challenges shall be made by the presiding ofcer,

who shall be the district superintendent.

4. The ndings of the committee on appeals shall be certied

by the district superintendent to the pastor of the church of which

the accused is a member.

¶ 2718. Other Appeals

1. The order of appeals on questions of law shall be as fol-

lows: from the decision of the district superintendent presiding

in the charge or district conference to the bishop presiding in the

annual conference, and from the decision of the bishop presiding

in the annual conference to the Judicial Council, and from a cen-

tral conference to the Judicial Council.

817

INVESTIGATIONS, TRIALS, AND APPEALS ¶ 2718

2. When an appeal is taken on a question of law, written

notice of the same shall be served on the secretary of the body in

which the decision has been rendered. It shall be the secretary’s

duty to see that an exact statement of the question submitted and

the ruling of the chair thereon shall be entered on the journal. The

secretary shall then make and certify a copy of the question and

ruling and transmit the same to the secretary of the body to which

the appeal is taken. The secretary who thus receives said certied

copy shall present the same in open conference and as soon as

practicable lay it before the presiding ofcer for a ruling thereon,

which ruling must be rendered before the nal adjournment of

that body, that said ruling together with the original question and

ruling may be entered on the journal of that conference. The same

course shall be followed in all subsequent appeals.

3. The order of appeals on questions of procedures in an

administrative process shall be as follows: from the decision of

the conference relations committee to the administrative review

committee who has original jurisdiction over the administrative

matter, and from the administrative review committee to the cen-

tral conference or jurisdictional appeals committee in which the

appellant holds membership, and from the jurisdictional appeals

committee to the Judicial Council.

4. When an appeal is made on questions of procedure in an

administrative process:

a) In all cases of appeal, the appellant shall within thirty

days give written notice of appeal and at the same time furnish

to the ofcer receiving such notice a written statement of the

grounds of appeal, and the hearing in the appellate body shall be

limited to the grounds set forth in such statement.

b) The appellant body shall return to the convening of-

cer of the administrative hearing and to the appellant a written

statement of the grounds of its action.

c) An appeal shall not be allowed in any case in which

the respondent has failed or refused to be present in person or by

counsel during the administrative hearing. Appeals shall be heard

by the proper appellate body unless it shall appear to the said body

that the appellant has forfeited the right to appeal by misconduct;

by withdrawal from the Church; by failure to appear in person or

by counsel to prosecute the appeal; or, prior to the nal decision

on appeal by resorting to suit in the civil courts against any of the

parties connected with the ecclesiastical administrative process.

818

¶ 2718 JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION

d) The right to appeal, when once forfeited by neglect or

otherwise, cannot be revived by any subsequent appellate body.

e) The right to prosecute an appeal shall not be affected

by the death of the person entitled to such right. Heirs of legal rep-

resentatives may prosecute such appeal as the appellant would be

entitled to do if living.

f) The records and documents of the administrative pro-

cess, including any evidence, and these only, shall be used in the

hearing of any appeal.

g) The appellate body shall determine one question only:

Were there such errors of Church law as to vitiate the recommen-

dation and/or action of the administrative body? This question

shall be determined by the records of the administrative process

and the arguments of the ofcial representatives of all parties. The

appellate body shall in no case hear witnesses. It may have legal

counsel present for the sole purpose of providing advice to the

appellate body.

h) If the appellate body determines that any error has

occurred, it may recommend to the appropriate person or body

that action be taken promptly to remedy the error, decide the error

is harmless, or take other action. The appellate committee shall

not reverse the judgment nor remand the case for a new hearing

on account of error plainly not affecting the result. All decisions of

the appellate committee shall require a majority vote.

i) In all cases, the right to present evidence shall be

exhausted when the case has been heard once on its merits in the

proper administrative hearing body, but questions on Church law

may be carried on appeal, step by step, to the Judicial Council.

j) Questions of procedure may be raised with the presid-

ing ofcer or secretary of the appellate body. Under no circum-

stances shall one party in the absence of the other party discuss

substantive matters with members of any appellate body while

the case is pending.

k) Contacts with members of any appellate body shall be

limited to matters of procedure and shall be directed only to the

presiding ofcer or secretary of the appellate body. Under no cir-

cumstance shall matters of substance be discussed.

M P

¶ 2719. 1. Any clergy members residing beyond the bounds

of the conference in which membership is held shall be subject to

819

INVESTIGATIONS, TRIALS, AND APPEALS ¶ 2719

the procedures of ¶¶ 2701-2718 exercised by the appropriate of-

cers of the conference in which he or she is a member, unless the

presiding bishops of the two annual conferences and the clergy

member subject to the procedures agree that fairness will be bet-

ter served by having the procedures carried out by the appropri-

ate ofcers of the annual conference in which he or she is serving

under appointment, or if retired, currently residing.

2. When a bishop, clergy member, local pastor, or diaconal

minister is the respondent to a complaint under ¶ 362.1e and

desires to withdraw from the Church, the jurisdictional or central

conference in the case of a bishop, the annual conference in the

case of a clergy member, or the district conference (where there is

no district conference, the charge conference) in the case of a local

pastor or diaconal minister will ask him or her to surrender his

or her credentials and will remove his or her name from profess-

ing membership; in which case the record shall be “Withdrawn

under complaints” or “withdrawn under charges,” whichever is

appropriate.

3. When a professing member of the Church is charged with

an offense and desires to withdraw from the Church, the charge

conference may permit such member to withdraw his or her name

from the roll of professing members, in which case the record shall

be “Withdrawn under complaints.” If formal charges have been

presented, such member may be permitted to withdraw, in which

case the record shall be “Withdrawn under charges.”

4. In all matters of judicial administration, the rights, duties,

and responsibilities of clergy members, local pastors, clergy on

honorable or administrative location, and diaconal ministers of

missions, missionary conferences, and provisional annual confer-

ences are the same as those in annual conferences, and the proce-

dure is the same.

5. For procedural purposes, the judicial process shall be gov-

erned by the Discipline in effect on the date a complaint is for-

warded to the counsel for the Church.

This page intentionally left blank

821

abortion,

late-term, partial, ¶¶ 161K,

806.10

social principles, ¶¶ 161K,L, 162K

abstinence, alcohol, ¶¶ 162L,

806.11

abuse, social principles,

family, ¶ 161H,I,J

of women, ¶ 162F

See also Board of Ordained

Ministry, annual conference

Board of Pensions, ¶ 639

See also honorable location

involuntary leave, ¶¶ 354, 363

maternity or paternity leave,

¶ 356

medical leave, ¶¶ 356, 652

provisions for change, ¶ 352

retirement, ¶ 357

appointment, ¶ 357.6

831

INDEX

charge conference member-

ship, ¶ 357.5

involuntary, ¶¶ 357.3, 364

mandatory, ¶ 357.1

return to effective relation-

ship, ¶ 357.7

voluntary, ¶ 357.2

voluntary leave of absence,

¶ 353

family leave, ¶ 353.2b

personal leave, ¶ 353.2a

transitional leave, ¶ 353.2c

withdrawal, ¶ 360

between annual confer-

ences, ¶ 360.4

from ministerial ofce,

¶ 360.2

to unite with another de-

nomination, ¶ 360.1

withdrawal under com-

plaint or charges, ¶ 360.3

See also honorable location

leaves

afliate membership,

¶ 334.5

839

INDEX

from other denominations,

¶ 345.2

involuntary, ¶¶ 354, 363

maternity or paternity, ¶ 355

medical, ¶¶ 356, 652

sabbatical, ¶ 351

spiritual growth, ¶ 350.3

voluntary, ¶ 353

family, ¶ 353.2b

personal, ¶ 353.2a

transitional, ¶ 353.2c

retirement, ¶ 357

ad interim, ¶ 357.2d

involuntary, ¶¶ 357.3, 363

mandatory, ¶ 357.1

voluntary, ¶ 357.2

with forty years of ser-

vice or age sixty-ve,

¶ 357.2c

with thirty years of ser-

vice or age sixty-two,

¶ 357.2b

with twenty years of

service, ¶ 357.2a

withdrawal

between conferences,

¶ 360.4

from ordained ofce,

¶ 360.2

to unite with another de-

nomination, ¶ 360.1

under complaints or

charges, ¶ 360.3

chargeable offenses, ¶ 2702.1

clergy & Christian denomina-

tions,

appointments

clergy from other denomi-

nations, ¶ 346.2

clergy serving other de-

nominations, ¶ 345

transfer

clergy from other annual

conferences, ¶ 347.1

clergy from other denomi-

nations, ¶ 347.3

clergy from other Method-

ist denominations,

¶ 347.2

complaints. See Complaints

condentiality, ¶ 341.5

continuing education and spiri-

tual growth, ¶ 350

denition of, ¶ 142

employment status of, ¶ 143

extension ministry, ¶¶ 343–344

afliate annual conference

membership, ¶ 344.4

afliate local church member-

ship, ¶ 344.3b

annual compensation report

requirement, ¶ 628

categories of appointment,

¶ 344.1

clergy serving evaluation,

¶ 359.2

consultation with bishop,

¶ 343.2&3

general provisions, ¶ 344.5

links to, ¶ 1421.5j

local pastors and, ¶ 316.1

pastoral care programs,

¶ 1421.5k

provisions for appointment,

¶ 344

provisional members, ¶ 326.3

relation to annual conference,

¶ 344.2

accountability to, ¶ 344.2a

afliate membership,

¶ 344.4

responsibility for, ¶ 344.2b

relation to local church,

¶ 344.3

evaluation, ¶ 349

from other denominations,

¶ 346.2

full-time ministry service,

¶ 338.1

General Conference delegates,

¶ 502.1a

honorable location, ¶ 358

See also honorable location

inquiring into moral character,

¶ 605.7

judicial complaints of, ¶ 2704.2

See also honorable location

involuntary leave, ¶¶ 354, 363

maternity or paternity leave,

¶ 355

medical leave, ¶¶ 356, 652

provisions for change, ¶ 352

retirement, ¶ 357

appointment, ¶ 357.6

charge conference member-

ship, ¶ 357.5

involuntary, ¶¶ 357.3, 363

mandatory, ¶ 357.1

return to effective relation-

ship, ¶ 357.7

voluntary, ¶ 357.2

voluntary leave of absence,

¶ 353

family leave, ¶ 353.2b

personal leave. ¶ 353.2a

transitional leave, ¶ 353.2c

withdrawal, ¶ 360

between annual confer-

ences, ¶ 360.4

847

INDEX

from ministerial ofce,

¶ 360.2

to unite with another de-

nomination, ¶ 360.1

withdrawal under com-

plaint or charges, ¶ 360.3

changing ordination track,

¶ 326.4

chargeable offenses, ¶ 2702.1

charge conference membership

of, ¶ 331.9

complaint procedures, ¶ 362

educational requirements,

¶¶ 324.5, 330.3

employment termination,

¶ 331.10e

equalize lay/clergy annual con-

ference membership, ¶ 602.4

evaluation, ¶ 349

examination of, ¶ 330.4–5

executive (clergy) session

membership, ¶¶ 334.1, 369.5,

602.1a

nancing for continuing educa-

tion, ¶ 350.4b

from other annual conferences

and other Methodist denomi-

nations, ¶¶ 331.4b,c&9b, 346.1

General Conference legislative

power, ¶ 16.2 Article IV

ministry, authority, and respon-

sibilities of, ¶¶ 328-329

orders, ¶¶ 306-309, 329.3

changing orders, ¶ 309.2&3

deacons, ¶ 306

membership, ¶ 309

organization, ¶ 308

purpose, ¶ 307

ordination and admission to full

connection requirements,

¶ 330

See also Board of Ordained

Ministry, conference

provisional membership,

commissioning, ¶ 325

qualications for election,

¶ 324

service of commissioned

ministers, ¶¶ 324-327

readmission, ¶¶ 364-368

See also Board of Ordained

Ministry, conference read-

mission

requirement for admission and

ordination, ¶ 330

sabbatical leave, ¶ 351

sacramental authority, ¶ 328

support when under appoint-

ment of bishop, ¶ 331.10

termination procedures,

¶ 331.10e

transfer of, ¶ 347

from other annual confer-

ences, ¶ 347.1

from other denominations,

¶ 347.3

from other Methodist de-

nominations, ¶ 347.2

unauthorized conduct, ¶ 341

See also Board of Ordained

Ministry, clergy and/or Order

of Deacons

death, social principles, ¶ 161N,O

See also honorable location

involuntary leave, ¶¶ 354, 363

maternity or paternity leave,

¶ 355

medical leave, ¶¶ 356, 652

provisions for change, ¶ 352

retirement, ¶ 357

appointment, ¶ 357.6

charge conference member-

ship, ¶ 357.5

involuntary, ¶¶ 357.3, 363

mandatory, ¶ 357.1

return to effective relation-

ship, ¶ 357.7

voluntary, ¶ 357.2

voluntary leave of absence,

¶ 353

family leave, ¶ 353.2b

personal leave. ¶ 353.2a

transitional leave, ¶ 353.2c

withdrawal, ¶ 360

between annual confer-

ences, ¶ 360.4

from ministerial ofce,

¶ 360.2

to unite with another de-

nomination, ¶ 360.1

withdrawal under complaint

or charges, ¶ 360.3

chargeable offenses, ¶ 2702.1

complaint procedures, ¶ 362

continuing education and spiri-

tual growth, ¶¶ 334.2d, 350

denition of pastor, ¶ 339

evaluation, ¶ 349

executive (clergy) session

membership, ¶¶ 334.1, 369.5,

602.1a

from other denominations,

¶ 346.2

from other annual conferences

and other Methodist denomi-

nations, ¶ 346.1

General Conference legislative

power, ¶ 16.2 Article IV

ministry, authority and respon-

sibilities, ¶¶ 332, 334, 340

orders, ¶¶ 305-309

changing orders, ¶¶ 309.2&3

elders, ¶ 306

membership, ¶ 309

853

INDEX

organization, ¶ 308

purpose, ¶ 307

ordination. See Board of Or-

dained Ministry, conference

professional assessment and in-

depth renewal, ¶ 349.3

provisional membership. See

provisional membership

readmission, ¶¶ 364-368

after honorable or administra-

tive location, ¶ 365

after involuntary retirement,

¶ 368

after leaving ministerial of-

ce, ¶ 366

after termination by action of

annual conference, ¶ 367

to provisional membership,

¶ 364

sabbatical leave, ¶ 351

support for, ¶ 342

transfer from other annual con-

ference, ¶ 347.1

transfer from other Methodist

denominations, ¶ 347.2

transfer from other denomina-

tions, ¶ 347.3

unauthorized conduct, ¶ 341

See also Board of Ordained

Ministry, conference; clergy

and/or Order of Elders

electronic communications, ¶ 1613

electronic system, for member-

ship records, ¶ 233

endangered species, social prin-

ciples, ¶ 160C

endowment funds,

closed local church, ¶ 2549.5

General Board of Pension and

Health Benets, ¶ 1504.16

General Council on Finance and

Administration approval,

¶ 811.6

local church endowment and

planned giving ministry com-

mittee, ¶ 2534

energy resources utilization,

social principles, ¶ 160B

Episcopacy Conference Commit-

tee, ¶ 637

budget, ¶ 637.4

functions of, ¶ 637.3

meetings, ¶ 637.2

membership, ¶ 637.1

episcopal areas,

audit of ofces, ¶ 818.7

boundary changes, ¶ 40 Article

in central conferences, ¶ 543.5

episcopal elections, ¶¶ 46, 405

provisions of, ¶ 404

Episcopal Fund, ¶ 818

amount/distribution of, ¶ 806.1a

annual conference apportion-

ment, ¶¶ 614.1b, 621

apportionments, ¶ 808

audit of episcopal area ofces,

¶ 818.7

bishops’ salaries, ¶¶ 408.1d, 818.4

bishops whose service is inter-

rupted, ¶ 818.11

ecumenical and interreligious

ministries funding, ¶ 440

expense reimbursement and

honoraria policies, ¶ 818.6

as general fund, ¶ 810.1

health care plan, ¶ 818.9

housing expenses, ¶ 818.5

pensions, ¶ 818.8

proportionality, ¶ 818.3

purpose, ¶ 818.1

requirements, ¶ 818.2

retired bishops appointed to ad

interim service, ¶ 818.12

retired central conference bish-

ops, ¶ 548

retirees’ health care access,

¶ 818.10

episcopal membership of general

boards, ¶ 705.4d

Episcopal Residence Committee,

¶ 638

854

INDEX

annual conference funding,

¶ 614.1c

membership, ¶ 638.2

responsibility, ¶ 638.4

episcopal residences, jointly

owned, ¶ 2514

episcopal supervision, ¶¶ 45

Article I – 54 Article X

equal opportunity employment

policies, ¶ 807.12

Equitable Compensation, Com-

mission on. See annual confer-

ence agencies

Equitable Compensation Fund,

¶¶ 342.1&2, 622

apportionment distribution,

¶ 621

budgeting for, ¶¶ 614.1e, 625.7

disbursal, ¶ 625.8

membership, ¶ 625.1

proportional payment and dis-

tribution, ¶ 622

purpose, ¶ 625.2

responsibilities, ¶ 625.3-13

short-term emergency subsidy

grant, ¶ 624

utilization, ¶ 625.6

Equitable Compensation of The

United Methodist Church,

National Association of Ethnic

Commissions on, ¶ 807.18

Ethnic In-Service Training Pro-

gram, ¶¶ 263.3c, 824.4b

ethnic local church concerns,

¶ 1118

conference committee, ¶ 632

Ethnic Scholarship Program,

¶¶ 263.3b, 824.4b

Ethnicity rights, social principles,

¶ 162A

evaluation,

of bishops, ¶¶ 412, 524.3a

for continuing formation for full

members and local pastors,

¶¶ 349-351

of deacons, ¶¶ 331.3, 349-351

Evangelical United Brethren

Church,

Confession of Faith, ¶ 104

evangelism, General Board of

Discipleship. See Discipleship,

General Board of

evangelist, general, ¶ 1112.7

executive session. See clergy ses-

sion

exhorters, ¶ 16.2 Articles IV

experience, ¶ 105

extension ministries. See clergy

fair process, ¶ 361

administrative hearings, ¶ 361.2

before administrative location,

¶¶ 359.2, 636

before involuntary leave of

absence, ¶¶ 354.1, 353.11

before involuntary retirement,

¶¶ 353.11, 357.3

conference administrative re-

view committee, ¶ 636

involuntary retirement,

¶¶ 357.3, 636

judicial proceedings, ¶ 2701

communications, ¶ 2701.4b

Discipline in effect on date

complaint led, ¶ 2719.5

double jeopardy, ¶ 2701.2d

failure to appear or respond,

¶ 2701.4a

healing, ¶ 2701.4c

hearing notice, ¶ 2701.1b

just resolution, ¶ 2701.5

immunity of participants,

¶ 2701.4d

process and procedure,

¶ 2701.4

record access, ¶ 2701.2e

855

INDEX

rights of the church, ¶ 2701.3

rights of the complainant,

¶ 2701.1

rights of the respondent,

¶ 2701.2

right to be heard,

¶ 2701.1a&3a

provisional member right to,

¶ 327.6

recommendations for clergy

involuntary status change,

¶ 363

unresolved issues related to

request for medical leave,

¶ 356.4

fair trade, social principles,

¶¶ 162Q, 163D

Faith and Order, Committee,

¶¶ 443–450

funding, ¶ 450

membership, ¶ 447

organization, ¶ 448

purpose, ¶ 444

responsibilities, ¶ 445

stafng, ¶ 449

faith, good works and, ¶ 102

faithful ministry, ¶ 130

family, social principles, ¶ 161B

family farms, social principles,

¶ 163H

Family Life Committee, ¶ 1119.4

family ministries, ¶ 1119.4

family violence and abuse, social

principles, ¶ 161H

federated church, ¶ 208(a)

deeding property to, ¶ 2548

Fellowship of Local Pastors

¶ 323

chair of, on Ordained Ministry

Board, ¶ 635.1a

function, ¶ 323.1

General Board of Higher Educa-

tion and Ministry

constituent contact through

gatherings of, ¶ 1421.6

standards of ministry mainte-

nance, ¶ 1421.4h

support and accountability,

¶ 1421.4c

membership requirement,

¶ 323

organization of, ¶ 323.2

fellowships, ¶ 703.12

nance, social principles, ¶ 163J

Finance and Administration,

Conference Council, ¶¶ 611-619

administrative budget, ¶ 614.2

amenability, ¶ 612.6

apportionments, ¶ 615

apportionment distribution,

¶¶ 614.3, 621–622

apportionment formula,

¶ 613.3

other apportioned causes,

¶ 614.4

auditing, ¶ 617

bonding, ¶ 618

clergy support budgets, ¶ 614.1

conference benevolences bud-

gets, ¶ 614.3

conference treasurer/director of

administrative services, ¶ 619

Council on Finance and Ad-

ministration authority over,

¶¶ 613.11, 619.3

election, ¶ 619

ex ofcio member of Council

on Finance and Adminis-

tration, ¶¶ 258.4, 612.2c

functions, ¶ 619.1

presence at Cabinet meetings,

¶ 619.2

responsibilities, ¶ 619.2

conict of interest, ¶ 612.4

depository, ¶ 616

ex ofcio members, ¶ 612.2c

equitable compensation, ¶ 625.7

membership, ¶ 612.2

minimum clergy compensation

recommendation, ¶ 625.7

ofcers, ¶ 612.3

856

INDEX

organization, ¶ 612.5

pastoral support, ¶¶ 620–628

purpose, ¶ 612.1

responsibilities, ¶ 613

accessibility of programs of

local churches, ¶ 613.7

alcoholic beverage restric-

tions, ¶ 613.18

apportionments of funds,

¶ 613.3

borrowing funds, ¶ 613.10

budgets, ¶ 613.1

business administration,

¶ 613.15

nancial recording and re-

porting, ¶ 613.14

funding, ¶ 613.2,6&9

governing authority, ¶ 613.11

interpretation of conference

budgets, ¶ 613.4

investment of funds, ¶ 613.5

meeting unforeseen needs,

¶ 613.8

personnel issues, ¶ 613.13

promotion of the acceptance

of homosexuality restric-

tion, ¶ 613.19

treasury designation, ¶ 613.12

special appeals, ¶ 614.5

sustentation fund, ¶ 626

Finance and Administration,

General Council. See General

Council on Finance and Ad-

ministration

See also jurisdictional confer-

ences

General Conference Commis-

sion, ¶¶ 511, 703.3

business manager, ¶¶ 511.1d,3,4f,

807.20

committees, ¶ 511.3

executive, ¶ 511.3a

Plan of Organization and

Rules of Order, ¶ 511.3b

membership, ¶ 511.1

ofcers, ¶ 511.2

responsibilities, ¶ 511.4

secretary of the General

Conference, ¶¶ 504.3, 510,

511.1d,3a,4f&5

General Conference of 1808, ¶ 103

General Conference of the

United Brethren in Christ

(1815), ¶ 103

General Council, ¶ 703.1

General Council on Finance and

Administration, ¶¶ 801-824

accounting and reporting,

¶¶ 806.3&7

Advance Specials, ¶ 823.2

agency compliance monitoring,

¶ 806.13

alcoholic beverage funding,

¶806.11

amenability, ¶ 804

annual reports by General Trea-

surer, ¶ 809

audit of episcopal area ofces,

¶ 818.7

banking functions, ¶ 806.7

budgets, ¶ 806.1&4

church secretaries, guidance

and consultation for, ¶ 807.18

Communication, General Com-

mission on, promotion and

funding determination,

¶ 1806.13

conference council cooperation,

¶ 613.14-15

conference payments of appor-

tioned funds, ¶ 808

ecumenical organizations,

¶ 814.5

employment policies, ¶ 807.12

Episcopal Fund, ¶ 818

bishops’ salaries, ¶ 818.4

bishops whose service is

interrupted, ¶ 818.11

episcopal expense reimburse-

ment and honoraria poli-

cies, ¶ 818.6

episcopal health care plan,

¶ 818.9

episcopal pensions, ¶ 818.8

episcopal residence housing

expenses, ¶ 818.5

ofcial travel of effective

bishop, ¶ 818.6

proportionality, ¶ 818.3

requirements, ¶ 818.2

retired bishops appointed to

ad interim service, ¶ 818.12

retirees’ health care access,

¶ 818.10

nancial management leader-

ship for annual conference

foundations, ¶ 807.4

nancial planning/arrange-

ments for national meetings,

conferences, convocations,

¶¶ 806.8, 807.13

nancial reports from general

agencies, ¶ 704

nancial support, ¶ 805.6

860

INDEX

scal responsibilities, ¶ 806

funds receipts/disbursement,

¶ 806.2

general administrative fund,

¶ 813

general agencies

audits, ¶ 806.5,6&13

budget review by, ¶ 806.4

consultative service to,

¶ 807.13

general directives

Advance Specials, ¶ 823

World Service, ¶¶ 820, 821

UMCOR Sunday, ¶ 821

general funds. See general

funds

general policies, ¶ 811

Higher Education and Ministry,

General Board relationship

with, ¶ 1406.10

homosexual project funding,

¶ 806.9

incorporation, ¶ 803

internal audit functions, ¶ 806.6

International Cooperation

Fund, ¶ 814

investment oversight, ¶ 806.12

late-term abortion restriction,

¶ 806.10

Legal Services Department,

¶¶ 805.4c, 807.9

legal steps to protect interests

of The United Methodist

Church, ¶ 807.9

local church business admin-

istration guidance,

¶ 807.17&18

Ministries With Young People,

Division resource, ¶ 1207.2

name, ¶ 802

ofcial printed forms and mate-

rial, ¶ 807.14

ordained ministry division, rela-

tionship with, ¶ 1421.1k

organization, ¶ 805

audit and review committee,

¶ 805.4a

committees, ¶ 805.4

legal responsibilities and

corporate governance com-

mittee, ¶ 805.4c

meetings, ¶ 805.2

membership, ¶ 805.1

ofcers, ¶ 805.3

general secretary, ¶ 805.3b

personnel policies and prac-

tices committee, ¶ 805.4b

other scal responsibilities,

¶ 807

annual conference staff lead-

ership, ¶ 807.4

business administration,

¶ 807.17&18

business manager, General

Conference, ¶ 807.20

central conference apportion-

ments, ¶ 543.4

church secretary education,

¶ 807.18

donations and bequests,

¶ 807.1

nancing approval, interna-

tional and national confer-

ences and convocations,

¶ 806.8

fund-raising consultation,

¶ 807.21

General Conference support,

¶ 807.20

information technology,

¶ 807.18

insignia rights and design,

¶ 807.10

insurance programs, ¶ 807.19

name registration and use,

¶ 807.11

Permanent Fund, ¶ 807.3

personnel policies and prac-

tices,

committee on personnel

policies and practices,

¶ 805.4b

general agency compliance,

¶ 807.12

retirement, general agency

staff, ¶ 715.3

861

INDEX

property governing, ¶ 807.6

property reporting function,

¶ 807.8

quadrennial review, ¶ 807.7

property management,

¶ 807.6

receipts and disbursements,

¶ 806.2

special church-wide nancial

appeals, ¶ 819

special Sunday offerings,

¶¶ 807.5, 824

staff, ¶ 805.5

statistical data responsibili-

ties, ¶ 807.16

tax-exempt status, ¶ 807.9

UMCOR Sunday, ¶ 821

World Service Fund,

¶¶ 806.1b, 807.2, 810.1, 812

World Service Specials,

¶¶ 820-821

General Endowment Fund,

¶ 1504.11

General Endowment Fund for

Superannuates of The Method-

ist Episcopal Church, South,

¶ 1504.11

general evangelists,

appointment as, ¶ 630.3f

standards, ¶ 1112.7

general funds, ¶¶ 810-817

Advance Special Gifts,

¶¶ 619.1a(1), 633.4b(10), 810.1,

822–823, 1313

Africa University Fund,

¶¶ 634.4a(5), 806.1b, 810.1,

1806.12

Black College Fund,

¶¶ 619.2d(5), 634.4a(5), 810.1,

815, 1410.5, 1806.12

Central Conference Theological

Education Fund, ¶ 817

denition, ¶ 810

disbursement of funds to ecu-

menical organizations, ¶ 814.5

Episcopal Fund, ¶¶ 810.1, 818,

1806.12

Finance and Administration,

General Council nancial ap-

peals beyond, ¶¶ 819-824

General Administration Fund,

¶¶ 619.1a(5), 805.6a(2), 808.1,

810.1, 813, 1806.12

general policies, ¶ 811

Human Relations Day Fund,

¶¶ 263.1, 810.1

Interdenominational Coop-

eration Fund, ¶¶ 619.1a(5),

805.6a(2), 806.1b, 810.1, 814,

1806.12

Ministerial Education Fund,

¶¶ 258.2g(6), 619.1a(5),

634.4a(5), 806.1b, 810.1, 816,

1806.12

Native American Ministries

Sunday Fund, ¶¶ 263.6,

634.4a(5), 810.1

Peace with Justice Sunday

Fund, ¶¶ 263.5, 810.1

UMCOR Sunday Fund,

¶¶ 263.2, 810.1

United Methodist Student Day

Fund, ¶¶ 634.4a(5), 810.1

World Communion Fund,

¶¶ 263.3, 634.4a(5), 810.1,

1806.12

World Service Fund, ¶¶ 247.14,

806.1b(1-3), 810.1, 812, 1806.12

World Service Special Gifts,

¶¶ 619.1a(1), 810.1, 1806.12

Youth Service Fund, ¶¶ 649.3i-k,

810.1, 1208, 1806.12

general program board member-

ship, ¶ 705

additional membership, ¶ 705.4e

central conference membership,

¶ 705.4c

election, ¶ 705.3

episcopal membership, ¶ 705.4d

jurisdictional membership,

¶ 705.4b

liaison representatives,

¶¶ 705.4f-g

nominations

additional, ¶ 705.2

by conferences, ¶ 705.1

862

INDEX

number, ¶ 705.4

See also jurisdictional confer-

ences

Northeastern Jurisdiction,

constitutional provisions and

boundaries, ¶ 37

membership on boards and

agencies

Church and Society, General

Board ¶ 1006.1a

Communication, General

Commission on ¶ 1807.1b

Discipleship, General Board,

¶ 1311.1

United Methodist Publishing

House, ¶ 1602.1b

See also jurisdictional confer-

ences

Northern Europe and Eurasia

Central Conference, ¶ 540.3e

oblation of Christ, ¶ 104 Articles

XX (p. 70), VIII (p. 74)

offenses, chargeable, ¶ 2702.1

ofcers, audit of, ¶ 2511

ofcial documents, archiving of,

¶ 1711.3f

Oklahoma Indian Missionary

Conference, ¶ 1311.1(5)

Old Testament, ¶ 104, Article VI

older adults, social principles,

¶ 162E

One Great Hour of Sharing,

¶ 824.2b

open meetings. See meetings

ordained ministry, ¶¶ 139, 301-

369

apostolic ministry, ¶ 302

accountability, ¶¶ 303.3, 304.1j,

1421.4

appointment of certied candi-

dates, ¶¶ 311

appointments to extension min-

istries, ¶¶ 343-344

categories of appointment,

¶ 344.1

provisions, ¶ 344

appointments to various minis-

tries, ¶¶ 337-342

elders and licensed pastors’

responsibilities and duties,

¶ 340

general provisions, ¶ 337

itinerant system, ¶ 338

pastor, denition, ¶ 339

support for elders appointed

to pastoral charges, ¶ 342

unauthorized conduct, ¶ 341

See also Board of Ordained

Ministry, conference

candidacy for licensed and,

¶¶ 310-314

See also Board of Ordained

Ministry, conference

clergy from other annual confer-

ences, other Methodist and

Christian denominations

provisions, ¶ 346

recognition of orders, ¶ 347.6

878

INDEX

transfers

from other annual confer-

ences, ¶ 347.1

from other denominations,

¶ 347.3

from other Methodist de-

nominations, ¶ 347.2

clergy orders in The United

Methodist Church, ¶¶ 305-309

changing orders, ¶ 309.2

membership in order, ¶ 309.1

Order of Deacons and Elders,

¶ 306

organization of order, ¶ 308

purpose of order, ¶ 307

complaints procedures, ¶ 362

conduct of clergy inquiry,

¶ 605.7

conference relationship changes.

See Board of Ordained Min-

istry, and/or clergy

deacon in full connection, See

clergy, deacon, and/or Order

of Deacons

ecumenical shared ministries,

¶ 345

elder in full connection. See

clergy, elder, and/or Order of

Elders

entrance procedures into, ¶ 310

evaluation for continuing for-

mation of full members and

local pastors, ¶¶ 349-350

continuing education and

spiritual growth, ¶ 350

evaluation, ¶ 349

General Conference delegate

election, ¶ 35 Article IV

general provisions, ¶ 369

minimal requirements,

¶¶ 304.5, 369.3

jurisdictional committee on,

¶ 535

homosexuality, ¶ 304.3

itineracy, ¶ 338

leadership and, ¶¶ 301.2, 302,

303.2, 303.4

limited itineracy, ¶ 338.2a

mentoring and mentors, ¶ 348

ministry, ¶ 301

orientation to, ¶ 312

purpose of, ¶ 303

qualications for, ¶ 304

readmission to conference rela-

tionship. See clergy

sabbatical leave, ¶ 351

unauthorized conduct, ¶ 341

Ordained Ministry, Division

of. See Higher Education and

Ministry, General Board

Order of Deacons, ¶ 306

bishop responsibilities in,

¶¶ 308, 414.10

chair of, membership on Or-

dained Ministry Board,

¶ 635.1a

changing orders, ¶ 309.2

membership in, ¶ 309.1

participation, ¶¶ 309.1, 329.3

standards of ministry mainte-

nance, ¶ 1421.4h

support and accountability,

¶ 1421.4c

Order of Elders, ¶ 306

bishop responsibilities in,

¶¶ 308, 414.10

chair of, membership on Or-

dained Ministry Board,

¶ 635.1a

changing orders, ¶ 309.2

membership in, ¶ 309.1

participation, ¶¶ 309.1, 332

standards of ministry mainte-

nance, ¶ 1421.4h

support and accountability,

¶ 1421.4c

Order of St. Luke, ¶ 630.4c,

1113.14

Ordination. See Board of Or-

dained Ministry

Organ and Tissue Donor Sunday,

¶¶ 262, 264.3

organ transplant and donation,

social principles, ¶ 162W

879

INDEX

original (or birth) sin, ¶ 104,

Article VII (p. 67)

Otterbein, Phillip William, ¶ 103

Otterbein Press dissolution,

¶ 1620

Pacic Islanders National Caucus

United Methodist, Connection-

al Table membership, ¶ 906.1e

Pan-Methodist Cooperation and

Union, Commission, ¶¶ 433.2

general agency membership,

¶ 705.3b

standards for clergy support,

¶ 625.10

transferring property to,

¶ 2548.2

parish, conguration, realign-

ment, ¶ 419.9

parsonage,

annual review, ¶ 2533.4

church council responsibility,

¶ 252.4e

deeds, ¶¶ 2503.3, 2508

disposition and mortgage of,

¶ 2542

district, ¶ 2518

acquisition, ¶ 2523

authorization for purchase,

¶ 2518.1

district superintendency com-

mittee responsibility,

¶ 669.4a

district board of church loca-

tion and building, ¶¶ 2520.3,

2521.1, 2544.6

district superintendent consent

for sale or mortgage, ¶ 2542

energy efciency of, ¶ 2520.3

multi-church charge providing

for, ¶¶ 247.18, 2528.1

distribution of funds after

separation, ¶ 2528.4

pastor-parish relations commit-

tee maintaining, ¶ 258.2g(16)

planning and nancing require-

ments for, ¶¶ 2544.4b(1&2)

respect for, ¶ 258.2g(16)

resolution of parsonage prob-

lems affecting health,

¶ 258.2g(16)

restriction on proceeds of mort-

gage or sale of, ¶ 2543

standards for approval of,

¶¶ 2521, 2522

trust clause in deed of, ¶ 2503.2

pastor,

as local church administrative

ofcer, ¶¶ 244.3, 247.2

claim on previous appointment,

¶ 342.4

compensation, ¶¶ 247.13, 342

base, ¶ 623

Equitable Compensation

Fund adjustments, ¶¶ 622,

625

payment obligation, ¶ 624

proportional payment,

¶¶ 622, 818.3

clergy support budgets, ¶ 614.1

denition of, ¶ 339

denition of pastoral charge,

¶ 205

district superintendent’s

appointment-making criteria

for, ¶ 427.2

district superintendent over-

sight of ministry, ¶ 419

expenses and allowances, ¶ 627

housing, ¶¶ 247.20,

258.2g(16), 627

marriage responsibility and

duty and, ¶¶ 316.1, 340.2a(3)a

membership on boards and

committees, ¶¶ 244.3, 258.4

mission composition and

power, ¶¶ 591.5&6

re-baptism prohibited, ¶ 341.7

responsibilities and duties of,

¶ 340

sustentation fund, ¶ 626

unauthorized conduct, ¶ 341

See also Board of Ordained

Ministry, conference and/

or clergy

chargeable offenses, ¶ 2702.1

commissioning, ¶ 325

complaints ¶ 362.1

complaint procedures and,

¶ 362

discontinuance from, ¶ 327.6

district committee recommen-

dation for, ¶ 666.9

eligibility and rights of, ¶ 327

local pastors, ¶¶ 315.1, 324.6

mission annual meeting and,

¶ 591.6

missionary conference and,

¶ 586.4g

qualications and requirements

for election to, ¶ 324

readmission to, ¶ 364

responsibilities, ¶ 316.1

retirement restriction, ¶¶ 320.5,

327.7

service of, ¶ 326

public indebtedness, social prin-

ciples, ¶ 163M

Publication, General Board,

¶ 1608

purgatory, ¶ 104 Article XIV

quadrennium, ¶ 721.2

questions of law decisions,

appeals, ¶ 2718

bishop, ¶¶ 51 Article VII, 419.10,

542.4

Judicial Council, ¶¶ 2609.6&7

quorum,

Archives and History, General

Commission meetings, ¶ 1705

for charge conference, ¶ 246.6

884

INDEX

for church council, ¶ 252.6

for Connectional Table, ¶ 906.2

for General Conference, ¶ 506

for General Council on Finance

and Administration, ¶ 805.2

Judicial Council meetings,

¶ 2608.2

local boards of trustees meet-

ings, ¶ 2532

Pension and Health Benets,

General board meetings,

¶ 1502.3c

United Methodist Publishing

House board meetings, ¶ 1603

racial discrimination,

chargeable offense, ¶ 2702.1k

social principles, ¶ 162A

racial harassment, ¶ 2702.1j

racial justice, in Constitution, ¶ 5

Article V

racism, social principles, ¶ 162A

re-baptism, ¶ 341.7

reconciliation through Christ,

¶ 104 Article VIII (p. 74)

records and archives,

access in judicial proceedings,

¶ 2701.2e

annual conference, ¶ 606

nancial audit of, ¶ 617

bishops’ ofcial data, ¶ 807.15

central conferences, ¶ 545

historical, ¶ 572.1

church membership permanent,

¶ 233.1

reports, ¶¶ 230–234

committee on investigation,

¶ 2706.7

custodian of Archives and His-

tory, General Commission

responsibility, ¶ 1711.2

recording secretary responsi-

bility, ¶ 247.4

Daily Christian Advocate as Gen-

eral Conference, ¶ 1415.5

disposal schedule for, ¶ 1711.3c

documentary material, ¶ 1703.1

condition and preservation,

¶ 1711.3c

custodianship of records,

¶ 1711.2

denition, ¶1711.1b

inventorying, repairing, and

microlming, ¶ 1711.3d

Finance and Administration,

Conference Council responsi-

bilities, ¶ 613.14

nancial audit, ¶¶ 258.4d, 617

general agency maintenance of,

¶ 718

historical, charge conference

committee on, ¶ 247.5b

marriage, ¶ 233

membership

card index of, ¶ 233.2

electronic system for, ¶ 233.2

loose-leaf book for, ¶ 233.2

ordained and diaconal ministers

service, ¶ 606.6

trials, records of proceedings,

¶ 2710.8

United Methodist Publishing

House, ¶ 1604

Reformation Sunday, ¶ 642.4f

Religion and Race, Conference

Commission, ¶ 643

inclusiveness, ¶¶ 643.3b,c,d&i

race relations, ¶ 643

Religion and Race, General Com-

mission, ¶¶ 2001-2008

advisory role, ¶ 2008.16

amenability and accountability,

¶ 2001.1

authorization and establish-

ment, ¶ 2001

Connectional Table

accountability, ¶ 702.3

relationship, ¶ 906.1c

election of members, ¶ 705.1

nances, ¶ 2007

member election, ¶ 705.5

membership, ¶ 2003

885

INDEX

Ministries With Young People,

Division resource, ¶ 1207.2

Minority Group Self-Determina-

tion Fund, ¶ 2008.7

nominations, ¶ 705.1

ofcers, ¶ 2005

personnel policy and practices

committee, ¶ 805.4b

purpose, ¶ 2002

responsibilities, ¶ 2008

staff, ¶ 2006

vacancies, ¶ 2004

religion and race district director,

¶ 664

religious minority rights, social

principles, ¶ 162B

research,

archival materials available for,

¶ 1711.3n

Church and Society, General

Board responsibilities and,

¶ 1004

Connectional Table role, ¶ 905.6

Discipleship, General Board

responsibilities and, ¶ 1102.10

Higher Education and Ministry,

General Board and,

¶¶ 1405.15&30

missional priority and, ¶ 703.9

Status and Role of Women, Gen-

eral Commission and,

¶ 2103.2

United Methodist Men, General

Commission and, ¶ 2302.4f

restorative justice, social prin-

ciples, ¶ 164H

Resurrection of Christ, ¶ 104

Article III (p. 66)

retirement homes, pastoral care

in, ¶ 1421.5

Retirement Security Program for

General Agencies, ¶ 715.4

retreat centers,

standards and policies for,

¶ 1109.10

title to properties, ¶ 2516

Rio Grande Annual Conference,

¶ 1311.1

rites and ceremonies, ¶ 104 Article

XXII (p. 71)

ritual,

central conference adaptation

of, ¶ 543.13

constitutional provisions, Gen-

eral Conference legislative

power, ¶ 16.6 Article IV

rules of order,

General Conference, ¶ 505

jurisdictional conferences, ¶ 518

rural life, social principles, ¶ 162P

Rural Life Sunday, ¶¶ 262, 265.3,

1806.12

sabbatical leave,

bishops, ¶ 410.3

clergy from other denomina-

tions, ¶ 346.2

clergy in full connection and

associate members, ¶ 351

clergy retired, on incapacity or

sabbatical leave, ¶ 334.5

conference board review of,

¶ 635.2l

sacraments, ¶ 104 Articles XVI

(p. 69), VII (p. 73)

bishop and, ¶ 402

deacons, ¶ 328

district superintendent and,

¶ 402

elders in full connection and,

¶ 340.2b(1)

licensed pastors and, ¶ 340.2b(1)

ordination and, ¶ 303.2

provisional members and,

¶ 326.2

See also jurisdictional confer-

ences

889

INDEX

Southeastern Jurisdiction.

constitutional provisions and

boundaries, ¶ 37

membership on boards and

agencies

Church and Society, General

Board ¶ 1006.1a

Communication, General

Commission on ¶ 1807.1b

Discipleship, General Board,

¶ 1311.1

United Methodist Publishing

House, ¶ 1602.1b

See also jurisdictional confer-

ences

Spanish Hymnal, Mil Voces Para

Celebrar: Himnario Metodista,

¶ 1113.3

speaking for the church. See Gen-

eral Conference

speaking in tongues, ¶ 104 Article

XV (p. 69)

special nancial appeals, annual

conference, ¶ 614.5

special appeals, churchwide

nancial, ¶ 819

special program, ¶ 703.10

special Sundays, ¶¶ 262-265

annual conference observance

approved Sundays, ¶ 265

Christian Education Sunday,

¶¶ 262, 265.1, 630.2d, 1109.14,

1806.12

Disability Awareness Sunday,

¶¶ 262, 265.4, 1806.12

Golden Cross Sunday, ¶¶ 262,

265.2, 1806.12

offerings remittance of,

¶¶ 619.1a(1), 824.8

Rural Life Sunday, ¶¶ 262, 265.3

Volunteers in Mission Aware-

ness Sunday, ¶¶ 262, 265

with offerings, ¶¶ 263, 824

Board of Higher Education

and Campus Ministry re-

sponsibility, conference,

¶ 634.4a(5)

Human Relations Day, ¶¶ 262,

263.1, 824.1

Native American Ministries

Sunday, ¶¶ 262, 263.6, 824.6

UMCOR Sunday, ¶¶ 262,

263.2, 821, 824.2, 1315.1c(5),

1806.12

Peace with Justice Sunday,

¶¶ 262, 263.5, 824.5

promotion and marketing of,

¶¶ 824.7, 1806.12

receipts from, ¶ 824.8

United Methodist Student

Day, ¶¶ 262, 263.4, 824.3

World Communion Sunday,

¶¶ 262, 263.3, 824.4

without offerings, ¶ 264

Heritage Sunday, ¶¶ 262, 264.1

Laity Sunday, ¶¶ 262, 264.2,

631.2d, 1116.5

Men’s Ministry Sunday,

¶¶ 262, 264.4

Organ and Tissue Donor

Sunday, ¶¶ 262, 264.3

Women’s Ministry Sunday,

¶¶ 262, 264.4

Standing Committee on Central

Conference Matters, ¶¶ 101,

2201

becoming an autonomous, afli-

ated autonomous Methodist

or afliated united church,

¶ 572

central conferences number of

bishops, ¶ 404.1

Commission on Theological

Education membership,

¶ 817a

general provisions, ¶ 2201

joining The United Methodist

Church, ¶ 575.4&6

state relations with church, social

principles, ¶ 164C

Status and Role of Women, Con-

ference Commission, ¶ 644

budget, ¶ 644.4

890

INDEX

chairperson, ¶ 644.3

membership, ¶ 644.2

responsibility, ¶ 644.1

Status and Role of Women, Gen-

eral Commission, ¶¶ 2101-2109

central conference membership,

¶ 705.4c

Connectional Table accountabil-

ity, ¶ 702.3

relationship, ¶ 906.1c

election of members, ¶¶ 705.1,

2&5

funding, ¶ 2107

meetings, ¶ 2106

membership, ¶ 2104

Ministries With Young People,

Division resource, ¶ 1207.2

nominations for, ¶ 705.1

ofcers, ¶ 2105

personnel policy and practices

committee, ¶ 805.4b

purpose, ¶ 2102

relationships, ¶ 2109

responsibility, ¶ 2103

staff, ¶ 2108

Stewardship Leaders, National

Association of, ¶¶ 630.5i, 1114.6

study committee, denition,

¶ 703.4

subdistrict, ¶ 658

suicide, social principles, ¶ 161O

supererogation, ¶ 104 Article XI

(p. 68)

superintendency. See bishops

and/or district superintendent

supply preachers, ¶ 16.2 Article IV

sustainable agriculture, social

principles, ¶ 162Q

sustentation fund, ¶ 626

theological education, ¶ 1421.3

Theological Education, Commis-

sion, ¶¶ 816.2a, 1421.1h

Theological School-Drew Uni-

versity, ¶ 1422.3

Theological Task, Our, ¶ 105

theology, ¶ 105

tithing, ¶ 258.4

tobacco, social principles, ¶ 162M

town and country ministries

subcommittee, ¶ 633.5f&h

trade, social principles, ¶ 163K

tradition, ¶ 105

transitional communities, ¶¶ 212-

213, 2549.7

translation, of Church name, ¶ 723

traveling preacher,

central conference appeals com-

mittee, ¶ 31.7 Article IV

jurisdictional appeals commit-

tee, ¶ 27.6 Article IV

transfer of membership, ¶ 604.6

trials, ¶¶ 2707-2714

alternate trial court members,

¶ 2709.4

amendments to bill of charges

and specications, ¶ 2708.11

appeal procedures, ¶¶ 2715-

2717

change of venue, ¶ 2708.4

of a bishop, ¶ 2712

of clergy member of annual

conference, ¶ 2713

of clergy on honorable or ad-

ministrative location, ¶ 2713

commissioned out-of-court

testimony, ¶ 2708.10

committee on investigation.

¶ 2706

See also jurisdictional confer-

ences

Woman’s Board of Home Mis-

sions, United Methodist

Women successor and control

of, ¶ 1905

Woman’s Convention of the

Board of Missions of The

Methodist Protestant Church,

¶ 1905

Woman’s Foreign Missionary

Society, United Methodist

Women successor and control

of, ¶ 1322

Woman’s Home Missionary Soci-

ety, United Methodist Women

successor and control of, ¶ 1905

Woman’s Missionary Council

of The Methodist Episcopal

Church, South, United Meth-

odist Women successor and

control of, ¶ 1905

Woman’s Missionary Society

of The Evangelical Church,

United Methodist Women suc-

cessor and control of, ¶ 1905

Woman’s Society of Christian

Service of The Methodist

Church, United Methodist

Women successor and control

of, ¶ 1905

Woman’s Society of World Ser-

vice of The Evangelical United

Brethren Church, United

Methodist Women successor

and control of, ¶ 1905

Women’s Ministry Sunday,

¶¶ 262, 264.4

work and leisure, social prin-

ciples, ¶ 163C

World Communion Fund,

¶¶ 263.3, 1806.12

as general fund, ¶¶ 634.4a(5),

810.1

World Communion Scholarships,

¶ 263.3a

World Communion Sunday,

¶¶ 262, 263.3, 634.4a(5), 824.4,

1806.12

world community, social prin-

ciples, ¶ 165

World Council of Churches,

¶¶ 434.3, 642.4f

897

INDEX

World Evangelical Fellowship,

¶ 434.3c

World Federation of Methodist

and Uniting Church Women,

¶¶ 1903.13, 1911

World Federation of Methodist

Women, central conference,

¶ 547.1

World Methodist Council,

¶¶ 433.1, 642.2, 1703.1

World Service contingency

funds, ¶ 806.1d

World Service and Conference

Benevolences, ¶¶ 247.14,

258.4b, 614.3d, 619.1a(2), 820.5

World Service and Finance, ¶ 803

World Service Commission

on the Methodist Episcopal

Church, ¶ 803

World Service Fund, ¶ 812

annual conference and district

responsibility, ¶ 247.14

Finance and Administration,

General Council, ¶ 806.1b

as general fund, ¶¶ 810.1, 812

General Commission on Com-

munication responsibility,

¶ 1806.12

Higher Education and Ministry,

General Board support from,

¶ 1409.2

World Service Special Gifts,

¶¶ 619.1a(1), 810.1, 1806.12

World Service Specials, ¶¶ 820,

821

world trade, of agricultural prod-

ucts, social principles, ¶ 162Q

World Wide Web, ¶ 1806.21

worship,

as conference discipleship board

responsibility, ¶ 630.1b&4

constitutional provisions, Gen-

eral Conference legislative

power, ¶ 16.6 Article IV

as Discipleship, General Board

responsibility, ¶ 1113

as pastor’s responsibility and

duty, ¶ 340

discontinuance of, ¶ 341.2

pastor’s unauthorized conduct

of, ¶ 341.4

yoked parish, ¶ 208d

young adult ministries,

church school and, ¶ 256.3

conference council, ¶ 650

district conferences, ¶ 665

inclusiveness, ¶ 650.2

young adults,

descriptions of, ¶¶ 32 Article I,

256.3, 602.4, 635.1, 650.2

Ministries With Young People,

Division on, ¶ 1207.1b

organization for networking,

¶¶ 534, 1203.3

young people, rights, social prin-

ciples, ¶ 162D

youth,

baptism, ¶¶ 216.1b, 226

care of, ¶ 226

as church council members,

¶ 244.3

coordinator of ministries,

¶¶ 256.3a, 533, 649.3l

council, ¶ 256.3c(1)

membership in general agen-

cies, ¶¶ 705.4, 710.3

Ministries With Young People,

Division on, ¶ 1207.1a

relation to church, central con-

ference, ¶ 547.4

rights and responsibilities,

¶ 162D

Youth Ministry, Conference

Council, ¶¶ 256.3, 649.1

898

INDEX

Youth Offender Rehabilitation

Program, ¶ 263.1c

Youth Service Fund, ¶¶ 256.3a,

649.3i&j, 1208, 1806.12

as general fund, ¶ 810.1

organization, ¶ 1208.1

project review, ¶ 1208.2