CONSTITUTION
(Revised October 17, 2017)
ARTICLE I – NAME
The name of this body shall be the Henry County Baptist Association of Virginia, hereinafter referred to as the Association.
ARTICLE II – PURPOSE
The purpose of this Association shall be mutual encouragement, fellowship, spiritual edification and promotion of all phases of education, evangelism, ministry, missions and worship to the exalting of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior through the churches.
ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP
This body shall be composed of the officers of the Association, together with messengers duly elected from the cooperating Baptist churches.
A church shall be considered in cooperation by (1) being represented by sending a messenger(s) to the Annual Meeting, (2) submitting an annual report to the Association Clerk, and (3) participating financially in the mission of the Association.
Each church shall be entitled to two messengers and one additional messenger for every twenty five members over one hundred, providing that no church shall be entitled to more than ten messengers.
Representatives from missions sponsored by member churches, representatives from corresponding bodies, visiting ministers and others, by vote of the Association may be offered all privileges of regular members except that of voting.
Churches desiring to cooperate with this body shall make it known by submitting a letter, following guidelines provided by the Clerk of the Association. This letter shall set forth views of divine truth, church order, and willingness to cooperate with the Association and shall be presented to the Chairman of the Membership Committee.
Upon a recommendation of the Membership Committee and a favorable vote of the Association, the Moderator will welcome their messengers into the Association.
ARTICLE IV – RELATIONSHIPS
Henry County Baptist Association is a voluntary association of autonomous churches. The Association has no allegiance except to our Lord, Jesus Christ and member churches.
However, the Association recognizes the importance of participation in the Southern Baptist Convention.
Each member church has the right to relate to state and national Baptist bodies and other Christian organizations within the dictates of conscience and the guidance of the gospel. The Association may also relate to those same organizations.
Member churches are free to maintain relationships with and use resources from Christian organizations which strengthen those churches. Since the Association exists to strengthen HCBA churches, the Association (its staff, officers, and program leaders) is free to utilize resources from the same Christian organizations.
ARTICLE V – OFFICERS
GENERAL OFFICERS of this Association shall be Moderator, Vice-Moderator, Group Facilitators, Clerk, and Treasurer who shall be elected annually by the Association to assume office at the conclusion of the annual meeting.
TRUSTEES shall be elected by the Association as nominees for court appointment to serve as long as both the Trustee and the Association are in accord.
Officers shall perform all duties defined in the Constitution and/or Henry County Baptist Association Handbook (referred to herein as the Handbook).
ARTICLE VI – ORGANIZATION
The Association officers, teams and committees shall be organized into four Groups according to function:
Mission/Ministry Development Group – Create and coordinate cooperative mission and ministry opportunities for member churches, training volunteers and energizing participation.
C3 (Community, Connections, Celebration) Group – Foster connection and fellowship between member churches and with the larger Baptist family.
Church Health Group – Strengthen the health and growth of member churches through providing training and resources.
Administration Group – Oversee the ongoing operation of the Association itself.
The makeup of each Group is defined in the Handbook.
ARTICLE VII – ASSOCIATION HANDBOOK
The Handbook of the Henry County Baptist Association shall contain the policies, procedures and position descriptions for all elected and employed positions.
A copy of the Handbook shall be sent to each member church. Additional copies of the Handbook may be obtained, upon request, from the Association office.
The Handbook may be amended (with exception of the Constitution and Bylaws) by the Executive Committee at any regular meeting, provided that written notice of any proposed change had been given to members of the Executive Committee fifteen days before the meeting.
ARTICLE VIII – EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
The Executive Committee shall be composed of all Association officers, Group Facilitators, Team Leaders, Committee Chairpersons, the representatives to the Baptist General Association of Virginia, and the pastor and one lay member from each member church or mission sponsored by a member church.
Representatives of new church starts shall not have voting privileges.
The Executive Committee shall meet at least three times annually. Fifteen members shall constitute a quorum. Each church representative to the Executive Committee shall be named to the Association in the church’s annual report.
The Executive Committee shall perform all duties defined in the Constitution and/or the Handbook.
The Executive Committee shall serve as the Association between annual meetings in administering the work of the Association.
ARTICLE IX – MEETINGS
The Association shall convene annually at a time and place determined by the Association or the Executive Committee.
The Association shall have the authority to regulate its own meetings and may adjourn to meet at any member church. A quorum shall consist of messengers representing a majority of the member churches.
A majority of legal voters shall constitute a legal action, unless otherwise stated herein.
The Association year shall run from October 1 through September 30.
The program for the annual meeting shall be arranged by the Annual Meeting Committee in counsel with the Executive Committee. Each session shall include worship.
ARTICLE X – DUTIES OF THE CHURCH
Each member church shall send one or more messengers to the Annual Meeting.
Each member church shall submit an annual report to the Clerk of the Association, on a form supplied by the Clerk, at least ten (10) days prior to the annual meeting.
Each member church shall contribute regularly toward the Association budget for defraying expenses connected with the promotional, educational, and missionary work of the Association.
A church that is not represented at the annual meeting, or does not report, or participate financially in the mission of the Association shall be visited by officers of the Association.
ARTICLE XI – BUDGET
The Finance Committee shall prepare a budget, for the fiscal year January 1 to December 31, for adoption by the Association. It shall also recommend the best method and procedure for raising funds for the annual budget and any other funds needed by the Association.
ARTICLE XII – AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION
The constitution may be amended at any regular annual meeting by a two-thirds vote of messengers present, representing a majority of the member churches, provided written notice of the proposed change has been given to the Executive Committee at least thirty (30) days prior to the annual meeting.
BYLAWS
- ROBERT’S RULES OF ORDER (Revised) shall be used as the standard of parliamentary procedure for the transaction of business.
- Within this Association there shall be full recognition of the autonomy of each member church.
- The Executive Committee shall not have the authority to reverse the action of the Association.
- No language in the constitution and bylaws shall be construed as limiting any position to men, or to women, except in Woman’s Missionary Union and Baptist Men’s Ministry.
- The Nominating Committee shall seek to enlist persons from all Association churches for the elected positions within the Association.
- Any officer, Group Facilitator, Team Leader, or committee chairperson, elected by the Association that incurs necessary expenses in the work of their office shall be reimbursed from the Association treasury in keeping with the adopted budget of the Association.
- These bylaws may be amended at any annual meeting by a majority of the messengers present and voting. The amendment must be presented in writing.