United Church of God, an International Association
Council of Elders Meeting Report
December 31, 2004 – Teleconference

The Council met in teleconference today to review and consider its actions in regard to one proposed amendment to the United Church of God Constitution and six proposed amendments to the Bylaws. All Council members except Joel Meeker (who was traveling) were present for the teleconference.

At this point in the process, the Council needed to decide whether or not it supports the inclusion of the proposed amendments on the ballot to be voted on by the elders at the 2005 Annual Meeting of the General Conference of Elders. Support is indicated by at least four Council members voting in favor of placing the proposed amendment on the ballot. If the Council does not support a proposed amendment, it is returned to the Amendment Committee, which will then forward it to the GCE for their consideration. The proposed amendment will appear on the ballot if at least 25 percent of the members of the GCE vote in favor of doing so. If the Council does not support a proposed amendment, it also has the option of writing a statement of concern, to explain its concerns about the proposal. The statement is sent to each member of the GCE along with the proposed amendment when they vote on whether they want to see the proposed amendment on the annual ballot. The decision to write a statement of concern requires support by a simple majority of the Council.

The discussion was led by Robert Dick, chairman of the Council's Ethics, Roles and Rules Committee.

The Council voted in favor of inclusion on the ballot of the following proposed amendments:

• Bylaw 8.2.1, which would remove the term limit that currently restricts the chairman of the Council to two consecutive two-year terms.
• Bylaw 12.2.2.6, which would prevent the Amendment Committee from rejecting, or recommending that the Council reject, any proposed amendment that meets all the necessary constitutional and bylaw requirements.
• Bylaw 12.2.2.12, which would provide a solution in the event that two or more conflicting amendments submitted on the same section of a governing document are passed by the GCE.
• Article 5.1.1 of the Constitution, which would define the meaning of the phrase “in attendance” in reference to elders participating in meetings of the GCE.

The Council did not favor the inclusion on the ballot of the following proposed amendments:

• Bylaws 7.9.2, 7.9.2.1, 12.2.2.9 and 12.2.2.11, which would lower the threshold of GCE support needed for a proposed amendment to appear on the annual ballot from 25 percent to 10 percent. The Council voted to provide a statement of concern.
• Bylaw 8.2, which seeks to limit an elder to two consecutive three-year terms of service on the Council of Elders. The Council will provide a statement of concern.
• Bylaw 8.3.1, which would require that there be at least one elder on the Council who is neither employed by nor retired from employment with the Church. The Council will provide a statement of concern.

The Council also voted to write a statement of concern to accompany the proposed amendment of Bylaw 12.2.2.8, as mentioned in the meeting reports for December 10 and 20, 2004.

Clyde Kilough reminded the Council that January 18, 2005, is the deadline for submission of the statements of concern. He requested that the members who will write the statements distribute them to the rest of the Council via e-mail so all will be able to make suggestions and offer input. On January 17 the Council will vote formally to adopt the final versions of the statements.

Don Henson

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© 2004 United Church of God, an International Association