¶1.1 Offenses for which the General Superintendent, an elder, a member on trial or a local preacher may be tried:
1.
Willful disobedience to the Vows or the Discipline of
the
2. Unchristian tempers, words or actions.
3. Habitual neglect of duties.
4. Disseminating doctrine contrary to the Bible.
5. Crime or immorality.
6. Maladministration in office.
¶1.2 Investigation
and Trial of General Superintendent.
If the General Superintendent is accused in writing of any of the
offenses enumerated in ¶1.1 to the Director of Administration and the
Interchurch Council, the Interchurch Council shall appoint a Conference
Investigation Committee to inquire into the same. See Chapter 4.
¶1.3 If, in the judgment of the majority of the Conference Investigation Committee there is reasonable ground for said accusation, it shall:
1. Prepare and sign the proper charges and specifications and determine the date and location of the formal inquiry and send a copy by certified mail to the accused and to the Interchurch Council.
2. The date of the formal inquiry should be within fifteen (15) days from the time Item 1 is executed.
3. The location of the formal inquiry should be as convenient as possible.
4. Inform all witnesses whose testimony is expected to have bearing on the case as to the date and location of the formal inquiry.
¶1.4 At the formal inquiry, the accused shall have the right to make a statement in his own behalf, and to interrogate witnesses, but shall not himself present any witnesses. If a majority of the Conference Investigation Committee determines that a trial is justified, it shall order one. It may suspend the General Superintendent, with pay, pending a trial.
¶1.5 Should a trial be ordered, the Conference Investigation Committee shall, within seven (7) days, set a time and place for said trial and notify the accused by certified mail. The date of the trial shall be no sooner than thirty (30) but no later than forty-five (45) days after the date the trial was ordered. The trial court shall be constituted as follows:
1. The Conference Investigation Committee shall appoint a presiding officer over the court. This individual may be an elder or layman.
2. The presiding officer shall appoint counsel for the conference.
3. The presiding officer shall arrange for a meeting of the accused, his counsel and the counsel for the conference as early as practicable after the trial is ordered, to select the personnel of the trial.
4. The presiding officer shall nominate, as proposed members of the trial court, six (6) elders and laymen from the conference, at least twenty-one (21) years of age.
5. The conference and the defendant shall each have the right of preemptory challenge to the number of four, and of unlimited challenge for cause.
6. The presiding officer shall add other eligible elders or laymen until the required number is selected. By the same method, four (4) alternates shall be selected.
The trial court as thus constituted shall have full power to try the accused, and by a two-thirds (2/3) vote, to suspend him from the exercise of the function of his office, to depose him from his office, the ministry, or both, to expel him from the church, or, in case of minor offenses, to affix a lesser penalty. Its finding shall be reported to the General Conference for entry in its minutes. The records of the trial, including the testimony, shall be signed by the presiding officer and secretary of the General Conference, together with all the documents in the case, for preservation with the papers of the General Conference, and shall be the basis of any appeal which may be taken to the General Conference Court of Appeals. See Chapter 6.
¶1.6 A General Superintendent, once deposed, shall have no claim upon the salary funds, dwelling, or any other expenses from the time of deposition.
¶1.7 Investigation and/or Trial of an Elder or
Member on Trial. If an elder or
member on trial is accused in writing of any of the offenses enumerated in ¶1.1
to the General Superintendent and the Interchurch Council, the Interchurch
Council shall appoint a Conference Investigation Committee to inquire into the
same. See Chapter 4.
¶1.8 If, in the judgment of the majority of the Conference Investigation Committee there is reasonable ground for said accusation, it shall proceed to ¶1.3, with the following exception:
1.
Prepare and sign the proper charges, specifications and notification as
to the date and location of the formal inquiry and send a copy by certified
mail to the accused, the General Superintendent and to the Interchurch Council. See ¶1.3, Item 1.
¶1.9 At the formal inquiry, the accused shall have the right to make a statement in his own behalf, and to interrogate witnesses, but shall not himself present any witnesses. If a majority of the Conference Investigation Committee determines that a trial is justified, it shall order one. It may suspend the accused, with pay, from all ministerial services, pending a trial.
¶1.10 Should a trial be ordered, the General Superintendent shall, within seven (7) days, set a time and place for said trial and notify the accused by certified mail. The date of the trial shall be no sooner than thirty (30) but no later than forty-five (45) days after the date the trial was ordered. The trial court shall be constituted as enumerated in ¶1.5, with the following exception:
1.
The General Superintendent shall act as or appoint a presiding officer
over the court. See ¶1.5, Item 1.
The trial court as thus constituted shall have full power to try the accused, and by a two-thirds (2/3), vote to suspend him from his office, to remove him from his office, the ministry, or both, to expel him from the church, or, in case of minor offenses, to affix a lesser penalty. Its finding shall be reported to the General Conference for entry in its minutes. The records of the trial, including the testimony, shall be signed by the presiding officer and secretary of the General Conference, together with all the documents in the case, for preservation with the papers of the General Conference, and shall be the basis of any appeal which may be taken to the General Conference Court of Appeals. See Chapter 6.
¶1.11 An elder or member on trial, once removed,
shall have no claim upon the salary funds, dwelling, or any other expenses from
the date of removal.
¶1.12 Investigation
and Trial of a Local Preacher. If a
local preacher is accused in writing of any of the offenses enumerated in ¶1.1
to the General Superintendent and the Interchurch Council, the Interchurch
Council shall appoint a Conference Investigation Committee to inquire into the
same. See Chapter 4.
¶1.13 If, in the judgment of the majority of the Conference Investigation Committee there is reasonable ground for said accusation, it shall proceed to ¶1.3, with the following exception:
1.
Prepare and sign the proper charges, specifications and notification as
to the date and location of the formal inquiry and send a copy by certified
mail to the accused, the General Superintendent, the pastor and the Chairman of
the Board of Stewards where the local preacher holds his membership. See ¶1.3, Item 1.
¶1.14 At the formal inquiry, the accused shall have the right to make a statement in his own behalf, and to interrogate witnesses, but shall not himself present any witnesses. If a majority of the Conference Investigation Committee determines that a trial is justified, it shall order one. It may suspend the accused, with pay, from all ministerial services, pending a trial.
¶1.15 Should a trial be
ordered, the General Superintendent shall proceed according to ¶1.10, with the
following exception:
1.
The presiding officer shall nominate, as proposed members of the trial
court, six (6) lay members of the local church who are in good standing and at
least twenty-one (21) years of age. See
¶1.5, Item 4.
¶1.16 A local preacher, once removed, shall have no
claim upon the salary funds, dwelling, or any other expenses from the date of
removal.
¶1.17 The General Conference may restore the credentials of a minister who has been deposed, removed, suspended, or who has withdrawn from The Bethel Methodist Church, providing proper restitution has been made and sufficient proof of his good character be presented to the Conference by the Board of Ministerial Relations.