Membership, Click here!

 

Joining the Church or becoming part of a Movement

(besides coming along and attending as an individual seeking to become a member of a local Wesleyan Methodist Church)

There are several different ways that a Minister, a Congregation, or both can belong to the Wesleyan Methodist Church. Joining is also open on a world wide basis.

1. The Church Plant

This is a situation where a person graduates from a Bible Institute, College or Seminary approved by the Independent Methodist Church and then becomes an Ordained Minister. Therefore, both the Church and its Minister are direct products of the Church planting and expansion programme of the Wesleyan Methodist Church. The Church will have been planted in the country, city, town or locality by the Head Office of the denomination. Its Minister will have been fully Licensed and Ordained by the Independent Methodist Church.

This Church and its Minister obviously have full rights and privileges in regards to full representation to the Annual Church Synod, support and guidance when required from Head Office and spiritual oversight and guidance from their Bishop and the Presiding Bishop of the Wesleyan Methodist Church.

This Church and Minister are under the authority of Head Office and are accountable in all areas of faith and practice, expansion and strategy, until such a time that they are deemed a mature and responsible local Wesleyan Methodist Church Body.  

This Church is financially accountable to Head Office, is required to tithe to Head Office and is required to produce financial reports to Head Office before the end of the tax year. There is a time when Synod will decide in closed session as to when a Church plant has matured enough to administrate its own affairs. This is the goal for which Wesleyan Methodist Church strives. We desire that all of our Churches, even the ones we plant, should be as autonomous as possible, whilst reliant on Head Office for guidance and advice in the running of things. They should look to the Leadership for spiritual guidance, accountability, discipline and the Synod for collective identity. Leadership should not be a "lording it over", but rather a service of "under girding and facilitation".  

The Minister of this Church will receive stipendiary consideration from Head Office, until his Church is deemed mature enough to administrate its own affair which includes its Minister's stipendiary consideration.

An Ordained Wesleyan Methodist Church Minister is individually required to pay the Annual Renewal of Ministerial fee Requirements (due by December 31st) that is; 20 GBPounds for annual renewal of Ordination registration, plus 50 GBPounds for annual renewal of License registration.

The fee for the Annual Renewal of Ministerial Registration must be received by Head Office before December the 31st each year. A grace period will be given up and to the following 17th of January after which a late fee of 15 GBPounds  will be added to any annual affiliation re-registration fee

This Church obviously has the right to state, and indeed, must state that it is a fully chartered Church of the Wesleyan Methodist Church.

To study for the Ordained Ministry of the Church, Click Here!

  

2. In Full Communion

This is a situation where the Congregation, or a Minister, or both, are in full Communion with the Wesleyan Methodist Church. This means that the Minister was already Ordained by another recognized denomination and is now has been Ordained by the Wesleyan Methodist Church or was a fresh applicant for Ordination. In the case of a Church Congregation with or without a minister, that Congregation will have accepted our entire Independent Methodist Church principles, doctrine, faith and practice, moral ethics, code of practice and the general ethos, method or mode of operation of the Wesleyan Methodist Church. If that Church or Congregation coming into full communion with the Wesleyan Methodist Church is without a Minister, then it must accept that Head Office shall appoint a Wesleyan Methodist Church Ordained Minister to their Congregation.

The International Wesleyan Methodist Church will not accept a Church or Congregation coming into full communion where their Minister is not a Wesleyan Methodist Church Ordained Minister. This means that if both Church Congregation and Minister are wanting to come into full communion with the International Wesleyan Methodist Church, then that Minister must also become an applicant for Ordination through the Wesleyan Methodist Church.

This Church and its Minister have full rights and privileges in regards to full representation to the Annual Church Synod, support and guidance when required from Head Office and spiritual oversight and guidance from their Bishop and the Presiding Bishop of the Wesleyan Methodist Church.

This Church and Minister are under the authority of Head Office and are accountable in all areas of faith and practice, discipline and accountability.

This Church is not financially accountable to Head Office, but is required to produce financial reports to Head Office each tax year after that particular Church Congregation have presented its financial annual reports to the Government for tax purposes. Head Office views a Wesleyan Methodist Church "In Full Communion" under a code of honour, because it is representing the overall denomination. This honour system extends also to the area of a "Full Communion" Wesleyan Methodist Church's finances. As is normal practice in any proper Church the books should be known to be open at any time for the membership to see, if annual reports are not sufficient viewing. However, the Church treasurer should also understand that a representation from Head Office has the right to view the financial accounting and all financial concerns at any time of its choosing.

This Church is required to tithe to Head Office.

The Minister of this Church does not receive stipendiary consideration from Head Office, but rather receives stipendiary consideration from the Church Board of the Congregation.

An Ordained WMC Minister is individually required to pay the Annual Renewal of Ministerial fee Requirements (due by December 31st) that is; 20 GBPounds for annual renewal of Ordination registration, plus 50 GBPounds for annual renewal of License registration.

The fee for the Annual Renewal of Ministerial Registration must be received by Head Office before December the 31st each year. A grace period will be given up and to the following 17th of January after which a late fee of 15 GBPounds  will be added to any annual affiliation re-registration fee.

This Church obviously has the right to state, and indeed, must state that it is a fully chartered Wesleyan Methodist Church of the World Conference of the Wesleyan Methodist Church.

 

For Application to enter into Full Communion with the Church, Click Here!

 

3. In Affiliation

This is a situation where a Church Congregation, or a Minister, or both, are in fellowship and association with the Wesleyan Methodist Church. That Church Congregation, or Minister, or both, must have a strong desire to be connected to the World Conference of the Independent Methodist Church, agree with the principles, doctrine and the statement of faith and practice. The Minister may or may not hold Ministerial Ordination by the Wesleyan Methodist Church, although it may be good for someone to do so and we would be delighted if they applied, but that is not necessary in order that someone can state that they are in affiliation with the Wesleyan Methodist Church.

It is necessary however, that the affiliate Church Congregation, or Minister, or both, to have accepted our entire Wesleyan Methodist Church principles, doctrine, faith and practice, and standard of moral ethics.

To be a Church Congregation, or Minister, or both, "Affiliated" with the Wesleyan Methodist Church, grants that Church Congregation or Minister the guidance and advice that they may ask for from the Head Office of the Wesleyan Methodist Church. It shall always be at Head Office's discretion as to how much guidance and advice may be given and how much time should be spent in the giving of that guidance and advice.

The Wesleyan Methodist Church and its Presiding Bishop, Bishops, Ministers, Head Office have no authority over an affiliate Church Congregation or Minister in regards to spiritual, moral, disciplinary or financial issues. However, if it is recognized by the Leadership and Head Office that an Affiliated Church or Minister has veered away from the principles, doctrine, statement of faith and practice and standard of morality upheld by the Wesleyan Methodist Church, then that respective Congregation or Minister will receive disciplinary action and at worst lose affiliation with the Wesleyan Methodist Church.

A Church Congregation or a Minister, or both, who have affiliation with the Wesleyan Methodist Church have no rights or privileges in regards to full representation to the Annual Church Synod.

Attendance is required and participation at Synod is available to affiliated Churches and Ministers, by those Churches and Ministers writing their issues and concerns down and posting them to Head Office before the end of April each year, in order that those issues and concerns can be included in the Affiliated Churches and Ministers section of the Synod Agenda for discussion and in the closed session of Presbytery of Ordained Ministers of the International Wesleyan Methodist Church for any action or decisions that might be necessary as a resolution.

An Affiliate Church or Minister is not required to tithe to Head Office.

An Affiliate Minister, who may or may not be the Minister of an Affiliate Church does not receive stipendiary consideration from Head Office, but rather receives stipendiary consideration from such a Church Board of the Congregation that the Minister is the Minister of, or whatever arrangement that has been agreed between that Church and that Minister.

The Annual fee for Ministerial Affiliation with the Wesleyan Methodist Church is 50 GBPounds.

The fee for the annual registration of that affiliation renewal must be received by Head Office before December the 31st each year. A grace period will be given up and to the following 17th of January after which a late fee of 10 GBPounds  will be added to any annual affiliation re-registration fee.

If the Head Office of the Wesleyan Methodist Church does not receive annual registration of that affiliation renewal fee before the end of the January following the December the 31st requirement date, then that Minister's affiliation will have lapsed, deem null and void and their name will be removed from the Affiliated Churches and Minister's Directory.  

The Annual fee for Church Congregation Affiliation with the Wesleyan Methodist Church is 150 GBPounds.

The fee for the annual registration of that affiliation renewal must be received by Head Office before December the 31st each year. A grace period will be given up and to the following 17th of January after which a late fee of 30 GBPounds  will be added to any annual affiliation re-registration fee.

If the Head Office of the Wesleyan Methodist Church does not receive annual registration of that affiliation renewal fee before the end of the January following the December the 31st requirement date, then that Affiliated Church Congregation's affiliation will have lapsed, deem null and void and their name removed from the Affiliated Churches and Minister's Directory.

A Church Congregation, or Minister, or both, who are affiliated to the Wesleyan Methodist Church can state that they are, for example;

(Name of the Church Congregation or Minister) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                

(Followed by the words) affiliated with the Wesleyan Methodist Church.

If a Church Congregation, or Minister has let their annual registration of that affiliation renewal fee lapse or no longer wants to be affiliated with the Independent Methodist Church, then no affiliation with the Wesleyan Methodist Church can be claimed or can continue to be stated on any information concerning that lapsed Affiliated Church or Minister.

Action will be taken if a lapsed Affiliated Church or Minister or any other individual or individuals do not abide by this, or continue to claim something which is untrue. Due Biblical action will be employed first, but if the individual or individuals do not adhere to our requirements concerning this, then the denomination has no other means but to scripturally have recourse to legal means.

 

For Application to become have Affiliation with the Church, Click Here!

 

Join the Wesleyan Methodist Church Movement