¶ 552.
Concordat Agreements--1. There may be concordats with other
Methodist churches in accordance with ¶ 12.2 and for The Methodist Church
of Great Britain in accordance with ¶ 12.3.
2. The purposes of such
concordats are:
a) to manifest the common
Methodist heritage,
b) to affirm the equal
status of the two churches and express mutual acceptance and respect,
and
c) to create opportunities
for closer fellowship between the two churches, especially on the leadership
level.
3. With the exception of The
Methodist Church of Great Britain, such concordats may be established by the
following procedure:
a) The Methodist church
shall, through its major decision-making body, request a concordat relationship
with The United Methodist Church through the Council of Bishops. Concordats may
also be initiated by The United Methodist Church acting through the Council of
Bishops who shall, in cooperation with the Methodist church in question,
ascertain that all disciplinary conditions are met and then prepare the
necessary enabling legislation for adoption by the General
Conference.
b) When such concordat
agreement has been approved by the General Conference, the Council of Bishops
shall prepare a statement of the concordat agreement to be signed by the
president of the Council of Bishops, the secretary of the General Conference,
and two representatives of the Methodist church with whom the concordat
agreement is made. Such concordats shall be printed in the Daily Christian
Advocate of that General Conference.
4. Such concordat agreement shall
entitle the two churches to the following rights and
privileges:
a) The two churches shall
each elect two delegates, one clergy and one lay, to be seated in each other's
General Conference or equivalent bodies with all rights and privileges, except
the right to vote. Agreements in existing concordats shall be
honored.
b) The host church shall
make provisions for full hospitality, including room and board, for the
delegates of the other concordat church. Travel and other expenses shall be the
responsibility of the visiting church.
c) A program of mutual
visitation may be arranged by the Council of Bishops in cooperation with the
equivalent leadership of the other concordat church. The Council of Bishops may
assign one or more of its members for episcopal visitation to concordat
churches.
d) Clergy may be
transferred between the two churches in accordance with ¶¶
338.2b and 547.2.