Understanding Our Church Structure

LAITY / LAY MEMBER – The word Laity means people and is used to talk about all of the “people” of God. Often it is used to mean “not Clergy.”

MINISTRY – Ministry in the Christian church is patterned after the ministry of Christ.  Christ calls all persons to receive God’s gift of salvation and follow in the way of love and service. The whole church receives and accepts this call, and all Christians participate in Jesus’ ongoing ministry.

MINISTRY TEAMS/COMMITTEES – Ministry Teams are organized to give focused attention to various aspects of the church’s ministry. There are five Committees mandated by the Book of Doctrine and Discipline. They are the Finance Committee, the Nominations and Leadership Development Committee, the Staff/Pastor Parish Relations Committee, the Trustees, and the Finance Committee.

TEAM LEADERS/CHAIRS – Team leaders oversee and provide spiritual care and direction for the ministry teams and are also members of the CHURCH COUNCIL.

CHURCH COUNCIL – The Church Council is the decision-making body of the church and is composed of the various leaders of our church’s ministry teams. This team meets quarterly to oversee the ministries of our church, fulfill its quarterly responsibilities, and provide spiritual leadership to our people.  The leadership team is responsible for recommending goals and objectives to the church/charge conference and for carrying out those goals and objectives set by the church/charge conference.

LAY LEADERS – The Lay Leader is the counterpart to the senior pastor.  The Lay Leader is a member of every committee/ministry team, and, along with the pastor, gives oversight and spiritual direction to the church.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE – Our Executive Committee is a deliberative and advisory group that meets to discuss and set the agenda for Church Council.

TRUSTEES – The Trustees are the legal entity of the church and the committee that has final decision-making power over all finances and real properties of the church. Their job is to hold these in trust and ensure they are used in accordance with state and federal law and The Book of Doctrine and Discipline of the Global Methodist Church.

THE FINANCE COMMITTEE – The Finance Committee is responsible for overseeing the financial affairs of the church so that the ministry agenda set by the Church/Charge Conference can be achieved.   The Staff/Pastor Parish Relations Committee – The Staff/Pastor Parish Relations Committee is responsible for all matters pertaining to the employment and deployment of all paid staff and clergy. Staff/Pastor Parrish Relations Committee meetings are one of only two meetings not open to any member of the church, though it public records, recommendations, and, decisions are.

THE NOMINATIONS and LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE (NLDC) – responsible for nominating and training new leaders for the church. Nominations and Leadership Development Committee meetings are one of only two meetings not open to any member of the church, though its public records, recommendations, and decisions are.

CLERGY / PASTOR / ORDAINED – There are persons within the church community whose gifts, evidence of God’s grace, and promise of future usefulness to the church are affirmed by the church.  These persons respond to God’s call by offering themselves in leadership to the church. After a time of discernment, both by the individual and by the church, these persons are ordained (set apart) with the responsibility to preach, to teach, to administer the sacraments, to nurture, to heal, to gather the community to worship, and to send them forth to serve with Christ in the world.   Those who have been ordained are to commit their lives to the ministry of Word, Sacrament, and Order. These functions, though set apart, are never separate from or a substitute for the ministry of the whole people of God.  These persons are referred to as the clergy.

CHURCH / CHARGE CONFERENCE – Church/Charge conference is an annual meeting of the church leadership and its membership. At this meeting, the total mission and ministry of the church is evaluated, and the objectives and goals recommended by the church council/leadership team are adopted, provided they are in keeping with the objectives of the Global Methodist Church.

These recommendations, objectives, and goals must be voted on, and technically, only members of the church council/leadership team and any retired clergy who are members of the local church are allowed to vote; however, many churches, including ours, choose from time to time to call for a church-wide vote at this annual meeting.  When it is conducted this way, it is considered a Church Conference.

In addition to meeting annually, church/charge conferences may be called at any time to address important matters affecting the life of the church.

DISTRICT SUPERVISING ELDERS – District Supervising Elders are clergy who have been appointed by the bishop to help give oversight to an annual conference.  They oversee a small portion of an annual conference called a district.

Our district supervising elder oversees the churches of the Memphis metro area. This district is called the Memphis Metro District.  District supervising elders also give leadership to the overall conference and assist the bishop in appointing clergy to churches.

CONFERENCE SUPERINTENDENT – We have one full time clergy person who serves as the bishop’s representative and oversees the conference’s administrative work.

BISHOP – Bishops are clergy who have been elected and set apart for a ministry of general oversight and supervision.  Our Bishop oversees the Global Methodist churches of West Tennessee and Mississippi. Bishops are also authorized to defend and promote the faith, to appoint clergy to churches, promote the connection between conferences, and, to ordain new clergy. Bishops serve between six and nine conferences, both in the United States and around the world.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE – The purpose of the annual conference is to make disciples of Jesus Christ by equipping its local churches for ministry and by providing a connection for ministry beyond the local church.  Each annual conference meets once a year and is comprised of an equal number of clergy and lay delegates. Our church is part of the Mississippi-West Tennessee Annual Conference, which comprises congregations from both states.

GENERAL CONFERENCE – General Conference has legislative power over all matters of the Global Methodist Church—that is, it meets to discuss and vote upon matters pertaining to the rules, laws, and principles of the Global Methodist Church. It meets once every four to six years, with delegates coming from every region of the world. It is comprised of an equal number of lay and clergy delegates. General Conference delegates are elected by and from within each annual conference.

BOOK OF DOCTRINE AND DISCIPLINE – The Book of Doctrine and Discipline is the written laws and guidelines of our church, as set by the General Conference. Each local church, district, and annual conference, as well as every member, lay and clergy, is to adhere to the Book of Doctrine and Discipline.

DELEGATES – Lay and Clergy members chosen to attend, participate in, and vote at Annual and/or General Conference.

CONNECTIONAL GIVING – Connectional Giving is the financial contributions paid by the local church to support the work and ministry of the larger church. The amount paid by the local church is set by the General and Annual Conferences.

JOHN WESLEY – John Wesley was an Anglican Pastor who started the Methodist movement in 18th-century England for the purpose of spiritually renewing the Church of England.  Methodism became a denomination after Wesley’s death.

CHARLES WESLEY – Brother of John, Charles put our theology to song by writing over 6,000 hymns. From the very beginning, music has played an important role in the way Methodists teach our doctrine.

CONFIRMATION – Confirmation is a class designed to introduce the basic ideas of Christianity to those preparing to become members of the local church.