Legal Entities 1. Subject to the continuing control and direction of the General Conference of The United Methodist Church as set forth from time to time in the Discipline, the General Board is authorized and empowered to cause the operations of The General Board of Pension and Health Benefits to be carried on and the general authorizations defined in ¶ 1604 to be achieved in such manner, through or by means of such agencies or instrumentalities, and by use of such procedures as the General Board may from time to time determine to be necessary, advisable, or appropriate, with full power and authority in the premises to take all such action and to do all such other acts and things as may be required or found to be advisable. In particular, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the General Board is authorized and empowered, for the purposes of this paragraph:
a) To use, manage, operate, and otherwise utilize all property and assets of every kind, character, and description of any corporation(s) created by the General Board pursuant to ¶ 1603.2 below, as well as all income from such property and assets and the avails thereof, all with liability or obligation to account for such property and assets, the use thereof, the income therefrom, and avails thereof, only to the General Conference of The United Methodist Church.
b) To cause a corporation(s) created by the General Board pursuant to ¶ 1603.2 to take all such action and to do all such things as the General Board may deem necessary or advisable to carry out the intent and purposes of this paragraph. The governing body of said corporation(s) from time to time shall take all action which the General Board deems necessary or advisable to carry out the intent and purpose of this paragraph, unless local law would require such governing bodies to make independent decisions with respect to particular actions.
2. The General Board is authorized and empowered in its discretion at any time it may deem such action to be desirable or convenient to create corporations or other legal entities through which it shall fulfill its responsibilities described hereunder.
a) The General Board is authorized and empowered in its discretion to cause its general administrative operations to be conducted through a corporation, the name of which shall be The General Board of Pension and Health Benefits of The United Methodist Church, Incorporated in Illinois.
b) The General Board is authorized and empowered in its discretion to cause its general trust operations to be conducted through a corporation, the name of which shall be The General Board of Pension and Health Benefits of The United Methodist Church, Incorporated in Missouri.
c) The Board of Pensions of The Evangelical United Brethren Church, which is incorporated under the laws of the State of Ohio in that name, and the Board of Pensions of The Methodist Church, which is incorporated under the laws of the State of Illinois in that name, and the Board of Pensions of The Methodist Church, which is incorporated under the laws of the State of Maryland in that name, and the Board of Pensions of The Methodist Church, which is incorporated under the laws of the State of Missouri in that name, may be continued at the General Board's discretion, subject to the direction, supervision, and control of the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits of The United Methodist Church, but with their corporate names changed to and to be known as The Board of Pensions of The United Methodist Church, Incorporated in Ohio, and The General Board of Pension and Health Benefits of The United Methodist Church, Incorporated in Illinois, and The Board of Pensions of The United Methodist Church, Incorporated in Maryland, and The General Board of Pension and Health Benefits of The United Methodist Church, Incorporated in Missouri, respectively, or other names as determined by the General Board.
d) If the General Board creates and directs more than one legal entity, it is authorized and empowered at its discretion at any time it may deem such action desirable or convenient to take action in the name of said legal entities to surrender the charter or charters of one or several or all of said legal entities or to merge, consolidate, or affiliate such corporations, or any of them, in compliance with appropriate state or federal laws.
e) The governing bodies of such legal entities shall be determined by the General Board in conformance with applicable local law. A majority of the members of the governing bodies shall be elected from the membership of the General Board.
f) The legal entities created under this paragraph are agencies or instrumentalities through which the denomination known as The United Methodist Church provides benefits, investment services, and other services outlined in ¶ 1604 below in the name of the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits.
3. The effective date of this paragraph will be at the close of the 1996 General Conference.
General Conference Webmaster: Susan Brumbaugh
PETS Creator: John Brawn
Petition Text: 21483-FA-1603-D
1996 United Methodist General Conference