CHAPTER 13

Pastors in Charge

441 Duties of Pastors

1. To be holy in lifestyle.

a. By leading a life of prayer.

b. By spending time devotionally in God's Word.

c. By setting an example of the Christian life within the church and community.

2. To preach and teach the Word of God.

a. By giving priority to study and preparation.

b. By having a preaching/teaching plan to present the whole Word of God.

3. To provide for the regular observance of the ordinances and ceremonies of the church.

a. By celebrating the Lord's Supper.

b. By providing opportunities for Christian baptism.

c. By performing weddings and funerals.

4. To equip the believers for works of service.

a. By helping them find their spiritual gifts.

b. By training them to become proficient in the use of God's Word.

c. By training them in the various aspects of ministry.

d. By allowing them to be involved in personal ministry within the local church.

5. To do and teach the work of an evangelist.

a. By doing consistent personal evangelism in the local church and the community.

b. By providing for training the believers in personal evangelism in both classroom and real life settings.

6. To be responsible for local church administration.

a. By planning and leading the worship services.

b. By giving direction for the ministry of the local church.

c. By doing specific planning and goal-setting.

d. By making monthly reports to the board of administration and annual reports to the national conference.

e. By keeping accurate membership records.

f. By preparing and keeping an updated passbook.

g. By presenting the church Discipline.

h. By notifying the US bishop in writing at least 30 days before the effective date of resignation.

7. To provide pastoral care.

8. To promote national conference activities.

a. By attending national conference activities that are provided for pastors.

b. By promoting other national conference interests including seminars, camps, athletic events, etc.

9. To promote national church interests.

a. By promoting the emphases and ministries of the national church.

b. By overseeing national church elections.

c. By presenting the referenda.

d. By promoting church periodicals and publications.