2016 Wesleyan Discipline:Chapter 4: District Officers and Committees

A. List of District Officers, Boards and Committees

1250. The following summarizes for quick reference the various officers, boards, and committees of the district:

(1) The district shall have the following officers and personnel, elected by the district conference:

administration, board of (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1200-1233)

delegates to General Conference (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1032; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1180:4; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1503-1526)

district secretary (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1330-1332)—or this office may be combined as district secretary-treasurer (1180:33)

district superintendent (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1300–1310)

trustees, district board of (if any, subject to 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1180:22; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1360; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1365; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:4855)

(2) The district shall have the following officers and personnel, elected by the district conference (unless it delegates this duty to the district board of administration):

district building committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1345)

district statistical committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1350-1352)

district treasurer (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1335-1337)

evangelism and church growth director (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1426)

Global Partners director (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1429)

district Sunday school director (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1483; cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1460)—unless duties are assigned to a district spiritual formation director

(3) The district shall have the following officers and personnel, elected by the district board of administration:

auditing committee or auditor (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1340)

ministerial development, board of (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1378)

ordination council (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1405)

review, board of (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1370; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:5218-5221)

(4) The district may have the following committees and personnel, elected by the district conference (unless otherwise noted):

district conference action committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1165-1168)—election may be delegated to the district board of administration

district conference nominating committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1172-1175)

district spiritual formation director (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1460; cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1483)

(5) The district may have any additional ministry leaders and committees deemed necessary, elected or appointed by the district board of administration (except as noted), such as:

adult ministries director (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1494)

assistant superintendent(s) (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1320-1327)

camp meeting board (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1180:20)

children’s ministries director (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1489)

community-based/compassion ministry director

conference journal editing committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1178:1)

educational director (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1496)—appointed by the district superintendent, unless duties are assigned to the district director of spiritual formation

evangelism and church growth, board of (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1413-1423)

ethnic ministry directors

executive committee of the district board of administration (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1245)

Global Partners, board of (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1430-1435)

judicial committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:5209)

men’s ministry director

spiritual formation leadership team (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1233:22; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1440-1455)

Sunday school committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1468-1480)

Wesleyan Youth director (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1233:25; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1492)

women’s ministry director

zone leaders (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1233:13)

B. District Officials

1255. Identification. The district officials include the district superintendent, the assistant district superintendent(s), if any, the district secretary, and the district treasurer. They are elected by the district conference with the exception of the assistant district superintendent(s) (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1320), and the possible exception of the district treasurer (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1335; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1180:33) by ballot and by majority vote, and are ex officio members of the district board of administration (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1180:31-33; cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1203).

1258. Qualifications. A district official other than the district superintendent (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1303:1) must be, at the time of election and throughout the term of service, a member with leadership qualifications of a local Wesleyan church within the district and, if a minister, a ministerial member of the district where service is rendered (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1272).

1262. Term of Office. District officials elected or appointed by the district conference or district board of administration (cf.2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1250; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1255; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1275; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1303:2) may be elected or appointed for either one-year or two-year terms of service with the exception of the district superintendent (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1303:2). All district officials shall assume office at the close of the district conference session at which they are elected and shall serve until the close of the district conference marking the end of their term or until their successors are elected and qualified with the possible exception of the district treasurer (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1335; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1180:33).

1265. Amenability. A district official shall administer the respective office according to The Discipline, and as directed by the General Conference, the General Board, the district conference, and the district board of administration. District officials other than the district superintendent shall serve under the general supervision of the district superintendent, shall be amenable to the district board of administration and may be removed for cause or when the best interests of The Wesleyan Church and the district so require, upon a two-thirds majority vote of all members of the district board of administration (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1233:28a). The amenability of the district superintendent is set forth in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1307 (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:323:1).

1268. Reports. A district official shall report to each session of the district conference concerning all official duties (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1180:13) and to the district board of administration as may be required.

1272. Vacancies. The office of a district official may become vacant by death, by cessation of membership in a local Wesleyan church within the district, by resignation, by removal (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1265) or in the case of a minister, by ceasing to be a ministerial member of the district. In all cases other than that of the district superintendent (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1303:7), the filling of a vacancy in the office of a district official until the next session of the district conference shall be by a majority vote of all members of the district board of administration (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1233:28a).

C. District Departmental Officers and Committees

1275. Identification. District departmental officers include the district director of evangelism and church growth (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1426), the district director of Global Partners (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1429), the district director of spiritual formation (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1460), the district director of leadership training (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1486), the district director of adult ministries (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1494), the district director of youth ministries (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1492), the district director of children’s ministries (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1489), the district director of men’s ministry, the district director of women’s ministry (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1439), and the district educational director (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1496). All district departmental officers and members of district boards (other than the district board of administration, cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1206) and committees are subject to the regulations as set forth herewith in paragraphs 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1275-1292.

1278. Qualifications. A district departmental officer or member of a district board or committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1275) must be a member who meets the leadership qualifications (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:260-268; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:558) of a local Wesleyan church within the district at the time of election, with the exception of ordained ministers appointed to denominational service, and if a minister, a ministerial member of the district (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1292).

1282. Term of Office. A district departmental officer (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1275) or member of a district board or committee elected or appointed by the district conference or district board of administration may be elected or appointed for either one-year or two-year terms of service, unless otherwise stated in The Discipline (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1378; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1416; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1432). A district may, by a two-thirds vote, adopt three-year terms for the district board of administration, with approximately one-third being elected each year. The district departmental officer or member of a district board or committee shall assume office at the close of the district conference session at which elected or, whenever elected by the district board of administration, at the time of the election and shall serve until the close of the designated term.

1285. Amenability. All district departmental officers and members of district boards or committees (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1275) shall carry out their duties according to The Discipline and other directives of the General Church or district. They shall serve under the general supervision of the district superintendent and shall be amenable to the district board of administration. They may be removed by the district board of administration, by a majority vote, for cause or when the best interests of The Wesleyan Church and the district so require (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1233:28b).

1288. Reports. A district departmental officer shall report to the district conference as required by The Discipline or by the district conference (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1180:13), and shall make other reports to the board or committee under which service is performed, the district board of administration or the district superintendent as may be requested.

1292. Vacancies. The office of a district departmental officer or membership on a district board or committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1275) may become vacant by death, by cessation of membership in a local Wesleyan church within the district, by resignation, by removal (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1285) or in the case of a minister, by ceasing to be a ministerial member of the district, or in the case of a minister serving under the special provision of paragraph 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1278, by discontinuing the appointment to denominational service. A vacancy may be declared and filled for the unexpired term by the district board of administration, by a majority vote.