Ordained clergy or provisional members of other UMC annual conferences may be appointed in the South Carolina Conference with consent and approval of their resident bishop and the UMCSC resident bishop. 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.

Ordained clergy or provisional members of other Conferences who serve in the UMCSC retain membership in their home conference. As such, they are not members of the UMCSC and do not have security of appointment. With the 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 conference of which they are a member.

Application

To apply to serve, ordained clergy or provisional members of other annual conferences should submit a Ministry-Biographical Profile.  This information is shared with prospective District Superintendents and local churches. It mirrors the information that we use on our Pastor Profiles.  You may use the downloadable PDF version and submit it via mail, fax or email to the Office of Clergy Services or you may use the ONLINE version which automatically submits a copy to the Office of Clergy Services.

• Ministry-Biographical Profile          DOWNLOADABLE PDF          ONLINE FORM

You may also be asked to submit references. When requested, we typically ask for four references. One of which should be someone who has supervised you. Family members cannot be used as references. If you wish to go ahead and submit references, share with your 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.

• Supervisor Reference Form          DOWNLOADABLE PDF          ONLINE FORM
• General Reference Form               DOWNLOADABLE PDF         ONLINE FORM

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

Appointment

If a prospective ordained clergy or provisional member of another annual conference is going to be appointed, they will be expected to:

•  Consent to the release of information from their home conference to the UMCSC

•  Submit a Notarized Criminal Background Statement and pay for a criminal background check

•  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.

Approved to Serve

Approved ordained clergy or provisional members of other annual conferences 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.