CONSTITUTION
AMARILLO BAPTIST ASSOCIATION
ARTICLE I – NAME
The name of this organization shall be the
"Amarillo Baptist Association, Incorporated"
ARTICLE II – PURPOSE
Section 1. The purpose of this Association shall be to promote and provide suitable and efficient means for harmonious action in support of missionary, educational, and benevolent enterprises to the uttermost bounds of the earth; to encourage and maintain fellowship among the churches forming this organization and aid them in accomplishing their divinely appointed task of furthering the cause of Christ.
Section 2. Recognizing that this body is in no sense an ecclesiastical one, this Association shall under no circumstances attempt to exercise any legislative or ecclesiastical authority over or interfere with the right and autonomy of the churches. It recognizes each local church as being independent and sovereign in all matters. The basis of operation in the Association shall stem solely from the voluntary cooperation of the churches constituting this organization. The Association may, however, provide advisory council upon invitation.
ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. The group of churches constituting this fellowship shall be regular Baptist Churches that are in harmony and cooperating with the purpose and spirit of this Association as set forth in this constitution.
Section 2. Each church recognized by this Association shall be entitled to eight messengers for the first 50 members or less, and one additional messenger for each additional 50 members or major fraction thereof, provided that no church shall have more than 15 messengers.
Section 3. The Churches of this Association shall be in doctrinal harmony with the historic faith and practice of Baptists substantially as set for the in the Baptist Faith and Message as adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention in 1925, 1963, 1998, or 2000.
Section 4. The Association when duly assembled, shall be the sole judge of the qualifications and fitness of its membership, both as to churches of the common fellowship and individual messengers to the Annual Meeting. In justice and propriety, it claims the power to deny seats to or withdraw fellowship from messengers of churches unorthodox in faith, un-Christian in character or leadership, or non-cooperative in practice. This right shall be recognized as inherent and indispensable.
Section 5. Churches desiring to affiliate with this Association shall present, 30 days prior to the Annual Meeting, a petitionary Letter, the form to be supplied by the Association, indicating the desire of the Church, the standard of faith held by the church, and its pledge of cooperation with the Association. The standing Petitionary Letters Committee of the Association shall thoroughly investigate each petitionary church and report to the Association at the opening session. The principle of unanimous vote in matters of fellowship shall be observed in the admission of churches. In case of objection, the matter shall be referred to the Committee without discussion to determine whether the objection involves the matter of fellowship between or among the churches. The resultant report will be accepted or rejected by majority vote of the Association. Messengers in question shall be seated only after final favorable action is taken.
ARTICLE IV – OFFICERS
Section 1. The officers of this Association shall be Moderator, Vice-Moderator, Clerk and Treasurer.
Section 2. All officers to the Association shall be elected at the Spring Executive Board Meeting upon recommendations from the standing Nominating Committee, after opportunity has been given for nominations from the floor and these Directors, with the Associational Officers, shall serve as the Associational Council.
Section 3. No Moderator shall succeed himself.
Section 4. Vacancies occurring among Associational Officers between Annual Meetings shall be filled by the Executive Board upon recommendation of the Nominating committee with opportunity given for nominations from the floor.
Section 5. Directors of Associational Councils shall be elected at the Spring Executive Board Meeting, upon recommendation by the Nominating Committee in cooperation with the respective organizations, and subject to the approval of the Annual Meeting. These Directors with the Associational Officers shall serve as the Associational Council.
ARTICLE V – EXECUTIVE BOARD
Section 1. The executive Board of the Association shall be composed of all pastors of the cooperating churches in the Association, and two duly elected members from each of those churches. The two members shall be elected by the church, and reported in the Associational letter, by the church. New pastors shall be Executive Board Members upon assuming duties as pastor of a cooperating church. Members may be replaced by the church’s proper action in business meeting, and by written notice by the church to the Association Office, of the name of the new Board member and the name of the member being replaced. General officers of the Association, consisting of the Moderator, Vice-Moderator, Treasurer and Clerk are ex-officio members of the Board, as is the Director of Missions. Board members from at least one-fourth (1/4) of the cooperating churches, dropping fractional numbers, shall be required to constitute a quorum for all Executive Board meetings. Executive Board meetings may be called at other Board meetings. Executive Board meetings may be called at other than regularly scheduled times by written notice being mailed four days prior or telephoned message one day prior to the meeting, to each of the cooperating churches, by the Moderator or those authorized to act in his behalf.
Section 2. It shall be the duty of the Executive Board to transact business for the Association between Annual Sessions and give a summarized report of its proceedings at the Annual meeting.
Section 3. The officers of the Executive Board shall be the same as the Officers of the Association.
Section 4. To transact business of the Executive Board ad interim, an Executive committee consisting of all General Officers plus the chairman of the Standing Committees shall serve and shall make a full report of its transactions to the Board at its next meeting. One-fourth (1/4) of this Executive Committee shall be a quorum.
Section 5. The Executive Board shall be the custodian of all property of the Association, but the chairman. Vice-chairman, and clerk of the Board shall serve as trustees who shall act solely upon instruction from the Board in all matters pertaining to the properties, real or personal, of the Corporation.
ARTICLE VI – MEETINGS
The association shall meet annually in the fall, usually in October. The specific date to be suggested by the Calendar of Activities Committee and approved in Annual Meeting. In an emergency, the Executive Board shall have authority to change the time and/or place of meeting.
ARTICLE VII – AMENDMENTS
This Constitution may be changed or amended at any regular meeting of the Association provided that the proposed change, or amendment be written out, and presented to the Association at the first session, and approved by the majority of those voting at the last session of the Association.
BY-LAWS
1. In all matters of parliamentary procedure the body shall be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order.
2. All churches are respectfully requested and expected to send letters to the Annual Associational Meeting giving a full report of the year’s work, such report to be contained in the regularly adopted "Letter to the Association" supplied by the Association.
3. The channels of cooperation of this Association shall be this Association itself, and other Conventions and/or Associations that are sympathetic with the purposes and work of Amarillo Baptist Association.
4. Those contemplating organization of the new Baptist churches are urged to act in harmony and cooperation with the Director of Missions, the Mission Development Council, and the Executive Board of the Association that, by mutual consideration of all interests involved, the cause as a whole may be conserved and advanced.
5. Policies and process for selection and duties of Standing committees, Councils, and Task Forces shall be included in "The Manual of Operations and Relationships of Amarillo Baptist Association". Each ABA Committee shall recommend inclusions in this Manual all of the "Policies, Procedures, and Relationships" pertaining to their committees work. Their recommendations will be presented to the Executive Board for inclusion in the "Manual of Operations and Relationships of ABA" upon adoption. Changes and additions to the Manual will be presented in the Executive Board’s Report at the next Annual Meeting.
6. The Association believes that the churches are morally obligated to uphold each other in matters of fellowship and orderly discipline. Care should be taken in receiving or fellowshipping a recipient of church discipline until the person has been restored, where practical, by his former church, or through investigation made of the case in question.
7. These By-Laws may be amended, added to, or repealed by majority vote at any regular session of the Annual Meeting of the Association, provided that the proposed change, or amendment be written out, and presented to the Association at the first session, and approved by the majority of those voting at the last session of the Association.
