Extracts from the BUGB CIO Constitution

12. The Assembly

12.1. Composition of the Assembly

The Assembly shall comprise of:

12.1.1. Organisational Members of the Union

12.1.1.1. An organisation in membership of the Union under clause 11.2.1 may, in accordance with its usual decision-making process, authorise a person or persons to act as its delegate or delegates at any Meeting of the Assembly.

12.1.1.2. Delegates shall be appointed by Organisational Members for each Meeting of the Assembly. At a Meeting of the Assembly the delegate (or delegates as the case may be) is entitled to exercise the same powers on behalf of the Organisational Member as the Organisational Member could exercise as an individual Member of the Union. Each delegate shall exercise a separate vote on any matter to be decided.

12.1.1.3. Each Church in membership with the Union and having a membership not exceeding 100 members may appoint one delegate; those with 101-199 members two delegates; and those with 200 or more members three delegates to attend the Assembly on behalf of the Church in question.

12.1.1.4. Each College in membership with the Union may appoint two delegates to attend a Meeting of the Assembly on behalf of the College in question.

12.1.1.5. Each Association in membership with the Union may appoint two delegates to attend a Meeting of the Assembly on behalf of the Association in question.

12.1.2. Personal Members of the Union

A person in membership of the Union under clause 11.2.2.

12.1.3. Ministerial Members of the Assembly

The Ministerial Members of the Assembly are:

12.1.3.1. Accredited Ministers save for those who are retired;
and

12.1.3.2. ministers and assistant ministers and ministers in training of Baptist Churches in membership with the Union.

12.1.4. Ex-officio Members of the Assembly

The Council of the Union as defined in clause 18; and

12.1.5. Associate Members of the Assembly

Retired Accredited Ministers whose last church was in membership with the Union, retired deaconesses and retired missionaries of the Baptist Missionary Society.

20. Presidency of the Union

20.1. The Union may have a President who shall be the Vice-President of the previous year and shall take office at the annual Assembly. The Vice-President shall take office at the annual Assembly.

20.2. The Vice-President shall be elected annually by the Personal Members of the Union and the Representative Members*.

20.3. Nominations (which must receive the consent of the nominees before being submitted) may be received from the Council (voting by ballot) from any Association in membership with the Union or from any twenty-five Representative Members of the Assembly acting jointly.

20.4. All nominations must be forwarded in writing addressed to the General Secretary not later than 31st December in each year. If no nomination is received for the office of Vice-President then the Vice-President will be nominated by the Council.

20.5. A nomination may not be withdrawn, save under exceptional circumstances with the consent of the Trustee Board.

20.6. The election shall be according to the principle of a simple majority unless there are more than two nominations for the office of Vice-President. If there are more than two nominations, the election shall be according to the principle of the Alternative Vote.

20.7. In the election for the Vice-President, Representative Members of the Assembly (other than persons appointed as delegates to attend Meetings of the Assembly on behalf of Organisational Members of the Union) shall each be entitled to one vote and each Organisational Member of the Union shall have the same number of votes as the number of delegates it is entitled to appoint to the Assembly under clause 12.1.

20.8. Should the President or the Vice-President die, resign, or become incapacitated, the vacancy so caused may be filled by the Council.

20.9. For the purposes of this constitution, service as Vice-President, President and Ex-President of the Unincorporated Baptist Union of Great Britain will be counted as if it was service in each role in the Union and as at the date of the registration of the Union as a charitable incorporated organisation the Vice-President, President and Ex-President of the Unincorporated Baptist Union of Great Britain will automatically become the Vice-President, President and Ex-President of the Union respectively.

* "Representative Members" means persons appointed as delegates to attend Meetings of the Assembly on behalf of Organisational Members of the Union, Ministerial Members of the Assembly and Ex-Officio Members of the Assembly.