Part iV - The
Pastoral Staff
Qualifications
5 The members of the pastoral staff are
expected to qualify in accordance with Acts 6:1-6
and Romans 12 and will possess those talents or gifts necessary to
perform the duties
required of the assignment.
Duties
6 The precise duties of each member of the
pastoral staff shall be established by the
deacons from time to time.
7 Generally, the Congregation looks to
members of the pastoral staff to provide Christian
support and nurture and to assist Members through a teaching,
preaching and
counseling ministry to be a “priesthood of believers”. (Ephesians
4:11-16).
Call of a pastor
8 A call for any member of the pastoral
staff may be issued only after authorization by a
special resolution of Members.
9 The term of office of each member of the
pastoral staff shall be three years unless
otherwise determined by special resolution at the time the call is
made.
Termination of a member of the pastoral staff
11 A member of the pastoral staff
who wishes to be released of his or her duties
before the end of his or her term, shall endeavor to
provide the board of deacons
with reasonable notice.
12 (1) When dismissal of a member of the
pastoral staff becomes necessary, it shall be
done with sensitivity, openness, due process and reasonable
notice.
(2) If at any time the relationship between
a member of the pastoral staff and the
Congregation becomes unsatisfactory, the board of deacons
shall:
(a) name a subcommittee of deacons to:
(i) meet with that member of the pastoral staff;
and
(ii) make a good-faith effort to resolve any
conflict;
(b) advise the Congregation of its actions at the
earliest opportunity.
(3) If the efforts of the subcommittee do
not satisfactorily resolve the conflict, the board
of deacons may call upon Mennonite Church Saskatchewan (MC
Sask) for
assistance.
(4) If all efforts to reconcile the
relationships fail, the board of deacons shall
recommend to a general meeting of the Congregation that
the said member of the
pastoral staff be released.
(5) When there is credible evidence of
unprofessional and/or unethical conduct by a
member of the pastoral staff, the board of deacons shall:
(a) temporarily suspend him or her from his or her
duties with pay;
(b) call upon the resources of MC Sask to conduct an
investigation; and
(c) advise the Congregation of its actions at the
earliest opportunity.
(6) Upon receipt of a report from MC Sask, the board of deacons
shall,
(a) as soon as possible review the report;
(b) determine whether its recommendation to the
Congregation be that the
suspended member of the pastoral staff be:
(i) reinstated; or
(ii) released; and
(c) present its recommendation to a general meeting of
the Congregation.
(7) An ordinary resolution of Members shall
be sufficient to call for the release of a
member of the pastoral staff before the expiration of his
or her term under
subsection (4) or subsection (6).
Members of the pastoral staff as Members
13 Except as provided in section 14, each
member of the pastoral staff shall be a Member.
Interim pastor
14 (1) The Congregation may, by special
resolution:
(a) call an interim pastor; and
(b) determine his or her term.
(2) An interim pastor need not be a
Member.
Support
15 The Congregation undertakes to:
(a) support the members of the pastoral staff in
carrying out their duties; and
(b) provide reasonable material remuneration
commensurate with their
professional training, using the current Mennonite
Church Canada schedules
as a guide.
|