The United Pentecostal Church
Judicial Procedure
District Board Action And Appeal

ARTICLE IV

DISTRICT BOARD ACTION AND APPEAL

Section 1. Cases Involving Sexual Abuse of Minors

Refer to Article I, Section 3, Paragraph 13 for information about the application of this Article to any JP matter related to alleged sexual abuse of a minor.

Section 2. District Board Procedure.

1. The District Superintendent or a presbyter at his designation should communicate and counsel privately with a minister about whom questions have surfaced in an attempt to clear any misunderstanding and resolve any problems without board action. This first meeting should include an explanation to the minister of the JP relative to a District Board Action should such an action follow. Neither side shall have counsel present for this meeting, and nothing said in this private conversation shall be considered evidence. Our first obligation is to create a Christian atmosphere in which misunderstandings and problems can be cleared and resolved by brotherly love and concern.

2. The District Board may request a meeting or meetings with any minister to discuss allegations of ethical, moral, financial, or doctrinal violations or allegations of violations of the ministerial rules and obligations. The first meeting(s) would be considered informal and any participation by the minister or any lack thereof would not jeopardize the ministerial credentials of said minister. The first meeting(s) would only be for the purpose of resolving some question(s) about the minister that has/have surfaced. Neither side shall have counsel present for this/these meeting(s), and nothing said in this/these meetings shall be considered evidence.

3. If the informal meeting(s) has/have not resolved the issue or if the minister declines to attend, the District Board may summon the minister to a District Board Inquiry under the JP, and the minister in question will be afforded all the protections of a minister facing a hearing regarding a formal complaint per Article V, except a formal investigation (e.g. investigative committee, investigative report, etc.) is not required, as the District Board will have knowledge of the matter.

Section 3. District Board Inquiry.

1. The District Board may summon a minister to a District Board Inquiry for an alleged violation of ministerial rules and obligations in the General Constitution of the UPCI, Article VII, Sections 2, 7, and 8. This includes alleged conduct unbecoming a minister when there is no significant factual dispute about the minister’s conduct (e.g., the minister has signed a written confession or there is clear, unambiguous evidence through audio, video, or text documentation). When a minister is summoned to appear at a District Board Inquiry, he or she has the right to have up to two (2) counselors to appear with him or her.

2. The District Board may be the district of the minister or the district in which the failure or violation allegedly occurred.

3. The summons shall be by official notice. (See Article I, Section 1, Paragraph 8.)

4. The summons shall cite the alleged violation clearly and concisely and give the place, date, and time the summoned minister is to attend the District Board Inquiry. Failure to comply with the summons may result in the District Board’s recommending to the credentials committee that the minister be dropped from the UPCI.

5. If the allegations that have arisen are based on statements given by witnesses, the accused minister or his or her counselors shall have the right to question those bringing the allegations.

6. The summoned minister, either individually, or with the assistance of counsel, may request a rescheduling from the District Board for extenuating circumstances, including, but not limited to, the following: scheduling issues, lack of ability to secure counsel, travel issues, sickness, emergencies, etc. The District Board shall take all reasonable steps needed to allow a minister enough time to secure counsel.

7. If after a District Board Inquiry, the District Board determines through a secret ballot by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote that the minister has violated one or more of his or her obligations, or if the minister confesses in writing to the same, the District Board may take one or more of the following actions.

(a) Warn and advise the minister.

(b) Take appropriate disciplinary action, which may include a rehabilitation program.

(c) Place the minister on probation. Any minister placed on probation shall submit his or her fellowship card to the District Superintendent for the duration of the probation. He or she shall support the district and pay his or her membership dues. He or she shall not be permitted to preach (the parameters of this restriction to be set by the District Board) or to transfer his or her membership to another district.

(d) Recommend to the credentials committee that the minister’s credentials be terminated. Any such decision should be made in a reasonable amount of time, not to exceed seventy-two (72) hours from the close of the Inquiry. The minister in question and his or her counsel may be informed verbally of such a decision but shall be notified by official notice (See Article 1, Section 1, Paragraph 8) of the decision of the District Board within ten (10) days of the close of the Inquiry.

8. In the case of disciplinary action, the District Board shall specify what is expected of the minister to remedy the violation. In the case of probation, the District Board shall inform the minister of the restrictions and specify the date the probation ends or is reviewed.

9. Any alleged violation of the restrictions imposed on a minister for discipline or probation shall be handled by a further District Board Action.

Section 4. Appeal.

1. The minister may appeal being dropped or other disciplinary action to the MAC. Such appeal must be made by official notice to the Regional Presiding Officer within twenty (20) days after the minister has received official notice of the District Board action resulting either from the District Board Inquiry or from his or her written confession.

2. The Regional Presiding Officer shall expeditiously deliver a copy of the appeal to the District Superintendent by official notice.

3. In consultation with the counselors, the Regional Presiding Officer shall set the place, date, and time for the meeting of the MAC to review the appeal, notifying the members of the council, the minister making the appeal, and the District Superintendent. He or she shall also appoint a member of the council to serve as recording secretary.

4. The MAC may review the district and other records pertaining to the case. The minister making the appeal, his or her counselor(s), a representative from the District Board, and his counselor(s) shall appear before the council to present their cases.

5. The MAC’s purpose is not to retry the case but to protect the rights of all parties by ensuring that the JP was properly followed, including determining that any discipline imposed was appropriate.

6. No witnesses shall be allowed to testify before the MAC and no new evidence shall be presented or considered by the MAC that was not presented to the applicable District Board.

7. All affidavits submitted for consideration at the MAC shall be signed and dated by the person giving the Affidavit, and then notarized by a notary public.

8. After examining the appeal, the MAC may:

(a) Sustain the District Board’s action.

(b) Reverse the District Board’s action.

(c) Modify the discipline if it determines that the discipline is inappropriate for the infraction. In this case, the MAC may alter the discipline, impose a different discipline, or remand the case to the District Board with guidelines for an acceptable discipline. To arrive at this modified discipline, the chairman of the MAC or a member of the MAC at his or her direction may counsel with both parties to negotiate a mutually reasonable and acceptable resolution.

9. Within ten (10) days after the council reaches a decision, the Regional Presiding Officer shall communicate the decision by official notice to the minister who has appealed and to the District Board.


The above is part of the judicial procedure of the United Pentecostal Church International and is provided for informational purposes.

Page Added February 10, 2007 & Updated March 3, 2024


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