CAPITAL BAPTIST ASSOCIATION

CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS

(Proposed Task Force Revisions for 10/18/2011)

See recommended deletions and insertions:

CONSTITUTION                                                                                                                           

 ARTICLE I - NAME

The name of this body is the "Capital Baptist Association."

 ARTICLE II - PURPOSE

      1. It is the purpose of this body to provide an organization network for Baptists member churches in the Capital Baptist Association

                  (1) for the promotion of all the work of Christ in all the earth, and

(2) for the doing of Christ's work within the association, on a  cooperative basis in ministries which cannot be accomplished by the local churches acting independently. working cooperatively to accomplish together what none of us could accomplish alone.

2.  The objective vision of the Capital Baptist Association is to assist Baptist churches in the association to establish, enlarge, conduct, and improve their ministry which includes:

(1) Bringing persons to God through Jesus Christ

(2) Maintaining and improving fellowship among Baptist  churches in the Metropolitan Oklahoma City area

(3) Assisting churches in strengthening their programs

(4) Encouraging the churches in the establishment of missions and new churches

(5) Providing information concerning programs of the Baptist General Convention of  Oklahoma, the  Southern Baptist Convention, and the Baptist World Alliance.

(6) Providing a channel through which the churches may engage cooperatively in programs or projects which they cannot sponsor individually.

The objectives of the association will be implemented in the following areas:

(1)  Fellowship

(2)  Education and Administration

(3)  Worship, Evangelism and Church Extension

(4)  Cooperative Ministries

                        is to be a network of Southern Baptist churches who fulfill the Great Commission locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally through missions, evangelism, ministry, fellowship, discipleship, and education.

 ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP 

      1.  The association shall consist of Southern Baptist churches in the Greater Metropolitan Oklahoma City area which subscribe to the statement of "The Baptist Faith and Message" or similar articles of faith and to this constitution, and are duly received into this fellowship by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast by the messengers present at any annual meeting of the associat­ion.  Churches desiring to cooperate with membership in the association must file a petitionary letter with the associational clerk at least thirty (30) sixty (60) days prior to the annual meeting of the association. Messengers elected by participating cooperating churches shall meet annually to conduct for business, promote fellowship, inspiration and information.

       2.  For the association’s annual meeting, each church of fifty members or less may send her pastor and three other messengers, and churches of larger membership may send one additional mes­senger for each additional twenty-five (25) members, provided that no church shall have more than twenty (20) messengers.

        3.   The association reserves the right to determine its own membership and to refuse to seat messengers and/or withdraw fellowship from churches that may have become corrupt in faith or practice.

(1)  A formal written and signed protest stating the reasons against the seating of messengers and/or withdrawal of fellowship from any church may be filed with the Executive Board by a board member at any board meeting prior to an annual meeting, or by a messenger with the Membership/Credentials Committee no later than the beginning of the first session of an annual meeting.

(2)  In either case The Annual Meeting Program Committee for the annual meeting shall provide time in the opening session for a thorough discussion and vote on the question of seating the protested messengers. Any The vote to refuse to seat messengers from any church must carry by at least a two-thirds majority.  Refusal to seat messengers does not constitute withdrawing of fellowship.  Instead, it is a formal statement of protest concerning the faith or practice of a sister church.  During the year following the refusal to seat messengers, the association’s officers, and staff, and Membership/Credentials Committee shall work with the offending church with the goal of resolving the problem.  If, at the end of the year, the problem has not been resolved, or a satisfactory solution worked out, the association will consider a motion to withdraw fellowship.  A two-thirds vote is necessary for a motion to withdraw fellowship to pass.

(3)  If a protest is filed early enough to the seating of messengers is made in advance of the annual meeting, the moderator will may appoint a committee of three to personally call upon the pastor and/or responsible leaders of the church and inform them of the protest and the fact that a discussion and possible vote will take place during the opening session of the annual meeting.

      4.   Member churches will maintain their membership in Capital Baptist Association by exhibiting a spirit of cooperation.  Each church must submit an Annual Church Profile and participate financially in the work of the association.  If a church fails to meet these requirements, the Credentials Committee will contact that church to assist them toward their compliance.  If the requirements are not met that church will be subject to removal from membership in the association.

ARTICLE IV - AUTHORITY 

      While independent and sovereign in its own sphere autonomous, the association does not claim and will never attempt to exercise any authority over any church or any other Baptist body.                                   

ARTICLE V - OFFICERS

      The officers of the association shall consist of a moderator, first vice-moderator, second vice-moderator, a clerk, and an executive director associational missionary/treasurer.  The officers, with the exception of the executive director associational missionary/treasurer, shall be elected annually and shall hold office until their successors are elected and qualified.  The officers, with their prior approval, shall be nominated from the floor and elected by a majority vote of those voting. Voting shall be done by standing or raising of the hands unless a motion for a secret ballot is passed.

ARTICLE VI - ANNUAL MEETING

       1.  Meetings. The association shall hold a meeting annually at such time and place as it may determine.  Spe­cial meetings may be called, and time and place of annual meetings may be changed for good cause by the officers of the association with the consent of the Executive Board.  At all meetings, divine guidance shall be sought through earnest prayer.

       2.  Proceedings:  All questions shall be decided by majority of votes cast except where otherwise stated in the constitution.  A printed report of the ac­tions of the Executive Board and the proceedings of the annual meeting of the association and the record of the churches reported to the association shall be prepared and distributed to the cooperating member churches.

 ARTICLE VII - EXECUTIVE BOARD 

       1. Membership.  The elected officers of the association, the elected Committee Chairpersons and Ministry Coordinators, the pastors of all cooperating each member churches, and one additional member from each church, nominat­ed by the church, but elected by the association or Executive Board, shall consti­tute the Executive Board of the association.  The pastor of a cooperating mission that becomes a church between annual meetings of the association shall be a member of the Executive Board until the next annual meeting of the association.

      2. Officers:  The officers of the association shall be officers of the Executive Board.     

      3. Meetings: The Executive Board is empowered to conduct business between annual meetings.  The Executive Board shall meet a minimum of six (6) times a year at a regularly ap­pointed time, date, and place, except that the time, date, or place may be changed, meetings may be canceled, and special meetings may be called for just cause by the Moderator with the agreement of the other elected officers.

      4.   Proceedings:

(1)  Motions on all matters which originate in an Executive Board meeting, unless otherwise specified, shall be referred to the proper committee or ministry team for first consideration, except that two-thirds of those voting in an Executive Board meeting request immediate considera­tion.

(2)  All recommendations to be made by the association’s committees and ministry teams to the Executive Board shall be distributed to the members of the Board at least one week prior to the board meeting at which they are to be considered.

(3) Votes by the Executive Board on questions professing to speak for the Association to any person, church, group, or organization shall be recorded and reported as to the number of yes and no votes, and shall include the names of any persons who request that their vote be recorded.

(4) A quorum shall consist of 20 members present at any given meeting.

 ARTICLE VIII - TRUSTEES

      The association shall elect annually, for a three-year term, one member of a Board of Trustees consisting of three persons according to the Articles of Incorporation on file with the Secretary of State of the State of Oklahoma.  No person may succeed himself until one year has elapsed.  Said trustees are authorized to purchase, receive, and hold title to real estate and other property by devise, gift, grant, or other conveyance with power to mortgage and to borrow money, sell or convey the same or any part, parcel or portion thereof, when so directed by the association.

 ARTICLE IX – COMMITTEES/MINISTRY TEAMS