2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1. Categories of Service for Pastors

1. Pastors

3255. Regular Pastoral Service. The pastoral office is defined in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:675. In The Wesleyan Church, pastoral service includes the pastor of a church (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:735), an associate pastor (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:738), and an assistant pastor, who may specialize in such ways as minister of spiritual formation, minister of music, minister of visitation or minister of youth (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:741). An ordained minister appointed by a district conference to any of these levels of pastoral service in connection with a Wesleyan church, developing church or mission shall be placed on the appointed list (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1240:I:A:2); a commissioned or licensed minister appointed as pastor, associate pastor or assistant pastor of a Wesleyan church shall be a voting member of the district conference (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:317; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1083:3; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1240:II:A; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1240:III:A; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:3044:4; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:3059:2e).

3260. Supply Pastors. A district conference (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:503; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1180:26b; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1240:V:E), or, in the interim of its sessions, the district superintendent and the district board of administration (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1233:32, 39; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1310:22–23) shall have the power to appoint a supply pastor, who shall serve subject to the following regulations:

(1) A supply pastor may be a Wesleyan ordained minister or commissioned or licensed minister serving under some other appointment or an ordained minister on loan from one district to another (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:503; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1240:I:A:2b; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:3100:2), a commissioned or licensed special worker (3460–3470), a minister in process of transfer from another denomination (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:3104), a minister who belongs to another denomination, a ministerial student, a lay minister or a lay member.

(2) A supply pastor shall be appointed temporarily to fill the pulpit and to provide a spiritual ministry, but shall not have authority to administer the sacraments or to perform marriages unless that authority adheres on some other basis, and shall not perform the administrative function of the pastor except in filing of reports unless authorized to do so by the district superintendent (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1310:8, 23). If a supply pastor is serving a congregation isolated from Wesleyan ministers, making it difficult to provide for administration of the sacraments (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:725:6), the district superintendent may grant the supply pastor special authorization to administer them.

(3) A supply pastor’s church membership shall not be automatically transferred to the church of service.

(4) A supply pastor shall be granted a certificate of authorization to supply on the form provided in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:6240, and shall be a nonvoting member of the district conference unless qualifying as a voting member by some other right (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1090:7).

(5) A supply pastor may be removed or replaced at any time by the district board of administration (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1233:39; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1310:22–23; cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:5200:4; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:5215:1).

3261. Interim Pastors. A district conference (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:503; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1180:26b), or, in the interim of its sessions, the district superintendent and the district board of administration (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1233:32, 39; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1310:22–23) shall have the power to appoint an interim pastor, who shall serve subject to the following regulations:

(1) A pastoral charge receiving an interim pastor must participate in an assessment process led by the district superintendent or a representative designated by the district superintendent to evaluate local church health and pastoral leadership needs.

(2) An interim pastor shall be appointed for a specific period mutually agreed upon by the pastor, the local board of administration, and the district superintendent (usually not more than 24 months). This period may be modified based upon the recommendation of the district superintendent and the approval of the district board of administration. An interim pastor may be removed or replaced at any time by a majority vote of the district board of administration (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1233:40; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1310:22–23; cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:5200:5; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:5215:1).

(3) An interim pastor may be fully empowered to exercise administrative authority in the local church, if a Wesleyan ordained, commissioned or licensed minister, and shall fulfill all the functions of the pastor or senior pastor of a pastoral charge or circuit (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:725), which may include presiding as chair of the local church conference and the local board of administration (except as provided in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:635 and 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:770–773).

(4) An interim pastor’s local church membership and district ministerial membership shall not be automatically transferred to the church of service, given the temporary nature of the appointment. However, an interim pastor may personally request transfer of local church membership and district ministerial membership if desired.

(5) An interim pastor may be a nonvoting member of the district conference if ministerial membership is maintained in another district (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1090), or unless qualifying as a voting member by some other right (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1083).