nineteen hundred and forty-six - Amazon Web Services

66 SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION
43. Woman's Missionary Union Work was presented by the President,
Mrs. George R. Martin, Virginia, and Executive Secretary, Miss
Kathleen Mallory, Alabama; Courts Redford representing the Home
Mission Koard; M. T. Rankin representing the Foreign Mission
Board; and T. K. Van of Shanghai, China. The report was then
adopted.
44. Consideration of the report of the Committee on Revision
Constitution and By-Laws was resumed.
On motion of Geo. B. Fraser, District of Columbia, the follow
was adopted as Article XIV [changed later to Article XIII] of the
Constitution:
The District of Columbia shall be regarded as a state for the pur
Constitution, the By-Laws, and all actions of this Convention,
With speeches limited to three minutes, articles and sections
considered, amended, and approved seriatim, after which the Constitution
was adopted as a whole.
The By-Laws were similarly considered, amended, and adopted
as a whole.
REVISION OF CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
The Constitution and By-Laws have been rewritten from first to las
does not mean that a great many changes have been made or that the Committee
s work has been revolutionary. Some changes have been made and some
additions also, but m the main the meaning and substance of the report is the
same as the present constitution, although it is cast in different form.
There were several reasons for rewriting the whole document. First
have given headings to the articles and sections, so the reader can easily find
what he wants. Cross references in some instances will facilitate understanding.
I he advantage of these simple devices will be evident to every one.
We have rewritten everything, sometimes to clarify the meaning; to
unnecessary verbiage; to use more constitutional rather than popular language;
to make it as accurate, precise, and concise as possible.
The Constitution, Article II, the "Purpose," has been broadened so
to conform to the more complex work of the Convention now-a-days, and to
provide on advice of attorneys, ample ground in our fundamental law, for
certain types of work, which the lawyers were not sure were covered in our
present Constitution.
tuti^ 016 IH ° n membership is substantially the same as the present Consti
Article V is much the same; but the reader will note how much more
onS^ttrelT'ete! 18 P ara *Whs are made by suitable enumeration-
Article VI. Boards, has three or four changes:
1 Fifteen local members to be chosen from the city or vicinit- of the
Board's location, instead of eighteen as at present. •' ine
2. Not more than five of these from any one church. There have been
unintentional mistakes made by choosing too many of the W»i m!L,v +•
one church. Distribution of the membership ?hrough a TarlS n^h- *
churches in the city of the Board's home will promote flflowsMpfn the clurehe
hoodT^nSemYn? ° ^ C ° nCenSUS ° f ° Pini ° n ° f the Ioc ^ ^ he r-
3. States of 500,000 members may have an additional Board memh^- „A
for each additional quarter of a million another additional member Th; -ii
compensate for lessening the local membership to fifteen by maintain^ TiT
same total number, and will give the very large constituencies a mo •