CONSTITUTION OF THE
Preamble
We, the members of the Watsontown Baptist Church, in accordance with the teaching of the Apostle Paul and the Holy Bible that “all things be done properly and in a good and orderly way”, do establish and adopt this Church Constitution and By Laws for the proper administration and management of our church life and organization.
ARTICLE 1. Name
The name of this Corporation shall be the Watsontown Baptist Church of Watsontown,
ARTICLE 2.
The mission of this Church shall be the advancement of the
ARTICLE 3. Denominational Affiliations
It is the purpose of this church to cooperate with the organized work of the following: the Northumberland Baptist Association, The American Baptist Churches of
ARTICLE 4. Meetings
Section 1) WORSHIP SERVICES Public services shall be held each Lord's Day, and the fellowship groups and the Sunday School shall hold weekly meetings. The Lord's Supper shall be observed at the discretion of the Diaconate Board. Other religious meetings may be appointed by the Pastor or Diaconate Board at their discretion.
Section 2) CHURCH MEETINGS The Annual Business Meeting shall be held in January for the purpose of receiving the annual reports of officers, boards and committees of the church and its auxiliary organizations; the transaction of necessary business; and the discussion of issues vital to the life and witness of the church. A quorum for the transaction of business shall be twenty.
Special meetings may be called at any time by the Pastor, Chairperson of the Diaconate or Church Clerk. Notice of such meeting, and the purpose for which it is called shall be given from the pulpit and put in writing in the bulletin at least two weeks in advance of the date of the meeting.
(At any of the regular meetings of worship, however, the church may without notice, act upon the reception of members, upon the transfer of members to other churches, and upon the appointment of delegates to councils; but not upon extraordinary business.)
Section 3) ORDER OF BUSINESS The order of business for the Annual Meeting shall be conducted by the Pastor, or in his/her absence, the chairperson of the Diaconate shall preside. All meetings shall be opened and closed with prayer. The order of procedure in the business meeting shall be as follows:
a) Devotions
b) Minutes of Previous meeting
c) Treasurer's Report
d) Report of Committees
e) Unfinished Business
f) New Business
g) Adjournment & Prayer
Section 4) ORGANIZATIONAL BUSINESS MEETING An organizational business meeting will be held before the last Sunday of each year for the purpose of electing officers and voting on the proposed annual budget. Copies of the proposed budget and the slate of officers shall be made available to the congregation at least 2 weeks in advance of the meeting.
Section 5) CHURCH YEAR The fiscal year of the church shall be January 1-December 31.
