2. Membership of Ministers

3097. Local Church Membership. Each Wesleyan minister, whether ordained, commissioned, or licensed, must be a member who meets the leadership qualifications (260-268; 558) of a local Wesleyan church (310). If serving as a pastor, membership is automatically transferred to the church of service (578:2). If serving in some capacity other than that of a pastor, the holding and transfer of local church membership shall occur in the same manner as a lay member. A commissioned or licensed minister must be a member of a local Wesleyan church within the district where appointed or licensed. An ordained minister may be a member of a local Wesleyan church outside the district where ministerial membership is held except when regulations governing a particular appointment or office prohibit such (578:2; 1258; 1278). In recognition of the undesigned but inherent potential to create divided loyalties or undermine the strengths of new pastoral leadership, ministers should be discouraged from remaining in the congregation or community immediately following pastoral service in that place. If a minister leaves a pastoral assignment to accept appointment to another service category or to begin retirement and, for such reason as a prior home purchase and/or no other Wesleyan church in the community, feels it necessary to retain membership and worship in the church where pastoral leadership was just terminated, it is recommended that said former pastor shall not accept appointment to the local board of administration (755).

3100. District Membership. An ordained or commissioned minister shall be a member of the district where appointed to service (3059:4), and each licensed minister a member of the district which issues the license (3015:3b; 3044:4; 3075:5). The ordained, commissioned, or licensed minister’s district membership shall be subject to the following regulations:

(1) If a minister desires to accept a pastoral call from a church within the bounds of another district, or if a minister not serving as a pastor desires to transfer ministerial membership to another district, the minister must first obtain the written permission of the General Superintendent and the district superintendent over the district into which transfer is desired (313:6; 1310:19; 3124). When such has been obtained, the minister shall ask the district superintendent for a letter of transfer (6440; 1310:26) to be sent directly to the district superintendent of the district into which transfer is desired (3055:3). The minister shall continue to be considered as a member of the former district until a reply has been received from the district to which application has been made stating that the minister has been duly enrolled as a member of the district conference (6450; 1310:26). To avoid dual listings, ministers receiving appointment by the receiving district conference prior to completion of enrollment shall be listed in that district conference journal as an ordained, commissioned, or licensed minister Pending Completion of District Transfer (1240:1:F; 1240:2:D; 1240:3:C).

(2) In an emergency, an ordained minister may serve as supply pastor of a church located within the bounds of a district other than the one in which ministerial membership is held (3260:1), provided that such an arrangement has the written approval of the superintendent of each district involved (1310:26), and does not continue beyond the next session of the district conference in which membership is held without the consent of the district conference.

(3) If a minister so requests, the district superintendent may grant a letter of standing (6460; 1310:26), which shall immediately terminate ministerial membership in The Wesleyan Church. Such a letter of standing shall be valid for one year from the date of issuance in the case of an ordained minister, or until the next session of the district conference from which withdrawn in the case of a commissioned or licensed minister (3124).

(4) If a minister joins another denomination or, in writing, declares withdrawal from the Church, said action shall immediately terminate ministerial membership in The Wesleyan Church (3124), upon recommendation of the district superintendent to the district board of administration.

(5) If a minister leaves for parts unknown or fails to submit the annual service report (1402; 3059:4c; 3089:3), the district board of administration may recommend and the district conference may order that the minister be declared withdrawn (3040; 3120; 3124).

(6) No letters of transfer or standing shall be granted to any minister by a district superintendent until satisfactory evidence is given by the applicant that no outstanding debts are unprovided for, and that the minister has honorably withdrawn from the contract for service with the church or district.