VIRGINIA CONFERENCE BOARD OF ORDAINED MINISTRY

PROCEDURES FOR LOCAL PASTORS

REQESTING AN EXTENSION MINISTRIES APPOINTMENT UNDER ¶316.1

The UnitedMethodistChurch recognizes and makes provision for ministry in nontraditional settings beyond the local church that are distinctive, initiated in missional response to the needs of persons in special circumstances and unique situations, and that can be recognized as true extensions of the Christian ministry of the church.

Persons seeking such an appointment shall submit to the cabinet and the Board of Ordained Ministry a written statement describing in detail the proposed setting for their ministry, sharing a sense of calling to that ministry and their gifts and evidence of God’s grace for it, and expressing the intention fulfillment of their vows as a licensed local pastor.

In ¶316.1 (2008 Book of Discipline), “those licensed for pastoral ministry may be appointed to extension ministry settings when approved by the bishop and the board of ordained ministry.”

In the Virginia Conference, all local pastors seeking an appointment to an extension ministry must complete the following, interview with and be recommended by the Extension Ministries Committee of the Board of Ordained Ministry, prior to the bishop and cabinet making a decision about the appointment:

  1. Consult with your district superintendent prior to any interviews relative to an extension ministry appointment.
  1. Make a request in writing to the bishop, with copies to the Office of Ministerial Services and to your district superintendent at least 120 days prior to the annual conference session for which the appointment is being requested.
  1. Submit a letter from the institution or agency to which you want to be appointed to the bishop, with copies to the Office of Ministerial Services and to your district superintendent. The letter must request your appointment as a local pastor to this institution or agency. The institution or agency must be within the bounds of the Virginia Conference.
  1. Submit the following documents to the Office of Ministerial Services prior to your interview with the Extension Ministries Committee:
  • A written paper responding to the attached questions
  • A statement of the purpose of the institution or agency
  • For those seeking appointments as chaplains or pastoral counselors, evidence of “Ecclesiastical Associate Status” with the United Methodist Endorsing Agency of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
  • A list of the Board of Directors
  • A financial statement from the institution or agency (including income and budget)
  • A statement of your accountability within the institution or agency.
  1. The interview will focus on the questions and information provided in these documents as well as the questions listed as “interview questions”. 3/2005

Questions for Candidates Seeking Appointment Under the Provisions of ¶316.1

  1. Within the context of your call to ministry, identify your sense of call to the particular form of ministry which you propose to enter.
  1. The Church in Mission
  • How does ministry in the setting you propose fulfill and enrich the effectiveness of the church in mission?
  • In what ways does serving in your proposed setting minister to identifiable needs in the world that relate to the mission of the church?
  • In what specific ways does your proposed ministry respond to the needs of persons in special circumstances and unique situations?
  1. ¶340 states that local pastors share with the elders the responsibilities and duties of a pastor for the four-fold ministry of Word, Sacrament, Order and Service.
  • If Word is understood as the study, interpretation, proclamation, and practice of the gospel, how do you intend to witness to the Word? How do you intend to live redemptively in the world as a rehearsing of God’s activity in Christ?
  • If sacrament is understood as a means of grace witnessed by symbolic self-giving in love, in what sense is your proposed ministry a lifestyle symbolic of the self-giving witnessed in the Eucharist? What do you perceive to be the sacramental dimensions in your proposed setting?
  • If order is understood as the ordering of the life of the church so as to enable the body of Christ to live redemptively in the world, how does serving in your proposed setting forward that task? How would you shape the meaning of discipleship for your community?
  • If service is understood as being the visible body of Christ through servant ministry in the midst of a broken and suffering world, how does your proposed ministry demonstrate the involvement of Jesus with human need? How will your ministry be a witness to the church’s involvement with persons on behalf of the community of faith?
  1. Specifically, how will you carry out the functions of the licensed local pastor in your proposed ministry setting?
  1. What are your plans for completing the requirements for probationary membership and ordination?

Questions for the Interview

for a Local Pastor Appointment to an Extension Ministry

The following questions may be used to assess the request:

  • Within the context of the basic call to ministry, is there discernable evidence that the person is responding to a call to the particular form of ministry being proposed?
  • Does the proposed ministry fulfill and enrich the effectiveness of the church in mission?
  • Is the proposed ministry congruent with the annual conference’s missional commitment in and to the world?
  • What identifiable needs in the world are involved in this ministry that make it affirmable as a part of the mission of the church?
  • Is the proposed ministry one in which the duties of the licensed local pastor to word, sacrament, order and service, understood in holistic fashion, can be responsibly fulfilled?
  • Does the proposed setting for ministry provide a context that is positive for the person’s fulfilling the covenant relationship that forms the interdependent and complementary ministry of United Methodist clergy?
  • Does the person possess the specific/special gifts, training, education, work experience, and experiences of grace required for the proposed ministry?
  • Does the proposed setting for ministry provide the possibility of the kind of accountability integral to our understanding of responsible participation in our covenant community?
  • If the ministry setting is in pastoral care or counseling, has this person received “ecclesiastical associate status” with the United Methodist Endorsing Agency through the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry?
  • In the context of being a part of our voluntary covenant community, is this person prepared to accept an appointment to a local church if requested to do so?