ORGANISATION OF THE METHODIST CHURCH: PART 3 of 7
Presbyters
There are two types of ordained minister in the Methodist Church: presbyters and deacons.
A presbyter (this is what most people mean by a minister
) is a person who has felt the call by God to preach the gospel and to undertake pastoral care for a community of Christians. That call has been acknowledged by the Methodist Church and suitable training has been provided. Once that has been completed successfully, the presbyter is ordained. This means that the church is commissioning him or her to preach, to administer sacraments (see below) within the church, and to take pastoral charge of one or more churches. Ordinations take place within special services which are held at the time and place of the Methodist Conference.
Presbyters are appointed by the circuit and not by individual churches. Normally each presbyter is assigned pastoral responsibility for one church or a small number of churches within the circuit. In particular, this means that presbyters are often asked to conduct Sunday services of worship at those churches, but they may also be asked, by the circuit, to conduct worship at other churches within the circuit. The circuit creates a preaching plan to indicate where presbyters are preaching each Sunday. Of course, the role of presbyters is much wider than what they do on Sundays, but that is perhaps what is most visible to most people in the congregation. Occasionally, a presbyter is asked to take responsibility for a different church or set of churches in the circuit, during their appointment to that circuit.
Deacons
Deacons are also ordained ministers but they experience a different type of calling by God. Instead of being called to preaching and administering sacraments, deacons are called to witness and service
, often in specific neighbourhoods or communities. Deacons are members of the Diaconal Order, a religious order with its own spiritual disciplines. They are appointed to specific projects, at the request of circuits, by the Diaconal Order. They often preach in churches around the circuit, but they do not administer sacraments or take responsibility for any governance matters, such as a Church Council.
Changes of appointment
For historical reasons, minsters (whether presbyters or deacons) are appointed to a circuit for a fixed period which currently is normally five years. After this time, they are expected to move elsewhere and (in the case of presbyters) take responsibility for other churches in a different circuit. While this can be unsettling for ministers and their families, it does mean that new ideas of worship and witness are introduced to churches, and ideas which have proved successful in one place can be applied in new locations. In some circumstances, a minister’s appointment within a circuit may be extended by a small number of years. This might happen, for example, if a move could adversely affect the schooling of one of the minister’s children.
When the end of a presbyter’s appointment is approaching, the circuit consults with the appropriate local churches about what would be desirable in a new person. And they consult with the current presbyter about what type of church and location they would wish to be assigned to next. The Connexion, working with the circuits and districts, then tries to station
presbyters at places where the sets of requirements from both sides match. This is the stationing process
.
Note on Sacraments
A sacrament can be defined as a religious rite regarded as a channel to and from God or as a sign of grace
. However, this definition may raise more questions than it answers. The Methodist Church recognises just two sacraments. These are Baptism and Holy Communion. They are recognised because they are specific things which Jesus told his followers to do. These rites
normally take place within church services of worship.
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