National sovereignty shall be respected. No national conference has the authority to tell another national conference what to do. At the same time, a national conference may decide to discontinue its involvement in a cooperative venture. National conferences should have an international vision, and should consider ways in which they can serve the international church. Representation at the international level shall focus on people, not on monetary resources.
Vision needs to be set at the national conference level.
We value the connections between United Brethren national conferences, and want to ensure that communication, resource-sharing, and mutual ministry occurs among them. The various national conferences will adopt rules, procedures, and standards to better govern themselves and exemplify Christ. The 1997-2001 Discipline is the natural starting point. However, the national conferences will adapt it as they develop their own constitutions and bylaws, and will continually revise those documents and add material unique to themselves. Historically, the United Brethren church has not avoided taking stands on important moral and social issues, whether relating to personal holiness or society as a whole.