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Delegates to the Next General Conference

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Feb 4, 1909

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 86, No. 5.

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Delegates to the Next General Conference

By Arthur Grosvenor Daniells

THE constitution of the General Conference makes the following provision for delegates to the sessions of the General Conference:—
Section 2: The voters of this conference shall be designated as follows:—
  • (a) Delegates at large.
  • (b) Regular delegates.
Sec. 3: Delegates at large shall be:—
  • (a) The General Conference Executive Committee.
  • (b) The Secretary and the Treasurer of the General Conference.
  • (c) Such members of departmental committees and representatives of missions of the General Conference as shall receive credentials from its executive committee.
Sec. 4: Regular delegates shall be such persons as are duly accredited by union conferences, or local conferences not included in union conferences.
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.
Provision is here made for “regular delegates” and “delegates at large.” The regular delegates are to be chosen, or appointed, by the union and local conferences. According to the basis of representation provided by the constitution, and the present number of conferences and church-members, about one hundred seventy-four regular delegates can be elected. Of this number the States are entitled to one hundred nine; Europe, thirty-two; Australasia, nine; West Indies, nine; Canada, seven; South America, six; and South Africa, two.
The delegates at large must be the members of the General Conference Committee, and representatives of mission fields and members of the General Conference departmental committees to whom delegates’ credentials may be issued by the General Conference Committee.
As the presidents of union conferences are members of the General Conference Committee, and are, therefore, delegates at large, they are not counted as part of the delegation to which union conferences are entitled.
From the information we have received from all parts of the field, it appears that the coming conference will have a full representation of regular delegates from all the union conferences. The general mission fields will be represented by twenty or more delegates.
About eighty members of the General Conference departmental committees will be present. All these, with the forty members of the General Conference Committee, will make a delegation of three hundred or more.
This will be the largest, most representative, and most important conference that has ever assembled to represent this people and cause. Earnest, unceasing prayer should be made that it shall be a conference of great blessing and spiritual uplift to all the delegates, and to all the loyal people whom they represent.
A. G. DANIELLS.