A district superintendent (DS), also known as a presiding elder, in many

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

denominations, is a minister (specifically an elder) who serves in a

supervisor A supervisor, or lead, (also known as foreman, boss, overseer, facilitator, monitor, area coordinator, line-manager or sometimes gaffer) is the job title of a lower-level management position and role that is primarily based on authority over la ...

y position over a geographic "district" of churches (varying in size) providing spiritual and administrative

leadership Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...

to those churches and their pastors. District superintendents were once called ''presiding elders'' and this is the term still employed in some Methodist denominations such as the

African Methodist Episcopal Church The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the AME Church or AME, is a Methodist denomination based in the United States. It adheres to Wesleyan theology, Wesleyan–Arminian theology and has a connexionalism, connexional polity. It ...

, the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, and the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. In the 20th century, in the

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself nationally. In 1939, th ...

(the forerunner of the

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was ...

) and the

Free Methodist Church The Free Methodist Church (FMC) is a Methodist Christian denomination within the holiness movement, based in the United States. It is Evangelicalism, evangelical in nature and is Wesleyan theology, Wesleyan–Arminian in theology. The Free Met ...

, the term ''district superintendent'' supplanted the former term.

Denominational statements

African Methodist Episcopal Church

In the

, "Presiding Elders are ministers who have been ordained elders, who are appointed by the bishop to supervise the work of a given number of churches and ministers within an annual conference."

Free Methodist Church

The ''Book of Discipline'' of the

says that "Bishops, together with superintendents, give oversight to the ordained ministry through appointment, guidance and discipline."

Primitive Methodist Church

The ''Book of Discipline'' of the Primitive Methodist Church states that "The District Superintendent is the highest authority within the District and is responsible for the harmony and unity within the district. He shall provide leadership and direction for denominational activities and policies within his area."

United Methodist Church

According to the ''

Book of Discipline A Book of Discipline (or in its shortened form Discipline) is a book detailing the beliefs, standards, doctrines, canon law, and polity of a particular Christian denomination. They are often re-written by the governing body of the church concern ...

'' of the

"The offices of ''

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

'' and ''district superintendent'' exist in The United Methodist Church as particular ministries. Bishops are elected and district superintendents are appointed from the group of elders who are ordained to be ministers of

Word A word is a basic element of language that carries semantics, meaning, can be used on its own, and is uninterruptible. Despite the fact that language speakers often have an intuitive grasp of what a word is, there is no consensus among linguist ...

Sacrament A sacrament is a Christian rite which is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence, number and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol ...

, and Order and thereby participate in the ministry of Christ, in sharing a royal priesthood which has apostolic roots ( I Peter 2:9; John 21:15-17; Acts 20:28; I Peter 5:2-3; I Timothy 3:1-7)."''The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church 2008'': Chapter Three. The Superintendency. Section II. Offices of Bishop and District Superintendent - ¶ 402. ''Special Ministry, Not Separate Order''(retrieved 2 October 2009). The length of office for a district superintendent in the UMC is usually up to six years but he may serve eight consecutive years. She or he may serve no more than eight years in any consecutive eleven years and no more than fourteen years in her or his lifetime.''The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church 2008'', ¶418

References

{{United Methodist Church United Methodist Church Methodist ecclesiastical offices