Baptized membership shall
be defined as all those on the membership list who are baptized “in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” and who are under the
spiritual care of this congregation.
All those who are baptized in the Christian faith,
and have been instructed in Lutheran Doctrine, and have given evidence of their
faith shall be received in a public worship service after meeting requirements
established by the Pastor and the Elders.
All those who indicate their desire to
transfer their membership from other Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS)
congregations shall present a letter of release or transfer to the Pastor. They shall be received in a public worship
service.
C. Reaffirmation of Faith
All those who were once members of this
congregation, but whose membership was terminated, may again become members by
indicating their desire to the Pastor or Servant Leadership Team (SaLT). They shall
reaffirm their faith in a public worship service.
Membership in this
congregation may be terminated by any of the following methods:
A communicant member, upon their
request to the Pastor or SaLT, shall be granted transfer
to another church which is in fellowship with this congregation.
Where a communicant member has joined a
congregation other than those in fellowship with this congregation, he/she
shall be considered to have terminated their membership in this congregation.
The name of any member whose
whereabouts is unknown, and with whom contact cannot be established after a
period of one year, shall be removed from the membership.
A member who refuses to live under the
discipline of love, and persistently rejects fellowship and worship, as offered
by the Church, and disregards his or her responsibility as a communicant
member, shall be declared as having excluded himself or herself from the
membership of this congregation. Any member who has not worshipped or communed
within a twelve-month period shall be considered to have self-excluded, unless
away at school, serving in the military or missionary service,
institutionalized, or otherwise unable, though willing, to attend and commune.
When a member persists in living openly
and freely a life-style which is contrary to God’s will and exhibits conduct in
opposition to the influence of God’s Holy Spirit, all the while claiming
membership in the congregation, he or she shall be disciplined in Christian
love. If all attempts fail to bring about a God pleasing change, the individual
shall be excommunicated. The final determination will be by unanimous agreement
of the Pastor, the Elders, and the SaLT, and shall be
affirmed by the Voters.
No member shall be removed from the
communicant roll under Article 3 Sections C or D until at least two efforts in
writing have been made to bring the member back to fellowship.
G. Status
A person whose membership has been
terminated forfeits all rights of a member of this congregation and all claims
upon the property of their congregation as such, or upon any part thereof, so
long as he or she has not been reinstated into membership.
The Pastor shall report all membership changes to
the SaLT. All
membership changes, in and out of the congregation, shall be brought to the
attention of the Voters’ Assembly for ratification, prior to action being
finalized. A list of baptized,
communicant, and voting members shall be maintained in the Church office by the
Pastor and shall be periodically reviewed by the SaLT.
ARTICLE
4 - VOTING MEMBERSHIP
A. Eligibility
Any confirmed member of this congregation age 18 or
older shall be eligible to become a member of the Voters’ Assembly.
A person becomes a voting member upon request at a
regular or special Voters’ Assembly meeting, and shall have voting privileges
at the next regular or special meeting.
Any voting member who misses two consecutive voters
meetings, without an excused absence, shall be removed from the roster of
Voting Members. An excused absence must
be provided to the Recording Secretary at least 24 hours in advance of the
meeting. Acceptable excuses include employment,
military service, illness, and any other reason deemed valid by the Recording
Secretary. Voters removed from the
roster shall be notified.
Only those members present at the meeting have
voting privileges.
ARTICLE
5 - VOTERS’ ASSEMBLY
A. Meetings
The Voters’ Assembly shall meet at least semiannually. The day and hour of the meetings, and the
agenda, shall be set by the SaLT and publicized at
least two weeks in advance. The meeting
and agenda shall be announced in all church services the two Sundays prior to
the meeting.
Special meetings of The Voters’ Assembly may be
called by the SaLT, the Pastor, or at the written
request of at least 7 voting members.
The day and hour of the meetings, and the agenda, shall be set and
publicized at least two weeks in advance.
The meeting and the agenda shall be announced in all church services the
two Sundays prior to the meeting.
One third of the voting members shall constitute a
quorum, except as otherwise provided in this constitution and bylaws.
ARTICLE
6 – CALLED WORKERS
DEFINITIONS
Called workers
shall be defined those persons holding rostered
positions from the LCMS.
SECTION
1 – ELIGIBILITY OF CALLED WORKERS
A. The list of
candidates and the specific call meeting date of the Voters’ Assembly shall be
publicly announced to the congregation and printed in the Church bulletin for
two consecutive Sundays prior to the scheduled election meeting date. Members may also be notified by mail.
B. The election
shall be by written ballot of eligible voters present. When one candidate receives a two-thirds
majority vote from the total number of voters present and eligible to vote, the
balloting is complete. If this is not
achieved on the first or successive ballots, the candidate who receives the
least number of votes on each ballot shall be dropped from the next ballot
until a two-thirds majority vote is obtained.
At the conclusion of the balloting a resolution may be requested to make
the selection unanimous. If a two-thirds
majority is not obtained on the last ballot, the election process shall end and
the call process shall be repeated.
C. The Pastor
elect shall be notified immediately of his selection, and the proper call
documents shall be forwarded to him.
D. If the call is
returned, the process shall be repeated in its entirety or in part as is
required at the discretion of the Voters’ Assembly.
SECTION 5 -
REMOVAL OF A CALLED WORKER
D.
A simple majority of the Voting Members present (provided
there is a quorum as outlined in Section 5C) shall be required to remove any
divinely called servant from office.
ARTICLE 7 - SERVANT
LEADERSHIP
Ministry staff shall be defined as the
Senior Pastor and all those reporting to him.
SECTION 1 – MEMBERSHIP OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP
A.
The SaLT shall be comprised of the
officers and two (2) other voting members elected by the congregation (or
appointed to fill vacancies as provided in the Bylaws). To the extent that they are empowered by the
Constitution (Article 4) and Bylaws the SaLT shall
conduct and perform the acts and affairs of the congregation in its stead
between meetings of the Voters’ Assembly.
SECTION 2 – SaLT MEETINGS
A.
The SaLT shall meet a minimum of
quarterly. Additional meetings may be
called as required.
B.
A majority of members shall constitute a quorum. SaLT decisions will
be made by a simple majority of those present.
The SaLT
shall:
A.
Be responsible for recommending policies to be established
by the Voters, necessary to direct the overall program of the congregation for
the furtherance of Christ's Kingdom in our midst;
B.
Maintain the financial integrity of the congregation, and
make regular reports of same for ratification by the Voters;
C.
Encourage the Ministry Staff in their work through prayer,
word and action and provide for the spiritual and physical health and welfare
of the Ministry Staff and their families;
D.
Authorize the Ministry Staff to administer the day-to-day
operations of the congregation in accordance with the policies and directives
established by the congregation through its Voters' Assembly;
E.
Direct the calling of special meetings of the Voters'
Assembly as requested by the Pastor(s) or voting members;
F.
Be responsible to receive and act upon, if necessary,
feed-back and/or complaints from members of the congregation regarding aspects
of SaLT operations;
G.
Establish appropriate Policy, Advisory and Ad hoc (i.e.,
Nominating, Auditing, etc.) committees and approve the appointment of members;
H.
Be available for any additional functions that the Voters'
Assembly may confer.
A.
The SaLT will be responsible for
maintenance of a manual of congregational policies to assist in the uniform and
consistent administration of affairs of the congregation. The manual shall not include any provision
contrary to this Constitution and Bylaws concerning membership in the
congregation; the rights and duties of persons holding office, SaLT and pastors or other called servants. It shall not create any contractual rights
not otherwise authorized in the Articles of Incorporation, Constitution and
Bylaws. Only the Voters' Assembly shall
have the power to modify the manual with respect to sections dealing with
functions of Pastor, officers, and SaLT and
qualifications for membership.
SECTION 5 –
MINISTRY STAFF
A.
The SaLT
responsibility is generally confined to establishing prevailing policies,
leaving implementation and subsidiary policy development to the Senior Pastor
or to appropriate committees. All
activities delegated by committees to ministry staff should be delegated
through the Senior Pastor. The Senior
Pastor is to provide regular reports to the SaLT on
the status of the ministry staff operations.
As authorized by the SaLT, the Ministry Staff
shall conduct the day-to-day operations.
A.
The officers of the congregation shall consist of a
President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
The President
shall:
a.
Preside at all meetings of the voters’ assembly and shall
call and preside over meetings of the SaLT;
b.
To the best of his/her ability, enforce the Constitution and
Bylaws of the congregation and carry out the expressed will of the congregation
as embodied in the resolutions of the Voters’ Assembly and sign all legal
documents on behalf of the congregation;
c.
With the approval of the SaLT
appoint members of policy, advisory, and ad hoc committees as established by
the Voters’ Assembly or the SaLT;
d.
At the direction of the SaLT, call
special meetings of the Voters’ Assembly.
e.
Serve as a Trustee of the corporation of Faith Lutheran
Church Eldersburg.
B.
Duties of Vice President
The Vice President shall:
a.
Act for and in the stead of the President in his/her
absence, and shall be available for whatever duties the President may assign.
b.
Serve as a Trustee of the corporation of Faith Lutheran
Church Eldersburg.
C.
Duties of Secretary
The Secretary shall:
a.
Perform those duties commonly required of that office,
especially the keeping and preserving of accurate records of all Voters’
Assembly meetings and handling such correspondence as the congregation may
require;
b.
Maintain the Voter Roster
c.
Keep minutes of all SaLT meetings;
d.
Serve as Trustee of the corporation of Faith Lutheran Church
Eldersburg.
The Treasurer shall:
a.
Assure prompt payment of all expenditures authorized by the
Voters’ Assembly or the SaLT, and coordination of
such payments to maintain the financial integrity of the congregation;
b.
Assure accurate record keeping of all congregation receipts
and disbursements;
c.
Furnish periodic financial reports to the Voters’ Assembly
and SaLT;
d.
Serve as Trustee of the corporation of Faith Lutheran Church
Eldersburg.
ARTICLE 9 – BOARD OF ELDERS
The Elders are
the elected representatives of the Priesthood of all Believers who work
cooperatively with the Pastor on all spiritual matters of the
congregation. The Board of Elders shall
consist of 5 men. The Board shall
concern itself with the spiritual health of the congregation and its
members.
SECTION 1 –
DUTIES OF BOARD OF ELDERS
The Board of Elders shall:
ARTICLE 10-
SECTION 1 – PURPOSE OF FAITH CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER
BOARD
A. The FCDC Board
shall serve as support and liaison between the congregation and the FCDC, and
as an Advisory Group to ensure that the mission of the congregation is promoted
to FCDC families through the development and maintenance of outreach
programming.
B. This Board
shall report to the SaLT.
C. The FCDC
mission must be approved by the Voters.
SECTION 2 – MEMBERSHIP OF FAITH CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER
BOARD
A.
The Faith Child Development Center Board shall be comprised
of
1.
Elected Positions (governed by Article 12 Elections,
Removals, Vacancies)
·
Chair
·
Vice Chair
·
Secretary
·
Member at Large
2.
Ex-officio Positions
·
FCDC Director
·
FCDC Assistant Director
·
FCDC Financial Manager
B.
FCDC staff members shall not be allowed to hold positions on
the FCDC board except those Ex-Officio positions outlined above.
SECTION 3 –
A. The FCDC Board
shall meet for executive session bi-monthly during the school term. Executive sessions are only open to members as
defined in Section 2A. Additional
meetings may be called by the SaLT or FCDC Director
as required.
B. A majority of
members shall constitute a quorum.
Decisions will be made by a simple majority of those present.
C. The FCDC Board
shall meet for open session at least semi-annually. This session is open to all members of the
congregation, FCDC staff, and FCDC Parents.
D. Minutes must
be kept of all FCDC Board meetings (open and executive sessions) and those
meeting minutes must be available to the Voters.
SECTION 4 – DUTIES
It shall be the responsibility of the
Faith Child Development Center Board to:
ARTICLE 11 - ELECTIONS,
REMOVALS, VACANCIES
SECTION 1 – TERMS OF OFFICE
A. The term of office for every elected official
(Officers, SaLT members at large, Elders, and FCDC
elected positions) shall be 3 years. 1/3
of the members of each group shall be elected each year. The following will be elected in the same year:
·
President, 1 At
Large Member of SaLT, Vice Chair of FCDC, 1 Elder
·
Vice President,
Secretary of SaLT, Chair of FCDC, 2 Elders
·
Treasurer, 1 At Large Member of SaLT, Secretary
of FCDC, At Large Member of FCDC, 2 Elders.
B. All terms of office shall begin January 1 following
the election. All persons filling
elected offices shall be duly installed at the first regular worship service in
January. Those elected or appointed to
fill unexpired terms shall be installed as soon as possible following their
election or appointment.
C. Persons elected to these offices shall not serve
more than 2 full terms in the same office without vacating the office for at
least 1 year.
SECTION 2 – METHOD OF ELECTION
A. The President shall appoint a Nominating Committee
each year consisting of at least three voting members of the congregation. The President shall notify the congregation
of the appointments.
B. The Nominating Committee shall select at least one
candidate for each office to be filled by election in that year and shall
present a slate of candidates for the congregation to the Voters’
Assembly. The slate shall be announced
two successive Sundays prior to the election.
The slate shall remain open for additional nominations until nominations
are closed by vote of the Voters’ Assembly at the election meeting.
C.
The election
shall be by written ballot and the candidates receiving the majority of votes
cast shall be elected.
D.
All elected
officials must be voting members of the congregation.
A.
In Christian love and lawful order, any elected worker may
be removed from office by the Voters’ Assembly for any of the following
reasons: persistent adherence to false doctrine, scandalous life, willful
neglect or inability to perform the duties of office as included in the Bylaws.
B.
The SaLT and Elders shall
carefully investigate charges on any of these counts. Should such charges be substantiated by clear
evidence, the SaLT shall notify the Voting Members of
the situation and submit the matter for action at a special meeting of that
body. Such meeting shall be announced by
mail to Voting Members at least two weeks in advance of the meeting and at
regular worship services on the preceding two weekends.
C.
A simple majority of the Voting Members present (provided
there is a quorum) shall be required to remove any elected worker from
office.