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Clergy Transition Policies

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The Baltimore-Washington Conference has several policies in place to help facilitate a healthy transition for clergy in the local church.

¶4015. Returning to a Previous Appointment

  1. As of the effective date of a new appointment, a pastor shall immediately cease all pastoral counseling and pastoral visitation with members or member families in the previous appointment. Since appointments are generally announced several weeks in advance, each pastor has adequate time in which to effect closure and make appropriate referral to another for the pastoral care of members.
  2. Pastors shall have a clear understanding with former congregations that they will not return to officiate at baptisms, weddings and funerals, or do pastoral counseling or pastoral visitation in that parish. Pastors, active or retired, shall respectfully decline to participate in such duties when invited by members of a former congregation. Declining all such invitations is the responsibility of the previous pastor. The present pastor, at his or her discretion, may invite the previous pastor to return for pastoral functions. However, the present pastor should never be under any pressure to invite the previous pastor. This policy is ongoing and doesn’t have an expiration date.
  3. Several weeks prior to concluding a pastoral appointment, a pastor shall inform all members of the church of this policy by printing sections one and two verbatim in either a pastoral letter to be sent to each member or a church newsletter to be sent to each member and encourage them to support the policy by their prayers and actions.

Vacation Policy
The date(s) of the vacation period(s) shall be mutually agreed upon to serve both the desire of the pastor(s) and the needs of the charge. This agreement shall be worked out by the Pastor-Parish Relations Committee in close consultation with the pastor(s). Although charges may grant time off in excess of, but not less than, the applicable figure, the following vacations are recommended as minimum benefits for pastors in these stated categories:

  1. Full-time pastors — Every full-time appointed pastor is entitled to four weeks vacation per year, including four Sundays. A pastor serving the first year of a first appointment shall negotiate the vacation schedule with the Pastor-Parish Relations Committee.
  2. Part-time or supply pastors — Vacation time as negotiated between the District Superintendent, the pastor, and the charge served.
  3. Exceptions — Pastors who serve as chaplains in reserve units of the armed forces and who are required to serve two weeks annually on active duty shall be granted such time off, in addition to, their regular vacations. Pastors who serve on the volunteer staff in Conference camping activity shall be permitted one week of such service during each appointment year without affecting salary or vacation time. Local pastors who attend an approved United Methodist Course of Study School shall have the requisite vacation time in addition to the time spent at school. Pastors who serve as members of district, Conference, jurisdictional and/or general church agencies shall be granted time for such participation without impact on the vacation entitlement.
  4. Pulpit supply for vacations, illness, emergencies or Conference professional obligations shall be paid for by the local church.
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