please contact the Office of Clergy Services at
803-786-9486, Ext. 328, or clergyservices@umcsc.org.
Local Pastors
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Checklist
COURSE OF STUDY
- Course of Study Course Grid
- Course of Study Goals
- Course of Study Scholarship Application
- Disciplinary/Conference Academic Guide to Associate Membership BCOS
- Disciplinary/Conference Academic Guide to Full Membership through ACOS
- Extension Course of Study Schools/Locations
- GBHEM Online Course of Study
- Regional Course of Study Schools/Locations
REINSTATEMENT
¶ 316. Responsibilities and Duties of Those Licensed for Pastoral Ministry: 1. Provisional elders approved annually by the Board of Ordained Ministry and local pastors approved annually by the district committee on ordained ministry may be licensed by the bishop to perform all the duties of a pastor (¶ 340), including the sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion as well as the service of marriage (where state laws allow), burial, confirmation, and membership reception, within and while appointed to a particular charge or extension ministry. For the purposes of these paragraphs the charge or extension ministry will be defined as “people within or related to the community or ministry set- ting being served.” Those licensed for pastoral ministry may be appointed to extension ministry settings when approved by the bishop and the Board of Ordained Ministry.
2. Such authorization granted by the license may be renewed annually by the district committee or the Board of Ordained Ministry.
3. The license shall remain valid only so long as the appointment continues and shall be re-certified by the bishop when assignments change between sessions of the annual conference.
4. A local pastor shall be under the supervision of a district superintendent and shall be assigned a clergy mentor while in the Course of Study or in seminary (¶ 348).
5. Local pastors shall be amenable to the clergy session of the annual conference in the performance of their pastoral duties and shall attend the sessions of the annual conference.
6. The membership of local pastors under full-time and part- time appointment is in the annual conference where they shall have the right to vote on all matters except constitutional amendments, election of delegates to General, jurisdictional, or central conferences, and matters of ordination, character, and conference relations of clergy. Local pastors who have completed Course of Study or a Master of Divinity degree and have served a minimum of two consecutive years under appointment before the election may vote to elect clergy delegates to General and jurisdictional or central conferences.
7. All local pastors shall receive written communication about decisions made regarding their relationship with the annual conference
8. Local pastors who have completed the Course of Study may upon retirement annually request from the District Committee of Ordained Ministry and the bishop a license to continue to serve in the local church where they hold membership for the purpose of providing sacramental rites of baptism and Holy Communion, at the request of the appointed pastor.
