533. Process of Appointment-Making--The process used in appointment-making shall include:
1. A change in appointment may be initiated by a pastor, a Committee on pastor-parish relations, a district superintendent, or a bishop.
2. The bishop and the Cabinet shall consider all requests for change of appointment in light of the profile developed for each charge and the gifts and evidence of God's grace, professional experience, and family needs of the pastor.
3. When a change in appointment has been determined, the district superintendent should meet together or separately with the pastor and the committee on pastor-parish relations where the pastor is serving, for the purpose of sharing the basis for the change and the process used in making the new appointment.
4. All appointments shall receive consideration by the bishop and the district superintendent(s) and the Cabinet as a whole until a tentative decision is made.
5. The process used in making the new appointment shall include:
a) The district superintendent shall confer with the pastor about a specific possible appointment (charge) and its congruence with gifts, evidence of God's grace, professional experience and expectations, and the family needs of the pastor identified in consultation with the pastor (532.2).
b) If the appointment is to a cooperative parish ministry or to a charge which is part of a cooperative parish ministry, the following shall be included in the consultation process.
(1) The prospective appointee shall be informed prior to the appointment that the charge under consideration is part of a cooperative parish ministry.15
(2) The coordinator or director of the cooperative ministry, or, if there is no coordinator or director, a representative of the staff of the cooperative ministry, shall be conferred with concerning the prospective appointment and shall have the opportunity to meet with the prospective appointee prior to the appointment being made.16
(3) The prospective appointee shall have demonstrated skills in cooperative Christian mission or show potential for the same to ensure that the cooperative venture is strengthened during the time of the appointee's leadership.
6. The district superintendent shall confer with the receiving committee on pastor-parish relations about pastoral leadership (532.1).
7. When appointments are being made to less than full-time ministry, the district superintendent shall consult with the ordained minister to be appointed and the committee on pastor-parish relations regarding proportional time, salary, and pension credit and benefit coverage.
8. If during this consultative process it is determined by the bishop and Cabinet that this decision should not be carried out, the process is to be repeated until the bishop, basing his/her decision on the information and advice derived from consultation, makes and fixes the appointment.
9. A similar process of consultation shall be available to persons in appointments beyond the local Church.
10. When the steps in the process have been followed and completed, the announcement of that decision shall be made to all parties directly involved in the consultative process; that is, the appointment Cabinet, the pastor, and the committee on pastor-parish relations, before a public announcement is made.
15See Judicial Council Decision 556.
16See Judicial Council Decision 556.
General Conference Webmaster: Susan Brumbaugh
PETS Creator: John Brawn
1992 Book of Discipline: ¶ 533
1996 United Methodist General Conference