300

The General Assembly is the supreme doctrine-formulating, lawmaking, and elective authority of the Church of the Nazarene, subject to the provisions of the church Constitution. (25.1–25.9)

300.1

The General Assembly shall be presided over by the general superintendents. (25.6, 307.3)

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.

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.

301.4

The right of an assigned ministerial delegate-elect to the General Assembly to represent the district assembly electing him or her shall be vacated in case he or she shall move to a new ministerial assignment on another district, or if the delegate-elect shall leave the active, assigned ministry of the Church of the Nazarene prior to the convening of the General Assembly. Any minister who has been granted official retirement status by a district would be ineligible to be nominated as a delegate or a delegate-elect to the General Assembly.

301.5

The right of a lay delegate-elect to the General Assembly to represent the district assembly electing him or her shall be vacated in case he or she shall remove his or her church membership to some local church on another district prior to the convening of the General Assembly.