World Council of Churches
CENTRAL COMMITTEE
Geneva, Switzerland
26 August - 3 September 2002

Procedures for the Election of the Search Committee


1. The Central Committee in 1987 defined the procedures for the election of the General Secretary (cf. Minutes 1987, App. V, pp 128ff). These were further expanded by the Central Committee in 1992 (cf. Minutes 1992, App. III, p. 147f). These procedures were reconfirmed by the Executive Committee in its meeting in September 2001 and are slightly adapted here in correspondence with the Central Committee schedule.

2. The procedures stipulate that

· the Search Committee shall have a total of 18 members from among the members of the Central Committee (list attached);
· 10 members of the Search Committee are to be elected in a direct election by the Central Committee, with every Central Committee member having 10 votes; failure to indicate 10 names will render the ballot invalid;
· the two Vice-Moderators of the Central Committee be ex officio members of the Search Committee;
· the remaining 6 members are to be appointed thereafter by the Executive Committee in order to assure proper confessional, geographical and gender balance in the membership of the Search Committee;
· the Moderator of the Search Committee is to be nominated by the Executive Committee from among the 10 members elected directly by the Central Committee.

3. The Executive Committee also agreed that for the formation of the Search Committee the same balances as for the Executive Committee will apply, i.e. at least 6 women, 5 Orthodox and 3 youth. The following geographical distribution is envisaged: 4 from Europe, 3 each from Africa, Asia, North America, 2 each from Latin America/Caribbean and the Middle East and 1 from the Pacific. No one should vote for more than one person from any one member church, or more than three from any one country, or more than four from any one region or confessional group;

4. Each Central Committee member will receive one numbered ballot sheet before lunch on Tuesday, 27 August. The completed ballot sheets will then be collected before lunch on Wednesday, 28 August, and shall be counted by 3 scrutineers appointed by Central Committee.

5. The Executive Committee will meet for a special session after dinner on Wednesday, 28 August, to receive the result of the Central Committee vote, to appoint the remaining 6 members of the Search Committee and to nominate the Moderator. The Executive Committee will bring its nomination of the Moderator and the report on the composition of the full Search Committee to the Central Committee for approval on Thursday, 29 August.