Church Council of the Local Church

Purpose, Powers, and Practice

By Rev. Luan-Vu “Lui” Tran, Ph.D.

1. What the Church Council is—and where it fits

The Church Council is the year-round administrative agency of the charge conference. It “shall provide for planning and implementing a program of nurture, outreach, witness, and resources” and “envision, plan, implement, and annually evaluate the mission and ministry of the church,” all while remaining amenable to (i.e., answerable to) the charge conference.

In United Methodist polity, the charge conference is “the basic unit” of the connectional system at the local level and “has general oversight of the church council(s).” Practically, that means the council leads day-to-day ministry administration and coordination, but the charge conference remains the body with ultimate local authority.

2. Core responsibilities of the Church Council

The Discipline organizes the council’s work around ministries of nurture, outreach, and witness, plus leadership development and resourcing. The council also stewards the church’s “organizational and temporal life.”

Specific duties include:

Meetings: meet at least quarterly; pastor/chair may call special meetings; agenda should begin with mission/ministry, using consensus/discernment where possible.
Budget: establish the budget on recommendation of the Finance Committee and ensure adequate resourcing.
Compensation: recommend to the charge conference pastor/staff salaries and housing, after reviewing S/PPRC recommendations.
Membership: periodically review the membership roll.

3. Composition, officers, and quorum

Size: set by the charge conference; may be as few as 11 members.
Typical members: chair, lay leader, SPRC chair, Finance chair, Trustees chair, treasurer, lay member of annual conference, youth/young adult reps, pastor(s).
Chair: elected by charge conference; entitled to attend all other committees unless Discipline restricts.
Lay leader: serves on both council and charge conference, interpreting annual-conference actions.
Quorum: those present and voting at a duly announced meeting.

4. How the council relates to other local bodies

Charge conference: retains oversight of the council and final authority for major decisions.
Finance: prepares proposed budget; council establishes/adopts it.
SPRC: makes compensation/housing recommendations; council forwards to charge conference.
Trustees: manage property; council coordinates ministry planning with trustees’ fiduciary duties.

5. What the Church Council cannot do (per Judicial Council)

a. Cannot bypass the charge conference to close a church

JCD 1507 (2024): Church Councils cannot petition an annual conference to close a church; only the charge conference holds that authority. The council may recommend but not supplant.

b. Cannot unilaterally set clergy/staff compensation

JCD 461 (1979): Annual conferences cannot fix local pastor salaries.
JCD 252 (1967); JCD 213 (1964): Annual conferences may not cap or classify local compensation.
JCD 1122 (2009): Charge conference sets compensation; council only recommends.

c. Must honor connectional giving