2016 Wesleyan Discipline:887-890

887. General. The Sunday school shall be governed by the local church conference and the local board of administration through the local spiritual formation leadership team, under the general supervision of the pastor. Immediate administration shall be the responsibility of either a spiritual formation minister or director or Sunday school superintendent and a spiritual formation leadership team. If administration is through a superintendent and a leadership team, the structure outlined in paragraphs 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:889–910 shall be followed. If administration is through a minister or director of spiritual formation, the local board of administration may determine the structure and assign responsibilities as it sees fit. In all cases, administrators shall carry out their assignment in keeping with The Discipline, the General Board Policy for the Church Multiplication and Discipleship Division, the standard adopted by the General Board and promoted through the Church Multiplication and Discipleship Division, and the programs of the division and of the district spiritual formation leadership team. 889. Spiritual Formation Director or Sunday School Superintendent. The local church conference, at its annual session, may elect by ballot, from among its members who meet the leadership qualifications (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:260–268; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:558), a spiritual formation director or Sunday school superintendent (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:820–823), to serve for one year or until a successor is elected. The director or superintendent shall be an ex officio member of the local board of administration (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:752), unless the local church conference by prior action has voted to eliminate the spiritual formation director or Sunday school superintendent as an ex officio member of the local board of administration. General regulations concerning this office are given in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:815. The duties and powers of the spiritual formation director or Sunday school superintendent shall be:

(1) To have executive supervision of the spiritual formation of the local church, administering its affairs in keeping with the provisions of 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:887.

(2) To consult with the pastor and the spiritual formation leadership team, if there is such (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:903), on all major decisions.

(3) To promote interest in and attendance in all spiritual formation endeavors.

(4) To have immediate supervision of each spiritual formation session seeing that each age division and class has the necessary leaders and that order is maintained.

(5) To counsel with the spiritual formation leaders and teachers about their work.

(6) To make a full report of statistics and general information to the local board of administration quarterly, to the local church conference at each regular session, and to the Church Multiplication and Discipleship Division and the district spiritual formation director as required (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:895).

890. Director of Spiritual Formation. If a church seeks to provide a comprehensive approach to discipleship, including both Sunday school and small groups, upon vote of the local church conference it may elect a director of spiritual formation in place of a Sunday school superintendent. The director of spiritual formation will assume the Sunday school superintendent’s responsibilities as outlined in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:889, plus assume full responsibility to administer and coordinate weekday small groups under the direction of the pastor and local board of administration, seeking to provide a fully coordinated approach in local church spiritual formation.