2016 Wesleyan Discipline:D. District Conference Organization and Procedures

D. Organization and Procedures

1. Officers

1120. The Chair. The General Superintendent, or a representative appointed by the General Superintendent, shall preside over the district conference, assisted by the district superintendent in the manner provided for in the Constitution (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:350:3). When neither the General Superintendent nor the appointed representative is present, the district superintendent shall preside or take the responsibility for the same. If none of the foregoing is present, the district conference shall elect from among its ordained ministers a chair pro tem.

1123. The Secretary. The district secretary shall be the secretary of the district conference ex officio. The district secretary shall accurately record the proceedings and preserve them in permanent form as prescribed by The Discipline (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1178), and perform any other duties as shall be required by the district conference.

2. Procedure

1126. Rights. The rights of the district conference are declared in the Constitution (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:323:1-10; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:325; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:327:1; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:350:3; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:360:3c, e; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:375:2, 4, 6; 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:385).

1129. Quorum. A majority of all the ministerial voting members and lay delegates of the district conference (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1083-1086) shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

1132. Delegates. Once a delegate has been seated at the annual district conference, an alternate delegate cannot thereafter be seated in place of the previously seated delegate.

1135. Voting (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:317). The ministerial and lay members of the district conference shall deliberate and transact business as one body. However, on the final vote on any question, one-fourth of the members may call for a divided vote. The house shall then be divided, and the ministerial and lay members shall vote separately, with a majority vote of each branch required to pass the question on which the division has been called.

1138. Rules of Order. District conference business shall be conducted according to the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, except when otherwise ordered by The Discipline (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1156).

1141. Suspension of Rules. The district conference may by two-thirds vote suspend any rules of order for a certain item of business, provided such a suspension does not contravene The Discipline or other General Conference legislation.

1144. Appeals on Questions of Order. The chair shall decide all questions of order, subject to an appeal to the district conference body. If any matter is ruled out of order by the chair on the basis that it is unconstitutional or in violation of The Discipline, the decision of the chair may be appealed by any member of the district conference. If the appeal is seconded, the chair shall clearly state the question and the reasons for the decision, and the one moving the appeal shall state the reasons for the appeal. The vote shall then be taken without debate. A two-thirds vote of the district conference, present and voting, shall be required to overrule the decision of the chair. If the chair is overruled, the action of the district conference shall be suspended until a ruling shall be given by the General Superintendent as provided for in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:2064.

1147. Legislation. Rules and resolutions adopted by a district conference shall continue in force until amended or rescinded, unless such actions are by nature temporary or unless an action of the district conference is declared unconstitutional or contrary to The Discipline as set forth in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:2064 and 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:5445:2 (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:323:6).

3. Resolutions

1150. Resolutions. Resolutions may be submitted to the district conference by a local church conference, a circuit conference, the district board of administration, the annual district convention of women’s ministry or Wesleyan Youth, a district board or committee concerning the work assigned to it, or any three voting members of the district conference with their signatures.

1153. Memorials. All resolutions intended for eventual recommendation by the district conference to the General Conference, including changes in The Discipline and any other proposals, shall be designated as “memorials” (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1557-1560). Anyone authorized to submit a resolution may also submit a memorial to be passed upon by the district conference.

1156. Procedure. All resolutions shall be submitted as directed by the district conference and within a time limit as set by the district conference. The appropriate district conference committee (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1168:1) shall be responsible to review each resolution or memorial as to its origin (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1150), clarity, relationship to The Discipline and other existing legislation of the General Conference or district conference, and shall report them out to the district conference together with their recommendations. A properly submitted resolution cannot be withheld from the conference body by a committee unless withdrawn by its authors or declared out of order by the chair of the district conference as contravening The Discipline. The committee chair shall present any resolutions in question to the district conference chair for a ruling before presenting them on the conference floor. The district conference may by a two-thirds vote suspend the requirement that a resolution must first be reviewed by a committee (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1168:1) and immediately proceed to consider and vote upon said resolution.

4. Committees

1159. The district conference shall have such committees as are required by The Discipline, and may create and define the duties of such other committees as are deemed necessary (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1180:35-39).

a. District Conference Action Committee

1165. A district conference may establish a district conference action committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1180:9) that shall perform the functions of a resolutions committee. It shall consist of the district superintendent, the district treasurer, and from three to nine other members elected by the conference with due consideration for lay representation (cf. 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1175:2). The district conference may delegate the election of the committee members to the district board of administration. The district superintendent shall be the chair or shall appoint another to serve instead, and the committee shall elect a secretary and other officers as deemed necessary.

1168. The duties of the district conference action committee are:

(1) To receive all resolutions and memorials for the district conference, to review them, and to report them to the district conference with the committee’s recommendation except as provided for in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1233:9 (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1150-1156).

(2) To conduct and report on any research or investigation regarding the merits of proposed district legislation as requested by the district conference or district board of administration, or as deemed necessary by the committee.

(3) To assign members of the committee to study, prepare, and plan any phase of the committee’s work and report back to the committee.

(4) To review the standing rules of the district in order to make recommendations to the district conference concerning the alignment of such rules with General Conference legislation, and concerning any other necessary amendments (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1180:5).

(5) To provide, if possible, all delegates to the district conference with copies of resolutions or memorials, properly classified, at least ten days before the opening of the district conference.

b. District Conference Nominating Committee

1172. Each district may have a district conference nominating committee consisting of the district superintendent as chair, and two or more ministers, and an equal number of lay members elected by the district conference (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1180:10). The elected members of the nominating committee shall not succeed themselves and may not be reelected until after a lapse of one year. The committee shall organize itself. It shall serve for one year and shall meet as called by the chair.

1175. The duties of this committee shall be determined by the district conference and may include such as the following:

(1) To present nominations for the district secretary, district treasurer (see 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1335), members-at-large on the district board of administration, and each elected delegate to the General Conference.

(2) To present nominations for each of the following in accord with the requirements and regulations for each as set forth in The Discipline, and in keeping with the provisions of The Discipline for various options in combining responsibilities or referring the power of nomination or election to other bodies: the district conference action committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1165), the district building committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1345), the district statistical committee (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1350), the district director of evangelism and church growth (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1426), the district director of Global Partners (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1429), the district Sunday school director (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1483), the district director of leadership training (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1486), the district director of children’s ministries (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1489).

(3) To give special consideration for the nomination of persons that reflect the full scope of the district’s geographical, ethnic, and gender constituency.

(4) To present any other nominations as shall be requested by the district conference.

5. The District Conference Journal

1178. The district conference journal shall contain the complete and accurate record of the proceedings of the district conference, prepared by the district secretary who shall have the duty:

(1) To have it certified by an editing committee or by the district superintendent.

(2) To arrange the journal as far as possible according to the table of contents and general format prepared by the Executive Director of Communication and Administration and approved by the General Board.

(3) To see that it contains a complete directory for the district as set forth in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1332:8.

(4) To deliver annually to the Executive Director of Communication and Administration copies of the district journal in such quantities and format as needed for the offices in the World Headquarters.