2016 Wesleyan Discipline:Local Church: Property

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(6) To elect trustees and through such trustees to supervise, control, and maintain its property for the use and benefit of the ministry and members of The Wesleyan Church and subject to its regulations and appointments as from time to time legislated and declared. This right vests severally in each local church.

4650. Developing District and Provisional District. Developing churches within the bounds of a developing district or provisional district shall be under the jurisdiction of the Church Multiplication and Discipleship Division as set forth in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:4800 and 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:4810–4820. 4660. District. The regulations concerning property for a developing church within the bounds of an established district are:

(1) The district board of administration shall be vested with power and authority to purchase, manage, sell, encumber, transfer, and dispose of any and all property of a developing church, whether real, personal or mixed (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:510:4; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1233:13–14), and shall direct the pastor and the local advisory council concerning the same in keeping with The Discipline (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1233:1, 31).

(2) The pastor and local advisory council of a developing church shall be responsible to supervise, control, and maintain the property under their care as directed by the district superintendent and the district board of administration (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:510:3–4; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1233:1, 31).

(3) All property of a developing church shall be held by the district in trust for the use and benefit of the members and ministers of The Wesleyan Church as required in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:323:8 and shall contain the trust clause as given in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:4610 (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:4140; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:4590–4630; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:4830).

(4) Whenever a developing church has been organized as an established church (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:518–520), the district board of trustees may transfer the property to the local board of trustees as set forth in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:4680, provided that the property is free of debt.

4670. Reclassification. Whenever an established church is reclassified as a developing church as set forth in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:518:5; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1180:24; and 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1233:30, the office of the members of the local board of administration and the local board of trustees shall thereupon cease (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:859:5) and the district board of administration shall be responsible for the property as set forth in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:4660:1–4 (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:510:4). Whenever the property of such a church has been held by the local trustees, it shall be conveyed or transferred to the district to be held as set forth in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:4830 (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:859:5). 4680. Local property within an established district may be held by the local church or by the district, as decided upon by the district conference (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1180:21–22). In those districts where the local churches are to hold their own property, all grants, conveyances, devises, gifts, transfers, and assignments now owned or hereafter acquired of any property, real, personal or mixed, to or for any unincorporated local church or any organization, board or similar body connected thereto, shall be held by and/or conveyed to its duly elected board of trustees, and to their successors in office and their assigns, as the board of trustees of such local church, in trust for the benefit and use of the members and ministers of The Wesleyan Church, subject to its Discipline, regulations and appointments as from time to time legislated and declared and shall contain the appropriate trust clause as set forth in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:4610 (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:4590; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:4620). An omission of the name of any or all of the trustees shall not render any instrument invalid. (The regulations for an incorporated local church are set forth in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:4000–4070.) In those districts where the district is to hold local property (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:323:8), such local property shall be held as set forth in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:4140 or 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:4830.