First South Florida Missionary Baptist District Association Constitution

 

Article I – Name

This ecclesiastical body shall be called the First South Florida Missionary Baptist District Association; hereafter also identified as FSFMBDA.

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Article II – Objective/ Purpose

The objectives of this Association shall be to do Missionary and Educational Work; to facilitate the fraternal union and cooperation of Baptist churches in the work of up building the Kingdom of Christ; to constitute new churches and to aid and assist old ones; to spread Biblical principles among churches in its bounds.

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Article III – Polity

This article affirms that the Association is an independent and sovereign body of member churches- their pastors and messengers in its own sphere are autonomous; and as a sovereign body it does not claim and will never attempt to exercise any authority over a member church or Baptist Body other than that granted by that member church; nor shall this Association be limited or restrained by any other authority or decision of such body in the promotion of its work.

 

Article IV – Membership/ Affiliation

Any Missionary Baptist Church may become a member of this body by being recommended by the Committee on New Churches; who shall examine applicant Church adherence to sound Biblical Teachings of Christ. Applicant Church will be of same faith and order as it relates to the Church Covenant and Articles of Faith.

 

Section 1 – Any Missionary Baptist Church may become a member of this body by enrolling with (300.00) Three Hundred Dollars as a New Church. Such Church may continue in good and regular standing if said Church supports Article IX (Finance), Unified Budget Program; by contributing on a monthly basis or Quarterly. Any Church which fails to enroll two consecutive years shall enroll as a new church.

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Section 2 – The Membership of this Association shall be composed of any Missionary Baptist Church in the Central Florida area that accepts “The New Hampshire Confession of Faith (Articles of Faith), our Baptist Distinctives and who also agree to support and cooperate with the Association’s Mission and Ministries.

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Section 3 – This Association holds as a Biblical truth that women are not to serve in the positions of Pastors, Preachers, Deacons and Teachers of Men in the Baptist Churches which are affiliated with this Association.

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Section 4 – This Association shall not receive enrollment from or accept Women (females) in the office or function of an Elder licensed or ordained Preachers.

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Section 5 – Should a member church call a female as pastor during its membership in this Association, it shall not be allowed to enroll at the Annual and/or Quarterly Sessions of the Association or its Auxiliaries. Note: It may renew its membership once the church returns to Biblical Standards for an Elder/ Pastor.

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Section 6 – Any local church seeking membership in the FSFMBDA agrees to be governed by the rules, regulations and principles of this body (the Association) in its Associational settings; to walk in accord, in all Association or Auxiliary Sessions.

 

 

Article V – Officers

The officers of the Association shall be a: Moderator; Vice Moderator at-Large, First Vice Moderator; Second Vice Moderator, Third Vice Moderator; Recording Secretary; Assistant Recording Secretary; Corresponding Secretary; Assistant Corresponding Secretary; Financial Secretary; Assistant Financial Secretary; Treasurer; Musician; Assistant Musician; Historian; Assistant Historian; Editor-in-Chief of the Associational Voice and District Congress President and quarterly Congress President’s. All shall hold office until their successors are elected or appointed.

 

*The Association exempts the Recording Secretary, Financial Secretary, and Treasurer from the Rule of tenure; to serve at the discretion of the Moderator in office.

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Article VI – Duties/ Responsibilities of Officers

Section 1 – The Moderator shall preside at all meetings or his Vice Moderator atLarge. In the absence of all Moderators, the Recording Secretary shall call the house to Order and the body shall elect a presiding officer.

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Section 2 – The Recording Secretary shall keep a faithful and correct record of all official Meetings of the Association, compile and arrange the Journal for publication to the Churches and Association. The Assistant Recording Secretary shall assist the Recording Secretary in carrying out the duties of this office. Page 3 of 8

 

Section 3 – The Corresponding Secretary shall conduct the correspondence of the Association. The Assistant Corresponding Secretary shall assist the Corresponding Secretary in carrying out the duties of this office.

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Section 4 – The Financial Secretary shall keep a correct record of all finance collected in the Association, turn the same into the hands of the Treasurer and report to the body the amount collected at any time required. The Assistant Financial Secretary shall assist the financial Secretary in carrying out the duties of this office.

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Section 5 – The Statistical Secretary shall gather the statistics from the Churches, giving numerical standing of the Churches, the property values and gather other information that may be of interest. Arrange the same for publication in the Journal of the Annual Meeting.

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Section 6 – The Treasurer shall receive all finance brought to the Annual Session or that may be received from any source during the Associational Year. The Treasurer shall by order of the Association pay all bills, turn into the hands of agents, persons and institutions of Finance (Bank) designated to receive them, taking their receipts for the same.

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Section 7. – All finance collected by the Board and Auxiliaries of the Association shall be handled by the Treasurer. The Treasurer shall be required to furnish the body at the expense of the Association; bonding in the amount of One and One half of the sum collected by the Association in the previous year. The Bond shall be in the Office of the Association at all times.

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ARTICLE VII- ELECTION PROCESS

 

Section 1. – All officers shall have a tenure term of 5 years, after which they may be elected for another consecutive 5 years, for a total of (Ten) year’s tenure. After 10 years of consecutive service the officer must surrender said office and be ineligible for that office for and interval of (5) years, after which he/she may be reelected to the same said office. *Congresses see Article XII, Section 4.

 

Section 2. Person including the seated Moderator who desire to be a candidate for the Office Of Moderator must declare their intent in writing and file their bio and office qualify with nominating committee no later than February of the fiscal year of the Association or its election year. Persons offering themselves for office must have been (be) a supporting member of his church and Association for the Page 4 of 8 past 3 consecutive years. The Moderator or its equivalent must be a pastor of a supporting enrolled church for the past 3 years before seeking the office of Moderator of this Association; and at least Ten (10) years of pastoral experience in a Missionary Baptist Church..

 

Section 3. The Nominating Committee for the Annual Meeting of Parent Body of the Association shall review all declared candidates for each office and place before the Association a qualified nominee or nominees in the August Planning Meeting; the said nominees will be voted on by the Association in its Annual Session, on Thursday after the 2nd Sunday in November of the election year. There will be no nominations from the floor during the Annual Election. The Nominating Committee consists of the Regional –Quarterly Congress Presidents.

 

Section 4. Officers for all Regional Quarterly Congresses shall be elected in the last Quarterly Meeting of the Congress before the Annual Session of the Association in November of each election year. Each Regional-Quarterly Congress or its current President may select its Nominating Committee.

 

Section 5. Any office vacated by death, resignation or disability of the officer; may be filled by the Moderator’s appointment.

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ARTICLE VIII-MEETINGS

 

The General Assembly or Parent Body shall assemble for 3 meetings during the fiscal year:

1). The One Day Of Praise

2). Wednesday after the 1st Sunday in August, The Associational Planning Conference

3). In November, Tuesday after the 2nd Sunday, for the Annual Assembly;

4). Special called meetings as maybe deemed necessary may be called, by the Moderator *Member churches may host or entertain Association bodies (Parent, District Congress, and Quarterly Regional) only to the level that the pastor and church are enrolled.

 

ARTICLE IX-ASSOCIATION WORK AND MANAGEMENT OF FINANCE

Section 1. The departments of this Association shall be known as Auxiliary/Ministries of the Association. They are as follows; District Women Ministry-Senior Women; W.I.A.; Jr. Women/YWA; District Sunday School & B.T. U. Congress; district Youth and Children Ministry; Ministers and Deacons’ Wives/Widows’ Council; Brotherhood; Health Awareness Team, Ushers and new ministries as deemed essential recommended and adopted in the Association’s August or November Meetings. Page 5 of 8

 

Section 2. Each association Auxiliary/Ministry shall meet at times and places as may be determined and voted on by the Auxiliary/Ministry and/ or the Annual Association Assembly. All the work of each Auxiliary/Ministry is subject to the oversight of the Association-its Constitution, By-laws and Procedures adopted by the Association Parent body in its August or November Meeting.

 

Section 3. Each Auxiliary/Ministry, and member churches shall be required to report financially by each Annual Association Assembly in November (the enrollment amount shall be stated in the Association’s Operations Manual of Policies & Procedures.

 

Section 4. Unified Budget Committee/Ways & Means (see Budget)

A) This Association shall fund its Work by way of the Unified Budget; each member church is expected to enroll monthly, or quarterly in amounts that equal one 12th or one quarter of their annual enrollment for the support of the Association’s Work.

B) Each Auxiliary/Ministry will submit a detailed request for their work including funds needed for transportation, enrollment, boarding and ministry events.

C) Each Auxiliary/Ministry will submit to the Treasurer and Moderator a complete report of their income and expense disbursements for each scheduled event or trip at the close of their session, event, work and/or travel.

D) Each pastor and minister may enroll with an additional $100 each for enrollment in the Displaced/Disabled Ministers & Widows’ Funds Annuity: “P.I.T.A.A.”

E) The Unified Budget will included and cover the expenses of the following: The General assembly (Parent Body); the District Sunday School & B.T.U. Congress and its authorized Auxiliary Ministries.

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ARTICLE X – INCORPORATION

Section 1. If and when the Association chooses to incorporate via a State Charter, the affairs of this body shall be under the direction of the Association Administrative Council who shall act as the registered trustees for the incorporated body. Page 6 of 8

 

Section 2. The Association Administrative Council (Board) shall be made up of the following officers: the Moderator of the Association, Vice Moderator at –Large, Vice Moderator, Quarterly Congress Presidents and President of the District Sunday School and BTU Congress. The Moderator shall serves as Chairman of the Administrative Council (Corporate Officers) and the Recording Secretary of the Association shall also serve as General Secretary of the Corporate Council.

Section 3. The Administrative Council shall meet quarterly for review of Associations business and report its proceedings and work at the Associations. Annual General Assembly in November of each year.

 

ARTICLE XI – COMMITTEES, COMMISSIONS, CONFERENCE AND BOARDS

A. Church Development Committee

B. Home Mission

C. Foreign Mission

D. Devotional Ministry Committee

E. Family Life Commission

F. Place Committee

G. Evangelism Ministry Committee & Conference

H. Ministerial Standing & Credentials Committee

I. Nominating Committee J. Ways and Means Committee

K. Pastors/Ministers (and Wives) Roundtable Conference

L. E. Armster Memorial Scholarship Committee

M. Dr. C. P. Epps Ministers’ Education Assistance A…..

N. P.I.T.A.A.-Displaced/Disabled Ministers & Widows Annuity Committee

O. Social Justice Commission

P. Education Board

Q. Courtesy Committee

Note: additional committees, commissions and boards may be added during the August or November Association. Meeting as necessary for the work of the Association.

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ARTICLE XII-REGIONAL CONGRESSES

Section 1. The FSFMBDA shall be divided into six (six) Regional Congresses that shall carry on Associational Work during the fiscal year; they shall meet quarterly. Page 7 of 8

Section 2. The six (6) Quarterly Congresses geographically shall be situated—Northeast, Southeast, Central, Northwest, Central west, and Southwest covering the boundaries of the Association.

Section 3. Each Regional Congress is to make a report at the annual general assembly of its work and finances (income and disbursements) during the fiscal year, to be published in the Association Journal.

Section 4. Each Regional Congress is to hold its election in accord with the Election Procedure Article VII Section 4 and report their requests for President in the Association Annual Business Meeting.  The President/Vice President of our Congress is an Association Officer; the Pastor nominated and the church he pastors must be enrolled in the General Assembly (Parent Body) to qualify for President/Vice President. Enrollment must be 3 years or more prior to one’s nomination. See Constitution Article VII, Section 1. Each church will be allotted 10 voting members (including the pastor).

Section 5. Any Church which fail to enroll in the Annual Association, District Congress or Quarterly Congress will forfeit its privilege to host the Annual Sessions of the Association (the General Assembly/Parent Body).

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ARTICLE XIII-AFFILIATE & SUPPORTED SCHOOLS

The FSFMBDA as part of its Mission and Outreach will annually contribute to one (1) or more Liberal Arts College University and one (1) or more Christian Seminary or Bible College. These schools and the amount of contributions is to be determined in the Association’s Annual Business Session, Saturday after the 2nd Sunday in November each calendar year.

 

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ARTICLE XIV – CHILDREN & YOUTH ASSOCIATION

Section 1. The Children and Youth Association shall be composed by three groups:

a) Children’s Ministry (Ages- 3-11)

b) Youth Ministry (Ages 12-17)

c) Young Adults (Ages 18-22) Page 8 of 8

 

Section 2. The Children, Youth, and Young Adult Department shall be under the direction of both a male and female director and their assistants working cooperatively.

 

Section 3. The children and youth Association will meet annually the Saturday, before the second Sunday in November.

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ARTICLE XV- AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION

This Constitution or any part thereof may be amended after two consecutive announcements of the intended amendment or of a meeting called for this purpose at any Annual Session of the Association by 2/3 vote of the messengers present (August Planning Session or November General Assembly of Churches, Officers and Messengers).

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