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Information about Clergy Relationships with The United Methodist Church and the Arkansas Conference

A Message from Bishop Merrill and the Appointive Cabinet

Clergy members of the Arkansas Conference are bound together in a covenant relationship for accountability and support. As a part of this covenant, United Methodist clergy only serve in a ministerial capacity outside of The United Methodist Church with the expressed and written permission of the resident bishop. Per ¶55 of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church 2020-24, “The bishops shall appoint, after consultation with the district superintendents, ministers to the charges; and they shall have such responsibilities and authorities as the General Conference shall prescribe.”

In the above statement, “responsibilities and authorities” is understood as a clergyperson doing such things as preaching, teaching, presiding at Holy Communion and baptism, officiating at weddings or funerals, and pastoral care, whether paid or unpaid. If a clergy member serves in a pastoral capacity outside of The United Methodist Church without the expressed and written permission of the bishop, such conduct is a disavowal of the United Methodist bishop’s authority to make and fix all pastoral appointments and of the clergy member’s continued amenability to the bishop, the Discipline, and the annual conference.

Therefore, when a United Methodist clergyperson, whether active or retired, serves as pastor of a non-United Methodist local church without the expressed and written permission of the bishop, under the reasoning applied in Judicial Council Decision 696 their action will be understood as having terminated their membership in the United Methodist denomination (BOD ¶361.1). Likewise, joining another denomination is considered an immediate voluntary withdrawal and terminates clergy membership, whether the person is in active or retired status.

Regarding Retired United Methodist clergy serving in a pastoral capacity in other Christian traditions:

  • Retired United Methodist clergy may be given permission by the bishop to serve in a pastoral capacity in other Christian traditions beyond The UMC. This permission may be given when the requesting church is in full communion with The UMC or is in a mutually recognized relationship with The UMC.
  • The Global Methodist Church and The United Methodist Church are not currently in a mutually recognized relationship. Therefore, United Methodist clergy in the Arkansas Conference will not be given permission to serve in any pastoral capacity for any length of time in a Global Methodist church. This includes, but is not limited to, serving as pulpit supply/guest preacher or as an interim pastor.

Regarding Retired United Methodist clergy serving disaffiliated but independent churches:

  • A retired ordained clergyperson cannot serve in a pastoral capacity in a disaffiliated but independent church and maintain his/her ordination in The United Methodist Church (BOD ¶360.2).
  • Retirement is an Annual Conference relationship status. Retired clergy are required to maintain a charge conference relationship with a local United Methodist church within their annual conference and are required to report annually on their ministerial activities per ¶357.5 of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church 2020-24. As members of the Annual Conference, retired ordained clergy remain under the supervision of the bishop, and remain accountable to the Clergy Session.
  • The historic examination for admission into full connection requires candidates to affirm their approval, support, and maintenance of the Church’s discipline, polity, and government per ¶336 of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church 2016. To serve a church that has disaffiliated from The United Methodist Church violates these vows.

Regarding Retired Clergy attending/volunteering at a non-UMC church:

  • Though retired United Methodist clergy are free to attend and participate in any local church of their choice, they are expected to be actively engaged in The United Methodist Church where their charge conference membership resides. This is part of the clergy covenant.

If a clergyperson is serving or intends to serve in a ministerial capacity outside of The United Methodist Church without permission of the bishop, they have three options:

  • Discontinue serving in the non-UMC church immediately.
  • Initiate voluntary withdrawal, per ¶361.1 or ¶360.2 of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church 2016 by sending a letter or email to their current district superintendent and copying Bishop Merrill. Detailed instructions can be found in the last section of this document.
  • Contact their district superintendent to initiate a request for permission from the bishop to serve in a ministerial capacity in a church outside of The United Methodist Church.

If the clergyperson chooses none of the above, their actions will be considered a violation of the covenant and will be understood as their voluntary termination of membership in the denomination per ¶361.1 of The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church 2020-24 as clarified in Judicial Council Decision 696.

Information for Arkansas Conference Clergy Considering Withdrawal from The UMC

While we long for all of our clergy to remain in our United Methodist Connection, we are also aware that some are engaging in deep reflection regarding the future of their ministry. The following information is designed to help pastors who are personally considering withdrawal from the UMC. With love and grace, we offer the following information to help you understand the steps to withdraw from The United Methodist Church.

Withdrawal Steps for Active Ordained Clergy Intending to Unite with Another Denomination (¶361.1)

For ordained clergy who wish to end their relationship with The UMC, ¶361.1 of The 2020-24 Book of Discipline provides the appropriate path:

  1. Provide the Elder or Deacon Letter of Withdrawal to Unite with Another Denomination form and the Permission to Release Information to another Denomination form to your district superintendent on the date you intend to withdraw.
    • For those serving a disaffiliating church, this should be the actual date of the church’s disaffiliation.
    • For those not serving a disaffiliating church, this should be on the actual day you intend to withdraw.
    • Your withdrawal is effective on the date your letter is received, so pay careful attention to the timing issues stated above. (¶360.4; see also Judicial Council Decision 1055).
  2. On your withdrawal date:
      • Surrender your certification of conference membership to your district superintendent, who will deposit it along with your letter of withdrawal with the conference secretary and give notice of the same to the Arkansas Conference Board of Ordained Ministry. This will be reported by the Board of Ordained Ministry to the annual conference at its next session.
      • Present to your District Superintendent your Ordination Certificate, upon which will be written the following: The Arkansas Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church recognizes that (name) has withdrawn from conference membership and altogether from the ministry of The United Methodist Church.” If a certificate of ordination no longer exists, a letter will be presented to you by your district superintendent stating the same, to be signed by you and your superintendent. Once notarized, it will be given to you and a copy will be deposited with the conference secretary.

Withdrawal Steps for Active Ordained Clergy Intending to Serve an Independent Church (¶360.2)

  1. Provide the Elder or Deacon Letter of Withdrawal from the Ordained Ministerial Office form to your district superintendent on the date you intend to withdraw.
    • For those serving a disaffiliating church, this should be on the actual date of your church’s disaffiliation.
    • For those not serving a disaffiliating church, this should be on the actual day you intend to withdraw.
    • Your withdrawal is effective the date your letter is received, so pay careful attention to the timing issues stated above. (¶360.4; see also Judicial Council Decision 1055).
  2. On your withdrawal date, surrender both your ordination certificate and your conference membership certificate to your district superintendent, who will deposit them along with your letter of withdrawal with the conference secretary, and give notice of the same to the Arkansas Conference Board of Ordained Ministry. This will be reported by the Board of Ordained Ministry to the annual conference at its next session.
  3. Note that by choosing to be a clergyperson in an independent church without a denomination, you are surrendering your ordination and membership in The United Methodist Church. The credentialing, if required by the independent church, then becomes the responsibility of the clergyperson and the congregation to which you choose to affiliate.

Withdrawal Steps for Active Licensed Local Pastors and Associate Members (¶ 320.1)

For Local Pastors or Associate Members who wish to end your relationship with The UMC in order to serve a disaffiliating church, ¶320.1 of The 2020-24 Book of Discipline provides the appropriate path: Discontinuance of a Local Pastor.

  1. Provide the Local Pastor/Associate Member Letter of Discontinuance and Withdrawal from the UMC form to your district superintendent on the date you intend to withdraw.
    • For those serving a disaffiliating church, this should be the actual date of your church’s disaffiliation.
    • For those not serving a disaffiliating church, this should be the actual date you intend to withdraw.
    • Your discontinuance and withdrawal is effective the date your letter is received, so pay careful attention to the timing issues stated above. (¶360.4; see also Judicial Council Decision 1055).
  2. Surrender your license for pastoral ministry certificate (if a local pastor) or your associate membership certificate (if an associate member) to your district superintendent, who will deposit it along with your Letter of Discontinuance with the secretary of the conference, and give notice of the same to the Arkansas Conference Board of Ordained Ministry. This will be reported by the Board of Ordained Ministry to the annual conference at its next session.
  3. Understand that once you surrender your license and credentials, you will resume lay status and are free to place your church membership in the local church and denomination of your choice. If you leave the UMC to serve as a pastor of a disaffiliated church, you will need to meet the new denomination’s or church’s standards for credentialing, so be sure to check their credential requirements.

Withdrawal Steps for Active Provisional Members (¶327.6)

For provisional members who wish to discontinue your relationship with The United Methodist Church in order to unite with another denomination or independent church or (if joining an independent church) to terminate your membership in The United Methodist Church, ¶327.6 of The 2020-24 Book of Discipline provides the appropriate path.

  1. Provide the Provisional Member Letter of Discontinuance and Withdrawal from the UMC form to your district superintendent on the date you intend to withdraw.
    • For those serving a disaffiliating church, this should be the actual date of your church’s disaffiliation.
    • For those not serving a disaffiliating church, this should be the actual date you intend to withdraw.
    • Your discontinuance and withdrawal is effective the date your letter is received, so pay careful attention to the timing issues stated above. (¶360.4; see also Judicial Council Decision 1055).
  2. Surrender your certification of commissioning, your conference provisional membership certificate, and your license for pastoral ministry to your district superintendent, who will deposit all three, along with your letter of Discontinuance and Withdrawal, with the secretary of the conference, and give notice of the same to the Arkansas Conference Board of Ordained Ministry. This will be reported by the Board of Ordained Ministry to the annual conference at its next session.

 

Withdrawal Steps for Retired Ordained Clergy and Retired Associate Members (¶357.5, 321.3)

¶357.5 in The 2020-24 Book of Discipline requires all retired ordained clergy members who are not appointed as pastors of a charge to hold membership in a charge conference. As a retired United Methodist clergyperson you cannot retain your credentials without having a charge conference in a United Methodist Church. When a United Methodist clergyperson, whether active or retired, serves as pastor of a non-United Methodist local church without the expressed and written permission of the bishop, under the reasoning applied in Judicial Council Decision 696 their action will be understood as having terminated their membership in the United Methodist denomination (BOD ¶361.1). Likewise, joining another denomination is considered an immediate voluntary withdrawal, and terminates clergy membership, whether the person is in active or retired status.

  1. If you currently have your membership in a charge conference that is about to disaffiliate from the UMC, you will need to move your charge conference membership to another UMC if you intend to remain United Methodist by following the provisions of ¶357.5.
  2. If you desire to withdraw from The United Methodist Church and unite with another denomination, you must follow ¶361.1. If you decide to withdraw from the United Methodist Church in order to join an independent church, you must use ¶360.2. The steps for withdrawing are those listed above for ordained clergy in full connection and associate members.