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A CLERGYPERSON’S RELATIONSHIP TO THE EOC AND THE UMC

A Message from Bishop Malone, the Cabinet, and the Board of Ministry

Clarification of The Book of Discipline Regarding a Clergyperson’s Relationship to the Annual Conference and to The United Methodist Church

NOTE: includes information from the June 1, 2023, message to clergy and a subsequent addendum.

Clergy members of the East Ohio Annual Conference are bound together in a covenant relationship for accountability and support. As a part of this covenant, United Methodist clergy only serve in a ministerial capacity outside of The United Methodist Church with the expressed and written permission of the resident bishop. Per ¶54 of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church 2016, “The bishops shall appoint, after consultation with the district superintendents, ministers to the charges; and they shall have such responsibilities and authorities as the General Conference shall prescribe.”

Pastoral capacity is understood as a clergyperson doing such things as preaching, teaching, presiding at Holy Communion and baptism, officiating at weddings/funerals, and pastoral care – whether paid or unpaid. If a clergy member serves in a pastoral capacity outside of The United Methodist Church without the expressed and written permission of the bishop, such conduct is a disavowal of the United Methodist bishop’s authority to make and fix all pastoral appointments and of the clergy member’s continued amenability to the bishop, the Discipline, and the annual conference.

Therefore, when a United Methodist clergyperson, whether active or retired, serves as pastor of a non-United Methodist local church, without the expressed and written permission of the bishop, they have committed the chargeable offense of disobedience to the order and discipline of The United Methodist Church (BOD ¶2702.1.(d)) and in doing so, under the reasoning applied in Judicial Council Decision 696, their action will be understood as having terminated their membership in the denomination (BOD ¶360.1). Likewise, joining another denomination is considered an immediate voluntary withdrawal, and terminates clergy membership, whether the person is in active or retired status.

Regarding Retired United Methodist clergy serving in a pastoral capacity in other Christian traditions:

• Retired United Methodist clergy may be given permission by the bishop to serve in a pastoral capacity in other Christian traditions beyond The UMC. This permission may be given when the requesting church is in full communion with The UMC or is in a mutually recognized relationship with The UMC. 
• The Global Methodist Church and The United Methodist Church are not in a mutually recognized relationship. Therefore, United Methodist clergy in East Ohio will not be given permission to serve in any pastoral capacity in a Global Methodist church. This includes serving as pulpit supply or as an interim pastor.

Regarding Retired United Methodist clergy serving disaffiliated churches:

• A retired ordained clergyperson cannot serve in a pastoral capacity in a disaffiliated United Methodist church and maintain his/her ordination in The United Methodist Church. Retirement is an Annual Conference relationship status.
• Retired clergy are required to maintain a charge conference relationship with a local United Methodist church and are required to report annually on their ministerial activities per ¶357.5 of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church 2016. As members of the Annual Conference, retired ordained clergy remain under the supervision of the bishop, and remain accountable to the Clergy Session.
• The historic examination for admission into full connection requires candidates to affirm their approval, support, and maintenance of the Church’s discipline, polity, and government per ¶336 of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church 2016.  To serve a church that has disaffiliated from The United Methodist Church violates these vows.

Regarding Retired Clergy attending/volunteering at a disaffiliated church:

• Retired United Methodist clergy are free to attend and participate in any local church of their choice and are expected to be actively engaged in The United Methodist church where their charge conference membership resides. This is part of the clergy Covenant.

If a clergyperson is serving or intends to serve in a ministerial capacity outside of The United Methodist Church without permission of the bishop, they have three options:

• Discontinue serving in the non-UMC church immediately.
• Initiate voluntary withdrawal, per ¶360.1 of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church 2016 by sending a letter or email to Bishop Tracy S. Malone and copying Executive Assistant to the Bishop Rev. Ed Peterson.
• Contact the clergyperson’s district superintendent to initiate a request for permission from the bishop to serve in a ministerial capacity in a church outside of The United Methodist Church.

If the clergyperson chooses none of the above, it will be considered a violation of the covenant and will be understood as their termination of membership in the denomination per ¶360.1 of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church 2016.