Proposed ByLaw Changes For The July 2012 Executive Board Meeting

                 Proposed New Wording For The By-Laws of Tar River Association, Inc.

Listed below are recommendations from the ByLaws Committee to the full association for their approval at the Quarterly meeting of the association on Monday, July 23rd at TRBA.  These modifications are being made as a direct result of directives given to the ByLaws Committee by the association in previous votes.  The changes reflect no actual changes in practice, policy, or procedures and are merely being proposed to reflect recent changes already enacted and in place by the association in session.

Preamble
          
Current Reading:  For the declaration of the fundamental purposes and the guidance and control of the Association’s activities, this body adopts the following By-Laws.

Proposed Reading:  For the declaration of the fundamental purposes and the guidance and control of the Association’s activities, this body adopts the following By-Laws.  These By-Laws serve as the long-term guide for the operations of the Association.

Article IV.  Reception Of Churches Into The Association

Current Reading:  Baptist churches seeking affiliation with the Association, upon petition by letter, and after satisfactory examination of their Articles of Faith, and upon recommendation of the Membership Committee of the Association, shall be admitted into the watchcare (non-voting) of this Association by a majority vote of the Executive Board.  Upon completion of a minimum one-year term of watchcare and upon recommendation of the Membership Committee, the petitioning church shall be admitted into the Association by a majority vote as a voting member according to Article III, Section 1.

Proposed Reading:  Baptist churches seeking affiliation with the Association, upon petition by letter, and after satisfactory examination of their Articles of Faith, and upon recommendation of the Directors of the Association, shall be admitted into the watchcare (non-voting) of this Association by a majority vote of the Executive Board.  Upon completion of a minimum one-year term of watchcare and upon recommendation of the Directors, the petitioning church shall be admitted into the Association by a majority vote as a voting member according to Article III, Section 1. 

         Current Reading:  Article VII.  Officers        Proposed Reading:  Article VII.  Directors

Current Reading:  The officers of the Association shall be: Associational Missionary, Moderator, Vice-Moderator, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, and Chairman of Finance Committee.

Proposed Reading:  The Directors of the Association shall be: Associational Missionary, Moderator, Vice-Moderator, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, and Chairman of Finance Committee.

Article VIII.  Duties Of The Directors

Current Reading:  Section 3.  It shall be the duty of the Vice-Moderator to assist in developing fellowship and mutual care among the churches.  It shall be the duties of the Vice-Moderator to:

1. Serve as Chair of the Associational Council;
2. Serve as Vice-Chair of the Executive Board;
3. Fulfill the duties of the Moderator in the absence of the Moderator.
4. 
   

Proposed Reading:  Section 3.  It shall be the duty of the Vice-Moderator to assist in developing fellowship and mutual care among the churches.  It shall be the duties of the Vice-Moderator to:

·         Delete a in original reading
a.      Serve as Vice-Chair of the Executive Board;
b.     Fulfill the duties of the Moderator in the absence of the Moderator.
 
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This section reflects major modifications by the ByLaws Committee.  The intent is to reduce the wording in the actual ByLaws and use wording that will mean the association will not have to revisit the ByLaws as frequently.  This is accomplished by adding wording in the ByLaws that reflects, “Having such committees and councils as deemed necessary” by the association, and listing the actual names and responsibilities of the various councils and committees to the Policies and Procedures of the Association.  This will enable the association to change names of ministry teams and shift responsibilities/expectations of existing councils/committees without changing the associations ByLaws.

The current reading is listed below.  The basic recommendation is that the association MODIFY current Article IX, Sections 1 and 2 and DELETE all else in Article IX.  Also, that we DELETE current Articles X, XI, XII, XIII, XVI, AND XIX.  These sections would be covered in policies and procedures.

Upon modification and deletion, Article XIV becomes Article X, etc.  Modifications will be emphasized below:

Current Reading:  Article IX.  Committees

Section 1.  Standing Committees.  The Association shall select such standing committees as may be deemed necessary to carry on the various programs of the Association efficiently and effectively.  In any event, the Association shall at all times have the following standing committees:  Benevolence, Building and Grounds, By-Laws, Credentials, Finance, Membership, Nominating, Personnel, Resolutions, and Time, Place, and Preacher. 

The Nominating Committee shall recommend to the Association in the fall business meeting active members of the Association to serve for the succeeding year on the standing committees.  All standing committee members will serve three (3) years on a rotating basis with one-third to be elected each year.  Members rotating off are ineligible for re-nomination for a period of one (1) year.  No paid staff member nor his/her immediate family members may serve on a standing committee. 


Section 2:  Special Committees.  All Special Committees shall be authorized by the Association and selected when needed to serve until their purposes are fulfilled.  Special committee members shall be nominated by the Moderator and approved by the Association Council.  No paid staff member nor his/her immediate family members may serve on a special committee.

Section 3:  Paid staff may participate as ex-officio members of standing and special committees when requested or designated.

Proposed Reading:  Article IX.  Committees and Councils

Section 1.  Standing Committees and Councils.  The Association shall select such Committees and Councils as may be deemed necessary to carry on the various programs of the Association efficiently and effectively. 

Section 2.  Special Committees.  All Special Committees shall be authorized by the Association and selected when needed to serve until their purposes are fulfilled. 

Current Reading :  Article X.  Duties of Standing Committees

Section 1:  The Benevolence Committee shall consist of three (3) members whose duty shall be to establish and implement policy and procedures.  It shall coordinate with churches and the Association processes for requests for benevolent assistance.  Policy and procedures shall be approved by the Association.

Section 2:  The Building and Grounds Committee shall consist of three (3) members whose duty shall be to supervise, maintain, and make necessary repairs to the Association’s facilities.  This committee shall be authorized to spend reasonable funds within the approved budget.  Major expenditures (any expenditure exceeding 25% of this committee’s annual budget) must be approved by the Association.  In case of emergencies, the committee has the authority to repair and/or replace necessary facilities and the Association will assure the costs.  An emergency means a maintenance breakdown that will interfere with the normal activities of the Association.

Section 3.  The By-Laws Committee shall consist of six (6) members whose duty shall be to make recommendations relative to By-Law changes.  This committee shall receive all proposed changes and/or amendments to the By-Laws.  Upon study of said changes and/or amendments, this committee shall make recommendations to the Association.

Section 4.  The Credentials Committee shall consist of three (3) members whose duty shall be to receive the list of Messengers from the individual churches and to designate these Messengers as voting members and other members of the Association as non-voting members at all meetings of the Association.

Section 5.  The Finance Committee shall consist of six (6) members whose duty shall be to assist the Association in securing, administering, and reporting its finances.  This committee shall plan and propose an annual budget to the Association.  The proposed annual budget shall be available to members no later than thirty (30) days prior to the scheduled vote for the approval of the proposed budget.  The Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer shall serve as ex-officio members of this committee.

Section 6.  The Membership Committee shall consist of six (6) members whose duty shall be to determine when churches are of like faith and order and when they should be properly accepted into the watchcare of the Association according to Article IV.

The Membership Committee shall investigate and make recommendations concerning the dissolution of affiliation of a church according to Article VI, Section 2.

Section 7.  The Nominating Committee shall consist of six (6) members whose duty shall be to nominate all officers, leaders, directors, chairpersons, committee and council representatives.

Section 8.  The Personnel Committee shall consist of three (3) members and two (2) ex-officio members, the Moderator and Vice-Moderator.  This committee provides general oversight of all salaried Associational Staff.  It shall be the duty of this committee to maintain and recommend changes to the personnel policy; conduct annual evaluations and make recommendations to the Association for salary and benefit adjustments; evaluate the need for additional staff; and make recommendations to fill all salaried positions.  All recommendations from this committee must be approved by the Association.           

Section 9.  The Resolutions Committee shall consist of three (3) members whose duty shall be to assist the Association in studying resolutions for consideration by the Association according to Article XIX, Section 7.  The committee shall approve, modify, or reject the resolution.  If modified or rejected, an appeal may be made to the Associational Council whose decision will be final.

Section 10.  The Time, Place, and Preacher Committee shall consist of three (3) members whose duty shall be to recommend to the Fall Meeting of the Association a time, place, and preacher for the bi-annual meetings of the Association. 

Proposed:  Delete Article X and move to Policy and Procedures Manual

Current Reading:  Article XI.  Councils

The Association shall select such councils as may be deemed necessary to carry on the various programs of the Association efficiently and effectively.  In any event, the Association shall at all times have the following councils:  Baptist Men, Church and Community Ministries (CCM), Discipleship, Evangelism, History, Media/Library, Missions Development, Music, Ordination Advisory, Partnership Missions, Pastoral Ministries, Program, Recreation, Sunday School, Technology, Vacation Bible School, WMU, and Youth.

The Nominating Committee shall recommend to the Association in the fall business meeting active members to serve for the succeeding year on the councils of the Association.  Existing councils may recommend their membership to the Nominating Committee.

All non-budgeted expenditures of Associational councils must be approved in advance by the Finance Committee.           

Proposed:  Delete Article XI and move to Policy and Procedures Manual

Current Reading:  Article XII.  Duties of Councils

Section 1.  The Baptist Men’s Council shall consist of the Baptist Men’s Director, the Royal Ambassadors’ Director, and at least five (5) additional members.  It shall be the duty of this council to help plan, promote, conduct, and evaluate the work of Baptist Men and Royal Ambassadors.

Section 2.  The Church and Community Ministries Council shall consist of the Church and Community Ministries Council Director and at least five (5) additional members.  The staff person responsible for this area of ministry shall serve as an ex-officio member of this Council.  It shall be the duty of this council to help plan, promote, conduct, and evaluate the Church and Community Ministry of the Association.

Section 3.  The Discipleship Council shall consist of the Discipleship Director and at least two (2) additional members.  It shall be the duty of this council to help plan, promote, conduct, and evaluate the discipleship ministry of the Association.

Section 4.  The Evangelism Council shall consist of the Evangelism Director and at least four (4) additional members.  It shall be the duty of this council to help plan, promote, conduct, and evaluate the evangelism ministry of the Association.

Section 5.  The History Council shall consist of the History Council Director (Historian) and at least four (4) additional members.  The Association Clerk shall serve as ex-officio member of this council.  It shall be the duty of this council to gather and preserve the historical records of the Association’s life and work.

Section 6.  The Media/Library Council shall consist of the Media/Library Director and at least two (2) additional members.  It shall be the duty of this council to maintain the Association’s Media Center and to assist churches with their media ministries. 

Section 7.  The Missions Development Council shall consist of the Missions Development Council Director, WMU Director, Baptist Men’s Director, and at least four (4) additional members.  It shall be the duty of this council to study existing missions and new work needs of the Association and make recommendations concerning those needs.

Section 8.  The Music Council shall consist of the Music Council Director and at least four (4) additional members.  It shall be the duty of this council to conduct the music ministries of the Association, enlist accompanists for all Associational meetings, and assist the Program Council in planning music for the bi-annual meetings.

Section 9.  The Ordination Advisory Council shall consist of the Ordination Advisory Council Director and at least four (4) additional members.  It shall be the duty of this council to serve in an advisory capacity for churches seeking assistance in examining candidates for ordination. 

Section 10.  The Partnership Missions Council shall consist of the Partnership Missions Council Director and at least four (4) additional members.  It shall be the duty of this council to assist the Associational Missionary in planning, coordinating, and implementing Association-wide mission trips and partnerships.

Section 11.  The Pastoral Ministries Council shall consist of the officers of the Ministers’ Fellowship.  It shall be the duty of this council to determine the pastoral ministries emphases needed within the association and schedule and facilitate the ministers’ fellowship meetings.

Section 12.  The Program Council shall consist of the Associational Missionary, Moderator, Vice-Moderator, and host pastor(s) of the bi-annual meetings.  It shall be the duty of this council to plan the bi-annual meetings of the Association.  Written reports by committee chairpersons and council directors may be submitted for inclusion in the Book of Reports.  Verbal reports shall be scheduled by the Program Council.

Section 13.  The Recreation Council shall consist of the Recreation Council Director and at least four (4) additional members.  It shall be the duty of this council to help plan, coordinate, promote, and conduct the recreation program of the Association.  The work of this council includes setting up and supervising the basketball, softball, and any other sport programs of the Association.

Section 14.  The Sunday School Council shall consist of the Sunday School Council Director and at least four (4) additional members.  It shall be the duty of this council to help plan, promote, conduct, evaluate, and provide training for the Sunday School ministry of the Association.

Section 15.   The Technology Council shall consist of the Technology Council Director and at least four (4) additional members.  It shall be the duty of this council to evaluate the technology needs of the Association and to make recommendations concerning equipment and training for the Associational Staff.

Section 16.  The Vacation Bible School Council shall consist of the VBS Council Director and at least four (4) additional members.  It shall be the duty of this council to help plan, promote, and conduct the Association's VBS ministries. 

Section 17.  The Women’s Missionary Union Council shall consist of the WMU Council Director and at least four (4) additional members.  It shall be the duty of this council to help plan, promote, conduct, and evaluate the various ministries of the WMU in the Association.

Section 18.  The Youth Council shall consist of the Youth Council Director and youth leaders from member churches of the Association.  It shall be the duty of this council to help plan, promote, and conduct the youth ministries of the Association.

Proposed:  Remove Article XII and move to Policy and Procedures Manual

Current Reading:  Article XIII.  The Associational Council

The Associational Council shall consist of the Moderator, Vice-Moderator, Finance Committee

Chairperson, Council Directors, and three (3) members at large.  It shall be the duty of this Council:

1. To assist the Associational Missionary in planning, coordinating, promoting, and executing the Association's ministries;
2. To make recommendations to the Association; 
3. To assist in planning the annual calendar of the Association;
4. To assist in long-range planning for the Association. 

This Council shall meet prior to the quarterly Executive Board meetings and at other times at the call of the Associational Missionary and/or Moderator.

Proposed:  Remove Article XIII and move to Policy and Procedures Manual

Proposed:  Current Article XIV Becomes Article X.  The Executive Board

Current Reading:  Section 2.  The Executive Board shall meet four (4) times annually.  Two (2) of these meetings shall be the bi-annual meetings; the other meetings shall be the fourth Monday of January and the fourth Monday of July.  The Executive Board may meet at other times at the call of the Associational Missionary and/or the Moderator.

Proposed Reading:  Section 2.  The Executive Board shall meet bi-annually in the spring and fall to carry on the various programs of the Association efficiently and effectively.  The Executive Board may meet at other times at the call of the Association Missionary and/or Moderator and/or Directors of the Association.

Proposed NEW - Article XI. Administrative Leadership Team (ALT)

The ALT is comprised of the Directors of the Association, the immediate Past Moderator, and Chairman of the By-Laws Committee.  Included in their duties is the responsibility of maintaining and updating a Policy and Procedures manual.

Please note:  Subsequent Articles remain the same but the Article numbers will be changed to reflect the changes made in the approval of this recommendation.