HAWHAMMOCK MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH



HAWHAMMOCK MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH

Swainsboro, Georgia

Constitution

PREAMBLE

We declare and establish this Constitution for the preservation and security of the principles of our faith, and that this body may be governed in an orderly manner. This constitution shall preserve the freedom of action of this body in its relation to other churches.

ARTICLE I – NAME

The name of this church shall be HAWHAMMOCK MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH of Swainsboro, Georgia, and shall be affiliated with the Emanuel Missionary Baptist Association, the Georgia Baptist State Convention, and the Southern Baptist Convention.

ARTICLE II - PURPOSE

The purpose of this body shall be, to be a church empowered by the Holy Spirit, to share Christ with as many people as possible in our church, community, and through-out the world. To be a worshipping fellowship, experiencing an awareness of God, recognizing His person, and responding in obedience to His leadership. To experience an increasingly meaningful fellowship with God and fellow believers. To help people experience a growing knowledge of God and Man. To be a church whose purpose is to be Christ-like in our daily living by emphasizing total commitment.

ARTICLE III – STATEMENT OF FAITH

The Holy Bible is the inspired word of God and is the basis for any statement of faith. This church subscribes to the doctrinal statement of The Baptist Faith and Message, adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention on May 9, 1963.

ARTICLE IV – CHURCH COVENANT

Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour,

And on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the son, of the Holy Spirit, we do now, in the presence of God, and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into convenant with one another as one body in Christ.

We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this church, in knowledge, holiness, and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel through all nations.

We also engage to maintain family and secret devotions; to religiously educate our children; to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment; to avoid all tattling, back-biting, and excessive anger; to abstain from the sale of, and use of, intoxicating drink as a beverage; to be zealous in our efforts to advance the kingdom of our Saviour.

We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember one another in prayer; to aid one another in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and Christian courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation and mindful of the rules of our Saviour to secure it without delay.

We moreover engage that when we remove from this place we will, as soon as possible, unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word.

ARTICLE V – RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES

The government of this church is vested in the body of believers who compose it. It is subject to the control of no other ecclesiastical body, but it recognizes and sustains the obligations of mutual counsel and cooperation which are common among Baptist Churches, insofar as is practical, this church will cooperate with and support the Emanuel Missionary Baptist Association, the Georgia Baptist State Convention, and the Southern Baptist Convention.

CHURCH BY-LAWS

ARTICLE I – MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. GENERAL

The members of this church reserve the exclusive right to determine who shall be members and the condition of such membership. Any person may offer himself or herself as a candidate for membership in this church. All such candidates shall be presented to the church at any regular church service for membership in any of the following ways and shall be asked to participate in a membership training program.

a. Profession of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and following Him in baptism by immersion and who shall have been received into it’s fellowship by a majority vote of the congregation.

b. By letter of recommendation from another Baptist Church of like faith and order.

c. By statement, providing his or her church is now non-existent, or records lost, or when a satisfactory explanation is given for not being able to secure a letter.

d. By restoration, if membership has been suspended or excluded for any reason herein. The individual may be restored to full fellowship by evidence of repentance, and three-fourths vote of the members present. Restoration is also subject to Matthew 18:15-17.

e. Persons presenting themselves for membership must agree to subscribe to the principles set forth in this Constitution and By-Laws.

Section 2. VOTING RIGHTS

All members shall have equal rights and privileges in affairs concerning this church.

Section 3. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF CHRUCH MEMBERS

Members are expected, first of all, to be faithful in all the duties essential to the Christian Life; and to attend faithfully all the services of this church, to give regularly for its support and its causes, and to share in its organized work. All members are expected to participate in the transactions of this church.

Section 4. TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP

A. By death

B. By transfer of letter to another Baptist Church. A letter will not be given to an individual, only a church requesting it.

C. By erasure – Automatically terminated when he or she unites with a church of a different faith and order. An individual may request the removal of their name from the membership roll by notifying the church clerk.

D. By exclusion – Should a member become an offense to the church and to its good name by reason of immoral or unchristian conduct, or by persistent breach of his or her covenant vows, the church may terminate membership, but only after due notice and hearing, and after faithful efforts have been made to bring such member to repentance.

ARTICLE II – CHURCH OFFICERS

Section 1. – PASTOR

A. The Pastor shall be called by the church for an indefinite period, and shall be at liberty to resign the care of the church on giving thirty (30) days notice. The church shall have the right (with 25% of the resident members present) to dispense with his services on giving similar notice. The thirty days may be dispensed with by mutual consent of the Pastor and the church. All specific arrangements agreed upon at the time of the call shall be in writing, and approved by the church and the prospective pastor.

B. The Pastor shall have a minimum of two (2) weeks paid vacation. He shall be financially responsible for pulpit supply except for his vacation, sickness, or away on church business.

C. The Pastor shall have the option of attending the Southern Baptist Convention and appropriate Baptist State Meetings each year. He shall go as a messenger of this church and at this church’s expense.

D. His duties are four-fold: 1. As Preacher, to preach the gospel; 2. As Bishop, to superintend the work of the church; 3. As Pastor, to be the shepherd of the flock, and 4. As Minister, to serve the people for Jesus’ sake. He shall be chief executive officer in the church and ex-officio head of all departments of church work. His specific duties shall be to give special attention to the spiritual needs of the members, to preach at stated times at the church, to administer the ordinances of the New Testament, to serve as an ex-officio member of all committees of the church and to have supervision of the church staff, unless otherwise specifically provided. During his ministry he shall have charge of the pulpit at all times.

Section 2. – DEACONS

A. Number, Election and Term of Service.

There shall be active deacons and inactive deacons of this church. The active deacons shall be vested with the duties and responsibilities of carrying out the active ministries of the deaconship. Whereas a deacon of the church remains a member of this church, he shall take part in services of this church, such as the observance of the Lord’s Supper and the ordination of deacons and pastors. The complete list of deacons shall be made up of any deacon ordained by this church or any Southern Baptist Church, whether active or inactive.

B. The number of active deacons shall be determined by the total number of resident members of the church. There shall be seven (7) active deacons for the first one hundred and fifty (150) resident members with one additional deacon for each additional twenty (20) resident members as availability will allow. A member must be twenty-five years of age or older on the date of election to be qualified for election as a deacon, and must have been a faithful member of this church for a period of at least one (1) year,

C. The Pastor and/or Active Deacons shall be responsible for submitting candidates to the church needed to fill the upcoming vacancies of the Active Deacon.

D. Candidates to be an Active Deacon will be submitted to the church at its September Business meeting. Election to be held by secret ballot, which shall be counted by the retiring deacons.

E. Active Deacons shall serve on a rotation system as follows: Two (2) Deacons to be elected for one year term, two (2) Deacons to be elected to two years terms, and three (3) Deacons to be elected for three year terms. After the first year all Active Deacons will be elected to regular three (3) year terms.

F. In the event a vacancy occurs with the Active Deacons between election times, the Pastor and/or Active Deacons may recommend to the church that a special election be held to fill the unexpired term.

G. The Active Deacons shall apportion the membership of this church among themselves and implement “The Deacon Family Plan”.

Section 3. – MODERATOR

The Moderator shall be the Pastor. In the absence of a Pastor, the Chairman of the Deacons shall preside; or in the absence of both, the clerk shall call the church to order and a moderator protem shall be elected.

Section 4. – CLERK AND ASSISTANT CLERK

The church shall elect annually a clerk and an assistant clerk. The clerk shall keep a register of names of the members, with dates of admission, or death, or removal of names together with a record of baptisms. He/She shall preserve on file all communications and written official reports, and give legal notice of all meetings where such notice is necessary as indicated in these By-Laws.

Section 5. – TREASURER AND ASSISTANT TREASURER

It shall be the duty of the treasurer to receive, preserve and disburse the funds according to the annual budget adopted by the church, or as approved by the church in a church business meeting. The Treasurer shall keep at all times an itemized account of all receipts and disbursements and shall prepare a quarterly financial written report. The Assistant Treasurer shall also be elected to assist the Treasurer in all matters pertaining to this office. In the absence of the Treasurer the checks can be signed by the Assistant Treasurer.

Section 6. – TRUSTEES

There shall be a board of trustees elected by the church annually and shall consist of at least one Active Deacon and seven church members. In the event of a vacancy on this committee, an active deacon shall fill the unexpired term. The Trustees shall hold in trust the property of the church. They shall have no power to buy, sell, mortgage, lease or transfer any property without a specific vote of the church in business meeting authorizing such action. The trustees shall have the responsibility for the maintenance of all church property, including building and grounds, and shall work closely with the Pastor and Deacons in this ministry. It shall also be their responsibility to be sure that the church is heated, cooled, unlocked, locked, etc. for any and all services and meetings.

ARTICLE III – CHURCH ORGANIZATIONS

All organizations of the church shall be under the church’s control, all Officers being elected by the church for one year and reporting regularly to the church. It is understood that the Pastor is ex-officio head of all organizations named and his leadership is to be recognized in them all.

These organizations shall be Sunday School, Church Training, Woman’s Missionary Union, Brotherhood and Music Ministry.

These organizations and any other which are authorized by the church, shall be governed and recognized by this church.

All officers for these organizations shall be elected by the church and serve as responsible servants of this church and God.

ARTICLE IV – CHURCH COMMITTEES

Section 1. – STANDING COMMITTEES:

The following standing committees shall be elected by the church to serve for one year. They shall be nominated by the nominating committee, or from the floor, in church business meetings, unless otherwise provided.

A. NOMINATING COMMITTEE – This committee shall consist of five members. The Sunday School Director and the Church Training Director shall be on this committee after election each year. The other three (3) members will be on a three year rotation system. This committee will make nominations for all officers and all standing committees each year unless otherwise stated in these By-Laws.

B. ACTIVITIES CHAIRPERSON – This committee shall consist of a Chairperson, who is responsible for planning, implementing, and evaluating church-wide recreational activities that are desirable in maintaining Christian Fellowship. The Chairperson shall ask for volunteers to assist.

C. CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP COMMITTEE – This committee shall consist of three (3) persons, and shall minister in a physical way to families of the church where death or other tragedy comes. This committee shall help the Pastor to learn of such circumstances, and to minister to those involved.

D. AUDIO VISUAL COMMITTEE – This committee shall consist of a Chairperson and assistants, if needed, who are responsible for the church-wide showing of films, operating the public address system in the sanctuary, and working with other activities that involve the use of audio visual equipment.

E. BAPTISMAL COMMITTEE – This committee shall consist of two husband and wife teams. They shall assume responsibility for all details of the service of baptism, including the preparation of the baptistry, and assistant to the candidates in the service.

F. CIVIC CONCERNS – This committee shall consist of three persons who will study, implement and evaluate church activities that address community problems such as drug abuse, alcoholism, mental health, family needs, literacy and others.

G. COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLICITY – This committee shall consist of a Chairperson who will study, implement and evaluate the publicity and communication of our church, its image, its message and its activities. The Chairperson will get assistants as needed.

H. USHER COMMITTEE – This committee shall consist of one Chairperson and seven other elected men and shall be responsible for meeting the ushering needs of the church and provide for the seating and comfort of the congregation.

I. LIBRARY – The Church Librarian shall be chairperson of the Library Committee, which will consist of four additional persons, and shall be responsible for the church library, including books, and all audio-visual aids and equipment. It will make recommendations to the church concerning the purchase of additional materials and/or equipment and will determine policies in the operating of the library.

J. LORD’S SUPPER COMMITTEE – This committee shall consist of one husband and wife team. They shall be responsible for preparing the Lord’s Supper at each appointed time during the year.

K. MISSIONS – The Missions Chairperson shall be responsible for the charitable enterprises of our church in dealing with residents of our community who are not members of this church. It shall also deal with monies related to mission trips and other related items, and in recommending and carrying out goals for special Mission Offerings each year.

L. MUSIC – This committee shall consist of the Minister of Music/Youth and Musicians who shall be responsible for the general and special music programs of the church.

M. IN-HOUSE NURSERY COORDINATING COMMITTEE AND CLEAN-UP LISTS – This committee shall consist of one Chairperson and one assistant who shall have the responsibility of coordinating the nursery program of the entire church, providing such personnel as is desirable. Also they shall coordinate a cleaning list providing such personnel as needed.

N. FLOWER CHAIRPERSON – This committee shall consist of one person who shall have the responsibility of securing flowers for the church sanctuary and deceased church members.

O. CEMETERY CLERK AND ASSISTANT CLERK – The Clerk and Assistant Clerk shall be elected annually and shall be responsible for the assignments of Cemetery lots. They must be members of the Cemetery Committee.

P. PASTOR SEARCH COMMITTEE – This committee shall consist of five (5) well-informed committed, Christian Church Members. These five shall be elected by a process of nominations from the floor at a regular or called church business meeting. This business meeting shall be announced at least two weeks prior to its convening. Once elected, this committee shall be responsible for reviewing resumes and recommendations for possible candidates. They shall also be responsible for hearing at least three candidates speak, if possible, and choosing the one they feel that the church should hear. The candidate they choose will preach for the church and the church members will be given the opportunity to vote on him only after an appropriate amount of prayerful consideration. The voting shall be by secret ballot and shall be conducted in a regular or called business meeting. The qualifications that the Search Committee shall look for in a Pastor are as follows: (1) He shall be a man of unquestionable reputation, (2) He shall be a man who has a stable family life and shows a Godly love for and control over his family, (3) He must believe that the Bible is God’s Word, divinely inspired, inerrant and infallable, (4) He must believe in evangelism and that the purpose of the church is to win the lost, bringing them to a saving knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, (5) He must be mission minded and believe in the Cooperative Program of the Southern Baptist Convention, and (6) He must have the Scriptural qualifications listed in 1 Timothy 3:2-7 and Titus 1:6-9.

Q. PERSONNEL COMMITTEE – This committee shall assist the church in matters related to employed personnel. Its work includes such areas as determining staff needs, employment, salaries, benefits & personnel services. The committee shall consist of 5 persons whom shall be elected by the church to serve a 3 year term.

R. FINANCE COMMITTEE – This committee is responsible to the church for developing and implementing financial policy. Duties include:

a. Develop and recommend a church budget to the church;

b. Review all expenditures with the Church Treasurer periodically in terms of budget allocations and recommend adjustments to the church as necessary;

c. Develop and recommend to the church financial policies and procedures.

ARTICLE V – CHURCH COUNCIL

The church council shall be composed of the Pastor, Associate Pastor/Minister of Children & Youth, Chairman of Deacons, Sunday School Director, Church Training Director, Brotherhood Director, W.M.U. Director, Chairman of Trustees, Music Director, Awana Commander, Senior Adult Directors, Activities Committee Chairman, Church Treasurer, Church Secretary and Church Clerk. The primary functions shall be to help establish and coordinate the activities of all organizations of the church. They shall meet monthly or quarterly, as may be desired, or on call of the Pastor, or if without a Pastor, Chairman of Deacons at any time deemed necessary.

ARTICLE VI – CHURCH FINANCES

Section 1. – FISCAL YEAR – The fiscal year of this church shall begin on January 1 and will continue through December 31 of each year.

Section 2. – BUDGET – This church shall operate its financial affairs in accordance with a unified budget to be adopted annually. The budget shall be prepared and presented to the church in accordance with the church council. All contributions, for any and all purposes, shall pass through the hands of the Treasurer and be properly recorded on the books of the church. The operating expenses of all the organizations of this church shall be paid by the church Treasurer in accordance with the current budget.

Section 3. – POLICIES REGARDING EXPENDITURES – All expenditures of budgeted monies shall be made in accordance with the current budget. Designated monies shall be dispersed for the purpose stated by the giver. Any over expenditures of any budget account may be made only after approval of the church.

Section 4. – SPECIAL OFFERINGS – Each year this church shall encourage contributions to three special missions offerings, one for Foreign Missions, one for Home Missions and one for State Missions. Additional special offerings shall be encouraged to cover the expenses during revivals, conferences and similar meetings.

ARTICLE VII – CHURCH MEETINGS

A. WORSHIP SERVICES –

1. The church will meet regularly each Sunday Morning, Sunday Evening and Wednesday Evening for Worship of Almighty God. Prayer, Praise, Preaching, Instruction and Evangelism shall be among the ingredients of these Services.

2. The Lord’s Supper shall be observed at least once each quarter or more

often as the Pastor feels led.

3. Occasional religious meetings may be scheduled by the Pastor at his

discretion, or by vote of the church.

4. A revival or revivals shall be held each year.

B. BUSINESS MEETINGS –

1. The church shall hold a regular business meeting each quarter. It shall be held

after worship service on the second Sunday evening of each quarter.

2. At any of the regular business meetings, the church may act upon the transfer

of members to other churches, and upon any other business.

3. Special Business meetings may be called at any time by the Pastor or if

without a Pastor, by the Chairman of Deacons.

4. The church year for organizational purposes shall begin on October 1, and end

on September 30 of each year.

C. QUORUM –

Fifteen per cent of the resident roll of the membership shall constitute a quorum,

except that for the election of officers, twenty per cent, and for the calling of and dismissal of a Pastor, Twenty-five percent shall be necessary.

D. PARLIAMENTARY RULES –

Roberts Rules of Order, Revised, is the authority for Parliamentary rules of

procedures for all business meetings of this church.

ARTICLE VIII – AMENDMENTS

No change shall be made in the Constitution and By-Laws except by 2/3 vote with 25 per cent of the resident membership being present at the business meeting. Also after said proposed change having been laid before the church in writing at a business meeting not less than one month before the time of the proposed action, and read from the pulpit on the next Lord’s Day succeeding such proposal.

The Constitution and By-Laws committee consisted of:

Drone Hudson, Jr., Chairman

Mrs. Louise McDaniel, Secretary

Casey Drew

Mrs. Inez Hudson

Mrs. Lois Shepard

Sammy Willis

Elmo Youngblood

Orvis J. Crump, Pastor

These Constitution and By-Laws were adopted by unanimous vote on March 4, 1987.

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