BYLAWS OF CALVARY CHURCH Pueblo, Colorado

Transcription

1 BYLAWS OF CALVARY CHURCH Pueblo, Colorado Article I - Covenant and Governing Documents Section 1. The Church Covenant As a member of Calvary Church, I do covenant with God and my fellow Christians to strive for the cultivation of a mature Christian character, and for the advancement of the Kingdom of God on earth, God helping me to do this, I will: - Acknowledge Jesus Christ as my Savior and seek to bring every phase of my life under the Lordship of Christ. - Grow in my stewardship of money, time, talent, and life generally as I am instructed from the reading of the Scriptures and the teaching of the Church. - Speak often to God in prayer, praying for the needs of other Christians, the needs of the Church, the needs of my world, as well as my own spiritual needs. - Spend time often in Bible reading and meditation, that I may understand my Christian faith more thoroughly and learn to love and serve Christ more sincerely. - Seek to walk with other believers in brotherly love, exercising affectionate care and watchfulness for others, striving for their Christian growth as for my own. - Strive at all times to take advantage of every opportunity to help others see the joy in being a follower of Jesus Christ and His principles of love for one another. I will strive to win others to the saving experience of Jesus the Savior. - Make my home a base for the spiritual training of my family and myself. - When I move from Calvary Church, I will join another expression of Christ s Church where I can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the teachings of the Master. Section 2. Governing Documents With Scripture as the guide, these Bylaws shall govern the officers and members of Calvary Church of Pueblo, Colorado

2 Article II - Membership Section 1. Membership Requirements All members of Calvary Church must be followers of Jesus Christ, Son of God. Section 2. Membership Application Persons may apply for membership in Calvary Church by the following ways: a) A statement of faith in Jesus Christ. b) A profession of faith in Jesus Christ and a desire to follow Christ s teaching to be baptized. Section 3. Membership Approval The unanimous approval of the Elders is required to admit or reinstate any person into membership. Section 4. Membership Termination Membership may terminate in any of the following ways: a) By death b) By letter of dismissal and/or recommendation to another church. c) By expulsion- After proper consideration by the Elders, any member who has become an offense to Calvary Church will be expelled from this fellowship. Section 5. Annual Review The membership roll of Calvary Church shall be reviewed and updated by the Elders annually. Article III - Officers and Other Personnel The Officers of the Church will perform the duties of their offices in a manner that glorifies Jesus Christ. All Officers shall abstain from decisions regarding matters that represent a conflict of interest on their part.

3 Section 1. Senior Pastor The Senior Pastor will be the primary preacher at scheduled corporate services and shall be responsible to arrange for substitute preachers. He will promote the spiritual welfare of the membership by teaching God s Word. He will be a member of the Elders. Section 2. Elders The Elders will be responsible for providing effective leadership and spiritual guidance to the Church and will seek constantly to glorify Christ by making decisions based upon sound Biblical principles. The Elders are not a dictatorial body (I Peter 5:1-3); they are servants and are to be chosen based on the spiritual qualifications in I Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9, and Hebrews 13:17. All decisions made by the Elders must be by unanimous agreement. The responsibilities of the Elders are to: a) Provide spiritual leadership. b) Oversee the various ministries and to cultivate communication and cooperation between the ministries. c) Approve admissions of persons into membership at Calvary Church. d) Oversee the administration of baptism and communion. e) Receive matters of proposed church action, which may be submitted by any member(s) of the Church or by any of the ministries of the Church. f) Establish or discontinue, as they deem necessary, any ministry and set out its responsibilities as well as ministry membership requirements. Any volunteer officer, teacher or ministry member may be relieved of his/her duties by the Elders. g) Present qualified candidates for the office of Elder to the Church. They will post said nominations two weeks before the annual assembly. h) Present to the Church their recommendation of a candidate for the position of Senior Pastor. At least one week s notice will be given before a candidate is presented to the Church for approval. i) Make necessary arrangements for scheduled corporate services in the event the office of Senior Pastor is vacant.

4 The term of appointment to Elder is for three years. Reaffirmation is required every year (See Article IV). Every effort will be made to stagger the terms so that there is continuity from one Elder board to the next. Article IV - Assemblies Section 1. Assembly Location and Frequency Assemblies of the Church will be held in the Church buildings, unless otherwise designated. All ministries will meet as required, or at the call of the ministry leader. Section 2. Quorum A quorum will be constituted by at least 20% of average Sunday morning Church attendance of the preceding fiscal year for the transaction of business at any regular or special assembly of the Church. Section 3. Special Assemblies Special assemblies of the Church may be called by the Senior Pastor or the Elders by written notice to the membership and/or by oral announcement in the regular worship service of the Church at least seven days prior to the date of the special assembly. Section 4. Annual Assembly An annual assembly is to be held for the purpose of: a) Electing, reaffirming, or dismissing Elders on a Scriptural basis. Each Elder shall be voted upon at this annual assembly whether nominated or continuing in office. b) Approving the proposed budget for the next fiscal year. Section 5. Member Matters Members may present matters to a regular or specially called Church assembly: a) Individually b) Through the ministries c) Through the Elders

5 Section 6. Assembly Conduct The assemblies will be presided over by the Chairman of the Elders or his designee. Section 7. Special Assembly for Elder Search Committee In the event there are no remaining Elders, with a seven-day notice, a special assembly will be held and an Elder Search Committee (ESC) will be formed from among the members. The ESC will consist of at least three members elected by a majority vote of Church members present at the special assembly. Section 8. Elder Election Assembly The ESC will receive nominations from the Church members for a period of two weeks. The ESC shall prayerfully consider nominations and bring forth a slate of prospective Elders to the Church membership. The ESC will, within three months of its formation, call a special assembly for the sole purpose of electing Elders. This assembly will be presided over by the Senior Pastor or by the ESC Chairman if there is no Senior Pastor. No member of the ESC may be nominated as an Elder while serving on the ESC. The Elders who are elected will serve until the next annual assembly, at which time they may be reaffirmed, per Article IV, Section 4. Article V Elections and Voting Section 1. Ballots and Eligibility to Vote Voting on any matter brought before an assembly of this Church will be done by written ballot, unless there is unanimous consent of those present to do otherwise. All members of this Church who are at least 18 years of age are eligible to vote. Section 2. Majority Vote Voting on matters at a regular or special assembly of the Church will require the following majority vote of those present and voting: a) Voting to elect, reaffirm, or remove Elders will require a 75% majority. b) The calling of a Senior Pastor or terminating the tenure of the Senior Pastor will require a 75% majority.

6 c) The voting to sell, mortgage, or otherwise encumber the real estate or other property of Calvary Church will require a two-thirds majority. d) All other matters, such as approving the annual budget, will require a simple majority. Article VI - Amendment Section 1. Amendment of Bylaws These Bylaws may be amended by the simple majority vote of the Church membership present and voting at a regular assembly, provided that: a) The proposed amendment, in writing, has been submitted to the Elders for review, and b) The proposed amendment has been read at a previous regular or special assembly of the Church membership. Article VII - Adoption Section 1. Effective Date The Bylaws, and/or amendments to the Bylaws, of Calvary Church will become effective immediately upon adoption. Section 2. Availability A copy of the Bylaws will always be available to each member.