CONSTITUTION CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL PREAMBLE In order to exalt the name of our Lord our God in the generation to come, we believe that it is our duty and privilege as Christian parents to provide biblically grounded education for our children. Believing that this can be accomplished best through concerted action, we hereby make and adopt the following articles of association: ARTICLE I - Name This organization shall be known as the Chattanooga Christian School, Incorporated. ARTICLE II - Basis The basis of the Chattanooga Christian School, Inc. is the Word of God as interpreted in the confessions proceeding from the Protestant Reformation. 1 On this basis we believe the following articles of faith and principles for Christian education to be a true and necessary foundation for all activities within the school: A. ARTICLES OF FAITH Of Creation: The one living and true God, in His three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, created all things for His good pleasure, and for the display of His eternal power, wisdom, and goodness; having created all things, God created man in His image, male and female, perfect, sinless, and immortal, and charged man (male and female together) with the care of His created world, to preserve and govern it for His glory. Of The Fall: The first man, Adam, and the first woman, Eve, did not remain in that perfect state in which they were created, but willfully and consciously disobeyed their Creator s commands. In so doing, they incurred God s anger and condemnation, necessarily alienating themselves from their Creator, and from one another and, falling from that perfect state in which they were created, brought upon themselves and all succeeding generations of mankind, the curse of inability to choose to obey God from the heart, proneness to sin, and sin s many and varied destructive effects, the greatest of which is death. Man s fall into sin also brought all of creation into a state of alienation which God had intended between man and creation, and between elements of the created world. Of Redemption: Motivated by His infinite mercy and grace, God the Father established His covenant of grace 1 Examples of such confessions are the Thirty-nine Articles of the Anglican Church (1551), Belgic Confession (1561), Heidelberg Catechism (1563), Canons of Dordt (1619), Westminster Confession (1645) and Catechisms (1646), and The Baptist Confession of 1668 (The Philadelphia Confession). -1-
with man, promising to rescue certain ones of His choosing from their sinful condition, removing the curse of their sin, reconciling them to Himself, and restoring them to an eternal life in personal relationship with the triune God. God the Son, being the second person of the triune God eternally, took upon Himself human form being born of a virgin, and became Mediator of the covenant between God and man, in order to reveal God to man and to remove God s anger and curse upon sinful man. As the Mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ lived a life of perfect exemplary obedience to His Father, obeying all His commands and fulfilling all His purposes, revealing to man the glory, mercy, grace and truth of the Father, and teaching man the way of life. In obedience to His Father s will, Jesus Christ willingly gave up His life, being put to death by sinful men, in order to pay the penalty for sin on behalf of those whom He had chosen to be His own people, and to redeem the created world from the effects of sin, having given up His own life, Jesus took it up again, rising on the third day as the first fruits of the dead, and, in so doing, removing the power of the course of death from mankind and from creation for all time. Having ascended to the Father, the Son sent His spirit to preserve His truth and to reveal the Savior to man through the inerrant, infallible written Word of God, the Scriptures, God s revelation to man, written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit through the prophets and apostles, finding as its focal point the person and work of the living Word, Jesus Christ, and so revealing to man what he is to believe and do. The Holy Spirit works in those whom the Father has chosen to be His people, making them alive and therefore able freely to receive the gift of life offered in the Gospel through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ; those who so respond to Jesus Christ are justified, reconciled to God through the forgiveness of sins on the basis of Christ s giving His life as a substitute for their s, and having been recreated to do good works to the praise of the Father, grow more and more in the grace of God, turning from sin and following Jesus Christ as Lord. God the Son is Lord of His people and Lord of creation, and, as such, intercedes for His people, enabling them to grow more and more in living as His obedient people; He will come again to judge all men, condemning eternally those who remain in their sinful state, and completing the process of reconciliation begun in His calling men to Himself, and restoring the created world to a state of perfection to the praise of His name. B. PRINCIPLES FOR CHRISTIAN EDUCATION Of Schools: The purpose of Christian schools is to educate children for a life of obedience to their calling in this world as image-bearers of God. This calling is to know God s word and His creation, to consecrate the whole of human life to God, to love their fellow man, and to be stewards of their God-given cultural task. Of Parents: The primary responsibility for education rests upon parents to whom children are entrusted by God, and that Christian parents should accept this obligation in view of the covenantal relationship which God established with believers and their children. They should seek to discharge this obligation through school associations and school boards which engage the services of Christian teachers in Christian schools. Of Teachers: Christian school teachers are a part of the body of Christ who have been called to teach. Their -2-
authority is two-fold, with pedagogical authority coming directly from God and delegated authority coming indirectly through the parents. Their task is to guide children into a true knowledge of and an appropriate response to God s Word and God s World. Of Children: Christian schools are to acknowledge through their curriculum, instruction, and relationships that each child has been created by God in His image as a religious being with emotional, intellectual, physical, and social dimensions, that each child has unique needs and abilities; that each child is a sinner in need of the Savior, Jesus Christ; that each child possesses a degree of moral awareness, responsibility, and personal accountability; that each child is called to a life of obedience to God and of service to his fellow man. All children of a believing parent, regardless of race, are to be provided with the opportunity for a Christian education. Of Community: Because God s covenant embraces not only parents and their children but also the whole Christian community to which they belong, and because Christian education contributes directly to the advancement of God s kingdom, it is the obligation not only of the parents but also of their Christian community to establish and maintain Christian schools, to pray, to work, and to give generously. Of Educational Freedom: Christian schools, organized and administered in accordance with legitimate standards and provisions for day schools, should be fully recognized in society as free to function according to their principles. ARTICLE III - Purpose The purpose of the Corporation is to maintain a school for the daily instruction of our children, such instruction to be in accordance with Article II and directed toward the end that these children may occupy their places worthily in society, church and state. ARTICLE IV - Membership in the Legal Corporation Section 1. All parents and guardians of children attending the school maintained by the Corporation who, by their signature, agree to all of the statements in Article II and III of this Constitution are members of the corporation. Section 2. Non-parents who meet the following conditions are members: Eighteen or older, agreed by signature to all the statements in Articles II and II, contribute at least twenty-five dollars during the current fiscal year. Section 3. Membership includes the privilege of voting at the meetings of this Corporation, participating in the organization s activities in behalf of the school, and being eligible for service on the school Board. ARTICLE V - Meetings Section 1. The Corporation shall hold one annual meeting each year in the spring, the place and time to be set by the board. The agenda shall be prepared by the board and mailed to the membership at least two weeks in advance of the meeting. Early voting shall be offered two weeks -3-
prior to the annual meeting. Any member may vote at the school (place, time and manner to be determined by the President) in person after signing a form declaring him or herself to be a member of the corporation pursuant to Article IV of the Constitution. A list shall be maintained of those members voting early in order to prevent duplicate voting. Section 2. The annual meeting of the Corporation shall be the principal business session of the year. Election of board members shall take place and a budget of the following fiscal year shall be presented. A quorum shall consist of those members who attend the meeting. The Order of Business shall be as follows: Opening Prayer, Election of Board Members from candidates nominated by the Board, Vote on any proposed amendments to the Constitution, Report of the President, Presentation of the Budget and Closing prayer. Section 3. Special meetings shall be called by the Board at their discretion, or by written petition of twenty-five percent of the membership. Notice of a special meeting must be made to all Corporation members and must include a statement of the reasons for such a meeting at least two weeks in advance of the meeting. Section 4. Roberts Rules of Order, Revised, shall be used in parliamentary procedures not otherwise specified in the Constitution or Bylaws of this organization. ARTICLE VI - Board of Directors Section 1. A Board of Directors consisting of fifteen persons shall be chosen by the organization at its first stated meeting. The term of office shall be three years, with members eligible for a maximum of two full consecutive terms. In order that Board members may retire in proper succession, five Board members shall be elected at the first stated meeting for three years, five for two years, and five for one year. Section 2. In order that the Board reflect the diverse needs of parents and their children at all grade levels the Board should ordinarily be elected to represent the following constituents: three members to be parents with children in grades K-4, three members to be parents with a child in grades 5-8, three member to be parents with a child in grades 9-12, three members from the membership at large. When such representation cannot be made, the position may be filled from the membership at large. Section 3. Candidates for each Board vacancy shall be nominated by the board after public solicitation of names. Each nominee must be a member of the Corporation. Section 4. Vacancies occurring during the year shall normally be filled at the next stated meeting of the Board. Such appointee shall complete the unexpired terms of the Board members they are replacing. Section 5. The Board shall meet as necessary but not less than once each quarter. Section 6. The Board shall be responsible for establishing and implementing policies in order to execute the purpose of this Corporation. ARTICLE VII - Officers of the Board and Their Duties Section 1. Following the spring corporation meeting and prior to the beginning of the fall term the Board shall elect the following four officers: Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer. Officers elected shall serve until new officers are elected. Section 2. It shall be the duty of the Chairman to preside at all meetings of the Board and of the Corporation and to enforce the provisions of the constitution. He shall appoint such committees as -4-
he may deem necessary. All committee members shall be active members of the Corporation. The Chairman is ex officio a member of all committees and shall be notified of all meetings. Section 3. The Vice-Chairman shall assist the Chairman whenever possible in the discharge of his duties. In the absence of the Chairman, the Vice-Chairman shall take his place. Section 4. The Secretary shall take care of the official documents of the organization; he shall conduct all correspondence, and enter into the records of the organization the minutes of all meetings of the corporation and board after they have been approved. Section 5. The Treasurer is entrusted with the organization s funds and makes all disbursements. All monies received by him shall be deposited in the name of the Corporation in a bank approved by the Board, and no disbursements shall be made except by check. The Treasurer shall report at the regular meetings of the Board. No non-budget disbursements shall be made without the approval of the Board. The delegation of the daily responsibilities associated with this position shall be made by the Chairman with the approval of the Treasurer. The financial records shall be reviewed annually by a CPA firm and audited as appropriate at the discretion of the Board. ARTICLE VIII - The Staff Section 1. The President, Principals, and teachers shall be appointed by the Board after careful consideration of their spiritual, academic, and physical qualifications. They shall be appointed for such terms and with such salary and other conditions (Except as herein expressly provided) as the Board may determine. Section 2. All members of the teaching and administration staff must express agreement with each of the statements contained in Article II and III of this Constitution. They must be members in good standing of churches whose doctrine is in agreement with these Articles. They must be scripturally sound in their teaching. They must lead exemplary lives. Section 3. All teachers as well as the Board shall abide by the terms of the contract entered into by both parties. The terms of such contract become null and void when either party fails to abide by these terms. The Board has authority to dismiss a teacher who proves to be unfit for the work because such teacher s instruction or personal life conflicts with the basis and purpose of the organization. Section 4. The school term shall be determined by the Board. Section 5. The President shall be advisory members of the Board and of its standing committees. ARTICLE IX - Amendments This Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote at any regular meeting of the organization provided that two weeks previous notice has been sent to each member stating the desired change. Such amendments shall be subject to ratification by two-thirds of the Board of Directors. The substance of Articles II, III, and IX of this Constitution is not subject to change. ARTICLE X - Dissolution In case of dissolution of the Corporation the property and monies belonging to the organization shall, after liquidation, be donated to such a Christian educational cause as the organization may determine. -5-
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