Amendment would allow voting rights for local pastors

A UMNS Report
By Vicki Brown*

The 2008 United Methodist General Conference approved a constitutional amendment giving local pastors, provisional members and associate members voting rights to elect clergy delegates to General Conference and jurisdictional conferences.

In 2005, nearly 15 percent--or 6,660 of the total clergy membership of annual conferences--were full-time or part-time local pastors. Of these, approximately 4,000 local pastors will be able to vote for delegates to the 2012 legislative meetings, should the amendment be approved during the 2009 annual conference sessions. In 2005, there were 2,492 probationary members, now called provisional members, and 2,065 associate and affiliate members.

To go into effect, the amendment must be approved by two-thirds of the aggregate vote of all clergy and lay delegates voting in the 2009 annual conferences, said the Rev. Robert Kohler, a staff member of the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

"Previously, only ordained deacons and elders in full connection could vote on clergy delegates, so this represents a significant change," Kohler said.

If approved, local pastors would be able to vote for delegates if the local pastors have completed the United Methodist Course of Study or have a master of divinity degree and have served under appointment for two consecutive years immediately preceding an election.

Kohler estimates that at least half of all local pastors have completed the Course of Study. Only ordained members in full connection with an annual conference may be delegates.

The Course of Study includes basic and advanced programs. The basic program is a five-year curriculum with four courses offered annually at regional Course of Study schools at eight United Methodist seminaries. Most courses are offered in a two-week module during the summer to allow both full-time and part-time local pastors to attend. Many of the regional schools have extension centers at different annual conferences specifically for part-time local pastors and offer courses in a two- or three-weekend format to accommodate participants' work and family schedules.

The advanced course enables a local pastor to meet the educational requirements for probationary membership, full conference membership and ordination as an elder in The United Methodist Church. It consists of 32 semester hours of graduate theological study or its equivalent as determined by the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry and includes study in the areas of evangelism, United Methodist history, doctrine and polity.

"In some conferences, local pastors represent more than 50 percent of the clergy appointed to local churches," Kohler said.

General Conference action
The provision that local pastors who have a master of divinity degree could vote was added on the floor of General Conference, and Kohler said that provision is a cause for concern.

"There is no guarantee that the M.Div. will be from an accredited or University Senate-approved seminary," Kohler said. He called the General Conference action problematic because many M.Div. programs do not require United Methodist history, doctrine, polity or other basic graduate theological studies required for annual conference members.

The Senate is a 25-member body of professionals in higher education who determine how institutions are related to The United Methodist Church. The body supports development of institutions with programs that reflect significant educational, cultural, societal and human issues in a manner reflecting the values shared by the institutions and The United Methodist Church.

"We evaluate the M.Div. credentials of candidates and persons transferring in from other denominations, and many of them do not meet the requirements of the (United Methodist Book of) Discipline for conference membership," Kohler said.

*Brown is associate editor and writer, Office of Interpretation, General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.