Ordained Ministry

How does the clergy appointment system work?

In the United Methodist church, the Bishop of an Annual Conference is responsible for appointing ministers (elders) to churches and other church offices. Bishops are elected by lay and clergy delegates to Jurisdictional Conferences. (Suncreek UMC is in the North Texas Conference and the South Central Jurisdiction.) One must keep in mind that the Bishop’s task of matching diverse clergy with the unique needs of hundreds churches is an exceedingly complex task. This process includes gathering information about the gifts of each clergy member, consulting with clergy about the kinds of church settings they feel called to serve, and consulting with lay representatives from local churches about the needs of their church. The bishop is assisted in gathering this information by District Superintendents. (Suncreek UMC is in the Dallas Northeast District.) Appointment decisions are made with consideration of how changes impact the spiritual health of the entire conference. Please pray for our Bishop as he takes on this vital and challenging task.

Typically, changes in appointments are announced during March, April and May on a church-by-church basis. The official appointments occur in early June at Annual Conference. However, the bishop can make changes in appointments of clergy to churches at any time during the year. Occasionally, changes are made due to unexpected issues like a minister experiencing a significant health problem.

Appointments are renewed annually. The number of years that ministers are appointed to churches is quite variable. The average length of an appointment is five to seven years. Church characteristics, like the number of church members, tend to impact the length of appointments in most conferences. The length of appointments for smaller membership churches tends to be shorter. Small churches typically experience a change in pastors about every three to five years. Senior Pastors that are appointed to very large churches tend to serve for longer periods of time. For example, it is not unusual for a Senior Pastor at a very large church to serve for 10 to 20 years. Churches that are growing rapidly also tend have Senior Pastors who serve for longer periods of time.

Understanding the Different Categories of Clergy in the United Methodist Church

Elders

Elders are ordained to a lifetime ministry of service, word, sacrament and order. They are authorized to preach and teach God’s word, to administer the sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion, and to order the life of the church for mission and ministry. As members of the Order of Elder, they make themselves available for appointment by the bishop and serve both within the local church and in settings that extend the ministry of the church. They are full members of the annual conference.

The education requirements for Elders includes an undergraduate degree and a master’s degree. They must complete a minimum of 24 semester hours of graduate level theological studies. Course requirements include Evangelism, New Testament, Old Testament, church history, theology, worship and liturgy, and United Methodist doctrine, polity, and history.

Reverend Kathleen Baskin-Ball is an Elder.

Deacons

The 1996 General Conference created a new Order of Deacon. Deacons are ordained to lifetime ministry of Word and Service to community and congregation. In the world, they express a ministry of compassion and justice, assisting laypersons as they claim their own ministry. In the congregation, they work with the pastor to teach and form disciples and to lead worship. Like non-clergy, they must work under the supervision of an Elder to administer the sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion. Many Deacons direct program and age-level ministries like children’s, youth, adult, missions/outreach and music ministries. Many deacons have leadership roles in worship. Some deacons preach regularly.

They are full clergy members of the annual conference, called to a specialized non-itinerant ministry. The term itinerant refers to the system in which the bishop decides what church a clergy person will serve. The term “non-itinerant” indicates that the bishop does not select the church that a deacon will serve. Deacons are free to seek employment at the church of their choice and churches are free to ask deacons to serve their church.

The education requirements for Deacons include a master’s degree in the area of specialized ministry in which the person will serve. They must complete a minimum of 24 semester hours of graduate level theological studies. Course requirements include Evangelism, New Testament, Old Testament, church history, theology, worship and liturgy, and United Methodist doctrine, polity, and history.

Suncreek UMC currently does not have a clergy staff member that is an ordained Deacon.

Local Pastors

Local pastors are licensed by the bishop to perform all pastoral duties including the sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion while appointed to a particular church. (They cannot perform the sacraments outside of the activities of their appointed church.) They are clergy members of the annual conference with limited voting rights while under appointment as full-time or part-time local pastors. Licensing is for one year at a time. They must complete a specialized education set by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry or one-third of the coursework for a Master of Divinity degree. (Many local pastors serve smaller churches that would not otherwise have a pastor due to a shortage of clergy. Many local pastors work part-time serving a church and are also employed outside the church.)

Reverend Holly Gotelli is currently appointed by the bishop to serve Suncreek UMC as a local pastor. Reverend Gotelli will be seeking to be ordained as an Elder.

What is the Process for Becoming an Ordained Minister?

The process of becoming an ordained minister is a long and rich journey. The table below provides an overview of the process. Mentors guide candidates through the process. If you would like to explore ordained ministry, a great place to start is to schedule a meeting with one of our ordained ministers. Another resource is a website created by the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry called “Is God Calling You?”

Steps into Ordained Ministry

Candidacy Process for the Deacon, Elder, and Local Pastor

Step 1. Inquiring Candidate: Book of Discipline par. 306.1
1. Contact the pastor in the local church or another deacon or elder
2. Read The Christian as Minister
3. Participate in Ministry Inquiry Process with a guide

Step 2. Exploring Candidate: par. 306.2
1. Member of The United Methodist Church for two (2) years including a year of service in some form of congregational leadership
2. Apply to DS for candidacy packet and be assigned a candidacy mentor by DS/DCOM
3. Apply to GBHEM for Candidacy Guidebook using Form 101 (send $50 to GBHEM)
4. Complete exploration of candidacy with the mentor (the first two sections of the Candidacy Guidebook)

Step 3. Declared Candidate: par. 306.3
1. Written statement of call and request for recommendation
2. High school graduate
3. Consult with the pastor and interview by Pastor/Staff Parish Relations Committee
4. Recommended by church conference
5. Continue candidacy studies with candidacy mentor and school

Step 4. Certified Candidate: par. 306.4
1. Written response to ministry
2. Psychological assessment
3. Provide other information upon request
4. Agree to make a complete dedication of themselves to the highest ideals of the Christian life
5. Examination and approval by DCOM

Local Pastor - Completed candidacy certification, licensed, and assigned a clergy mentor par. 341.

Step 5. Continuation of Candidacy: par. 307
1. Annual recommendation by charge conference
2. Annual approval by DCOM
3. Annual report of satisfactory progress of studies and copy of transcripts from university or school of theology

Step 6. Completion of Candidacy par. 315
1. Certified candidate for minimum of two (2) years, maximum twelve (12) years
2. Two (2) years in service ministry
3. Completion of academic requirements
4. Health certificate
5. Written and oral doctrinal exam and written autobiographical statement
6. Interview and recommendation by 3/4 vote of DCOM
7. Notarized statement certifying that the candidate has neither been accused in writing nor convicted of a felony, misdemeanor, or any incident of sexual misconduct
8. Interview with the BOM
9. Recommendation by BOM
10. Election to probationary membership by clergy session

Commissioning to specialized ministry as probationary member

Source: www.gbhem.org/deacons/candidacy.html

Church Conferences at Suncreek UMC have recommended the following persons as candidates for ordained ministry:

2002 Holly Gotelli (Attending Perkins School of Theology)

2004 Julie Macpherson (Attending Perkins School of Theology)

2005 Deidre Hildebrand (Attending Perkins School of Theology)

2006 Cheryl Murphy (Attending Perkins School of Theology)