Western Connecticut Baptist Association
Friday, September 10, 2010

Constitution and Bylaws

 

Article l

Name

The name of this Association shall be the "Western Connecticut Baptist Association".

Article ll.

Purpose

The purpose of the Association shall be:

    1. to promote Christian Fellowship and cooperation among the churches affiliated with the Association;
    2. to uphold the doctrines and principles of our Baptist faith: to encourage the churches to be loyal to and practice these Biblical doctrines and principles; to promote the preaching and teaching of God’s Word and the enlisting and training of all Christian’s for service; to promote missions, benevolence, stewardship, Christian Education, and the witness of all persons to Christ to the ends of the earth;
    3. to corporate with the Baptist Convention of New England and the Southern Baptist Convention, in a world missions program;
    4. To hold and administer such properties and funds that are required by the Association to carry out its stated business.

Article III

Article of Faith

The Articles of Faith as set forth in the Baptist Faith and Message adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention of May 1963, shall be the guiding doctrines of this body.

Article lV.

The Association is an autonomous body and therefore reserves the right to determine its own policies and direct its own business. This body shall never exercise any authority over, or give direction to any church or churches that are affiliated with it; but the Association will stand ready to lend any assistance or council to any church-making request for such help.

Article V.

Membership

The body shall be composed of messengers elected from the churches affiliated with the body. When the Association approves such messengers, they shall be seated. Each church shall be entitled to three messengers and one additional messenger for each fifty (50) members, but not include members of its mission (church type chapel), provided that no church shall be entitled to more than ten messengers in addition to those of the sponsoring church. Any church desiring to affiliate with this Association shall present a petitionary letter to Moderator. I ncluded in this letter will be a history of the church, constitution and by-laws, and the vote of the church to voluntarily cooperate with the Association. This letter should be presented at least thirty (30) days prior to the Annual Meeting.

    1. The Association shall refer this letter to the Credentials Committee, whose recommendation for acceptance as an affiliated church requires a unanimous vote by the Association.
    2. Should there be a dissenting vote, the objection (written) would be given to the Clerk. The Credentials Committee would investigate the objection and bring a report to the Association. Upon hearing the report, the Association shall accept the petitioning church on a two-thirds (2/3)-majority vote. When it appears that a church is out of harmony with the Association as to Biblical principles and practices, or is more than a year with no contribution (Financial or otherwise) to the work of the Association, or desires to Unaffiliated herself from the Association, the Association may withdraw fellowship by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Association. It may refuse to seat messengers who are not in fellowship or doctrinal agreement with the body, or whose churches are not. Every church shall furnish its annual letter in time for the Annual Meeting and shall give an account of its local membership, including the members baptized, received by letter, dismissed, excluded, and deceased since the last session of the body, and is expected to furnish the Association with statistics of its voluntary gifts to the church and missionary work.

Article VI.

Officers

The officers of the Association shall be Moderator, Vice Moderator, Clerk/Historian, Treasurer, Trustees, as needed, and other officers as may become necessary. The Moderator and Vice Moderator shall be nominated from the floor and elected by the Association at the Annual Meeting. The other officers shall be nominated from the floor and elected by the Association at the Annual Meeting. They shall serve until their successors shall be limited to not more than two (2) successive years of service. If vacancies occur in these offices, they are to be filled by nomination and election by the Executive Board.

The Director of Missions shall be considered an officer of the Association and shall, along with the Moderator, be an ex-officio member of all Association Committees.

 Article VII

Executive Board

The Association shall have an Executive Board Consisting of the pastor and one lay member from each church or mission Church type chapel). In addition, Churches having more than 100 members shall have an additional board member for each additional 100 members or portion thereof, but not including members of its missions, (church type chapel) provided no church shall have more than five voting members on the Executive Board. The following officers of the Association shall be ex-officio members of the Board, unless the Association directs otherwise; Moderator, Vice Moderator, Clerk/Historian and Treasurer. All other officers and chairman of stand committees are to become ex-officio, non-voting members of the Executive Board. Each church or mission may petition the Association to allow for one additional voting Executive Board who is full-time ministering person and a member in good standing of the church or mission. Others in corporation with our denomination may be members of the Executive Board upon the invitation of the Committee.

The Executive Board shall act as the Association between sessions. It shall make an annual report to the Association at the Annual meeting of all work carried on and all finances handled.

The Executive Board shall meet in November, February, June and September, unless otherwise specified by the Executive Board, and such called meetings as deemed necessary. One-third (1/3) of the members of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum.

The Executive Board shall not have power to entitle a church, but may invite a church to sit with it in counsel without vote, pending the seating of the messengers of the Church by the Association.

Article VIII

Organizations

This body shall encourage and promote such association organizations as Sunday School, Church Training, Evangelism, Missions, Women’s Missionary Union, Baptist Men, Music, Library, Baptist Student Ministries, and other organizations which are in keeping with the purpose of the Association, with their full staffs officers and programs necessary for the promotion of the work. The chief officers of each organization shall be elected or approved by the Association and shall function as any officer of the Association.

Article IX

Committees

The Association shall have the following standing committees:

        1. The nominating committee nominated by the Administrative Committee and elected by a simple majority vote from the floor of the Annual Meeting. They shall nominate all organizational leadership and other elected positions except as otherwise specified, and present these nominations at the following Semi-Annual Meeting. If vacancies in elected occur during the association year, they shall present nominees to fill these vacancies for consideration to the Executive Board.
        2. The Credentials Committee, consisting of at least three members to be elected at the Semi-Annual Meeting to serve until the following Semi-Annual Meeting. Their responsibility will be to review applications for membership in the Association and to bring a recommendation for or against acceptance to the next Annual Meeting.
        3. The Administrative Committee, consisting of the Moderator, Vice Moderator, Executive Board Clerk and Treasurer.
        4. All standing committees that are deemed necessary for the operation of the Association by the Executive Board and designated by a simple majority vote of the Executive Board prior to the Semi-Annual Meeting. Members shall be nominated by the Nominating Committee and shall be elected at the Semi-Annual Meeting to serve until the following Semi-Annual Meeting. Election of members to a committee shall constitute establishment of that committee for the following Associational year.
        5. Other standing committees as the messengers of the Association shall establish by vote at the Semi-Annual Meeting. Members of such committees shall elected either by nomination and election from the floor of the Semi-Annual Meeting or by nomination by the Nominating Committee and election by the Executive Board at its next meeting, which method shall be determined by the vote of the messengers of the Association at the Semi-Annual Meeting the Board is established. Committees following that in which they are established shall serve only until the Semi-Annual Meeting following that in which they are established.

Specific committees, which shall have specific duties to perform over a specific interval of time, may be appointed by the Moderator at any time.

Article X

Meetings

The Association shall hold Annual Meetings of the Body in the fall and Semi-Annual Meetings in the spring of each year at such time and place as it may determine. The Executive Board may have power to change the stated time and/or place of these meetings in case of emergency or necessity.

The following items shall be placed on the program for the Semi-Annual Meeting: a sermon; election of committee chairpersons, committee members, chief offices of program organizations, and other program leaders unless otherwise specified in this Constitution and by-laws: and time for miscellaneous business.

Messengers to the Association shall be accorded equal rights and privileges of the floor, provided each messenger who desires to speak shall rise, address the Moderator, and be recognized before he begins to speak. No messengers shall be entitled to speak on any one subject more than twice until other messengers desiring to speak have been heard. Upon request of a messenger, with consent of the body, the Moderator may invite a visitor to speak during a discussion.

The Association shall conduct organizational meeting such as are in keeping with the Associational program.

Article XI

Rules Of Order

In parliamentary procedure the current edition of Robert’s Rules of order shall govern the body.

Article XII

Fiscal Year

The fiscal year of the Association shall be from October thru September 30 inclusive, and annual reports to the Association shall cover this period.

Article XIII

The Constitution and by-laws may be amended at any regular Semi-Annual Session of the Association by two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the messengers present, provided notice of such change has been given, in writing, at the previous Semi-Annual Meeting, and provided it is read in the first session of the Semi-Annual Meeting and voted in a succeeding session.