PERMANENT RULES OF ORDER FOR THE JURISDICTIONAL ASSEMBLY OF HEADQUARTERS ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST, INC 1. 1. CHAIR; MEETING SCHEDULE (a) The Jurisdictional Assembly ( Assembly ) shall have a Chair that is a Pastor appointed by the Jurisdictional Bishop and approved by the Assembly. (b) The Jurisdictional Assembly shall meet on the Saturday of the annual Workers Meeting and the annual State Holy Convocation of each year unless specified otherwise by this body. 2. MEMBERSHIP 2 The following shall qualify as delegates to the Jurisdictional Assembly: (a) Jurisdictional Bishop (b) Supervisor of Women s Department (c) Chair (d) General Counsel (e) Secretary (f) Pastors of local churches (g) Ordained Elders (h) National officers (i) Jurisdictional Department Heads (j) One Lay delegate elected from each district (k) Any and all delegates as determined by the Jurisdictional Assembly 3. DUTY OF THE CHAIR TO CONVENE THE JURISDICTIONAL ASSEMBLY; QUORUM; MINUTES The Chair shall call the delegates to order at the day and hour to which the Jurisdictional Assembly has been adjourned and shall have the Secretary call the roll. A quorum shall consist of a majority of the membership of the Jurisdictional Assembly. Upon the appearance of a quorum, a motion shall be made to correct and/or approve the minutes of the preceding session, either of which may be approved upon a vote of a majority of the membership of the Jurisdictional Assembly. The minutes shall be signed by the Secretary, but shall not be read unless required by a majority vote of the delegates present and voting. Absent a motion to approve, the Chair may announce that the minutes stand approved without objection. 1 These rules shall not be in conflict with the Charter, Constitution, laws, rules and regulations of the Church of God in Christ, Inc. All members of the Jurisdictional Assembly must be in good standing and fellowship with the Church of 2 God in Christ, Inc.
4. OTHER DUTIES OF THE CHAIR (a) Direction & Appeals. The Chair shall have general direction of the Jurisdictional Assembly and shall preserve order and decorum. The Chair may speak to a point of order before other delegates and shall decide questions of order subject to appeal by any delegate to the Jurisdictional Assembly. Appeals shall be decided by majority vote of the delgates present and voting. The Chair shall state or put the question before the vote is taken. (b) Chair as an advocate. Should the Chair of the Jurisdictional Assemly desire to speak upon any subject either in the negative or the affirmative he may do so, provided he vacates the chair. In such instances, the Secretary shall preside or if he be unable to preside, a delegate designated by the Chair shall preside until the matter under consideration has been disposed of by the Jurisdictional Assembly. However, without vacating the chair, the Chair may answer questions, provide information, give explanations, or suggest a proper procedural course. The Chair may also briefly comment on the merits of any issue. (c) Agenda and Sponsorship of Items. (i) (ii) The agenda for meetings shall be approved by the Chair. No Item shall be placed on the agenda unless approved by the Chair. (d) Assistance by the Chair. The Chair shall assist the Jurisdictional Assembly by requesting such technical, legal, accounting and other necessary assistance as may be required by the Jurisdictional Assembly collectively or individually to be able to reach any conclusions regarding Items presented to the Jurisdictional Assembly. (c) Pastors and Elders Council. The Chair shall serve as the Chair of the Pastors and Elders Council of Headquarters Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction so long as he is the Chair of the Jurisdictional Assembly. 5. ABSENCE OF THE CHAIR If the Chair shall be absent or unable to preside, the Assembly shall designate a Chair protempore that shall assume the chair and the powers and duties of the Chair. If the Chair protempore is also absent or unable to preside, the Secretary shall call the meeting to order, accept nominations and then call the roll for the election of a temporary Chair. 6. DEATH OR RESIGNATION OF AN OFFICER In the event of the death or resignation of the Chair, the Jurisdictional Bishop shall designate a Chair pro-tempore that shall assume the duties of the Chair until a new election can be held for!2
the purpose of electing a Chair. If a vacancy occurs in the office of Chair pro-tempore, a new election shall be held for the purpose of electing a Chair pro-tempore. 7. ORDER OF BUSINESS IN JURISDICTIONAL ASSEMBLY SESSION; ADJOURNMENT The Chair shall call the delegates to order in accordance with Rule 3 and shall then call for: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) Opening prayer. Opening of the Assembly by the General Counsel or other persons designated by the Chair. The Secretary to call the roll. Motion to approve the minutes of the previous Jurisdictional Assembly session. Elections, appointments and confirmations. Announcements and statements. Adjournment. 8. DUTIES OF DELEGATES TO CHAIR; RECOGNITION (a) General Rules on Recognition. In a meeting of the Jurisdictional Assembly, delegates shall address the Chair from the floor. No delegate shall be recognized by the Chair unless the delegate is on the floor. The delegate who shall first address the Chair shall be entitled to speak first, but when two (2) or more delegates shall seek recognition at the same time, the Chair shall name the delegate who shall speak first. When any delegate is about to speak or deliver any matter whatsoever to the Jurisdictional Assembly, the delegates shall respectfully address themselves to the Chair and, after being recognized by the Chair, shall proceed, confining remarks strictly to the question under debate and avoiding all personal references to other delegates. No delegate shall address another delegate on the floor in the second person, absent permission from the Chair. (b) Limits on Recognition and Debate. In a meeting of the Jurisdictional Assembly, no delegate shall speak more than twice on the same subject without leave of the Chair. Delegates who have once spoken shall not be entitled to speak again to the exclusion of another who has not spoken except for purposes of explanation or parliamentary inquiry or point of order. 9. TRANSGRESSION OF RULES BY DELEGATES If any delegate, speaking or otherwise, transgresses the rules of the Jurisdictional Assembly, the Chair shall call the delegate to order. The delegate so called to order shall immediately cease speaking unless permitted to explain while awaiting the ruling on the point. The point of order shall be decided by the Chair, subject to an appeal by any delegate to the Jurisdictional Assembly. After the decision is rendered, the delegate having the floor may proceed if the ruling be in favor of the delegate.!3
10. EVERY MOTION TO BE SECONDED Every motion must be seconded by a delegate other than the proponent of the motion and upon not receiving a second, the Chair shall declare the motion failed for lack of a second. 11. DEBATABLE MOTIONS All motions shall be subject to debate except the following: (a) motion to adjourn, (b) motion to lay on the table, and (c) motion for the previous question. However, the proponent of any measure sought to be tabled shall have the right to be heard after the motion to table is made and before the motion to table is put to a vote. 12. PRECEDENCE OF MOTIONS When any question or motion is under debate by the Jurisdictional Assembly, only motions permitted by Robert s Rules of Order, latest revised edition, may be entertained by the Chair and the Jurisdictional Assembly. 13. MOTION TO RECONSIDER (a) When a question has been made and carried either affirmatively or negatively, any delegate voting with the prevailing side may move for its reconsideration. A motion to reconsider final action by the Jurisdictional Assembly on an Item or motion carried in the affirmative shall be made before the effective date of the Item. (b) A motion to reconsider a question carried in the negative shall be made before the approval of the minutes for the session in which the Item or motion was voted upon. An affirmative vote of a majority of the membership of the Jurisdictional Assembly is required in order to reconsider a question. A delegate who is absent or passes will not be entitled to make a motion to reconsider. Any delegate may second a motion to reconsider. Once an Item that failed is no longer subject to reconsideration, the Item may be placed on the agenda as a new Item, if at least 90 days has passed since approval of the minutes of the meeting at which the Item failed. 14. MANNER OF VOTING Immediately prior to the vote in any Assembly, the Chair shall put the question in this form, All those delegates in favor of [the action] shall signify by saying aye ; All those delegates who are opposed shall signify by saying nay. 15. AMENDMENT OR SUSPENSION OF RULES!4
No standing rule of order of the Jurisdictional Assembly shall be amended, except by a majority vote of the legally constituted body. Amendments shall take effect immediately upon adoption, except where provided otherwise by the Jurisdictional Assembly. No standing rule of order of the Assembly shall be suspended, except by a vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the delegates present and voting. 16. ROBERT S RULES OF ORDER TO GOVERN If any question arises which is not provided for in these Rules, the same shall be governed by the current edition of Robert s Rules of Order, which is hereby adopted. If there be any conflict between these Rules and Robert s Rules, these Rules shall prevail. 17. ABSTENTION FROM VOTING ON A QUESTION OF DIRECT PERSONAL INTEREST A delegate should abstain from voting on any Item in which he or she has a direct pecuniary interest. The delegate should refrain from discussing the merits of any Item on which he or she has abstained from participating. However, a delegate may discuss the merits of any Item which he has a direct pecuniary interest if disclosure of the direct pecuniary interest is made in the meeting minutes prior to discussing the Item. 18. PARLIAMENTARY OR PROCEDURAL MOTIONS (a) Approval of Procedural Motions. Except as otherwise expressly provided in these Rules, all motions made in the Assembly and all parliamentary or procedural motions made in a meeting of the Assembly shall require a majority vote of the delegates present and voting yea or nay on such motions for approval. Delegates present who abstain or otherwise do not participate in the vote shall not be counted. (b) Approval of Resolutions and Ordinances. All substantive motions, such as motions to amend and motions to approve, made in a meeting of the Assembly for adoption or disposition of any Item before the Assembly shall require a majority vote of the membership of the Jurisdictional Assembly, unless otherwise required by applicable laws. 19. SPECIAL MEETINGS (a) Special meetings of the Jurisdiction Assembly may be called as follows:!5
(i) The Jurisdictional Bishop may convene the Jurisdictional Assembly as deemed necessary. (ii) The Chair may convene the Jurisdictional Assembly as deemed necessary. (b) Reasonable notice of the special meeting shall be made to all Pastors, Elders and designated officials of Headquarters Jurisdiction by the designated Secretary of the Assembly. (c) The call or notice shall specify the objects and purposes for which such special meeting is called. No other business but that contained in the call shall be transacted during such special meeting.!6