Section VI. Annual Conferences
¶35
How an annual conference elects its delegates, and how reserves cascade.
- 2024 Discipline
- ¶35
- On the ballot paper
- ¶34
- Article
- III
- Change
- Amended
Rewritten rather than tweaked — only 11% of the wording survives. Read the two texts side by side rather than the diff.
What changed
Rewritten to run on three tiers rather than two. Delegates are elected to General Conference and to the regional conference, with the additional regional delegates serving as General Conference reserves as before. Where a region has jurisdictions, all General and regional delegates are also jurisdictional delegates, and reserve delegates carry over in order of election.
Before
Book of Discipline 2020/2024, ¶35
The annual conference shall elect clergy and lay delegates to the General Conference and to its jurisdictional or central conference in the manner provided in this section, Articles IV and V. Such elections shall include open nominations from the floor by the annual conference, and delegates shall be elected by a minimum of a simple majority of the ballots cast. The persons first elected up to the number determined by the ratio for representation in the General Conference shall be representatives in that body. Additional delegates shall be elected to complete the number determined by the ratio for representation in the jurisdictional or central conference, who, together with those first elected as above, shall be delegates in the jurisdictional or central conference. The additional delegates to the jurisdictional or central conference shall in the order of their election be the reserve delegates to the General Conference. The annual conference shall also elect reserve clergy and lay delegates to the jurisdictional or central conference as it may deem desirable. These reserve clergy and lay delegates to the jurisdictional or central conferences may act as reserve delegates to the General Conference when it is evident that not enough reserve delegates are in attendance at the General Conference.
After
Petition 21039, as ratified
The annual conference shall elect clergy and lay delegates to the General Conference and to its respective regional conference as well as jurisdictional conference, if its regional conference has jurisdictions, in the manner provided in this section, Articles IV and V. Such elections shall include open nominations from the floor by the annual conference, and delegates shall be elected by a minimum of a simple majority of the ballots cast. The persons first elected up to the number determined by the ratio for representation in the General Conference shall be representatives in that body. Additional delegates shall be elected to complete the number determined by the ratio for representation in the regional conference, who, together with those first elected as above, shall be delegates in the regional conference. The additional delegates to the regional conference shall in the order of their election be the reserve delegates to the General Conference. The annual conference shall also elect reserve clergy and lay delegates to the regional conference as it may deem desirable. These reserve clergy and lay delegates to the regional conferences may act as reserve delegates to the General Conference when it is evident that not enough reserve delegates are in attendance at the General Conference. In regional conferences with jurisdictions, all general and regional conference delegates shall be delegates to the jurisdictional conference. Whenever possible, reserve delegates to the regional conference shall also serve in order of election as delegates to the jurisdictional conference, with any reserve delegates who cannot be seated as jurisdictional delegates becoming reserve delegates to the jurisdictional conference. As needed, additional delegates shall be elected to complete the number determined by the ratio for representation in the jurisdictional conference. The annual conference may also elect additional reserve clergy and lay delegates to the jurisdictional conference as it may deem desirable.