Chapter 2. Election

¶521. The General Conference shall determine the number of General Superintendents, and any assistants, on the first day of the conference. Nominations for these offices shall be made from the floor, without discussion of the qualifications of the nominees, on the second day of the conference. A search committee may be appointed by the General Council to present names of potential candidates to the General Conference. They shall be elected by ballot, without debate and according to Disciplinary provisions on the third day of the conference. A resume from each nominee shall be distributed by the General Conference Secretary following their nominations, copies of which shall be made available to the conference delegates to acquaint them with the qualifications of the nominees. Election of the General Superintendent(s) shall be the order of the day at 10:00 a.m. on the third day of the conference. The newly-elected General Superintendent(s) and family shall be presented to the Conference and shall be granted the privilege of addressing the conference. The incumbant General Superintendent(s) shall preside throughout the General Conference and the successor(s) shall take office immediately upon adjournment of the General Conference.

¶522. The General Conference shall elect a Secretary-Treasurer after nominations are made from the floor. He shall be elected by ballot without debate and shall be amenable to the General Council and the General Superintendent. The General Conference shall also elect a Lay Leader and a Statistician after nominations are presented by the Nominating Committee.

¶523. The General Conference shall have the following agencies:

(1) BOARDS

Board of Christian Education

Board of Evangelism

Board of Finance

Board of Ministerial Relations

Board of Trustees

Board of World Missions

Board of Youth Activities

Board of Ministerial Education and Advanced Studies

(2) COMMITTEES

Minutes Committee

Nominating Committee

Program Committee

Resolutions Committee

With the exception of the Board of World Missions, the above Boards and Committees shall be composed of the chairpersons of the corresponding District Boards and Committees. The chairperson of the above Boards and Committees shall be elected by the General Conference upon nomination by the Nominating Committee from among the members of the respective Boards and Committees.

¶524. The General Conference shall have a Board of Discipline Revision composed of one elected representative from each district. The chairperson of this Board shall be elected by the General Conference upon nomination by the Nominating Committee from among the members of the respective Board.

¶525. There shall be a Board of World Missions which the Nominating Committee shall nominate and the General Conference shall elect. This Board shall elect its own chairperson.

¶526. The General Conference shall also have these COMMITTEES WITHOUT DISTRICT COUNTERPARTS:

Boundary Committee

Historical Committee

The Nominating Committee shall nominate and the General Conference shall elect the above Committees. These Committees shall elect their chairpersons.

¶527. The General Conference shall have these DEPARTMENTS:

Department of Fraternal Relations

Department of Health Insurance and Retirement

Department of Publications

Department of Stewardship and Development

Prayer Department

The heads of these Departments shall be nominated by the Nominating Committee and elected by the General Conference. The elected Department heads, in consultation with the General Superintendent, shall choose personnel as necessary to carry out their duties.

¶528. There shall be a Court of Appeals composed of seven elders elected by the General Conference upon nomination by the Nominating Committee. (See ¶861.)

¶529. Boards, Committees and Departments shall present programs to the General Conference for approval and implementation. Members of Boards, Committees and Departments shall serve until the end of the quadrennial General Conference, at which time the newly formed Boards, Committees and Departments shall begin to function.

¶530. District Superintendents and General Conference officers shall not serve as chairpersons of the General Conference Boards. No one shall serve on more than two General Conference Boards at the same time.

¶531. The Board of Ministerial Relations shall be composed of the chairperson of each District Board of Ministerial Relations whose responsibility it is to determine standards concerning character, competency and ministry for all appli-cants for admission on trial, elder, deaconess, transfer between conferences and transfer from other denominations.