437. The Itinerant System--The itinerant system is the accepted method of The United Methodist Church by which ordained ministers are appointed by the bishop to fields of labor. All ordained ministers shall accept and abide by these appointments. Persons appointed to multiple-staff ministries, either in a single parish or in a cluster or larger parish, must have personal and professional access to the bishop and Cabinet, the committee on pastor-parish relations, as well as to the pastor in charge. The nature of the appointment process is specified in 529-533.
1. Full-time service shall be the norm for ordained ministry in the annual conference. Full-time service shall mean that the person's entire vocational time, as defined by the district superintendent in consultation with the pastor and the committee on pastor-parish Relations, is devoted to the work of ministry in the field of labor to which one is appointed by the bishop.
2. Less than full-time service may be rendered by a clergy member under the conditions stipulated in this paragraph. Less than full-time service shall mean that a specified amount of time less than full time agreed upon by the bishop and the Cabinet, the ordained minister, and the annual conference board of ordained ministry is devoted to the work of ministry in the field of labor to which the person is appointed by the bishop. At his/her own initiative, a clergy member may request and may be appointed in one-quarter, one-half, or three-quarter time increments by the bishop to less than full-time service without loss of essential rights or membership in the annual conference. Division of Chaplains and Related Ministries-endorsed appointments beyond the local Church may be for less than full-time service. Appointment to less than full-time service is not a guarantee but may be made by the bishop provided that the following conditions are met:
a) The ordained minister seeking less than full-time service should present a written request to the bishop and the chairperson of the board of ordained ministry at least three months prior to the annual conference session at which the appointment is made. Exceptions to the three-month deadline must be approved by the Cabinet and the executive committee of the board of ordained ministry.
b) Following appropriate consultation, as established in 444 and 529-533, and upon joint recommendation of the Cabinet and the board of ordained ministry, the less than full-time category shall be confirmed by a two-thirds vote of the clergy members of the annual conference.
c) Reappointment to less than full-time service shall be requested by the ordained minister and approved annually by the bishop and Cabinet and shall not be granted for more than a total of eight years except by a three-fourths vote of the clergy members in full connection of the annual conference.
d) Ordained ministers who receive appointment at less than full-time service remain within the itineracy and as such remain available, upon consultation with the bishop and Cabinet, for appointment to full-time service. A written request to return to full-time appointment shall be made to the bishop and Cabinet at least six months prior to the annual conference session at which the appointment is to be made.
e) The bishop may make ad interim appointments at less than full-time service upon request of the ordained minister following consultation as specified in 529-533 and upon recommendation of the Cabinet and executive committee of the board of ordained ministry, the same to be acted upon by the next regular session of the annual conference.28
3. Interim appointments may be made: to charges that have special transitional needs or to charges whose pastor is on sabbatical leave.
28See Judicial Council Decision 579.
General Conference Webmaster: Susan Brumbaugh
PETS Creator: John Brawn
1992 Book of Discipline: ¶ 437
1996 United Methodist General Conference