David Donnan

What is the Pastor Parish Relations (PPR) Committee in the Global Methodist Church?

At the beginning of the year many churches are getting organized and on boarding new leaders. My church is doing the same now. Here is my humble attempt to condense the description in the Transitional Doctrine of Book of Discipline of the Global Methodist Church.

I consider this to be a working document. If you see something to improve please point it out.

First, I want to provide my personal definition. This is my condensed version: “The pastor parish relations committee is in essence the personnel committee of the pastoral charge (church). The committee is to be sensitive to the opinions and concerns of the congregation concerning the pastor and staff. The committee recommends the salary for the pastor and staff to the Charge Conference. The committee loves, corrects, and supports the pastor(s) and staff.”

Second, On pages 38 and 39 in paragraph 345 the Transitional Book of Doctrines and Disciplines of the Global Methodist has a very detailed description. Here is my bullet point version of the text.

Purpose of the Committee

• To encourage, strengthen, nurture, support, and respect the pastor(s) and staff and their family(ies). 
• To promote unity in the church(es). 
• To confer with and counsel the pastor(s) and staff on matters pertaining to their effectiveness in ministry;
  • assessing their unique gifts and abilities; 
  • priorities in the use of gifts, skills, and time; 
  • relationships with the congregation; 
  • the person’s health and self-care, including conditions that may impede their effectiveness of ministry; 
  • and to interpret the nature and function of the ministry to the congregation, while interpreting the congregation’s needs, values, and traditions to the pastor(s) and staff. 
• To provide evaluation at least annually for the use of the pastor(s) and staff to enhance their effective ministry and to identify continuing educational needs and plans. 
• To communicate and interpret to the congregation the nature and function of ministry in the Global Methodist Church regarding open itinerancy and the preparation for ordained ministry. 
• To develop and approve written job descriptions and titles for associate pastors and other staff members in cooperation with the senior pastor. The term associate pastor is used as a general term to indicate any pastoral appointment in a local church other than the pastor in charge. Committees are encouraged to develop specific titles for associate pastors that reflect the job descriptions and expectations. 
• To arrange with the church council for the necessary time and financial assistance for the attendance of the pastor and/or staff at such
  • continuing education, 
  • self-care, 
  • and spiritual renewal events as may serve their professional and spiritual growth,
  • and to encourage staff members to seek professional certification in their fields of specialization. 
• To enlist, interview, evaluate, review, and recommend annually to the charge conference lay ministers and persons for candidacy for ordained ministry and to enlist and refer to the appropriate agencies persons for candidacy for missionary service, recognizing that the Global Methodist Church affirms the biblical and theological support of persons regardless of gender, race, ethnic or tribal origin, or disabilities for these ministries. Neither the pastor nor any member of the Pastor-Parish Relations Committee shall be present during the consideration of a candidacy application or renewal for a member of their immediate family. The committee shall provide to the charge conference a list of persons from the charge who are preparing for ordained ministry, lay ministry, and/or missionary service, and shall maintain contact with these persons, supplying the charge conference with a progress report on each person. 

Makeup of Committee and Schedule

• Members of the committee must be members of the church.
• If a church employs multiple staff the committee may be called Staff-Parish relations committee. 
• Lay leader is automatically a member of the committee.
• Three year terms. Can serve only two consecutive terms.
• Shall meet at least quarterly and by request.

Who is present

• “The committee shall meet only with the knowledge of the pastor. The pastor shall be present at each meeting of the committee, except where he or she voluntarily excuses himself or herself.”
• The committee may meet with the presiding elder (district superintendent) without the appointed clergy under consideration being present. However, the appointed clergy under consideration shall be notified prior to such meeting with the presiding elder (district superintendent) and be brought into consultation immediately thereafter. 

Full text from the Transitional Book of Doctrines and Disciplines of the Global Methodist: 

 ¶ 345. PASTOR-PARISH RELATIONS COMMITTEE. 

1. As the charge conference determines, there may be elected annually by that conference a Pastor-Parish Relations Committee or its equivalent composed of professing members of the local church or charge, or the committee’s responsibilities may be assigned to a different group. Where the church employs additional program staff beyond the pastor in charge, the committee may be structured as the Staff-Parish Relations Committee, with the same responsibilities. People serving on this committee must be engaged in and attentive to their Christian spiritual development to give proper leadership in the committee’s responsibilities. In conducting its work, the committee shall identify and clarify its values for ministry. It shall engage in biblical and theological reflection on the mission of the church, the primary task and ministries of the local church, and on the role and work of the pastor(s) and staff as they carry out their leadership responsibilities. 

2. No staff member or immediate family member of a pastor or staff member may serve on the committee. Only one person from an immediate family residing in the same household shall serve on the committee. The lay leader is automatically a member of the committee. 

3. To secure experience and stability, the membership may be divided into three classes, one of which shall be elected each year for a three-year term.  The lay leader is exempt from the three year term on this committee. Members of the committee may succeed themselves for a second three-year term. When vacancies occur during the year, the church council shall elect successors. 

4. In those charges where there is more than one church, the committee shall include at least one representative and the lay leader from each local church. 

5. The Pastor-Parish Relations Committees of charges that are in cooperative parish ministries shall meet together to consider the professional leadership needs of the cooperative parish ministry as a whole, or one parish-wide Pastor-Parish Relations Committee may be formed. 

6. The committee shall meet at least quarterly. It shall meet additionally at the request of the bishop, the presiding elder (district superintendent), the pastor, any other person accountable to the  40 committee, or the chairperson of the committee. The committee shall meet only with the knowledge of the pastor. The pastor shall be present at each meeting of the committee, except where he or she voluntarily excuses himself or herself. The committee may meet with the presiding elder (district superintendent) without the appointed clergy under consideration being present. However, the appointed clergy under consideration shall be notified prior to such meeting with the presiding elder (district superintendent) and be brought into consultation immediately thereafter. The committee shall meet in closed session and information shared in the committee shall be confidential. 

7. In the event that only one congregation on a charge containing more than one church has concerns it wishes to share, its member(s) in the committee may meet separately with the pastor or any other person accountable to the committee or the presiding elder (district superintendent), but only with the knowledge of the pastor. 

8. The duties of the committee shall include the following: 

a. To encourage, strengthen, nurture, support, and respect the pastor(s) and staff and their family(ies). 

b. To promote unity in the church(es). 

c. To confer with and counsel the pastor(s) and staff on matters pertaining to their effectiveness in ministry; assessing their unique gifts and abilities; priorities in the use of gifts, skills, and time; relationships with the congregation; the person’s health and self-care, including conditions that may impede their effectiveness of ministry; and to interpret the nature and function of the ministry to the congregation, while interpreting the congregation’s needs, values, and traditions to the pastor(s) and staff. 

d. To provide evaluation at least annually for the use of the pastor(s) and staff to enhance their effective ministry and to identify continuing educational needs and plans. 

e. To communicate and interpret to the congregation the nature and function of ministry in the Global Methodist Church regarding open itinerancy and the preparation for ordained ministry. 

f. To develop and approve written job descriptions and titles for associate pastors and other staff members in cooperation with the senior pastor. The term associate pastor is used as a general term to indicate any pastoral appointment in a local church other than the pastor in charge. Committees are encouraged to develop specific titles for associate pastors that reflect the job descriptions and expectations. 

g. To arrange with the church council for the necessary time and financial assistance for the attendance of the pastor and/or staff at such continuing education, self-care, and spiritual renewal events as may serve their professional and spiritual growth, and to encourage staff members to seek professional certification in their fields of specialization. 

h. To enlist, interview, evaluate, review, and recommend annually to the charge conference lay ministers and persons for candidacy for ordained ministry and to enlist and refer to the appropriate agencies persons for candidacy for missionary service, recognizing that the Global Methodist Church affirms the biblical and theological support of persons regardless of gender, race, ethnic or tribal origin, or disabilities for these ministries. Neither the pastor nor any member of the Pastor-Parish Relations Committee shall be present during the consideration of a candidacy application or renewal for a member of their immediate family. The committee shall provide to the charge conference a list of persons from the charge who are preparing for ordained ministry, lay ministry, and/or missionary service, and shall maintain contact with these persons, supplying the charge conference with a progress report on each person.  

i. To confer with the pastor and/or other appointed members of the staff if it should become evident that the best interests of the charge and/or pastor(s) will be served by a change of pastor(s). The committee shall cooperate with the pastor(s), the presiding elder (district superintendent), and the bishop in securing clergy leadership. Its relationship to the presiding elder  41 (district superintendent) and the bishop shall be advisory only. The committee shall not recommend to the presiding elder (district superintendent) or bishop a change of pastor(s) without first discussing its concerns with the pastor(s) involved. 

j. After consultation with the pastor, to communicate with the Nominations and Leadership Development Committee when there is a need for other leaders, and/or the church council when there is a need for employed staff, to work in areas where utilization of the gifts of the pastor(s) or staff proves an inappropriate stewardship of time (cf. Acts 6:2).  

k. The committee and the pastor shall recommend to the church council a written statement of policies and procedures regarding the process for hiring, contracting, evaluating, promoting, retiring, and dismissing staff personnel who are not ordained clergy subject to episcopal appointment. Until such a policy has been adopted, the committee and the pastor shall have the authority to hire, contract, evaluate, promote, retire, and dismiss non-appointed personnel. The committee shall further recommend to the church council a provision for adequate health and life insurance and severance pay for all lay employees. In addition, the committee shall recommend that the church council provide an equitable pension with local church contribution for lay employees serving at least half time. The church council shall have authority to provide such pension benefits through a denominational pension program.   

l. Members of the Pastor-Parish (or Staff-Parish) Relations Committee shall keep themselves informed of personnel matters related to the denomination’s policies, professional standards, liability issues, and civil law. They are responsible for communicating and interpreting such matters to staff. Committee members should make themselves available for educational and training opportunities that will enable them to be effective in their work. 

m. To consult on matters pertaining to pulpit supply, proposals for compensation, travel expense, vacation, health and life insurance, pension, housing (which may be a church-owned parsonage or housing allowance in lieu of parsonage if in compliance with the policy of the annual conference), continuing education, and other practical matters affecting the work and families of the pastor and staff, and to make annual recommendations regarding such matters to the church council, reporting budget items to the Finance Committee. The parsonage is to be mutually respected by the pastor’s family as the property of the church and by the church as a place of privacy for the pastor’s family. The committee will follow up to assure timely resolution of parsonage problems affecting the health of the pastor or pastor’s family. The chairperson of the Pastor-Parish Relations Committee, the chairperson of the Board of Trustees, and the pastor shall make an annual review of the church-owned parsonage to assure proper maintenance and to give immediate resolution to parsonage issues affecting the family’s health and well-being.  

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