The United Brethren church has very few requirements regarding local church structure. Will UB churches need to adopt new structures to meet MC requirements?
UB churches are required to have only three things: a board of administration, a lay delegate, and a Personnel Relations Commission to interact with the conference on ministerial issues. Beyond that, “Each local church is free to establish the structure that will best suit the needs and ministries of the congregation and community.” Missionary Churches have similar or greater freedom. In the UB church, the highest governing body is the local conference, which meets once a year. It basically consists of the governing board, plus all licensed UB ministers who are members of that church. In the Missionary Church, the highest governing body goes by the same name: local conference. All Missionary Churches must hold a local conference. All adult members can vote. At this meeting, various leaders are elected by ballot. However, in practice, the “voting” can be a mere affirmation of names, rather than a choice between individuals. This meeting would be something new for UB churches (but not te
