Evangelical Methodist Churches

Chapter 6. Ministerial Relations

¶671. ADMISSION ON TRIAL. A candidate for admission on trial into the District Conference shall have completed the course of study for admission on trial. He shall be recommended by the District Board of Ministerial Relations and the District Superintendent, and receive a favorable vote of the District Conference.

¶672. It is expected that all candidates for the ministry shall complete four years of college level work, or present a bachelor of arts degree or its equivalent.

¶673. A candidate who is admitted on trial is actually on trial for two years. His character, competency, and preaching must prove to be advantageous to the District Board of Ministerial Relations before he can be admitted into full connection. A candidate on trial may be discontinued without any reflection on his character.

¶674. ELDER'S ORDERS. A candidate for admission into full connection into the District Conference as an elder shall have been employed at least two years in the active ministry and shall have passed the course of study for elder's orders. This course of study is a two-year course and must be completed before admission into full connection and granting of elder's orders. He shall be recommended by the District Board of Ministerial Relations and the District Superintendent.

¶675. The District Superintendent, or his appointed representative, shall call the class to be admitted into full connection, and receive them into conference membership after asking the following questions of the Discipline. (Here follow the questions which every Evangelical Methodist preacher from the beginning has been required to answer upon becoming a full member of a conference. These questions were formulated by John Wesley and have been little changed throughout the years.)

( 1) Have you faith in Christ?

( 2) Are you going on to perfection?

( 3) Do you expect to be made perfect in love in this life?

( 4) Are you groaning after it?

( 5) Are you resolved to devote yourself wholly to God and His work?

( 6) Do you know the general rules of our church?

( 7) Will you keep them?

( 8) Have you studied the doctrines of the Evangelical Methodist Church?

( 9) After full examination, do you believe that our doctrines are in harmony with the Holy Scriptures?

(10) Will you preach and maintain them?

(11) Have you studied our form of church Discipline and polity?

(12) Do you approve our church government and polity?

(13) Will you support and maintain them?

(14) Will you diligently instruct the children in every place?

(15) Will you visit from house to house?

(16) Will you recommend fasting or abstinence, both in precept and example?

(17) Are you determined to employ all your time in the work of God?

(18) Are you in debt so as to embarrass you in your work?

(19) Will you observe the following directions:

(a) Be diligent. Never be unemployed. Never be trifingly employed. Never trifle away time; neither spend any more time at one place than is strictly necessary.

(b) Be punctual. Do everything exactly at the time.

This examination of the ministers and the passing of their characters should be business of the same session. Then they are entitled to the floor and a vote.

¶676. Upon election by majority vote of the District Conference, the candidate for admission into full connection as an elder immediately becomes a full member of the District Conference. He will then receive ordination by the laying on of hands at the time set by the District Superintendent.

¶677. RECEIVING MINISTERS FROM OTHER CHURCHES. Ministers from other churches who are ordained and desire to unite with the Evangelical Methodist Church as Traveling Preachers may be admitted into a District Conference as "Elders in Transit," after the initial interview with the District Board of Ministerial Relations. They must be recommended by the District Board of Ministerial Relations and the District Superintendent of the district in which they reside. They must also have read the Discipline carefully and shall have passed the examination required by the Board of Ministerial Education and Advanced Studies. They shall give evidence of their agreement with the Evangelical Methodist Church in matters of doctrine and polity, and hold credentials in no other church. They shall answer the questions of ¶675 before a session of the District Conference into which they are being admitted, but shall not be considered for admission in full connection until after a probationary period of two years following the vote of the District Conference. If after the probationary period, the District Board of Ministerial Relations and the District Superintendent of the district in which the candidates reside recommend them for full connection, they may be admitted as such by the District Conference. Elders in Transit are not considered Traveling Preachers and are not members of the District Conference.

¶678. Ministers from other churches who desire to unite with us in admission on trial may be received by transfer, in case of emergency, between District Conferences by the District Conference Board of Ministerial Relations after giving satisfactory evidence that they are suitable persons. They must

be recommended by the District Superintendent in whose district they reside, subject to final approval by the District Conference.

¶679. Ministers from other churches who desire to unite with us as local preachers may be received by transfer, in cases of emergency, by the District Conference upon giving satisfactory evidence to the District Conference Board of Ministerial Relations that they are suitable persons. They must be recommended by the District Superintendent of the district in which they reside, and they are not members of the District Conference.

¶680. SUPERNUMERARY PREACHERS. A supernumerary preacher is one who is so disabled by affliction as to be unable to preach constantly, but who is willing to do any work in the ministry he may be able to perform. A supernumerary relation shall not be granted by a District Conference except on the recommendation of the Board of Ministerial Relations.

¶681. SUPERANNUATED PREACHERS. A superannuated preacher is one who has reached retirement age from the active service. A superannuated relation shall not be granted by a District Conference except on the recommendation of the Board of Ministerial Relations.

¶682. APPROVED SONG EVANGELISTS. A suitable person may be elected to the position of approved song evangelist by a majority vote of the Board of Ministerial Relations, the District Conference Music Committee, and the District Superintendent. An approved song evangelist is not a member of the District Conference unless he has united with the District Conference in the usual way.

¶683. A license shall be issued to all approved song evangelists by the secretary of the District Conference. This license must be renewed annually by request upon recommendation of the District Superintendent:

This is to certify that _______________________________ is granted the relation of APPROVED SONG EVANGELIST in the Evangelical Methodist Church by vote of the ________________________ Conference, and is valid for one year from date of issue. Issued the _________ day of _________________ in the year of our Lord ________.

This license shall be signed by the secretary of the District Conference and the District Superintendent.

¶684. APPROVED EVANGELISTS. A traveling preacher in full connection in a District Conference may be issued a certificate showing that he is an approved evangelist of the Evangelical Methodist Church. Approval for General Conference Evangelist comes by majority vote of the General Conference upon recommendation of the Board of Evangelism. Certificate for General Conference Approved Evangelist is renewable quadrennially.

¶685. DEACONESS'S ORDERS. A deaconess must be a member of the Evangelical Methodist Church in good standing and have shown fitness for her duties by active service in some Christian work. Before her consecration, she must have completed the prescribed course of study for deaconess's orders as given in the Discipline, and have been recommended by the local church to the District Conference for consecration as a deaconess. A deaconess is a member of the District Conference and is amenable to the District Conference for conduct, character, and attendance, and shall be under the direct supervision of the District Superintendent.