F. Ordained Minister

3067. Identification. An ordained minister is a minister whose calling, gifts, and usefulness have been demonstrated and enhanced by proper training and experience, and who has been separated to the service of Christ by the vote of a district conference and by the solemn act of ordination (5750-5792), and thus has been fully invested with all the functions of the Christian ministry.

3070. Qualifications for Ordination. A licensed minister of The Wesleyan Church who has an abiding conviction of God’s call to be a minister (3000-3006) may be ordained by meeting the following requirements in order:

(1) Membership with the leadership qualifications (260-268; 558) in a local Wesleyan church within the district granting ordination.

(2) Satisfactory service for two years subsequent to completion of the pre- ordination study course, except for those who have been under appointment and supervision during the years spent completing said course of study. This service must be full-time (as determined by the district board of ministerial development) in one of the categories of service listed in 3250-3335. At least one year must have been in The Wesleyan Church within the district in which ordination is to take place except as hereinafter provided. In case of a ministerial student graduating from a three-year divinity course at an approved seminary, the service requirement is for one year. If ordination is to be in a district other than the one in which the service requirement was met, the district board of ministerial development of the appointing district must recommend the student to the ordaining district.

(3) Certificate from the Ministerial Study Course Agency showing completion of the pre-ordination course of study or of its equivalent (6410; 3170:4; 3210:1).

(4) Examination by the district board of ministerial development relative to qualifications for the ministry and for ordination (3000-3006; 3070:1-3), including a personal religious experience, ministerial call and evidence thereof; matters of education, doctrine, and practice, particularly a personal commitment without reservation to each of the Articles of Religion and the Guides and Helps to Holy Living; loyalty to The Wesleyan Church; and circumstances of personal, family, and business life which bear upon the ministry; and a subsequent report by the district board of ministerial development to the district conference (1390:1, 5).

(5) Election by the district conference to ordained minister’s orders (1180:26). In case of an emergency, a candidate who has been recommended by the district board of ministerial development may be elected to ordained minister’s orders by the district board of administration in the interim of the sessions of the district conference (1233:29).

(6) Public service of ordination (3091; 5750-5792), in which the minister shall witness to a Christian experience, affirm conviction of a divine call to the ministry, commitment to the doctrines and principles of The Wesleyan Church, and loyalty to The Wesleyan Church, after which the minister shall be separated to the Christian ministry by the Church through the laying on of hands in the person of the General Superintendent (if present, 1935) or the representative appointed by the General Superintendent (1935; 3091), the district superintendent (1310:23), and a Council of Ordination (1405).

(7) Issuance and signing of a certificate of ordination by the General Superintendent, district superintendent, and district secretary (6300).

(8) The General Superintendent, after consultation with the district board of ministerial development of the involved district, may postpone the intended ordination of any candidate and/or refer the same to the district board of ministerial development for further consideration.

3075. Rights of an Ordained Minister. An ordained minister who maintains spiritual life, moral character, and faithful ministry, and is neither under discipline nor expelled from the ministry shall have the right (313) to:

(1) Preach the gospel and administer baptism and the Lord’s Supper, to perform all parts of divine worship, and to solemnize the rite of matrimony (313:1).

(2) Be eligible for election to any office in the Church for which ordained ministers are eligible (313:2).

(3) Contract the pastoral relationship with local Wesleyan churches subject to the other provisions of The Discipline (313:3).

(4) Enjoy, if appointed as a pastor, the use for religious meetings of the church building or buildings of the pastoral charge to which assigned by the district conference (313:4); and to serve the assigned pastoral charge without interference by unauthorized activities of another minister of The Wesleyan Church (313:5; 3114).

(5) Be a voting member of the district conference if under appointment, retired, on reserve, on educational leave, or a member of the district board of administration (317; 1083:1; 1240:1:A-D), and a nonvoting member if without appointment or in the process of transfer (1090:1-2); and to have these conference relations changed only after careful investigation by the district board of administration, and interview if possible (1233:10).

(6) Transfer in the manner prescribed by The Discipline from one district to another, subject to the concurrence of the district superintendent over the district into which transfer is sought (313:6; 3100:1).

(7) Have recourse, even if under discipline, to a proper court of jurisdiction in any matters involving complaint against character or ministerial conduct and to appeal the decision of such court (313:7; Gen. Bd. Policy on Ch. Disc. 5200; 5206-5212).

3085. Duties of an Ordained Minister. An ordained minister shall:

(1) Be devoted without reservation to the Christian ministry, following the leadership of the Holy Spirit and the appointment of the district conference in determining and occupying a field of service.

(2) Report annually to the district conference on the appropriate service report form (1402; 3089:3), and to the district superintendent as required (725:30).

(3) Attend and participate in the annual district conference, unless excused in writing by the district superintendent.

(4) Be faithful in attendance, in tithe, and in participation in the ministries of a local Wesleyan church, if one is within driving distance. Exceptions to this requirement may be granted only by the approval of the district board of administration.

(5) Voluntarily file all credentials with the district superintendent if service in one of the categories of ministry listed in 3250-3346 ceases for four or more consecutive years (3124); this does not apply to those given other ministerial listings set forth in 3350:1; 3360; 3370.

(6) Voluntarily surrender credentials if guilty of an offense which would disqualify one for service as an ordained minister (Gen. Bd. Policy on Ch. Disc. 5212; 5230-5251).

3089. Regulations for an Ordained Minister.

(1) An ordained minister is amenable to the district where membership is held, and may be deposed from the ministry and ordered to surrender credentials by judicial process (Gen. Bd. Policy on Ch. Disc. 5206-5212).

(2) An ordained minister’s credentials shall consist of the certificate of ordination (3070:7; 6300) and an annual pocket certificate of standing, issued and signed by the district secretary (6430).

(3) An ordained minister who fails to file the annual service report (1402) for two successive years shall be notified by the district board of ministerial development and requested to report at the next session of the district conference. If no report is filed at that time, the district shall declare the minister withdrawn and shall record the action upon the minutes of the district conference.

(4) When an ordained minister surrenders the certificate of ordination because guilty of an offense (3085:6), or is ordered to surrender it after due judicial process (Gen. Bd. Policy on Ch. Disc. 5212:4), it shall be lawful to publish such fact in the columns of the official church publication.

3091. Ordination Service. The public service of ordination shall be presided over by the General Superintendent or a representative appointed by the General Superintendent. If the General Superintendent is unable to be present to preside over a district’s service of ordination or commissioning of ministers, first to be considered to represent the General Superintendent will be a former General Superintendent in good standing. The service shall be planned by the district superintendent and the Council of Ordination; the time and place shall be subject to the approval of the General Superintendent. The General Superintendent shall deliver the ordination sermon except when delegating that responsibility to another. The rituals of commissioning ministers, special workers, and lay missionaries may be blended with the ordination service or may be conducted separately. The laying on of hands shall be by the General Superintendent (or the representative appointed by the General Superintendent), the district superintendent, the Council of Ordination, and such other ministers as they shall invite (1310:23, 1405, 3059, 3067, 5752).