CHAPTER 10
DISTRICT SYNODS
10.01The District Synod is a meeting of the ministers, Circuit Stewards, and other lay representatives resident on the Circuits which comprise the District. The District Synod being a Committee of the Conference, its functions shall be to give effect to the regulations of the Conference within its own area, and to prepare business for the ensuing Conference with power of recommendation and suggestion.
10.02The Synod shall consist of two Sessions - a Ministerial Session and a Representative Session.
10.03The Synod in its Ministerial Session shall consist of all ministers and probationers within the District boundaries, as shown in the current List of Stations.
10.04The Synod in its Representative Session shall consist of:
The members of the Ministerial Session
Ordained members of the Methodist Diaconal Order
The Circuit Stewards of the Circuits within the District boundaries, or their substitutes
The additional representatives elected by the Circuit Executives, or their substitutes
The lay members of the District Property Committee
The District Secretary for Local Preachers
The District Secretaries of the Methodist Youth and Children’s Department, together with not more than five youth representatives nominated by the District Youth and Children’s Team
The District Secretary for the Methodist Missionary Society (Ireland)
The District Secretary for Junior Mission for All
Three representatives of Methodist Women in Ireland on the District
The District Lay Secretary for Home Missions
The District Secretary for World Development and Relief
The District Appraisal Officer
The Members of the General Committee, the Lay Treasurers of Connexional Funds and Departments, the general officers of the Methodist Women in Ireland, the Children’s Ministry Co-ordinator of the Methodist Youth and Children’s Department, the Secretaries of the Northern and Southern Executives of the Council on Social Responsibility whose Church membership is within the District boundaries.
Those representatives of Synod on the Boards and Connexional Committees who are not already members of the Synod.
Mission partners on furlough shall be invited to be present at the meeting of the Synod of the District in which they are resident for the time being. The Secretary of the Methodist Missionary Society (Ireland) shall notify the Secretary of the District Synod of the addresses of such mission partners.
Circuit Lay Representatives
10.05In addition to the Circuit Steward, the Circuit Executive shall in December elect one representative as a member of the District Synods plus additional representatives in the following proportion:-
(a)Circuits to which two ministers are appointed, or with a membership of 200, and less than 300, shall elect one additional representative.
(b)Circuits to which more than two ministers are appointed, or with a membership of 300 and over, shall elect two additional representatives.
10.06Those eligible for election as representatives shall be over 18 years of age and members in the Circuit electing them.
10.07In December the Circuit Executive shall appoint substitutes for the Circuit Steward and elected representatives. The Superintendent of the Circuit shall forward the names of the substitutes to the Secretary of the District Synod.
Ministers and Probationers
10.08All ministers and probationers are required to attend at their respective Synods. No minister or probationer shall absent himself/herself from the Synod nor from any of the Sessions thereof without the permission of the District Superintendent. This regulation shall be printed in the form summoning the ministers to the Synods. Probationers, whilst being required to attend all the Sessions of their Synods, shall not have the right to vote in the Ministerial Session.
Business of the Synod
10.09There shall normally be two meetings of the District Synod each year, one in the Spring, and the other in the Autumn. The dates of these meetings shall be fixed by the Conference, and printed in the Minutes of Conference. During the Spring and/or Autumn Synod the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper shall be observed.
10.10At each Spring Synod a member of the Synod shall be appointed to prepare and submit to the Spring Synod in the following year, a draft report for Conference of the Work of God on the District.
District Advisory Committee
10.11Each Spring Synod shall appoint a District Advisory Committee. It shall be composed of the District Superintendent, who shall preside at its meetings, together with two ministers and two lay persons. When, in the opinion of the District Superintendent, the matter to be dealt with refers to a minister it shall be dealt with by the ministerial members of the committee. All other matters shall be dealt with by both the ministerial and lay members of the committee. Should any of the members of this committee be concerned in the difficulty under consideration, or be unable to act, the District Superintendent shall appoint another in his/her place.
Other District Committees
10.12Members of District Committees, other than ex-officio members and members of the District Property Committee, shall not serve on the same District Committee for more than five years in succession. A period of two years shall elapse before a person is eligible for re-election to the Committee. No person, other than ex-officio members, and the members of the District Advisory Committee, shall serve on more than two District Committees.
Chaplains in Public Institutions
10.13When a Methodist Chaplain is appointed inany public institution, the District Synod within whose bounds the appointment is made shall have the right, subject to the authority of the Conference, of determining which minister shall be appointed.
10.14Each Spring District Synod shall make careful inquiry concerning the work of the various Chaplains within its area and shall also consider additional appointments as circumstance may require, and shall report to the General Committee.
Duties of District Superintendents
10.15It shall be the duty of the District Superintendent to assume pastoral responsibility for the ministers and their families within his/her District. However, situations may arise involving discipline which may lead to resignation or dismissal, and it may be desirable for the District Superintendent to appoint another person(s) with appropriate skills to undertake the pastoral role(s). In such cases, those appointed shall be accountable to the District Superintendent.
10.16The District Superintendent shall arrange for the holding of the Synods of his/her District; preside over their deliberations, and see that the ordinary and special business to be transacted is brought forward in due order.
The meeting shall have power to invite others to share in the discussion of specific questions.
10.17District Superintendents shall exercise careful supervision of the working of the Circuits under their jurisdiction. A District Superintendent shall visit any Circuit in theDistrict when he/she considers it desirable. Every Circuit in a District shall be officially visited by a District Superintendent at least once in three years, except in the case of the Belfast District, where the period shall be at least once in five years. On all such official visits a meeting of the members of the Circuit Executive shall be held at which the District Superintendent shall preside. At such meeting the working of the Circuit shall come under review, and special attention be given to the state of the work of God,including openings for evangelistic effort. The District Superintendents shall report to the Conference, through the General Committee, concerning the Circuits officially visited by them during the year.
10.18Where matters likely to affect adversely the well-being of any Circuit on his/her District are known to the District Superintendent, the following procedure shall be adopted:-
(a)The District Superintendent shall take such action as he/she may deem to be helpful to the promotion of peace and order, and to the faithful and judicious execution of the Church's discipline, visiting the Circuit and conferring with the Superintendent and those concerned should this seem advisable.
(b)Where the District Superintendent considers the case sufficiently serious he/she shall confer with the District Advisory Committee, which shall decide what further action is necessary.
(c)Where the advice of the District Advisory Committee has not been accepted the District Superintendent shall report the matter to the President's Advisory Committee and obtain its sanction for such action as may be considered necessary. Further disciplinary action, when necessary, shall be taken in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Manual of Laws,chapters 5 or 6 as appropriate.
In cases where the District Superintendent, or his/her Circuit, may be concerned, the President of the Church shall act as if he/she were Superintendent of the District.
10.19A meeting of District Superintendents for consultation shall be held at least once each year, and more often if required. Its members shall be:
The President of the Conference
The Secretary of the Conference
The Ex-President of the Conference
The Ministerial Officers of the Home Mission Department
The District Superintendents
The meeting shall have power to invite others to share in the discussion of specific questions.
Appointment and Duties of Secretariesof District Synods
10.20Secretaries of Synods shall be appointed by the Conference on the nomination of the District Superintendents.
10.21It shall be the duty of the Secretary of a District, under the direction of the District Superintendent to:-
(a)notify the members of the District Synod of the time and place of its meetings.
(b)prepare lists of ministers and lay members who have been nominated by the Circuit Executives, from which the District Synod is to elect representatives to the ensuing Conference.
(c)send to the Secretary of the Conference, the General Secretary of the Home Mission Department and to the Secretary of Synod of the District in which Conference shall meet, a list in alphabetical order of all the ministerial and lay representatives of the Synod to the ensuing Conference.
(d)have a complete record of the proceedings of the Synods entered in the Synod Minute Book; but in the case of obituaries, the name, date, place of death, age, and years of travelling only need be entered.
(e)provide the District Superintendent with a complete copy of the minutes of the Synod meetings.
(f)send to the Secretary of each Department immediately after the Synod a complete copy of the minutes relating to the Connexional Fund with which such Secretary is concerned.
(g)send to the Editorial Secretary of the Conference complete copies of the minutes of the Synod.
(h)send to the District representatives on the Stationing Committee a list of Circuit Stewards and their addresses.
10.22In order that the Spring Synods may be fully informed of the work being done through "Other Preaching Places," etc., the Secretaries shall obtain annually from each Superintendent:
(a)the number of current preaching places, and the number of services held in each during the year, monthly, or more or less frequently,
(b)the names of new preaching places opened during the year,
(c)the names of preaching places discontinued during the year, and the reason for the discontinuance.
The Secretaries shall compare these particulars with those of the preceding year, and submit a report to the Synod.