CONSTITUTION
of the
WESLEYAN-ANGLICAN SOCIETY
(As revised by vote of the Society, 1 March
2013)
Signifying this Society’s
liturgical Anglican heritage and adherence to the theology of John Wesley and
his successors, the name of this organization shall be the Wesleyan-Anglican Society;
the acronym, WAS.
ARTICLE II. Vision
The Wesleyan-Anglican Society is an
association of Methodist[1]
Christians from various Wesleyan and Anglican denominations who understand
themselves to be classically Wesleyan in theology and who embrace a classically
Wesleyan-Anglican view of liturgy and the sacraments.
ARTICLE
The Wesleyan-Anglican Society
seeks:
- To
provide a means of support, encouragement, and fellowship for those who seek
to live out a fully Wesleyan understanding of the Christian faith,
especially (but not exclusively) in
connection with the liturgy of the Church of England as received by the
various Wesleyan and Anglican denominations
and the sacraments of the church catholic as understood by the same.
- To
provide a means for Wesleyans and Anglicans all over the world to exchange
ideas, experiences, and fellowship as it relates to the reclamation of a
Wesleyan theological understanding of the Christian faith, a Wesleyan way
of life, and a Wesleyan-Anglican expression of worship.
- To
be a resource for the promotion of a more holistic Wesleyan understanding
of the Christian faith for the churches and denominations within the
Wesleyan-Anglican family; especially the promotion of a Wesleyan-Anglican
expression of Christian worship.
ARTICLE IV. Discipline
Faithful to the original discipline
of the Methodist Societies, the members of the Wesleyan-Anglican Society shall agree
to live in accordance with the three “General Rules” originated in 1739 and as
expressed in the various Wesleyan denominations. (Be it noted that the General Rules contain
more substantial content than may be apparent in the recent reduction of the
Rules to “do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God.”)
In addition to the General Rules, and
as a means toward living a Methodist way of life, the members of the
Wesleyan-Anglican Society are strongly encouraged to mold their own lives after
the following “Special Rules”:
A.
Members should strive to faithfully pray the Daily Office
of Morning and Evening Prayer as received by the various branches of the
Wesleyan and Anglican movement through the historic liturgy of the Church of
England.
B.
Members should seek to pray the Litany on Wednesdays
and Fridays.
C.
Acknowledging the sound advice and importance of John
Wesley’s sermon “The Duty of Constant Communion” members should at every
reasonable opportunity partake of the most holy meal; Communion.
D.
Affirming our Savior’s call to “do this in remembrance
of me” and John Wesley’s advise given in his Sept. 10, 1784 letter “To Dr.
E.
Members should seek to “follow the Wesleyan Pattern of Prayer and Fasting, focusing on spreading the
gospel of Christ Jesus through word, deed
and sign” as encouraged by the World Methodist Council, by joining with
Methodists in more than 130 countries who go without solid food after their
evening meal each Thursday until mid-afternoon each Friday.[2]
ARTICLE V. Doctrinal Position
As a Society of wholly orthodox
Christians, the Wesleyan-Anglican Society affirms the classic, ecumenical
creeds of the catholic Church as received by our various denominations.
Seeking to be fully Methodist, the
Wesleyan-Anglican Society affirms the historical Wesleyan Standards of faith,
namely John Wesley’s standard Sermons on
Several Occasions, his Explanatory
Notes Upon the New Testament, along with the standard Articles of Religion as revised from the Thirty-Nine Articles of
the Church of England.[3]
Further, in continuity with World
Methodism, and as a means of expressing this Society’s desire to be affiliated
with the World Methodist Council, the Wesleyan-Anglican Society affirms the
“Wesleyan Essentials of Christian Faith” as adopted by the World Methodist
Council. (http://worldmethodistcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Wesleyan-Essentials.pdf
)
As a means of expressing this Society’s
desire to be affiliated with the newly formed Global Wesleyan Alliance, the Wesleyan-Anglican
Society looks forward to any forthcoming doctrinal statement that may be
affirmed by the GWA.
ARTICLE VI. Prayer Book
The Wesleyan-Anglican Society holds
the 1662 Book of Common Prayer of the
Church of England as well as John Wesley’s conservative revision of the same, The Sunday Service of the Methodists in
North America, as the keystones and common progenitors of the liturgical
traditions of the Wesleyan-Anglican families.
The Society embraces and commends
the prayer book tradition of the Anglican Communion and its subsequent
expressions in the wider Anglican and Methodist families. As such, the Society acknowledges the various
additions, revisions, and modernizations made by the various branches of the
Wesleyan-Anglican family to the foundational prayer books. Prayer books in the Wesleyan-Anglican
tradition are a rich source for regular use in common prayer and worship. Members of the society are encouraged to live
and promote a prayer book culture of worship.
ARTICLE
Membership in the Wesleyan-Anglican
Society is open to all who affirm the vision, purpose, discipline, doctrine,
and prayer book standards of the Society as expressed in Articles II,
Membership
in the Wesleyan-Anglican Society resides first in the Society, itself, and then
in any local “classes” or “bands.”
Section 1 – Initial membership:
Persons become members of the Society
by:
- Making
intentional commitment to the Society in continuity with Article
- and Communicating
the same in writing to the secretary.
Section 2 – Continued membership:
Making an annual renewal of the
commitment to the Society in continuity with Article
Section 3 – Charter Members:
All those whose membership in the
Wesleyan-Anglican Society was initiated by
Section 4 – Membership Dues:
- Membership
dues shall be based on a yearly schedule with the year beginning on Aldersgate
Day, May 24. (Initial membership
dues given prior to
- Membership
dues shall be determined on the recommendation of the Executive Committee
and by vote of the full members of the Society.
- Members
who do not pay their dues for two years without seeking a waiver shall be
placed on an inactive list; they may be restored to active membership when
dues for the current year and the immediate past year are satisfied.
- Members
who do not pay their dues without seeking a waiver for more than two years
shall be removed from the membership list.
They may be reinstated as membership by following the procedures
outlined in Section 1, above.
- The
Executive Council shall have discretion in granting waivers for those
whose financial situation makes payment of dues a hardship.
ARTICLE VIII. Governance
Section 1 – Elected Officers
- The
following officers shall be elected by mail ballot to four-year terms, or
until their successors are elected or assume office. They may succeed themselves.
- President
- Vice
President
- Secretary-Treasurer
- Promotion
Officer
- Should a
vacancy in any office occur, except for that of President, the Executive
Council shall appoint a member to fulfill the unexpired term.
- In the
event of the vacancy of the office of President, the Vice President shall
assume those duties for the remainder of the term.
Section 2 – Election of Officers
A Nominating Committee shall
nominate candidates for the four elected offices. A ballot shall be prepared and distributed to
members of the Society for vote. (Initial nominations for initial officers
shall be conducted on-line, on the Wesleyan/Anglican Facebook page, and shall
be open to all who indicate an interest in being a part of the
Wesleyan-Anglican Society.)
Section 3 – Appointed Officers
The President, in consultation with
the Executive Council, may create or discontinue such appointed offices as may
be necessary for the good of the Society.
They shall determine the method of selection of persons to hold these
offices, their terms of office, and their duties and responsibilities. Appointed Officers may serve on the Executive
Council.
Section 4 – The Executive Council
- The
Executive Council is composed of the elected and appointed officers of the
Society (and, should the Society develop into smaller, regional, or local
units of classes and/or bands, one duly elected representative from each
regional body), and the immediate past President.
- The
duties of the Executive Council shall be:
- To act
in the interim between the annual meeting of the Society.
- To
appoint a Nominating Committee consistent with Section 2, above.
- To
assist the Vice President by serving as the Program and Arrangements
Committee, in consultation with the
President.
- To
assist the Vice President in determining the time and place of the annual
meeting, in consultation with the President.
- To direct
the disbursement of funds, except for regular or routine matters.
- To
review and approve the annual budget prepared by the Secretary-Treasurer.
- To
annually review the amount of the membership dues.
- To
appoint an eligible person from the membership to fill any vacancy that
occurs in the offices or committees of the Society in the interim between
terms, except that of the President.
Section 5 – Duties of the Officers
- The
President shall:
- Perform
such liturgical leadership[4] duties as needed at
any meeting of the Society;
- Preside
at all business meetings;
- Serve as
chair of the Executive Council;
- Represent
the general interests of the Society whenever possible;
- Make
appointments according to Section 3, above;
- In
consultation with the Executive Council, have authority to grant approval
of the formation of classes and/or bands, and
- In
concert with the Executive Council, interpret the Constitution of the Wesleyan-Anglican
Society, especially Articles II-
- The Vice
President shall:
- Perform
the duties of the President in the President’s absence or inability to
serve; and
- Support
the work of the appointed officers; and
- In
consultation with the President and Executive Council, effect the
planning, organization of any annual meeting of the Society;
- Undertake
such other mutually agreed responsibilities as are designated by the
President or the Executive Council.
- The
Secretary-Treasurer shall:
- Maintain
the records and properties of the Society;
- Collect
dues and disburse its funds (disbursement of funds shall be at the
direction of the Executive Committee, except for regular or routine
matters);
- Prepare
an annual budget and submit it to the Executive Council for approval;
- Present
a fiscal report to the Executive Council (and made available to the members
of the Society) annually.
- The
Promotional Officer shall strive to increase the Society’s membership and
promote the general interest of the Society, including attempting to make
the Society’s presence known at the various general conferences/assemblies
of those denominations represented in the membership of the Society.
ARTICLE IX. Meetings of the Society
It shall be a goal of the Society
to conduct an annual meeting for the purpose of support, encouragement, and
fellowship; to provide an opportunity for interchange of ideas and experiences,
as well as theological underpinnings for a Wesleyan understanding of the
Christian faith, a Wesleyan way of life, and a Wesleyan-Anglican expression of
worship; and to share together in Christian worship. - The annual meeting shall also provide a
setting to conduct the needed business of the Society.
ARTICLE X. Parliamentary
Authority
The rules contained in the current
edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly
Revised shall govern the Society in all cases to which they are applicable
and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws and any special rules
of order the Society may adopt.
ARTICLE XI. Amendments of the Constitution and Bylaws
Constitutional amendments may be
proposed by the Executive Council or plenary session of the Society. A two-thirds affirmative vote of the ballots
returned from members in good standing shall be required for adoption. To be valid, ballots must be returned within
sixty days of initial mailing.
Bylaws may be adopted or amended by
a majority vote of the Council and by a majority vote of the plenary session of
the Society.
[1] The term
Methodist is not intended as a
reference to the
[2]Cf., http://www.worldmethodist.org/prayerandfasting.htm
[3] This
statement does not imply that one may not affirm all 39 Articles.
[4] In the
case that the President is not ordained as an elder (presbyter/priest), he or
she shall appoint an elder to preside at the Table.
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