SEIBA ^{Southeastern Indiana Baptist Association}

CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
The Southeastern Indiana Baptist Association

(Adopted on March 17, 2008; Last Revised on October 2, 2010)

Article I Name

The name of this organization shall be The Southeastern Indiana Baptist Association.

Article II Mission Statement

The Southeastern Indiana Baptist Association are Southern Baptist Churches cooperating together with the State Convention of Baptists of Indiana to enable each congregation to fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus Christ in Southern Indiana and around the world.

Article III Articles of Faith

The Articles of Faith for Southeastern Indiana Baptist Association will primarily be those adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention in session at Orlando, Florida on June 14, 2000 and published by LifeWay under the title of “The Baptist Faith and Message, 2000 edition” but existing member churches that have adopted or adhere to the Baptist Faith and Message of 1963 may remain members in good standing.

Article IV Authority

Nothing in this Constitution shall be interpreted as a delegation of any ecclesiastical authority to this Association and/or its Executive Board, or in any way interfering with the autonomy or independence of any church affiliated with this Association.

Article V Membership

Section 1 - This body shall be composed of messengers from such cooperating Southern Baptist Churches as believe and conform to Article III as noted above.

Section 2 - Each church having one hundred or fewer members shall be entitled to five messengers. Any church having more than one hundred members (not including mission membership) shall be entitled to one additional messenger for each additional fifty members, or fraction thereof. No church shall have more than ten messengers. Missions shall be permitted two messengers in addition to the messengers from the sponsoring churches.

Section 3 - The above mentioned messengers shall be chosen and approved by their church in a business session prior to the Annual Meeting of the Association. The messengers from missions shall be approved by the sponsoring church.

Section 4 - New churches, applying for admission into the Association, shall furnish satisfactory evidence of being sound in doctrine and orderly in practice and shall petition the Executive Board at least two months prior to the Annual Session of the Association.

The Church Planting/Missions Committee shall serve as the Credentialing Team of the Association. This committee will examine the applying church and bring a recommendation for admission, if appropriate, for a provisional period of one year. All rights of membership will apply at this time. In the month prior to the next Annual Meeting, the Church Planting/Missions Committee will review the church’s actions, practices, doctrine and cooperation over the interim period and bring a recommendation to the Annual Meeting concerning continuing membership status. The petitioning church will also take a vote in the church business meeting immediately preceding the Annual Meeting of the Association to confirm its desire to continue in membership in the Southeastern Indiana Baptist Association.

The Association reserves the right to withdraw fellowship from any church erring in faith and practice according to Article III.

Section 5 - Missions sponsored by out-of-state churches may be accepted as “cooperating missions,” upon their formal application, in the same manner as outlined for churches (Article V, Section 4); and shall have the same status as mission in Article V, Section 2.

Article VI Officers

Section 1 - The following officers of this Association shall be elected at the Annual Meeting:

a. Moderator – serves as the Leadership Team Leader

b. Vice-Moderator – member of the Leadership Team

c. Clerk

d. Assistant ClerkThe positions of Moderator, Vice Moderator, and Committee Chairmen must be duly elected as Executive Board members.

The Administrative Assistant will serve as Treasurer and is not an elected position.

The officers elected at the August Board meeting will be responsible for planning the work for the coming year but will not assume its direction until after the Annual Meeting.

Other officers may be added to lead programs or ministries if deemed necessary. These positions will be approved at the Annual Meeting and officers will be brought by the Leadership Team in their annual report to the Association.

Section 2 - The Clerk shall assume his or her duties at the first meeting of the Executive Board following the Annual Meeting. The outgoing Clerk shall be responsible for overseeing the preparation and compilation of all reports, tables, and other related materials placed in the Annual of the Association.

Section 3 - The Trustees of the Association shall be three; one being elected annually. A Trustee shall not succeed himself in office until the lapse of at least one year. The Trustees shall serve as the Building and Grounds Committee.

Article VII Executive Board

Section 1 - The Association shall have an Executive Board consisting of up to three elected members of each church; two members of cooperating missions, and the officers of the Association. Pastors of each cooperating church/mission are not defacto members but may be elected.

The Executive Board shall have supervision of all the Associational work and activities between the Annual Meetings of the Association and shall report its activities when the Association meets at the Annual Meeting.

Section 2 - The Executive Board shall meet twice a year in March and August. Special meetings may be called by the Moderator or by the request of five members with at least two weeks notice and due diligence of notification.

Section 3 - The officers of the Association shall be the officers of the Executive Board and must be elected members of this board.

Section 4 - The Association’s Leadership Team shall consist of Moderator, Vice Moderator and Committee Chairs noted in Article VIII. This team will act on behalf of the Executive Board between meetings.

Section 5 - The calendar for the coming year shall be presented for approval at the regular Executive Board Meeting prior to the Annual Meeting.

Section 6 - A budget for the coming year shall be presented for approval at the regular Executive Board Meeting prior to the Annual Meeting.

Article VIII Committees

Section 1 - The Association will form and maintain the following standing committees. The duties of committees shall be as stated in the Constitution as approved by the Association.

a. Administrative

b. Church Planting/Missions

c. Fellowship

d. Mercy/Social Ministry

f. Church Health

Section 2 - The Administrative Committee shall serve as the Finance, Budget, and Personnel Committee of the Association.

Section 3 - The Leadership Team shall be responsible for nominating the people to serve on the Association’s five standing committees. The number and make up of these five committees is at the discretion of the Leadership Team and Executive Board. They shall also be responsible for enlisting people to fill vacancies if vacancies occur between Executive Board Meetings. The slate of leaders will be presented at the August Executive Board Meeting and elected at the Annual Meeting.

Section 4 - The Moderator shall also appoint an Agenda Committee at the first session of the Annual Meeting. This committee will be approved by the Association to take office at the close of the Annual Meetings and serve for the coming year.

The Moderator shall appoint a Time, Date, and Preacher Committee at the March Executive Board Meeting. The name of the preacher will be brought to the Executive Board at the August Board Meeting for approval. Our two (2) Executive Board Meetings and the Annual Meeting will be held at the Associational Office building, 615 Park E. Blvd., New Albany, Indiana

Section 5 - The Moderator and Vice-Moderator shall serve as ex-officio members of all teams and committees except as defined elsewhere in this document.

Article IX Meetings

Section 1 - The Annual Meeting of the Association shall be held during the month of September. The Moderator shall appoint a Time, Date, and Preacher Committee at the March Executive Board Meeting. The name of the preacher will be brought to the Executive Board at the August Board Meeting for approval.

Section 2 - Sessions are to be opened and closed with prayer.

Section 3 - Visitors may speak in debate, if properly recognized by the chair, but may not vote or bring motions before the body.

Section 4 - Only elected messengers who attend one or more sessions of the Association’s Annual Meeting shall be named in the minutes of the Association.

Section 5 - The Annual Meeting and Executive Board Meetings are governed by the most recent version of Robert’s Rules of Order, unless superseded by these Constitution and By-Laws.

Section 6 - The foregoing rules may be altered or amended at any Annual Meeting by two-thirds of the members present.

Section 7 - All business shall be conducted in the second session of the Annual Meeting if feasible at the moderator’s discretion and according to the agenda.

Article X Amendments

This Constitution and By-Laws may be amended at any session of an Annual Meeting by a favorable two-thirds vote of the members present, providing the amendment(s) were presented to the Executive Board at least one month prior to the Annual Meeting. A copy of the proposed amendment(s) will be sent out to each church in the Association prior to the Annual Meeting.

Article XI Policies for New Missions and Churches of Southeastern Indiana Baptist Association

Section 1 - Location

a. City (1500 or more) - Normally, no new work will be started closer than one mile from an existing Southern Baptist work. If there are extenuating circumstances such as natural barriers, economic or class barriers, railroads, expressways, etc., the matter will be referred to the Church Planting/Missions Committee for decision and concurrence from the Executive Board.

b. Rural (less than 1500) - Since rural communities vary in size, depending on road conditions, the connecting roads, and school organizations, it is recommended that each rural church field be defined by consultation between the churches and the Church Planting/Missions Committee.

In the event of serious differences of opinion, which would seem to mar fellowship, the matter will be referred to the Leadership Team.

The wishes of the geographically nearest church to the proposed new work will be carefully considered.

Section 2 - Sponsoring Churches

Ideally, the sponsor should be the nearest church to the proposed new work.

Churches desiring to start a new work are urged to inform the Church Planting/Missions Committee, so that necessary surveys can be made to meet the North American Mission Board’s requirements for any monetary assistance that may be necessary.

Regional Strategists shall not be able to alter any of these policies unless approved by the Executive Board or altered at any Annual Meeting.