General Conference Bulletin, vol. 1
STATE CONFERENCE CONSTITUTION
L. T. NICOLA
ARTICLE I.—NAME
THIS Conference shall be known as the ----- Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. GCB July 1, 1896, page 743.1
ARTICLE II.—OFFICERS AND DUTIES
SECTION 1. The officers of this Conference shall be a President, Secretary, Treasurer, and an Executive Committee of -----, of which the President shall be one; and they shall be elected annually. GCB July 1, 1896, page 743.2
SEC. 2. The duties of the President and Secretary shall be such as usually pertain to these offices. GCB July 1, 1896, page 743.3
SEC. 3. It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to keep an accurate account of the receipts and disbursements of the Conference funds, to pay out the same as may be provided by the Conference, to report to the Conference Secretary each quarter, the amount of money received and paid during the quarter, and the amount on hand at the close of the quarter, and to make an annual report thereof at the meetings of the Conference. GCB July 1, 1896, page 743.4
SEC. 4. It shall be the duty of the Executive Committee to appoint through one of our weekly papers the time and place to hold the annual Conferences, and to call special Conferences whenever, in their judgment, it may be needful to do so; to take the general supervision of all labor performed within and for this Conference; to take charge of and care for all the property belonging to the Conference; and to exercise a general watch-care over all matters pertaining to the interests of the cause within the bounds of this Conference. GCB July 1, 1896, page 743.5
SEC. 5. It shall be the duty of the Conference to elect or appoint a committee of six, who shall not have been in the employ of the Conference during any part of the preceding year, who with the Executive Committee shall constitute an Auditing Committee, to examine and settle all accounts which are presented to the Conference at which they are elected or appointed. GCB July 1, 1896, page 743.6
ARTICLE III.—FUNDS
SECTION 1. It shall be the duty of the churches belonging to this Conference to adopt the tithing system of the Bible, and the funds so raised shall be paid quarterly to the treasurer of the Conference, to be used for the work for which the Conference is formed. GCB July 1, 1896, page 743.7
SEC. 2. In addition to the tithes, the Executive Committee is authorized to call for donations as the wants of the cause may, in their judgment, demand. GCB July 1, 1896, page 743.8
SEC. 3. All money shall be paid out by the Treasurer as may be provided by the Executive Committee. GCB July 1, 1896, page 743.9
ARTICLE IV.—CHURCH REPORTS
SECTION 1. It shall be the duty of each church to make a written report every quarter to the Conference Secretary, of its standing, its additions and losses, the amount of its tithes, and the number of members of its Sabbath-school and its missionary society; and to make a like report for the year to the regular annual meetings of the Conference. GCB July 1, 1896, page 743.10
SEC. 2. When any church or scattered brethren wish ministerial labor in their vicinity, their call shall be made to the Executive Committee. GCB July 1, 1896, page 743.11
ARTICLE V.—LICENSES
SECTION 1. It shall be the duty of the Conference to determine who are the approved ministers within the bounds thereof; to grant suitable credentials to the same; and to grant licenses to those whom it shall consider suitable to labor in the cause. And in the interval between the regular meetings, the Executive Committee is authorized to perform such duties. GCB July 1, 1896, page 743.12
SEC. 2. Those who may feel it their duty to exercise their gift as preachers or colporteurs, shall lay their exercises of mind before the Conference Committee, and the committee may license them if they consider them qualified. GCB July 1, 1896, page 743.13
ARTICLE VI.—MINISTERS’ REPORTS
SECTION 1. It shall be the duty of the ministers of this Conference to make a written report to each annual meeting, of their labors each week during the Conference year, or of so much of the year as they have been in the employ of the Conference. GCB July 1, 1896, page 743.14
SEC. 2. It shall also be the duty of the ministers of this Conference to report to the annual meeting thereof, all donations which they have received during the year from churches and individuals, and such donations shall be considered by the Auditing Committee in settling the accounts of said minister. GCB July 1, 1896, page 743.15
ARTICLE VII.—DELEGATES
SECTION 1. The delegates of this Conference shall be elected according to the following ratio: Each organized church shall be entitled to one delegate, and one additional delegate for every fifteen members. GCB July 1, 1896, page 743.16
SEC. 2. The members of the Executive Committee shall be members of the Conference ex officio, and all ministers holding credentials from this Conference shall be considered delegates at large. GCB July 1, 1896, page 743.17
SEC. 3. In case any of the delegates to which a church is entitled do not attend the Conference, the delegates attending may cast the full number of votes to which said church is entitled. GCB July 1, 1896, page 743.18
SEC. 4. Unorganized companies of believers shall be represented in the Conference by the delegates at large. GCB July 1, 1896, page 743.19
ARTICLE VIII.—AMENDMENTS
This constitution may be amended at any regular meeting of the Conference, by a two-thirds’ vote of the members, provided that such amendment shall not conflict with the Constitution of the General Conference. GCB July 1, 1896, page 743.20