V. Disagreement in Business-Arbitration ¶283. In case of any disagreement between two or more members of the Church concerning business transactions, which cannot be settled by the parties, the Preacher in Charge shall inquire into the circumstances of the case, and shall recommend to the parties that such disagreement be submitted to arbitration. If this method of settlement be agreed upon, two arbitrators shall be chosen by one party, and two by the other, which four shall choose a fifth. The said arbitrators shall be members of our Church, who have no personal or pecuniary interests in the result. The Preacher in Charge shall preside, and the Disciplinary forms of trial shall be observed. If either party refuse to abide by the judgment of the arbitrators, he shall be brought to trial, and if he fail to show sufficient cause for such refusal, he shall be expelled. 284. If any member of the Church, in case of debt or other dispute, shall refuse to refer the matter to arbitration, when recommended to do so by the Preacher in Charge, or shall enter into a lawsuit with another member before these measures are taken, he shall be brought to trial, and if he fail to show that the case is of such a nature as to require and justify such a course, he shall be expelled. ¶ 285. If, in the case of debt or dispute, one of the parties is a Minister, the duties assigned to the Preacher in Charge in the foregoing paragraphs shall be performed by the District Superintendent of the Minister concerned. If both be Ministers, the District Superintendent of either may act in the case. VI. Insolvency ¶ 286, § 1. Preachers in Charge are required to execute faithfully the rules against all frauds, and particularly against dishonest insolvencies, suffering no one to remain in the Church who is found guilty of fraud. § 2. To prevent scandal, when any member of the Church fails in business, or contracts debts which he is not able to pay, two or three judicious members of the Church, designated by the Preacher in Charge, shall inspect the accounts, contracts, and circumstances of the supposed delinquent; and if they believe that he has behaved dishonestly, or borrowed money without a reasonable probability of paying, he shall be brought to trial, and, if found guilty, shall be expelled. 287. In all the foregoing cases of trial enumerated in this chapter the accused member shall be brought to trial before a Committee of not less than five members of the Church. They shall be chosen by the Preacher in Charge, and, if he judge it necessary, he may select them from any part of the District. The accused may challenge for cause. The Preacher in Charge shall preside at the trial. VII. Penalties ¶288. If the accused person be found guilty by the decision of a majority of the Committee, the Preacher in Charge shall then and there pronounce the sentence of expulsion. ¶ 289. But if, in view of mitigating circumstances and of humble and penitent confession, the Committee find that a lower penalty would be proper, it may im pose censure on the offender, at its discretion, or suspend him from all Church privileges for a definite time. ¶290. An expelled person shall have no Privileges of Society or of the Sacraments of the Church without confession, contrition, and satisfactory reformation. CHAPTER VII APPEAL OF A BISHOP ¶291, § 1. A Bishop or Missionary Bishop shall have the right to appeal to the General Conference in case of an adverse decision by the trial court herein before prescribed in such cases; provided, that within thirty days after his conviction he notify the Secretary of the General Conference of his intention to appeal. All such appeals shall be heard and determined by the General Conference Committee on the Judiciary. § 2. If during the session of a General Conference a Bishop or a Missionary Bishop shall have been convicted, the General Conference shall extend the term of service of the Committee on the Judiciary until it shall have disposed of a possible appeal in the case. § 3. It shall be the duty of the Secretary of the General Conference, on receiving notice of such appeal, to inform the senior effective Bishop, whose duty it shall be, after conference with the parties in interest, to fix the time and place for the hearing of the appeal, and to instruct the Secetary of the General Conference to serve due notice of the same to all concerned. CHAPTER VIII APPEAL OF A MEMBER OF AN ANNUAL CONFERENCE-JUDICIAL CONFERENCE ¶ 292, § 1. The several Annual Conferences shall at each session select five Elders, men of experience and sound judgment in the affairs of the Church, who shall be known as Triers of Appeals, and also two reserve Triers of Appeals. The reserves shail serve in the absence or disqualification of the principals. § 2. In Foreign Missions or Foreign Mission Conferences, remote from other Missions or Conferences, let there be not less than nine nor more than thirteen Elders selected as Triers of Appeals, and also three reserves, and from these, thus selected, shall be chosen the Triers of Appeals to constitute the Judicial Conference for said body. The proceedings to comply with the requirements of ¶ 252. 1293. When notice of an appeal has been given to the President of an Annual Conference, he shall proceed, with due regard to the wishes and rights of the Appellant, to designate three Annual Conferences conveniently near to that from the decision of which the appeal is taken, and the Triers of Appeals of such Conferences shall constitute a Judicial Conference. He shall fix also the time and place of its session. He shall also give notice thereof to the said Triers of Appeals and to all others concerned. Such Judicial Conference shall be competent to hear appeals which may be presented to it from any Conference conveniently near, due notice having been given to all concerned. ¶294. The Appellant shall have the right of peremptory challenge, yet so that the number of Triers of Appeals present and qualified shall not fall below nine, which number shall be required for a quorum. ¶295. A Bishop shall preside in a Judicial Conference and shall decide all questions of law arising in its proceedings, subject to an appeal to the General Conference. The Judicial Conference shall appoint a Secretary, who shall keep a faithful record of all the proceedings, and at the close of the hearing shall transmit the records made and the papers submitted in the case, or certified copies thereof, to the Secretary of the General Conference, to be filed for use by the General Conference in case of appeal. In all cases the findings of the Judicial Conference shall be reported by its Secretary to the Secretary of the Annual Conference whose membership is affected thereby, and if no further appeal shall have been taken on a question of law, the same shall be published in the Minutes of said Annual Conference. ¶ 296. In all cases of trial and conviction of Members of an Annual Conference, an appeal shall be allowed to a Judicial Conference, constituted as hereinbefore provided, if the condemned person, within thirty days after his conviction, shall signify in writing to the Secretary of the Annual Conference his intention to appeal. ¶ 297. Appeals from an Annual Conference within the United States, not easily accessible, at the discretion of the President thereof may be heard by a Judicial Conference selected from among more accessible Conferences. Appeals from an Annual or Mission Conference not in the United States may be heard at the discretion of the Bishop in charge there |