Conference Rules and Procedures

General

1. A quorum consists of a majority of the National Conference members.

2. The printed program is the official schedule of this National Conference, subject to necessary changes.

3. National Conference members cannot be absent from sessions unless they receive permission, or are sick or otherwise unable to attend.

4. The bar includes the platform and the designated areas of seating.

5. Members must be within the bar to speak or vote.

Personnel

6. The Bishop shall chair all sessions, but may turn the chair over to a designated person if desired.

7. Pat Jones shall serve as assistant chairperson of the conference.

8. Todd Fetters shall serve as secretary of the conference to record the proceedings.

9. C. Ray Miller shall serve as parliamentarian of the conference.

Conduct on the Floor

10. Members wishing to speak must stand up to be recognized. The chairperson will recognize the person who stood first.

11. In assigning the floor to members, the chairperson will ask delegates to state their name and the church which that person represents.

12. Upon being recognized, members must proceed to a microphone. Members are not permitted to simply speak from their seats. This is very important; unless members use the microphones, the proceedings of the National Conference cannot be properly recorded.

13. Members shall not be interrupted while they are speaking, except by the chairperson. The chairperson may interrupt a person for such things as departing from the question, using offensive references to people, or using disrespectful language.

14. Members cannot speak longer than three minutes at a time.

15. Members cannot address the same question more than twice without the consent of the conference.

16. Members cannot address an issue for the second time until all other members wishing to speak to the issue have had their chance.

Committees and Reports

17. Any item of business, petition, or Discipline revision proposal must be submitted in printed form to the National Conference delegates no later than the start of business Friday morning.

18. Committee reports will be prepared in sufficient quantity for distribution to all voting and advisory members.

19. Committees making reports are entitled to five minutes to close the debate on the motion to adopt. All committees are guaranteed the right to explain their report.

20. The chairperson will determine the order in which Discipline revision proposals are considered.

21. The chairperson will determine the order in which committee reports are presented.

22. The chairperson may refer conference work to committees.

23. Written motions, reports, and other papers, after the first reading, and all communications to the conference, shall be passed to the secretary.

24. The Committee to Read and Edit Minutes will read and correct the minutes, and will present their report to the first session of the Executive Leadership Team for approval.

Nominations and Elections

25. The Nominating Committee will nominate at least twice the number of persons required for all positions.

26. The Nominating Committee may move to suspend the preceding rule as it sees fit.

27. The Bishop will be elected by ballot. The practice of casting a unanimous ballot will not be used.

28. The Nominating Committee will include with each name printed on the ballot a brief description of the person’s qualifications.

29. A simple majority is needed to elect the Bishop. If nobody receives a simple majority on the first ballot, the person receiving the lowest number of votes will be dropped from the ballot, and delegates will vote again. This procedure will be followed until a person is elected.

30. If persons need to be elected for the Executive Leadership Team, they will be elected by ballot. A plurality is needed to elect persons. When there is a tie, another vote will be taken between those who tied.

31. With each election, the chairperson will appoint tellers to receive and count the ballots.

32. A complete list of all votes cast shall be read to the conference.

Parliamentary Issues

33. The person who makes a motion may withdraw it before the motion has been amended or voted upon.

34. After a motion or resolution has been voted upon, members who vote with the prevailing side may move to reconsider the vote.

35. Members may call for a hand vote on any motion.

36. The chairperson shall decide all points of order (in consultation with the parliamentarian, if desired) subject to an appeal of the conference. If someone makes an appeal, the question shall be taken without debate, except that the person appealing may state the grounds of the appeal and the chair may give the grounds of the decision.

37. Members wanting to speak to a question of privilege must state the question briefly, but not proceed until the chairperson has ruled that it is, indeed, a question of privilege.

38. In all matters not covered by these rules, Roberts Rules of Order shall be followed.

39. A two-thirds vote of the members present is needed to change or suspend these rules.

40. The referenda items need a two-thirds vote of approval.

Eligibility of Delegates

41. Neither lay nor ministerial delegates will be seated from churches that have not signed the National Church Covenant.

42. Neither lay nor ministerial delegates will be seated from churches that have not submitted their 2006 Local Church Annual Report.

43. Lay delegates will not be seated from churches that have not submitted their list of lay delegates.

44. Ministers holding a local church license, and who are employed by a local United Brethren church, will be granted advisory status.

Courtesies of the Conference

45. These persons are granted the courtesies of the conference, an advisory relationship, and a seat within the bar:

a. Marci Hammel (Finance Director).
b. Steve Dennie (Communications Director).
c. Donna Hollopeter (Associate Director of Global Ministries).
d. G. Blair Dowden (Director of Higher Education).
e. All former bishops who are not serving as voting delegates (Wilbur Sites, Raymond Waldfogel, C. Ray Miller, Clarence Kopp, and Paul Hirschy).
f. All other former general officials who are not serving as voting delegates (C. Stanley Peters, Howard Anderson, Eugene Habecker, Kyle McQuillen, Carlson Becker).
g. Any members of the Executive Leadership Team who are not serving as voting delegates.

46. Interpreters are granted the courtesies of the conference and a seat within the bar.