Doctrines and Discipline of the Free Methodist Church of North America - 1939 Edition

CHAPTER XII 

THE QUARTERLY CONFERENCE

     ¶ 173. 1. The quarterly conference shall be com posed of the traveling preachers and the members of the official boards of the districts.

     2. Four sessions of the quarterly conference shall be held each year, in connection with the general quarterly meetings, at such times and places as it may designate, provided, however, that upon the written request of one-half of the preachers on the district and an equal number of lay members, who are members of the quarterly conference, the district elder may call a special session. 1 For exception, see Paragraph 208(4).

     3. The district elder shall be president of the quarterly conference, and in his absence, or in the absence of an elder whom he may appoint, the quarterly conference shall elect one of its members amenable to the annual conference to preside.

     4. A secretary shall be elected by the quarterly conference, who shall keep a faithful record of its proceedings, and shall send the said record to the annual conference for its examination. The quarterly conference shall also elect a treasurer for the district

     5. The quarterly conference shall have the right

     6. The quarterly conference shall

     (1) Hear complaints.

     (2) Try appeals.

     (3) Grant and renew licenses to preach.

     (4) License band workers.

     (5) Recommend suitable persons to the annual conference to be employed as traveling preachers.

     (6) Recommend suitable persons to the annual conference to receive deaconess license.

     (7) Recommend suitable persons to the annual conference to receive ordination as deacons, or elders.

     (8) Elect a district superintendent of the Y. P. M. S. The district W. M. S. may nominate the superintendent and so also may the district Y. P. M. S.

     (9) In connection with the district elder, appoint and hold camp-meetings as the interests of the cause of God may require.

     ¶ 174. No person shall be licensed as a local preacher until he has been previously licensed as an exhorter and has been recommended by the official board of the circuit to which he belongs, and until he has first been examined by the quarterly conference, or district elder, in regard to his soundness in doc trine, and his piety, gifts, and usefulness have been duly considered. No one shall be licensed until satisfactory answers are given to all the questions found in Paragraph 182 of the Discipline: “Of the Examination of Those Who Think They are Moved by the Holy Ghost to preach.”

Order of Business for Quarterly Conference

     ¶ 175. 1. Call to order, by district elder, or, in his absence, by the secretary.

     2. Devotional exercises.

     3. Calling of the roll. (At the first session of the year a roll should be made out and then called.)

     4. Election of secretary.

     5. Election of treasurer.

     6. Beading of the minutes of previous session.

     7. Financial report of district elder.

     8. Report of treasurer.

     9. Reports from committees.

     10. Is there any unfinished business?

     11. Is there any new business?

     12. Are there any complaints?

     13. Arc there any appeals?

     14. Shall we hold any camp meetings this year? If so, how many? When? Where?

     15. Are there any recommendations for local preacher’s license? For evangelist’s license? For band worker’s license?
     
     16. Reports from preachers on condition of their charges, Sunday schools, and the number of copies of Free Methodist taken.

     17. Reports from evangelists and deaconesses.

     18. Report of district superintendent of the Y. P. M. S.

     (Questions 19 to 27, last session of year only)

     19. Are there any licenses to be renewed? (All licenses previously granted should be renewed at the last session of the conference year.) Local preachers’? Evangelists’? Are there any deaconesses to be recommended to the annual conference for renewal of license or for permanent license?

     20. Are there any suitable persons to be recommended to the annual conference for reception on trial?

     21. Are there any women evangelists to be recommended for a seat in the annual conference?

     22. Are there any evangelists to be recommended for annual conference license?

     23. Are there any women to be recommended to the annual conference for deaconess’ license?

     24. Are all the local elders, local deacons, evangelists and deaconesses licensed the annual conference, blameless in life and faithful and efficient in service? (All preachers, evangelists and deaconesses should retire while their characters or their licenses are under consideration. Evangelists licensed by the annual conference shall make a report of their work to the quarterly conference, and in case of failure to do so, the quarterly conference may recommend to the annual conference that said license be revoked.)

     25. Annual report of the district board of trustees;

     26. Are the corporate seal, record books and valuable documents of the district quarterly conference deposited for safe keeping? If so, where?

     27. Are there any recommendations to the annual conference for ordination? As elder? As deacon?

     28. When, and where, shall our next session be held?

     29. Reading and approval of minutes.

     30. Adjournment.

 

1 It shall not he considered a violation of Par. 173, sec. 2, of the Discipline for a quarterly conference to order a session to be held outside its geographical limits when two or more districts are uniting to hold joint district or annual conference camp meetings or conventions, to review the- records of the official boards of the district at its discretion or on demand of the quarterly conference or the district elder and pass upon whatever is not in harmony with the Discipline or violates parliamentary law.