General Conference Bulletin, vol. 5
Majority Report on Constitution of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
ARTICLE I—NAME
This organization shall be known as the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. GCB April 10, 1903, page 145.4
ARTICLE II—OBJECT
The object of this Conference is to teach all nations the everlasting gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. GCB April 10, 1903, page 145.5
ARTICLE III—MEMBERSHIP
SECTION 1. The membership of this Conference shall consist of— GCB April 10, 1903, page 145.6
(a) Such Union Conferences as have been or shall be properly organized and accepted by vote. GCB April 10, 1903, page 145.7
(b) Such local conferences as are not embraced in any Union Conference, as have been or shall be properly organized and accepted by vote. GCB April 10, 1903, page 145.8
SEC. 2. The voters of this Conference shall be designated as follows:— GCB April 10, 1903, page 145.9
(a) Delegates at large. GCB April 10, 1903, page 145.10
(b) Regular delegates. GCB April 10, 1903, page 145.11
SEC. 3. Delegates at large shall be:— GCB April 10, 1903, page 145.12
(a) The General Conference Executive Committee. GCB April 10, 1903, page 145.13
(b) The Secretary and the Treasurer of the General Conference. GCB April 10, 1903, page 145.14
(c) Such representatives of the departments and missions of the General Conference as shall receive credentials from its Executive Committee. GCB April 10, 1903, page 145.15
SEC. 4. Regular delegates shall be such persons as are duly accredited by Union Conferences, or local conferences not included in Union Conferences. GCB April 10, 1903, page 145.16
SEC. 5. Each Union Conference shall be entitled to one delegate without regard to numbers, an additional delegate for each conference in its territory, and an additional delegate for each one thousand of its membership. Each local conference not included in any Union Conference shall be entitled to one delegate, without regard to numbers, and one additional delegate for each one thousand members. GCB April 10, 1903, page 145.17
ARTICLE IV—EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
SECTION 1. At each session the Conference shall elect an Executive Committee for the carrying forward of its work between the sessions. GCB April 10, 1903, page 145.18
SEC. 2. The Executive Committee shall consist of the president, two vice-presidents, the presidents of Union Conferences, the superintendents of organized Union Missions, and twelve other persons, among whom there shall be representatives of all the leading departments of conference work, including the publishing, medical, educational. Sabbath-school, and religious liberty. GCB April 10, 1903, page 145.19
ARTICLE V—OFFICERS AND THEIR DUTIES
SECTION 1. The officers of this Conference shall be a president, two vice-presidents, a secretary, a treasurer, and an auditor, who shall be elected by the Conference. GCB April 10, 1903, page 145.20
SEC. 2. President: The duties of the president shall be to act as chairman of the Executive Committee and to labor in the general interests of the Conference, as the Executive Committee may advise. GCB April 10, 1903, page 145.21
SEC. 3. Vice-presidents: The duties of the first vice-president shall be to labor in the European Union Conferences and Missions, as the Executive Committee may advise, and to preside at the councils of the members of the Executive Committee, which may be held in Europe, in the absence of the president. GCB April 10, 1903, page 145.22
The duties of the second vice-president shall be to labor in the American Union Conferences and Missions, as the Executive Committee may advise, and in the absence of the president, to preside at the councils of the members of the Executive Committee which may be held in America. GCB April 10, 1903, page 145.23
SEC. 4. Secretary: It shall be the duty of the secretary to keep the minutes of the proceedings of the Conference sessions and of committee meetings, and to collect such statistics and other facts from Union and Local Conferences as may be desired by the Conference or the Executive Committee. and to perform such other duties as usually pertain to such office. GCB April 10, 1903, page 145.24
Sec. 5. Treasurer: It shall be the duty of the treasurer to receive all funds and disburse them by order of the president, and to render such financial statements at regular intervals as may be desired by the Conference or the Executive Committee. GCB April 10, 1903, page 146.1
Sec. 6. Election of Officers and Executive Committee: All officers of the Conference, except members of the Executive Committee who are presidents of Union Conferences or superintendents of Union Mission Fields, shall be chosen by the delegates at the regular biennial sessions of the General Conference, and shall hold their offices for the period of two years, or until their successors are elected and appear to enter upon their duties. GCB April 10, 1903, page 146.2
ARTICLE VI—INCORPORATIONS, DEPARTMENTS, AND AGENTS
Section I. Such incorporations may be authorized and departments created as the development of the work requires. GCB April 10, 1903, page 146.3
Sec. 2. At each regular session of this Conference the delegates shall elect the trustees of all corporate bodies connected with this organization, as may be provided in the statutory laws governing each. GCB April 10, 1903, page 146.4
Sec. 3. The Conference shall employ such committees, secretaries, agents, ministers, missionaries, and other persons, and make such distribution of its laborers as may be necessary to effectively execute its work. It shall also grant credentials or licenses to its ministers and missionaries. GCB April 10, 1903, page 146.5
ARTICLE VII—SESSIONS
Section I. This Conference shall hold biennial sessions at such date and place as the Executive Committee shall designate by a notice published in the Advent Review and Sabbath Herald at least two months before the date for the session. GCB April 10, 1903, page 146.6
Sec. 2. The Executive Committee may call special sessions at such time and place as it deems proper, by a like notice, and the transactions of such special sessions shall have the same force as those of the regular sessions. GCB April 10, 1903, page 146.7
ARTICLE VIII—BY-LAWS
The voters of this Conference may enact By-laws and amend or repeal them at any session thereof, and such By-laws may embrace any provision not inconsistent with the Constitution. GCB April 10, 1903, page 146.8
ARTICLE IX—AMENDMENTS
This Constitution or its By-laws may be amended by a two-thirds’ vote of the voters present at any session, provided that, if it is proposed to amend the Constitution at a special session, notice of such purpose shall be given in the call for such special session. GCB April 10, 1903, page 146.9