2016 Wesleyan Discipline:Chapter 3: General Officials of the Church
1800. Identification. The general officials of the Church are those general officers which are designated as follows:
- (1) Elected by the General Conference:
- (a) The General Superintendent (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1590:16).
- (b) The Executive Director of the Communication and Administration Division, the Executive Director of the Education and Clergy Development Division, the Executive Director of the Church Multiplication and Discipleship Division, and the Executive Director of the Global Partners Division.
- (2) Elected by the General Board—the General Treasurer/Chief Financial Officer (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1655:28).
1810. Qualifications. A General Official must be a member with leadership qualifications (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:260-268; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:558) of The Wesleyan Church at the time of election; and if at any time a General Official ceases to be a member with leadership qualifications, the office shall be declared vacant as provided for in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1850.
1820. Term of Office. The General Superintendent and other general officials elected by the General Conference (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1580:1; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1590:16-17; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1800:1a-b) shall be elected for a term of four years, beginning thirty (30) days after the General Conference adjourns and continuing until thirty (30) days after the adjournment of the next regular session of the General Conference or until their successors are elected and qualified. When mutually agreed upon or deemed in the best interests of the Church, the General Board may approve an earlier date for the transition between a newly-elected official and an incumbent leaving office. A special session of the General Conference may declare that the term of any official is ended and order a new election. The General Treasurer/Chief Financial Officer shall be elected by the General Board for a term determined by the General Board. The salary of a retiring general official shall continue one month beyond the date of termination of service.
1830. Amenability. The general officials are amenable to the General Board for their official conduct, and their moral character (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:323:1; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:360:2). They are subject to direction from the General Conference, the General Board, and its Executive Board. They may be removed from office for cause or when the best interests of the Church or the disabling physical or mental health of the official so requires. The removal from office of those general officials elected by the General Conference (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1800:1a, b) shall require a two- thirds majority vote of all members of the General Board (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1655:40a; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:5279). The removal from office of those general officials that are elected by the General Board (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1800:2) shall require a majority vote of all members of the General Board (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1655:40b; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:5279).
1840. Reports. The general officials shall report to each session of the General Conference concerning their official duties, annually to the General Board concerning their official duties and personal ministry, and at other times as required by the General Conference, the General Board or the Executive Board.
1845. World Headquarters Structure. The number and nature of general offices and divisions and the assignments of the general officials of The Wesleyan Church may be adjusted in times of exigency by a two-thirds majority vote of the members of the General Board present and voting, or a majority of all members of the General Board, whichever is greater.
1850. Vacancies. The office of a general official may become vacant by death, by cessation of membership in The Wesleyan Church, by resignation from office or by removal (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1830). When a vacancy occurs, the General Superintendent shall provide recommendation(s) to the General Board for filling the office. Vacancies in the office of those general officials elected by General Conference, except as provided for in paragraph 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1845, shall be filled by a two-thirds vote of the members of the General Board present and voting, or by a majority vote of all the members of the General Board, whichever is greater (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1655:11). Vacancies occurring in the office of those general officials elected by the General Board (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1800:2) shall be filled by a majority vote of the General Board (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1655:40b; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:5282).
1860. Church and District Membership. An ordained minister who serves as a general official may hold ministerial membership in any district, and church membership in any local church. The responsibilities to the General Church shall take precedence over responsibilities to the district and local church (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:323:1; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:360:2).
1870. Residence. The general officials shall reside in or near the place where the general headquarters of The Wesleyan Church is located.
1880. Official Listing. The official listing of the offices, divisions, agencies, auxiliaries, subsidiary corporations, benevolent, and educational institutions of the General Church is:
- Offices
- Office of the General Superintendent
- Office of the General Treasurer/Chief Financial Officer
- Divisions
- Church Multiplication and Discipleship Division
- Communication and Administration Division
- Education and Clergy Development Division
- Global Partners Division
- Agency
- Subsidiary Corporations (Financial Institutions)
- Wesleyan Investment Foundation, Inc.
- Wesleyan Pension Fund, Inc.
- Subsidiary Corporations (Benevolent Institutions)
- Hephzibah Ministries, Inc., Macon, Georgia
- Wesleyan Bible Conference Association, Brooksville, Florida
- Wesleyan Native Ministries, Inc.
- Subsidiary Corporations (Educational Institutions)
- Houghton College, Houghton, New York
- Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, Indiana
- Kingswood University, Sussex, New Brunswick
- Oklahoma Wesleyan University, Bartlesville, Oklahoma
- Southern Wesleyan University, Central, South Carolina
- Subsidiary Corporations (Financial Institutions)