BY-LAWS
OF THE
HILLSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH
SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI, INC.
ARTICLE I - NAME AND OFFICE
Section 1. Name. The name of this non-profit organization, as registered with the Internal Revenue Service, shall be Hillside Baptist Church of Springfield, Missouri, Inc., hereafter referred to is these By-Laws as the church.
Section 2. Principal Office. The principal office of the corporation in the State of Missouri shall be located in the County of Greene.
Article II - Members
Section 1. New Members. The requirements for membership are (1) presentation to the Church of proposed membership in one of the methods outlined here in below: and (2) acceptance by a vote of the present membership in accordance with the provisions pertaining to Meetings and Voting as set forth in Article VIII. All present members of the Church shall automatically be members under the terms of these By-Laws. Presentation to the Church of proposed membership shall be by:
A. By Salvation and Baptism - Any person who confesses Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and gives evidence of being saved may be received for baptism and upon being baptized shall be a member of the Church.
B. By Letter - Any member of another Baptist church of like faith and practice as this church, who gives testimony as to personal salvation and scriptural baptism, may be received for membership in this church by promise of a letter of recommendation from his home church, and shall become a member of this church when such letter is received
C. By Statement - Persons who cannot get a letter of recommendation from another Baptist Church like ours, but who are saved, have been scripturally baptized, and are in accord with the faith and practices of this church may be received for membership into this church. Persons who come be statement of Christian experience shall be under the watchcare of this church for a period of sixty (60-) days before such membership is effective.
D. From other Denominations and Baptist Groups - The doctrine of this church requires that all persons coming from other denominations and Baptist groups of different faith and practice for membership in this church and who give personal testimony as to their salvation may be received for scriptural baptism, and upon being baptized, shall be members of this church.
E. Church Covenant Distributed - In order that persons applying for church membership may be informed as to the duties of members, a copy of these By-Laws containing the Church Covenant (Article V of these By-Laws) shall be presented to them by the pastor or deacons, and they shall subscribe to these in letter and in spirit. They will honor and esteem their pastor, pray for him daily and assist him in carrying out the program of the church. They will endeavor to preserve the unity of the church, and if at any time they find themselves opposed to the fundamental doctrines of the church, or if for any other reason are unable to harmonized with others, they will not seek to disrupt its fellowship but will quietly withdraw from its membership.
Section 2. Dismissal of Members:
A. By Letter - Any member of this church in good standing and fellowship with the church who desires to join another Baptist Church of like faith and practice may be granted a letter of recommendation to the other church upon which he wishes to join. Letters will not under any circumstances be given to any member to carry or keep in his possession.
B. To Unite with a Church of Another Denomination or Baptist Group - Any member of this church who desires to join a church of another denomination, or with a Baptist church of unlike faith and practices may have his name removed from our membership roll and a letter of notification or dismissal sent to the other church. Since we cannot approve members joining such churches with errors in doctrine or practice, a letter of recommendation cannot be granted in this case.
C. By Exclusion:
(1) For Misconduct - Any member who is guilty of serious misconduct and who persists in the same after due admonition of the pastor and the Board of deacons (Standing Committee on Discipline), such admonition being done according to Matthew 18:15 - 1`7, may be expelled or excluded from membership at any regular or special business meeting, provided notice of the contemplated action shall have been announced previously to the congregation and to the offending member for at least two (2) weeks prior to action. (In extreme cases, however, the church reserves the right to take immediate on-the-spot action to expel any member or group of members without warning whose conduct warrant such action.)
(2) For Non- Attendance - It is the duty of every member to be faithful in attendance at all services when it is humanly possible to do so. Should a resident member, however, fail to be recorded as present by the Sunday school records or fail to make any financial contribution to this church for a period of six (6) months, the name of said member will be removed from the active membership roll. No action be the church shall be necessary in dropping the delinquent dropped from the active roll for any reason automatically forfeits his voice and vote in any matter of church business or affairs until a month faithfulness.
(3) For abandonment of Responsibilities - Any teacher or worker in the Sunday School, or any elected or appointed officer of the church who abandons his appointed place of duty and ceases to attend the services of this church, and makes no positive attempt to be reconciled to the church, may be excluded from the membership roll at a time deemed appropriate by the pastor and Board of Deacons by a vote of the membership. It shall not be necessary to notify the person who has deserted his place of responsibility in the church of this action.
Section 3. Discipline.
A. all members of this church shall hold themselves subject to the discipline of the church and shall conduct them selves in accordance with the articles of this document and the church Covenant in Article V.
B. In the case where offense is believed to have been committed, and that for the sake of the church, the offender should be disciplined by the church, those who are in possession of evidence concerning the alleged offense must present such evidence in writing to the discipline committee for consideration, if asked.
C. The pastor and the Board of Deacons shall constitute as Standing Committee on Discipline, to whom all cases of grievous or moral delinquencies shall be referred after the injured or offended member has first sought reconciliation with the offending member according to Matthew 18: 15 -17. No one shall have the right to accuse any member of the church at any meeting or gathering of the church unless this person or group of persons has presented the charge to the committee on discipline. This charge shall be made in writing, if deemed advisable, and such written charges and statements shall become the property of the church.
D. A member under discipline is prohibited from all rights of membership. If found guilty of the charges made, the member may be voted out of the membership providing the conditions in Paragraph C (2) of Section 2 have been complied with. The accused shall have opportunity to appear in his own behalf at the meeting. The steps pointed out by the Master in the 5th and 18th chapters of Matthew will be strictly followed to secure reconciliation and forgiveness, if possible, before the church takes exclusion action.
E. If a member under discipline shall voluntarily make a confession to the church, and manifest an evidence of true repentance, no further actions shall be entertained. One who has been excluded from membership may be reinstated to full fellowship upon making a voluntary confession and showing true repentance, and by expressing his desire to reunite with the church fellowship after demonstrated trial period of Christian cooperation for a period of not less than sixty (60) days and upon approval vote of the membership.
Section 4. Classification - A member who has attained eighteen (18) years of age or more shall be an adult member, and persons under eighteen (18) years of age who are members shall be junior members.
ARTICLE III - BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1. General Powers - The business and affairs of the corporation shall be managed by its Board of Directors, and said Directors shall hereafter be referred to by the alternate titles of Trustee.
Section 2. Number and Term of Directors (Trustees). - The number of Directors (Trustees) shall be five (5). The number of Directors may be increased or decreased from to time to time by amendment to the By-Laws, but at no time shall the number be less than three (3). The Directors (Trustees) shall be elected annually at the regular January business meeting of the membership as set forth herein below. The term of office for the Directors (Trustees) shall be one (1) year or until their successors shall be elected and qualified.
Section 3. Meetings. All Directors' (Trustees') meetings shall be called by the pastor; no meeting is to be called in the absence of the pastor except to conduct necessary routine business which the pastor knows about and this will be with the consent of the pastor. Such a meeting may be called by any member of the Board of Directors.
Section 4. Deacons. The Directors (Trustees) shall be ex-officio deacons of the church.
ARTICLES IV - OFFICERS
Section 1. The officers of the church shall consist of a president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and such other officers as the membership shall authorize and elect. Any two or more offices may be held by the same person, except that the offices of president and secretary shall not be held by the same person.
Section 2. The pastor shall serve as ex-officio president and vice - president.
Section 3. In keeping with the New Testament principles, no female members shall be elected to any church office, with the exception of secretary (church clerk) and assistant secretary (assistant clerk).
Section 4. Those officers who are to be elected rather than appointed shall be elected by a secret ballot of the membership at the January business meeting, and shall serve for a term of one (1) year unless otherwise provided by these By-laws.
Section 5. The Sunday School Superintendent and teachers, music director, and youth director are not considered to be offices of the church and shall not be elected, but shall be appointed by the pastor.
Section 6. The scriptural basis for the offices of the church, their qualifications and duties are those as set forth in the By - Laws and New Testament (Acts 6:1-6; I Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9).
Section 7. No one shall be considered for any church office or position who does not confess Jesus Christ as his own personal Savior and who does not meet the requirements of Article VII, Section 9.
ARTICLE V - PASTOR
Section 1. The pastor shall serve as ex - officio president and vice-president.
Section 2. The pastor shall be elected by the membership for an indefinite term of office (I Tim. 3:1-7).
A. His tenure of office may be dissolved by mutual agreement after thirty (30) days notice. This time may be extended or shortened to meet the needs of the pastor or church by mutual agreement.
B. In case the pastor or church shall desire to terminate this relationship and the agreement is not mutual, either party may terminate said relationship. If the pastor resigns, the church is automatically relieved of any further obligation as to salary or regularly extended church facilities beyond the effective date of his resignation. Other arrangements may be made by mutual agreement. If the church should terminate said relationship, he shall receive one (1) month's salary as terminal pay and may be required to terminate his service immediately.
C. The call or dismissal of a pastor shall come before the church at a regular or specially-called business meeting; notice of such meeting and its purpose having been read from the pulpit on two (2) successive Sundays previous for the dismissal of a pastor, and one (1) week for the call of a pastor.
D. In case of a vacancy occurring in the pulpit, the deacons and trustees shall constitute a pulpit committee. (See Section 7, Article VII).
ARTICLE VI - BOARD OF DEACONS
Section 1. The trustees elected by the membership of the church shall serve as ex-officio deacons, who shall scripturally qualified deacons (I Tim. 3:8 - 13).
Section 2. A deacon moving away from the area, where the distance forbids his attendance, automatically ceases to be an active deacon. Any deacon losing his scriptural qualifications during his term of office shall duly removed from office. All vacancies by these causes, by death or other causes, may be filled at the next regular business meeting, or if necessary, at a duly-called special election.
Section 3. All Deacon's meetings shall be called by the pastor, no meeting is to be called in the absence of the pastor except to conduct necessary routine business which the pastor knows about and this will be with the consent of the pastor. Such
a meeting may be called by any member of the Board of Deacons.
Section 4. In case of a serious situation arising concerning the pastor, any member of the Board of Deacons may with the consent of the majority of the deacons be allowed to call a meeting of the Board of Deacons to resolve the problem, providing the pastor is properly notified and invited to attend the meeting. Proper notice shall be by personal notice seven (7) days prior to a meeting, or by mailing such notice, deposited in the U.S. mail, postage pre-paid, addressed to the pastor at his current address as it appears on the church records seven (7) days prior to the meeting.
ARTICLE VII - DUTIES OF OFFICERS, COMMITTEE AND WORKERS
Section 1. Pastor
A. The pastor is to be the leader of the church and the shepherd of the flock (Jer. 23:4; Ezek. 34:2; Acts 20:28; Eph. 4:11; I Tim. 4:6; II Tim.2:22; 4:1).
B. The pastor shall be a believer in and a preacher of the Gospel and must believe and uphold the fundamental doctrines of the Bible as set forth in the Articles of Faith. He shall preach the Gospel regularly, administer the ordinances, act as moderator of all meetings for the transaction of business, supervise the teaching ministry of the church, tenderly watch over its membership and spiritual interests, and organize and develop its strength for the best possible service for the Lord.
C. The pastor shall be given the liberty by the church to conduct or attend revivals, Bible Conferences, or other meetings when he feels led by the Holy Spirit to do so. When the pastor is absent from his pulpit, he will insure that a suitable supply is engaged for the church.
D. In case the pastor is ill or absent for an extended period, or the church is without a pastor, the Chairman of the deacons shall act as a moderator.
E. The Pastor will invite guest preachers, missionaries, and singing groups as he feels led by the Holy Spirit. He will also plan and schedule revivals, conferences, or activities which he feels will be of spiritual benefit to the church.
Section. 2. The deacons shall officiate with the pastor at the Lord's Supper, attend to the necessities of the poor, act as the advisory committee to the pastor in planning the work of the church and other matters that may arise. And with the pastor, make such recommendations to the church as they deem wise, and aid the pastor in zealously guarding and fostering the spiritual life of the church.
Section 3. The Trustees shall represent the church in certain legal matters as required by law, and hold in trust the property of the church. They shall have no authority to buy, sell, lease, mortgage, or transfer any property without the specific instruction of the church authorizing such action.
Section 4. The Treasurer shall receive all funds contributed and shall disburse the same as ordered by the church and pastor. All checks must be sighed by the Treasurer and he will insure that no monies of the church are handled by the pastor or any unauthorized person. The financial records will by audited by the pastor and trustees semi-annually during the first week of January and July.
Section 5. The Church Clerk (secretary) shall keep a correct record of the proceedings of the church at all meetings, keep a complete registry of membership, issue letters of dismissal and certificates Christian character as directed by the Church, preserve all papers and letters coming into his (or her) hands during the term of office, and deliver the same and all records to membership of the church by letter, and shall maintain records on those coming forward in invitations.
Section 6. The Sunday School Superintendent, if appointed by the pastor, shall work with the pastor in supervising the Bible study of the church, in the selection of teachers and workers of the Sunday School, and the general promotion of the Sunday School and Church.
Section 7. The Pulpit Committee (Deacons and Trustees)
A. Before any other function of the pulpit committee, the trustees must elect a chairman for the pulpit committee.
B. The committee shall be authorized by the church to investigate and consider all the names of candidates received by them, and to invite such candidates to visit the church who in their judgment are qualified to meet the needs of the church. Each candidate invited to visit the church in view of a call shall be voted on if the church desires to consider him as a candidate before another candidate is invited to fill the pulpit.
C. Pulpit committee is to interview candidate before he speaks as approval to his doctrinal stand.
D. The committee shall be responsible for interviewing the candidate and placing a copy of this instrument and the Articles of Faith booklet into his hands. A Pastor can only be called at a meeting duly called in accordance with Paragraph C, Section 2, Article V of these By-Laws.
Section 8. It shall be the duty of the Trustees to consider and interview qualified men for nominations to such offices that are to be filled and to obtain favorable advance commitment to serve if elected.
Section 9. In order to promote a high spiritual standard in the church, all officers, teachers, and committee members will be expected to attend all services with their families when they are not providentially hindered. There will be no pastor, deacon, Sunday School Superintendent, teacher or worker elected or appointed in this church who participates worldly amusements (movies, dancing, playing, bingo, etc.) that would bring harmful reflection upon the Name of Christ of this Church, or who uses alcoholic beverages, tobacco, or any dope or narcotic without prescription. Sunday School teachers who refuse to sign the Sunday School Covenant will not be permitted to teach.
ARTICLE VIII - BUSINESS MEETINGS
Section 1. Only baptized members and those whose letters have been received and who are active members in good standing shall be eligible to vote in a business meeting.
Section 2. A two-thirds (2/3) vote of the qualified members present and voting shall be sufficient to carry any matter voted on in this church.
Section 3. Rights, Duties and Obligations of Members.
A. Only adult members in good standing (Article II, Section 4) shall be entitled to vote in meetings of the membership. Except as to voting, no other distinction shall be made between Adult and junior members.
B. Every member shall attend habitually the services of the church, give regularly for its support and to its causes, share in its organized work , and be faithful in all duties essential to Christian life.
Section 4. The church shall have semi-annual business meetings on the second Wednesday evening of January and July for the purpose of conduction business and hearing the Treasurer's report. Special meetings may be called by the pastor as necessary. No business meeting will be held in the absence of the pastor except as otherwise set forth in these By-Laws.
Section 5. Written or printed notice stating the place, day, and hour of the meeting and, in case of a special meeting, the purpose for which the meeting is called shall be delivered not less than five (5) nor more than forty (40) days before the date of the meeting, either personally or by mail, or at the direction of the president, or the secretary, of the officers or persons calling the meeting, to each member entitled to vote at such meeting. If mailed, such notice shall be deemed to delivered when deposited in U.S. mail addressed the member at his address as it appears on the records of the Church, with postage thereon prepaid.
ARTICLE IX - CHURCH COVENANT-(We use the Standard Baptist Church Covenant)
“Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour and on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, we do now in the presence of God, angels, and this assembly, most joyfully enter into covenant with one another, as one body in Christ.
We engage therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of the Church, in knowledge, holiness and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline and doctrines; to give it a sacred pre-ominence over all institutions of human origin; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the Gospel through all nations.
We also engage to maintain family and secret devotions; to religiously educate our children; to seek the salvation of kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements and exemplary in our deportment: to avoid all tattling, back-biting, and excessive anger; to abstain from the sale and use of intoxicating drinks as a beverage and to zealous in our efforts to advance the kingdom of our Saviour.
We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember each other in prayer; to aid each other in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation, and mindful of the rule if our Saviour to secure it without delay.
We, moreover, engage that when we remove from this place we will as soon as possible unite with some other Church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God's Word."
ARTICLE X -AMENDEMNTS AND MISCELLANEOUS
Section 1. Amendments - These articles may be changed or amended at any regular or special business meeting by vote of the membership, providing that a written notice of such change shall have been proposed and read from the pulpit at least one month previous, and if such alteration does not conflict with the Articles of Incorporation of this church.
Section 2. Miscellaneous
The pastor shall be ex-officio member of all committees and boards.
The business meetings shall be opened and closed with prayer.
All Classes, groups, organizations, and persons of the church are a part of the church and subject to its jurisdiction. They shall not conduct themselves in any way that is unbecoming to our Christian faith or that shall bring discredit to the Body of which they are a part - Hillside Baptist Church.
ARTICLE XI - SEAL
The Corporation shall have a corporate seal which have inscribed around the circumference thereof, “Hillside Baptist Church of Springfield, Missouri, Inc.". and elsewhere thereon shall bear the words “Corporate Seal." The corporate seal may be affixed by impression or may be by facsimile, which facsimile may be in any form , including, but not limited to, the written word, “Seal."
ARTICLE XII - ADOPTION OF CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
This Constitution and these By-Laws shall supersede all other Constitutions and By-Laws adopted by the membership of Hillside Baptist Church of Springfield, Missouri, or action taken in previous meetings and become effective immediately by approval of the membership of Hillside Baptist Church, Springfield, Missouri, in meeting assembled this March 25, 1979.
What we believe
A Bible Baptist is one
who believes in a supernatural Bible,
which tells of a supernatural Christ,
Who had a supernatural birth,
Who spoke supernatural words,
Who performed supernatural miracles,
Who lived a supernatural life,
Who died a supernatural death,
Who rose in supernatural power,
Who ascended in supernatural splendor,
Who intercedes as a supernatural priest and
Who will one day return in supernatural glory to
establish a supernatural kingdom on the earth.
