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Ordained clergy or provisional members from other Methodist denominations may be appointed in the South Carolina Conference with the consent and approval of their resident bishop or judicatory authorities and the resident bishop of the UMCSC. Appointments are made by the resident bishop of the conference in which the clergy person is to serve and may be terminated by the bishop.

Other Methodist denominations are defined by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry and the South Carolina Conference as those listed by the World Methodist Council as member churches.

Ordained clergy or provisional members from other Methodist denominations who serve in the UMCSC retain their membership in their home denomination. As such, they are not members of the UMCSC and do not have security of appointment. Upon recommendation from the Board of Ordained Ministry, clergy in such appointments are granted voice but not vote in the annual conference to which they are appointed. Membership on conference boards and agencies is restricted to the denomination of which they are a member.

Application

To apply to serve, ordained clergy or provisional members from other denominations should submit an Approval for Service Application. The form must include the names and contact information of four references, one of whom must be an immediate supervisor. Family members cannot be used as references.

    • Approval For Service Application.            DOWNLOADABLE PDF.         ONLINE FORM
    • Reference Forms (share with your supervisor and three other references either the downloadable PDF version that must be submitted via mail, fax or email to the Office of Clergy Services or the link for the ONLINE version which automatically submits a copy to the Office of Clergy Services. )

Additional forms to be submitted or actions to be taken are:

The UMCSC resident bishop may require prospective ordained clergy or provisional members from other Methodist denominations to be interviewed by and receive the recommendation from the UMCSC Approval for Service Committee.

Appointment

If a prospective ordained clergy or provisional member from another Methodist denomination is going to be appointed, they will be expected to:

    • Consent to the release of information from their home denomination to the UMCSC
    • Consent to and complete psychological testing form and complete an information release form and take the psychological at their own expense.
    • Submit a Medical Report Form, to be completed by a physician of the applicant’s choosing.
    • Complete a Sexual Ethics and/or Safe Sanctuaries course prior to the first day of the South Carolina Annual Conference session before beginning the appointment. In the case of an ad-interim appointment, the course must be completed prior to beginning the appointment.
    • Submit their official college and graduate school/seminary transcripts to the Office of Clergy Services for evaluation by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry and Clergy Services based on the University Senate and the UMCSC policy guidelines.
    • Attend the Licensing School for Pastoral Ministry. Clergy appointed ad interim shall attend the next available School of Pastoral Ministry.

While serving a United Methodist congregation in the UMCSC, the ordained or provisional member from other Methodist denominations will be enrolled in a program of theological education based on the evaluation of their transcripts by Clergy Services, until their seminary degree is considered to be at least equal to that of a United Methodist elder, or they have completed the Basic Course of Study and the Advanced Course of Study United Methodist Polity, History and Doctrine classes.

Approved to Serve

Approved ordained clergy or provisional members from other Methodist denominations will remain on the Approved to Serve list:

    • While appointed
    • For no longer than three consecutive years without an appointment

After three consecutive years without an appointment, the clergy person must resubmit their application and begin the process again.

Questions may be directed to the Rev. Mel Arant, Coordinator of Clergy Services, at clergyservices@umcsc.org.

If you are considering becoming a candidate for ordained ministry, or you are an ordained or licensed clergy from another UMC annual conference or another Christian denomination feeling called to serve in the South Carolina Conference, click the button below that best describes your credentials and situation for more information.