I. THE GENERAL CONFERENCE. II. ANNUAL CONFERENCES. III. MISSION CONFERENCES. IV. CENTRAL MISSION CONFERENCES. V. DISTRICT CONFERENCES. VI. QUARTERLY CONFERENCES. VII. THE LEADERS AND STEWARDS' MEETING. VIII. THE OFFICIAL BOARD. CHAPTER I. THE GENERAL CONFERENCE. 58. The General Conference shall be composed of Ministerial and Lay Delegates. 59. The Ministerial Delegates shall consist of one Delegate for every forty-five Members of each Annual Conference, to be appointed either by seniority or choice at the discretion of such Annual Conference, yet so that such Representatives shall have traveled at least four full calendar years from the time that they were received on Trial by an Annual Conference, and are in Full Connection at the time of holding the Conference.* ¶ 60. The Lay Delegates shall consist of one Layman for each Annual Conference, except such Conferences as have more than one Ministerial Delegate, and these Conferences shall each be entitled to as many Lay Delegates as Ministerial Delegates. ¶ 61. The Lay Delegates shall be chosen by an Electoral Conference of Laymen, which shall assemble for the purpose on the third day of the session of the Annual Conference, at the place of its meeting, at its session immediately preceding that of the General Conference. ¶ 62. The Electoral Conference shall be composed * A Transferred Minister shall not be counted twice in the same year in the basis of the election of Delegates to the General Conference, nor vote for Delegates to the General Conference in any Annual Conference where he is not counted as a part of the basis of representation, nor vote twice the same year on any constitutional question. of one Layman from each Circuit or Station within the bounds of the Annual Conference, such Layman to be chosen by the last Quarterly Conference preceding the time of the assembling of such Electoral Conference; and on assembling, the Electoral Conference shall organize by electing a Chairman and Secretary of its own number; provided, that no Layman shall be chosen a Delegate either to the Electoral Conference or to the General Conference who shall be under twenty-five years of age, or who shall not have been a Member of the Church in Full Connection for the five consecutive years preceding the elections.* ¶ 63. The General Conference shall meet on the first Wednesday of May, in the year of our Lord 1900, and thenceforward on the first Wednesday in May once in four years perpetually, at such hour and in such place in the United States as the General Conference may from time to time direct; but the General Superintendents, or a majority of them, by and with the advice of two thirds of all the Annual Conferences, shall have power to call an extra session of the General Conference, to be constituted in the usual way. But if there shall be no General Superintendent, then two thirds of all the Annual Conferences shall have power to call such extra session. ¶ 64. At all times when the General Conference is met it shall take two thirds of the whole number of Ministerial and Lay Delegates to form a quorum for transacting business. The Secretaries of the several Annual and Electoral Conferences shall send to the Secretary of the last General Conference a certified copy of the election of Delegates and Reserves to the next General Conference, in the order of their election, as soon after the election as practicable, so that a roll of Delegates and Reserves may be prepared for the opening of the next General Conference. ¶ 65. The Ministerial and Lay Delegates shall deliberate and vote together as one body; but they shall vote separately whenever such separate vote shall be demanded by one third of either Order; and in such cases the concurrent vote of both Orders shall be necessary to complete an action. ¶ 66. One of the General Superintendents shall preside in the General Conference; but in case no General Superintendent be present the General Conference shall choose a president pro tempore. ¶ 67. The General Conference shall have full power to make rules and regulations for our Church under the following limitations and restrictions, namely: § 1. The General Conference shall not revoke, alter, nor change our Articles of Religion, nor establish any new standards or rules of doctrine contrary to our present existing and established standards of doctrine. § 2. The General Conference shall not allow of more than one Ministerial Representative for every fourteen Members of an Annual Conference; nor of a less number than one for every forty-five; nor of more Lay Delegates from an Annual Conference than there are Ministerial Delegates from such Annual Conference; provided, nevertheless, that when there shall be in any Annual Conference a fraction of two thirds the number which shall be fixed for the ratio of representation, such Annual Conference shall be entitled to an additional Delegate for such fraction; and provided, also, that no Conference shall be denied the privilege of one Ministerial and of one Lay Delegate. § 3. The General Conference shall not change nor alter any part or rule of our government so as to do away Episcopacy, nor destroy the plan of our itinerant General Superintendency; but may appoint a Mis sionary Bishop or Superintendent for any of our Foreign Missions, limiting his Episcopal jurisdiction to the same respectively. § 4. The General Conference shall not revoke nor change the General Rules of the United Societies. § 5. The General Conference shall not do away the privileges of our Ministers or Preachers of trial by a Committee, and of an Appeal; neither shall they do away the privileges of our Members of trial before the Society or by a Committee, and of an Appeal. § 6. The General Conference shall not appropriate the produce of the Book Concern, nor of the Chartered Fund, to any purpose other than for the benefit of Traveling, Supernumerary, Superannuated and Worn Out Preachers, their wives, widows, and children. ¶ 68. Provided, nevertheless, that upon the concurrent recommendation of three fourths of all the Members of the several Annual Conferences who shall be present and vote on such recommendation, then a majority of two thirds of the General Conference succeeding shall suffice to alter any of the above Restrictions, excepting the First Article; and also, whenever such alteration or alterations shall have been first recommended by two thirds of the General Conference, so soon as three fourths of the Members of all the Annual Conferences shall have concurred as aforesaid, such alteration or afterations shall take effect. CHAPTER II. THE ANNUAL CONFERENCES. ¶ 69. There are now one hundred and twenty-four Annual Conferences, and these shall severally become |