¶860 OFFICE OF BISHOP
The bishop is elected to serve the church as an overseer. This ordained minister functions as a teacher and defender of the faith, a general shepherd, a pastor to the pastors, and an administrator who by good example and faithful application of The Manual assures the order of the church.
The bishop leads the church to fulfill its mission. Therefore, they must be exemplary in their character and conduct, and possess the skills and experience required for national leadership. They must understand the nature and purpose of the church, and they must proclaim the gospel with clarity and conviction. They must be sensitive to the varied multicultural context of Canada. They must discern and articulate the mission and vision of the Free Methodist Church in Canada.
As the national pastoral leader of The Free Methodist Church in Canada, the bishop’s ministry encompasses spiritual, governance, administrative and representative dimensions. They oversee a broad range of persons, teams and activities. The bishop chairs the General Conference and leads the National Leadership team, ensuring the administrative effectiveness, strategic direction, and spiritual vitality of the national church. The board of administration is responsible to ensure that a more detailed job description is kept current.
Process for the Election of a Bishop
A term for a bishop is defined as the three-year period between general conferences. During their first and/or second term, an incumbent bishop will normally indicate to the spring meeting of the board of administration the year prior to a general conference whether or not he/she is willing to serve as bishop for another term. The minimum amount of time needed for this decision to be made is ten months prior to the general conference for the Bishop Leadership Task Force to complete due process.
If Incumbent Bishop is Willing to Serve Another Term:
If the incumbent bishop is willing to serve another term, the board of administration conducts a confidence vote at the spring meeting based on the personnel team’s 360 performance appraisal and other information/observations, and with a minimum 75% majority vote required, determines suitability for proceeding with a vote for the incumbent bishop at general conference.
At this decision point (the spring board of administration meeting prior to the next general conference), communication is made to the general conference from the board of administration indicating the results of this process, that there will either be an upcoming general conference affirmation vote for the incumbent Bishop, or that a bishop leadership task force will be put in place to seek nominees for the office of bishop.
A general conference vote of a minimum 75% approval is required for the incumbent bishop to serve another term. If the incumbent bishop does not receive a general conference vote of a minimum 75% approval, a bishop leadership task force is triggered as per the section above.
If incumbent Bishop is unwilling (or unsuitable) to serve another term:
When an incumbent bishop declines to stand for re-election or when it otherwise becomes necessary to elect a new bishop (whether he/she is found to be unsuitable to serve or other reasons), the board of administration appoints a bishop leadership task force to nominate candidates for election as bishop. The bishop leadership task force will consist of five to seven people. The board of administration will appoint the chair of the bishop leadership task force and the bishop leadership task force itself will appoint a vice-chair and secretary.
Members of the Bishop Leadership Task Force must meet the following qualifications:
i. They must hold membership in the General Conference or a local Free Methodist congregation.
ii. They must not be employees of the Free Methodist Church in Canada.
iii. They must have had significant involvement with the denomination (i.e., denominational committees) for at least one year.
iv. They must be spiritually mature and committed to involvement in the nomination process, which may last for several months.
v. They must be able to keep information confidential.
vi. They must be willing to work in cooperation with others and the board of administration.
vii. They must not be planning to let their name stand if nominated for the position of bishop.
In terms of representation, the Bishop Leadership Task Force should include:
- Representatives from the board of administration and personnel team
- Equal representation of lay and clergy members
- As much as possible, represent the demographics of The Free Methodist Church in Canada (i.e. age, sex, ethnicity, Anglophone/Francophone)
- If possible, someone with human resource experience
Once the Bishop Leadership Task Force has been created, the Board of Administration will announce its membership and call the church to prayer.
Qualifications of Candidates and Process of Nomination
The task force will seek nominees who have fruitful leadership experience and qualifications that make them suited to the office of a bishop as outlined at the beginning of ¶860. The nominees should have at least seven years of service as an ordained minister in the Free Methodist Church.
The Bishop Leadership Task Force will establish a clear process and timelines for lay delegates and clergy members of conference to suggest potential candidates. Those who suggest names will be required to provide a letter of rationale. Only candidates receiving two or more nominations will be considered. The Board of Administration will maintain a file of resources to aid the Bishop Leadership Task Force in completing its work, including a suggested step-by-step timeline, a current job description, rubrics for interviews, reference checks, and evaluation of candidates, etc.
The Bishop Leadership Task Force is responsible for recommending up to three ordained ministers for the office of bishop. In its deliberations, the task force will work at arms-length from the Board of Administration.
The task force will provide the finalized list of nominees to the Board of Administration, who will communicate the slate of nominees, along with biographical information, to the members of Conference at least thirty days prior to the election of bishop. The Board of Administration will arrange for an electronic vote prior to the General Conference. A bishop must secure a majority of at least 50% plus one. The bishop will not assume office until they have been consecrated. The Board of Administration is responsible for establishing policies related to the on-boarding of the new bishop and the exit process for an outgoing bishop.
Bishop-Elect Onboarding
The bishop-elect must agree to the onboarding process as a condition of employment on the official letter of understanding for employment.
The bishop-elect assumes the office of bishop following his/her consecration ceremony. There are a variety of onboarding activities prior to consecration for the outgoing bishop to help orient the bishop-elect; however, the bishop-elect is not to assume any decision-making authority until consecration has occurred.
An onboarding team will be created by the Board of Administration to resource the new bishop during the time of transition. This will include someone from Operations, the outgoing bishop, the Executive Assistant to the Bishop, someone who is fluent in French, and others with considerable institutional knowledge.
Pre-Consecration
The time after a new bishop is elected and before his/her consecration offers an opportunity for the bishop-elect to familiarize themselves with the ministry centre calendar, personnel, processes and committees. The Bishop-elect should take this opportunity to attend and observe various staff and committee meetings (e.g. board of administration, ministerial education guidance and placement, study commission on doctrine, ministry centre staff, team and network mentors/leaders and regional coaches). The intent is to provide a solid knowledge base from which the bishop-elect can evaluate and implement changes as necessary following his/her consecration. The bishop-elect will be remunerated for onboarding work prior to consecration.
The outgoing bishop retains decision-making authority during this time and will continue to work in consultation with the board of administration, national leadership team and personnel team, and is not authorized to make any major structural or personnel changes. The bishop-elect does not have authority to make changes until his/her consecration.
With consideration that the lead-up to general conference is a busy time, the outgoing bishop and the bishop-elect should plan for a few days of overlap together in the month prior to the consecration. This gives the outgoing bishop a time to transfer confidential information, processes and any other multi-perspective information. The outgoing bishop is to understand that this is a transfer of information as opposed to transfer of management style.
Post-Consecration
At this point, the outgoing bishop’s term has finished, and the new bishop assumes decision-making authority. If the pre-consecration time has been used wisely, the new bishop will be familiar with the ministry centre calendar, personnel, processes and committees; however, the new bishop must understand that the transition of authority can be stressful for staff.
Bishops shall be amenable to the conference for their character and for the discharge of the duties. They shall report at least annually to the board of administration on the state of the work.
When bishops or former bishops retire, they shall be given the title of Bishop Emeritus or Emerita provided they have served the church as bishop for a minimum of six years.
The title of Bishop Emeritus or Emerita may, due to extenuating circumstances as verified by the conference Ministerial Education Guidance and Placement committee, be granted, reviewed and/or adjusted by the Board of Administration.
The salary of a bishop shall be raised in the CORE budget. The management committee (with input from the personnel team) has authority to establish the salary of the bishop. Upon retirement the bishop shall receive a pension in accordance with the Ministers Pension Plan of The Free Methodist Church in Canada.
