ARTICLE II. Ministerial Delegates ¶ 38, § 1. Each Annual Conference shall be entitled to at least one Ministerial Delegate. The General Conference shall not allow more than one Ministerial Delegate for every fourteen Members of an Annual Conference, nor less than one for every forty-five; but for a fraction of two thirds or more of the number fixed by the General Conference as the ratio of representation an Annual Conference shall be entitled to an additional Delegate. § 2. The Ministerial Delegates shall be elected by ballot by the Members of the Annual Conference at its session immediately preceding the General Conference. Such Delegates shall be Elders, at least twenty-five years of age, and shall have been Members of an Annual Conference four successive years, and at the time of their election and at the time of the session of the General Conference shall be Members of the Annual Conference which elected them. An Annual Conference may elect Reserve Delegates, not exceeding three in number, and not exceeding the number of its Delegates. § 3. No Minister shall be counted twice in the same year in the basis for the election of Delegates to the General Conference, nor vote in such election where he is not counted, nor vote in two Conferences in the same year on a constitutional question. ARTICLE III. Lay Delegates 39, 1. A Lay Electoral Conference shall be constituted quadrennially, or whenever duly called by the General Conference, within the bounds of each Annual Conference, for the purpose of electing Lay Delegates to the General Conference, and for the purpose of voting on constitutional changes. It shall be composed of lay members, one from each Pastoral Charge within its bounds, chosen by the lay members of the Charge over twenty-one years of age, in such manner as the General Conference may determine. Each Pastoral Charge shall also elect in the same manner one Reserve Delegate. Members not less than twenty-one years of age, and holding membership in the Pastoral Charges electing them, are eligible to membership in the Lay Electoral Conference. § 2. The Lay Electoral Conference shall assemble at the seat of the Annual Conference on the first Friday of the session immediately preceding the General Conference, unless the General Conference shall provide otherwise. § 3. The Lay Electoral Conference shall organize by electing a President and Secretary, shall adopt its own Rules of Order, and shall be the judge of the election, returns, and qualifications of its own members. § 4. Each Lay Electoral Conference shall be entitled to elect as many Delegates to the General Conference as there are Ministerial Delegates from the Annual Conference. A Lay Electoral Conference may elect Reserve Delegates, not exceeding three in number, and not exceeding the number of its Delegates. These elections shall be by ballot. § 5. Lay members twenty-five years of age, or over, holding membership in Pastoral Charges within the bounds of the Lay Electoral Conference, and having been lay members of the Church five years next preceding, shall be eligible to election to the General Conference. Delegates-elect who cease to be members of the Church within the bounds of the Lay Electoral Conference by which they were elected shall not be entitled to seats in the General Conference. ARTICLE IV. Credentials ¶ 40. The Secretaries of the several Annual and Lay Electoral Conferences shall furnish certificates of election to the Delegates severally, and send a certificate of such election to the Secretary of the preceding General Conference immediately after the adjournment of said Annual or Lay Electoral Conference. ARTICLE V. Sessions 41, § 1. The General Conference shall meet at 10 o'clock on the morning of the first Wednesday1 in the month of May, in every fourth year from the date of the first Delegated General Conferencenamely, the year of our Lord 1812-and at such place in the United States of America as shall have been determined by the preceding General Conference, or by a Commission to be appointed quadrennially by the General Conference, and acting under its authority; which Commission shall have power also in case of emergency to change the place for the meeting of the General Conference, a majority of the General Superintendents concurring in such change. § 2. The General Superintendents, or a majority of them, by and with the advice of two thirds of all the Annual Conferences, shall have the power to call an extra session of the General Conference at any time, constituted in the usual way; such session to 1 See proposed constitutional amendment. Appendix, ¶ 29. be held at such time and place as a majority of the General Superintendents, and also of the above Commission, shall designate. § 3. In case of a great emergency two thirds of the General Superintendents may call special sessions of the Annual Conferences, at such time and place as they may think wise, to determine the question of an extra session of the General Conference, or to elect Delegates thereto. They may also, in such cases, call extra sessions of the Lay Electoral Conferences for the purpose of electing Lay Delegates to the General Conference. ARTICLE VI. Presiding Officers ¶ 42, § 1. The General Conference shall elect by ballot from among the Traveling Elders as many General Superintendents as it may deem necessary. § 2. The General Superintendents shall preside in the General Conference in such order as they may determine; but if no General Superintendent be present, the General Conference shall elect one of its members to preside pro tempore. § 3. The presiding officer of the General Conference shall decide questions of order, subject to an appeal to the General Conference; but questions of law shall be decided by the General Conference. ARTICLE VII. Organization ¶ 43. When the time for opening the General Conference arrives the presiding officer shall take the chair, and direct the Secretary of the preceding General Conference, or in his absence one of his assistants, to call the roll of the Delegates-elect. Those who have been duly returned shall be recognized as members, their certificates of election being prima facie evidence of their right to membership; provided, however, that in case of a challenge of any person thus enrolled, such challenge being signed by at least six Delegates from the territory of as many different Annual Conferences, three such Delegates being Ministers, and three Laymen, the person so challenged shall not participate in the proceedings of the General Conference, except to speak on his own case, until the question of his right shall have been decided. The General Conference shall be the judge of the election, returns, and qualifications of its own members. ARTICLE VIII. Quorum 44. When the General Conference is in session. it shall require the presence of two thirds of the whole number of Delegates to constitute a quorum for the transaction of business; but a less number may take a recess or adjourn from day to day in order to secure a quorum, and at the final session may approve the Journal, order the record of the roll call, and adjourn sine die. ARTICLE IX. Voting 45. The Ministerial and Lay Delegates shall deliberate together as one body. They shall also vote together as one body with the following exception: A separate vote shall be taken on any question when requested by one third of either order of Delegates present and voting. In all cases of separate voting it shall require the concurrence of the two orders to adopt the proposed measure; except that for changes of the Constitution a vote of two thirds of the General Conference shall be sufficient, as provided in Article XI. |