Explanatory notes are indented in maroon type (like the comment directly below)
This Constitution follows the same basic format as the Constitution we have used since 1841. The Constitution is somewhat general, avoiding details which might need to be changed over the years; to be an enduring document, it needs plenty of flexibility to accommodate growth and change. The details are contained in the By-Laws, which General Conference can easily amend by majority vote.
The Church of the United Brethren in Christ, International, consists of national conferences and missions outreaches around the world. We are part of each other, and cooperate to more effectively carry out the Great Commission. The following Constitution is intended to ensure doctrinal unity, encourage cooperation among the national conferences, and extend the worldwide ministry of United Brethren churches.
Name
The Church of the United Brethren in Christ International, Inc.
This is just the official name for the international body. The national conferences will have their own officially incorporated names (like Church of the United Brethren in Christ, USA, Inc.)
General Conference
1. Meetings
The General Conference meets every four years to oversee and coordinate United Brethren ministry worldwide.
This is the same as the current General Conference.
2. Personnel
a. The General Conference consists of ordained ministers and laypersons from each national conference.
Currently, General Conference consists of ministers and laypersons from each annual conference in the United States, plus from each national conference. The international constitution doesn't guarantee representation to any US annual conference (like Michigan, or Central), just as it doesn't guarantee representation to individual districts in Jamaica or Honduras.
b. Each national conference shall determine the method for selecting delegates its own delegates.
Elections are the American way, but not necessarily the chosen method in all other countries. We let national conferences decide how they will select their own delegates--whether by elections in all churches, elections by the national conference delegates, or by appointment. They will be told how many delegates they can send, but can decide for themselves how to pick them.
c. All officials elected by the international General Conference are members ex officio of that Conference.
The proposed structure doesn't include any elected officials, so this provision is only for future reference (for instance, if it should be decided to have an international Bishop or an International Director of Evangelism). The by-laws will identify any elected officials and their job descriptions.
d. All delegates have full and equal rights of participation.
3. Duties
Right now, most General Conference business is actually United States business. International delegates sit through it and cast votes, but the decisions don’t really affect them. In the new structure, the US business--local church and conference structure, ministerial licensing, categories of ministers, conference boundaries, property issues, local church membership requirements, general church departments, Huntington College--would be left to the US National Conference.
General Conference would focus only on matters that are truly international (such as the international governing documents). The various national conferences would report on the work in their country, representing themselves rather than being represented by the Missions department (which currently reports to General Conference on behalf of the overseas conferences). General Conference would probably be much shorter--perhaps only a couple days.
a. The General Conference guards the church’s historic position of firmly upholding biblical absolutes, allowing freedom in areas not clearly mandated by Scripture, and encouraging tolerance and unity when differences arise.
This statement is taken straight out of the current UB Discipline.
b. When practices, teachings, or decisions within a national conference challenge the doctrinal integrity, cooperative relationship, and/or international ministry of United Brethren churches, the General Conference has the authority to apply disciplinary action. National conferences can appeal such actions.
The Constitution only makes allowance for disciplinary action. Any details should be put in the by-laws.
c. The General Conference accepts national conferences into the membership of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, International.
Again, the by-laws detail the process for accepting national conferences.
d. The General Conference considers amendments to the international Constitution, Core Values, and Bylaws.
e. The General Conference determines the way in which the international ministries are funded.
However, General Conference doesn't have CONTROL over funds--it can only use what is freely provided by the national conferences. Obviously, most of the funding will come from the United States, at least for a number of years to come. But an international body, like General Conference, can't demand money from people in a sovereign country. Like the United Nations, it's a voluntary system. However, little would actually change for the United States, which has been funding the bulk of the denomination's ministries since the beginning. It's just that the structure by which the funding will be used will change.
f. General Conference must not pass any rule which changes or eliminates the Confession of Faith.
The Confession of Faith CAN be changed. But first, this statement in the Constitution would need to be changed. The same restriction is built into the Constitution we've been using since 1841, and it has prevented the Confession of Faith from being changed.
Amendments
This Constitution and the Core Values can be amended by a two-thirds vote of the General Conference, followed by ratification by at least one-half of the national conferences. The national conferences shall act on the proposed amendment during their first meeting following General Conference. If and when one-half of the national conferences ratify the amendment, the amendment shall be declared to be in effect, according to the procedure established by the General Conference.
If half of the national conferences show approval for the amendment, it goes into affect. But not until then.
