Church Text for 2008
"And in this place I will grant peace", declares the
Lord Almighty
(Haggai Chapter 2 v9)
Sitemap | Page: Publications > Church Governance > Procedures and Practices Updated: 09 Nov 2008
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Date of Church Meeting |
Section(s) changed |
Description of change |
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Oct-1995 |
N/A |
Initial version approved by Church Meeting |
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Sept-1997 |
3.3.2 |
Allow for postal votes for the election of Deacons. |
A. The Church shall be known as ' Walsworth Road Baptist Church '. The Church shall be affiliated to the Baptist Union of Great Britain and to the Hertfordshire Baptist Association.
A. Membership is open to all who profess repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and whose lives bear evidence of their Christian profession. Believers who have not confessed their faith through Baptism by immersion will be encouraged to give earnest and prayerful consideration to this matter in the light of New Testament teaching.
B. The name of each person wishing to join the membership shall be given to the Minister or Church Secretary. The Diaconate shall then appoint two church members to visit the applicant. The visitors shall make a report and give an appropriate recommendation to the Church Meeting. Those accepted by the Church Meeting shall be received into the membership of the Church at the first convenient Communion Sunday.
C. Members of other churches may indicate that they wish to be accepted into membership by letter of transfer. Once such a letter has been received the Diaconate shall appoint two church members to welcome the applicant, and make an appropriate recommendation to the Church Meeting. Those accepted by the Church Meeting shall be received into the membership of the Church at the first convenient Communion Sunday.
D. Any application for a transfer from this Church to another shall be dealt with by Letter of Transfer by the Church Secretary after the approval of the Diaconate.
E. Any member whose conduct is thought to be incompatible with the responsibilities of a church member shall be counselled by the Minister and/or Deacons. If such conduct is continued the Diaconate shall take the matter to the Church Meeting with an appropriate recommendation.
A. Baptism shall be that of believers usually by immersion in water, in the name of God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It shall only be available to those who profess their personal faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord.
B. The Lord's Supper shall be observed at least once a month, and all Christian people are invited to share in this. Members are expected to do their utmost to be present at Communion Services, regarding it as a sacred privilege.
A. Members shall be called together so that they may seek the will of God through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and under the Lordship of Christ. Such a meeting of members shall be termed the Church Meeting. The Church Meeting shall be the final decision making authority in all matters relating to the affairs of the Church. All organisations, committees and groups, and their leaders shall be accountable to the Church Meeting.
B. The Chairman of any Church Meeting shall normally be the Minister or Moderator of the Church. If the Minister or Moderator of the Church is unable or unwilling to take the chair, or the majority of the Diaconate agrees that the Minister or Moderator should not take the chair, then the meeting shall elect a Chairman before proceeding with its business.
C. An Ordinary Church Meeting shall be called at least once a quarter by the Diaconate. Oral notice shall be given of the date, time, and place, of the meeting during the services on the two Sundays immediately preceding the meeting. Such notice shall be given by a member of the Diaconate.
D. An agenda for an Ordinary Church Meeting shall be made available by the Diaconate on a Sunday at least two days before the meeting. Matters which are not on the agenda may be considered under 'Any Other Business' at the discretion of the Chairman, and they shall normally be of minor importance. If a matter submitted needs to be discussed at a Special Church Meeting the Diaconate shall report this fact to the Ordinary Church Meeting.
E. Decisions at an Ordinary Church Meeting shall be taken by simple majority of those Church Members present, unless stated otherwise, see section 2.3.2 Election of Deacons . At least 1/ 4 of the current church membership shall be present before any decision may be taken. If an equal number of votes shall be cast for and against a motion the Chairman shall have the casting vote.
F. A Special Church Meeting may be called by the Diaconate to consider important items. The Diaconate shall also call a Special Church Meeting to discuss any item submitted with the signature of at least ten church members. Oral notice shall be given of the date, time, place and subject of the meeting during the Services on the two Sundays immediately preceding the meeting. Only the issues given in such a notice may be discussed at a Special Church Meeting.
G. Decisions at a Special Church Meeting shall be taken by a 2/ 3 majority of those Church Members present unless stated otherwise, see section 2.3.1 Appointment of a Minister . At least 1/ 4 of the current church membership shall be present before any decision may be taken.
H. Minutes shall be kept of all Church Meetings, and shall be signed by the Chairman of the meeting at which the minutes are accepted. Such minutes shall be taken as conclusive evidence of decisions taken.
A. The Diaconate shall comprise the Minister or Moderator and Deacons. The Diaconate shall give spiritual and practical leadership and shall be responsible for day to day administration of the Church.
B. A maximum of ten Deacons shall be elected. All Deacons shall be Church Members, and will generally be baptised Church Members.
C. Deacons shall be elected for a maximum term of three years, after a term of office they shall be eligible for re-election. A Deacon shall be elected as set out in section 2.3.2 Election of Deacons .
D. The Diaconate shall meet when appropriate, but this shall be at least once in every two calendar months. A meeting of the Diaconate shall only be deemed constituted when at least 1/ 2 of its number are present. Minutes shall be kept of all meetings of the Diaconate. Such minutes shall be circulated to all members of the Diaconate as soon as practical.
A. The Church Meeting shall elect a Treasurer and Secretary, from the Diaconate, for a term of one year, and they shall be eligible for re-election. The procedure to be used is set out in section 2.3.3 Election of Secretary or Treasurer .
B. If the Secretary or Treasurer becomes unable to act then a temporary replacement shall be appointed. The procedure to be used is set out in section 2.3.4 Appointment of a Temporary Secretary or Treasurer.
A. When it becomes clear that a pastoral vacancy will arise the Deacons shall consult with the Area Superintendent as to the current Baptist practice used to appoint a Minister, and also in respect of the appointment of a Moderator. The procedure to be used is set out in section 2.3.1 Appointment of a Minister .
A. Every Church Organisation shall have its objectives approved by the Church Meeting, and may only act in the name of the Church after such approval.
B. The Minister shall be ex-officio president of all Church Organisations, but may delegate this presidency as he/she sees fit. The Minister shall have the right to recover the delegated presidency of an organisation as required.
A. An audited statement of the Church Accounts shall be presented to an Ordinary Church Meeting at least once a year.
B. Financial accounts shall be maintained for every church organisation that is in receipt of funds, and copies shall be made available to the Diaconate when requested.
A. These practices and procedures may be altered, provided that such alterations do not conflict with the Church's Trust Deeds, by a resolution of a Special Church Meeting called only for that purpose. At least three months’ notice must be given of such a meeting, along with the proposed alteration(s).
B.
Where these practices and procedures conflict with the
Trust Deeds of the Church the Trust Deeds take precedence.
A. The Diaconate shall consider ministerial candidates, and having given the Church an opportunity to meet one candidate, the Deacons shall call a Special Church Meeting to consider the prospective minister.
B. At this Special Church Meeting a vote shall be taken, and a call only sent if the candidate receives at least 4/ 5 of the votes of those Church Members present.
A. Nominations for the office of Deacon shall be made not later than three Sundays before the Church Meeting at which the election is to be held. Nominations must be submitted in writing, to the Church Secretary, with the supporting signatures of two church members, after obtaining the consent of the nominee. The nominee must have been a Church Member for at least one calendar year prior to their nomination. No person may nominate more candidates than there are vacant places.
B. Oral notice of the nominations will be given at services on the two Sundays prior to the Church Meeting, and the nominations shall be displayed in the Church on these Sundays.
C. Voting shall be at a Church Meeting by secret ballot or by post. Each Church Member shall have the right to vote for as many candidates as there are vacant places. Postal voting forms shall be obtainable from the Church Secretary no later than 24 hours before the start of the Church Meeting. The completed voting forms shall be delivered to the Church Secretary no later than the start of the meeting. A Church Member who has voted by post will not be entitled to vote at the Church Meeting. The Church Meeting at which the vote is to be held shall appoint at least two scrutineers to collect and count all voting papers.
D. The scrutineers shall report, in confidence, to the Chairman the outcome of the vote. The candidates polling the highest number of votes, provided that they receive at least 3/ 4 of the votes of the Church Members voting, shall be declared elected by the Chairman.
E. If there are still vacant places and there are more candidates than places (because some candidates did not poll at least 3/ 4 of the vote) then the Chairman shall declare that a second ballot is to be held either at this or the next Church Meeting. If such a second ballot is held at this meeting postal votes shall be disqualified. The Chairman shall allow the candidates who received the highest number of votes to go through into the second ballot, so that there are as many candidates as there are vacant places. In the event of a tie between candidates the Chairman may use his casting vote to select between candidates, or allow all the tying candidates to go forward to the second ballot. The candidates shall be submitted for a second ballot, and they shall be declared elected provided that they poll at least 3/ 4 of the votes of the Church Members voting.
F. If there still remain vacant places they shall remain vacant until the next Election of Deacons.
G. If a Deacon retires before serving a full three year term a newly elected, or re-elected, Deacon shall replace the retiring Deacon and serve the rest of that term. This ensures that approximately 1/ 3 of the Deacons will stand for election each year.
A. The names of candidates shall be proposed and seconded at the Church Meeting where the election is to be held.
B. If more than one name is proposed for each vacancy then the Church Meeting shall vote by secret ballot. The candidate that receives more than 1/ 2 of the votes of the Church Members present shall be declared elected.
C. If no candidate is elected, and there are more candidates than places, then the candidate that received the largest share of the vote shall be put forward for a second ballot. In the event of a tie between candidates the Chairman may either use his casting vote to select between candidates, or allow all the tying candidates to go forward to the second ballot.
D. If, after the second ballot, the candidate did receive 1/ 2 of the votes of the Church Members present then he/she shall be declared elected.
E. Should it not be possible to elect either a Secretary or Treasurer the Diaconate shall appoint a temporary Secretary or Treasurer to act until the next Church Meeting.
A. Should either the Secretary or Treasurer become unable to act then the Diaconate shall appoint a temporary replacement, who is either a currently serving Deacon or an ordinary Church Member, to deal with the day to day running of the Church.
B. The appointment of a Temporary Secretary or Treasurer must be approved by more than 1/ 2 of those Church Members present at the next Church Meeting at which the issue can be raised.
C. The Temporary Secretary or Treasurer may be appointed to act for any period of time, up to the next Election of Deacons.