1. We strive for unity and respect, involving the participation of all assembled, as we deliberate decisions that shape the future of our conference.
2. During an open question period, you may indicate that you would like to speak by clicking on the “Raise Hand” function in Zoom. Please use the following protocol:
3. Wait for acknowledgement by the moderator and for your microphone to be turned on.
4. State your name, church, and community you come from.
5. Address the moderator. Delegates may not dialogue with each other during the question period.
6. Keep remarks to the point. Avoid repeating statements already made by another delegate.
7. Take care to confine remarks to the motion or resolution under discussion.
8. A delegate may speak to an issue more than once unless there are other delegates who wish to address an issue. A delegate should not ask for the floor more than 3 times on one issue. The mover of a motion may answer questions to a motion as often as they are raised.
9. Individuals other than delegates may be permitted to speak, subject to the decision of the moderator. The assembled delegates may, by a simple majority vote, override the decision of the chair.
10. Only delegates are permitted to vote.
11. For online delegates, the “Digital Voting Policy for Conventions of the Conference” will be followed. Additional instructions may be provided by the Moderator regarding any other meeting procedures required by online delegates.
12. In general, Robert’s Rules of Order will be followed.

An authenticated Zoom account is required to join this meeting.

For authentication and vote tabulation, multiple delegates cannot share a single device. Each delegate must have their own computer, tablet, or smartphone.

One day prior to Convention, you will receive an email with a secure Zoom link. Click on the link at the time of the meeting to join.

Delegates should enter their full name as their on-screen Zoom name. Upon entering the meeting, your microphone will be muted and controlled by the host. You may choose to keep your video active.

During open Q&A periods of our meeting, you may ask your questions live by clicking on the “Raise Hand” Zoom function at the bottom of your screen. We will notify you when it is your turn to speak and enable your microphone.

Before asking your question, please review the Rules of Order for an Online Gathering.

Chat communication will only be open for the purpose of posting motions and communicating any announcements.

A Digitally Registered Delegate is entitled to participate online and vote using the digital communications technology selected by the staff of the Conference who are responsible for hosting the Convention. This technology will be provided at no cost to each registered delegate.

Registration Procedure

To be enrolled and participate as a Digitally Registered Delegate, the following procedure will be used:

1. For each church delegate who is attending online, their name and a unique email address must be provided.
2. Each delegate must have their own digital device such as a computer or smartphone that is capable of running the communications software being used by the Conference. For reasons of authentication and vote tabulation, multiple delegates cannot share a single device.
3. At least 24 hours prior to the start of the Convention, each Digitally Registered Delegate will receive an email with instructions on how to attend the Convention online. Delegates will have time to load and test any software before the start of the Convention.

Voting Procedure

When a call for a vote is made by the Moderator, each Digitally Registered Delegate will indicate their vote using a voting or polling feature provided by the online software. The members of the Ballot Team will be responsible for tallying the result of the votes from all delegates.

Call for a Ballot

If a vote by ballot is required, the Moderator will indicate how responses from the Digitally Registered Delegates will be received by using a voting or polling feature provided by the online software.

Motion Discussion Procedure

Prior to voting on a motion, the Moderator may open the floor for questions. The Moderator will be responsible for managing questions from all delegates in person as well as Digitally Registered Delegates. The same rules of order for the Convention, as set by the Conference, will apply to all delegates. The following guidelines apply to Digitally Registered Delegates:

1. All microphones of online participants will be muted (It may be required that all video be turned off except for the speakers).
2. A Digitally Registered Delegate may use appropriate features of the software as designated by the Moderator to signal their desire to speak to the motion on the floor.
3. The Moderator will identify the delegate to speak next and the microphone will be unmuted.
4. The Moderator may also ask that the delegate use video, if available when speaking.

Note: Equipment will be put in place at the Convention location for any in-person delegates to speak to the motion so that they can be seen by all online delegates.

Scrutinizing Voting Results

There can be times when technology fails. The Ballot Team will be given the discretion to request that a vote be retaken if they feel that a significant portion of the delegates was somehow prohibited from participating in the vote and would have impacted the results of the vote.

In order for the Ballot Team to evaluate if a vote was impaired, it may be necessary for each Digitally Registered Delegate to indicate a YES, NO, or ABSTAIN response to a vote so that the online results can be validated. For instance, if only 45% of the delegates vote YES and 30% vote NO, it is important to confirm that the remaining 25% abstained as it could change the outcome of the vote.

Note: Members of the Ballot Team will be at the Convention site as well as online to confirm all results.

Restarting the Online Session

In the event that there is a failure in the online technology, the Moderator may discern the need to postpone the meeting temporarily until communication issues are resolved. Email will be used to communicate to all Digitally Registered Delegates. Rules for quorum will still apply once the online meeting is restarted.

Online voting delegates must submit their votes electronically using an online platform called eBallot. Expect an email from “BCMB Convention” by Thursday, April 27, 2023, with your unique voting URL.

Please keep this email close by as you may be required to return to it throughout the day. We will have live chat tech support active on the BCMB website during Convention for those who need further assistance.

Speaking to a Motion

Similar to what occurs in an in-person meeting, we will be following Roberts Rules of Order. Any delegate wishing to comment on a motion on the floor will need to indicate so by using ZOOM’s ‘raise hand’ function.

1. Click on the icon labelled “Participants” at the bottom center of your screen.

2. At the bottom of the window that opens, click the button labelled “Raise Hand.”

3. Your digital hand is now raised. This puts you in a queue, which will signal the moderator that you want to speak. Please wait for the moderator to call on your name before you start talking.

4. Unmute your microphone and state your name and church community before asking your question or making your comment.

5. Once you are finished, lower your hand by clicking the button, “Lower Hand.”

The same method can be used to raise your hand on a mobile device. Tap “Raise Hand” at the bottom left corner of the screen. The hand icon will turn blue, and the text below it will switch to say “Lower Hand” while your hand is raised.

Seconding a Motion

When a motion is made on the floor, the moderator will call for the motion to be seconded. Any delegate wanting to second the motion should use the ‘Raise Hand’ function as mentioned above. The moderator will then acknowledge the first hand that goes up. Once the motion has been seconded, those with their hand raised should lower them.