CONSTITUTION
AND
BYLAWS
As voted January, 1976
With Amendments of January,
1979
With Amendments of January,
1986
With Amendments of May, 1988
With Amendments of October, 1988
With Amendments of October,
1992
With Amendments of January,
1994
Comprehensive Revision
January 1998
With Amendments of October,
2007
With Amendments of January, 2008
With Amendments of
CONGREGATIONAL
CHURCH
Updated:
Constitution
and Bylaws
of
The First Congregational Church
in
CONSTITUTION
Article I
NAME
This church shall be called
The First Congregational Church in
Article II
PURPOSE
The purpose of this Church
shall be to maintain the public worship of God in accordance with the faith of the
Congregational tradition, to develop Christian character, to further the
religious, moral and spiritual interests of the
community, and to advance the
Article III
POLICY
This Church shall be
Congregational in policy, but while self-governing, it will covenant with other
churches within the United Church of Christ denomination in mutual counsel and
cooperation, and desires to be in fellowship with organized faith fellowships..
Article IV
DOCTRINE
The doctrinal basis of this
Church is the faith which our ancestors confessed and which from age to age has
found its expression in the historic creeds of the Church universal and of its
affiliated fellowships.
Article V
CONFESSION OF FAITH
Recognizing the unity of the
church in all the world and that we are but one branch of Christ’s people,
while adhering to the faith and order of the United Church of Christ as set
forth in their standards, we accept for our Statement of Doctrine the following
Statement of Faith adopted by the United Church of Christ as being
substantially an expression of our faith:
BYLAWS
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
(As accepted by vote of Church, January 21, 1976)
Article I
MEMBERSHIP
(a) The Church Membership shall consist of
confessed Christians only.
(b) All persons who are Members of the First
Orthodox Congregational Church in
(c)
Other persons who apply to the Diaconate, and are in sympathy with the purpose
of this Church, shall be admitted to Membership upon confession of faith.
(d)
Persons who are communicants in good standing of other churches which
perpetuate the historic tradition may, upon application to the Diaconate, be
received into Membership by letter in accordance with the usage of the United
Church of Christ Fellowships.
(e)
A Member is entitled to all privileges, consideration, rights, and fellowship
of this Church. A Member is obligated to be fully aware of the purposes and
responsibilities of the six (6) Articles of the Constitution of this Church,
and of these Bylaws.
(f) Letters of transfer to
other churches may be granted upon request.
(g) If a Member in good
standing shall request that their name be dropped from the Roll, their
Membership shall thereupon terminate.
(h) Members whose addresses
have long been unknown, or who for three years, in spite of kindly reminders,
have voluntarily absented themselves from its services or have failed to
contribute to its support, or who neglect to apply for dismissal before joining
other churches, may be transferred to the Inactive List, or dropped from the Rolls.
Either of these actions are to be recommended by the
Diaconate, followed by a written notice from the Clerk to the Member’s last
known address. For purposes of affording the Member an appeal, at least thirty
(30) days shall elapse before a final decision by a majority of Members at an
Official Meeting. Inactive Members may be restored to the Rolls upon written
application of the Inactive Member to the Clerk. The Clerk shall make such
restoration, reporting said action at the next held Official Meeting.
(i) Members shall have the
right to make change(s) to any decision or other action of any Officer(s) or
Official Committee, provided such change(s) are made at an Official Meeting,
that the subject matter was properly posted, except for amendments to proposed
actions, and that a two-thirds (2/3) vote prevails.
(j) Should a Voting Member
become an offense to the Church and its good name by reason of un-Christian
conduct, or by persistent breach of the Voting Member’s covenant vows, the
Church on recommendation of the Diaconate may dismiss such member but only
after due notice and opportunity has been given for a fair hearing by the
Diaconate, and after faithful efforts have been made to bring such Member to
amendment in accordance with the laws of Christ (Matthew 18:15-17).
Article II
OFFICIAL MEETINGS
(a) The Annual Business
Meeting of the Church shall be held on the third Wednesday in January. General
Meetings of the Church shall be held on the second Wednesday in May and the
second Wednesday in October unless otherwise ordered by the Board of Trustees.
(b) Notices of these Official
Meetings shall be posted in a conspicuous place near the principal entrances to
the Church at least seven (7) days before the Meetings and such Meetings shall
be announced on the Sunday preceding. Posted notices shall state briefly the
matters to be considered.
(c) Notice of Other Business
Meetings of the Church shall be posted in a conspicuous place near the
principal entrances to the Church at least ten (10) days including two (2)
Sundays before the Meeting, and such notice shall state briefly the matters to
be considered.
(d) Special Meetings shall
ordinarily be called by the Clerk, but in the absence or disability of the
Clerk, may be called by the Moderator.
These calls for Special Meetings are to be made on the written request
of the Minister, or the Moderator, or ten (10) Members of the Church.
(e) Warrants for Official
Meetings shall be prepared by the Trustees and the Diaconate, reviewed by the
Moderator, and submitted to the Clerk for proper posting.
(f) At any Official Meeting
twenty-five (25) Members, eighteen years of age or over, shall constitute a
quorum for the transaction of business, but a lesser number may meet and
adjourn. At Official Meetings, only Members, as later defined herein, shall
vote. Only members aged eighteen years or older may vote on matters affecting
contracts, finances, or other legal obligations of the Church; all members may
participate in discussion of such matters, and may vote on other matters.
(g) Public Services for
worship shall be held statedly on Sunday and at such times as the Church at any
Official Meeting may determine. During the summer, or to meet emergencies only,
the Diaconate may make changes to the times of worship.
(h) The Sacrament of the
Lord’s Supper shall be celebrated on the first Sunday of January, March, May and November, and the Third Sunday of June and
September. The Diaconate may add to or change any of the above dates at their
discretion.
(i) Special Religious
Meetings may be designated by the Minister, the Diaconate, or the Church.
Article III
CHURCH
OFFICERS AND OFFICIAL COMMITTEES
(a) The officers of the
Church shall be as follows: The Minister, the Moderator, the Deacons, the
Clerk, the Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, the Financial Secretary, Assistant
Financial Secretary, the Auditor, the Trustees, and the Superintendent of
Church Schools.
(b) The Official Committees
of the Church shall be as follows: the Missions Committee, the Stewardship
Committee, the Music Committee, the Executive Cabinet, the Committee for
Ushers, the Nominating Committee, the Board of Trustees, the Religious
Education Committee, the Diaconate, and the Congregational Relations Committee.
Other Official Committees may be established by the Members at an Official
Meeting.
MINISTER
(1) The Minister shall care
for the spiritual welfare of the Church and Congregation, be responsible for
conducting the stated services of public worship, administer the Sacraments,
and perform such other duties as belong to the Office of Minister. The Minister
shall have supervision of the Church in all departments of work and worship.
(2) In addition to the notice
and posting requirements stated for the Official Meeting under Article II of this set of Bylaws,
written notice shall be mailed to each Church Voting Member at least two weeks
before any meeting at which the Church will vote on the call, or termination,
of a Minister. If any Voting Member at
the Meeting so requests, voting will be conducted by confidential paper ballot.
(3) The Minister shall be called for an indefinite
term, according to Congregational usage,
by the Church
at a dully noticed Meeting. When the
Church and the Minister shall so
agree, the Minister may be
installed by an Ecclesiastical Council.
(4) The service of a Minister with the Church may be terminated
by the Minister upon
providing two
months’ written notice; or terminated by the Church two months
after a
two-thirds vote in favor of termination of its Voting Members present and
voting
at a dully
noticed meeting. The two months notice
may be changed as mutually agreed to
by the Minister
and the Church.
(5) At a fixed time each year, to be specified in the
Minister’s contract, a review will be
conducted of
the Minister’s performance by the Ministerial Review Committee.
DEACONS
(1) The Diaconate shall
assist the Minister in the work of the Church and the care of the Parish. Deacons shall be especially mindful of
strangers and of those in need of spiritual guidance and encouragement. They shall visit and help as needed the
people of the Church and others who are in want, troubled, sick, shut-in, or
faced with emergencies. The Diaconate,
next to the minister, shall be responsible for conducting services, and shall
provide for the Sacraments and aid in their administration. There shall be twelve (12) Deacons, who shall
be Voting Members, elected by the Voting Members.
(2) The Diaconate shall
annually elect a Chairperson, shall confer with candidates for Church Membership,
shall take preliminary steps in cases of dismission, restoration, or transfer
of Members, and shall have the general oversight of the spiritual affairs of
the Church. The Diaconate shall provide
for the supply of the pulpit during the vacation or absence of the
Minister. The Diaconate shall make a
report of the general condition of the affairs of the Church at the Annual
Business Meeting.
TRUSTEES
The Board of Trustee shall consist of five (5) Voting
Members, two to be elected each
year for a
three year term, except that each third year there shall be elected one (1) for
three (3)
years. Three Trustees shall constitute a
quorum. They shall have general
management and
care of the Church buildings and grounds, and its tangible personal
property, and may grant the use thereof for such
social, religious, or other gatherings as
they may deem
advisable. The Board shall have charge
of the financial interests of the
Church and
shall authorize all collections and disbursements from the treasury not
otherwise
designated herein, and shall in conjunction with the Treasurer make suitable
and lawful
investment of all trust and principal funds, upon the advice and
guidance of an Investment Committee, and have custody
of all security and other
evidences of property belonging to the Church; but
they shall have no power to mortgage
the property of
the Church without a majority vote of the Church at an Official Meeting,
due notice of
the action having been properly posted, which authorized that action.
Furthermore,
when the Trustees are considering spending fifteen thousand dollars
($15,000) or more for any one item, they will bring
the matter before the congregation at
a general meeting or at a special Meeting for
approval.
(2) The trustees shall make a detailed report at each
Annual Business Meeting of the
general
condition of the affairs and property of the Church, with an estimate of the
funds required
for the coming year, as well as a General Budget Plan for the
disbursements
of the funds expected to be received.
The Voting Membership at the
Annual Business
Meeting shall vote on authorization of the General Budget Plan by
majority vote,
and except for salaries, which shall be by majority vote, shall have the
right to make
changes to the General Budget Plan by a two-thirds (2/3) vote. Said
change(s) shall
be binding on the Board of Trustees providing that funds are available
and
unencumbered. Upon request of any
Officer, the vote for a motion for change(s)
shall be
automatically amended, without vote, so as to excuse said Officer(s) from
any legal
consequence, and the motion and vote shall be deemed to transfer the excused
and excepted
from legal consequences to the Members, individually and collectively. At
any other
Official Meeting, requests for funds, or other actions affecting the duties and
responsibilities of the Trustees, must meet the
requirement for proper posting, must have
a report and
recommendation of a majority of the Trustees, and will require, except for
salary action,
a two-thirds (2/3) vote to reverse the Board’s majority recommendation.
Approval of
the majority recommendation shall be by a majority vote of the Voting
Members. In the
event of a reversal of the Board’s recommendation, the right of
exemption from
responsibility by Officer(s) as stated fully above in this paragraph with
stated transfer
of consequence shall apply on request.
(3) Except as otherwise
provided herein, the Board of Trustees are the only authorized agents of this
Church, and any obligations, contracts, leases, purchases, ordering, agreements
or their acts obligating the Church, without the specific written consent of a
majority of the Board of Trustees, shall be deemed to be the unauthorized
individual’s(s’) personal responsibility.
TREASURER
(1) The Treasurer shall
receive a statement from the Financial Secretary of all moneys, which may be
paid or contributed to the Church and deposited by the Financial
Secretary. The Treasurer shall keep an
account of all money received for purposes, and pay it over promptly to the
persons or organizations where such are designated by the donor, and shall
disburse undesignated
(2) The Treasurer shall keep
a segregated accounting of all money received for the Current Expenses and
other purposes of the Church, and disburse it under the written direction or
signature endorsement of a majority of the Board of Trustees, and shall make a
detailed written report at each Annual Business Meeting. The report and Treasurer’s records shall be
properly audited as soon as possible after the end of the fiscal year. The Treasurer shall have the care of all
deeds, certificates, securities, and other evidences of property belonging to
the Church, in conjunction with the Board of Trustees, except for the Treasurer’s
own bond to the Church. The Treasurer
shall receive all income, donations and bequests, and
shall, subject to a written order from a majority of the Board of Trustees,
sign proper receipts and acquittances therefore. The Treasurer shall have power, subject to a
written order from a majority of the Board of Trustees, to invest and reinvest
the money, funds, and other property belonging to the Church, and for that
authorized purpose, in the name and on behalf of the Church, to assign, sell
and transfer any of its securities or other property, and to draw checks in
payments for investments made. All
contracts and deeds of the Church shall be signed by the Treasurer. All securities, savings bank books and evidences of property of every kind and
description, representing all trust or principal funds shall be kept in a
safety deposit vault box in the name of the Church. The Board of Trustees shall require the
Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer to furnish a bond with surety satisfactory to
the Board, for the faithful performance of these duties, in any such sum as
they may deem appropriate, or ensure that such surety is covered by the
Church’s liability insurance. Any
expenses of this bond shall be paid by the Church.
No part of the principal sum
of the funds of the Church shall be expended for any purpose except by a
majority vote of the Voting Members present and voting at an Official Meeting
regularly called, the call for which contained an article for consideration of
said question, exclusive of those funds which were established with a fixed
principal which is to be maintained. The Treasurer shall be authorized to borrow
money for the use of the Church, when necessary, by giving his note as
Treasurer for the same; said note containing the written approval of a majority
of the Board of Trustees. When
necessary, the securities of the Church may be pledged for the loans. An Assistant Treasurer shall aid in the performance
of the duties of the Office of Treasurer.
FINANCIAL
SECRETARY
The Financial Secretary,
under the direction of the Treasurer, shall attend to the collection of all
money pledged and contributed for the support of the Church and other purposes
and shall promptly deposit the same in the name of the First Congregational Church
in
CLERK
The Clerk shall be sworn to
the faithful performance of the duties of the Office. The Clerk shall call and attend all Official
Meetings of the Church except as otherwise provided, and shall keep a record of
the dates of the admission, transfer, dismission, and restoration of Members,
of baptisms and deaths, and shall issue letters of transfer and recommendation,
and certificates of good standing. The
Clerk shall notify any Members of action with respect to termination of their
Membership; shall keep on file all important communications and reports of
Officers; shall give legal notice of all Official Meetings called, and shall
perform such other duties as are incidental to the Office. When necessary, an assistant shall be
appointed by the Membership at an Official Meeting, to aid in the proper
discharge of the duties of the office.
When necessary the Clerk shall, within thirty days after the Annual
Business Meeting, call a meeting of Official Committees of the Church for
purposes of organization, and shall within sixty days call a meeting of the
Executive Cabinet for the same purpose.
MODERATOR
The Moderator shall preside
at all Official Meetings of the Church, and in all matters not specifically
covered by this set of bylaws, “Demeters Manual of Parliamentary Law and
Procedure” shall be used as a reference.
In case of absence of the Moderator, the Clerk or a member of the Board
of Trustees shall preside until the Members choose a Moderator pro-tempore.
CHURCH SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT
The Superintendent of the
AUDITOR
The Auditor shall annually,
and at such other times the Board of Trustees may require, make a careful
examination of the accounts and vouchers of the Treasurer and Financial
Secretary. The Auditor shall make a
report at the General Meeting held on the second Wednesday in May.
EXECUTIVE CABINET
(1) The purpose of the
Executive Cabinet is to provide a regular, orderly, and complete body within
which our Congregation’s functions and worship can be coordinated, planned and improved.
The membership of the Executive Cabinet shall consist of all Church
Officers, the heads of each Official Committee, and the heads of other Church
groups. Regular Cabinet representatives, if unable to attend a meeting, should
designate a replacement. The Executive
Cabinet will meet four (4) times a year at dates of their selection. The Church Clerk will call the first meeting
for organizational purposes, not later than two (2) months after the Annual
Business Meeting. The Cabinet will
annually elect a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson, a Secretary
and an Assistant Secretary.
(2) The Church Nominating
Committee will seek and propose Officers for election by the Cabinet
representatives. Each officer shall
serve for a period of one year.
Essential minutes of each meeting will be published in the Church newsletter
and filed with the Church Clerk.
Duties: The duties of the
Cabinet will be in the areas of planning, scheduling, and coordinating
inter-group activities. The Cabinet will
serve as a means for communicating group plans, activities
and efforts to ensure full support of inter-related groups and to provide
guidance towards achieving the mission and goals of the Church. The Cabinet will further make recommendations
for resolving duplications or omissions of efforts, and provide guidance toward
a settlement of conflicts.
Responsibilities and Procedures
(A) The responsibility of the
Cabinet is to a) guide the groups, committees and organizations of the Church
to meaningful objectives, b) to make recommendations for effective planning, coordinating and communications.
(B) Specific authority for
the spiritual and functional life of the Church rests with the elected Boards
and Officers of the Church, as defined in the Constitution and ByLaws.
(C) The Executive Cabinet
will advise such authorized person(s) whenever they have determined a
circumstance that the Cabinet cannot implement or resolve within its meetings.
(D) Such notified authorized
person(s) shall give the Executive Cabinet, within a reasonable time, a
determination concerning the requested circumstance.
(E) To provide for a final
resolution in the event of matters not readily resolved between the Cabinet and
the concerned authorized person(s) then the recourse is to a duly called Church
Meeting.
(F) Guide the spirit and
intent of selfless mutual service toward a fuller Christian Life following the
will of God is to be the continuing Guide of this Committee.
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION COMMITTEE
The Religious Education
Committee shall include seven (7) or more members in addition to the Minister
and the School Superintendent. It shall
be their duty to oversee the Christian education of the Church, the Pilgrim
Fellowships, the selection of
MISSIONS COMMITTEE
The Missions Committee of
five or more members shall direct the missionary outreach of the Church. It shall endeavor to foster an intelligent
interest in the worldwide progress of Christ’s Kingdom and a spirit of
sympathy, prayer and helpfulness for the uplifting of
humanity throughout the world. It shall
recommend to the Church special
CONGREGATIONAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE
(1) The Congregational
Relations Committee shall consist of five (5) Voting members who shall be
appointed for a term of two (2) years.
There will be two (2) members of the Diaconate, appointed by the
Diaconate; one (1) Trustee, appointed by the Board of Trustees; one (1) Member
appointed by the Executive Cabinet (and preferably not a Deacon or Trustee) and
one (1) member appointed by the Minister.
(2) Each year the Committee
will evaluate the performance of the Minister and provide comments and guidance
to the Minister on the needs of the Church.
The Congregational Relations Committee will solicit the views of the
Congregation to this end. The Committee
may consult and use pertinent guidelines and forms for evaluating the
Minister’s performance. After meeting formally with the Minister and providing
a review of the Minister’s performance, the Congregational Relations Committee
will present a summary report at the next general Meeting of the Church. In
addition, the committee will serve as a conduit of communication between the
Congregation and the Minister or the Staff.
The committee will mediate or direct individuals to the appropriate
channels in order to achieve understanding of needs and expectations.
STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE
The Stewardship Committee
shall consist of approximately five (5) or more members. In addition to the
elected members, there shall be three (3) ex-officio members consisting of the
Minister, Financial Secretary, and Treasurer.
The duties of the Committee shall be to coordinate and approve all
fund-raising activities which relate to the Church, including the solicitation
of financial pledges, to act as an advisory board to the Trustees in relation
to the establishing of budgets or any other financial matter wherein the Board
of Trustees may request counsel; suggest financial policies of the Church for
approval by the Board of Trustees; provide a year-round follow-up of pledge
activity; and report its doings and recommendations at the Annual Business
Meeting.
INVESTMENT COMMITTEE
The Investment Committee,
consisting of up to five (5) members, shall make recommendation to the Trustees
regarding the investment of Church funds.
MUSIC COMMITTEE
The Music Committee,
consisting of five (5) or more members, one of whom may be selected by the
adult choir from its membership, shall have charge of the musical affairs of
the Church, and shall recommend to the Membership at an Official meeting, the
employment, or dismissal, of an organist and/or choir director. It shall report its doings and
recommendations at the Annual Business meeting of the Church.
COMMITTEE FOR USHERS
The Committee for ushers
shall consist of six or more members, to be elected for a two-year term, and
shall elect a Head Usher. The Ushers
will attend to the comfort and well being of the congregation. The duties of the Committee shall be as
follows: enlist several teams of Ushers to serve on a rotating schedule for
each of the Church Services; provide them with a list of responsibilities; keep
a record of attendance at worship services.
The Committee shall supervise the arrangements of any extra seating required,
adjustment of heat control, lighting, ventilation and
the sound system during the services.
Ushers will collect all money at the services.
NOMINATING COMMITTEE
The Nominating Committee
shall consist of a minimum of five (5) Voting members of this Church, two (2)
to be elected each year, except one (1) to be elected each third year, all for a three (3) year term. All nominations for this Committee shall be
made by a Nominating Board consisting of three (3) each from the Board of
Trustees and the Diaconate, each of these groups selecting their own three (3)
Members for purposes of this Nominating Board.
The Nominating Committee shall present at the Annual Business Meeting,
nominations for Church Officers and Committees, unless otherwise specified, to
be elected for the prescribed terms of office.
The Nominating Committee will seek and propose Officers for election by
the Executive cabinet representatives.
The nominating Committee shall continue to work through the year,
maintaining a full and adequate level of attendance and participation of those
elected. They shall make appointments of
Committee persons to fill vacancies that may occur through unwillingness or
inability of the elected to serve.
Chairpersons and other Officers shall notify the Nominating Committee of
members not attending meetings, and request Committee
action. The Nominating Committee shall maintain records and rosters of those in
the Church who have a willingness, ability, and desire to share in the work of
Christ through work of the Church.
Article IV
TERM OF OFFICE
(a) With the exception of the
Minister, all Officers listed under Article III and delegates to conferences
and councils, except as otherwise provided, shall be elected annually by ballot and shall hold their offices until successors are
elected and qualified.
(b)
The election of Deacons at each Annual Business Meeting shall be for a
three-year term.
(c) At the election of
Trustees at the Annual Business Meeting, two (2) shall be elected for a
three-year term; except on the third year, when one shall be elected for a
three-year term.
(d) Each of the members of
Official Committees, unless specified otherwise herein, shall serve for terms
of three (3) years, and elections should provide for approximately one-third of
the Committees to be filled each year.
Except for compelling reasons, as determined by the Nominating
Committee, committee members should not be eligible for reelection to the same
committee until one year after their term expires.
(e) Official Committee
membership is a sharing of the work of the Church and requires dedication and
commitment when agreeing to serve and being elected. In the event a Committee member can no longer
carry out his/her commitment, then the Nominating Committee should be notified
by the member or the member’s Committee chairperson, so that a replacement may
be selected.
Article V
VACANCIES
(a) Vacancies in any office,
except that of Minister, Treasurer, and Nominating Committee, will be filled by
the Nominating Committee with the approval of the Board of Trustees, for the
unexpired term, or at any Official Meeting called for that purpose.
(b) When a vacancy occurs in
the Office of Minister, the Deacons, the Moderator and the Trustees shall
appoint a Pulpit Committee of seven (7)
whose duty shall be to see that the pulpit is supplied, and to recommend for
the consideration and action of the Church, candidate or candidates for the
Office of Minister. The Diaconate and
the Board of Trustees shall each appoint three (3) Members and the Moderator
shall appoint one (1) to this Pulpit Committee of seven.
(c) When a vacancy occurs in
the Office of Treasurer, the Board of Trustees shall appoint a committee of
five (5) Voting Members whose duty it shall be to authorize the audit of all
accounts and recommend for the consideration of the Church, candidate(s) for
election to the Office. Not less than three (3) Members of the Board of
Trustees may authorize and make payment of outstanding bills from proper funds
after such audit prior to the election of a new Treasurer.
(d) Vacancies on the
Nominating Committee will be filled by a Nominating Board consisting of three
(3) Members each from the Board of Trustees and the Diaconate. Appointments shall be made for the unexpired
term.
Article VI
SUPERVISION
This Church regards as
integral parts of itself, all organizations within its fellowship. All organizations, which use the resources of
the Church, not defined in Article III herein, shall be under the supervision
of the Trustees.
Article VII
PAID POSITIONS AND OR WAGES
(a) At an Annual Business
Meeting compensations shall be set for a period of one year for those positions
which have been determined to be paid positions by a majority of Voting Members
at an Official Meeting. The setting of wages shall be the first order of
business on the Trustees’ General Budget Plan; and separate reports on the
Trustees recommendations may be made, if desired, by the Diaconate, the
Religious Education Committee, and the Music Committee, as appropriate.
Employees may speak with majority consent.
Paid positions and wages may be proposed at other Official Meetings,
with proper posting of the position and/or rates of pay being proposed. A
majority vote will prevail on the vote for position(s) and on the vote for
rate(s) of pay, and said votes shall be binding on the Board of Trustees, and
have priority over other disbursements.
(b) No employee of the Church
or immediate family member of the employee may serve as a member of a board or
committee that has financial or performance oversight of the employment
position.
Article VIII
SEAL
The Seal of the Church shall
consist of two concentric circles with the words THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL
CHURCH IN BILLERICA between the outer and inner circles and the words
INCORPORATED:
Article IX
AMENDMENTS
The Constitution and Bylaws
may be amended at any Official Meeting of the Church, by a two-thirds (2/3)
majority of (those) Voting Members present and voting, the Voting Members
having been duly notified of any proposed change. The Bylaws may be temporarily
suspended for good reason by unanimous consent at any Official Meeting.
Article X
In all matters not provided
for in this set of Bylaws, the Church shall be governed by established Congregationalist
practices.
Article XI
DEFINITIONS
(a) Voting Member: A person enrolled in the Church in
accordance with Article I of this set of Bylaws.
(b) Officer(s):
Those filling an Official position as defined in Article III, Bylaws.
(c) Official Committee: Those Committees defined in Article III, Bylaws.
(d) Official Meeting(s): Those Meetings stipulated in Article II, Bylaws.
(e) Within this set of
Bylaws, and in other Church usage, the words Member(s), Officer(s), Official
Committee(s), and Official Meeting(s) should always be capitalized to avoid
confusion. Other committees, members,
meetings etc., not falling within the definitions of Articles I, II, and III of
these Bylaws, should be in lower case.
(f) The First Congregational Church in