Vacancies that may exist in the General Court of Appeals during the interim between sessions of the General Assembly shall be filled by appointment of the Board of General Superintendents. (317.6)
Section: Judicial Administration
613
Per diem and expense allowances for members of the General Court of Appeals shall be the same as that of members of the General Board of the church, when the members of the court are engaged in official business of the court, and payment therefor shall be made by the general treasurer.
614
The general secretary shall be custodian of all permanent records and decisions of the General Court of Appeals. (326.4)
615
There shall be a Regional Court of Appeals for each region. Each Regional Court of Appeals shall consist of five or more assigned ordained ministers elected by the Board of General Superintendents following each General Assembly. Vacancies shall be filled by the Board of General Superintendents. The Rules of Procedure shall be the same for the Regional Courts of Appeals as for the General Court of Appeals, in both the church Manual and the Judicial Manual. A quorum of five shall be required for appeals referred to the court.
616
The right to a fair and impartial hearing of charges pending against an accused minister or layperson shall not be denied or unduly postponed. Written charges shall be given an early hearing in order that the innocent may be absolved and the guilty brought to discipline. Every accused is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. As to each charge and specification, the prosecution shall have the burden of proving guilt to a moral certainty and beyond a reasonable doubt.
616.1
The cost of preparing the record of a case for a minister, including a verbatim transcript of all testimony given at the trial, for the purpose of an appeal to the General Court of Appeals, shall be borne by the district where the hearing was held and disciplinary action taken. Every minister who appeals shall have the right to present oral as well as written argument upon his or her appeal, but this right may be waived in writing by the accused.
The cost of preparing the record of a case for a layperson, including a verbatim transcript of all testimony given at the trial, for the purpose of an appeal to the District Court of Appeals, shall be borne by the local church of the district where the hearing was held and disciplinary action taken. Every layperson who appeals shall have the right to present oral as well as written argument upon his or her appeal, but this right may be waived in writing by the accused.
616.2
The highest court for a minister to appeal is the General Court of Appeals, and the highest court for a layperson to appeal is the District Court of Appeals.
616.3
616.4
The testimony of any witness before a Board of Discipline shall not be received or considered in evidence unless such testimony be given under oath or solemn affirmation.
616.5
A minister or layperson who is brought before a Board of Discipline to answer charges shall always have the right to be represented by counsel of his or her own choosing, provided such counsel be a member in good standing in the Church of the Nazarene. Any full member of a regularly organized church against whom no written charges are pending will be considered in good standing.