Proposed SEIBA Bylaws

Proposal to Amend SEIBA Bylaws Dated 2012

A motion to amend the SEIBA Bylaws will be brought to the floor for a vote at the annual meeting on Sat, Nov 3rd. This information was presented at the summer Executive Board meeting along with a summary of proposed changes.

Summary of changes to amend the 2012 SEIBA Bylaws

  • Basic grammar clean up and move toward greater consistency in language throughout document
  • Mission Statement updated to the one adopted within both adopted Vision statements
  • Phrase ‘Committee’ changed to ‘Team’
  • Position title, ‘Associational Director’ changed to ‘Ministry Coordinator’
  • The SEIBA Article of Faith is the 2000 BFM (1963 BFM reference was removed)
  • Addition of specific requirements for removal of a church from association membership
  • Loosened language about how churches select their Exec Board members and Meeting messengers
  • Removal of ‘missions’ as a recognized entity; church plants are the NAMB current focus and are separate entities instead of a sub-entity ‘mission’
  • Removal of ‘standing committees’ (in the bylaws) since they do not exist
  • Removal of ‘sessions’ from annual meeting language since it is now a 1-day/1-session event
  • Removed specific time frame for Executive Board meetings (now simply two per year) and Annual meeting will be held in the Fall
  • Removal of Article XII - Policies for New Missions and Churches, since it wasn’t being followed/applied
  • Churches applying for admission into SEIBA shall petition the Association at least 90 days prior to the annual meeting (previous petition time was two months)
  • Eliminated the requirement for an annual SEIBA calendar (have not done this in several years)

Proposed Bylaws Revision

CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
The Southeastern Indiana Baptist Association

(Adopted Mar 17, 2008; Revised Sept 20, 2012, ? Nov 2018)


Article I Name/ Incorporation

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

The Southeastern Indiana Baptist Association shall be incorporated as a Non-Profit corporation, under the laws and regulations for such corporations in the State of Indiana.  This Association shall have no other corporations except as may be duly authorized by this body and its Executive Board.

Article II Mission Statement

The Southeastern Indiana Baptist Association is a group of local Southern Baptist Churches which voluntarily cooperate together to exalt Christ by partnering with one another to fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus Christ in Southern Indiana and the world.

Article III Articles of Faith

The Articles of Faith for Southeastern Indiana Baptist Association will 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”.

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 such cooperating Southern Baptist Churches as believe and conform to Article III as noted above.

Section 2 - For the Annual Meeting each church having one hundred or fewer members shall be entitled to five messengers.  Any church having more than one hundred members shall be entitled to one additional messenger for each additional fifty members, or fraction thereof. No church shall have more than ten messengers. Church membership size shall be determined by their Annual Church Profile that year.

Section 3 - The above mentioned messengers shall be chosen by their church prior to the Annual Meeting of the Association.

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 Meeting of the Association. The church shall be admitted to the Association by a 2/3 majority of the Annual Meeting messengers.

The Leadership Team shall serve as the Credentialing Team of the Association. They will examine the applying church and bring a recommendation for admission, if appropriate, for a provisional period of one year called ‘Watchcare’. All rights of membership will apply at this time. In the month prior to the next Annual Meeting, the Leadership Team will review the church’s actions, practices, doctrine and cooperation over the ‘Watchcare’ period and bring a recommendation to the Annual Meeting concerning continuing membership and removing ‘Watchcare’ status.

Section 5 - The Association reserves the right to withdraw fellowship from any church erring in faith and practice according to Article III by a 2/3 majority of the Annual Meeting messengers.

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 - acts as secretary for meetings

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

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 function as the Building and Grounds Committee.

Article VII Employees

Section 1:  The Leadership team shall also function as the Personnel Committee

Section 2:  The Leadership team shall present a nomination for any open employment positions with approval by the vote of the Executive Board.

Section 3:  A Ministry Coordinator shall be hired by the Association oversee the day to day functions, represent the association, and serve as Chief Executive Officer.  Their job description will be determined by the Leadership Team.

Article VIII Executive Board

Section 1 - The Association shall have an Executive Board consisting of up to three elected members of each church  and the officers of the Association. Pastors of each cooperating church are not ex-officio members but may be elected by their church.

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 each year. 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, Clerk, Ministry Coordinator and Team Leaders as noted in Article X.  There will also be two (2) members at large, who are appointed by the Moderator after the Annual Meeting. The Ministry Coordinator will be part of the Leadership Team serving as ex-officio with voting privileges.  This team will act on behalf of the Executive Board between meetings.

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

Article IX Teams

Section 1 - The Association will form and maintain teams as deemed necessary by the Leadership Team.

Section 2 - The Leadership Team will be responsible for the Finance, Budget, and Personnel of the Association.

Section 3 - The Leadership Team shall be responsible for nominating the people to serve on the Association’s teams. The number and make up of these teams 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 and elected at the Annual Meeting.

Section 4 - The Leadership Team shall determine the location, date, time, and speaker for the annual meeting.

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

Article X Meetings

Section 1 - The Annual Meeting of the Association shall be held during the Fall.

Section 2 - Meetings 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 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 Annual Meeting at the moderator’s discretion and according to the agenda.

Article XI Amendments

This Constitution and By-Laws may be amended at 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.