Section VI. District Property
2518. District Parsonages and Boards of Trustees--1. A District Parsonage for the district superintendent may be acquired, when authorized by the charge conferences of two-thirds of the charges in the district or when authorized by a two-thirds vote of the district conference, subject to the advice and approval of the district board of church location and building as provided in 2519-2524.
2. The title of district property may be held in trust by a district Board of Trustees. Unless the District Union is incorporated in its own name, each district shall have a district board of trustees, which shall be incorporated. The board shall consist of not fewer than three nor more than nine members in accordance with 707.4, having the same qualifications provided for trustees of local Churches (2525), who shall be nominated by the district superintendent in consultation with the district nominating committee, if one exists, and elected by the district conference. Where there is no district conference, they may be elected by the district board of stewards or by the annual conference on nomination of the district superintendent. They shall be elected for a term of one year and serve until their successors shall have been elected, and shall report annually to the district conference or annual conference. Title to district property may be held in trust by the district board of trustees. If the title to the district parsonage is not held in trust by the district board of trustees, the same shall be held in trust by the trustees of the annual conference of which such district is a part, and such trustees shall report annually to the annual conference. Except as the laws of the state, territory, or country prescribe otherwise, district property held in trust by a district board of trustees may be mortgaged or sold and conveyed by them only by authority of the district conference or annual conference, or if such property is held in trust by the trustees of the annual conference, it may be mortgaged or sold and conveyed by such trustees only by authority of the annual conference. The district conference, or annual conference in the case of property held in trust by the trustees of the annual conference, may include in the resolution authorizing such proposed action a direction that any contract, deed, bill of sale, mortgage, or other necessary written instrument may be executed by and on behalf of the respective board of trustees by any two of its officers, who thereupon shall be duly authorized to carry out the direction of the district conference or annual conference; and any written instrument so executed shall be binding and effective as the action of the district conference or annual conference. The purchase price and maintenance cost of a district parsonage may be equitably distributed among the charges of the district by the district board of stewards. Where there is an incorporated district union (750.4), the board of directors of the district union shall have the same duties and responsibilities with respect to district property as are described here for the district board of trustees.
3. When district boundaries are changed by division, rearrangement, or consolidation so that a district parsonage purchased, owned, and maintained by one district is included within the bounds of another district, each such district shall be entitled to receive its just share of the then reasonable value of the parsonage in which it has invested funds; and the amount of such value and just share shall be determined by a committee of three persons, appointed by the bishop of the area, who shall not be residents of any of the said districts. The committee shall hear claims of each district regarding its interest therein before making decision. From any such determination there is reserved unto each of the interested districts the right of appeal to the next succeeding annual conference. Any sum received as or from such share shall be used for no other purpose than purchase or building of a parsonage in the district. The same procedure shall be followed in determining equities of a district in any other property which may be included in another district by changes in district boundaries.
General Conference Webmaster: Susan Brumbaugh
PETS Creator: John Brawn
1992 Book of Discipline: ¶ 2518
1996 United Methodist General Conference