Decision Number 249
SUBJECT TO FINAL EDITING
Petition from the Western North Carolina Annual Conference for a Declaratory Decision Con- cerning the Meaning of Paragraph 325.3(l)
Digest
The 1964 Discipline, Paragraph 325.3 does not require a candidate thereunder for admission on trial for the ministry to have earned the requisite college credits from a college accredited or approved by the University Senate.
Statement of Facts
At the request of its Board of Ministerial Training and Qualifications the Western North Carolina Annual Conference in its session of June 7, 1967 approved the following request for a declaratory decision from the Judicial Council:
"An Approved Supply in our Conference, applying for Admission on Trial under Discipline, Par. 325.3 has more than sixty hours of credit from a college not approved by the University Senate. The Board respectfully requests the Annual Conference to appeal to the Judicial Council for a declaratory decision as to whether the 'sixty hours of college credit' referred to in Par. 325.3(l) necessarily means credit from a college approved by the University Senate. That is, were the words 'accredited or approved by the University Senate,' as found in Par. 325.2 intentionally omitted from Par. 325.3(l)"
Jurisdiction
The Judicial Council has jurisdiction to hear and determine this appeal under the provisions of Paragraph 914 of the Discipline.
Analysis and Rationale
The question raised by this petition for declaratory decision is whether the words "accredited or approved by the University Senate" included in Discipline Paragraphs 325.1 and 325.2 are to be construed as being words intended to be part of subsection 325.3. We think not.
Paragraph 325 of the Discipline establishes the special conditions upon which an Annual Conference may admit on trial a candidate for the ministry who shows special promise, but who does not qualify under Paragraph 323. The three sub-Paragraphs of Paragraph 325 state the "special conditions" which apply to three separate categories of candidates. These special conditions vary in each category and were designed to fit the circumstances of each category. Under the clear wording of Paragraph 325.3 a candidate falling in that category in order to qualify must have earned sixty semester hours of college credit, but there is no requirement in subparagraph 3 that such credit must be earned by the candidate at a college accredited or approved by the University Senate as is required in subparagraph 2 of said Paragraph 325.
We believe that the legislative history of the questioned paragraph confirms our conclusion.
Decision
The 1964 Discipline, Paragraph 325.3 does not require a candidate thereunder for admission on trial for the ministry to have earned the requisite college credits from a college accredited or approved by the University Senate.