2016 Wesleyan Discipline: Pastor: Associate

678. A minister who serves as the sole pastor of a church shall be referred to simply as “the pastor.” The term “senior pastor” shall be applied to the presiding minister of a multiple pastoral staff. The pastor shall be expected to carry out the full pastoral function as set forth in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:675, and ultimate responsibility for the same shall rest upon the senior pastor. An associate pastor is a helping member of a multiple staff who normally shares a broad range of the shepherding and teaching responsibilities and such administrative responsibilities as are delegated (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:738). An assistant pastor is a helping member of a multiple staff who normally is assigned more limited and specific aspects of the pastoral function (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:741). 725

(29) To recommend to the local board of administration a potential associate pastor (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:738); to nominate to the local board of administration an assistant pastor (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:741) or a lay assistant to the pastor (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:744); to nominate to the local board of administration all members of the employed staff, except the custodians (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:782:17; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:856:5); and to supervise, with the assistance of the local board of administration, the services of all employed staff members, including the custodians (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:782:17).

738. Associate Pastor. An associate pastor is an ordained minister or a commissioned or licensed minister, who is called of God and appointed by the Church to serve along with the senior pastor and under the direction of the senior pastor as assigned by the senior pastor and approved by the local board of administration; this assignment normally includes a broad range of the shepherding and teaching responsibilities and such administrative responsibilities as are delegated, but may be concentrated on one or more specific aspects of ministry (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:675). The calling and assignment of the associate pastor shall be subject to the following guidelines:

(1) The associate pastor shall have training, experience, and ministerial standing compatible with those of the senior pastor.

(2) The associate pastor is recommended to the local board of administration by the senior pastor. The associate pastor cannot be employed initially without the express recommendation of the senior pastor and the written approval of the district superintendent. The call cannot be renewed without the express recommendation of the senior pastor. Otherwise, the call is made and renewed by the local church conference in the same manner as that of the senior pastor, except that the termination point for the call can never be later than that of the senior pastor.

(3) The associate pastor’s appointment may be terminated in the same manner as that for a pastor, with the additional provision that the term of service will end whenever there is a change in senior pastor in the local church where service is rendered. Whenever a senior pastor terminates service at a time other than the uniform time of pastoral change (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:700), the associate pastor’s term shall expire at the succeeding uniform time for such change. The newly called senior pastor may recommend renewal of the call for the associate pastor to the local board of administration.

(4) If a clergy couple is appointed to the pastoral staff, only one shall be designated as senior pastor, unless the local church conference should vote to call the persons as co-pastors. In such case, the district shall appoint them as co-pastors and they shall be listed as such in the district journal (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1332:8).