Chapter 6. Board of Trustees

¶301. The Board of Trustees shall be composed of not fewer than three nor more than nine members of the local church who are at least twenty-one years of age. Trustees shall be elected for three-year terms with one-third of them being elected each year. One trustee may be a non-member of the local church.

¶302. Each local Evangelical Methodist Church should be incorporated under the laws of the state in which it is located, if the state allows the incorporation of religious bodies. The trustees are the directors of the corporation.

¶303. The Board of Trustees are empowered under the following articles of incorporation and by the church to:

(1) Hold title to all church property, accept bequests, endowments, and such other valuables as the church may acquire, except tithes and offerings of the regular church budget, and administer the same in accordance with the wishes of the donors.

(2) Transact a sale of property when authorized by the congregation. In the event of such sale, proceeds are to be deposited in the name of the local church and disposition made in accordance with the expressed wishes of the congregation and the Discipline of the Evangelical Methodist Church.

(3) Transact all legal business, safeguarding church property.

(4) Make a written report to the Annual Church Conference.

(5) Elect a chairman and secretary of the Board of Trustees from among its members at the first meeting of the Board immediately after the Annual Church Conference.

¶304. The duties of the CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES shall be:

(1) Responsibility of calling meetings.

(2) Executing actions taken by the trustees.

(3) Seeing that all duties of the trustees are carried out.

¶305. The duties of the SECRETARY OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES shall be:

(1) Secure a place of safekeeping for all legal papers of the church including policies, deeds, money deposits, receipts, etc., and be responsible for same.

(2) Record all legal documents and ascertain legal ownership.

(3) Keep accurate record of all meetings and transactions of the Board of Trustees.

Chapter 7. Board of Stewards

¶321. The Board of Stewards is a representative body elected by and amenable to the local congregation. It carries out the program and business of the local church as adopted at the Annual Church Conference and Special Church Conferences. The Board of Stewards derives its power and functions from the local church and Discipline. It cooperates with the pastor in the administrative and pastoral ministry to which the congregation has called him.

¶322. The Board of Stewards shall be composed of three or more members of the Evangelical Methodist Church who are at least eighteen years of age, provided they are persons of Christian character with a born-again experience, and who love the Lord and His church. No member shall be re-elected to the Board of Stewards for a period of one year after having served for three consecutive years.

¶323. The Board of Stewards shall be elected at the Annual Church Conference. As soon as possible after their election the stewards shall organize and elect their chairman, vice-chairman, and secretary, and determine the time of their regular monthly meeting. The church treasurer shall be responsible to the stewards.

¶324. The minutes of all meetings of the Board of Stewards shall be kept in a permanent record by the secretary of the Board, and shall be available to the stewards and the pastor.

¶325. All committees of the church shall work with the stewards and pastor, and report to them when called upon to do so.

¶326. The Board of Stewards shall:

(1) Lead the entire congregation in all spiritual matters by precept and example.

(2) Inform the pastor of any sick, needy, sin-sick, or disorderly person; spend time in visiting these needy people that Christ may be presented to them and help them.

(3) With the pastor, hold teachers and workers in the church and Sunday school and the youth counselors in the youth departments responsible for doctrinal soundness, moral conduct, efficiency, and competency; investigate any reported breach of these responsibilities, and act in the spirit of Christ, according to the Word of God.

¶327. The Board of Stewards shall provide for the financial and material interests of the church:

(1) Provide for the support of the dissemination of the Gospel.

(2) Make financial provision for the local, conference, missionary, and other properly authorized programs of the church.

(3) Lay upon the minds and hearts of the members of the church the privilege and duty of systematic giving, with emphasis on the Bible plan of financing God's work by tithes and offerings. The envelope system is recommended as a method whereby tithes and offerings may be received and properly recorded. See ¶286 (7).

(4) See that monthly financial reports are prepared and see that every member is informed regarding the extent and needs of the various works of the church.

(5) Make provision for meeting the budget as adopted at the Annual Church Conference.

(6) See that the local church's Conference Support is paid in full according to ¶205.

(7) See that the financial matters of the Sunday School are properly conducted, and the fourth Sunday missionary offering is remitted to the General Conference Treasurer.

¶328. The Board of Stewards shall:

(1) Encourage the members of the church in personal evangelism, and lead them in other types of evangelism.

(2) Lighten the pastoral load by calling on visitors to determine their interest and encourage them to accept Christ as their personal Saviour and live for Christ.

(3) Work with the Evangelism and Membership Committees in the visitation work, the Sunday School, and mass evangelism efforts, in consultation with the pastor.

¶329. The Board of Stewards shall encourage the Christian education work of the entire church:

(1) They shall be responsible for the Christian educational work of the church, including all youth activities, and shall cooperate and work with the Sunday School superintendent and pastor.

(2) They shall provide a regular study group of adults, to meet on Sunday nights at the time of the youth meetings whenever possible, to study the Bible and pertinent subjects in keeping with the Discipline.

¶330. The Board of Stewards shall be empowered to fill any vacancies occurring during the year except in the offices of stewards and trustees. Vacancies in these offices may be filled only by a special church conference called for that purpose. The above provision does not apply to the filling of a vacancy in the office of pastor or that of any other paid staff member. The procedure provided elsewhere in the Discipline shall be followed in filling these vacancies.