The Blessed Hierarchy

I’ve obviously never had a good grasp on church politics; otherwise, I would not be writing this from my 8’ x 8’ cubicle tucked away in the dark recesses of a government office building. Particularly difficult for me to understand is how the selection of district superintendents in The United Methodist Church is made. As a rule they are not the most successful parish pastors because those folks need to be left in their local churches to continue the success (the UMC at large is funded by what is essentially a tax on local congregations dubbed “apportionments”). Nor are district superintendents the persona non grata of an annual conference; those folks are needed to fill the appointments that no one else wants. Bishops choose their cabinets, and I can only guess that their choices are made on the basis of how much adoration and obedience they can expect from their chosen ones. While it is not written in the Book of Discipline that bishops are inerrant and infallible—that just wouldn’t be Protestant—the presumption is submissively accepted by the rank and file that are kept in line by the episcopacy’s lieutenants. The reason that I’ve expounded upon this subject at some length is this: the Reverend Richard G. Carter was a district superintendent prior to being appointed to Rockbrook UMC.