How to get elected as a board member of a general agency
By Rich Peck
#1
After General Conference, the bishop and annual conference delegates to General and jurisdictional conferences will nominate persons to a jurisdictional pool.
People may also be nominated from the floor of each annual conference in 2008. The conference will elect at least 15 and not more than 45 people to the jurisdictional pool. Elected people should include two racial and ethnic persons from each of five ethnic groups, and not more than five persons in each of the following seven categories: clergy (at least one woman), laywomen, laymen, youth, young adults, older adults, and persons with handicapping conditions. These should not be considered maximums; more than one clergy woman may be elected and more than five persons with handicapping conditions may be elected. One person may fill several categories.
#2
If you have been elected as a delegate to General or jurisdictional conference, you will automatically be included in the pool.
If you are not a delegate, additional nominations will be made following your conference’s rules of order. If there are fewer than 45 people nominated, your name will be added to the list. If there are more than 45, there will be a run-off election. That is seldom the case.
#3
Once you have been elected to the pool, you will be asked to list three general church agencies on which you would like to serve and your order of preference.
You will also be asked to prepare a 100-word biographical statement citing your experiences, training, gifts, and qualifications for membership on the agencies of your choice. Also list the categories that you fill, such as ethnicity, gender, ordination, age, and handicapping conditions. You will also want to include experiences which uniquely qualify you to serve on a particular agency. For example, if you are a college professor, you have a perspective that would be helpful to the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. If you are a television producer, you could make major contributions to the General Commission on Communication (UMCom).
#4
Your name, qualifications, and categories that you fill will be submitted to a Jurisdictional Nominating Committee.
The Jurisdictional Nominating Committee will recommend a slate of persons to serve on boards of the general agencies. It is recommended that the membership of each general agency be inclusive, not just the slate.
If you are not elected by the jurisdictional committee, your name will be sent to the Connectional Table to be used by the general agencies as a pool from which additional members may be elected.
#5
At that point, each general agency will select members at large.
Obviously, if you know the general secretary, key staff people, or directors of the agency on which you would like to serve, your chances of being selected to serve on that agency are greatly improved. Be aware of the fact that agencies are encouraged to have 30 percent racial and ethnic persons and incorporate one-third clergy, one-third laymen and one-third laywomen. When possible, at least 10 percent of the membership of each general agency should be divided between youth and young adults. Of course, the agency will also be looking for people who have special expertise in the area of ministry for which it is responsible.