Document: “Fourteenth Meeting,” The General Conference Bulletin 7, no. 7 (May 23, 1913): 111-113. HTML, PDF.
Contents: The first Division Conference is organized during the 38th General Conference Session.
Fourteenth Meeting
May 22, 2:30 P. M.
W. T. Knox in the chair.
Prayer by M. N. Campbell.
W. T. Knox: When we adjourned, we were considering the report on the General Conference constitution. The secretary will read, beginning with Article IV, section 2.
By motions to amend and by common consent, the remainder of the report on the General Conference constitution, was amended to read as follows:—
Article IV, section 2, to read:—
“Sec. 2. The executive committee shall consist of the president, the vice-presidents, the secretary, the treasurer, the vice-presidents of division conferences, the presidents of union conferences, the superintendents of organized union missions, the secretaries in charge of duly organized departments; namely, the Publishing, Medical, Educational, Sabbath School, Religious Liberty, Young People’s Missionary Volunteer, North American Foreign, North American Negro,—and seven other persons.”
Article V, section 1, to read:—
“Section 1. The regular officers of this conference shall be a president, three vice-presidents, a secretary, a treasurer, an assistant treasurer, and an auditor, who shall be elected by the conference.”
Article V, section 3, to read:—
“Sec. 3. Vice-presidents: The president of the European Division Conference shall be one of the vice-presidents of the General Conference. His duties shall be such as are prescribed by the constitution of the Division Conference. He shall preside at the councils of the members of the General Conference executive committee which may be held in Europe, in the absence of the president of the General Conference.
“One of the vice-presidents shall labor in the North American Division, as the executive committee may advise, and, in the absence of the president, preside at the councils of the members of the executive committee which may be held in North America.
“One of the vice-presidents shall labor in the Asiatic Division, as the executive committee may advise, and, in the absence of the president, shall preside at the councils of the members of the executive committee, and at missionary conferences which may be held in the Asiatic Division.”
Article V, section 4, to read:—
“Sec. 4. The Secretary: It shall be the duty of the secretary to keep the minutes of the proceedings of the conference sessions and of the committee meetings, and to collect such statistics and other facts from division, union, and local conferences and missions, as may be desired by the conference or the executive committee, and to perform such other duties as usually pertain to such office.”
Article V, section 5, to insert after the word treasurer, “and the assistant treasurer.”
Article V, section 6, to read:—
“Sec. 6. Election of Officers: All officers of the conference, and the members of the executive committee except such members as are presidents of union conferences or superintendents of union mission fields, and excepting also the president and vice-presidents of division conferences, shall be chosen by the delegates at the regular quadrennial sessions of the General Conference, and shall hold their offices for the period of [p. 112] four years, or until their successors are elected, and appear to enter upon their duties.”
Article IV, section 1 of the by-laws to read:—
“This conference shall receive a tithe from all of its division, union, and local conferences, and the tithe of its union and local mission fields.”
No. 2 of the committee’s report, pertaining to a change recommended in the General Conference Corporation constitution, was also discussed. Question was called for on the whole report, and the report was unanimously adopted.
European Division Conference
W. T. Knox: The next business in order will be the consideration of the suggested constitution and by-laws for the European Division Conference.
W. W. Prescott: As the means of acting upon this constitution and by-laws, I move that the following action be taken:—
In response to the request of the European delegates to this conference for a European organization,—
Resolved, That we hereby authorize the accredited delegates from the following union conferences now present in this General Conference, namely, the British Union, the Central European Union, the Danube Union, the East German Union, the Latin Union, the Russian Union, the Scandinavian Union, and the West German Union,—to meet and organize the European Division Conference; and,— We recommend, That in organizing said conference, they adopt and act upon the following constitution and by-laws:—Constitution and By-laws of European Division Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
Article I—Name
This organization shall be known as the European Division Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
Article II—Territory
The territory of this conference shall be Europe; the Russian and the Turkish possessions in Asia; Persia, Arabia, and Afghanistan; and that part of Africa not included in Rhodesia, British Central Africa, and the Union of South Africa.
Article III—Object
The object of this conference is to teach the everlasting gospel of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Article IV—Membership
Section 1. The membership of this conference shall consist of:—
(a) Such union conferences as have been or shall be properly organized and accepted by vote.
(b) Such union mission fields as have been or shall be properly organized and accepted by vote.
(c) Such local conferences outside of any union as have been or shall be properly organized and accepted by vote.
(d) Missions, properly organized, not included in any union.
Sec. 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 division conference executive committee and the General Conference Committee.
(b) Such representatives of organized missions in the division as may be recommended by the executive committee, and accepted by the delegates in session.
Sec. 4. Regular delegates shall be such persons as are duly accredited by union conferences and by local conferences not included in any union.
Sec. 5. Each union conference shall he entitled to one delegate without regard to numbers, an additional delegate for each conference in its territory, and an additional delegate for each five hundred of its membership. Each local conference not included in any union conference shall be entitled to one delegate without regard to numbers, and to one additional delegate for each five hundred members.
Sec. 6. (a) Each union mission shall be represented in conference sessions by delegates chosen on the basis of one for the union mission, one for each organized mission within its territory, and one for each five hundred of its members.
(b) Each organized mission field outside of any union shall be entitled to one delegate.
(c) The delegates of union and local mission fields shall be appointed by the executive committee of the conference.
Article V—Executive Committee
Section 1. At each session, the conference shall elect an executive committee for carrying on its work between sessions.
Sec. 2. The executive committee shall consist of the president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, the presidents of the union conferences, the superintendents of organized union missions, one member each representing the publishing, medical, educational, young people’s, and Sabbath-school interests, and three additional persons. '
Article VI—Officers and Their Duties
Section 1. The regular officers of this conference shall be a president, a vice-president, a secretary, and a treasurer, who shall be elected by the conference. One or more auditors shall also be elected by the conference.
Sec. 2. President: The president shall act as chairman of the executive committee, and labor in the general interests of the conference, as the executive committee may advise.
Sec. 3. Vice-president: It shall be the duty of the vice-president to assist the president in his work, 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.
Sec. 4. Secretary: It shall be the duty of the secretary to keep the minutes of the conference sessions, and of the meetings of the executive committee, and to collect such data from union and local conferences and missions as may be desired by the conference or by the executive committee, and to perform such other duties as usually pertain to such office.
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 by the executive committee.
Sec. 6. Election of officers: All officers of the conference and members of the executive committee except such members as are presidents of union conferences or superintendents of union mission fields, shall be chosen by the delegates at the regular quadrennial session of the European Division Conference, and shall hold their offices for the period of four years, or until their successors are elected and appear to enter upon their duties.
Article VII—Incorporations, Departments, and Agents
Section 1. Such incorporations and departments may be created as the development of the work requires.
Sec. 2. At each regular session of this conference, the delegates shall elect such trustees of all corporate bodies connected with this organization as may be provided in the statutory laws governing each.
Sec. 3. The conference shall employ such committees, secretaries, treasurers, agents, ministers, missionaries, and other persons, and shall make such distribution of its laborers, as may be necessary to execute its work effectively. It shall also grant credentials or licenses to its ministers and missionaries.
Article VIII — Sessions
Section I. This conference shall hold quadrennial sessions at such date and place as the executive committee shall designate by a notice published in the European Division Quarterly at least six weeks before the date of the session.
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.
Article IX—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 of the European Division Conference.
Article X—Amendments
This constitution or its by-laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the voters present at any session, such amendments to be not inconsistent with the constitution of the General Conference, and provided, further, 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.
By-Laws
Article I—Executive Committee
Section 1. During the intervals between sessions of the conference, the executive committee shall have full administrative power, with authority to grant and withdraw credentials and licenses, and to fill for the current term any vacancies that may occur in its offices, boards, committees, or agents—by death, resignation, or otherwise—except in cases where other provision for filling such vacancies shall be made by vote of the conference. The withdrawal of credentials or filling of vacancies on the executive committee shall require [p. 113] the consent of two thirds of the members of the executive committee.
Sec. 2. Any five members of the executive committee, including the president or the vice-president, shall be empowered to transact such executive business as is in harmony with the general plans outlined by the committee, but the concurrence of all five members shall be necessary to pass any measure.
Sec. 3. Meetings of the executive committee may be called at any time or place by the president or vice-president; or such meeting may be called by the secretary, upon the written request of any five members of the executive committee.
Sec. 4. Previous to each session of the conference, the executive committee shall provide such temporary committees as may be necessary to conduct the preliminary work of the conference.
Sec. 5. At each session of the conference, the executive committee shall nominate for election the presiding officers of the conference.
Article II—Finance
Section 1. The Division Conference shall receive a tithe from all its union conferences, and from local conferences outside of any union, and the tithe of the union missions and local mission fields outside of any union.
Sec. 2. This conference shall pay a tithe of its regular tithe to the General Conference.
Sec. 3. The executive committee shall be authorized to call for such special donations as may be necessary to properly prosecute the work of the conference.
Sec. 4. The conference shall receive offerings devoted to missions.
Sec. 5. The conference shall receive any second or surplus tithes that may be turned over to it by any field.
Article III—Audits
Section 1. The executive officers shall have the accounts of the conference audited at least once each calendar year, and shall report upon the same to the executive committee of the conference at the annual sessions of the committee.
Sec. 2. The executive committee shall appoint annually four persons not in its employ, who, with the president, the vice-president, the secretary, the treasurer, and not less than five presidents of union conferences or superintendents of union mission fields, shall constitute a committee for auditing and settling all accounts against the conference.
W. J. Fitzgerald: I second the motion introduced by Brother Prescott.
The motion was put and carried, the delegation having previously studied in detail the constitution recommended, and making various changes, as will be noted by comparing the amended reprint with the copy printed in the Bulletin, on page 91.
The meeting adjourned, the congregation uniting in singing “Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love.”
W. T. Knox, Chairman,
W. A. Spicer, Secretary.