By Laws (APRIL, 2016) Third Reformed Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan d/b/a Centerpoint Church

Transcription

1 By Laws (APRIL, 01) Third Reformed Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan d/b/a Centerpoint Church Article I Name and Address The name of this church is Third Reformed Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan d/b/a Centerpoint Church. The Church address is N. th Street, Kalamazoo, MI 00-1, subject to and affiliated with the Reformed Church of America. Article II Statement of Purpose Multiplying Disciples Multiplying Churches Locally Globally Article III Consistory Section I A. As described in the Book of Church Order (hereafter BCO ), The Consistory is the governing body of a local church. 1. A Consistory is a permanent, continuing body which functions between stated sessions through committees.. It is the intent of the Consistory of Centerpoint Church to operate in compliance with the BCO and in the most effective way to accomplish what God has called the church to do. To that end, these by-laws further describe how Centerpoint has set up the subsets of her governing body.. The members of the Consistory are the installed minister/s of that church serving under a call, and the elders and deacons currently installed in office. B. Miscellaneous: 1. Consistory members are confessing members who have been members of Centerpoint Church for at least one year and have attained the age of twentyone.. The Business Manager and Executive Director may serve on the Administrative Consistory but without voting privileges. All other non-ordained staff members are ineligible to serve on Consistory.. The Consistory has the authority to call and terminate ordained staff according to the guidelines set forth in the Book of Church Order; Part I, Article, Sections 1-.. Any matter brought before the Consistory or any of its groups for consideration must be submitted in writing to the Clerk of the Consistory one month prior to the desired date of action on the matter. A representative on behalf of such a matter may appear before any of these groups, at the request of the group(s), to answer any questions about the written proposal. The one month notification requirement may be waived by the Consistory or its sub-group tasked with responding to the matter, should the matter require a more timely response. 1

2 C. Meetings: 1. Meets on the third Tuesday of each month, with the exception of July and December when the Consistory does not meet.. Special meetings of the Consistory may be called by any of the following groups: The Administrative Consistory, President and Vice President, or 0% of the Consistory members. Article IV Consistory Officers The officers of the Consistory of Centerpoint Church are authorized to enter into commitments and agreements on behalf of the church. A. Officers: 1. President (Lead Pastor).. Vice President.. Assistant Vice President.. Clerk (appointment optional).. Assistant Clerk (appointment optional).. Executive Director.. Finance Deacon Chair.. Caring Deacon Chair.. Assistant Caring Deacon Chair. B. Responsibilities. 1. The Lead Pastor shall serve as President of the Consistory.. The Lead Pastor may chair the meetings or designate the Vice President or the Executive Director to chair the meetings.. The Clerk shall keep complete and accurate minutes of all meetings of the Consistory, its sub-groups and the congregational meetings. The Clerk may be relieved of being a Teaching Elder or Caring Elder.. The Assistant Clerk shall serve as Clerk in his/her absence.. The Caring Deacon Chair shall be responsible to oversee the administration and ministry of the Caring Deacons.. The Assistant Caring Deacon Chair shall assist the Chair and serve as Caring Deacon Chair when the Caring Deacon Chair is absent.. The Finance Deacon Chair shall be responsible to oversee the administration and ministry of the Finance Deacons, which is the financial oversight of the church. Article V Consistory Structure The Consistory of Centerpoint Church is made up of the following sub-groups: 1. Administrative Consistory.. Teaching Elders.. Caring Elders.. Caring Deacons.. Finance Deacons.

3 I. Administrative Consistory A. Purpose: To oversee the financial, administrative and operational functions of the Church. 1. Approve the annual budget presented by the Executive Team.. Approve all major initiatives.. Distribute minutes to the Consistory in written form. 1. Executive Team Members - Vice President (Chair).. Finance Team.. Caring Deacon Chair.. Assistant Caring Deacon Chair.. Clerk (nonvoting if appointed).. Assistant Clerk (nonvoting if appointed).. Full-time Ordained Pastors. D. Meetings: Quarterly on the rd Tuesday of the month before Consistory meetings, with additional meetings at the request of the Executive Team or Finance Team. II. Executive Team A. Purpose: To provide guidance and oversight to the senior staff. 1. Measure, monitor and evaluate the overall performance of the organization.. Work with Lead Pastor on development of vision and strategic plan.. Conduct Lead Pastor s evaluation and oversee the completion of all staff evaluations.. Annually evaluate and assess unmet needs within the broader ministry for the purpose of determining future staffing.. Approve new staff positions in consultation with the Finance Team.. Conduct the search and hiring process for senior-level and ordained positions.. Has authority to terminate or delegate the decision to terminate the employment of any non-ordained employee and/or Minister under Contract.. Oversee the consistory nomination process.. Delegate tasks to appropriate teams.. Establish policy and grant approval for staff members working on advanced degrees.. Evaluate budget requests from staff and establish the annual budget within the parameters provided by the Finance Team. 1. Approve new hires. 1. President (Lead Pastor).. Vice President (Elder).. Assistant Vice President (Elder).

4 III. IV.. Executive Director.. Business Manager. Finance Team Representative.. Up to two additional nonvoting Ad-Hoc members (Appointed) at the discretion of the voting members of the Executive Team. D. Meetings: Twice monthly, usually the 1 st and rd Tuesdays of the month. Teaching Elders A. Purpose: Oversee all curriculum and worship services for doctrinal purity and Biblical accuracy. 1. Set dates and arrange for: a. Baptism. b. Communion Celebrations (Home Communion is the responsibility of the Caring Elders).. Oversight of worship. a. Preaching and doctrinal purity. b. Approval of drama, music, sacred dance and other expressions of worship. c. Approval of guest preachers/speakers. d. Approval of off-site worship services/events. e. Approve worship service cancellations, other than weather-related.. Regarding the Pastors and Staff a. Provide spiritual protection of the pastors.. Oversight of Discipleship/Education a. Develop and review educational initiatives. b. Clarify doctrinal positions and answer questions that arise. c. Draft statements on current issues. d. Approve teachers and volunteer youth leaders.. Seminary and Commissioned Pastor program students of Centerpoint Church: a. Recommend approval, postponement, or denial for applicants to come under the care of Classis. b. Arrange for proper care and recommend them to the Finance Team. 1. Lead Pastor (Chair).. Vice President or Assistant Vice President.. Elected Teaching Elders. Caring Elders A. Purpose: Oversee the spiritual and pastoral care needs of the congregation.

5 Church discipline.. Spiritual and pastoral care of the congregation.. Approve changes in members status.. Reception of new members.. Follow-up on absent and inactive members.. Hospital-home bound calls.. Home Communion. 1. Full-time Ordained Pastor. Elected Caring Elders. V. Caring Deacons A. Purpose: Responsible for evaluating and providing for the physical and financial needs of members and others as determined by the Caring Deacons. 1. Administrative. a. Collecting of offerings.. Congregational Outreach a. Physical and financial needs of members and attendees.. Community Outreach a. Build partnerships with organizations in Southwest Michigan. b. Disbursement of the Deacon s Fund. 1. Caring Deacon Chair.. Full-time Ordained Pastor.. Assistant Caring Deacon Chair.. Elected Caring Deacons. VI. Finance Team A. Purpose: Monitor the financial well-being of the Church, and oversee the financial responsibilities of the organization. 1. Set annual budget parameters.. Monitor weekly cash flow and receipts.. Report financial information to the congregation.. Responsible for the care and supervision of the church s assets/property and financial interests.. Approval special catch-up offerings and fundraisers.. May approve reallocating up to 0% of the budget after any necessary consultation with involved groups.. May spend up to % annually above the budget.

6 Finance Deacon Chair.. Business Manager (nonvoting member).. Vice President or Assistant Vice President (nonvoting).. Executive Director (nonvoting).. Elected Finance Deacons. D. The Finance Deacons determine all staff salaries and benefit ranges in accordance with Church Policy and Regional Synod Guidelines. E. Meetings: Monthly. Article VI Congregational Meetings A. The congregation shall meet on or before the first Sunday in June to elect Elders and Deacons and conduct any other business deemed necessary. B. Special congregational meetings to deliberate other business may be called, as deemed necessary, by the Administrative Consistory after informing the Consistory Teams. The congregation must be notified two consecutive weeks in advance of such meetings. C. All confessing members eighteen years or older of this congregation shall be eligible to vote on Church business at the Congregational meetings. D. Absentee ballots shall be available for first balloting three days before any vote. Article VII Consistory Elections The Executive Team is responsible for the oversight of the nominating process. They will review the names submitted for nomination by the congregation and forward a list of potential nominees to each of the teams of the Consistory. I. Nominations: A. Each of the Consistory Teams (Finance Team, Teaching Elders, Caring Elders and Caring Deacons) shall interview prospective nominees for their own teams and present their single slate to the Consistory for election by the Congregation. B. The Vice President, Assistant Vice President, Clerk, Assistant Clerk, Caring Deacon Chair, and Assistant Caring Deacon Chair shall be nominated by the Executive Team. The Executive Team may choose to hire an employee to serve as the Clerk or Assistant Clerk. C. The Vice President and Assistant Vice President of Consistory shall interview candidates for Assistant Vice President, Assistant Clerk and Assistant Caring Deacon Chair.

7 II. Election of Officers A. The Vice President, Assistant Vice President, Clerk and Assistant Clerk shall be elected by the Consistory. B. The Clerk and Assistant Clerk shall be elected as well, unless the Executive Team chooses to hire an employee to serve as Clerk or Assistant Clerk. C. The Finance Team Chair is nominated by the Finance Team and elected by Consistory. Article VII Terms of Office Centerpoint operates on a July 1st to June 0th fiscal-year. The terms of office for the elected Consistory positions are as follows: A. Assistant Vice President/Vice President: a. The Assistant Vice President shall be elected for a four fiscal-year term. b. The Assistant Vice President will serve for two fiscal-years in that office, followed by two fiscal-years serving as the Vice President. c. The Vice President must take at least one fiscal-year off, after completing his/her term, unless voted to remain as nonvoting, additional member. B. Assistant Clerk/Assistant Caring Deacon Chair: a. The Assistant Clerk and Assistant Caring Deacon Chair shall be elected for a four fiscal-year term. b. The Assistant Clerk and Assistant Caring Deacon Chair will serve in that capacity for two fiscal-years, followed by two fiscal-years serving as Clerk or Caring Deacon Chair. c. The Clerk and Caring Deacon Chair must take at least one fiscal-year off, after completing his/her term. C. Elders and Deacons a. The term of office is three consecutive fiscal-years for all Elders and Deacons other than the Vice-President, Assistant Vice-President, Clerk, Assistant Clerk, Caring Deacon Chair, Assistant Caring Deacon Chair. b. Elders and Deacons, upon approval by their ministry team, may at the end of three fiscal-years extend their service annually up to an additional two fiscalyears. c. The total they may serve is five consecutive fiscal-years. d. Upon completion of their terms, Elders and Deacons must take at least one fiscal-year off. e. Vacancies are to be filled by Consistory action, under the purview of the Executive Team.

8 Article IX Quorum A quorum shall consist of a majority of the elected members of a particular group for group meetings. A majority of the Consistory members constitutes a quorum for Consistory meetings. Article X Parliamentary Procedure Meetings will be conducted via the guidelines of Robert s Rule of Order. Article XI Amendments These By-Laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of Consistory. The amended changes must be presented in writing to the Consistory thirty days before being voted on. Article XII Suspension of the By-Laws These By-Laws may be suspended in all or in part by the unanimous agreement of the Consistory. Revised and approved: April, 01