The General Assembly shall organize the membership of the church into district assemblies, giving such lay and ministerial representation therein as the General Assembly may deem fair and just, and shall determine qualifications of such representatives, provided, however, that all assigned ordained ministers shall be members thereof. The General [Assembly] Boundaries Committee shall [also] fix the boundaries of assembly districts[, and]. The General Assembly shall also define the powers and duties of district assemblies. (200–205.6)
Index: representation
25.1
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.
113.14
At the annual church meeting, there shall be an election, by ballot, of lay delegates to the district assembly, or, if approved by a majority vote of the church membership at the annual meeting, delegates may be recommended by the pastor and approved by the local church board on the basis of representation fixed by the General Assembly according to 201–201.2. All those elected as delegates shall be active members of that same local Church of the Nazarene. (107.3, 113.11)
201
Membership. The district assembly shall be composed of all assigned elders (532–532.3, 533–533.1, 536.9); all assigned deacons (531–531.4, 536.9); all assigned licensed ministers (530.8); all retired assigned ministers (534–534.1); the district secretary (216.2); the district treasurer (219.2); chairpersons of standing district committees reporting to the district assembly; any lay presidents of Nazarene institutions of higher education, whose local church membership is on the district; the District Sunday School and Discipleship Ministries International (SDMI) chairperson (239.2); the district age-group ministries international directors (children and adult); the District SDMI Board; the president of the District Nazarene Youth International (NYI) (240.4); the president of the District Nazarene Missions International (NMI) (241.2); the newly elected superintendent or vice superintendent of each local SDMI Board (146); the newly elected president or vice president of each local NYI (151); the newly elected president or vice president of each local NMI (153.2); or an appropriately elected alternate may represent the NMI, NYI, and SDMI organizations in the district assembly; those serving in assigned roles of ministry according to 503–526.1; the lay members of the District Advisory Board (221.4); lay career missionaries whose local church membership is on the district; all retired assigned lay career missionaries whose local church membership is on the district; and the lay delegates from each local church and church-type mission in the assembly district. (24, 113.14–113.15, 201.1–201.2)
201.1
Local churches and church-type missions in districts of fewer than 5,000 full church members shall be entitled to representation in the district assembly as follows: two lay delegates from each local church or church-type mission of 50 or fewer full church members, and one additional lay delegate for each successive 50 full church members and the final major part of 50 full church members. (24, 113.14–113.15, 201)
201.2
Local churches and church-type missions in districts of 5,000 or more full church members shall be entitled to representation in the district assembly as follows: one lay delegate from each local church or church-type mission of 50 or fewer full church members, and one additional lay delegate for each successive 50 full church members and the final major part of 50 full church members. (24, 113.14–113.15, 201)
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.
301.2
Each Phase 2 district shall be entitled to one assigned ordained minister and one layperson delegate to the General Assembly. The assigned ordained ministerial delegate shall be the district superintendent. An alternate will be elected for each delegate.
301.3
A Phase 1 district shall be entitled to one non-voting delegate to the General Assembly. The district superintendent shall be the delegate, providing he or she holds his or her membership on the district. If the district superintendent does not hold his or her membership on the district, an alternate who is a member of the district will be elected.
332.2
From the list of these candidates, the General Assembly delegates from each region shall nominate to the General Assembly as follows:
Each region of 100,000 or fewer full members shall nominate one assigned ordained minister and one layperson; each region exceeding 100,000 and up to 200,000 full members shall nominate two assigned ordained ministers, one district superintendent and one pastor or evangelist, and two laypersons; and one additional layperson and one additional assigned ordained minister for regions exceeding 200,000 full members, with the following provisions:
On those regions whose membership is in excess of 200,000 full members, one assigned ordained minister shall be a pastor or evangelist; another shall be a district superintendent; and the other assigned ordained minister may be in either category.
No district shall be entitled to more than two members on the General Board, and no region shall be entitled to more than six members (with the exception of institutional representatives and members of Nazarene Missions International {NMI} and Nazarene Youth International {NYI}). Whenever more than two candidates from a district receive a higher number of votes than candidates from other districts on the region, those on another district receiving the next highest number of votes shall be selected as nominees from the region. (305.6, 901.1)
In each region the layperson(s), the pastor or evangelist, and/or the district superintendent who receive the highest number of votes in their respective classifications shall be nominated by majority vote to the General Assembly. In the instance of the larger regions where six members are to be elected, the layperson and the assigned ordained minister who receive the next highest number of votes shall be the additional nominees.
If a Regional Advisory Council determines that it is likely that a majority of elected delegates will be prevented from attending the General Assembly, the regional caucus voting may be conducted via postal or electronic means within six months prior to the start of General Assembly. The specific process by which this postal or electronic nomination of General Board members to the General Assembly occurs shall be proposed by the Regional Advisory Council and submitted to the General Secretary’s office for approval prior to implementation.