General Assembly Resolution: General Superintendent Footnote

In June of this year, the Church of the Nazarene will be conducting its General Assembly.  The General Assembly is the supreme doctrine-formulating, lawmaking, and elective authority of the Church of the Nazarene. During past quadrenniums, I have presented to my district delegation, and through them to the General Assembly, a number of resolutions.  Some of them have passed and impacted the Manual of the Church of the Nazarene.  Some were amended.  Others were rejected.  -  This year I have presented eight resolutions.  I, frankly, do not know which ones my district has sponsored.  However, for any who may be delegates to the assembly, or those who know delegates, I would draw your attention to these and hope that you might support them.

Note: Bracketed text [ ] are words to be deleted from the current Manual. Underlined text ___ are words to be added to the current Manual. 

G. The General Superintendents*

*(The general superintendents fulfill for us the episcopal office referred to as bishops in other Wesleyan/Methodist denominations)

FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS:

1.  When Phineas Bresee used the term general superintendent, he understood that it was the Methodist term for bishop.  The term was used to describe the bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in their Discipline, and was used by Wesley for Coke and Asbury.  They understood the terms to be interchangeable. Nevertheless, this footnote would provide clarity when relating to other denominations.

2.  This footnote does not change our use of the term general superintendent.  However, it does provide a more biblical and traditional term that can help us understand our current term; a term which is often found in the corporate, rather than ecclesial world.  It may also reinforce the reality that the “general” in general superintendent is a geographical term relating to the scope of the superintendency, rather than a title of (military type) rank.

3.  This footnote changes nothing at all concerning the duties and powers of the general superintendents.