Senior Pastoral Transition

Resolution 1. 

Senior Pastoral Transition 

(If adopted, this legislation shall become Article III, Section Four (4) of the Bylaws. The subsequent sections will be numbered accordingly). 

1.    Selection of a New Senior Pastor         

a.   In considering retirement or transition to the position of Bishop, the Senior Pastor will       assist the church in facilitating transition to a new Senior Pastor.

i.          The Senior Pastor will first present the name(s) to the Church Advisory Board.      The Board may also suggest names to be considered.

ii.         The Senior Pastor and the Advisory Board must come to a consensus before a        suggested name may be considered.

iii.        Any minister under consideration to become Senior Pastor must be an ordained     minister or be a confirmed candidate for ordination with the Ohio District, United Pentecostal Church, International.

b.   Upon selection of a name(s), the Senior Pastor will then follow proper protocol in contacting the minister(s) to determine his desire and availability to be considered.  The    Senior Pastor may ask for a résumé and references from the minister which will be           provided to the Church Advisory Board.

c.   The Church Advisory Board may interview the minister and spouse, during which time     the board will ask questions and discuss any concerns they have about beliefs, positions,   vision and any other topic of concern.  The Church Advisory Board will then convey the results of the interview to the Senior Pastor for his consideration.

d.   The Senior Pastor and the Church Advisory board will select a name to be presented to the congregation.  The selection must have the approval of the Senior Pastor and the Ohio District Superintendent, United Pentecostal Church, International.

e.   The Senior Pastor will then present the name of the minister to the congregation for ratification.

      i.          A quorum of the church membership must be present for ratification. A quorum shall consist of the majority of those present of the membership of the church  qualified to vote.

ii.         The Candidate must receive two-thirds (2/3) of the total number of votes cast in order to be ratified.  If he receives less than two-thirds of the vote, he will not be  considered for the position and the Senior Pastor will submit another name. 

                        a).        If the Candidate is not ratified, the Senior Pastor will follow the same                                            procedure as outlined in the preceding paragraphs.

                        b).        If the Candidate is not ratified, the Senior Pastor will submit a new name                                       at a succeeding, duly called business meeting.

iii.        The method of the vote will be secret ballot.

iv.        If the name submitted is ratified by the congregation, the candidate will be designated as the Associate Pastor.

v.         The Senior Pastor will then begin the process of mentoring and evaluating the candidate as the potential Senior Pastor.

f.    Should the Senior Pastor determine at any time that the minister under consideration is  not a preferable choice, the Senior Pastor may:

      i.          Transfer the minister under consideration to another staff position.

      ii.         Offer the minister the opportunity to withdraw and/or re-locate.

      iii.        Terminate the minister.

      iv.        The minister under consideration shall be financially compensated for his expenses, the actual amount to be negotiated with the board.

g.   Upon approval of the candidate, the Senior Pastor will inform the Church Advisory  Board of his determination for the purpose of discussing any concerns and will reach a consensus with the Board.

h.   The Senior Pastor will then proceed as follows:

i.          The congregation will be asked to commit the proposed selection to prayer.

ii.         The Senior Pastor will then call for an election to take place as soon as possible, but no later than one year from the date of the announcement.

iii.        The actual election will be presided over by the Ohio District Superintendent or the District Secretary of the Ohio District, United Pentecostal Church, International.

iv.        The election will be by secret ballot and requires a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote.

v.         The election in which the candidate receives a two-thirds (2/3) or better vote will simultaneously include the election of the current Senior Pastor to the office of Bishop.

vi.        In the case where a candidate does not receive the necessary two-thirds majority vote, his name will be removed from the process and the current Senior Pastor will continue in his office.  In this case, the process will be repeated until a candidate is duly elected.

2.   Succession

a.   The transfer of authority will take place incrementally and in cooperation with the newly- elected Bishop before the new Senior Pastor assumes all of the authority granted to him by the present church bylaws.

b.   The orderly transition of full pastoral authority to the newly-elected Senior Pastor will proceed as follows:

i.          The Bishop will relinquish Senior Pastoral authority within one year after the          election. 

ii.         Complete Senior Pastoral authority will be transitioned to the newly-elected           Senior Pastor one area at a time, according to the following list, though the list is        not necessarily in order of priority.

      a)         Preaching and teaching duties

      b)         Setting the spiritual program for the church

      c)         Projecting church theme and vision

      d)         Counseling of church members

      e)         Oversight of church ministries

      f)         Appointing of coordinators for church ministries

      g)         Oversight of church calendar

      h)         Hiring of church employees

      i)          Oversight of church finances

      j)          Chairman of church boards

3. The Role of the Bishop

a.   Eligibility.

      i.          No one is eligible for the office of the Bishop unless he has first served as Senior Pastor of the church.  

      ii.         The Senior Pastor must have served for a minimum of twenty (20) years and reach the minimum age of sixty-five (65) during the year of the transition before he may be considered for the office of the Bishop.

      iii.        The financial consideration in terms of a pension or other remuneration for the Bishop will be negotiated between him and the Advisory Board and ratified by the congregation.

      iv.        Should the Senior Pastor resign or retire before becoming eligible for the office of the Bishop, the terms of his retirement will be negotiated with the Church Advisory Board and ratified by the congregation.

b.   When a new Senior Pastor is elected under this by-law, the current Senior Pastor, by virtue of that same election, becomes the Bishop. Once the Bishop has transferred complete Senior Pastoral authority to the newly-elected Senior Pastor, the Bishop’s role   is to be as follows:

i.          To offer support, encouragement and assistance to the Senior Pastor.

ii.         To work in complete cooperation and harmony with the Senior Pastor.

iii.        To offer counsel to the Senior Pastor, when requested, or when the Bishop deems it absolutely necessary.

iv.        To be a stabilizing role model for the congregation.

v.         To offer encouragement and assistance to the congregation.

c.   Once complete Senior Pastoral authority has been transferred to the newly-elected Senior Pastor, the Bishop may not interfere with the Senior Pastor’s oversight of the congregation, except under the following conditions. In such cases, the Bishop may take as much authority as is needed, up to the full Senior Pastoral authority of the church.

i.          There is a serious question about the morality or integrity of the Senior Pastor.

ii.         There is a departure from the tenets of faith as espoused by the United Pentecostal Church, International.

iii.        There is a major crisis in the church, and the Bishop is requested in writing, by       any two members of the Church Advisory Board, to oversee the matter.

d.   If charges are made on any of the above matters, the Bishop will conduct a full and fair    investigation.

      i.          He may ask officials of the Ohio District to assist with the investigation.

      ii.         He will conduct the investigation in accordance with the UPCI Judicial Procedure                                           where applicable.

      iii.        The Bishop and the Advisory Board will determine the resolution of the matter.

Resolution 2. 

(If adopted, this resolution will become Article Five, Section Four (4) of the church bylaws). 

4.   All articles of faith, business and elections shall be in accordance with the bylaws of the    First Apostolic Church.  In the event that a matter is not specified in the church bylaws,     the Local Church bylaws contained in the manual of the United Pentecostal Church,     International will serve as the governing authority.