| Our Constitution |
ARTICLE I NAME The name of this Church shall be known as the CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH of Waterbury, Connecticut.
ARTICLE II OBJECT The object of this Church is to glorify God in the salvation of souls, to edify Christians through the teaching of God's Word, to proclaim throughout the world God's saving grace expressed in the shed blood and finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary, to promote Godly worship, to defend "the once delivered" and cooperate with Christian activity functioning in harmony with God's Holy Word, the Bible, until He comes.
ART. III STATEMENT OF FAITH The doctrines of this Church shall be in conformity with the written Word of God and are generally expressed in our Confession of Faith.
ART. IV MEMBERSHIP Section 1 - Present Membership All names that appear upon the rolls of this Church are members, but only those upon the "active" list are considered in good and regular standing. Those whose names appear upon the "inactive" list have no right of franchise and may not be granted a letter of "good and regular standing." Members who have not reached their eighteenth (18th) birthday shall have no right of franchise.
Section 2 - Reception of Members Paragraph A: Anyone professing faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Savior, giving evidence of a change of heart and declaring himself in accord with the principles, practices and doctrines of this Church may become a candidate for church membership.
Paragraph B: Individuals may become candidates for membership of the Church in one of three ways. 1. By letter from churches of like faith and order. 2. By statement of Christian experience (having been previously baptized at Calvary Baptist Church of Waterbury or at a church of like faith. 3. By restoration. Paragraph C: All candidates for admission to the membership of the Church shall appear before the Pastor and Deacons for consultation and examination as to their Christian experience, their assurance of salvation and their doctrinal beliefs. The candidate shall state his/her willingness to abide by the practices and standards as they are expressed in the Constitution. The names of all candidates for membership (who have been deemed worthy and are recommended by the Pastor and Deacons) shall be voted upon at a membership, regular or specially called Business Meeting of the Church. New members shall then be publicly recognized and greeted as members at a regular Sunday morning service.
Section 3 - Termination of Membership Paragraph A: By Letter of Transfer Letter of transfer may be granted any member in good and regular standing (i.e. active members). Such letters must be addressed to some particular church of the same faith and order as this Church and sent by the clerk to the Pastor or clerk of the church to which the member is transferred. Such letters shall be valid only for six months (6) from the date. No letter shall be granted except to designated church of like faith and order.
Paragraph B: By Certificate of Membership A member not in good and regular standing or one desiring to unite with a church not of our faith and order may be given a certificate of membership, giving his/her standing to date.
Paragraph C: By Personal Request
Paragraph D: By Death
Paragraph E: By Lack of Faithful Support Members failing to support the Church by their attendance at two (2) regular Church services each month without legitimate excuse, (such support and excuse to be defined by the Pastor and Deacons) will be placed on the "INACTIVE List" and so lose their right to franchise. The church will notify those determined to be inactive. The Pastor and Deacons will make every effort to contact and encourage members during the first four (4) months of unfaithful support. Persons placed on the "inactive list" and desiring to be reinstated, must meet with the Pastors and Board of Deacons, after which the Pastor and Deacons may reinstate their membership. Names continuing on the "inactive list" for more than six (6) months may be removed from the Church membership roll subject to the recommendation of the Pastor and Deacons and duly called Church Business Meeting with members acting on the subject. Majority vote is necessary.
Paragraph F: By Church Discipline (See ARTICLE IV, Section 4)
Section 4 - Discipline of Members Paragraph A: Purpose of Discipline The purpose of discipline is to restore the fallen person back into fellowship with God and the Church. At all steps outlined in Matthew 18, the Pastor and Deacons are to do their utmost to reconcile differences with the fallen parties before moving to the next step. Only after these avenues have been taken is the matter taken before the Church body.
Paragraph B: Discipline of members shall be to maintain the church’s spiritual and doctrinal purity; to insure its self-perpetuation and existence in accordance with its original purposes; to follow the injunctions of the New Testament regarding the maintaining of local church purity (I Cor. 5:6-8); to head off, where possible, disunity and discord, both of which are not pleasing to the Lord; and to provide an atmosphere in the Church which is conducive to carrying on the work of the Lord Jesus Christ to His greatest glory. While it is recognized that the individual member's purity and correction should be sought (Gal. 6:1,2), when this is not possible, the purity and welfare of the Church as a whole must be the guiding principle in the discipline of its members. (Matt. 18:17; II Thess. 3:6,7; Titus 3:9-11)
Paragraph C: Causes for Discipline A member shall be subject to Church discipline for any one of a number of causes, including: (1) Any outward violation of the moral law of God's Word. (2) Holding and advocating doctrines or practices opposed to those set forth in the Church's Statement of Faith, Covenant, or Constitution. (3) Pursuing any course of conduct which, in the judgment of the Church, is considered unbecoming good citizens and believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, or is considered disreputable to the Church as a body, or which tends to subvert the truth as we hold it. (4) Treating the acts or decisions of the Church contemptuously, or pursuing such a course which produces discord, disunity, or dissension. Paragraph D: Procedure for Discipline The matter of discipline shall be in the hands of the Pastor and Deacons. In cases of expulsion from membership, final action must be taken by the Church upon the recommendation of the Pastor and Deacons at a duly called Church Business Meeting. No member shall be expelled until every effort has been made, including, if physically possible, personal visits to reclaim him/her for Christ and the Church.
ART. V OFFICERS AND BOARDS Section 1 - Pastor Paragraph A: Qualifications for Pastor The qualifications for a Pastor are prescribed and set forth in the New Testament. (I Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). His call by God into the ministry, his educational background and his lifestyle must be such that they clearly evidence his ability to lead, instruct, edify and pastor the Church, so that the saints will be equipped to do the work of the ministry. (Eph. 4:11,12)
Paragraph B: The Pastor shall be elected for an indeterminate term. Notice of the proposed choice of Pastor shall be given from the pulpit for two (2) successive Sundays preceding the election. Voting shall be by ballot, and three-fourths (3/4) of the votes cast shall be required for election.
Paragraph C: Termination of Pastorate (1) Either the Church or Pastor may terminate the Pastorate. (2) Voluntary termination shall proceed as follows:
(3) Involuntary termination shall be as follows:
Paragraph D: The Pastor shall be a member ex-officio of the Board of Deacons, and all other committees. The Pastor shall have a vote in all committee meetings, boards and Church Business Meetings, except on those matters, which affect him personally, i.e., salary, benefits, etc. The Pastor and Deacons shall be responsible for the visitation of the sick, prospective members and membership at large.
Section 2 - Election of Deacons Paragraph A: The election of Deacons shall be by secret-ballot. Any person placed in nomination for an office must have been a member for at least one (1) year and must be elected by a majority of votes from the voting members present. Members of the same family shall not serve together on the same board, i.e. father, son, brother, father-in-law, etc. Qualified officers may be elected at Special Business Meetings to fill the vacancies.
Paragraph B: The Church shall elect from its membership at an Annual Business Meeting as many deacons as the needs require, but not less than two (2) shall serve in any given year unless agreed to by the congregation. The Deacons are elected for one-year terms and not to serve for more than three (3) consecutive years (unless extended by church vote). The Deacon Board shall elect its own chairman. Paragraph C: The qualifications for a Deacon shall be such as are prescribed and set forth in the New Testament. (I Tim. 3:8-13).
Paragraph D: Termination of Deacons (1) By his own request upon written notice to Pastor and/or Board Chairman. (2) By vote of a majority of the attending members at a Church Business Meeting. The termination date is to be determined by the Pastor and Board of Deacons. Paragraph E: It shall be the duty of the Deacons to: (1) Elect from their number a chairman. (2) Assist in serving the Lord's Supper. (3) Assist in administering baptism; assist in the spiritual supervision of the Church; carefully examine all candidates for membership. (4) Work with the Pastor on all matters of discipline. (5) Visit the members and attendees of the church (6) In the event of the Pastor's resignation or death, have charge of the worship services and prayer meetings. (7) Meet whenever deemed necessary by the Pastor, the Chairman or majority of the Deacon Board members. Normally, they shall meet once a month minimum. The Pastor and Deacons shall not have the authority to buy, sell, lease, give away or dispose of Church property in any manner whose value exceeds two percent (2%) of the approved church budget for that year. Neither shall they mortgage or annually encumber the same with debt to exceed the above amount except, as the Church shall approve by a majority vote of members present at a Special Business Meeting or Annual Business Meeting. The Deacons are at all times servants of the Church and subject to its corporate action.Their form of office, their authority and methods of conducting business shall be considered to meet the provisions of the statutes of the State of Connecticut. Should a vacancy occur in the office of Pastor, The Deacon Board shall appoint 3 other members from the church to act as Pulpit Committee and shall continue to function as such until a new Pastor is on the field. It shall bring before the Church suitable candidates for the Pastorate and care for the entertainment of these candidates while they are on the field. When it deems wise, it shall present to the Church at the Annual or specially-called Business Meeting, the name of one of these candidates and conduct the voting upon same. It shall continue this procedure until a Pastor is chosen. The Chairman of the Deacons shall be Chairman of the Pulpit Committee and act as the Moderator of the Church if an assistant Pastor or qualified Youth Director is not present. The Pastor and Deacons shall strive to ensure that all appointed positions are filled within 30 days of the annual business meeting. When needed, the Pastor and Deacons have the authority to add or remove any appointee or position without the vote of the congregation. Section 3 - Trustees Paragraph A: The Pastor and Deacons shall appoint from church membership, as many trustees as the needs require. They are to be men of high standards who have proven themselves to be spiritually-minded for the office of Trustee. They are to be appointed for one-year terms.
Paragraph B: Duties of the Trustees (1) The Chairman of the Trustees shall be appointed by the Pastor and Deacons and meet with the Pastor and Deacons at least once a month. (2) It shall be the duty of the Trustees to care for the property of the Church, to hold, repair, invest and preserve the same, to superintend any improvements that are not entrusted to a special committee, and to perform such business concerns of the Church as shall from time to time be assigned to them by the Pastor and Deacons. Section 4 - Treasurer, Financial Secretary, and Assistant Treasurer Paragraph A: Treasurer The Treasurer shall be a member of the Church in good standing and shall be appointed annually by the Pastor and Deacons. The Treasurer shall oversee disbursement of all monies belonging to the Church except those designated for Missions. He/She shall without special vote or authority oversee payment of all fixed charges, such as salaries, interest, taxes, etc. He/She shall oversee payment of all special bills only after they have been approved. He/She shall keep a record of all receipts and disbursements with proper vouchers. A complete report shall be made for the year at the Annual Business Meeting. He/She shall be responsible to the Pastor and Deacons and attend Deacons meetings upon request.
Paragraph B: Financial Secretary The Financial Secretary shall be a member of the Church in good standing and shall be appointed annually by the Pastor and Deacons. His/Her duties are to post all incoming monies and keep accurate records for the individuals' year-end IRS accountability. He/She shall keep records of General Fund giving as well as Designated giving, i.e. Missions, Building Fund (APB), Scholarship, etc.
Paragraph C: Assistant Treasurer The Assistant Treasurer shall be appointed from amongst the members of the Church by the Pastor and Deacons. He/she is to be the member designated to countersigning any transaction requiring two (2) signatures. He/she would also temporarily take the place of either Treasurer or Financial Secretary if either were not able to carry out their duties.
Paragraph D: Counters of Monies The Pastor and Deacons shall appoint at least one (1) man or woman from the church membership. Their duties shall be to schedule individuals from amongst themselves for the counting of all monies and offerings. They are to conduct themselves according to church policy and procedure such that there is no question that the monies are accounted for accurately and honorably. Paragraph E: Auditing Committee The Pastor and Deacons shall appoint an Auditing Committee. The purpose of this appointment is to audit the financial processes of the church once each year. Reports shall be made available to those in church membership.
Section 5 - Clerk The Pastor and Deacons shall appoint from the church membership a Clerk for the ensuing year. The Clerk shall keep a fair and complete record of the proceedings of the Church Business Meetings.
Section 6 - Sunday School Director Paragraph A: The Pastor and Deacons shall appoint from the church membership a Sunday School Director. The Director shall be in charge of the administration and promotion of the church’s Sunday School. The Director shall work in close cooperation with and under the direction of the Pastor or his designee. The Director shall call by public announcement meetings of the Sunday school staff when necessary to conduct such business as is necessary to carry out the functions of the Sunday school.
Paragraph B: The Sunday School Director shall (should he feel a need) choose his own assistant, who must first be approved by the Pastor and Deacons. The Sunday School Director, with the approval of the Pastor and Deacons, shall select the teachers, train and assign them to their positions.
Section 7 - Special Care Ministries The Pastor and Deacons shall appoint from its membership as many women as needed for the special care ministries of the church. No less than two (2) shall serve in any given year unless agreed to by the congregation.
Section 8 - Missions Committee Paragraph A: The Pastor and Deacons shall appoint this committee. The committee is to consist of at least three (3) active members and not more than seven (7). They shall be appointed for one-year terms and not to serve for more than three (3) consecutive years (unless extended by the pastor and deacons). The mission committee shall elect their chairperson. The chairperson may be asked to attend, advise and update the Pastor and Deacon Board on related matters.
Paragraph B: The Missions Committee shall appoint a Missionary Treasurer from their membership who shall oversee all missionary transactions.
Paragraph C: The Missions Committee shall have the authority to disburse up to ten percent (10%) of its current annual commitment but no more than current available funds without approval from the Pastor and Deacons. All disbursements shall be reported to the church as part of the Missionary Treasurer's report.
Section 9- Additional Paid Staff - Pastoral/Youth/Music Paragraph A: The need for additional paid staff must be agreed upon by a majority vote of the Church body. This shall come as a recommendation by the Pastor and Deacons at a business meeting. Names and resumes can be submitted to the Pastor and Deacons for consideration. The period during which recommendations can be submitted shall not be less than two (2) weeks.
Paragraph B: To be elected, a candidate shall receive an affirmative vote of at least 2/3 of those members present at the meeting.
Paragraph C: The Pastor and Deacons shall approve of the particular candidate before being presented to the church for a vote to call him and/or her to the position.
Paragraph D: The Pastor and Deacons shall put in writing all duties and responsibilities related to the position in the form of a job description. This shall include but not be limited to such as expected duties, hours, attendance at meetings, etc. This document shall be part of the recommendation to call that person. Additional duties not set forth in the list of duties shall be only assigned by mutual consent.
Paragraph E: The Pastor shall ensure all positions have adequate supervision to evaluate and be the sole source of communication relative to performance and duties.
Paragraph F: Members of the pastoral staff shall be ex-officio members of the Board of Deacons and Nominating Committee.
Paragraph G: Suspension of Staff Personnel The Pastor and Deacons can suspend individual staff members of their duties until a properly called business meeting can be held [see Article VIII, Section 1]. The reasons for suspension are as follows: 1) misconduct 2) inadequate performance of duties or responsibilities 3) for other reasons that might be in the best interests of the Church. The Pastor and Deacons shall determine the pay during suspension period.
Paragraph H: Termination of Staff Personnel The position of a staff member may be terminated in the following ways: (1) Voluntary Termination:
(2) Involuntary Termination:
ART. VI FINANCES Section 1 - Fiscal Year The fiscal year shall be January 1st to December 31st.
Section 2 - Non-Profit This Church shall be a non-profit organization. No member of this Corporation shall receive profit from the Corporation, except of course, as remuneration for services rendered.
Section 3 - Dissolution Upon dissolution, all assets shall be transferred to another non-profit organization whose purposes, practices, and doctrine are similar to this Corporation. Such action shall be recommended by the Pastor and Deacons and approved by the church.
Section 4 - Financial Obligation No financial obligation shall be placed upon the church either as a mortgage, note or outstanding bill, or in any other form unless money is on hand to meet the same, except as stated in ARTICLE V, Section 4, Paragraph B (5), or by corporate act of the church.
ART. VII AUXILIARY ORGANIZATIONS All organizations are subject to oversight by the Pastor and Deacons
Section 1 - Church Sunday School This organization shall be considered as the church studying the Bible. It shall be under the general supervision and control of the Sunday School Director. (1) All officers and teachers shall be members in good standing of the church. The Pastor and Deacons shall individually approve the teachers. (2) The situation may arise whereby it would be beneficial to use a non-member as a teacher. This shall be done on a temporary, individual case basis. The Pastor, Board of Deacons, and the Sunday School Director shall make the approval Section 2 - Ladies Fellowship and Men's Organizations Only members in good standing shall be chosen as leaders.
Section 3 - New Organizations Members shall be permitted to form an organization within the Church body after first presenting the plan and purpose of the organization to the Pastor and Deacons and receiving their approval.
ART. VIII BUSINESS MEETINGS Section 1 - Stated and Called Meetings (1) The Annual Business meeting shall be held in January. An agenda shall be published for active membership of the Church one [1] week in advance. (2) Special Business Meetings may be called by the Pastor, Board of Deacons, or seven (7) active members of the Church by presenting their request to one of the aforementioned. (3) A Membership Business Meeting may be called by the Pastor and Board of Deacons during any regular Church service whenever a quorum is present. The sole purpose of such a meeting is to bring before the church candidates for church membership. [See ARTICLE IV, Section 2, Paragraphs A, B, C] (4) An "Emergency" Business Meeting of the congregation may be called after twenty-four (24) hours by the Pastor, and/or the Board of Deacons provided a reasonable attempt has been made to notify the church membership personally, by telephone or mail. (Emergency is defined as an unforeseen happening or state of affairs requiring prompt action.) (5) Notice from the pulpit shall be given for any Business Meetings [with the exception of the Membership and Emergency Business Meetings] for two Sundays. The purpose of said meeting shall also be given at that time and posted in the Church narthex. Section 2 - Voters at Business Meetings Only active members of the Church who are eighteen (18) years old or older shall have power to vote. All motions must be made and seconded by Church members and passed with the Moderator and Church Clerk voting.
Section 3 - Attendance at Business Meetings (1) Active members and potential members of the Church shall be permitted to be present at Business Meetings. Only active members are permitted to participate in meeting discussions or voting. (2) To have any Business Meeting, 30% of the Church active membership eighteen (18) years of age or older must be in attendance. (3) The Pastor and Deacons will select a moderator prior to any meetings. (4) Deacons shall be elected at the Annual Business Meeting by the membership from the list of names submitted by the Nominating Committee. [Article VIII, Section 4, Number 1, Point b, last sentence] Section 4 - Special Committees at Business Meeting (1) Nominating Committee:
Section 5 - Order of Meetings In the conduct of business, rules not contained in this constitution shall be primarily governed by a prayerful use of the Word of God. Robert's Rules of Order may be used as a practical guide for conducting orderly business meetings. In exceptions, a majority vote shall establish the rule. All reports will be distributed one week before the Annual Business Meeting.
The following is a suggested order of business for the meeting:
ART. IX GENERAL Section 1 - Meetings of the Church
Section 2 - By-Law Changes These articles may be added to or deleted from at any regular or special Business Meeting of the Church. (By-law changes to be posted two weeks prior to being voted upon.) Changes must be passed by two-thirds vote of members present.
Section 3 - Property
Section 4 - Donations
Section 5 - Governing Articles In matters not governed by these Articles of Association, the Church shall be governed by a prayerful use of the Word of God.
Section 6 - Acceptance of Constitution At the acceptance of this Constitution, all previous motions made and passed are hereby repealed. |