namely, 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 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 142, § 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 pres ent, 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 144. 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. ARTICLE X. Powers and Restrictions ¶ 46. The General Conference shall have full power to make rules and regulations for the Church under the following limitations and restrictions, namely: § 1. The General Conference shall not revoke, alter, nor change our Articles of Religion, nor establish any new standards or rules of doctrine contrary to our present existing and established standards of doctrine. § 2. The General Conference shall not organize nor authorize the organization of an Annual Conference with less than twenty-five members. § 3. The General Conference shall not change nor alter any part or rule of our government so as to do away Episcopacy, nor destroy the plan of our itinerant General Superintendency; but may elect a Missionary Bishop or Superintendent for any of our foreign Missions, limiting his Episcopal jurisdiction to the same respectively. § 4. The General Conference shall not revoke nor change the General Rules of our Church. § 5. The General Conference shall not deprive our Ministers of the right of trial by the Annual Conference, or by a select number thereof, nor of an appeal; nor shall it deprive our members of the right of trial by a committee of members of our Church, nor of an appeal. § 6. The General Conference shall not appropriate the produce of the Book Concern, nor of the Chartered Fund, to any purpose other than for the benefit of the Traveling, Supernumerary, and Superannuated1 Preachers, their wives, widows, and children. ARTICLE XI. Amendments 47. The concurrent recommendation of two thirds of all the members of the several Annual Conferences present and voting, and of two thirds of all the members of the Lay Electoral Conferences present and voting, shall suffice to authorize the next ensuing General Conference by a two-thirds vote to alter or amend any of the provisions of this Constitution excepting Article X, § 1; and also, whenever such alteration or amendment shall have been first recommended by a General Conference by a two-thirds vote, then so soon as two thirds of all the members of the several Annual Conferences present and voting, and two thirds of all the members of the Lay Electoral Conferences present and voting, shall have concurred therein, such alteration or amendment shall take effect; and the result of the vote shall be announced by the General Superintendents. 1 Elsewhere designated as "Retired" Ministers. |