How Composed. The General Assembly shall be composed of ministerial and lay delegates in equal numbers, elected thereto by district assemblies of the Church of the Nazarene; such ex-officio members as the General Assembly shall from time to time direct; and such delegates of districts under the administration of the Global Mission Committee of the Church of the Nazarene as may be provided for by the General Assembly.
Index: General Assembly
25.2
Election of Delegates. At a district assembly within 16 months of the meeting of the General Assembly or within 24 months in areas where travel visas or other unusual preparations are necessary, an equal number of ministerial and lay delegates to the General Assembly shall be elected by plurality vote, provided that the ministerial delegates shall be assigned ordained ministers of the Church of the Nazarene. Each Phase 3 assembly district shall be entitled to at least one ministerial and one lay delegate, and such additional delegates as its membership may warrant on the basis of representation fixed by the General Assembly. Each assembly district shall elect alternate delegates not exceeding twice the number of its delegates. In situations where travel visas are problematic, a district assembly may authorize the District Advisory Board to select additional alternates. (203.23, 301–301.1)
25.3
Credentials. The secretary of each district assembly shall furnish certificates of election to the delegates and alternates severally elected to the General Assembly, and shall also send certificates of such elections to the general secretary of the Church of the Nazarene immediately following the adjournment of the district assembly.
25.4
203.23
To elect, by ballot, at a session within 16 months of the meeting of the General Assembly, or within 24 months in areas where travel visas or other unusual preparations are necessary, all of the lay delegates and all but one of the ministerial delegates, since one shall be the district superintendent. Every Phase 3 district assembly shall be entitled to representation at the General Assembly by an equal number of ministerial and lay delegates. The district superintendent at the time of the General Assembly shall be one of the ministerial delegates, and the remaining ministerial delegates shall be ordained ministers. In case the district superintendent is unable to attend, or in case there has been a vacancy and the new district superintendent has not been appointed, the properly elected alternate shall be seated in the district superintendent’s place. The Nominating Committee shall submit a nominating ballot containing at least six times the number of delegates eligible from that district in each category, ministerial and lay. From these nominees, the number of names for the electing ballot will be reduced to no more than three times the number to be elected. Then, the allowed delegates and alternates shall be elected by plurality vote, according to paragraphs 301.1–301.3. Each district assembly may elect alternates not to exceed twice the number of delegates. In situations where travel visas are problematic, a district assembly may authorize the District Advisory Board to select additional alternates. Delegates elected are expected to attend faithfully all meetings of the General Assembly from opening to closing unless providentially prevented. (25.1–25.3, 301.1–301.3, 303, 332.1)
300.1
300.2
The General Assembly shall elect officers and organize for transaction of business. (25.7)
300.3
Rules of Order. Subject to applicable law, the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws of government in the Manual, meetings and proceedings of the Church of the Nazarene, local, district, and general, and the committees of the corporation shall be regulated according to Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (latest edition) for parliamentary procedure. (35)
301
The General Assembly shall be composed of ministerial and lay delegates in equal numbers from each Phase 3 district, the district superintendent serving as one of the assigned ordained ministerial delegates, remaining assigned ordained ministerial delegates and all lay delegates elected by district assemblies; general superintendents emeriti and retired; general superintendents; Global Nazarene Missions International president; Global Nazarene Youth International chair; Church of the Nazarene, Inc. officers and directors who report to the plenary of the General Board; one-half of the regional International Board of Education school presidents from each region will be voting members, and the other one-half will be non-voting members, with the number and selection process determined by the International Board of Education; Nazarene Publishing House president; Pensions and Benefits International director; Stewardship Ministries global director; Church of the Nazarene Foundation president; Research Services global director; and one General Board-commissioned missionary delegate per region elected by the assigned contracted missionaries serving in that region. In the absence of such election the missionary representative shall be elected by the Global Mission Committee.
301.1
Each Phase 3 district shall be entitled to representation in the General Assembly by: one assigned ordained minister and one layperson for the first 4,000 or fewer full church members, and one additional assigned ordained minister and one additional layperson for the next 4,000 full members, and for each successive additional 4,000 full members. “Assigned ordained minister” shall include elders and deacons. (See chart below.)
Number of Full Members Number of Delegates
0–4,000 2 (1 lay, 1 ministerial)
4,001–8,000 4 (2 lay, 2 ministerial)
8,001–12,000 6 (3 lay, 3 ministerial)
12,001–16,000 8 (4 lay, 4 ministerial)
16,001–20,000 10 (5 lay, 5 ministerial)
20,001–24,000 12 (6 lay, 6 ministerial)
24,001–28,000 14 (7 lay, 7 ministerial)
28,001–32,000 16 (8 lay, 8 ministerial)
32,001–36,000 18 (9 lay, 9 ministerial)
Etc.