Morgan Baptist Association
Constitution
Article I: Name
The name of this body shall be Morgan Baptist Association
Article II: Mission
SECTION 1: It is the mission of the Morgan Baptist Association to enable the churches of Morgan Baptist Association, individually and collectively, to share the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord in fellowship and mission.
OBJECTIVES
It is the objective of the Morgan Baptist Association to enable its churches to:
1. Present the gospel of Jesus Christ to all people in Morgan County, the State of Alabama, the United States, and
around the world. (Acts 1:8)
2. Disciple all Christians to a maturity to the measure of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:13)
3. Meet the needs of people throughout the area with caring ministries of love. (Matthew 25:35-36)
4. Train, develop and encourage church leaders to function in their assigned responsibilities (II Timothy 2:2)
5. Share Christian experiences through fellowship activities (Acts 2:46-47)
6. Cooperate in mission projects across Morgan County and beyond its boundaries. (Matthew 28:19)
7. Establish and maintain appropriate communications and relationships with community and denominational
organizations. (Colossians 4:5)
8. Promote and provide a channel for harmonious action among the churches in support of all missionary,
educational, and benevolent enterprises in support of all missionary, educational, and benevolent enterprises
fostered by this Association, The Alabama Baptist State Convention, and the Southern Baptist Convention.
(Colossians 4:6)
SECTION 2: Recognizing that the local church is the only scriptural ecclesiastical body, this association shall never under any circumstances attempt to exercise any legislative or ecclesiastical authority over or interfere with the right and authority of the churches. The basis of operation in the Association shall be entirely in the sphere of voluntary cooperation in work and fellowship. The Association may, however, provide advisory council upon invitation for the common benefit of one or all churches. The spirit of this section shall remain forever unalterable.
Article III: Membership
SECTION 1: The churches that constitute this fellowship shall be Baptist churches that are in harmony and cooperation with the object and spirit of this Association as set forth in this Constitution.
SECTION 2: For the annual meeting, each church shall be entitled to two messengers for the first fifty members or fraction thereof and one additional messenger for each additional fifty members or fraction thereof, but no church shall have more than fifteen (15) messengers. Each messenger must be elected by the local church and certified by same.
SECTION 3: The Association, when duly assembled, shall be the sole judge of the qualifications and fitness of its membership, both as to churches of the fellowship and individual messengers to the Annual Meeting. The Association claims the power to deny, by two-thirds majority vote, seats to messengers or withdraw fellowship from churches unorthodox in faith, unchristian in character or leadership, or non-cooperative in practice. This right shall be recognized as inherent and indispensable.
SECTION 4: The churches of the Association shall be in doctrinal harmony with the historic faith and practice of Southern Baptists as set forth in the Baptist Faith and Message 1963 or Baptist Faith and Message 2000.
SECTION 5: A Mission sponsored by a participating member church of the Association and whose stated purpose is to continue participating with the Association, Alabama Baptist State and Southern Baptist Convention, shall present a petitionary letter to the Credentials-Petitionary Letters Committee at least 60 days prior to the annual meeting. Upon a thorough investigation of the church, the Committee will make their recommendation to the Association at the opening session of the Annual Meeting. A two-thirds majority vote shall be required for acceptance of a new church.
SECTION 6: A church not sponsored by a participating member church shall present a petitionary letter to the Credentials-Petitionary Letters Committee and upon the Committee’s recommendation. After at least one year the messengers at the Annual Meeting may consider a church for affiliation. During this interim, the church under watch-care shall have the same rights, privileges and shall assume the same responsibilities as affiliation churches except the right of its messengers to vote.
Article IV: Meetings
SECTION 1: This Association shall meet annually at such time and place as it may determine in its Annual Meeting. In an emergency, the Executive Committee shall have authority to change the time and/or place.
SECTION 2: When deemed indispensably necessary, the Executive Committee may call the Association into special session in which case each church must certify its messengers in writing.
Article V: Officers
SECTION 1: The officers of this Association shall be a Moderator, a Vice-Moderator, and a Clerk.
SECTION 2: The Nominating Committee shall nominate these officers with opportunity for other nominations from the floor. They shall take office at the close of the Annual Meeting.
SECTION 3: Officers may succeed themselves, but no person may be elected more than two consecutive years as Moderator.
SECTION 4: The duties of the officers shall be those incident to their respective offices as set forth in the By-Laws of this Constitution which governs this body.
SECTION 5: In the event of death, loss of membership in a cooperating Baptist Church, inability to serve, or departure from the Association on the part of any officer, such vacancy shall be filled by the Executive Committee upon recommendation of the Nominating Committee provided two weeks written notice of such election is given members of the Executive Committee.
SECTION 6: The Moderator and Director of Missions shall be Ex-Officio members of all committees.
Article VI: Executive Committee
SECTION 1: The Executive Committee of the Association shall consist of all pastors of churches in the Association and one duly elected member from and by each church and certified by the same. When a church is without a pastor, the church shall be permitted to send in the place of a pastor, the person of their choice. All officers, Trustees, and committee representatives of the Association shall be ex-officio members of this Committee unless they are serving as the duly elected messenger from their church. No church shall have more than two (2) voting representatives at any Executive Committee Meeting. The Director of Missions and other Ministers/Directors of ministries shall be Ex-Officio members of the Executive Committee. Twenty voting members shall constitute a quorum.
SECTION 2: The officers of the Association shall be the officers of the Executive Committee.
SECTION 3: The Executive Committee shall meet at least quarterly. The Moderator may call special meetings when deemed necessary. Notification must be given all members when special meetings are called. The Executive Committee or Moderator shall have the authority to reschedule any meeting deemed necessary.
SECTION 4: It shall be the duty of the Executive Committee to serve in all administrative functions for the Association between Annual Meetings. The last meeting of the Executive Committee prior to the Annual Associational Meeting shall be for preparation of a full report of all proceedings during the year. The Moderator of the Association shall oversee the preparation of this report.
SECTION 5: The Executive Committee shall be the custodian of all property of the Association. The Executive Committee at its September meeting, upon the recommendation of the Nominating Committee, shall elect from its membership one trustee to serve for three years. Each of three trustees shall serve alternate terms. (Trustees elected to serve an un-expired term shall serve the time remaining in the vacancy he is elected to fill). The trustees shall act solely upon instruction from the Executive Committee in all matters pertaining to the properties, real or personal of the Association. A special session of the Association shall be called for the purchase of sale of real estate property.
SECTION 6: The Executive Committee shall exercise full authority in all relations with the Director of Missions and other Directors/Ministers of Associational ministries. The Executive Committee shall approve at its September meeting, an Annual Budget, prepared by the Associational Budget and Stewardship Committee covering all phases of work for submission to the Annual Associational Meeting and promote it among all the churches.
Article VII: Amendments
This Constitution may be amended at any Annual Meeting of the Association by a two-thirds majority vote of messengers present and voting provided the amendment has been presented in writing at the previous Annual Associational Meeting.
However, the sense and spirit of Article II, Section 2, pertaining to the autonomy of the churches shall be considered inherent and indispensable forever.
BY-LAWS
1. In all matters of Parliamentary Procedure the body shall be governed by Robert’s Rule of Order, latest edition.
2. The channels of cooperation of this Association shall be: Morgan Baptist Association, the Alabama Baptist State
Convention, and the Southern Baptist Convention. In connection with this alignment, all churches are
respectfully encouraged:
a. To channel their mission gifts through the Cooperative Program of the Southern Baptist Convention. The
right of churches to designate their gifts is recognized, but in cooperation there is wisdom and strength.
b. To contribute monthly to the Associational Program. The Association as to the true intention of the church
shall consider absence of contributions and/or Associational Uniform Letter for two years cause for
investigation. Efforts to arouse and encourage non-contributing churches to actively support the
Association’s program shall not be construed as infringing on the rights of the local church.
c. To consider carefully the matter of ministers and deacons. Let time be given to ascertain candidate’s true
spirit of loyalty to all phases of the Southern Baptist program.
d. To investigate ahead of time the loyalty to Southern Baptist policies and principles of any man considered
for the pastorate.
3. The Standing Committees of the Association shall be specified in the Policies Procedure Manual of Morgan
Baptist Association. All other committees required for presentation of reports at the Annual Meeting shall be
appointed by the Moderator at least 30 days prior to the meeting.
4. The Policies and Procedures of Morgan Baptist Association as described therein shall be subservient to the
Constitution and By-Laws of the Morgan Baptist Association. They shall be subject to review, evaluation and
alteration by the Executive Committee of the Morgan Baptist Association at any regular or called meeting.
5. These By-Laws may be amended, added to, or replaced by a two-thirds majority vote at any regular session of
the Annual Meeting of the Association, provided the time of action shall have been announced at a previous
business session of the Executive Committee or the Annual Associational Meeting.
Revised and passed through Executive Committee August 11, 2014. Presented to the Annual Meeting in 2014 for a year of review. Finally and formally approved by the October 26, 2015 Annual Meeting. Recommended also was a rewriting of the By-Laws to be voted on at a future Executive Committee Meeting.