General Council Votes to Extend State Overseer Terms
Orlando, FL–The International General Council, meeting during the 75th International General Assembly, moved to give state overseers more time to implement their vision at future appointments by doubling their term of office to four years in a significant vote during Thursday’s session on the Main Hall floor.
If the International General Assembly passes the agenda item in today’s final voting session, the amendment to the Minutes of the International General Assembly will go into effect at the beginning of the 2016 General Assembly term.
After much consideration, the body of ordained bishops voted to keep intact 12-year term limits in non-mission states. They also referred four agenda items related to state overseer orientation back to the International Executive Council. The body seemed to agree with the sentiment of Dr. Gene D. Rice, who spoke in opposition to eliminating term limits.
“If you give them forever to do it, it’ll take them forever to do it,” Dr. Rice said from the floor, inspiring an immediate call to vote.
State overseers previously served appointments in two-year increments. Though the International Executive Committee still reserves the authority to remove or reassign state overseers any time it’s deemed necessary during any given term, Thursday’s vote is a large step toward giving state overseers the additional time needed to impact real change and allow for better continuity at the state government level.
The Church of God International General Assembly concludes today with a 1:00-5:00p.m. session of the General Assembly,the body of all registered delegates 16 years of age and older that debates and/or ratifies the business conducted by the General Council earlier this week. Closing out the event this evening will be special speaker Samuel Rodriguez, director of the National Hispanic Leadership Conference.
