2016 Wesleyan Discipline:A. Local Church Developing Church Property

A. Developing Church Property

4650. Developing District and Provisional District. Developing churches within the bounds of a developing district or provisional district shall be under the jurisdiction of the Church Multiplication and Discipleship Division as set forth in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:4800 and 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:4810–4820.

4660. District. The regulations concerning property for a developing church within the bounds of an established district are:

(1) The district board of administration shall be vested with power and authority to purchase, manage, sell, encumber, transfer, and dispose of any and all property of a developing church, whether real, personal or mixed (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:510:4; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1233:13–14), and shall direct the pastor and the local advisory council concerning the same in keeping with The Discipline (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1233:1, 31).

(2) The pastor and local advisory council of a developing church shall be responsible to supervise, control, and maintain the property under their care as directed by the district superintendent and the district board of administration (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:510:3–4; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1233:1, 31).

(3) All property of a developing church shall be held by the district in trust for the use and benefit of the members and ministers of The Wesleyan Church as required in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:323:8 and shall contain the trust clause as given in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:4610 (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:4140; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:4590–4630; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:4830).

(4) Whenever a developing church has been organized as an established church (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:518–520), the district board of trustees may transfer the property to the local board of trustees as set forth in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:4680, provided that the property is free of debt.

4670. Reclassification. Whenever an established church is reclassified as a developing church as set forth in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:518:5; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1180:24; and 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1233:30, the office of the members of the local board of administration and the local board of trustees shall thereupon cease (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:859:5) and the district board of administration shall be responsible for the property as set forth in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:4660:1–4 (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:510:4). Whenever the property of such a church has been held by the local trustees, it shall be conveyed or transferred to the district to be held as set forth in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:4830 (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:859:5).