General Council

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THE GENERAL COUNCIL

The General Council is the highest policy and decision-making body of the Church as well as the final appellate body in all disciplinary matters affecting members of the Church.

COMPOSITION

  • The General Council of the Church consist of:
  • All Apostles (both active and retired)
  • All Prophets in Active Service
  • Members of The Executive
  • Trustees of The Church
  • All Senior Ministers in Active Service
  • Directors at the Headquarters
  • Representation from:
  • One Ascension Minister who should be the Area Staff Secretary from each Administrative Area;
  • The National Committee of each of the National Movements
  • The National Committee of the Ascension Ministers Wives’ Fellowship
  • All Area Presbytery Secretaries from each Administrative Area of the Church
  • One (1) representative of each Area Women’s Movement;
  • Two (2) Representatives of the Apostolic Professionals Network (APN);
  • National Committee of the Youth Ministry, Children and Teens
  • Two (2) Representatives of each Regional Campus Ministry as established by the Church including the Regional Campus Ministry Pastor
  • The Rector of The Apostolic University/ or Principal of the Apostolic College who shall be a member of the Church;
  • Two (2) Lecturers of the Apostolic University/Apostolic College appointed by the University/College Board who shall be members of the Church;
  • Chairpersons of all National Standing Committees and
  • Representatives from Areas of the International Mission Fields as follows:
    1. Area Superintendent
    2. Area Presbytery Secretary
  • Area Women’s Leader
    1. One (1) Ordained Ascension Ministers as in (f) above
    2. Leader of the Area Ascension Ministers Wives Fellowship

The functions of the General Council include:

  • electing the electable members of The Executive and other electable officers by secret ballot;
  • impeaching any member of the General Council on grounds of stated misconduct;
  • the composition or appointment of a Standing or Ad-Hoc Committee to advise it on policy formulation or investigation of a matter or to undertake any other assignment which the General Council deems necessary;
  • the final powers to ratify and promulgate an amendment to this Constitution by at least 2/3 majority of all the members of the General Council present and voting;
  • approving annual financial statements and budget proposals submitted by The Executive and also examining and approving audit reports;
  • the powers to require The Executive to submit annual financial statements, budget proposals and audited accounts for its consideration;
  • appointing external auditors to audit the accounts of the Church every year; and to receive their report through the President.
  • requesting the attendance of a representative(s) of the appointed external auditors to a session of its meeting where the report of the external auditors is an item of the Agenda to be discussed and if it deems their attendance necessary.

The General Council is mandated to meet once every year to discuss matters affecting the Church in general. For the avoidance of doubt, representatives to, of the General Council who attends for a particular year, shall be deemed to be the participants for that year and can only be changed in the next Ordinary Session of the General Council.

The President presides over all meetings of the General Council.

However, where the exigencies of the time demand, an emergency meeting may be convened at the instance of the President.