Leave of Absence.----1. General Provisions.----This relationship
is may be granted to clergy who are probationary,
associate, and or full members who, because of
sufficient reason, are unable to or who chose temporarily
to cease to perform the duties of full-time itinerant
ministry. This relationship may be initiated by the minister
clergy member as a voluntary leave of absence or by the district
superintendents or the Board of Ordained Ministry as an
involuntary a remedial leave of absence through the
Board of Ordained Ministry, as provided below. Any leave of absence
shall be and granted or renewed by the vote of the
executive session of clergy members in full connection of the Annual Conference
upon the board's recommendation of the Board of Ordained
Ministry. The fair process as set forth in ¶2622 shall be
followed in any involuntary leave of absence procedure. Between
sessions of the Annual Conference, voluntary or remedial leave of
absence may be granted or terminated, with the approval of the bishop and
district superintendents, by the executive committee of the Board of Ordained
Ministry. This interim action shall be subject to the approval of a majority
of those present and voting at the executive session of clergy members in
full connection with the Annual Conference at its next
session., provided that a two- thirds vote of those
present and voting at the next executive clergy session shall be required to
approve an interim remedial leave of absence initiated by the district
superintendents under ¶ 448.3a.
No voluntary or remedial leave of absence, or any combination of voluntary
and remedial leaves of absence, shall be granted for more than five consecutive
years. This A leave of absence shall be
counted...upon the recommendation of the Board of Ordained Ministry.
After consultation with the pastor in charge of a local church, a clergy member on leave of absence shall designate a Charge Conference within the bounds of the Annual Conference in which he/she shall hold membership and to which he/she shall submit an annual report. The exercise of ministry by the member on leave of absence shall be limited to the Charge Conference in which membership is held and under the supervision of the pastor in charge, to whom the member shall report all marriages performed, baptisms administered, and funerals conducted. A member on leave of absence shall be held amenable to the Annual Conference for his/her conduct and the continuation of ordination rights. In case of failure to report to the Charge Conference, the Annual Conference may place the clergy member on administrative location (¶454.3).
Should there be grievances...serve as delegates to General, or Jurisdictional
Conferences. Involuntary leaves of absence shall be approved by
two-thirds vote of the clergy members in full connection at a session of the
Annual Conference.
a) 2. Voluntary Leave of Absence.----The written
request from the clergy member for this relationship...This relationship
shall be approved annually upon written request of the clergy member
and shall not be granted for more than five years in succession except
by a two-thirds ( ) vote of the clergy members in full connection.
Clergy members on voluntary leave of absence may, with the permission of the
Charge Conference in which membership is held and with the approval of the
Division of Chaplains and Related Ministries, continue to hold an existing
reserve commission as an armed forces chaplain but may not voluntarily serve on
extended active duty.
When an end to the voluntary leave of absence is requested by the clergy member, it shall be by written request to the Board of Ordained Ministry at least six (6) months prior to the session of Annual Conference. The Board of Ordained Ministry shall review the circumstances surrounding the granting of the relationship for the purpose of determining whether those circumstances have been alleviated or resolved. When clergy members on voluntary leave of absence do not request an extension of the leave of absence annually during the five-year period, or do not indicate willingness to return to the itinerant ministry at the end of the five-year period following documented efforts to make contact with the member, the Board of Ordained Ministry shall recommend to the executive session of the clergy members in full connection with the Annual Conference that the clergy member be either located or terminated without further process.
b) 3. Involuntary
Remedial Leave of Absence.----Remedial leave of absence may be
initiated by the district superintendents or by the Board of Ordained Ministry,
as provided below. The fair process as set forth in ¶ 2622 shall be
followed in any remedial leave of absence procedure. The clergy member has the
right to a complete statement from the board of any requirements to be met
during the leave which are to be met before the leave will be terminated. The
board shall also inform the member that if the stated requirements have not
been met within a maximum of five years, the board will be required to
recommend to the executive session of clergy members that the member be located
or terminated without further process. The Board of Ordained Ministry shall
review at least annually the circumstances surrounding the granting of remedial
leave of absence and any requirements related thereto for the purpose of
determining whether those circumstances have been alleviated or resolved and
those requirements met. If at the end of the five-year period the circumstances
have not been alleviated or resolved or the stated requirements have not been
met, the Board of Ordained Ministry shall recommend to the executive session of
the clergy members in full connection with the Annual Conference that the
clergy member be either located or terminated without further process, and such
action shall not be deemed to be in violation of ¶ 2622.5.
a) Initiated by District Superintendents for Incompetence or
Ineffectiveness.----Upon determination by the district superintendents that
a clergy member is incompetent or ineffective in performing the work of
ministry, they as a Cabinet The District Superintendents
may request to the Board of Ordained Ministry that the clergy member be
placed on an involuntary a remedial leave of
absence without the consent of the clergy member,. Any such
request must be made at least ninety (90) days prior to the Annual
Conference session. They The district superintendents
shall give to the clergy member and the Board of Ordained Ministry in writing
specific reasons for the request. The clergy member has the right to a hearing
before the bishop, district superintendents, and executive committee of the
Board of Ordained Ministry prior to being placed on
involuntary remedial leave of absence initiated by
the district superintendents under ¶448.3a. Approval of such a
leave shall require a two-thirds vote of an executive session of clergy members
in full connection with the Annual Conference. By two-thirds vote of the
executive session of clergy members in full connection with the Annual
conference, upon recommendation of the bishop, district superintendents, and
Board of Ordained Ministry, the ninety-day notice requirement may be waived.
Annual continuation of tThis relation shall be
approved require a two-thirds vote of the executive session of
clergy members in full connection with the Annual Conference upon
written request of the district superintendents
recommendation of the Board of Ordained Ministry and shall not be
approved for more than three years in succession.
There will be...Its purpose shall be to ensure that the Disciplinary procedures
for involuntary remedial leave of absence were properly
followed in any remedial leave of absence procedure initiated by the
district superintendents under ¶ 448.3a. The entire process
leading to the recommendation for involuntary such a
remedial leave of absence shall be reviewed by the Administrative Review
Committee, and it shall report its findings to the executive session of clergy
members in full connection with the Annual Conference.
b) Initiated by Board of Ordained Ministry in Response to Complaints or Charges.----In its response in any proceeding alleging commission of one of the chargeable offenses listed in ¶2623, the Board of Ordained Ministry may recommend that a clergy member be placed on remedial leave of absence as provided in ¶ 454.1e. This relation shall be approved annually by the executive session of clergy members in full connection with the Annual Conference upon recommendation of the Board of Ordained Ministry.
2. [Delete.]
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64. This paragraph,...upon the conclusion of the
1992 1996 General Conference.
General Conference Webmaster: Susan Brumbaugh
PETS Creator: John Brawn
Petition Text: 20752-MN-448-D
1996 United Methodist General Conference