BYLAWS AND CONSTITUTION OF MOUNT OLIVE MISSIONARY

BYLAWS AND CONSTITUTION OF

MOUNT OLIVE MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH

Revised 08/2009

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MISSION STATEMENT

The primary mission of Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church

is to bring glory and honor to its head, Jesus Christ, through a

balanced ministry of worship, preaching and teaching of The

Word, edifying the saints, caring for the needs of others, and

fulfilling the great commission.

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PREAMBLE

For the more certain preservation and security of the principles of our faith, and to the end that

this body may be governed in an orderly manner, and for this purpose of preserving the liberties

inherent in each individual member of MOUNT OLIVE MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH of

Woodstock, Georgia (the “Church”) and the freedoms of action of this body with respect to its

relation to other churches of like faith and order, we do declare and establish these Bylaws.

ARTICLE I

NAME AND PURPOSE

Section 1. Name

The name of the Church shall be MOUNT OLIVE MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH of

Woodstock, Georgia.

Section 2. Purpose

The Church is formed to support public worship and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ

through such ministries as may be determined by the Church.

ARTICLE II

CHURCH ORDINANCES

Section 1. Baptism

This Church may receive for Baptism all persons who have confessed Jesus Christ as their

Savior by personal faith, who profess Him publicly at any worship service, and who indicate a

commitment to follow Christ as Lord. Baptism shall be by immersion in water. The Pastor,

Ministerial Staff or Deacons shall administer Baptism. The Deacons and Deaconesses shall

assist in the preparation and observance of Baptism. Baptism shall be administered as an act of

worship during any worship service of the Church. A person who professes Christ and is not

baptized after a reasonable length of time shall be counseled by the Pastor and/or staff or

Deacons. If negative interest is ascertained on the part of the candidate, he or she shall be

deleted from membership in the Church and from those awaiting Baptism.

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Section 2. The Lord’s Supper

This Church shall observe the Lord’s Supper as scheduled by the Church. The Pastor and

Deacons shall administer the Lord’s Supper. The Deacons and Deaconesses shall be responsible

for the preparations.

Section 3. Marriage

This Church believes that marriage is a union ordained by God. This Church defines marriage as

the exclusive covenantal union of one man and one woman in which such union is a lifetime

commitment. Matthew 19:4-6, “He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them

from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his

father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they

are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together let not man

separate.”

A civil government’s sanction of a union will be recognized as a legitimate marriage by the

Church only to the extent that it is consistent with the definition of marriage found in these

Bylaws.

ARTICLE III

CHURCH GOVERNMENT AND MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Government

The sovereign Baptist Church under the Lordship of Jesus Christ retains unto itself the exclusive

right to temporal life of this Church. The members of this church have the ruling power; the

Church’s authority is vested in the members. Every active member has the right to a voice in the

Church’s government, plans, and policies. The Church is subject to the control of no other

ecclesiastical body, but enjoys mutual counsel and cooperation with other churches of like faith

and order.

Section 2. Membership

Any person may become a candidate for membership in this Church. All such candidates shall

be presented to the Church at any regular Church service for membership in any of the following

ways:

1. By profession of faith and for Baptism according to the policies of this Church.

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2. By promise of a letter of recommendation from another Church.

3. By restoration upon a statement of prior conversion experience and by Baptism by

submersion where no letter is obtainable.

4. By the statement of faith and prior Baptism by submersion after review by the Pastor

and Deacons.

5. By watch-care membership. (Watch-care members are able to participate in all

ministries, excluding Treasurer, Deacon, Trustee, and cannot hold an office and or

leadership role in the Church). Watch-care members are non-voting members.

A non active member is defined as a member who has not attended church in 90 days or more

with exception given to those who are sick and shut-in, on active military duty, or job furlough.

All new members with the exception of the Pastor shall attend new members’ classes.

The membership roll shall be inspected annually and presented to the church during the annual

conference by the Church Clerk.

Section 4. Rights of Members

1. Every active member of the Church at least 16 years of age is entitled to vote at all

elections and on all questions submitted to the Church in a conference, provided the

member is present or special provision has been made by the Church for absentee

balloting.

2. Every active member of the Church on the membership roll is eligible for consider-

ation by the membership as candidates for elective offices in the Church after one

year.

3. Every member of the Church may participate in the ordinances of the Church as

administered by the Church.

Section 5. Termination of Membership

Membership shall be terminated in the following ways:

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1. Death of the member

2. Removal upon request or proof of membership in another church.

Section 6. Church Discipline

Should a member become and offense to the Church by reason of immoral or unchristian

conduct, a sinful lifestyle, or by denying acceptance of fundamental doctrines of the Church, it

shall be the responsibility of the Pastor and Deacons to take steps to resolve the offense in

accordance with Matthew 18:15-20 and I Corinthians 5:9-13.

It shall be the practice of this Church to emphasize to its members that every reasonable measure

will be taken to assist any troubled member. The attitude of members toward one another shall

be guided by a concern for redemption rather than punishment.

ARTICLE IV

CHURCH CONFERENCES

Section 1. Control of Church Affairs

All authority over the affairs of the Church is vested in the Church in a conference. The

conference by its bylaws or otherwise may delegate to its officers, committees or organizations

such authority as it sees fit.

Section 2. Church Conference

The regular conference of the Church shall be held annually, on the Friday before the first

Sunday in October, at its house of worship. The time and location of the regular conference of

the Church may be changed by the Deacons upon giving two weeks notice to the congregation at

any previous conference or worship service. There will be three other mini conferences held

during the year in January, April and July as scheduled by the Deacons.

Section 3. Special Conferences

Special Conferences may be called at any time by the Deacons, upon giving two weeks notice at

the previous conference or worship service. An emergency meeting may be called should

sudden situations arise.

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Section 4. Agenda and Miscellaneous

Robert’s Rules of Order shall regulate the deliberations. The order of business shall be as

follows:

1. Reading of minutes of previous conference

2. Unfinished business

3. Presentation of Report of Trustee, Deacons, Treasurer, Clerk and auxiliary ministries

4. New business

5. Presentation of Pastor’s report

ARTICLE V

PUBLIC WORSHIP

Section 1. Regular Worship Services

The regular worship services of the Church shall be on Sunday mornings or at any other time

agreed upon by the Pastor and Deacons.

Section 2. Special Services

Special services may be held as directed by the Pastor and the Deacons in accordance of the

annual calendar approved by the church body during the annual conference.

ARTICLE VI

CHURCH OFFICERS, STAFF AND COMMITTEES

All who serve as officers and ministerial staff of the Church shall be members of this Church.

Membership is not a requirement for non-ministerial staff.

Section 1. Church Officers

The officers of this Church shall be the Deacons, Clerk, Trustees, Treasurer and Moderator.

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(1) DEACONS

Deacons of the Church shall be ordained to provide spiritual leadership, administrative oversight,

and service to the fellowship of the Church. They shall guard the unity of spirit within the

Church and recommend establishment of policies concerning the material interest of the Church

and its ministries, subject to the will of the Church.

Every Deacon of the Church is expected to seek out and occupy a chosen place of service in the

Church in addition to performing services as a Deacon. All Deacons shall actively support, with

time and finances, the work of the Lord through the various ministries of the Church. All

Deacons are expected to attend all conferences of the Church as a matter of example and service

in supplying their voice to these deliberations. All Deacons are expected to attend the Church

worship services and perform assigned duties necessary to carry out the Sunday worship service.

Only those persons who meet the scriptural qualifications (Acts 6:11-6 and I Timothy 3:8-13)

and who have been members of the Church for at least one year shall be elected. Elections for

Deacon candidates shall be by a majority vote of the Church members present by secret ballot at

a regular conference or a special conference. The Pastor, ministerial staff, and elected Deacon

Body shall interview the candidates and review the scriptural qualifications with each candidate.

After a period of testing, the candidates will then be presented to the Church for ordination.

Once ordained, Deacons shall serve thereafter as long as they are faithful to their duties.

The officers of the Deacons will be Chairman, Vice Chairman, and Secretary. The election of

these offices will be held among the Deacons.

In accordance with the New Testament, Deacons are to be servants of the Church. The ministry

of the Deacon is to serve with the Pastor to carry out God’s work in the church and community.

There shall be no obligation to recognize a Deacon who comes to this Church from another

church of like faith, but after six months the Deacon may be considered by the Deacon body and

recommended by the Deacon body to the Church. A majority vote of the Church members

present shall entitle the Deacon to serve as part of the Deacon body of this Church.

(2) CLERK

The Church shall elect annually a Clerk as its clerical officer, who shall serve until a successor

has been elected. The Clerk shall be responsible for keeping a suitable record of all official

action of the Church and recording minutes of the Church conferences except as otherwise herein

provided. The Clerk must be present in all regular and special Church conferences to record the

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results of all matters voted upon. The Clerk shall record all actions voted on by the Church and

follow through on all necessary correspondence related to the actions. The New Members

Committee shall be responsible for keeping a register of names of members with dates of

admission, death, or erasure, the membership roll, together with a record of Baptisms. The Clerk

shall preserve on file all communications and written official reports, and give required notice

for all meetings where notice is necessary, as indicated in these Bylaws. The Clerk shall be

responsible for preparing the annual letter of the Church to the association. The Clerk shall also

preserve the records for present and future use, correspond with other churches and members,

and preserve records of Church history. The Clerk shall also work with the Moderator in

preparation of an agenda for Church conferences.

All Church records are Church property and shall be kept in the Church office when an office is

maintained.

(3) TREASURER

The Church shall elect annually a Treasurer as its financial officer who shall serve until a

successor has been elected. It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to receive, preserve, and pay out,

upon receipt of vouchers approved and signed by authorized personnel, all money or things of

value paid by or given to the Church, keeping at all times an itemized account of all receipts and

disbursements. It shall be the duty of the Finance Committee to render to the Church at each

regular conference an itemized report of the receipts and disbursements of the preceding quarter.

The Treasurer shall serve on, or work closely with the Finance Committee to develop and

recommend to the Church adequate policies and procedures related to receiving, accounting,

disbursing, and reporting Church monies, and to maintain members’ records of contributions and

provide annual reports of the same.

Upon rendering the annual account at the end of each calendar year and its acceptance and

approval by the Church, the records shall be delivered to the Church Clerk, who shall keep and

preserve the account as a part of the permanent records of the Church.

(4) TRUSTEES

The Church shall elect annually Trustees to act for the Church in legal matters who shall serve

until successors are elected. These persons shall be loyal, trustworthy, stable, long-term

members. To be considered for the office of Trustees, you must be an active member of the

Church for at least three years. To be considered for the office of Chairman of the Trustees, you

must be a member of the Trustee Board for at least two years. They shall hold the Church

property in the corporate name of the Church. Upon a specific vote of the Church authorizing

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each action, they shall have the power to buy, sell, mortgage, lease, or transfer any Church

property, but not otherwise. When the signatures of Trustees are required, any two or more shall

sign legal documents involving the sale, mortgage, purchase, or rental property, or other legal

documents related to Church approved matters.

(5) MODERATOR

The Church shall elect annually a Moderator from the membership as its presiding officer over

Church conferences. In the absence of the Moderator, the chairman of the Deacons shall preside;

or in the absence of both, the Clerk shall call the Church to order and preside for the election of

an acting Moderator.

In guarding and maintaining the fellowship of the Church, the aim of the Moderator must be to

bring about unity with people of different views, ideas, and convictions. The objectives of the

Moderator should be to maintain the spirit of Christian love while presiding, to be fair and

courteous with all members, to help members understand parliamentary procedures without

embarrassment to them, to insist that motions be stated and seconded before discussed, to

suggest that a member make a motion by stating “A motion is in order to”; to call on the person

who makes a motion to discuss it first; to encourage full and free debate by leading members to

talk through their disagreements and trying to avoid trivial matters, to alternate discussions so as

to bring out both sides of a question by giving a member who has not spoken preference over the

one who has; to respect the minority who has a right to be heard even though the majority must

prevail, and to always take the affirmative votes first and then the negative votes second.

The Moderator must maintain a neutral position while presiding. If he or she wishes to debate a

question under consideration, he or she should ask an assistant to preside.

Section 2. Pastor

The Pastor is responsible for leading the Church to function as a biblically based church of the

Baptist denomination. The Pastor is the spiritual leader of the church. As such, he works with

the Deacons and Church staff to accomplish the following:

1. Proclaim the Gospel to believers and unbelievers

2. Lead the Church in the achievement of its mission

3. Care for the Church’s members and other persons in the community

The Pastor shall be chosen and called by the Church whenever a vacancy occurs. The election

shall take place at a meeting called for that purpose, of which at least two weeks public notice

has been given.

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A Pastor Selection Committee of at least five active members shall seek out a suitable Pastor,

and its recommendation will constitute a nomination. Any active Church member has the

privilege of making other nominations according to the policy established by the Church. The

Committee shall bring to the Church only one name at a time. Election shall be by ballot with an

affirmative 75% vote of those present being necessary for approval. The Pastor, thus elected,

shall serve until the relationship is terminated by his request or the Church’s request as herein

below provided.

The Pastor shall be reviewed annually by the Deacons, through the opinion of the congregation,

to determine if set goals are being accomplished. During the Church’s annual conference there

shall be a vote by the active members, as to whether the Church wishes to continue their

relationship with the Pastor. The Pastor will also be asked if he wishes to continue his

relationship with the Church.

The Pastor may relinquish the office of Pastor by giving at least a 30-day notice to the Church at

the time of resignation.

The Church may declare the office of Pastor to be vacant. Such action shall take place at and

shall constitute a special business conference. The meeting may be called upon the

recommendation of the Deacons or by written petition signed by not less than one-fourth of the

active Church members on the membership roll. The moderator for this meeting shall be

designated by the members present by majority vote, and that person shall be someone other than

the Pastor. The vote to declare the office vacant shall be by secret ballot with an affirmative vote

of the majority of the members present necessary to declare the office vacant. Except in

instances of gross misconduct by the Pastor, upon the Church declaring the office to be vacant,

the Church will compensate the Pastor with no less than one-twelfth of his total annual

compensation. The termination shall be immediate and the compensation shall be rendered in

not more than thirty days.

Section 3. Ministerial Staff

The ministerial staff shall serve the Church and Pastor. A job description shall be written when

the need for a staff member is determined. An updated job description will be kept and managed

by the Church Clerk and presented to the Church for approval.

Section 4. Non-ministerial Staff

The non-ministerial staff members shall be employed as the Church determines the need for their

services. The Deacons and Trustees shall have the authority to assign services of non-ministerial

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staff members. Such employment and termination of services shall occur after consultation with

the Pastor and the Church Body.

Section 5. Church Committees

Church committees shall serve at the discretion of the church as needed in its ministry. The

Pastor is an ex-officio member of all committees. The committees shall not be limited to those

existing in the By-Laws, but additional committees shall be elected as deemed necessary by the

Pastor, Church Officers, and Church Body. Committees shall be chosen and reviewed annually

(or as needed) in order to fill vacancies. The committees are encouraged to meet at least once

per quarter and should give a committee report at the church conferences.

ARTICLE VII

AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS

The Deacons and Trustees shall have the power to alter, amend or repeal the Bylaws or adopt

new bylaws with approval of the Church Body. Any bylaws adopted by the Deacons and

Trustees shall be altered, amended or repealed by the Church Body. The Church Body may

prescribe than any bylaw adopted by the Church Body shall not be altered, amended or repealed

by the Deacons or Trustees. Action by the Deacons and Trustees with respect to the bylaws shall

be taken by an affirmative vote of a majority of all the Deacons and Trustees. Action by the

Church Body with respect to the bylaws shall be taken by an affirmative vote of the majority of

the active members.