B. Local Church General Regulations

B. General Regulations

Minimum Organization of Local Church Officers, Boards and Committees

807. Developing Church. A developing church may operate without any regularly constituted officers other than the pastor, but will ordinarily have a local advisory council of three to five members appointed by the district superintendent in cooperation with the pastor. The pastor and these members will form the local advisory council. This council may then appoint such other officers and committees as are needed and for which qualified personnel are available (cf. 510:3).

810. Church. An established church, in addition to the local church conference and the local board of administration, shall have a minimum organization consisting of a local church secretary (830), a local church treasurer (842), an offering teller (845:3), an auditing committee (863), and a board of trustees consisting of at least three members (850-859). Normally it would have a Sunday school superintendent and staff (889-910). Additional offices, positions, and committees may be added as provided herewith by the local church conference and the local board of administration as need requires and as qualified personnel are available.

Church Officers

815. The church officers shall include all members of the local board of administration, and delegates to district conference who shall serve subject to the following regulations:

(1) They must be members of the local Wesleyan church electing them (302:4; 558) and members who meet the leadership qualifications (260-268; 558).

(2) They shall be elected by the local church conference at its annual session (315:5-7; 820-823). Vacancies occurring between annual sessions of the local church conference shall be filled for the unexpired term by the local board of administration.

(3) They shall carry out their duties as given in The Discipline and as further defined by the local church conference and the local board of administration.

(4) They shall be under the general supervision of the pastor, shall be amenable to the local church conference, and may be removed for cause or when the best interests of the church so require, by a majority vote of the local board of administration (752:1; 815:2; 825:4).

Nominating Committee

820. Each established church may have a nominating committee consisting of the pastor as chair and two members who meet the leadership qualifications (260-268; 558) elected by the local board of administration from its membership (782:20). The local board of administration shall elect two or more additional members with the leadership qualifications, who are not members of the local board of administration.

823. When a nominating committee has been established, it shall present to the local church conference, at its annual session, nominations for each of the following officers: local church secretary and local church treasurer (if any), the Sunday school superintendent (if any). One or more names shall be presented for each office (755. The nominating committee shall present, at the properly announced session of the local church conference (965; 1103), nominations for as many delegates to the district conference as the district board of administration shall determine (1100). The nominating committee may be used for other nominations as ordered by the local church conference, or as ordered by the local board of administration for positions elected by the board (825).

Other Positions

825. Persons holding positions of service within the local church, other than those specifically designated as church officers in 815, and including membership on committees, shall be governed by the following regulations:

(1) They shall be members of the local Wesleyan church electing them.

(2) They shall be elected annually by the local board of administration (782:22-23), or as otherwise provided.

(3) They shall carry out their duties as given in The Discipline and as further defined by the local church conference and local board of administration.

(4) They shall be under the general supervision of the pastor, shall be amenable to the local board of administration, and may be removed for cause or when the best interests of the church so require, by a majority vote of the local board of administration.

(5) Vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired term by the local board of administration.

General Regulations for Installation Service

828. Those elected to church offices and to other positions of service within the local church may be installed in office at an annual installation service following the ritual given in 5915-5925.