CONSTITUTION AND
BYLAWS
OF
THE
CONTENTS
ARTICLE PAGE
I - HISTORY AND PREAMBLE
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
II - PURPOSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . 2
III - FAITH AND COVENANT .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
IV - MEMBERSHIP . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
V - OFFICERS AND DUTIES
PASTOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. 4
MODERATOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . 5
VICE MODERATOR. . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . 5
CLERK . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . 5
TREASURER . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . 6
FINANCIAL SECRETARY . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . 6
AUDITOR . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . 6
HEAD GREETER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
LIBRARIAN / HISTORIAN . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . 6
VI -
BOARDS AND COMMITTEES
CHURCH COUNCIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
BOARD OF DEACONS. . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . 7
BOARD OF TRUSTEES . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . 8
FINANCE COMMITTEE . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . 8
STEWARDSHIP AND
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION COMMITTEE . .
. . . . . . . . . . . 9
MUSIC DIRECTOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
NOMINATING COMMITTEE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
PASTORAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
EMMA FORD MEMORIAL FUND COMMITTEE
. . . . . . . . . . . 10
VII -
CONGREGATIONAL MEETINGS
THE ANNUAL MEETING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
SPECIAL MEETINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
PRESIDING OFFICER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
QUOROM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. 12
DOCUMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . 12
OTHER . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . 12
VII - DISSOLUTION
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
IX - AMENDMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . 12
As Approved At The Annual Meeting - January
1993 and amended
IN 1995,2000, and 2005.
CONSTITUTION AND
BYLAWS
OF THE
ARTICLE I HISTORY
AND PREAMBLE:
The
history of the
On
January 19, 1838, the Warren River Meeting House Society was organized,
composed of Universalists, two groups of Methodists, Congregationalists, and
Baptists. On March 6, 1838, land was
deeded to the inhabitants of the town for the purpose of building a meeting
house. Completed in 1839, the building
was used by each denomination for worship, with use proportioned according to
the amount of money each had raised for the building project.
On
July 23, 1885, the Free Will Baptists, Congregationalists and
Methodists
joined to form the
The church was
incorporated under the laws of
18, 1918.
As no
copies of pre-existing by-laws could be located, by-laws were adopted on
November 20, 1977. At that time, the
name was changed to the
The
latest revision has been developed to bring the written by-laws into conformity
with the size, abilities and commitments of the present congregation. These by-laws set forth the manner in which
the
ARTICLE II PURPOSE:
The
present members of this Church share the objectives which the founding members
set forth in the Articles of Agreement, adopted July 23, 1885.
"We, the subscribers,
being as we believe, sincere disciples of Jesus Christ, and having made public profession
of our faith in him, do hereby unite ourselves in one body as a Christian
Church, to
be known as the United Church of Warren.
The objects for
which we thus unite ourselves are, the honor of God, the support of public
worship, the observance of the Christian ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's
Supper, the growth of ourselves and all who shall hereafter unite with us in
grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and the
preaching of the gospel to the world.
We shall as soon as possible, ask the fellowship of
the Christian churches of the Congregational order, and will conform in
doctrine and practice as a church to their established order so far as shall be
consistent with duty as made known to us."
ARTICLE III FAITH AND COVENANT:
Section 1 - This
Church recognizes the Bible as the sufficient rule of faith and practice, and
holds that living in accordance with the teaching of Jesus Christ is the true
test of fellowship. Each member shall
have the undisturbed right to follow the Word of God according to the dictates
of conscience, under the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. From time to time, various statements such as
those quoted below may be used by this church to express its faith but may not
be used to judge the orthodoxy of individual persons.
A. "We do truly repent of our sins; we
heartily receive Jesus Christ as our crucified Savior and risen Lord; we
consecrate ourselves and all that we have unto God, and our lives unto His
service; we accept His Word as our Law and His Spirit as our Comforter and
Guide; and, trusting in His grace to confirm and strengthen us in all goodness,
we promise to do God's holy will, and to walk with this Church in the truth and
peace of our Lord Jesus Christ." - United Church in Warren Covenant, 1885
B. "We covenant with the Lord and one with
another and doe bynd our selves in the presence of God, to walke together in
all his waies, according as he is pleased to reveale himself unto us in his
blessed word of truth." -
C.
United
Doxology.
Section 2 - The
government of This Church is vested in its members who exercise the right of
control in all its affairs, cherishing the principle of local autonomy.
Section
3 - Although This Church is not subject to the authority of
any ecclesiastical
body, it accepts the obligations of mutual counsel, cooperation, and support
involved in the free fellowship of the United Church of Christ, and pledges
itself to share in the common aims and work of that body as from time to time
seems appropriate. Membership in the
United Church of Christ shall be effected on the part of This Church by
maintaining standing in the Washington Association of the Vermont Conference of
the United Church of Christ or its successor organization.
ARTICLE IV MEMBERSHIP:
Section 1 - At any Sunday morning worship service
designated by the Deacons, This Church may receive into membership, candidates
who have been recommended by the Pastor and the Deacons.
Section 2 - Candidates for membership shall be those
persons who:
A. Have
been baptized;
B.
Freely and willingly accept as their own, the broad
outlines of
the faith of This
Church;
C. Have been presented for
membership by the Deacons, submitting as support for their membership
application evidence of their confession of faith1 confirmation, or
reaffirmation of faith, or a letter of dismissal and recommendation from
another Christian church.
D.
Have publicly entered into a Covenantal relationship
with the
members of This Church.
Section 3 - It shall be the continuing
responsibility of all members to keep the Covenant by attending worship
services, helping in the work of the Church and contributing to its support.
Section 4 - A person who wishes to participate in
the life of This Church while maintaining membership in another church may be
received as an associate member by the same process as regular active members
are received. Associate members shall have all the rights and duties of regular
members except the right to a letter of transfer to another church.
Section
5 - Members who, for a period of two years, have not attended or communicated
with This Church or contributed to its support, may be considered to be inactive
and may have their names moved from the active to the inactive membership list
by the Clerk, after
consultation with the Pastor, the Deacons, and the Clerk. Inactive members
shall be ineligible to serve as officers of This Church, shall be denied the
privilege of voting at the meetings of This Church and shall not be reported
for statistical purposes. Inactive
members who wish to be restored to active status may apply to the Deacons to be
reinstated with their approval. A
decision shall be made within one month.
Section 6 - A member may be released from his or her
covenant with This Church by:
A. Written
request of the member;
B. Written request of the member for a letter of
dismissal and recommendation to another church; or
C.
Remaining on the inactive membership list for five
consecutive years; all subject to the approval of the Deacons, who
shall notify the member
involved prior to the action, and the Clerk of the Church.
ARTICLE V OFFICERS AND DUTIES:
PASTOR
A. The Pastor is charged to lead and guide the
congregation, with the assistance of the Board of Deacons, in all matters
relating to its spiritual welfare and growth, and shall enter into the life of
the wider community as a Christian witness.
Particulars of the Pastor's duties, responsibilities and compensation
shall be spelled out in the Letter of Call.
B. The Pastor shall be an ex-officio member of all
church boards and committees.
D.
When the office of the Pastor becomes vacant, a
Pastoral Search Committee shall be appointed from among the membership by the
Church Council. The committee shall
recommend the terms of call for a possible candidate for the office of Pastor,
to be voted
upon
at a meeting called and moderated, as set forth in Article
VII.
D. The committee shall then recommend a candidate
for the office of Pastor to the congregation.
If a candidate receives a two-thirds vote of those members present at a
meeting called for the purpose of selecting a Pastor, such a candidate shall
receive a call to become Pastor.
E. A recognition or installation service for a new
Pastor shall be held in accordance with the guidelines established by the
Vermont Conference of the United Church of Christ.
F. The Pastoral
relationship may be agreeably dissolved on two months notice by either:
1. The Pastor's accepted resignation
2. Mutual agreement
G. In the event of conflict or dissatisfaction on
the part of either the Pastor or the church:
1. Termination of the terms of call may be considered only after
consultation with an executive staff member of the Vermont Conference of the
United Church of Christ.
2. Termination of the terms of call may occur on two months
notice by either:
a. The Pastor's resignation
b. A two-thirds majority vote of those members
present at a duly called special meeting in accordance with Article VII.
MODERATOR
A. The Moderator shall be a
lay-leader of the congregation, elected
because of his/her commitment to the Christian faith, wisdom, leadership
and sense of justice. The Moderator shall
be elected from the active church membership at the annual meeting for a term
of one year and may succeed him/herself one time.
B.
The Moderator, as chief lay officer, is elected to
serve as a
facilitator and coordinator of the church’s
life and mission.
C. The Moderator shall serve as chairperson of
the Church Council.
C.
The Moderator shall be an ex-officio member of all
boards and
committees of the church.
D.
The Moderator shall moderate the meetings of the
church as
defined in Article VII.
VICE MODERATOR
A.
The Vice Moderator shall assist the Moderator as
necessary and
fill the role of Moderator in the
Moderator’s absence.
B.
The Vice Moderator shall be elected at the annual
meeting for a term of one year and may succeed him/herself one time.
CLERK
A. The Clerk is
charged to faithfully keep records of the proceedings of the church, a register
of the members with dates and methods of admission and removal, a record of
baptisms, weddings and funerals, shall issue letters of transfer of membership
upon request and issue any other official church correspondence as needed.
B. The Clerk shall
be elected at the annual meeting for a term of one year with no restrictions on
succession.
TREASURER
A. The Treasurer is
charged to faithfully keep an accurate record of the financial and investment
affairs of the church.
B. The Treasurer
shall receive, record and deposit all monies received by the church and pay
church bills.
C. The Treasurer
shall present a financial statement at the annual meeting.
D. The Treasurer
shall be elected at the annual meeting for a term of one year with no
restrictions on succession.
FINANCIAL SECRETARY
A. The Financial
Secretary shall assist the Treasurer as necessary.
B. The Financial
Secretary shall be elected at the annual meeting for a term of one year with no
restrictions on succession.
AUDITOR
A. The Auditor is
charged to faithfully audit the accounts of the Church and submit a report to
the annual meeting.
B. The Auditor
shall be elected at the annual meeting for a term of one year with no
restrictions on succession.
HEAD GREETERS
A. The Head Greeters are charged to provide the greeting needs
of The Church according to Guidelines.
B.
One or more Head Greeters shall be elected at the
annual meeting for a term of one year and may succeed him/herself one time.
LIBRARIAN / HISTORIAN
A. The heritage of
this church fellowship is of vital importance to itself and this community, as
such it deserves to be properly recorded. The library contains valuable
resources that are useful to the congregation.
A Church Librarian / Historian shall be elected and charged with the
responsibility of collecting, organizing and recording historical
data and artifacts relevant to this endeavor and with cataloguing and
maintaining the library.
B. The Church
Librarian / Historian shall see that all books, reference materials, historical
data and artifacts which are church property be properly cataloged and
maintained on church grounds and that they be made available to the congregation.
C. One or more
Church Librarian(s) / Historian(s) shall be elected at the annual meeting for a
term of one year with no restrictions on succession.
ARTICLE VI BOARDS AND COMMITTEES:
CHURCH
COUNCIL
A. The Church Council shall be the policy making and planning
body of The Church. Between
congregational meetings it shall be responsible for the ordinary business of
The Church and for coordinating the various policies and activities of The
Church. The Church Council shall be
responsible for church program, staff, finances and any other matters not
expressly delegated to any other group or individual or otherwise provided for
by the vote of The Church, including the creation and dissolution of committees
as needed.
B. Regular meetings
of the Church Council shall be held monthly or when deemed necessary by the
Moderator or the Pastor. A quorum shall
consist of a majority of the members of the Church Council.
C. The Church
Council shall consist of the following Church officers and committee
chairpersons: the Pastor, the Moderator, the Vice Moderator, the Clerk, the
Treasurer, the Deacon Chairperson, the Trustee Chairperson, the Music Director,
the Christian Education Chairperson, and the Stewardship and Mission
Chairperson. If they are unable to
attend a Church Council meeting, the Deacon Chairperson, the Trustee
Chairperson, the Christian Education Chairperson, and/or the Stewardship and
Mission Chairperson may appoint an alternate member of their committee to
attend and vote at any such meeting.
BOARD OF DEACONS
A. The Board of
Deacons shall consist of at least four and up to six members of the Church,
evenly divided between men and women to the extent possible. Two or three Deacons shall be elected each
year for a two year term and may succeed him/herself for one term.
B. The Board of
Deacons shall serve as a membership committee for the Church. They shall encourage a spirit of invitational
evangelism in the Church and community.
C. The Board of
Deacons shall assist in the preparation and administration of the sacraments
and shall confer with the Pastor concerning plans for worship services.
D. The Board of
Deacons shall work with the Pastor to enrich the spiritual life of the church.
E. One member shall
be designated to serve as the chairperson of the Board of Deacons and shall
serve on the Church Council.
F. The Board of Deacons shall
hold a monthly meeting with special meetings as required.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
A. The Board of
Trustees shall consist of three members to be elected for three year terms with
one being elected each year. Each may
succeed him/herself for one term.
B. The Board of Trustees shall
be responsible for maintaining the church's properties and grounds.
C. The Trustees shall determine the use of the
church facilities by groups outside the church's programs.
D. The Trustees shall provide
adequate insurance coverage for all church property.
E. While the above are the responsibilities of the
Trustees, they shall not limit their duties.
F. One member shall be
designated to serve as the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees and shall serve
on the Church Council.
G. The Board of Trustees shall meet quarterly with
additional special meetings as required.
FINANCE COMMITTEE
A. The Finance Committee is to prepare the
budget for the church to be presented to the Church Council for approval before
being voted on at the Annual Meeting. The Treasurer shall present the budget to
the Congregation at the annual meeting or shall designate a member of the
Finance Committee to make the presentation.
B. Membership of the committee consists of
five members, to be elected by the church, consisting of the Treasurer, who is
chairperson, the Financial Secretary and three members at large. The term of office for committee members is
three years and each may succeed him/herself for one term.
C. The Treasurer shall represent the Finance
Committee on the Church Council, or may designate another member of the
Committee to present the monthly report.
C.
Meetings shall be scheduled as required.
STEWARDSHIP AND
A. The Stewardship and Mission Committee's
responsibilities include:
1. Conducting the annual
stewardship campaign.
2. Providing information on
opportunities for supporting
special United Church of Christ and ecumenical mission
projects.
3. Raising and/or allocating
funds for local missions and
deciding how the funds will be distributed. The intent is
to utilize available funds to provide loans, grants, or
assistance, primarily but not exclusively for the
spiritual and material needs of residents of the
Valley and members of the
4. Encouraging responsible use of money,
possessions, time and talent according to the teachings of Jesus Christ.
5. Fostering opportunities for
service and outreach to others.
B. The Stewardship and Mission Committee
shall consist of a minimum of five and up to nine members. Members shall be
elected for two year terms and may succeed themselves. No more than half of the
member's terms shall be scheduled to expire in any given year. A Chairperson
shall be elected each year by the committee and shall serve on the Church
Council.
C. The Stewardship and Mission Committee
shall meet monthly.
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
COMMITTEE
A. The Christian Education Committee shall
have general responsibility for the educational programs of the church, securing
leadership and selecting curriculum. The
Committee shall prepare annual budget requests and give direction to the
Treasurer in disbursing approved funds budgeted or specifically set aside for
Christian education.
B. The Committee shall ideally consist of six
members elected by the church, two of whom shall represent youth education
interests, two of whom shall represent children’s education interests, and two
of whom shall represent adult education interests. Members shall be elected for
two year terms and may succeed themselves. No more than half of the member's
terms shall be scheduled to expire in any given year.
C. The Committee shall elect one of its
members as chairperson who shall serve on the Church Council.
D. The Committee shall meet bi-annually, with
extra meetings when necessary to prepare for special events.
E.
The Christian Education Committee shall oversee the
following groups:
1.
Nursery - To provide for the care of babies and
children under the age of four, during weekly church services. The nursery caregivers shall be drawn from a
rotating pool of Church volunteers. The effort should be made to introduce
early concepts of Christian education to the older children attending the
nursery.
2. Children's
3. Youth Group and Adult Education - The
Committee, in conjunction with the Pastor and the Deacons, shall be responsible
for providing Christian education opportunities, beyond the
MUSIC DIRECTOR
A. The Music Director shall be responsible
for the music ministry of the Church including but not limited to the
following:
1. To engage an organist or pianist to work with
the pastor in developing and implementing the music ministry of the Church.
2. To coordinate all the music programs and
secure substitutes for the organist as necessary.
3. To appoint a choir director or any other
assistance as may be deemed necessary.
4. To purchase all necessary music supplies and to
see that all supplies are properly cared for.
5. To serve on the Church Council.
B. The
Music Director is elected by the members of the Church at the annual meeting
for a one year term. There is no limit as to how
many terms the Music Director may serve.
NOMINATING
COMMITTEE
A. The Nominating Committee is appointed by
the Church Council annually.
B. There shall be no fewer than three members
appointed.
C. The committee shall present a recommended
slate of officers, board members and committee members at the annual meeting.
PASTORAL RELATIONS
COMMITTEE
A. The Pastoral Relations Committee shall be
responsible for providing an open communications link between the congregation
and the Pastor.
B. This committee will consist of three
members, the Church Moderator, one selected by the Pastor and one selected by
the Church Council.
C. Membership on the committee shall be
reviewed annually.
D. Meetings shall be scheduled bi-monthly and
more frequently as needed.
EMMA FORD MEMORIAL
FUND COMMITTEE
A.
The Emma Ford Memorial Fund was created by a gift
from the Estate of Emma Ford.
B.
Under the terms of the gift, the Deacons and
Trustees are charged with the responsibility for managing and disbursing the
funds.
C.
The principles for managing the funds are
established in separate written by-laws.
ARTICLE VII CONGREGATIONAL MEETINGS:
A. The Annual Meeting
1. The Annual Meeting shall be held on or
before the last Sunday of January.
2. The Annual Meeting shall
be warned to the membership in writing at least two weeks prior to the proposed
date of said meeting.
3. Reports of officers and
committees shall be given for the previous year, the fiscal year being from
January 1 through December 31.
4. Officers and standing
committee members shall be elected. A
slate shall be presented by the Nominating Committee. In addition, nominations
for any vacant office shall be accepted from the floor. Any vacancies in officer positions or
committee members that occur between annual meetings shall be filled by vote of
the Church Council.
5. The Annual Meeting
shall approve a budget for the ensuing year.
B. SPECIAL MEETINGS
1. Special meetings may be called at the request
of either the Moderator, the Pastor, the Trustees, or five members
of the church who have signed a written application for the same and shall be
warned to the membership in writing at least two weeks prior to the proposed
date of said meeting.
2. At the close of any
regular worship service the Church may, without any special notice, elect
delegates to bodies other than the Vermont Conference of the United Church of
Christ and the Washington Association.
3. In order to convene a congregational meeting
for the termination of the terms of call of the Pastor, the congregation must
vote to convene such a meeting by simple majority vote at a duly called and
warned special meeting.
C. PRESIDING OFFICER
Each Congregational Meeting shall be
moderated by the church
Moderator. If the Vice Moderator is unable to moderate
the meeting
in the absence of the Moderator, a
moderator shall be elected from
among the church members in attendance.
D. QUORUM
At all Congregational Meetings a
quorum shall be twenty percent of the
church membership, except to amend
these by-laws, as provided in
Article IX.
E. DOCUMENTS
Any document that the congregation is
to vote on shall be made
available to all members at least two
weeks prior to the proposed
date of said meeting.
F. OTHER
All Congregational Meetings are to be
conducted according
to Robert's Rules of Order.
ARTICLE VIII DISSOLUTION:
Upon
dissolution of the church, its assets and all property and interest of which it
shall then be possessed including any device, bequest, gift or grant
contained in any will or other instrument in trust or otherwise, made before or
after such dissolution shall be transferred to the Vermont Conference of the
United Church of Christ.
ARTICLE IX AMENDMENTS:
This Constitution and
By-Laws may be amended by submitting the substance of the proposed changes from
one or more church members to the membership in writing at least two weeks
prior to the Annual Meeting or duly warned special meeting. Amendments require
a two thirds majority vote of forty percent of the members, whether present and
voting or by absentee ballot, in order to pass.