"Our Appointment Process"

e-pistle from Bishop Mike

January 10, 2005

"Our Appointment Process"

As I write this message, I am preparing for the upcoming Appointment Retreats of our two Cabinets. This is the beginning of a long process of appointing pastors to serve our churches in the Indiana Area, a process which will culminate at Annual Conference when these appointments are read and "fixed" for the coming year. Because many of our own United Methodist people (and some pastors) seem unclear about how our Appointment Process works, the Cabinets and I have developed a document which describes our process. This document may be found, downloaded, copied, and shared from our Indiana Area website at www.inareaumc.org

I am fully aware that our appointment process is not perfect, nor is it the only way that pastors and churches can be matched. However, it is our way of doing it, and so I am committed to making our appointment process work well. As one of my mentors, a retired DS, used to say, "We play baseball on our baseball field. If you try to play football on our baseball field, it just doesn't work." Our process works best if we all know "how to play" and we all play by the same rules and understandings. So, the document on our website contains the following explanation of our process:

Our United Methodist process of matching pastors and congregations is a "send" process, whereby pastors are sent (appointed) to a congregation by the Bishop and Cabinet (the District Superintendents). Some other denominations have a "call" system, whereby a local congregation "calls" or hires their pastor. All systems of matching pastors and congregations have their strengths and weaknesses. Our appointment process usually includes the following strengths:

The appointment of pastors and churches is based upon the missional needs of the church, not just upon a process of hiring pastors who suit the preferences of the local church leadership
Every church is appointed a pastor and every pastor is appointed to a church
The Bishop/Cabinet serve as the "search committee" to find the right pastor/congregation match
Pastors have freedom for preaching the gospel without fear of being "fired"
Congregations can ask for a pastoral change at Annual Conference time without having to go through a painful "fight" to remove a pastor
Pastors can ask for a change of appointment without losing their job
Pastors can be appointed on the basis of their gifts and graces for ministry, without regard to their gender, ethnic background, or age
Local congregations are served by a pastor whose fitness and effectiveness for ministry are monitored by the Board of Ordained Ministry
Both the appointed pastors and the congregations to which they are appointed belong to a connection which can provide support, training, mediation, and prayerful supervision
Moving costs for pastors are paid through Conference apportionments, not by the local church or the pastor

I would an additional point to this description: I really believe that God works through our appointment process. Yes, we make mistakes, but our process allows us to correct those mistakes, too. Over and over again, as a pastor, a DS, and as a bishop, I have seen how God works through the prayers, the preparations, and the obedience of our process.

As we begin this process for 2005, it is my prayer and my fervent hope that God will bless all of us who are involved in this Clergy Appointment Process.

from Bishop Michael J. Coyner

Indiana Area of the United Methodist Church
"Making a Difference ... in Indiana
and around the world"

# # #

If you know someone who has yet to sign up for e-HUM, they simply need to send a blank e-mail from their preferred e-mail account to add@inareaumc.org.

TOP OF PAGE