2016 Wesleyan Discipline:2. Local Church Sunday School

2. Sunday School

A. Function

885. Each local church shall provide for systematic Bible study. The Sunday school normally serves as the basic agency for such study. Small group Bible studies and other programs or events that promote making more and better disciples of Jesus Christ are to be considered by the local church as well.

B. Administration

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.

895. Sunday School Secretary. The local board of administration shall, at the time of its annual election (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:782:23; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:825), elect from nominations submitted by the local spiritual formation leadership team (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:875; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:880:7) a Sunday school secretary, to serve for one year or until a successor is elected. The Sunday school secretary shall maintain complete records of enrollment, attendance, absentees, visitors, and such other items as shall be required, and assist the pastor and the spiritual formation director or Sunday school superintendent in the preparation of reports involving Sunday school statistics. The local board of Christian education shall appoint such assistants as the Sunday school secretary shall require.

898. Sunday School Treasurer. The local board of administration may, at the time of its annual election (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:782:23; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:825), elect from nominations submitted by the local spiritual formation leadership team (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:875; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:880:7) a Sunday school treasurer, to serve for one year or until a successor is elected. Or the local board of administration may recommend, and the local church conference order, that the Sunday school funds be received by the local church treasurer as part of a common treasury. If there is a separate Sunday school treasurer elected, that person shall receive, hold, and disburse the Sunday school funds as ordered by the local board of administration, reporting concerning all receipts and expenditures to the local board of administration monthly, and to each regular session of the local church conference. All General Church and district funds raised by the Sunday school shall be transferred to the local church treasurer for forwarding to the proper destination (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:842:1).

900. Sunday School Departmental Supervisors. The local board of administration may, at the time of its annual election (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:782:23; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:825), elect from nominations submitted by the spiritual formation leadership team (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:875; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:880:7) a supervisor for each department (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:913). The departmental supervisor shall assist the spiritual formation director or Sunday school superintendent, being responsible for the general operation of the department including the assembly period of the department, and the immediate supervision of each session of age division (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:889:4). The local spiritual formation leadership team shall appoint such other departmental officers as may be needed.

903. Sunday School Committee. The immediate administration of the Sunday school may be vested in a Sunday school committee, subject to the approval of and correlated with the plans of the local spiritual formation leadership team. It shall be composed of the spiritual formation director or Sunday school superintendent as chair, the pastor (or if the pastor prefers, the associate or assistant pastor), and the other age division directors of the spiritual formation leadership team.

906. Spiritual Formation Leaders or Teachers. The local board of administration shall, at the time of its annual election (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:782:23; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:825), elect from nominations submitted by the local spiritual formation leadership team (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:875; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:880:7) such spiritual formation leaders, teachers, and assistants as are needed, to serve for one year or until their successors are elected.

910. Amenability. General regulations covering the amenability, removal, and filling of vacancies for spiritual formation officers, departmental supervisors and teachers elected by the local board of administration are found in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:825. All others appointed by the local spiritual formation leadership team are amenable to the local spiritual formation leadership team and can be replaced as it sees fit.

C. Organization

913. Guidelines for organization of spiritual formation ministries and Sunday school shall be provided through the General Board Policy for the Church Multiplication and Discipleship Division and the standard adopted by the General Board and promoted through the Church Multiplication and Discipleship Division.