CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
 

OF THE EASTERN UNION MISSIONARY
 

BAPTIST ASSOCIATION

 

PREAMBLE

That we may observe order and decorum in our worshipping assemblies, we do order the following Constitution:

ARTICLE I—NAME

This Association shall be known and distinguished as The Eastern Union Missionary Baptist Association of Ohio, Inc., and its auxiliaries: Women’s Auxiliary, Congress of Christian Education, Layman’s Movement, Youth Association, Young Adult Association, Ministers, Deacons and Trustees Institute; and also sponsor The Eastern Union Bible College and the Eastern Union Assembly Ground.

ARTICLE II—OBJECT

Section 1.  The object shall be to interchange religious sentiment, give advice to churches, provoke one another to love and good works, and to do general service in the cause of Christ, in such a manner as not to interfere with the independence. Of the churches, provided, however that they agree with us in doctrine and practices as Baptists and as set forth in The Holy Bible.

Section 2.  The program of The Association shall maintain the closest affiliation and cooperation with the program of The Ohio Baptist General Convention.

ARTICLE III—HOW COMPOSED

Section 1.  The Association shall be composed of Messengers, (1) through (10) for each church, with a letter certifying the name and the church of which the Messenger is a member.

Section 2.  Any member in good standing in a Missionary Baptist Church may become a life member of The Association by the payment of ten ($10.00) dollars at one time.  This does not include the right to vote.  A list of all such life members shall be published in the Minutes from year to year.

Section 3.  Voting procedures will be by Messengers identified by badges, and only those Messengers named on their church’s Annual letter will be duly certified.

ARTICLE IV—OFFICERS

The Officers shall consist of a Moderator, First Vice Moderator, Second Vice Moderator, Third Vice Moderator, Clerk, Assistant Clerk, Corresponding Secretary, Assistant Corresponding Secretary, Statistical Secretary, Assistant Statistical Secretary, Financial Secretary and Treasurer.  The Executive Board shall consist of all elected Officers, three Members at Large, and the Presidents of each Auxiliary All officers shall be elected annually.  Tenure shall be six (6) years.  Any Officer may be elected to any given office after an absence of one (1) year.

ARTICLE V—THEIR DUTIES

Section 1.  It shall be the duty of The Moderator to preside at all meetings, preserve order, rebuke disorderly members, and call votes when ordered.  He may speak on any subject by supplying his place with another who shall perform in a like manner.

Section 2.  The First Vice Moderator is responsible for all programming of the Mid-Year and the Annual Session of the parent Body and its auxiliaries.  He will also plan a yearly calendar of Association and Auxiliary events of the First and Chillicothe Districts, to help guard against simultaneous events on the same days, and create synergistically support between Auxiliaries and Districts.

Section 3.  The Second Vice Moderator shall head the Budget Finance Committee.  He will be responsible for getting written, audited Financial and Treasurer’s reports to the Parent Body, upon request of the Moderator of the Body.

Section 4.  The Third Vice Moderator is responsible for the compiling of all statistics and gives an accurate account of the membership of The Association and other related data received from member churches.  He also oversees the work of the Field Missionaries as it relates to member churches, who are delinquent or inactive with The Association and assist member churches when they experience trouble.

Section 5.  It shall be the duty of the Clerk to keep a fair and accurate record of the proceedings of The Association: to keep the books and papers open to the inspection of any church belonging to this Body, and to deliver all records, books, and papers to his/her successor.  He/she must audit everything for printing, Minutes, etc.

Section 6.  The Corresponding Secretary shall be responsible for sending out correspondence of The Association, of a general nature.

Section 7.  It shall be the duty of The Executive Board to transact whatever business pertaining to this Body that is necessary during the recess of the assemblies; such action to be reported at the next setting.

ARTICLE VI—BUDGET FINANCE COMMITTEE

This Committee shall be headed by the Second Vice Moderator.  The Financial Secretary and the Treasurer shall be directly responsible to him; in that the Financial report and the Treasurer’s report will be tendered personally to him.

Section 1.  The Budget Finance Committee shall handle all disbursements, receive all Association funds, review, approve all Auxiliary budgets, and grant any, part or all Auxiliary operational funds.

Section 2.  The Financial Secretary shall constitute a part of the Budget Finance Committee and his/her records shall be given to the Second Vice Moderator.

Section 3.  The Treasurer’s Report of all funds available and disbursed will also correspond to those of the Financial Secretary, and be given to the Second Vice Moderator.

ARTICLE VII—VISITORS, MINISTERS, ETC.

All ministers of our faith and order, and all correspondents from other Associations or conventions, shall be accorded seats with us, with all privileges except to vote.

ARTICLE VIII—COMMITTEES

At each Mid-Year meeting, the following committees shall be appointed:  Enrollment, Finance, Business, State of Country, Necrology, Temperance, Education, Missions, New and Reinstated Churches, Grievance, Stewardship, Evangelism, Time and Place, and Public Relations.  The Committee on Nomination of officers shall be elected from the floor by the Association, and it shall consist of three (3) Messengers from the First District and two (2) Messengers from the Chillicothe District.

ARTICLE IX—HOW TO DEAL WITH CHURCHES

When this Body has been informed of corruption in doctrine or practice, by a member’s church, said church should be investigated by a committee composed of the three Moderators or their appointee, and thereafter dealt with according to St. Matthew 18.

ARTICLE X—COMPLAINTS

The complaint of an individual, or individuals, except as specified in Article IX, shall be heard against any church in this Association.

ARTICLE XI—NEGLECT TO CORRESPOND

Any Church neglecting to send a letter of Messenger (one or the other), two consecutive years shall be visited with suitable admonition; and failing in the third year, the name shall be dropped from the roll.

ARTICLE XII—NEW CHURCHES

New churches to become members of this Body, must be sound in faith, and must send a letter giving summary of same, all of which must be submitted to vote of admission.

ARTICLE XIII—MEETINGS

This Association shall meet annually after the third Lord’s Day in August and in an Adjourned Session on the first Thursday in May.

ARTICLE XIV—CONFESSION OF FAITH

Our churches are advised to see to it that deeds conveying to them real estate and the act of incorporation of their organizations as churches contain a clear statement of their confession of faith and practice.  Moreover, our churches are advised to send those whom they will ordain to our Ministerial Institute to be examined.  Aspirants who apply to our institute for ordination and are found by the Presbytery to be deficient in the qualifications necessary for ordination, then if they apply elsewhere and are ordained, they will not be granted the privilege of an orderly elder of this Association: that is, they will not be received by this Association as elders.

ARTICLE XV—ORDINATION OF WORK

Section 1.  Each Auxiliary of The Eastern Union Missionary Baptist Association must work closely with The Parent Body and hold in check the Department thereto attached.  Each department of an Auxiliary must recognize its obligation to the Auxiliary of which it is a part, and shall not do anything to conflict with By-laws of the Auxiliary in question, or the constitution of The Parent Body.

Section 2.  The Moderator of The Association shall be an Executive Officer of each Auxiliary and its Boards.

Section 3.  The Presiding Officer of each auxiliary shall be a member of The Executive Board.

ARTICLE XVI—AMENDMENTS

This Constitution may be altered or amended at any Annual Meeting providing notice has been previously given at Mid-Year or at the previous Annual Meeting, and it does not interfere with the independence of churches.

BY-LAWS

1.  Every member desiring to speak shall rise from his seat and address The Moderator.  He shall not be interrupted while speaking unless he departs from the subject.

2.  No member shall speak longer than five minutes at any one time and not more than once until all have had the opportunity to speak.

3.        A motion may be withdrawn by the mover, with the consent of The Moderator.

4.  No member shall leave the business room without the consent of The Moderator.

5.  There shall be no whispering, laughing, or other unnecessary noise during the transaction of business, nor should any degrading reflections be cast upon speaker.

6.  All business sessions shall be opened and closed with prayer.

7.  The election of Officers shall be at The Mid-Year Session beginning in 1993.  Installation of Officers will be at The Annual Session.  This will give the newly elected officers time to work with incumbents so that the transition will be smoother.

8.  All Auxiliaries shall operate under one Constitution; but they may have their own By-Laws, so long as they do not conflict or interfere with The Parent Body.

These By-Laws may be altered or amended at any Annual Meeting providing Notice has been previously given.

AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION

AMENDMENT I—TENURE

Article IV.

The election and tenure of Officers of The Eastern Union Missionary Baptist Association Officers amended to read:  All Officers shall be elected to serve a tenure of three (3) years, and may succeed themselves one (1) time, for a total of six (6) years.  Any Officer may be elected to any given office after an absence of one (1) year.