Based on the email and live chat conversations we’ve had at Ask The UMC over the years there appears to be some confusion about the meaning of the term ex officio.
Ex officio is a Latin phrase that means “on the basis of office.” As it applies to leadership roles, it means that someone is a member of a committee or council or other decision-making body because of a particular office that person holds at the time.
So, for example, the lay leader and the lay member of annual conference are both ex-officio members of the pastor-parish relations committee (Paragraph 258.2.c). The pastor and the lay leader are also ex officio members of the committee on nominations and leadership development (Paragraph 258.1.c). In both cases, the reason these persons are members of these committees is because of offices they hold.
Ex officio members of leadership bodies are full members of these bodies. Being a full member of a body means one has voice and vote on all matters properly before that body unless the Discipline specifies otherwise.
The Discipline also permits the charge conference to add to the number of members of the church council, as well as create and populate additional committees, beyond those specified as mandatory in the Discipline (Paragraphs 247.2, 249.2, 252.5). When the charge conference adds to the number of members beyond those named as mandatory in the Discipline, whether as individuals or on the basis of an office they hold (ex officio), it may specify whether those added have voice and vote or voice only. However, the charge conference cannot remove vote from ex officio members listed as mandatory in the Discipline and not restricted to voice only by the Discipline.
So, in short, remember this: an ex officio member of a given body is a member of that body just like all other members, and so has voice and vote unless the Discipline or the charge conference have determined otherwise.
Burton Edwards serves as Lead for Ask The UMC, the information service of United Methodist Communications.
