2016 Wesleyan Discipline:3260

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).