Call to Order

Editor's note: The 12th edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revisedcame out in September 2020. Richard Hammar, a Professional Registered Parliamentarian, will detail the new changes in a forthcoming article. Church leaders should exercise caution and reference the 12th edition before making any changes in procedure.

Key point 6-12.3. Every church should adopt a system of parliamentary procedure to govern membership meetings. While Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised is a commonly used system, it is not the only available system and will not apply unless a church has adopted it in its governing documents.

Since the earliest days of recorded history, human beings have met to make decisions by debate and consensus. Rules for the proper conduct of group meetings first emerged in the pre-Christian Greek agora and Roman forum. They were further refined in early English history, ...