2016 Wesleyan Discipline: Local church officers

800. The following summarizes for quick reference the various officers, boards, and committees of the local church:

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

board of administration, local (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:750-782)

church secretary (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:830)

church treasurer or business manager (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:842)—appointment may be delegated to the local board of administration

delegates to district conference (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:965; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1086; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1100-1109)

pastor (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:675-725)

trustees (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:850-859), unless delegated to the local board of administration

(2) The church shall have the following officers and personnel, elected by the local board of administration:

auditor or auditing committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:863)

offering teller (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:845:3)

vice-chair of local board of administration (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:773)

(3) The church may have additional ministry leaders and personnel, as it deems necessary, elected by the local church conference, such as:

associate pastor (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:738)—elected by the local church conference

lay leader (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:833)—elected by the local church conference

spiritual formation director or Sunday school superintendent (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:887-890)

nominating committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:820-823) —up to four additional committee members who are not local board of administration members to serve with the pastor and two members elected by the local board of administration from among its membership

(4) The church may have additional ministry leaders and personnel, as it deems necessary, elected by the local board of administration, such as:

adult ministry director, staff and team (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:924)

assistant treasurer (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:845:1)

assistant pastor (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:741)

building committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:856:6)

children’s ministry director, staff, and team (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:880:2, 7-8)

communion committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:873)

custodial staff (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:782:17; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:856:5)

day care and/or day school committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:655:19-20; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:782:36-37; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1233:35)

educational director (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:926)

evangelism director and committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:935; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:960)

fellowship committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:880:19)

finance and stewardship committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:865-868)

financial or tithing secretary (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:845:2)

judicial committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:970; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:5110)

lay assistant to the pastor (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:744)

literature secretary (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:928)

missions director and committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:930; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:955)

music committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:873)

music minister or director (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:870)

nominating committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:820-823)—two members elected by the local board of administration from its membership

office staff (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:725:29; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:782:17)

pastor’s advisory committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:795)

spiritual formation leadership team (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:875-880)

Sunday school staff and committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:895-903)

ushering committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:873)

witness and membership committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:835-837)

women’s ministry officers and committees (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:945)

Wesleyan Youth adult leader, officers, and committees (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:922)

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

(1) They must be members of the local Wesleyan church electing them (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:302:4; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:558) and members who meet the leadership qualifications (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:260-268; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:558).

(2) They shall be elected by the local church conference at its annual session (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:315:5-7; cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:820-823), except assistant treasurers (see 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:845) and persons filling offices designated by the local church conference as ex officio members of the local board of administration but chosen by the local board of administration (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:752). Vacancies occurring between annual sessions of the local church conference shall be filled for the unexpired term by the local board of administration. Vacancies may occur by death, by cessation of membership in The Wesleyan Church, by resignation from office or by removal (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:815:4).

(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, upon recommendation of the local board of administration and by a majority vote of the local church conference, or as otherwise provided for (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:752:1; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:815:2; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:825:4).

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: lay leader (if any), local church secretary, local church treasurer (if any), the Sunday school superintendent (if any), and one or more trustees (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:850). One or more names shall be presented for each office (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:755). The nominating committee shall present, at the properly announced session of the local church conference (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:965; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1103), nominations for as many delegates to the district conference as the district board of administration shall determine (2016 Wesleyan Discipline: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 (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:825).