452. Retirement--Retired ordained ministers are those who have been placed in the retired relation either at their own request or by action of the clergy members in full connection upon recommendation of the board of ordained ministry.42 (See 1606-1609 for pension information.) Requests for retirement shall be stated in writing to the bishop, Cabinet, and board of ordained ministry at least ninety days prior to the conference session at which retirement is to be effective. The board of ordained ministry shall provide guidance and counsel to the retiring member and family as they begin a new relationship in the local Church.
1. Mandatory Retirement--Every clergy member of an annual conference who will have attained age seventy on or before July 1 in the year which the conference is held shall automatically be retired.43
2. Voluntary Retirement--a) With Twenty Years of Service--Any members of the annual conference who have completed twenty years or more of service under appointment as ordained ministers or as local pastors with pension credit for service before 1982 or with full participation in the Comprehensive Protection Plan since 1981 prior to the opening date of the session of the conference may request the annual conference to place them in the retired relation with the privilege of receiving their pensions for the number of approved years served in the annual conference or conferences and such other benefits as the final annual conference may provide, payment to begin the first of any month after the ordained minister attains age sixty-two. If pension begins prior to the age at which retirement under 452.2c could have occurred, then the provisions of 1606.4i shall apply.
b) With Thirty-five Years of Service or at Age Sixty-two--At their own request and by vote of the clergy members in full connection, any clergy members who will have attained age sixty-two on or before July 1 or will have completed thirty-five years of service under appointment as ordained ministers, or as local pastors with pension credit for service before 1982 or with full participation in the Comprehensive Protection Plan since 1981, in the year in which the session of the annual conference is held may be placed in the retired relation with an annuity claim for an actuarially reduced pension (see 1606.4i).44
c) With Forty Years of Service or at Age Sixty-five--At their own request and by vote of the clergy members in full connection, any clergy members who will have attained age sixty-five on or before July 1 in the year in which the session of the conference is held or will have completed forty years of service under appointment as an ordained minister, or as a local pastor with pension credit for service before 1982 or with full participation in the Comprehensive Protection Plan since 1981, as of the conference session may be placed in the retired relation with the privilege of making an annuity claim.45
d) The annual conference, at its discretion, upon joint recommendation of the board of ordained ministry and the conference Board of Pensions, may designate any time within the ensuing conference year as the effective date of retirement of an ordained minister who is placed in the retired relation under the provisions of [014]2b or [014]2c above.
3. Involuntary Retirement--By a two-thirds vote of those present and voting, the clergy members of the annual conference in full connection may place any clergy members in the retired relation with or without their consent and irrespective of their age if such relation is recommended by the board of ordained ministry and the Cabinet.46 The requirements of fair process as set forth in 2622 shall be followed in any involuntary retirement procedure. Written notice of the intended action shall be given to such member by the board of ordained ministry at least one hundred eighty (180) days prior to annual conference. This process shall not preclude the rights to appeal and trial by any person so guaranteed by our Constitution.
4. Pre-retirement Counseling--The board of ordained ministry in cooperation with the conference board of pensions shall offer to all clergy members anticipating retirement, pre-consultation at least five years prior to the date of anticipated retirement (733.2n). The purpose of the consultation will be to assist the clergy and spouses to plan and to prepare for the adjustments associated with retirement, as well as providing guidance and counsel for their return to a new relationship in the local church. In pre-retirement counseling the Board of ordained ministry and the conference board of pensions may relate to the annual conference association of retired ministers or similar organization where it exists. The boards shall take initiative in assisting retirees to establish such organizations.
5. Charge Conference Membership--a) All retired ordained ministers who are not appointed as pastors of a charge, after consultation with the pastor, shall have a seat in the charge conference and all the privileges of membership in the church where they elect to hold such membership except as set forth in the Discipline. They shall report to the charge conference and to the pastor all marriages performed, Baptisms administered, and other pastoral functions. They shall forward annually to the conference where membership is held a report of their Christian and ministerial conduct, together with an account of the circumstances of their families, signed by the district superintendent or the pastor of the charge within the bounds of which they reside. Without this report the conference, after having given thirty days' notice, may locate them without their consent.
6. Appointment of Retired Ordained Ministers--A retired ordained minister shall be eligible to receive an appointment when requested by the bishop and Cabinet but not the same appointment from which he/she has been retired. A retired ordained minister appointed to a pastoral charge shall have neither a claim upon minimum compensation nor further pension credit. Retired ordained ministers may serve on conference agencies.47
7. Return to Effective Relationship--A clergy member who has retired under the provisions of 452.2 may at his/her own request be made an effective member upon recommendation of the board of ordained ministry, the bishop, and Cabinet, and by majority vote of the clergy members of the annual conference and thereby eligible for appointment so long as he/she remains in the effective relation or until 452.1 applies. Each ordained minister requesting return to effective relationship after voluntary retirement must meet the following conditions: (1) Presentation of their certificate of retirement. (2) A satisfactory certificate of good health on the prescribed form from a physician approved by the board of ordained ministry. However, any pension being received through the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits shall be discontinued upon their return to the effective relationship. The pension shall be reinstated upon subsequent retirement.
42See Judicial Council Decisions 87, 88, 531.
43See Judicial Council Decisions 7, 165, 413, 578.
44See Judicial Council Decision 428.
45See Judicial Council Decision 379.
46See Judicial Council Decision 522.
47See Judicial Council Decisions 87, 88, 531, 558.
General Conference Webmaster: Susan Brumbaugh
PETS Creator: John Brawn
1992 Book of Discipline: ¶ 452
1996 United Methodist General Conference