GENERAL council

Delegate Information

If I’m an Official Worker, is my spouse an Official Delegate, a Lay Delegate, or a Corresponding Delegate? What’s the difference? How many lay people can attend from our church as Lay Delegates? These are some of the most common inquiries that we field every two years regarding District Conference. The following guide will attempt to address these questions.

Official Delegates An Official Worker is an Official Delegate to District Conference. Official Delegates have full voting rights and no special certificate is required. Simply complete the online registration.

Lay Delegates Each church can send some members to District Conference as Lay Delegates. They need to be approved by the Governing Board and the decision properly noted in the church Governing Board minutes. Additionally, there is a Lay Delegate Certificate that must be completed, signed by the Secretary of the Governing Board, and returned to the District Office. If a church does not have elders, the District Superintendent can authorize Lay Delegates. Online registration is also required. Churches with average attendance of less than 150 people per week may send two Lay Delegates to District Conference. For churches with average attendance of more than 150 people per week, one delegate may be added for each additional 100 people. Corresponding Delegates Corresponding Delegates are recognized attendees to District Conference, but do not have voting privileges. Elder approval is not required, nor is a formal certificate, however they do need to register online.

Spouses of Official Workers A spouse of an Official Worker can attend either as a Lay Delegate or a Corresponding Delegate. The difference simply lies in whether or not the church Governing Board wishes to send them as a Lay Delegate.

Additional Reminders • Everyone attending District Conference must register online.
• All Lay Delegate Certificates must be sent into the District Office.
• Attendance by Official Workers is required unless excused by the District Superintendent.

Council Grant Info

The 2025 Council Grant is in the amount of $1,000 for each official worker who attends Council. In addition, a grant in the amount of $750 is available for an accredited lay delegate (not a spouse of an official worker).

The process for obtaining the grant for either an official worker or an accredited lay delegate is simple – when a completed 2025 Council Registration email is received from The Alliance, simply forward that email to Scott Thorson (sthorson@rmdcma.com) at the RMD Office and a check will be issued to the local church. It would be our goal to send only one check for all registrations to each church, if at all possible. If an official worker is subsequently not able to attend the 2025 Alliance Council, the $1,000 grant shall be returned to the District. This would also be the case if an accredited lay delegate was not able to attend and a new accredited delegate is not appointed to attend. If you have any questions regarding the RMD Council Grant, please email Scott Thorson or call the District Office at 406.656.4233.