660. Organization--A missionary conference shall be organized in the same manner and with the same rights and powers as an annual conference (701-704), but with the following exceptions:
1. The College of Bishops shall provide episcopal supervision for any missionary conference(s) within its jurisdictional boundaries as are organized. The bishop thus placed in charge and having episcopal supervision within the respective episcopal area in cooperation with the General Board of Global Ministries shall appoint a conference superintendent and/or district superintendents. Such conference and/or district superintendent(s) shall be an elder(s), and may not be appointed for more than eight years. Years of service may be either consecutive or nonconsecutive. Years of service as a conference and/or district superintendent in a missionary conference shall be counted toward the total of twelve years permitted in a regular annual conference.20
2. The General Board of Global Ministries shall give close supervision and guidance in setting up the administrative and promotional budgets and Advance projects within the conference and in the promotion of new mission projects. The conference, in making requests for appropriations for support and grants and loans for building projects, shall submit to the General Board of Global Ministries a statement of the proposed annual promotional and administrative budget and the proposed financial plan for new mission and building projects. New work and building projects involving increased appropriations from the General Board of Global Ministries shall first have the approval of the General Board of Global Ministries. (See also 1414.)
3. Missionary conferences shall elect clergy and lay delegates to General and jurisdictional conference on the same basis as annual conferences as provided in 602 and 614.
4. a) Membership--A missionary conference shall determine by majority vote whether it will establish the right of full ministerial membership.
b) An ordained minister in full connection with an annual conference who is appointed to a missionary conference which has previously voted to include full membership under [014]4a may choose either to request the bishop of the missionary conference to seek the transfer of his/her membership into full membership with the missionary conference or retain his/her membership in a home conference and be considered in an affiliated relationship to the missionary conference. Affiliated relationship shall entitle the ordained minister to the fellowship of the conference, to full participation in its activities, including holding office and representing the missionary conference in General and jurisdictional conferences. An affiliate member of a missionary conference shall not vote in his or her annual conference while retaining the affiliate relationship to a missionary conference. Such affiliate relationship to a missionary conference shall be only for the duration of the ordained minister's appointment to the conference.
An affiliate member elected to a General or jurisdictional conference from a missionary conference shall not be eligible to be elected to such position from the conference where his or her membership is held.
c) A missionary conference may elect into full ministerial membership those persons desiring full membership in accordance with 662.
d) A pastor under full-time appointment in a missionary conference upon consultation with and the approval of the bishop and conference or district superintendent/Cabinet, may waive his or her claim upon the conference minimum salary. This waiver is to be reviewed annually and is to be effective until the time of subsequent appointment.
5. A missionary conference may include in its membership representation of such mission agencies within its boundaries as it deems advisable; provided, however, such representation shall not exceed a number equal to one third of the total membership of the missionary conference and that such representatives shall be members of The United Methodist Church in accordance with constitutional requirements.21
6. In order to provide traditional and experimental ministries, the bishop of the missionary conference may appoint an effective elder to other than full-time pastoral appointment combined with secular employment. This will in no way affect the conference relationship. Pension and other benefits shall be provided in consultation with the parties involved and with the approval of the missionary conference.
7. A missionary conference that has not established the right of full ministerial membership may ordain indigenous racial and ethnic persons as deacons who, although they are not associate members, shall be accorded all the rights and privileges of associate membership in the missionary conference except the right of guaranteed appointment, provided that they have completed all of the necessary requirements for candidacy and such other requirements the missionary conference may establish. Further, these persons have the right to pursue transfer of their ministerial relationship to another annual conference as an associate member and pursue a relationship of full connection under the guidance of that annual conference.
20See Judicial Council Decisions 448, 512.
21See Judicial Council Decision 511.
General Conference Webmaster: Susan Brumbaugh
PETS Creator: John Brawn
1992 Book of Discipline: ¶ 660
1996 United Methodist General Conference