2016 Wesleyan Discipline: Delegates to General Conference: Function and general regulations

(9) To be represented in the lay and ministerial voting membership of the General Conference, if not under discipline.

1500. The General Conference is the supreme governing body of The Wesleyan Church. The basic provisions, powers, and restrictions of this body are set forth in the Constitution (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:325-360). 1503. The General Conference shall be composed of voting and nonvoting members as follows:

Voting Members

(1) The voting members shall consist of an equal number of ordained ministers and lay members of The Wesleyan Church (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:325):

(a) The district superintendent of each district and provisional district and a lay delegate elected at the same time and in the same manner as the other delegates (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1512-1526).

(b) One ministerial and one lay delegate elected by an established district for every seven hundred fifty members and major fraction thereof. The district superintendent and the lay delegate elected (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1503:1a) shall be the representatives for the first seven hundred fifty members.

(c) The general officials of the Church as defined in 2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1800, the General Superintendents Emeriti, members of the General Board who are not voting members by some other right, the presidents of the general educational institutions (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:2365), the general directors of Hephzibah Ministries, Wesleyan Investment Foundation, Wesleyan Native Ministries, the Wesleyan Pension Fund, the Wesleyan Bible Conference Association, and such delegates-at-large as shall be necessary to maintain parity between ordained ministers and lay members (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1508-1510).

Nonvoting Members

(2) The following when they are not voting members by some other right shall be seated as nonvoting members when present at the General Conference session: former General Superintendents and superintendents of developing districts (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:1015).

(3) The General Board shall designate the number of nonvoting members from mission units under the Global Partners Division, upon recommendation of the Executive Director of Global Partners.

1506. A district or provisional district which has been placed under discipline as provided for in the General Board Policy on Church Discipline (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:5365-5370), shall forfeit all rights to any representation in the General Conference (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:323:9). The delegates, including the district superintendent and any delegate-at-large from that district, shall not be recognized or seated until the district or provisional district they represent is officially reinstated (2016 Wesleyan Discipline:5365).