13.01  A board is an administrative body of elected persons whose powers are delegated to it by the authority of the judicatory.
     13.02  A board cannot delegate its authority, but any board can appoint subcommittees to work under its supervision or according to its specific instructions. Such subcommittees always report to the board.
     13.03  A committee is a body of one or more persons, elected or appointed by a judicatory to consider, investigate, or take action on certain matters or subjects, or to do all of these things.
     13.04  Committees are of two types: standing committees (which have a continuing existence) and special committees (which go out of existence as soon as they have completed a specified task or tasks). Special committees are sometimes called select committees or ad hoc committees.
     13.05  The first person named on a committee shall be considered the chairperson, whose duties it shall be to convene the committee and preside over its meetings. If for any reason this person cannot act in this capacity, the second person named shall assume these responsibilities.
     13.06  The moderator shall appoint the usual standing committees but shall not raise new committees without instruction.
     13.07  A member who is in opposition to the whole matter upon which a committee is to act shall not be compelled to serve on that committee.
     13.08  A committee has less authority to act independently for the judicatory than a board. When a judicatory needs an ad hoc group, which can act with more authority than a committee normally has, a commission should be elected. Commissions differ from ordinary committees in that while a committee can simply examine, consider and report, a commission is authorized to deliberate upon and conclude the business submitted to it, subject to the review of the judicatory appointing it.
     13.09  Board reports which are reviewed by a select committee cannot be amended by the judicatory and, if printed, shall be printed as submitted by the board. However, board reports which are brought directly to the floor of the judicatory for review and action shall be treated as committee reports and be subject to amendment, but the judicatory shall not make such a board report (or a committee or commission report) appear to say something different from the wording that was actually reported. For this reason, the published report would show clearly whatever changes the judicatory makes by the use of brackets, underlining, italics, or other appropriate means.
     13.10  A judicatory may accept a report by concurring in it and adopting its recommendations, or by simply adopting its recommendations.
     13.11  No action apart from filing is necessary upon a report that contains only statements of fact or opinions for judicatory information.
     13.12  Minority reports shall be heard only by consent of, or by a majority vote of, the judicatory. When a minority report is presented it is for information only and it cannot be acted upon except by a motion to substitute it for the report of the committee.
     13.13  Ex-officio members of boards and committees are members by virtue of some office that they hold. There is no distinction between ex-officio members and appointed or elected members. When ex-officio members cease to hold the offices that entitle them to membership on a board or committee, their membership terminates automatically.
     13.14  Advisory members are non-voting members who have the privilege of offering counsel or advice to the board or committee.
     13.15  Members of judicatory boards and committees who are not members of the judicatory may vote in the board and committee meetings but not in the meetings of the judicatory.
     13.16  Every judicatory has a right to resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole, in which members may freely converse together without the formalities necessary in their ordinary proceedings. In all such cases the moderator shall name the member who is to preside as chairperson. If the committee be unable to agree, a motion may be made that the committee rise; and upon adoption of such motion, the moderator shall resume the chair, and the chairperson of the committee shall report what has been done, and ask that the committee be discharged, which being allowed, the matter shall be dropped. If the committee shall agree upon the report to be made, or have made progress in the same without coming to a conclusion, the committee may rise, report what has been done, and, if the case require, may ask leave to sit again; or the Committee of the Whole may be dissolved, and the question considered by the judicatory in the usual order of business.