122

Every year, the pastor and the church board shall conduct a planning session to renew the expectations and goals of the church and the pastor. The written understanding of goals, plans and objectives between the church and the pastor shall be updated. Such written understanding shall be filed with the district superintendent. (115.2, 129.4)

122.1

Pastors and congregations shall endeavor to articulate a clear understanding of each other’s expectations and to resolve differences by sincerely following biblical principles including those found in Matthew 18:15–20 and Galatians 6:1–5. In a spirit of cooperation and reconciliation within the church,

  1. Individual or collective members of the congregation shall be encouraged to resolve differences by discussing them face-to-face with the pastor or discreetly with a church board member. Individual or collective members of the church board shall seek to resolve differences by discussing them face-to-face with the pastor.
  2. If either of the foregoing face-to-face discussions fails to bring resolution, the complainant shall seek the assistance of one or two spiritually mature members of the congregation or church board in resolving the differences.
  3. The persons involved in such small-group efforts shall bring the differences to the full church board only after face-to-face discussions and small-group efforts have failed. If so called upon, the church board shall work at resolving differences in a spirit of love, acceptance, and forgiveness, and in accordance with church discipline. (123–126.2, 129.1)