¶2.1 Offenses for which a lay member may be tried:
1.
Willful disobedience to the Vows or the Discipline of
the
2. Unchristian tempers, words or actions.
3. Crime or immorality.
¶2.2 Investigation
and Trial of Lay Members. If a lay member
of a local church is accused of any of the offenses enumerated in ¶2.1 to the
pastor, the pastor shall endeavor to determine the validity of the
accusation. If, in the judgment of the
pastor there is reasonable ground for the accusation, he shall privately
admonish the member, and, if there is an acknowledgment of fault and proper
humiliation, the person may be borne with.
Failing such, or on further offense, the pastor shall take with him at
least two discreet laymen, one of which must be a steward and give further
reproof. If the offense be continued,
the member shall be brought to trial.
¶2.3 If a lay member of a local church is accused
in writing of any of the offenses enumerated in ¶2.1, the charges being signed
by at least two (2) parties and presented to the pastor and/or Board of
Stewards, the pastor and Board of Stewards shall appoint an Investigating
Committee. The Investigating Committee
shall be composed of six (6) members of the local church in good standing who
are at least twenty-one (21) years of age.
The General Superintendent, or his designated representative, shall fix
the time and place of the investigation and shall be the presiding
officer. Such investigations shall
normally be held within thirty (30) days after written charges have been made.
The accused and the accusers shall be brought face to face, if possible, and
the accused shall have the right of making a statement in his own behalf and of
interrogating witnesses, but shall not have the right of presenting witnesses. The Investigating Committee shall then
determine, by secret ballot, whether a trial is justified. In the case of a tie, the presiding officer
shall cast the deciding vote. If it is
determined that a trial is justified, the Investigating Committee shall
formulate the charges and order the trial.
A copy of the order shall be sent to the General Superintendent, the
local pastor, the accused and the parties bringing accusation.
¶2.4 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, Items 4. through 6.
2. References to ministerial positions do not apply. See text, ¶1.10.
3. The finding of the trial court shall be reported to the secretary of the local church for permanent record. See text, ¶1.10.
¶2.5 An expelled member of a local church shall have no privileges of the church without repentance, contrition, and satisfactory restitution to the determination of the pastor and Board of Stewards. In such a case, the individual may be permitted to take the membership vows of the church and be restored to full membership.
¶2.6 No member of a local church who is also a member of the Conference may be tried by a local church trial court, but must be tried by a Conference trial court.