Download Local Pastor Appointment to Extension Ministry Under the

VIRGINIA CONFERENCE BOARD OF ORDAINED MINISTRY
PROCEDURES FOR LOCAL PASTORS
REQESTING AN EXTENSION MINISTRIES APPOINTMENT UNDER ¶316.1
The United Methodist Church 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5.
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.
2. 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?
3. ¶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 selfgiving 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?
4. Specifically, how will you carry out the functions of the licensed local pastor in your
proposed ministry setting?
5. 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?