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Delegates voting during a plenary session.
28th General Assembly legislative actions
Indianapolis, Indiana
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Delegates at the Church of the Nazarene's 28th General Assembly voted on numerous resolutions during this week's plenary sessions.

Actions taken Monday, June 24:
Actions taken Tuesday, June 25:
  • Approved gender inclusive language changes to Manual 27.1, changing "men" to "people" in items 3 and 5.   
  • Added to Manual 34.1 that the church encourages entertainment that "supports the sacredness of the marriage vow and the exclusivity of the marriage covenant." (CA-702)
  • Added to Manual 39 the stipulations that the local church's officers should be "fully engaged in making Christlike disciples in the nations" and in giving "active service" to the local church. Further, that "active service” is a pre-requisite for leadership in local church auxiliaries. (CA-704 and CA-704a)
  • Added new sentences to Manual 413.10 that ministers "shall convey the sacredness of Christian marriage through careful attention to their own marital state, [and] through all forms of communication," and by offering premarital counseling. Further, that "biblical marriage only exists in a relationship involving one man and one woman." (CA-705)
  • Renewed 903.1 on "Organ Donation," 903.4 on "Responsibility to the Poor," and, with slight modification, renewed 903.15 on "Substance Abuse." The 900 paragraphs, which deal with current moral and social issues, appear in the Manual for three consecutive quadrennia and then automatically come up for review. The General Assembly can renew, modify, or eliminate them from the Manual.
  • The GA referred a number of resolutions pertaining to changes in the Articles of Faith to the BGS for study by a committee of theologians and ministry professionals. The committee's composition is to be representative of the global church. 
  • Approved the Scripture Study Committee's recommendation (JUD-800) to provide that changes proposed in the church's Articles of Faith would automatically be referred by the receiving General Assembly to the BGS for study by a committee that includes theologians and ministers representing the global nature of the church. Their report and recommendations will be read at the following General Assembly. If ratified by the requisite number of districts, this becomes effective with the 2017 General Assembly. Numerous resolutions pertaining to the Articles of Faith have been sent to the GA in the past 16 years. The Scripture Study Committee itself included two biblical scholars, a systematic theologian, pastors, district superintendents, and regional directors, with representatives from five of the church’s six world regions. 
  • Reaffirmed that the church has three legislative entities: local, district, and general, and that the regions are administrative entities for mission strategy and implementation. (JUD-816)
  • Requested the General Board and BGS to study methods for adjusting the current appointment system to remove or reduce capitol stewardship funding from the budget base. Findings are to be presented to the General Board in 2015. (SF-600)
Actions taken Wednesday, June 26: 
  • Renewed these Manual paragraphs regarding current moral and social issues for three quadrennia: "Alcohol Desocialization" (903.16), "Tobacco Use and Advertising" (903.17) with minor amendment, and "HIV/AID" (903.18),
  • Passed GA-323 on "Corporation Restructure Revisions." Background: the General Board reviewed the organizational documents of the Church of the Nazarene and found issues regarding use of the church's name in those documents, which currently refer to "General Board Church of the Nazarene." TheManual frequently references "General Board Church of the Nazarene" when speaking of the General Board elected by the General Assembly. To distinguish between the corporation and the General Assembly-elected board, the corporate name was changed to "Church of the Nazarene, Inc."
  • GA-323 further clarified the respective authorities of the Board of General Superintendents and the General Board, stating that "the General Board shall serve as the board of directors of the Church of the Nazarene, Inc., and shall have primary authority with regard to non-ecclesiastical policies and plans — that is, with regard to topics such as budgeting, auditing, property management, and legal issues." The Board of General Superintendents will have "primary authority with regard to ecclesiastical polices and plans — that is issues of theology, ordination, and mission strategy — and to advise the General Board, its committees, and all board of the Church of the Nazarene on other matters."
  • Referred to the BGS for further study: a proposed Manual paragraph on sabbaticals for members of the Board of General Superintendents and the matter of a Global Council of Theologians to advise the church and the BGS on theological matters as needed. 
  • Required all elders and deacons to be active members in a local Nazarene congregation where they "will be faithful in attendance, in tithe, and in participation in the ministries of the church. Exceptions may be granted by the District Advisory Board." (MED-505)
  • Requires ministers to hold in strictest confidence all information conveyed through counseling, advising, or spiritual direction, unless they have the informed consent of the other person, or in cases where the law requires disclosure. Exceptions include any clear and present threat of harm; cases of suspected abuse or neglect perpetrated on a minor child, disabled, or elderly person; or when required by law. Ministers are urged to keep "secure, minimal records of the content" of counseling sessions. (MED-506)
  • Voted to allow the District Advisory Board to approve the return of a minister's filed credential between district assemblies. (MED-507)
  • The USA Caucus rejected USA-920, "Racial Reconciliation,” and referred to the BGS USA-900, which specified the basis of representation on the USA National Board. 
  • Ordained ministers serving in other denominations or in independent ministries must now have annual written approval of the District Advisory Board and annual written approval of the Board of General Superintendents. 
  • Voted to move Manual 903.5 "Women in Ministry" from the Appendix to a place in the 400s to be determined by the Manual Editing Committee. (MED-511)
  • If a church fails to pay a pastor the agreed upon salary, neither the church nor the District Advisory Board shall be legally responsible in excess of funds raised during the term of the pastor's actual service. (LA-406)
  • A church-type mission may be registered with the general secretary and a clergy member serving as its pastor or associate pastor shall be considered an assigned minister. The church-type mission can be incorporated and report members. (LA-400)
  • Approved a resolution to remove the Manual requirement that requires the name "Church of the Nazarene" to appear on church signs, official stationery, and church publications. (LA-401)
Actions taken Thursday, June 27:
  • Declared that churches may be declared inactive "prior to being officially disorganized, reactivated, or reorganized." In part, the measure deals with attempts to divert property away from the Church of the Nazarene during periods of congregational transition. (LA-404)
  • Clarified the roles of co-pastors of local churches in Manual 121 (LA-409)
  • Revised Manual 122 regarding the church-pastor relationship to clarify the review process and the process for resolving conflicts between pastors and church members. (LA-416)
  • Changed "associate members" to "fellowship members" in Manual paragraphs 108, 198.1, and 201.24. (LA-423)
  • Determined that the District Advisory Board shall recommend the granting or renewal of license in the case of a licensed minister serving as a pastor. (DA-215)
  • Added to Manual 208.3 the statement that "the assets of an organized church remain under the control of an incorporated local church" unless declared inactive in accordance with paragraph 106.5 or disorganized in accordance with paragraph 106.1. (DA-210)
  • Amended Manual 200.3 to state that "realigned" districts should have population centers that justify the realignment. (DA-221)
  • Rejected an effort to change the vote threshold needed to merge districts from a two-thirds vote to a majority vote by the districts affected. (DA-201)
  • Provided for church-type mission representation in the district assembly in Manual 201.1 and 201.2. (DA-202)
  • Added a new paragraph to the Manual that forbids the district superintendent to "contract, create financial obligations, count moneys, or disburse funds for the district unless authorized and directed by majority vote of the District Advisory Board." Further, that no district superintendent or his/her immediate family member may sign checks on any district account except with written approval of the DAB and the district assembly. (DA-212)
  • Added a new Manual paragraph providing for district superintendents to take a sabbatical during or after each seventh consecutive year of service to a district. The superintendent will work with the District Advisory Board regarding the duration and terms of the sabbatical leave. (DA-214)
  • Changed Manual 226 to no longer limit the size of the District Ministerial Credentials Board to 15 assigned ministers. The requirement that there be at least five ordained ministers on the board remains as is. (DA-217) 
  • Amended Manual 32 to clarify that a simple majority vote is required in the district assemblies on constitutional amendments. Changes in the church's constitution must still pass the GA by two-thirds vote and be passed by two-thirds of the Phase 3 and 2 districts. (GA-314) This eliminates any confusion that a two-thirds vote by the district assembly is required. 
  • Removed the requirement that each Phase 3 district's annual assembly must be presided over by a general superintendent from Manual 307.5.  (GA-316)
  • Amended 317.1, Duties of the Board of General Superintendents, to state: "To provide supervision to the general Church of the Nazarene. The Board of General Superintendents shall provide appropriate attention to theology, leadership, guidance, and motivation to all districts, agencies, and ministries of the church." (GA-317)
  • Revised the basis for representation at the General Assembly to provide for a somewhat smaller body in the future. The first pair of delegates will be based on the first 4,000 members and additional pairs of delegates will be based on each additional 4,000 members. (GA-318)
  • Adopted a new paragraph on the General Superintendents stating that "the role of general superintendents is to provide apostolic and visionary spiritual leadership by articulating mission, casting vision, ordaining clergy, propagating theological coherency, and providing general administrative oversight for the general church." The resolution also provided that to declare the office of a general superintendent vacant, there must be a unanimous vote by the other general superintendents and two-thirds vote of the General Board. Previously it took action by a majority of districts. (GA-323)
  • Designated Sharpe Memorial Church of the Nazarene in Glasgow, Scotland, the "mother church" of Nazarenes in the British Isles, as a historic landmark and did the same for Rosebloom Church of the Nazarene in Cascilla, Mississippi. (SR-758 and SR-758a)
 
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