What is a Constituency Session and How Does it Impact Me?

If you have been a part of the Seventh-day Adventist Church for long enough, you will inevitably hear the term: Constituency Session. There usually seems to be a finality to the term when it is used. It often sounds big and heavy. In a lot of ways, that is true. To describe it simply, a Constituency Session is how our church operates.

As a member, a Constituency Session could seem uninteresting and uninviting. However, it is how our denomination as a whole is organized and how all members have the opportunity to help make decisions for the church. The decisions impact your local church, your local conference, your local union, your local division, and so on.

During Constituency Session for Upper Columbia Conference, officers and department directors are elected, amendments to the constitution and bylaws are considered, and committees are formed. This includes the executive committee, which provides guidance and governance for the conference throughout the term and makes decisions when the constituency is not in session.

Delegates are the driving force during a Constituency Session. These delegates are selected by all local churches in the conference and participate in voting along with the at-large delegates. At-large delegates consist of pastors and local conference personnel.

Though all members are invited to attend the Constituency Session, only delegates are allowed to address the constituents and vote.

This year is the 79^th Constituency Session of the Upper Columbia Conference and will be held on the campus of Upper Columbia Academy on Sunday, September 24.

To learn more about constituency sessions, you can read the article the North Pacific Union Gleaner published titled “How the Church Works.”