2007 Referenda Items
The 2005 US National Conference approved five referenda items. These items will be voted upon in all UB churches in February 2007, in conjunction with elections of lay delegates from those churches. The UB Headquarters will provide the referendum ballots (download as PDF). Local churches will need to provide ballots for their own lay delegates, and then submit a report form (download as PDF) to the Bishop's office at the end of February.
The referenda would accomplish the following:
- The only time national elections would be needed is when members are asked to vote on constitutional changes (referenda).
- Churches would choose (not elect) their own delegates, and they could choose/elect them anytime they wanted. This would allow a church, on short notice, to designate a new lay delegate should someone need to cancel out because of illness, death in the family, job situation, or for other reasons.
- Churches that choose to elect delegates wouldn't need to do it in conjunction with any referenda voting. They could elect them anytime they wanted. Referenda voting would be a stand-alone vote.
- We would remove the rule that lay delegates must have been members of a UB church for at least five years. The only requirement would be that they are, indeed, members. This change would be especially important to secure lay representation from church plants.
- The current Discipline says ministerial delegates must be "active licensed ministers." That would be changed to "all conference licensed ministers."
- By removing references in the Preamble to "local, annual, and national conferences," we provide a lot of flexibility for future structural change, whether in actual structures or merely on what we call those structures.
- Referendum 4 removes the frequency with which we elect a bishop, so that we wouldn't need to elect a bishop every two years (the new frequency of National Conference).
Referendum 1: Preamble
Intent
Remove from the Constitution a clause which refers to local, annual, and national conferences. The words in italics below would be removed.
Current Wording
We, the members of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, United States of America, in the name of God do, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, as well as to produce and secure a uniform mode of action in faith and practice, also to define the powers and the business of local, annual, and national conferences, as recognized by this church, ordain the following articles of Constitution:
Revised Wording
We, the members of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, United States of America, in the name of God do, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, as well as to produce and secure a uniform mode of action in faith and practice, ordain the following articles of Constitution:
Referendum 2: Delegates
Intent
Remove the restriction that only “active” ministers be voting members of the US National Conference, and remove restrictions on the qualifications of lay delegates and how they are elected. The main content changes are indicated in italics below.
Current Wording:
1. All ecclesiastical power herein granted to make or repeal any rule of discipline is vested in a national conference, which shall consist of active licensed ministers in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, USA, and lay people elected by the members of every congregation throughout the national conference. The laypersons shall be members of a local church within the national conference for a minimum of five years immediately prior to their election.
Revised Wording
1. All ecclesiastical power herein granted to make or repeal any rule of discipline is vested in a national conference, which shall consist of all conference licensed ministers in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, USA, and laypersons chosen by the congregations in which they are members, according to a formula provided in the Discipline.
Referendum 3: Duties
Intent
Remove three duties of the national conference which present conflicts with the current structure, which involves just one conference for the entire United States. This would remove points 1, 4, and 7, “Article II Duties in the US Constitution,” and renumber the remaining duties.
Current Wording
1. The national conference shall define the boundaries of the annual conferences.
2. The national conference shall at every session elect one or more bishops from among the elders throughout the church who have stood six years in that capacity.
3. The national conference has authority to participate in an international United Brethren church structure, and to edit Constitutional language to reflect the same.
4. The business of each annual conference shall be done strictly according to Discipline; and any conference acting contrary thereunto shall, by impeachment, be tried by the national conference.
5. No rule or ordinance shall at any time be passed to change or do away with the Confession of Faith as it now stands.
6. There shall no rule be adopted that will infringe upon the rights of any as it relates to the mode of baptism, the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, or the washing of feet.
7. There shall no rule be made that will deprive local ministers of their votes in the annual conferences to which they severally belong.
8. There shall be no connection with secret combinations, nor shall involuntary servitude be tolerated in any way.
9. The right of appeal shall be inviolate.
Revised Wording
The three points in italics above would be removed, and all of the other items would be renumbered.
Referendum 4: Election of Bishop
Intent
Remove the requirement in “Article II Duties,” that a bishop be elected at every session of the National Conference (which now meets every two years instead of every four years). The words to be removed are in italics.
Current Wording
2. The national conference shall at every session elect one or more bishops from among the elders throughout the church who have stood six years in that capacity.
Revised Wording
2. The national conference shall elect one or more bishops from among the elders throughout the church who have stood six years in that capacity.
Referendum 5: Amendments
Intent
Change the method for amending the Constitution in “Article IV Amendments” to fit a structure in which delegates are not elected.
Current Wording
There shall be no alteration of the foregoing Constitution unless by two-thirds vote of the national conference, provided a request of such change has come from the majority of those who elected the national conference.
Revised Wording
Amendments to the Constitution shall follow this procedure:
1. A referendum stating the proposed change will be placed before all members of US National Conference churches. If a majority of the members voting approve the referendum, it will be passed along for consideration by the next meeting of the US National Conference.
2. A two-thirds vote of the US National Conference is required to make the amendment official.
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