CONSTITUTION OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE.
For the purpose of securing unity and efficiency in labor, and promoting the general interests of the cause of present truth, and of perfecting the organization of the Seventh-day Adventists, we, the delegates from the several State Conferences, hereby proceed to organize a General Conference, and adopt the following constitution for the government thereof:— Article I. This Conference shall be called the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, and shall be composed of delegates from the different State Conferences, and such ministers as shall have been employed as missionaries during any part of the year. Art. II. The officers of this Conference shall be a President, Secretary, Treasurer, and an Executive Committee of three, of whom the President shall be one. Art. III. The duties of the President and Secretary shall be such respectively as usually pertain to those offices. Art. IV. It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to receive and disburse means under the direction of the Executive Committee, and keep an account of the same, and make a full report thereof to the regular meetings of the Conference. Art. V. Section 1. It shall be the duty of the Executive Committee to take the general supervision of all ministerial labor, and see that the same is properly distributed; and they shall take the special supervision of all missionary labor, and as a missionary board shall have the power to decide where such labor is needed, and who shall go as missionaries to perform the same; and they shall audit and settle accounts with ministers and others in the employ of the Conference. Sec. 2. Means for missionary operations may be received by donation from State Conferences, churches or individuals; and the committee are authorized to call for means when needed. Sec. 3. When any State Conference desires ministerial labor from a minister not a resident within the bounds of such Conference, their request shall be made to the General Conference Executive Committee, and ministers sent by said Committee shall be considered under the jurisdiction of the Conf. Committee of such State: Provided, 1. That if such minister consider the State Committee inefficient, or their action so far wrong as to render his labor ineffectual, he may appeal to the General Conference Executive Committee: Provided, 2. That if such State Committee consider such minister inefficient, they may appeal to the General Conference Committee, who shall decide on the matter of complaint, and take such action as they may think proper. Sec. 4. The General Conference Executive Committee shall have power during the intervals between the yearly meetings, to license ministers who may be raised up in mission fields. Sec. 5. It shall be the duty of the ministers and others in the employ of the General Conference to make a written report to each annual meeting thereof of each day's occupation during the Conference year, or such portion of the year as they may have been in the employ of the Conference. Sec. 6. It shall be the duty of the Conference to select a committee of two laymen to act with the Executive Committee in the examination and settlement of accounts. Art. VI. Each State Conference shall be entitled to one delegate in the General Conference, and one additional delegate for every twenty delegates in the State Conference, such delegates to the General Conference to be chosen by the State Conferences or their Committees: Provided, That the delegates to such State Conferences be elected according to the following ratio, to wit: Each church to the number of twenty members or under shall be entitled to one delegate, and one delegate for every additional fifteen members. Art. VII. The officers shall be elected at the regular meetings of the Conference, and shall hold their offices for the term of one year, or until their successors are chosen. Art. VIII. Sec. 1. The regular meetings of the Conference shall be held annually, and the time and place of the same shall be determined by the Executive Committee, by whom due notice thereof shall be given through the REVIEW. Sec. 2. Special meetings may be called at the option of the committee. Art. IX. This Constitution may be altered or amended by a three-fourths vote of the members present at any meeting.