814. Provisions Pertaining to Staff--1. No elected general program agency staff shall hold the same position more than twelve years. Years of service prior to January 1, 1989, are not counted. The agency responsible for the election of such staff may annually suspend this provision by a two-thirds ballot vote.15
2. Official travel of the staffs of agencies shall be interpreted to include all travel which is necessary in the performance of official duties directly related to the agency functions. No staff person shall accept honoraria for such official duties. A staff member may accept an engagement not related to the functions of the employing agency when such an engagement does not interfere with official duties; the staff member may accept an honorarium for services rendered in connection with such engagements.
3. Normal retirement for all general agency staff personnel shall be at age sixty-five or the completion of forty years of service to The United Methodist Church in an elective, appointive, or employed capacity. Mandatory retirement for elective and appointive staff shall be at age seventy. There shall be no mandatory retirement age for other employed staff. All general agency staff personnel may elect to retire at any time after attaining age sixty-two or completing thirty- five years of service to The United Methodist Church.
4. Provisions of the Staff Retirement Benefits Program shall be reviewed, with recommendations, by the Committee on Personnel Policies and Practices (907.8b).
5. All general agencies will provide eligible staff with health care coverage in accordance with the health benefit plan provision of UMCare.
6. The general secretary of the General Council on Ministries and/or the general secretary of the General Council on Finance and Administration may convene the general secretaries of the general agencies as necessary for the purpose of obtaining opinion and recommendations to assist the councils in discharging their functions.
7. All general secretaries, deputy general secretaries, associate general secretaries, and assistant general secretaries of all general agencies shall be members of The United Methodist Church. This provision shall not apply to persons employed prior to the 1992 General Conference16.
8. No member of the staff of a general agency shall be eligible for voting membership on any general or jurisdictional agency of The United Methodist Church except where the Discipline specifically provides for such interagency representation.
9. Elected staff shall be allowed voice but not vote in the agency and its subunits.
10. All management staff persons of general agencies shall be persons of genuine Christian character who love the church and are committed to the oneness of the Body of Christ, are morally disciplined and loyal to the ethical standards of The United Methodist Church as set forth in the Social Principles, and are competent to administer the affairs of a general agency.
11. Prior to any interviews of clergy persons for general board or agency staff positions, the bishop of the clergy person under consideration shall be consulted at the initiative of the board or agency.
15See Judicial Council Decision 567.
16See Judicial Council Decision 426.
General Conference Webmaster: Susan Brumbaugh
PETS Creator: John Brawn
1992 Book of Discipline: ¶ 814
1996 United Methodist General Conference