FAQ on the Appointment Process
The itineracy and appointment of pastors to churches is one of the defining traits of The United Methodist Church. Each year, Bishop LaTrelle Easterling, in consultation with the district superintendents, clergy and churches, appoints pastors to local churches in the Baltimore-Washington and Peninsula-Delaware Conferences. The appointments typically begin July 1. The guiding principles and process of the appointment system are outlined in a document called “The Point of Appointments.”
This year, a new process of posting open appointments or “clear openings”, and inviting clergy to apply for a particular appointment, is being implemented to assist the bishop and Cabinet in the appointment process.
Bishop Easterling posted a video in which she explains the rationale for this addition of the application process as one new component in the discernment of appointments. The Cabinet has faced difficulty in recent years meeting the needs of open churches as clergy have increased limitations on where they are able/willing to serve. Additionally, the Cabinet recognizes that there may be unknown gifts and interests that will enhance the discernment process in matching needs of a community/congregation with a pastor.
A clear opening is a church that will be receiving a new pastor this year due to the retirement, death, or appointment of their current pastor to another mission field
Not necessarily. There may be extenuating circumstances with a particular appointment that prevent it from being a candidate for the application process.
Information on each open appointment will be provided on the conference website. The profile is a short snapshot of the congregation and community as well as details about salary and housing.
Clear openings will be updated beginning in January. The nature of the appointment process is that as some openings are filled, others become available by the movement of clergy in the itinerant system. The process will remain fluid throughout the appointment season.
Active United Methodists who are candidates for ministry or already in clergy relationship within the UMC.
Is there a deadline for applying?
The deadline to apply for the first round of Clear Opening churches is February1, 2024.
No. Only those who have entered into relationship with The United Methodist Church will be considered.
There is a standard application form for all openings. It is posted on the website.
Yes. The pastor may apply for more than one opening, but a new application should be completed for each appointment.
No. The pastor’s application will be considered with all other names brought to the discernment process. Only after a pastoral appointment has been finalized and officially announced in the local church, will it be posted on the conference website.
This will vary depending on many factors. The appointment season lasts throughout the first half of the year, with most appointments being finalized before the annual conference session in May/June.
No. The appointments will be posted as usual on the conference website.
As the bishop mentioned in her video, this is one additional tool in the process of discernment. The cabinet engages in deep prayer to match the missional needs of a congregation/community with the gifts of individual clergy. Those individuals who apply for a position will be considered as are all other potential names before the Cabinet.
The application form is an online form that will be read only by the Bishop and Cabinet.
Yes. Several conferences are employing a similar process for this appointment season.
The Cabinet is in the season of prayerful discernment now. The process of naming a pastor to a church takes time for prayerful consideration by the pastor, consultation with the SPRC, time for announcements to be made internally and externally. The work is ongoing throughout the winter/spring and sometimes extends into the summer.