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C O N S T I T U T I O N
o f
ST. JOHN UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
Reading Ohio
Revised, 2004
ARTICLE I
Name
The name of this church shall be "St. John United Church of Christ of
Reading, Ohio" and is incorporated as such under laws of the State of
Ohio.
ARTICLE II
Purpose
The avowed purpose of this church is to maintain in the community a
Christian congregation for the worship of God as revealed in Jesus Christ
through the power of the Holy Spirit. This church seeks to proclaim in the
world the Good News of God’s love in word and deed, in fellowship with the
universal Christian Church and the United Church of Christ. It further seeks
to provide to people of all ages opportunity to worship, to learn and grow in
their faith, to serve and be served, to enjoy fellowship with others, and to
exercise their stewardship in support of the church and its work.
ARTICLE III
Affiliation
This church shall be a part of the United Church of Christ and it shall
sustain that relationship to the United Church of Christ described in those
portions of its Constitution and By-Laws relating to local churches.
ARTICLE IV
Faith and Covenant
In fellowship with the United Church of Christ, this church acknowledges as
its sole head Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and the Savior of humankind and
acknowledges as one in Christ all who share in this confession.
This church accepts the sacred scriptures of the Old Testament and the New
Testament as the Word of God and as the sole and infallible guide of Christian
faith and life.
The sacraments of this church are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
The "Mission Statement" of this church is:
"Called to the worship of God as revealed
in the Scriptures, and empowered by the
Holy Spirit, our mission is to enable all
people to experience God’s love through
Our Lord Jesus Christ."
ARTICLE V
Membership
Persons who have been duly received into its communion by
baptism and confirmation, by letter of transfer, or by profession of faith,
shall be entitled to all its rights and privileges as provided in the By-Laws.
Any member may, on request, be granted a letter of
transfer. If wishing to join a body not in fellowship with this church, the
member may be dismissed with a certificate of church membership.
Any member who persistently does not reflect the purpose of
the church may come under the church discipline category covered by the Board
of Elders.
ARTICLE VI
Governing Body
The government of this church is vested in the congregation
itself, assembled in meeting duly and legally called, as provided in the
By-Laws.
The membership of this church shall decide such questions as the buying and
selling of property, building projects, extensive repair or renovation of
church property, the call or dismissal of the Pastor(s), questions of church
policy, and amendments to the constitution and By-Laws. For the transaction of
all other business, the administration of the church is entrusted to the
Council with proper in-put from the four main Boards.
Thirty members in good standing shall constitute a quorum, and the vote of
a majority of members present at a duly called congregational meeting shall be
the action of the church except in the case of the Constitution and By-Laws,
which require a two-thirds vote for amendment.
ARTICLE VII
Organization – General
OVERVIEW:
The activities of the church shall be conducted by four Boards: The Board
of Christian Nurture, The Board of Property & Finance, The Board of
Elders, and The Board of Deacons. Each Board shall have full authority over
and responsibility for its scope of activity as delineated in the By-Laws.
Each Board shall present a written report of its activities at each meeting of
the Church Council.
The Church Council is the elected representative body of the congregation.
As such, it has the right to approve or veto any action of any Board.
Notwithstanding, the purpose of the council is to provide an oversight and
review function of the Board’s activities. It is anticipated that the Boards
will accomplish their duties on their own.
ELECTIONS AND VACANCIES:
With the sole exception of the Pastor, Treasurer,
and
paid Staff; all Officers of the
church, Board members and Council members, shall be nominated by the
Nominating Committee. Paid Staff may serve but not as Chairperson.
These nominations shall be presented to the Church Council prior to the Annual
Meeting for endorsement. The congregation may nominate candidates for any
office at said meeting. Voting by hand or by ballot will proceed. In the event
that a vacancy occurs, at whatever time, a replacement shall be appointed by
the Church Council to serve until the next fiscal
year. In the event of repeated
absences by a Board or Council member, the chair-person may declare the
position vacant.
PROCEDURE:
Upon the call of the retiring chairperson, each Board shall meet within
thirty days of the Annual Meeting, the agenda being to organize and elect a
chairperson and secretary for the ensuing year. Thereafter each Board shall
meet on an appointed date monthly or at the call of the chairperson, the
Minister, or any three members. The secretary of each Board shall keep
accurate records of all business transacted at Board meetings. The Minister is
to be notified of all Board meetings and serve ex officio on each. Members of
the congregation may attend Board meetings with voice, without vote.
Each Board shall consist of not less than four nor more than six persons
(the Treasurer becomes a seventh member of the Board of Property &
Finance). All Elders, Deacons, Property & Finance members, and the
chairperson of the Board of Christian Nurture shall be members of the church.
At each Church Annual Meeting two persons shall be elected to each Board on a
plan of rotation for a term of two years. After serving two full terms on any
Board/Council,
a member must step down for a year, although he or she may be elected to
another position in the church.
A quorum for the conducting of formal Board business is defined as a
majority of elected members.
The President, Vice President, Board members and
Council
members at large shall be members of this church, except as noted above, and
shall be elected at the Annual Meeting to serve for two years.
ARTICLE VIII: OFFICERS OF THE CHURCH
The Officers of the church shall be:
Pastor
President of the Church Council
Vice President of the Church Council
Secretary of the Church Council
Treasurer
Duties:
President of the Church Council: The President of the Church Council shall
preside at all Council meetings and business meetings of the Congregation and
shall have authority to sign all orders, contracts and other legal documents
as approved by the Church Council. The
President shall also have authority
to sign checks and other orders for payment of money. The
President shall advise the
nominating committee of vacancies to be filled.
Vice President of the Church Council: The Vice President of the Church
Council shall, in the absence of the President of the Church Council, perform
all the duties of the President, and at all times such duties as may be
assigned by the Church Council.
Secretary of Church Council: The Secretary shall keep a record of all the
proceedings of the Church Council and Congregational Meetings and shall
perform such other duties as may be assigned by the Church Council.
Treasurer: The Treasurer shall keep a complete record of all receipts and
disbursements and an accurate account of all funds. The
Treasurer shall make a detailed
report of all transactions at the Annual Meeting of the church, and at such
other times as directed by the Church Council. The
Treasurer shall deposit all funds in
such depositories as designated by the Church Council, sign all checks, and
other orders for the payment of money, and perform such other duties as
directed by the Church Council. The
Treasurer shall be ex officio member
of the Council
and shall advise, plan and report on financial matters. The
Treasurer shall have authority, in
conjunction with the President of the Church Council, to sign all orders,
contracts, and other legal documents as approved by the Council and shall do
other such duties as designated by the Board of Property & Finance in
consultation with the Church Council.
Appointed Officials:
Delegates: The Church Council shall appoint delegates as required to
represent this church at official United Church of Christ functions, including
SONKA and/or Cluster 3,
or other Conference functions.
The Secretary/Treasurer, President, Pastor and other paid staff as may be
appointed shall be considered staff support to the Council and not members
thereof. They shall not have vote in the Council.
ARTICLE IX
Pastor
This church shall have one Pastor, duly ordained, licensed, holding
standing with the United Church of Christ, and selected with the assistance of
the Association Minister of the Southwest Ohio Northern Kentucky Association of
the United Church of Christ, in accordance with the By-Laws.
The Pastor is responsible for pastoral duties and is entitled to the rights
of the Pastor as outlined in the By-Laws.
The church, at its discretion, may choose Assistant Pastor(s) and/or Lay
Assistants. Such staff personnel shall be supervised by the Pastor.
ARTICLE X
Property
The congregation may, in its corporate name, sue and be sued; hold,
purchase, and receive title by gift, grant or other conveyance of and to any
property, real and personal, with power to mortgage, sell or convey the same,
providing state laws permit; borrow funds and contract debts to accomplish the
purposes of this congregation.
In case of a dispute within the congregation concerning the selling or
disposal of the church property, the congregation shall submit the question of
the right to the property to the Southwest Ohio Northern Kentucky Association
of the United Church of Christ, or the Association or Conference of which it
is a member, and the decision of the said judicatory shall be binding on all
the members of the congregation.
Whoever withdraws from membership of the congregation loses all right upon
its property.
In case of a dissolution of the congregation, the title to the property
shall vest in the Southwest Ohio Northern Kentucky Association of the United
Church of Christ.
ARTICLE XI
Meetings
The congregation shall have an annual meeting and such other meetings as
are provided for in the By-Laws.
At all annual and special meetings of the congregation, as well as all
Board meetings, Robert’s Rules of Order shall be the basis of conduct.
ARTICLE XII
Amendments
This Constitution may be amended at any properly called meeting of the
congregation providing that the proposed amendment has been placed before the
congregation at the previous meeting, or has been called to the attention of the
membership at least two months prior to such meeting.
Proposed amendments shall be referred to the Church Council, which shall
consider them and report to the next duly called congregation meeting.
A two-thirds vote of the members present will be required to adopt an
amendment.
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