2016 Wesleyan Discipline:B. Local Church General Regulations

B. General Regulations

Minimum Organization of Local Church Officers, Boards and Committees

807. Developing church. A developing church may operate without any regularly constituted officers other than the pastor, but will ordinarily have a local advisory council of three to five members appointed by the district superintendent in cooperation with the pastor. The pastor and these members will form the local advisory council. This council may then appoint such other officers and committees as are needed and for which qualified personnel are available (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:510:3).

810. Church. An established church, in addition to the local church conference and the local board of administration, shall have a minimum organization consisting of a local church secretary (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:830), a local church treasurer (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:842), an offering teller (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:845:3), an auditing committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:863), and a board of trustees consisting of at least three members (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:850-859). Normally it would have a Sunday school superintendent and staff (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:889-910). Additional offices, positions, and committees may be added as provided herewith by the local church conference and the local board of administration as need requires and as qualified personnel are available.

Church Officers

815. The church officers shall include all members of the local board of administration, local church trustees, lay leader, delegates to district conference and assistant treasurer, who shall serve subject to the following regulations:

(1) They must be members of the local Wesleyan church electing them (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:302:4; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:558) and members who meet the leadership qualifications (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:260-268; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:558).

(2) They shall be elected by the local church conference at its annual session (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:315:5-7; cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:820-823), except assistant treasurers (see 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:845) and persons filling offices designated by the local church conference as ex officio members of the local board of administration but chosen by the local board of administration (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:752). Vacancies occurring between annual sessions of the local church conference shall be filled for the unexpired term by the local board of administration. Vacancies may occur by death, by cessation of membership in The Wesleyan Church, by resignation from office or by removal (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:815:4).

(3) They shall carry out their duties as given in The Discipline and as further defined by the local church conference and the local board of administration.

(4) They shall be under the general supervision of the pastor, shall be amenable to the local church conference, and may be removed for cause or when the best interests of the church so require, upon recommendation of the local board of administration and by a majority vote of the local church conference, or as otherwise provided for (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:752:1; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:815:2; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:825:4).

Nominating Committee

820. Each established church may have a nominating committee consisting of the pastor as chair and two members who meet the leadership qualifications (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:260-268; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:558) elected by the local board of administration from its membership (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:655:3; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:782:22). The local church conference may, at its option, elect up to four additional members who meet the leadership qualifications who are not members of the local board of administration. If the local church conference does not exercise its option to elect at least one additional member who meets the leadership qualifications, then the local board of administration shall elect one additional member with the leadership qualifications who may or may not be a member of the local board of administration.

823. When a nominating committee has been established, it shall present to the local church conference, at its annual session, nominations for each of the following officers: lay leader (if any), local church secretary, local church treasurer (if any), the Sunday school superintendent (if any), and one or more trustees (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:850). One or more names shall be presented for each office (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:755). The nominating committee shall present, at the properly announced session of the local church conference (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:965; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1103), nominations for as many delegates to the district conference as the district board of administration shall determine (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1100). The nominating committee may be used for other nominations as ordered by the local church conference, or as ordered by the local board of administration for positions elected by the board (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:825).

Other Positions

825. Persons holding positions of service within the local church, other than those specifically designated as church officers in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:815, and including membership on committees, shall be governed by the following regulations:

(1) They shall be members of the local Wesleyan church electing them.

(2) They shall be elected annually by the local board of administration (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:782:23, 25), or as otherwise provided (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:880:7).

(3) They shall carry out their duties as given in The Discipline and as further defined by the local church conference and local board of administration.

(4) They shall be under the general supervision of the pastor, shall be amenable to the local board of administration, and may be removed for cause or when the best interests of the church so require, by a majority vote of the local board of administration.

(5) Vacancies may occur by death, by cessation of membership in The Wesleyan Church, by resignation from office or by removal (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:825:4) and shall be filled for the unexpired term by the local board of administration.

General Regulations for Installation Service

828. Those elected to church offices and to other positions of service within the local church may be installed in office at an annual installation service following the ritual given in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:5915-5925.