Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1925-03-26
TRANSMITTAL

lRANSM L lAL
We, the Commission on Unification
of NE Methodist Episcopal Church
and',9l Methodist Episcopal Church,
South, holding that these two churches
are essentially one church-one in Or
igin, in belief, in spirit, in purpose,
and in policy-and desiring that this
essential unity may be made actual in
organization and administration thru
out the world, do hereby propose and
transmit to our respective General
Conferences the following plan of TN
ification and recommend its adoption
by the two churches by the processes
which they respectively require
Article 1.-Declaration of Union
The Methodist Episcopal Church
and the Methodist Episcopal Church
South, shall be united in one church
with two jurisdictions, under con-
stitution, with General Conference
and two Jurisdictional Conferences.
Article 2.-Name
The name of the Church shall BE-
Article 3
Jurisdictions
Section |. Jurisdiction Number one
shall comprise all the churches, An
nual Conferences, Mission Conferen-
ces, and Missions now constituting the
Methodist Episcopal Church and any
other such Conferences and Missions
as may hereafter be organized by its
Turisdictional Conference with the ap-
proval of the General Conference.
Section 2. Jurisdiction Number two
shall comprise all the Churches, An
nual conferences, Mission Conferences
and Missions, now constituting the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South
and any other such Conferences and
Missions as may hereafter be organ
lied bvt he Jurisdictonal Conference
with the approval OF the General Con-
ference.
Article No. 1.-The Composition of
General and Jurisdictional Conferences
The General Conference and the
Jurisdictional Conferences shall be
composed of the same delegates. Said
delegates shall be elected by and from
the annual conferences, provided said
General and Jurisdictional Conferences
shall not have more than on minister
al delegate for every forty-t1ve mem
bers of each Annual Conference and
an equal number of lay delegates, chos
en- according to the regulations OF each
of the two Jurisdictions! but for the
fraction of two-thirds or more OF the
number fixed by the General Confer
ence as the ratio of representation,
an Annual Conference shall be en-
titled to an additional ministerial and
an additional Law delegate; and pro-
v;ded further that each Annual Con-
ference shall be entitled to at least one
Ministerial and one lay delegate.
Article 5.-The General Conference
Voting
Section /. Every vote in the Cen
era1 Conference shall be by Jursd1c-
tons and shall require the accepted
majority vote of each jurisdiction to be
effective.
Powers
Section g. Subject to the limita-
tons and restrictions oft he constitu-
tions. the General Conference shall
have full legislative power over all
matters dist;nctively correctional, and
in the exercise Of said power shall
have authority as follows:
/. To define and fix conditions,
privileges, and duties of church mem
bership. ,...
2. To define and fix the qual'fica-
tons and duties of elders, deacons,
local preachers, exhorters and deac-
oness.
8. To make provision for such or
ganization of the work of the united
church outside the United States as
may promptly consummate the. unity
of Episcopal Methodism in foreign
lands.
4. To define and fix the powers,
duties, and privileges of the epiisco-
pacy: to fix the number of Bishops
to be electAd by the respective Jurls-
dictional Conferences, and to provide
in harmony with the historic practice
of Episcopal Methodism, for their con
secration as Bishops of the whole
church.
S. To alter and change the Hymnal
and Ritual OF the Church, and to reg
ulate all matters relating to the Form
and Mode of Worship, subject to the
limitations OF the first Restrictive
Rule.
6. To provide for a judicial sys-
tenn and for a method of judicial pro-
cedure for the church, except as here
in otherwise provided.
I. To govern any and all enterprls-
cs and activities which may be agreed
upon as being OF a correctional char
acter.
8. To provide for the transfer of
members, preachers, Churches. pastor
al charges districts, Annual Conferen-
800 M;ce;o,, Co-farapcac and Miccinoc
in the United States from one Juris-
diction to the other, provided that no
transfer shall be made without the
consent of the member, preacher, the
church, pastoral charge, district, Ann
ua1 Conference, Mission Conference or
Mission that it is proposed to transfer.
Restrictive Rules
Section 3. In making rules and reg
ulations for the church, the General
Conference shall be under the foil
owing limitations and restrictions: :,
|. The General Conference shall
not revoke. alter, or change our Art1-
cles of Religion or establish any new
standards or rules of doctrine contrary
to our present existing and establish
ed standards of doctrine. :,
2. The General Conference shall
not change or alter any part or rule
of our government so as to do away
episcopacy, or destroy the plan of our
itinerant general superintendency. :.
3. The General Conference shall
not revoke or change the General rules
of the United Societies. :,
a. The General Conference shall
not do away with the privileges OF our
ministers or preachers of trial by
committee and of an appeal: neither