This is the working text used by the assistant. When in doubt, the official signed bylaws govern — download them here.

TRINITY BAPTIST CHURCH

Pumpkin Center, Louisiana

BYLAWS, COMMENTARY, AND CHURCH PROCEDURES

Version 71

Adopted: _______

Last Amended: _______

ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT

These Bylaws contain three kinds of text. The numbered articles and sections are the binding rules of the church. Indented Commentary blocks explain the reasons behind the rules. Commentary is not binding; where Commentary and a rule differ, the rule controls. References to a numbered Procedure point to the Trinity Operating Manual (TOM), the companion volume described at the end of this document.

PREAMBLE

These are the Bylaws of Trinity Baptist Church, Inc., Hammond, Louisiana, locally known as Pumpkin Center. They govern the business of the church and the conduct of its ministry, to the glory of God.

Trinity Baptist Church exists by the grace of God, for the glory of God. We are a Southern Baptist church. We cooperate fully with the North Shore Baptist Association, the Louisiana Baptist Convention, and the Southern Baptist Convention. Our doctrines are those stated in The Baptist Faith and Message as adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention on June 14, 2000.

Jesus Christ is the Chief Shepherd and Lord of this church (1 Peter 5:4). Its government is congregational, led by a plurality of elders, and obedient to the Word of God. Scripture establishes two offices: Elders and Deacons. Elders provide spiritual oversight, teaching, and shepherding. Deacons lead the church’s practical ministries of service through the Service Committees. The Leadership Council — the Elders and Deacons together — is the church’s coordinating body. The Church Council — the Leadership Council, all ministerial staff, committee chairs, and ministry-team leaders — coordinates the total program of the church.

Committees and ministry teams fall into three categories. Discipleship Committees work under the direction of the Elders and carry out the church’s ministry of discipleship and Christian education. Service Committees are coordinated by the Deacons and meet the practical needs of the congregation. Administrative Committees are elected directly by the congregation and govern the church’s financial, legal, and personnel matters. Administrative Committees answer to the congregation and work with the independence their function requires, while the Elders keep spiritual oversight of the whole church.

CHURCH COVENANT

Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and on the profession of our faith having been baptized in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we do now, in the presence of God, angels, and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another as one body in Christ.

We commit, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this church in biblical knowledge and holiness; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines; and 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 further commit 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 commands of our Savior. 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.

The Senior Pastor must read the Church Covenant aloud at the morning worship services on the first Sunday of each calendar year.

Commentary: The Preamble and Church Covenant set the theological and relational foundation of the church before any rule is stated. This order reflects the priority of gospel community over institutional governance.

DEFINITIONS

These terms have the meanings given here wherever they appear in these Bylaws.

Member. A person whose name is on the membership roll kept by the Church Clerk. A person becomes a Member under Article I, Section 1 (Receiving New Members) and ceases to be a Member under Article I, Section 2 (Terminating Membership).

Active Elder; Active Deacon. An Active Elder is an Elder currently seated on the Council of Elders. An Active Deacon is a Deacon currently serving a term. Neither term includes a person who has resigned, rotated off, or been removed, or who is on a leave the Council recognizes as suspending active status. A Staff Elder who has stepped down from the Council under Article II, Section 3 (Staff Elders) is not an Active Elder while off the Council. Where these Bylaws count “active” Elders or Deacons for a quorum or a unanimous vote, this is the meaning.

Just Cause. Misconduct; unrepentant disqualifying sin; doctrinal disqualification; a conflict of interest; incapacity; or persistent refusal or failure to carry out the duties of an office or role. “For cause” and “disqualifying offense” carry this meaning. Each governing section states its own process and vote.

Paid Staff; Ministerial Staff; Non-Ministerial Staff; Staff Elder. Paid Staff are all employees of the church. Ministerial Staff are the paid positions the Elders designate as involving the ministry of the Word, teaching, or pastoral shepherding. Non-Ministerial Staff are all other paid positions. A Staff Elder is a member of the Ministerial Staff who also holds the office of Elder. Employment never confers the office; the office requires the separate congregational vote in Article II, Section 3 (Staff Elders).

In Consultation With; In Coordination With. “In consultation with” a body means the acting party seeks and weighs that body’s input before acting, but may act without its agreement. “In coordination with” a body means the two act jointly, each contributing, with final authority where the section assigns it. Neither phrase creates a veto unless a section grants one.

Ex-Officio. A person who serves on a body because of another office he or she holds. Article III, Section 1 (Universal Committee Policies) states whether an ex-officio member votes or counts toward a quorum.

Business Meeting. A meeting of the congregation, called under Article V, for church business. A “members’ meeting” means a Business Meeting.

Quorum; Attendance Floor. Quorum is the minimum attendance for a Business Meeting to act (Article V, Section 2 (Quorum)). The attendance floor is the higher attendance some votes require (Article V, Section 3 (Voting)).

Moderator. The person who presides at a Business Meeting: an Elder the Council of Elders designates, except as Article V, Section 3(6) (Neutral Moderator) provides.

Administrative Officer. The Church Clerk, Assistant Church Clerk, Treasurer, or Assistant Treasurer (Article II, Section 9 (Administrative Positions)). Where these Bylaws say “officer” alongside “Elder, Deacon, council, or committee,” the word means any elected position-holder.

ARTICLE I — MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Receiving New Members

A person may become a Member in one of three ways:

(1) By profession of faith in Jesus Christ, followed by baptism by immersion.

(2) By letter from another Baptist church of like faith and order.

(3) By statement of faith, if the person has been baptized by immersion on profession of faith and accepts The Baptist Faith and Message and the Church Covenant. This way applies when the person’s former church cannot grant a letter, or when the person comes from a non-Baptist church.

In each case the Elders present the candidate to the congregation. The congregation receives the candidate by majority vote of Members present and voting. The vote is taken at a Business Meeting, or at a Sunday worship service if the Elders so direct.

The Senior Pastor must offer a new-member orientation class at least twice each year. The Elders must urge each new Member to attend one offering of the class.

Commentary: Membership is meant to be a meaningful part of each member’s Christian life. Church membership is a covenant commitment to this body, not mere affiliation. Baptism by immersion reflects our conviction that believer’s baptism is the New Testament pattern. The orientation class helps new members understand covenant membership before they commit.

Section 2. Terminating Membership

Membership ends in one of six ways:

(1) By letter of transfer to a church of like faith and order.

(2) By dismissal at the Member’s written request to the Church Clerk. A Member may not use resignation to end a church-discipline process already begun. The Elders may complete that process and record its outcome.

(3) By identifying with a church of another faith. Within 3 months of learning of it, the Elders must arrange a pastoral visit with the Member. If the Member says he or she does not wish to return, the name is removed by the vote in this Section. If no decision is reached, the Elders must send the Member a letter stating the church’s intent to remove the name. If the Member does not respond within 30 days, the name is removed by the vote in this Section at the next Business Meeting.

(4) By removal for lack of participation. Membership carries the expectation of regular participation in the worship and life of the church. If a Member’s participation has lapsed, the Elders must first seek to restore the Member through pastoral contact. If that fails, the Elders together discern whether to recommend removal. Before recommending removal, the Elders must give the Member written notice and 60 days to respond. Removal for lack of participation requires the vote in this Section. A person removed under this item may be received again under Section 1 (Receiving New Members) at any time.

(5) By death.

(6) By church discipline under Section 3 (Church Discipline).

The congregation acts on items (1), (2), (3), and (4) by majority vote of Members present and voting at a Business Meeting. The Church Clerk records each termination.

Commentary: Removal for lack of participation is not church discipline. It carries no stigma and none of the spiritual weight of removal under Section 3. It is a housekeeping action, taken only after genuine pastoral effort to re-engage an absent member has failed.

Section 3. Church Discipline

(1) Grounds and Steps. A Member is subject to discipline for persistent neglect of the duties of membership. A Member is also subject to discipline for conduct that dishonors the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and opposes the welfare of the church. Discipline follows the steps of Matthew 18:15–17. The Elders may begin formal discipline only after private admonition has failed.

(2) Notice and Hearing. Before the Elders impose any discipline, they must give the Member notice. Notice of an admonition may be oral. Notice of any further discipline must be written. The notice must describe the specific conduct and the Scripture it violates. The Elders must give the Member a reasonable opportunity to be heard. The Elders must document each step taken under Matthew 18:15–17. An Elder who is the subject of a discipline matter takes no part in the Elders’ handling of it.

(3) Forms of Discipline. Discipline may take these forms:

(a) Admonition by the Elders or by the congregation.

(b) Suspension from the Lord’s Supper for a stated period of no more than 6 months. The congregation imposes a suspension by majority vote of Members present and voting, on the Elders’ recommendation. While suspended, the Member may not vote, make a motion, submit a nomination, or sign a petition.

(c) A recommendation that the Member be removed from an office. Removal from office follows the process that governs that office.

(d) Removal from membership (1 Corinthians 5:4–5). Removal requires a two-thirds vote of Members present and voting at a Business Meeting whose notice stated the disciplinary purpose.

(4) Review of Admonition. A Member admonished by the Elders may ask the congregation to review the admonition. The Member must make the request within 30 days. At its next Business Meeting, the congregation may sustain or overturn the admonition by majority vote of Members present and voting.

(5) Restoration. A person removed from membership who gives evidence of repentance is restored promptly by majority vote of Members present and voting. A suspension from the Lord’s Supper ends when its stated period ends. It ends earlier if the congregation, on the Elders’ recommendation, votes to end it by majority vote of Members present and voting at any Business Meeting. A suspended Member may ask the Elders at any time to make that recommendation (2 Corinthians 2:6–8).

(6) Confidentiality. The Elders must hold discipline matters in confidence. When the congregation is asked to act, the Elders must share facts sufficient for Members to judge wisely, and no more. By entering membership, each Member consents to this process.

Figure 1: Church Discipline Process

Commentary: Church discipline is an act of love, not punishment. Its purposes are the repentance and restoration of the person, the instruction of other believers, the purity of the church, the good of our witness, and the glory of God. The graduated steps — private, then witnesses, then the church — follow Jesus’ instruction in Matthew 18. Redemption, not exclusion, is the goal (2 Corinthians 2:5–11).

Section 4. Authority of the Congregation

Under the headship of Jesus Christ, the gathered congregation is the final earthly authority in this church (Matthew 18:17). Elders lead, Deacons serve, committees work, and officers administer as servants of the congregation. The congregation keeps final authority over the matters listed below. No officer, Elder, Deacon, council, or committee may exercise these powers on the congregation’s behalf.

(1) Matters Reserved to the Congregation. Each action below requires a vote of the congregation and cannot be delegated. The section cited governs the process and the vote required. This list is an index; it creates no authority beyond the sections it cites.

(a) Receiving new Members (Article I, Section 1).

(b) Removing a Member through church discipline, restoring a removed Member, and reviewing an admonition by the Elders (Article I, Section 3).

(c) Removing a person from elected office, under the process for that office.

(d) Calling or removing the Senior Pastor (Article II, Sections 2 and 5).

(e) Electing Staff Elders and Non-Staff Elders (Article II, Sections 3 and 4).

(f) Affirming the call and compensation of Ministerial Staff (Article II, Section 5).

(g) Electing and removing Deacons (Article II, Section 6).

(h) Electing and removing Administrative Officers, and creating or abolishing those offices (Article II, Section 9).

(i) Electing the members of Administrative Committees, and affirming the members of Discipleship and Service Committees (Article III, Sections 1 and 2). Mid-term appointments under Article II, Section 7 are the exception.

(j) Affirming provisional committees, adopting them permanently, and disbanding committees (Article III, Section 1).

(k) Adopting the annual budget, approving motions that affect it, and approving the Finance Committee’s written spending policy (Article III, Section 5.O; Article V, Section 5).

(l) Buying, selling, or mortgaging real property (Article III, Section 5.N).

(m) Approving church-wide fundraising campaigns and new designated funds, and deciding designated gifts the Elders refer (Article V, Section 8).

(n) Amending these Bylaws (Article V, Section 6).

(o) Electing messengers to associational and convention meetings (Article V, Section 10).

(p) Ratifying interim actions of the Leadership Council taken when a quorum could not be reached (Article V, Section 2).

(q) Acting on substantive matters these Bylaws do not address (Article V, Section 15).

(r) Approving any merger, dissolution, or sale of substantially all assets (Article V, Section 16).

(2) Congregational Initiative. The congregation’s authority includes the right to initiate, not only to ratify:

(a) Any Member may bring a motion under New Business at any Business Meeting (Article V, Section 1).

(b) Any Member may propose an amendment to these Bylaws under Article V, Section 6.

(c) 25 Members may, by written petition, require a Business Meeting under Article V, Section 1.

(d) Any Member may bring a concern, proposal, or ministry idea to the Elders, the Deacons, or the Leadership Council at any time. Any Member may ask that a matter be placed on the agenda of the next Business Meeting.

Commentary: This section creates no new powers. It gathers in one place the authority the congregation already holds throughout these Bylaws, so it can be seen at a glance. In an elder-led church, this list is the structural safeguard of congregational polity. Leadership serves; the congregation decides the matters that define the church’s membership, offices, money, property, and constitution. The initiative rights mean the congregation never depends on any officer or council to exercise its own authority. Members can move, propose, and, when 25 agree, require a meeting. Twenty-five is a deliberate, fixed threshold: enough members to show a concern is broadly shared, without depending on the size-adjusted quorum formula of Article V, Section 2.

ARTICLE II — CHURCH GOVERNMENT AND OFFICERS

Scripture establishes two offices: Elders and Deacons. This church also recognizes four Administrative Officers: the Church Clerk, the Assistant Church Clerk, the Treasurer, and the Assistant Treasurer.

Section 1. Council of Elders

(1) Composition. The Council of Elders has at least 3 men who meet the qualifications in item (2). The Council consists of the Senior Pastor, any Staff Elders, and the Non-Staff Elders. Elders are equal in authority and may differ in function. The Council must include at least one Non-Staff Elder whenever a qualified man is willing to serve. If no Non-Staff Elder is seated, the Council must announce the vacancy promptly and fill it under Section 4 within 12 months. If the annual election cannot meet that deadline, the Council must call a special election under the standards and notice of Section 4. If the deadline passes without an election, 25 Members may require one under Section 4(4) (Election by Petition). If no qualified man other than the Senior Pastor can serve, the Senior Pastor serves as the sole Elder. He must use the Deacons to aid in ministry until other qualified men are set apart.

(2) Qualifications. An Elder, and every nominee for Elder, must meet these qualifications:

(a) Above reproach (1 Timothy 3:2).

(b) The husband of one wife; a one-woman man (1 Timothy 3:2).

(c) Sober-minded, self-controlled, and respectable (1 Timothy 3:2).

(d) Hospitable (1 Timothy 3:2).

(e) Able to teach (1 Timothy 3:2).

(f) Able to give instruction in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict it (Titus 1:9).

(g) Not a drunkard (1 Timothy 3:3).

(h) Not violent but gentle; not quarrelsome (1 Timothy 3:3).

(i) Not a lover of money (1 Timothy 3:3).

(j) One who manages his own household well, with submissive children (1 Timothy 3:4).

(k) Not a recent convert (1 Timothy 3:6).

(l) Well thought of by those outside the church (1 Timothy 3:7).

(m) Not arrogant or quick-tempered (Titus 1:7).

(n) A lover of good; upright, holy, and disciplined (Titus 1:8).

(o) If married, a man whose wife’s character is considered in the examination.

(p) For a Non-Staff Elder, a man who has been a Member for at least 2 years and is at least 21 years old. The 2-year requirement does not apply to Staff Elders or the Senior Pastor.

Commentary: The Elders serve under the lordship of Jesus Christ and are accountable to God for the spiritual welfare of the congregation entrusted to them (Hebrews 13:17). Eldership is a calling to sacrificial service, not a position of privilege or power. Elders lead as servants — not domineering over those in their charge, but as examples to the flock (1 Peter 5:3). Their authority is real, but it is exercised in humility and accountability, for the congregation’s good and never for personal advantage. Items (a) through (n) rest on Scripture, and each cites its passage. Items (o) and (p) are this church’s own judgment. The wives reading of 1 Timothy 3:11 is explained in the Deacon commentary.

(3) Responsibilities. Subject to the will of the congregation, the Elders oversee the ministry, vision, and spiritual resources of the church. They devote themselves to prayer, the ministry of the Word, and shepherding God’s flock (Acts 6:4). Their responsibilities include:

(a) Leading the church to function as a New Testament church.

(b) Setting, evaluating, adjusting, and communicating the ministry vision of the church.

(c) Conducting worship services and teaching sound doctrine by instruction and example.

(d) Equipping the Members for the work of ministry.

(e) Examining and instructing prospective Members.

(f) Overseeing church discipline under Article I, Section 3 (Church Discipline).

(g) Mobilizing the church for local evangelism and world missions.

(h) Examining candidates for church office before the congregation votes, except candidates the Bylaws assign to another body: Deacons (screened by the Leadership Council under Section 6(4)), Service Committee members (nominated by the Deacons), Administrative Committee members, and the Administrative Officers of Section 9.

(i) Working in close partnership with the Deacons, and keeping regular communication with the Deacon Chairman about the congregation’s practical needs.

(j) Equipping, encouraging, and giving pastoral oversight to every Discipleship Committee, and receiving its reports.

(k) Overseeing all Paid Staff in the exercise of their ministry roles. The Personnel Committee manages employment for all Paid Staff (Section 5; Article III, Section 5.P). For Ministerial Staff, the Elders hold final authority over ministerial fitness and doctrinal soundness, and must approve the job description before it goes to the congregation.

(l) Placing a Ministerial Staff member on administrative leave. This item does not apply to a Staff Elder or the Senior Pastor; the Council may suspend an Elder under item (6). This item applies when a Ministerial Staff member is accused of conduct that, if proven, would be a serious disqualifying offense. The Elders may then place that person on paid or unpaid administrative leave by majority vote of the Council, pending investigation by the Personnel Committee. The Elders must notify the Personnel Committee at once. The Personnel Committee must meet within 14 days, in consultation with the Elders, to review the matter and decide next steps. The Elders must give the staff member written notice of the allegation and a reasonable opportunity to respond. Administrative leave is not a finding of guilt. The leave may not exceed 60 days unless the Elders and the Personnel Committee together extend it once. If the Personnel Committee does not act within the leave period, the leave ends and the staff member returns to duty. If the matter ends in termination, the Personnel Committee must report the termination to the congregation at the next Business Meeting.

(m) Appointing one Elder as a non-voting liaison to each Administrative Committee. The liaison promotes communication and spiritual alignment; he does not direct the committee’s work and does not vote.

(n) Reviewing the draft annual budget prepared by the Finance Committee before it is distributed to the congregation in November, and again before the final budget is presented in December. The Elders’ review is advisory. The Elders must complete each review within 14 days of receiving the draft; if they do not, the Finance Committee proceeds. The Finance Committee presents the budget for a vote at the December Business Meeting.

(o) Nominating the officers, teachers, and leaders of Discipleship Committees, and presenting them to the congregation for election.

(p) Forming, when needed, a temporary Nominating Team to help identify and vet candidates for Discipleship Committee positions and teaching roles. The Elders set the team’s membership, scope, and duration when they form it. The team advises; the Elders keep final authority over every nomination.

(q) Choosing one Elder to serve as moderator of every Business Meeting.

Commentary: The Elders’ authority is real, but it is not absolute. It flows under Christ and is exercised in accountable relationship to the congregation. Elders do not rule as lords; they lead as servants whose example earns the respect Scripture calls the congregation to give them. The Elders seek unity with the congregation, the Deacons, and each committee, and avoid decisions that sow confusion or division when counsel, patience, and prayer could produce alignment. Administrative Committees draw their authority directly from the congregation, just as the Elders do, and exercise their mandates independently. The Elder liaison to each Administrative Committee is a bridge, not a supervisor. Administrative leave exists to protect the church and the accused alike while facts are gathered. It is decided by the Elders, investigated by the Personnel Committee in consultation with the Elders, and reported to the congregation if it ends in termination.

(4) Organization. The Elders organize themselves as they judge best serves the mission of the church. The Elders may meet at any time, with or without the Deacons present, for prayer, deliberation, or their governing work. A quorum of an Elders-only meeting is a majority of the Active Elders. The Senior Pastor is Chairman of the Council of Elders. The Elders must choose a Vice-Chairman from among themselves each year.

(5) Entering the Office. Elders enter office as provided in Section 3 (Staff Elders) and Section 4 (Non-Staff Elders).

(6) Removal. An Elder leaves office by resignation or by removal. The congregation may remove an Elder who is physically or mentally incapacitated, or spiritually disqualified, as follows:

(a) A removal may be started by the recommendation of the Council of Elders or by the written petition of 25 Members.

(b) No removal proceeds without an investigation. A charge against an Elder requires the evidence of two or three witnesses (1 Timothy 5:19).

(c) When removal is sought by petition, the Leadership Council, excluding the Elder concerned, conducts the investigation. It must report its findings to the congregation within 60 days of receiving the petition.

(d) The removal vote is taken at a Business Meeting after that report. If no report is made within the 60 days, the vote may proceed on charges supported by two or three witnesses presented to the congregation.

(e) A Business Meeting petitioned under Article V, Section 1 about the removal may meet and hear the matter. The removal vote still waits for the report or the end of the 60 days.

(f) Removal requires a two-thirds vote of Members present and voting, by secret ballot, at a Business Meeting whose notice stated the purpose. The attendance floor of Article V, Section 3 applies.

(g) When an Elder is removed for unrepentant disqualifying sin, the removal includes a public rebuke (1 Timothy 5:20).

(h) The Council of Elders may suspend an Elder and recommend his removal. Only the congregation removes.

(i) An Elder who is the subject of a removal inquiry takes no part in any deliberation or vote on it and does not count toward the quorum for it.

Section 2. Senior Pastor

(1) Role. The Senior Pastor is the primary preaching Elder and serves as first among equals on the Council of Elders. He carries out the duties of an Elder under Section 1(3). He serves ex-officio on every committee and ministry team (Article III, Section 1(3)). He is accountable to the Council of Elders.

(2) Search and Election. When the office of Senior Pastor is vacant:

(a) The Leadership Council must recommend a Pastoral Search Team to the congregation for affirmation. The Search Team has at least 5 Members, including at least one Active Deacon and at least one current member of the Personnel Committee.

(b) If there are no Active Deacons, the Deacon requirement is waived. If there are no Active Elders, the Deacons and the Personnel Committee together carry out the duties this item assigns to the Council of Elders.

(c) If there are neither Active Elders nor Active Deacons, the Personnel Committee carries out the duties of both the Council of Elders and the Leadership Council. It must take the counsel of qualified outside pastoral advisers. In that case a candidate requires the unanimous approval of the Personnel Committee.

(d) No more than one Elder may serve on the Search Team. An Elder may not serve on it if his recusal would leave no Active Elder to take part in the final approval vote. An Elder on the Search Team must recuse from the Council’s final approval vote.

(e) The Search Team works with the Elders to set the interview and evaluation process (Procedure 15).

(f) A candidate must first receive the unanimous approval of the Elders eligible to vote. A recused Elder is not counted.

(g) The candidate preaches at each Sunday morning worship service on the weekend of the vote. The congregation votes at the end of each service.

(h) The candidate must receive at least 90% of the combined votes of Members present and voting across all Sunday morning services. A candidate who does not is not called.

(3) Term and Review. The Senior Pastor serves for an indefinite term. The Personnel Committee reviews him each year in coordination with the Elders. The Senior Pastor, and any Staff Elder, must recuse from the Personnel Committee’s deliberation on his own review, compensation, or discipline.

(4) Authorities Stated Elsewhere. Other sections give the Senior Pastor these authorities: presiding over the Leadership Council (Section 7); authorizing and revoking armed-carry authorization for the Security Team (Article III, Section 4.M; Procedure 12); receiving mandatory child-safety reports (Article V, Section 14); and reading the Church Covenant each year. Each cited section governs. The Senior Pastor’s spending, hiring, and program initiatives are subject to the same limits as any other staff member: the adopted budget (Article V, Section 5), the fundraising and designated-gift rules (Article V, Section 8), and the personnel processes of Section 5. If the office is vacant, or the Senior Pastor is incapacitated, the Council of Elders must designate an Active Elder to exercise his administrative authorities. If no Active Elder is serving, the substitute body in item (2) assigns those duties.

(5) Removal. The congregation may remove the Senior Pastor for Just Cause, as follows:

(a) A removal may be started by the Council of Elders, by the Personnel Committee, or by the written petition of 25 Members.

(b) The investigation, the report, and the vote follow Section 1(6) (Removal), with the Senior Pastor treated as the Elder concerned.

(c) Removal requires a two-thirds vote of Members present and voting, by secret ballot, at a Business Meeting whose notice stated the purpose. The attendance floor of Article V, Section 3 applies.

(d) The Senior Pastor may not preside over, moderate, or vote on any matter about his own removal.

(e) Removal from the office of Senior Pastor ends his employment.

(f) Procedure 16 in the Trinity Operating Manual gives the step-by-step logistics. If the Procedure and this Section ever differ, this Section governs.

Commentary: The Senior Pastor is first among equals — not first in authority over the other Elders, but first in responsibility and accountability before the congregation and before God. He bears the weight of public leadership in a way no other Elder does. The other Elders see in him a fellow servant worthy of respect and a model of the shepherd’s calling. He in turn treats his fellow Elders as genuine peers, seeking their counsel and deferring to the Council rather than acting alone. The accountability that comes with the title is not a burden imposed from outside. It is the natural expression of the trust the congregation and the Elders place in him.

Section 3. Staff Elders

(1) The Office. A Staff Elder is a member of the Ministerial Staff whom the church has called to hold the office of Elder together with a defined ministry role. Employment never makes a person an Elder. The office requires the separate election in item (2). The office is held together with the paid ministry role.

(2) Election. A Staff Elder is elected as follows:

(a) The Council of Elders nominates the candidate. The nomination requires the unanimous approval of the Elders eligible to vote.

(b) Before the nomination goes to the congregation, two written consents are required. The Personnel Committee must consent to the employment terms and the role. The Finance Committee must consent to the funding. Without both consents the nomination does not proceed.

(c) The Elders examine the candidate as in Section 4(3)(d) (Examination).

(d) The 14-day input window of Section 4(3)(e) applies.

(e) The congregation votes “yes” or “no” by written ballot at the Sunday morning worship services, on 14 days’ notice. The vote may be held on any Sunday. At least 80% “yes” of Members present and voting is required.

(f) The ballot names the office of Staff Elder. The single vote confers the office and affirms the employment (Procedure 1).

(3) Term and Review. A Staff Elder serves an indefinite term, subject to removal under Section 1(6). The Personnel Committee reviews him each year in coordination with the Elders.

(4) Stepping Down. A Staff Elder may step down from the Council of Elders at any time while remaining employed, by written resignation from the Council delivered to the Council. This item does not apply to the Senior Pastor. Stepping down does not end employment; while off the Council he serves as Ministerial Staff under Section 5. He does not return to the office automatically; returning requires election under Section 4. If he is still employed on the Ministerial Staff when elected, item (5) applies. Stepping down is not a substitute for removal for cause under Section 1(6). The Council fills the vacancy as it fills any other Elder vacancy.

(5) Election of Serving Staff. When a member of the Ministerial Staff is elected as an Elder under Section 4, he serves as a Staff Elder under this Section. His term is indefinite and runs with his employment. The 3-year term of Section 4 does not apply to him. His employment terms do not change by reason of the election; a change in those terms requires the consents of item (2). The congregation should weigh this election as it weighs any Staff Elder call.

Commentary: Eldership is a biblical office with weighty qualifications. No staff member is an Elder by virtue of employment alone; a Staff Elder is called expressly into the office by the congregation. Because the office is tied to a paid position, his term runs with his service and is indefinite while he holds the position; there is no triennial reaffirmation. If his employment ends without removal from office, he becomes a Non-Staff Elder as Section 5 provides. If the church would not want this man serving indefinitely as an Elder, it should not call him to the office. The same weight applies when a serving staff member is elected through the Section 4 election. The congregation is not making a 3-year appointment. It is joining the office to his position for as long as he holds it, and the 80% vote should be cast knowing that. And because the office is joined to a paid position, the call cannot reach the congregation until the two committees the congregation elected to guard its staffing and its money — Personnel and Finance — have each consented in writing. No paid eldership can be created around them.

Figure 2: Elder Election Process

Section 4. Non-Staff Elders

Non-Staff Elders are men of the congregation whom the church recognizes as meeting the biblical qualifications for Elder and sets apart to serve on the Council of Elders. Their eldership is a calling, not a paid position.

(1) Terms. A Non-Staff Elder serves a 3-year term. When his term ends he rotates off the Council. He must remain off the Council for at least 1 full year before he is eligible for election again. He returns to the office only through the election in item (3). A term begins at the setting apart that follows election. It ends on the first Sunday of the third October after it begins. A seat not filled by then is vacant until filled under this Section. Article V, Section 22(2) governs initial terms and makes an exception to the 1-year waiting rule.

(2) Removal. Section 1(6) (Removal) governs the removal of a Non-Staff Elder.

(3) Annual Election. Non-Staff Elders are elected each year in which there is an opening. The Elder election runs one step ahead of the Deacon election of Section 6(4): the Elder nomination ballot comes before the Deacon nomination ballot, and the Elder vote comes before the Deacon confirmation vote. The two elections are never held at the same services. The steps are:

(a) Announcement (by July 15). The Council of Elders must announce every opening to the congregation, stating whether it is a new position or an expiring term, and publish the qualifications in Section 1(2). The Council decides how many positions to fill. During July, any Member may submit in writing the names of men he or she wishes the church to consider. The announcement opens a season of congregational prayer for the selection (Acts 13:2–3).

(b) Eligibility List (by the first Sunday of August). The Council reviews the names submitted and keeps the men who meet the requirements of Section 1(2)(p) and are not under suspension from the Lord’s Supper. This review checks only those plain facts, not yet a man’s biblical qualifications. The Council must publish the list of eligible men, with the number of open positions, for a period of prayer and consideration before the nomination ballot. Any man on the list may withdraw his name before the nomination ballot, and no reason is required.

(c) Nomination Ballot (second Sunday of August). At the Sunday morning services each Member receives a ballot listing the eligible men. A Member nominates, up to the number of open positions, the men he or she believes should be nominated to serve. Only men on the list may be nominated. A ballot nominating more than the number of positions is void. The Council counts the ballots and ranks the men by the number of nominations received.

(d) Examination. Beginning with the most-nominated man and working down the list, the Elders examine each man against the qualifications in Section 1(2). The examination includes a doctrinal questionnaire and interviews of the man and, if he is married, his wife. The Elders continue down the list until they have examined enough men to fill the open positions. A man advances to the congregational vote only with the unanimous approval of the Elders eligible to vote. The Elders must privately inform a man who is not advanced. If 25 Members then nominate him again by written petition, the Council must either advance him or report to the congregation that it has declined to, without detailing private matters.

(e) Input Window (14 days). The Council must publish the names of the men advanced at least 14 days before the vote. During those 14 days any Member may submit to the Elders, in writing, a biblical concern about a man advanced. The Elders must review each submission and decide whether it establishes a biblical disqualification. A submission that does not establish one does not bar the man. The Elders must inform each Member who wrote of the outcome before the vote.

(f) Affirmation Vote (second Sunday of September). The congregation votes “yes” or “no” on each man by written ballot at all Sunday morning worship services. Each Member may cast one ballot. The moderator must confirm and record a quorum under Article V, Section 2. A man is elected with at least 80% “yes” votes of Members present and voting. If a man is not elected, his position waits for the next election or for an election by petition under item (4).

(g) Setting Apart (first Sunday of October). The Elders set apart each man elected by the laying on of hands and the prayer of the congregation.

(h) A Deacon Who Advances. When a serving Deacon advances to the affirmation vote, the Leadership Council may include his anticipated vacancy in that year’s Deacon open-seat count under Section 6(4). His Deacon seat, if vacated, may then be filled in the same season.

(4) Election by Petition. 25 Members may, by written petition delivered to the Church Clerk and verified under Article V, Section 1, require an Elder election for at least one position. The Council of Elders must announce the election within 30 days of verification. The election follows the steps of item (3) on its own schedule rather than the annual calendar. Every requirement, examination, and vote threshold applies without change. The affirmation vote is held at the Sunday morning worship services on 14 days’ notice after the input window closes.

Commentary: Three years is long enough for an Elder to shepherd meaningfully and short enough that the congregation keeps regular oversight. The 80% threshold for election is deliberately higher than the two-thirds for removal: it should be harder to add an Elder than to remove one. Eldership is a weighty office, and strong consensus before elevation protects both the office and the man. The lower removal threshold lets the congregation act decisively when an Elder is disqualified. The election has the same shape as the Deacon election: Members put names forward, the congregation nominates by ballot, the Elders examine the most-nominated men, and the congregation votes. The input window is the time for any Member to raise a concern about a man before the church votes on him — including a biblical objection to his qualification. It is not a general comment period; the Elders act only on concerns that bear on the qualifications in Section 1(2), and every Member who writes hears back before the vote. The Elder Election flowchart (Figure 2) appears above.

Section 5. Ministerial Staff

(1) Oversight. Ministerial Staff serve under the pastoral authority and shepherding oversight of the Council of Elders. The Elders equip, direct, and hold accountable every member of the Ministerial Staff in the exercise of the ministry role. The Elders hold final authority over ministerial fitness, doctrinal soundness, and pastoral effectiveness. Men and women may serve on the Ministerial Staff; the office of Elder is reserved to qualified men under Section 1(2). Every member of the Ministerial Staff must give evidence of spiritual maturity in service and devotional life. All teaching by Ministerial Staff must be consistent with the doctrinal commitments of this church. The Personnel Committee supports the Elders’ oversight at the employment level: it conducts annual performance reviews in coordination with the Elders, keeps personnel files, and manages employment mechanics. On ministerial fitness and doctrine the Personnel Committee gives input at the Elders’ request; the Elders decide.

(2) Calling a Minister. The congregation calls Ministerial Staff on the recommendation of the Elders, as follows:

(a) The Elders define the ministry scope and requirements of the role.

(b) The Personnel Committee drafts the written job description and the compensation recommendation, using the Elders’ input on the ministry dimensions. The Elders must approve the job description before it goes to the congregation.

(c) The candidate is presented to the congregation at all worship services on one Sunday.

(d) A 14-day input window follows the presentation. Any Member may submit to the Elders, in writing, a concern about the candidate. The Elders, in consultation with the Personnel Committee, decide whether a concern establishes a disqualification for the role. A concern that does not establish one does not bar the candidate. The Elders must inform each Member who wrote of the outcome before the vote.

(e) The congregation votes at a Business Meeting held no sooner than 14 days after the presentation. A majority of Members present and voting affirms the call and the compensation.

(3) Supervision and Workplace Care. Every staff member has one named supervisor, stated in the job description. Ministerial Staff report to the Senior Pastor, and the Senior Pastor reports to the Council of Elders. Non-Ministerial Staff report to the supervisor the job description names. Elders, Deacons, officers, and committees direct a staff member’s work only through that supervisor. Any staff member may raise a workplace concern to the Personnel Committee without retaliation. If the concern involves the supervisor or the Senior Pastor, the staff member may go directly to the Personnel Committee Chair (Article V, Section 18). Personnel files are confidential to the Personnel Committee and the staff member’s supervisor. Only the bodies these Bylaws authorize may offer employment, set or change compensation, or grant benefits, and only through the processes these Bylaws and the Personnel Committee’s written procedures provide. A commitment made outside that path, however communicated, creates no obligation of the church. The Personnel Committee hires Non-Ministerial Staff and may end their employment (Article III, Section 5.P). Whoever discovers such a commitment must report it to the Personnel Committee and the Council of Elders.

(4) Ending Employment. Ministerial Staff serve at the call of the church. Ending a minister’s employment requires Just Cause, except position elimination under item (d). The rules are:

(a) Ministerial Staff who are not Elders. Before deciding, the Personnel Committee must give the staff member a written statement of the cause and meet with the staff member to hear a response. A decision made without that step has no effect until the step is taken. The Personnel Committee may then end employment for Just Cause after notifying and hearing the Elders. The Elders may veto the termination. If the Elders veto, the Personnel Committee may appeal to the congregation, whose vote binds both bodies. The Personnel Committee must report every termination to the congregation at the next Business Meeting.

(b) Staff Elders. The Personnel Committee may not end a Staff Elder’s employment. A Staff Elder’s employment ends only in one of three ways: he resigns; the congregation removes him from the office of Elder under Section 1(6); or the congregation votes, by majority of Members present and voting, to end his employment. The Personnel Committee may recommend that vote; it must carry out the congregation’s decision. A serious allegation against a Staff Elder or the Senior Pastor is handled under Section 1(6); administrative leave under Section 1(3)(l) does not apply to them.

(c) Office and Job Are Distinct. A vote that ends a Staff Elder’s employment does not remove him from the office of Elder. Unless the same motion removes him from office under Section 1(6), he becomes a Non-Staff Elder. He serves until the next annual Elder election, and continues after it only if affirmed under Section 4. He may instead step down under Section 3(4).

(d) Position Elimination. The church may eliminate a paid position for financial or organizational reasons. Elimination is not disciplinary and does not require Just Cause. Only the Personnel Committee, with the concurrence of the Council of Elders, may eliminate a position, and it must give the affected staff member reasonable written notice. The Personnel Committee must report the elimination of a ministerial position to the congregation at the next Business Meeting. Eliminating a position does not remove anyone from the office of Elder. A position held by a Staff Elder or the Senior Pastor cannot be ended by elimination alone; ending his employment requires the vote in item (b) or, for the Senior Pastor, Section 2(5).

(e) Senior Pastor. Only Section 2(5) governs the removal of the Senior Pastor. The employment vote in item (b) does not apply to him.

Commentary: The Elders’ veto over the termination of a minister protects the church’s spiritual oversight of those who minister the Word. The Personnel Committee’s right of appeal to the congregation guards against an impasse between the two bodies. The veto is a check, not a supremacy: the Personnel Committee’s authority comes directly from the congregation that elects it. Items (b) and (c) exist because a Staff Elder holds two things at once — an office the congregation gave him and a job the Personnel Committee manages. Without them, a Staff Elder’s employment could be ended around the congregation’s vote on his office. They say from the employment side what Section 1(6) says from the office side. Ministers are presented at worship services and voted on at a Business Meeting, reflecting the employment-anchored nature of the staff relationship.

Section 6. Deacons

(1) Composition and Term. A Deacon is a man who has been a Member for at least 2 years before his nomination and is at least 21 years old. The Leadership Council sets the number of Deacons by the needs of the ministry. The number is never fewer than 3 while at least 3 qualified men are willing and able to serve. A Deacon serves a 3-year term and may be elected to another term after at least 1 year away from the office. His term begins when his confirmation is announced. It ends on the first Sunday of the third October after it begins. A seat not filled by then is vacant until filled under this item. Article V, Section 22(2) governs initial terms. No man may hold the offices of Elder and Deacon at the same time. A Deacon set apart as an Elder leaves his Deacon office at that moment, his service as a Deacon honored. A Deacon seat that becomes vacant mid-term is ordinarily filled at the next annual election, for the rest of the unexpired term. If the number of Active Deacons falls below 3, the Leadership Council must open a special election under item (4) on its own schedule. Its confirmation vote is held at the Sunday morning services on 14 days’ notice after the input window closes.

(2) Qualifications. A Deacon, and every nominee for Deacon, must be:

(a) Dignified and worthy of respect (1 Timothy 3:8).

(b) Not double-tongued (1 Timothy 3:8).

(c) Not addicted to much wine (1 Timothy 3:8).

(d) Not greedy for dishonest gain (1 Timothy 3:8).

(e) One who holds the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience (1 Timothy 3:9).

(f) First tested and found above reproach (1 Timothy 3:10).

(g) The husband of one wife, managing his children and household well (1 Timothy 3:12).

(h) If married, a man whose wife is dignified, not a slanderer, sober-minded, and faithful in all things (1 Timothy 3:11).

(i) Full of the Spirit and of wisdom (Acts 6:3).

(3) Responsibilities. The Deacons lead, coordinate, and maintain the church’s practical ministries of service, freeing the Elders for prayer and the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:2–4). Their responsibilities include:

(a) Caring for the temporal needs of Members.

(b) Receiving and managing the Benevolence Fund, disbursing it to those in need, and reporting its total receipts and disbursements to the congregation each year. The Deacons and the Finance Committee together decide how the Fund is funded and replenished. If they cannot agree, the Leadership Council decides.

(c) Attending to the accommodations for public worship.

(d) Receiving Sunday collections, and counting and depositing them under a procedure that always uses two people.

(e) Coordinating and maintaining every Service Committee and assisting its practical work (Article III).

(f) Serving on the Leadership Council as full partners in ministry: bringing the practical needs and concerns of the congregation to the Elders, helping discern ministry priorities, and coordinating implementation within their sphere of service. Ministry needs may be identified by the Elders, by the Deacons, or by both; the Leadership Council decides the response.

(g) Presiding over the first meeting of a Service Committee when its prior chairperson is unavailable (Article III, Section 2).

(h) Identifying and meeting the practical and temporal needs of the congregation. Deacons may act on their own judgment in the day-to-day care of the congregation; not every matter requires Elder direction first. Significant, recurring, or resource-requiring needs go to the Leadership Council.

(i) Staying available to and aware of the congregation, so that needs are seen before they become crises. This includes regularly checking on Members who are elderly, isolated, grieving, or in hardship.

(4) Election. Deacons are elected each year to fill open seats, in five steps: Members put names forward; the Leadership Council checks eligibility; the congregation nominates by ballot; the Leadership Council examines the most-nominated men; and the congregation confirms the men presented.

Step 1 — Names for Consideration (July). Any Member may submit in writing the names of men he or she wishes the church to consider for the office of Deacon. The congregation is called to prayer for the selection (Acts 6:6). Members are encouraged to speak with a man first to confirm that he is willing to serve.

Step 2 — Eligibility List (by the first Sunday of August). The Leadership Council reviews the names submitted and keeps the men who meet the requirements of item (1) and are not under suspension from the Lord’s Supper. This review checks only those plain facts, not yet a man’s biblical qualifications. The Council must publish, for a period of prayer and consideration before the nomination ballot: the list of eligible men; the list of the present Deacons; the number of seats open because Deacons are rotating off; and the number of seats open to fill unexpired terms from vacancies during the year. Any man on the list may withdraw his name before the nomination ballot, and no reason is required.

Step 3 — Nomination Ballot (third Sunday of August). At the Sunday morning services each Member receives a ballot listing the eligible men. A Member nominates, up to the number of open seats, the men he or she believes should be nominated to serve. Only men on the list may be nominated. A ballot nominating more than the number of seats is void. The Leadership Council counts the ballots and ranks the men by the number of nominations received.

Step 4 — Examination. Beginning with the most-nominated man and working down the list, the Leadership Council examines each man against the qualifications in item (2). The examination includes meeting with him and, if he is married, his wife. The Council may delegate the examination to a panel it appoints of at least 2 Elders and 3 Deacons; the full Council decides whether each man advances. The Council advances the men who meet the qualifications until it has the number needed to fill the open seats.

Step 5 — Confirmation (fourth Sunday of September). The Council must publish the men advanced, each with the seat and term he would fill, at least 14 days before the vote. During those 14 days any Member may submit to the Leadership Council, in writing, a biblical concern about a man advanced. The Council must review each submission and decide whether it establishes a biblical disqualification. A submission that does not establish one does not bar the man. The Council must inform each Member who wrote of the outcome before the vote. At the Sunday morning services the congregation votes “yes” or “no” on each man. A man is elected by a majority of the votes cast on him. If a man is not elected, his seat waits for the next annual election or for a special election under item (1). Full terms are filled before unexpired terms, in the order of nominations received. The Elders install the men elected at a worship service, with prayer and the laying on of hands.

(5) Organization. The Deacons organize themselves as they judge best serves the mission of the church. They meet as needed. Each year the Deacons must elect a Chairman from among themselves. The Deacon Chairman is the primary liaison between the Deacons and the Council of Elders.

Figure 3: Deacon Election Process

(6) Removal. A Deacon may resign by letter to the Elders. A removal may be started by the Elders after counseling and investigation, or by the written petition of 25 Members. The ground is that the Deacon is unable to serve or is unqualified. Removal requires a two-thirds vote of Members present and voting, by secret ballot, at a Business Meeting whose notice stated the purpose. The attendance floor of Article V, Section 3 applies. A Deacon who is the subject of a removal inquiry takes no part in any vote on it. An Elder must announce each resignation or removal at a worship service or Business Meeting.

Commentary: The decision to add a Deacon begins with the Leadership Council, which sets the number of open seats. From there the congregation carries the process: Members put names forward; the Council checks eligibility; the congregation nominates by ballot; the Council examines the most-nominated men; and the congregation confirms. The people choose, and the Council guards the qualifications of the office — an echo of Acts 6, where the congregation chose the seven and the apostles appointed them. The input window before the confirmation vote is the time for any Member to raise a concern about a man — including a biblical objection to his qualification — so that it is heard privately and answered before the church votes. Deacons are not a secondary office. They are a distinct one, set apart by the congregation with qualifications that rival the Elders’ in nearly every respect. Verse 11 of 1 Timothy 3 is a debated text: some read “the women” as deacons’ wives, others as women who serve (compare Romans 16:1). This church has adopted the wives reading and states that here as its interpretive choice rather than the only possible one. The primary distinction between the offices is the Elder’s call to teach and guard doctrine publicly. The relationship between Elders and Deacons rests more on harmony, mutual respect, and shared humility than on words on a page. The Deacon office is, at its heart, a ministry of church unity. The crisis in Acts 6 was not only unmet need; it was the murmuring that unmet need produced. A Deacon who ensures that no one is overlooked performs one of the church’s most important unity-preserving functions. One of the most important judgments Deacons make is distinguishing a temporal need from a recurring one. A temporal need is met directly through Deacon service and the Benevolence Fund. A recurring need belongs in a committee or ministry team, so it is served consistently and the Deacons remain free for the next temporal need. Deacons keep oversight of the Service Committees they coordinate; when a committee strays or falters, the Deacons address it with humility, grace, and love.

Section 7. Leadership Council

(1) Composition and Authority. The Leadership Council consists of all Active Elders and all Active Deacons. It is not a separate governing body and does not replace or stand over the Council of Elders. It is not a biblical office and has no authority of its own; it exercises only the coordinating and operational authority these Bylaws assign to it. Final decisions on church governance and spiritual direction rest with the Elders. On matters of practical service and congregational care, the Deacons lead, with the Elders available as pastoral counsel.

(2) Meetings. The Leadership Council must meet at least every other month for the operational business of the church: committee reports, facility-use approvals, nominations, and other operational matters. A quorum is a majority of its members, counting all Active Elders and Active Deacons together. The Elders may call additional meetings at any time. The Senior Pastor, as Chairman of the Council of Elders, presides. The Deacon Chairman facilitates the Deacons’ participation. Routine items may be handled between meetings by email, text, or video conference.

(3) Urgent Action Between Meetings. In a matter of genuine urgency, the Elders may act between meetings by the unanimous written consent of the Elders who can be reached. Those Elders must be a majority of all Active Elders. Such action is limited to the Leadership Council’s operational authority and is subject to the exclusions of Article V, Section 2. The Elders must report the action to the Leadership Council at its next meeting, which must ratify it. An action not ratified at that meeting has no further effect. The Senior Pastor may approve an emergency facility-use request, subject to the same report and ratification.

(4) Responsibilities. The Leadership Council must:

(a) Identify operational needs and set ministry priorities across all committees.

(b) Call Business Meetings as needed, honoring the Members’ petition right in Article V, Section 1.

(c) Call Church Council meetings as needed.

(d) Receive reports from committee chairs and ministry leaders.

(e) Fill vacancies on Discipleship and Service Committees between elections; such appointments run only until the next annual June election. Appoint interim members of Administrative Committees only as Article III, Section 5 allows; the congregation elects the permanent replacement under that Section.

(f) Nominate members of Administrative Committees under Article III, Section 5.

(g) Coordinate committee nominations, affirmations, and elections.

(h) Set and maintain the church’s facility-use policy, including approval of any use of church facilities by outside groups or individuals (Procedure 14). No non-Member use of church property is permitted without Leadership Council approval.

(i) Establish Ministry Teams as needed to meet a ministry need between elections or to staff a newly identified ministry area. Each team answers to the Leadership Council, which may dissolve it at any time. The Council must report each new team to the congregation at the next Business Meeting. A team that continues beyond 12 months must be dissolved, be proposed as a provisional committee under Article III, Section 1, or be renewed by the Leadership Council. Each renewal runs up to 12 months and must be reported to the congregation at the next Business Meeting. A team neither proposed nor renewed by the end of its term is dissolved. Where a need warrants a new standing body, the Council recommends a provisional committee to the congregation, which alone may establish it.

(j) Nominate candidates for the Administrative Officer positions of Section 9 and present them to the congregation for election. Appoint an interim officer when a vacancy arises, to serve until the congregation acts.

(k) Oversee the Administrative Officers; suspend an officer’s duties with immediate effect when circumstances require, pending congregational review within 30 days; and bring removal recommendations to the congregation when warranted (Section 9(6)).

Commentary: The Leadership Council is the church’s primary operational coordinating body, and it is important to understand what it is and is not. It is not a board that stands over or beside the Council of Elders. It is simply the Elders and Deacons — qualified men set apart by the church — meeting together so that spiritual oversight and practical service stay in constant, unified communication. The Elders and Deacons are not a hierarchy of rank but a partnership of distinct callings. The Elders bear responsibility for spiritual direction and doctrinal health; the Deacons bear responsibility for the practical care of the congregation. Each office brings what the other cannot. On matters that touch both spheres they deliberate together, with the Elders holding final authority on governance and doctrine. This mirrors Acts 6, where the apostles gave themselves to prayer and the Word while Spirit-filled men stewarded the practical needs of the congregation — not as subordinates executing orders, but as servants exercising their own wisdom and initiative. Most planning happens inside the committees and ministries, which know their own work best; the Leadership Council harmonizes, and the Church Council keeps the calendar.

Section 8. Church Council

(1) Composition and Meetings. The Church Council consists of the Leadership Council, all Ministerial Staff (full- and part-time), all committee chairs, and all ministry-team leaders. The Leadership Council must call the Church Council at least once each quarter, and may call it more often. The moderating Elder presides.

(2) Purpose. The Church Council exists for communication and coordination only. It is the forum in which committees, ministries, and staff share information, align schedules, and coordinate plans so the church functions as one body. It makes no decisions and holds no governing authority. Any matter that requires a decision goes to the Leadership Council or the body these Bylaws assign it to.

(3) Responsibilities. The Church Council must:

(a) Coordinate the master ministry calendar of the church so that committees, ministries, and staff do not conflict.

(b) Evaluate each proposed new program and recommend how it fits the total church program before the program is presented to the congregation.

Commentary: The Church Council is broader than the Leadership Council. It gives every ministry leader and committee chair a forum for coordination, and it avoids committee-by-committee isolation. The Church Council meeting is one of the most strategically important gatherings in the church’s year — the moment when the whole ministry leadership sees the church as a whole rather than through the lens of one committee. Even a brief video conference is far better than no meeting. Monthly video meetings are encouraged, in whatever format makes them genuinely productive.

Section 9. Administrative Positions

The Administrative Officers serve the practical and institutional needs of the congregation, freeing the Elders and Deacons for spiritual oversight and ministry. The Leadership Council nominates them and the congregation elects them. Item (6) governs the tenure, oversight, suspension, and removal of every officer in this Section.

(1) Church Clerk. The congregation elects the Church Clerk on the nomination of the Leadership Council. The Clerk serves until resignation or removal. The Clerk must keep accurate records of all church business; receive reports from officers and committees; conduct the correspondence of the office; keep the membership roll; sign letters of transfer; and prepare the annual associational letter.

(2) Assistant Church Clerk. The congregation may elect an Assistant Church Clerk on the nomination of the Leadership Council. The Assistant serves until resignation or removal, acts for the Clerk in the Clerk’s absence, and helps prepare the annual associational letter.

(3) Treasurer. The congregation elects the Treasurer on the nomination of the Leadership Council. The Treasurer serves until resignation or removal. The Treasurer must: keep a unified budget; record and disburse all funds given to the church; deposit all funds in accounts the church has approved; and pay out funds only as authorized. Authorization comes from the adopted budget, a vote of the church, a designated gift, or a spending authority these Bylaws grant (Article III, Sections 5.O and 4.H). Any payment above the amount set in the Finance Committee’s written policy must be approved by two people the Finance Committee has authorized (Article III, Section 5.O). The Treasurer must give written monthly financial reports to the Leadership Council and to the congregation, in the manner the Leadership Council sets. The Treasurer must also give an annual report at the end of the fiscal year. All church financial records belong to the church and are open to Member inspection under Article V, Section 19. The Trustees review the Treasurer’s records each year by March 31 (Article III, Section 5.N).

(4) Assistant Treasurer. The congregation may elect an Assistant Treasurer on the nomination of the Leadership Council. The Assistant serves until resignation or removal, acts for the Treasurer in the Treasurer’s absence, and assumes the Treasurer’s duties if the Treasurer cannot continue.

Commentary: The Assistant Treasurer and Assistant Clerk positions are optional. Filling one requires a congregational vote, like any other officer. Their value is continuity: if the Treasurer or Clerk is suddenly unable to serve, the Assistant steps in without interruption.

(5) Financial Secretary and Contribution Records. The Financial Secretary keeps the church’s records of individual contributions. The Financial Secretary must send each giver a written contribution statement by January 31 of the following year. The Leadership Council designates the Financial Secretary and may reassign the duty at any time. The Financial Secretary may not be the Treasurer or Assistant Treasurer. The Financial Secretary is a designated role, not an elected office; item (6) does not apply to it. The record of what individuals give is kept separate from the handling and disbursement of church funds.

Commentary: The Financial Secretary is no longer an elected office. The Leadership Council designates the role, so the church need not run an election or amend these Bylaws when the person changes. The separation-of-duties control is kept: the Treasurer handles and disburses funds, and a different person keeps the record of individual giving. No one person does both.

(6) General Provisions for Administrative Officers.

(a) Tenure. An Administrative Officer serves from election until resignation or removal. There is no annual re-election. The congregation votes to create an office, to fill it, to remove an officer, or to abolish the office. The Leadership Council monitors each office and brings any concern to the congregation under items (d) and (e).

(b) Oversight. The Leadership Council oversees every Administrative Officer. For a paid officer, the Personnel Committee also manages the employment relationship, including performance review, compensation, and compliance. The Leadership Council alone manages unpaid officers. Either the Leadership Council or, for a paid officer, the Personnel Committee may start a management action or a removal recommendation.

(c) Filling a Vacancy. When an office is vacant, the Leadership Council nominates a candidate and the congregation elects by majority vote of Members present and voting. Only the Leadership Council nominates for these offices. The Leadership Council may appoint an interim officer to serve until the congregation elects.

(d) Suspension. When circumstances require, the Leadership Council may suspend an officer’s signing, disbursement, and record-keeping authority with immediate effect, pending investigation. Suspension protects the church; it is not a finding of guilt. The Leadership Council must appoint an interim officer during the suspension. The Leadership Council must bring the matter to the congregation at a Business Meeting within 30 days, calling a special meeting under Article V, Section 1(4) if needed. If the congregation does not vote to remove the officer at that meeting, the suspension ends. The Council may not suspend the same officer again on substantially the same facts unless new information arises.

(e) Removal. Only the congregation may remove an Administrative Officer. A removal may be recommended by the Leadership Council, by the Council of Elders, or, for a paid officer, by the Personnel Committee. Removal requires a two-thirds vote of Members present and voting at a Business Meeting called on 14 days’ written notice. The attendance floor of Article V, Section 3 applies. The officer must be notified before the vote.

(f) Treasurer Conflict Rule. Because the Treasurer sits on the Finance Committee, a removal recommendation about the Treasurer may come only from the Leadership Council or the Council of Elders. It may not come from the Personnel Committee or the Finance Committee. The Treasurer takes no part in any Finance Committee discussion of that recommendation.

(g) Creating or Abolishing an Office. Creating a new Administrative Officer position, or abolishing one, requires an amendment under Article V, Section 6. Choosing not to fill an optional position in a given year needs no amendment.

Commentary: Administrative Officers serve indefinitely rather than standing for annual re-election. The congregation already carries a substantial election load — Elders, Deacons, and every member of the three Administrative Committees. An annual re-confirmation of each officer would burden the congregation without adding real protection, since the Leadership Council is better placed than an annual ballot to know whether an office is running well. The four moments that warrant a congregational vote are kept: creating an office, filling it, removing an officer, and abolishing it. The Trustees’ annual review and the Treasurer’s regular reports provide independent verification, and the suspension and removal tools give the congregation prompt recourse between the rare officer elections.

Church Offices — Selection, Term, and Removal

Summary only. Every row leaves out conditions. Read the section before you act. Non-Staff Elder and Deacon nominees must be at least 21 and Members for at least 2 years; Staff Elders and the Senior Pastor are exempt from the 2-year requirement (Section 1(2)).

Staff Oversight — Elders and Personnel Committee

Summary only. Every row leaves out conditions. Read Section 1(3)(k)–(l) and Section 5 before you act.

ARTICLE III — COMMITTEES AND MINISTRY TEAMS

The committees and ministry teams of the church fall into three categories: Discipleship Committees, Service Committees, and Administrative Committees. Each category has its own line of accountability. Every committee draws its members from the congregation and reports to the Leadership Council.

Commentary: The three-category framework reflects biblical principles of ordered stewardship; Scripture itself prescribes the two offices and the congregation, not a committee structure. Discipleship Committees build up the congregation spiritually under the Elders’ direction. Service Committees meet practical needs and are coordinated by the Deacons. Administrative Committees govern the church’s material and institutional affairs and answer directly to the congregation. The structure keeps any single body from holding unchecked authority. Administrative Committees are the only committees whose members the congregation elects by ballot from a list it can add to itself. The Leadership Council recommends a slate, but any Member may add a name, and the congregation chooses. These committees are not extensions of the Elders or Deacons; they are extensions of the congregation. The flowchart below shows the Administrative Committee election.

Figure 4: Administrative Committee Selection Process

The Standing Committees of the Church. The standing committees of the church are these. Each committee’s charter is in this Article at the section shown. A standing committee may be created, restructured, or ended only as these Bylaws provide.

Section 1. Universal Committee Policies

(1) Committee Year and Calendar. The committee year runs from August 1 through July 31. The Leadership Council must publish its recommended slate for Administrative Committee seats by the first Sunday of May. Any Member may add a name for 14 days after publication (Section 5(1)). Nominations for Discipleship and Service Committees close before the June Business Meeting. The congregation affirms Discipleship and Service Committee members at the June Business Meeting. The congregation elects Administrative Committee members at the Sunday morning worship services on the second Sunday of June. All committees are seated on August 1. Every committee must submit its budget request by October 1 (item (5)).

(2) Composition. Every committee has at least 3 elected members from the congregation. The Council of Elders nominates the members of Discipleship Committees, and the congregation affirms them. The Deacons nominate the members of Service Committees, with counsel from the Elders where helpful, and the congregation affirms them. The nominating body decides how many members above 3 each committee needs, according to its workload.

(3) Ex-Officio Members. The Senior Pastor is an ex-officio member of every committee and ministry team. Every Elder is an ex-officio member of every Discipleship Committee. The Deacon assigned as coordinator is an ex-officio member of that Service Committee. A staff member called to lead a discipleship ministry is an ex-officio member of the matching Discipleship Committee. The Leadership Council may designate any other staff member as an ex-officio member of a committee related to that staff member’s role. An ex-officio member has voice but no vote and does not count toward a quorum, unless the provision creating the seat says otherwise.

(4) Terms. Members of Discipleship and Service Committees serve 1-year terms, renewed at the June Business Meeting, with no limit on the number of terms. Members of Administrative Committees serve the staggered 3-year terms of Section 5.

(5) Budget Requests. Every committee that spends or requests funds must submit an annual budget request to the Finance Committee by October 1, in the format the Finance Committee sets (Procedure 8). The Finance Committee may change the format without amending these Bylaws. The Finance Committee may include a late or incomplete request at its discretion, or defer it to a supplemental request.

(6) Reports. Each committee chair must report to the Leadership Council at the meeting the Council sets, and to the congregation at each Business Meeting as the Leadership Council directs.

(7) Provisional Committees. The Council of Elders may establish a provisional Discipleship Committee, and the Deacons a provisional Service Committee, for a term of no more than 1 year. The congregation must affirm the committee at the next Business Meeting, or it ends. A provisional committee has full standing during its term, but may not submit its own budget request in its first year without Leadership Council approval. Before the term ends, the congregation may adopt the committee as a standing committee by a two-thirds vote of Members present and voting. The Church Clerk records the adoption, and these Bylaws are conformed at the next amendment. A provisional committee not adopted before its term ends is disbanded. If the congregation created a committee by voting on its members, the congregation may end that committee by the same kind of vote. A standing committee named in these Bylaws may be ended only by amendment under Article V, Section 6. No provisional committee may be created to carry on the work of a committee the congregation has disbanded, except by the congregation’s own vote under this item.

(8) Ministry Teams. A committee leads, coordinates, and oversees a ministry area; it need not do all the ministry work itself. A committee may form Ministry Teams of volunteers to carry out specific ongoing work under its direction. A team operates under its parent committee and is led by a Team Leader the committee chair appoints. Teams are not elected and need no congregational vote to form or dissolve. The chair must report team activity in the committee’s regular report. The Leadership Council may also form Ministry Teams under Article II, Section 7(4)(i).

Commentary: Committees are encouraged to nominate more than the minimum of 3 members where the ministry warrants it — a committee with broad physical responsibilities needs more hands than one with narrow programming. Elders are encouraged to recruit and encourage Members to serve on Discipleship Committees, and Deacons to do the same for Service Committees. For Discipleship and Service Committees, the church recommends that a member not serve more than 3 consecutive years without a year away, to renew perspective and prevent burnout. Ministry Teams are the way committees multiply their reach; every committee is encouraged to build them and to recruit broadly from the congregation. Ministry needs that require immediate action can be met by a Ministry Team without waiting for a congregational vote.

Section 2. Committee Chair Selection

(1) The previous chairperson presides over the first meeting of the new committee year, whether or not he or she is serving on the committee in the new year.

(2) The first meeting proceeds in this order: (a) Orientation — the previous chair explains the committee’s purpose, current responsibilities, active projects, and outstanding business; (b) Outstanding Business — unresolved matters are briefed and handed over; (c) Election — the committee elects a chair from its serving members.

(3) When the new chair is elected, the previous chair hands over the meeting. The new chair must report the change to the Leadership Council, through an Elder or Deacon, within 7 days.

(4) If the previous chair cannot preside, the Leadership Council must appoint a substitute to convene and preside: an Elder or Ministerial Staff member for a Discipleship Committee; a Deacon for a Service Committee; and a member of the Leadership Council for an Administrative Committee.

Commentary: This process ensures that institutional knowledge is handed over at the start of each committee year. The incoming chair is never left without an orientation, and outstanding business is never lost in transition. Reporting the new chair to the Leadership Council keeps the Council’s record of who leads each committee accurate.

Section 3. Discipleship Committees

Discipleship Committees serve under the pastoral guidance and equipping of the Elders and carry out the church’s ministry of discipleship and Christian education. Each Discipleship Committee must report its ministry progress to the Council of Elders at least twice each year. Section 1 governs the membership, ex-officio members, and nomination of every committee in this Section. Every committee in this Section whose work involves minors must ensure that each person serving under its oversight is screened under Article V, Section 14 before serving.

A. Youth Ministry Committee

Membership and ex-officio members are governed by Section 1 of this Article. The Elders are encouraged to nominate sufficient members to support an active youth program. A Minister of Youth or equivalent staff position, if it exists, serves automatically as an ex-officio member.

Duties:

(a) work with the Minister of Youth to advise and coordinate youth activities with the total church program

(b) support youth discipleship, missions, and outreach programming

(c) ensure a safe, structured environment for all youth activities

(d) ensure all persons serving under this committee’s oversight have completed a criminal background check satisfactory to the Personnel Committee before beginning service (see Article V, Section 14 and Procedure 13).

B. Children’s Ministry Committee

Membership and ex-officio members are governed by Section 1 of this Article. The Elders are encouraged to nominate sufficient members to support an active children’s ministry. A Children’s Ministry Director or equivalent staff position, if it exists, serves automatically as an ex-officio member.

Duties:

(a) work with the Children’s Ministry Director to advise and coordinate all children’s ministry activities, including Children’s Church

(b) ensure adequate space, equipment, literature, and personnel for children’s worship services

(c) assist in developing and evaluating a comprehensive children’s ministry program

(d) ensure all persons serving under this committee’s oversight have completed a criminal background check satisfactory to the Personnel Committee before beginning service (see Article V, Section 14 and Procedure 13).

C. Nursery Ministry Committee

Membership and ex-officio members are governed by Section 1 of this Article. A Nursery Director or equivalent staff position, if it exists, serves automatically as an ex-officio member.

Duties:

(a) ensure the nursery is staffed with at least 2 screened adults for all worship services, in accordance with the two-adult rule of Article V, Section 14

(b) maintain and ensure the adequacy of all nursery equipment

(c) coordinate nursery use for any special church group or event

(d) ensure all persons serving under this committee’s oversight have completed a criminal background check satisfactory to the Personnel Committee before beginning service (see Article V, Section 14 and Procedure 13)

(e) establish and maintain a Nursery Team of trained volunteers to ensure adequate staffing for all worship services and special events; recruit, schedule, and orient Nursery Team members under the oversight of the committee.

D. Young Adult Ministry Committee

Membership and ex-officio members are governed by Section 1 of this Article. Members are preferably drawn from the young adult stage of life (broadly, ages 18–35). A Young Adult Minister or equivalent staff position, if it exists, serves automatically as an ex-officio member.

Duties:

(a) develop, coordinate, and promote ministry programming for young adults, including college students, young professionals, and young families

(b) foster community, discipleship, and church involvement among young adults

(c) coordinate young adult events with the Church Council calendar.

E. Senior Adult Ministry Committee

Membership and ex-officio members are governed by Section 1 of this Article. Members are preferably drawn from the senior adult stage of life. A Senior Adult Minister or equivalent staff position, if it exists, serves automatically as an ex-officio member.

Duties:

(a) develop, coordinate, and promote ministry programming for senior adults, including fellowship, Bible study, service opportunities, and care ministries

(b) foster community, discipleship, and active church involvement among senior adults

(c) identify and respond to the pastoral and practical needs of senior adults in coordination with the Deacons

(d) coordinate senior adult events with the Church Council calendar.

F. Music Committee

Membership and ex-officio members are governed by Section 1 of this Article. The Worship Leader or equivalent staff position serves as an ex-officio member. The Elders are encouraged to nominate at least 3 members with interest and involvement in music ministry.

Duties:

(a) support the Minister of Music or Worship Leader, who plans the regular music program of the church, including special musical programs

(b) recommend necessary changes or improvements in the music program to the Leadership Council

(c) oversee the use and maintenance of all acoustic and electronic musical instruments (guitars, keyboards, drums, brass, and others) and their directly attached performance equipment (instrument amplifiers and instrument cables). Responsibility for the audio signal chain from the output stage onward belongs to the Media Committee.

Commentary: The Music Committee is encouraged to maintain an active Worship Team of musicians and vocalists. The committee oversees and supports that team; it need not lead worship itself. Where a Worship Leader serves on staff, the committee works under that leader’s direction on worship style, song selection, and musical standards. The committee’s role is to support, resource, and advocate for the music ministry — not to manage its execution.

G. Missions and Outreach Committee

Membership and ex-officio members are governed by Section 1 of this Article. The Elders are encouraged to nominate members with a demonstrated heart for evangelism and missions.

Purpose: to mobilize the congregation for local evangelization and world missions (Matthew 28:18–20; Acts 1:8), serving under the pastoral direction of the Elders in their duty to lead the church’s outreach.

Duties:

(a) coordinate local outreach and evangelism efforts with the church’s ministries

(b) develop and maintain mission partnerships, and organize mission trips and projects as the Elders approve

(c) lead the congregation in missions education and prayer

(d) recommend missions and outreach support to the Finance Committee in the annual budget process.

Section 4. Service Committees

Service Committees are coordinated by the Deacons and meet the practical needs of the congregation and the church facility. The Deacons nominate the members of Service Committees, with counsel from the Elders where helpful, and the congregation affirms them. Section 1 governs the membership and ex-officio members of every committee in this Section. The Deacons must assign one Deacon as coordinator of each Service Committee; the coordinator is an ex-officio member of that committee.

Commentary: The Deacon coordinator’s role reflects Acts 6. The apostles did not manage the tables themselves; they appointed qualified men to coordinate the church’s practical service. When these Bylaws say a Deacon “coordinates” a Service Committee, the Deacon stewards that committee’s health; he does not lead or direct it. The committee has its own elected chair. The coordinator attends as an ex-officio member, makes sure the committee meets, carries direction from the Leadership Council, encourages the members, links the committee to the Leadership Council, and is the first to notice when a committee is struggling. He stewards the committee. He does not run it.

H. Building and Grounds Committee

Membership and ex-officio members are governed by Section 1 of this Article. The Deacons are encouraged to nominate a larger-than-minimum number of members given the breadth of physical responsibilities this committee carries. Any staff custodian or facilities manager, if such a position exists, may be designated by the Leadership Council as an ex-officio member.

Duties:

(a) see that all property (equipment, buildings, and grounds) is kept clean and in good repair, except grounds, buildings, and equipment whose primary purpose is recreation, which the Recreation Committee maintains

(b) decide emergency expenditures — an emergency being a condition posing immediate risk to persons, property, or the continuity of worship — in coordination with the Deacon coordinator and the Finance Committee Chair, up to the limit in the Finance Committee’s written spending policy, and report each emergency expenditure at the next Business Meeting

(c) recommend permanent custodial personnel to the Personnel Committee, which holds hiring authority for Non-Ministerial Staff; provide functional and operational input on custodial role requirements to the Personnel Committee, which holds final authority over job description content (Article III, Section 5.P); and serve as the primary day-to-day point of contact for custodial staff

(d) maintain an up-to-date inventory of all church property and equipment

(e) support the Trustees in keeping church property adequately insured (the Trustees lead on insurance).

I. Host and Hostess Committee

Membership and ex-officio members are governed by Section 1 of this Article.

Duties:

(a) make necessary arrangements for all church-wide fellowships involving dinners or refreshments

(b) coordinate hospitality for special services, guest speakers, and church events

(c) assist with meal preparation and delivery for Members in need, in coordination with the Benevolence Fund

(d) establish and maintain a Host and Hostess Team of volunteers to assist with event preparation, hospitality, and meal ministry; recruit and coordinate team members to extend the committee’s capacity to serve the congregation.

J. Recreation Committee

Membership and ex-officio members are governed by Section 1 of this Article.

Duties:

(a) be responsible for all recreational activities of the church, including inter-church activities

(b) evaluate all functions relative to their contribution to the objectives of the church

(c) be responsible for the maintenance and repair of grounds, buildings, and equipment whose primary purpose is recreation

(d) enforce recreational policies adopted by the church for recreation-related activities and events; facility-use policy broadly is established and managed by the Leadership Council

(e) coordinate all functions with the Deacons and the Church Council

(f) ensure that all league or tournament expenses are funded by revenues generated from those activities.

K. Cemetery Committee

Membership and ex-officio members are governed by Section 1 of this Article.

Duties:

(a) prepare and present to the church for approval a complete set of cemetery policies

(b) enforce adopted cemetery policies

(c) be responsible for the overall care and maintenance of the cemetery grounds

(d) maintain accurate records of all interments and plot assignments.

L. Media Committee

Membership and ex-officio members are governed by Section 1 of this Article. The Leadership Council may designate a staff or appointed Social Media Manager, sound technician, or media technician as an ex-officio member where such a position exists.

Duties:

(a) oversee all audio, video, and broadcast systems from the signal output stage forward (mixing boards, PA amplifiers, speakers, in-ear monitor systems, recording equipment, projection systems, and streaming infrastructure); this committee is responsible for all equipment from the signal output stage onward, and equipment on the instrument side of that line (instruments, instrument cables, and instrument amplifiers) belongs to the Music Committee

(b) recommend the purchase and maintenance of media and technology equipment

(c) maintain the Media Team, a standing team of trained volunteers who operate media equipment for all services and events; recruit, train, and schedule Media Team members under the oversight of the committee

(d) oversee the church website, social media, and streaming capabilities.

M. Security Committee

Membership and ex-officio members are governed by Section 1 of this Article. The Security Committee is a decision-making and oversight body for the Security Team: it sets policy, recruits and vets team members, and ensures compliance. Committee members are not required to serve on or carry as part of the Security Team. At least one member of the Security Committee should be a person who does not carry a firearm and does not serve on the Security Team, to provide independent perspective, civilian oversight, and feedback on the optics and pastoral dimensions of the committee’s decisions.

Duties:

(a) develop and implement security policies and procedures for all worship services and church events

(b) coordinate with local law enforcement and emergency services as needed

(c) train and coordinate security volunteers for services and events

(d) maintain and regularly review the church’s emergency response and evacuation plans

(e) establish and maintain a Security Team of trained volunteers who serve at worship services and church events; recruit, train, and schedule Security Team members; ensure all team members meet training requirements established by the committee; and ensure all team members comply with applicable Louisiana and federal law governing the carrying of firearms on church property (Procedure 12)

(f) ensure that any Security Team member who carries a firearm on church property has first obtained written authorization from the Senior Pastor and has satisfied all requirements of Louisiana and applicable federal law before serving in an armed capacity; and maintain current written documentation of authorization and legal compliance for each armed team member

(g) ensure that all Security Team members complete a criminal background check before serving, and that any team member who serves in an area where minors are present has been cleared in accordance with the church’s Child Safety and Minor Protection Policy (Article V, Section 14 and Procedure 13).

Commentary: The Security Committee is an oversight and policy body, not a security team. The church encourages that at least one member of the committee be a person who does not carry a firearm and does not serve on the team. Use of force and security posture are among the most sensitive subjects a church handles. A member who stands outside the armed team brings what the team often cannot: a sense of how security decisions appear to a visiting family, awareness of concerns the team may not think to raise, and independent judgment. That member is also the committee’s first internal check, should it drift toward a posture out of step with the pastoral culture of the church.

Section 5. Administrative Committees

Administrative Committees are elected directly by the congregation and govern the church’s financial, legal, and personnel matters. They carry the congregation’s authority in their assigned areas and act with the independence their work requires. The Elders do not direct their day-to-day work. A concern of spiritual or doctrinal significance raised by the Council of Elders must be considered promptly and prayerfully. The Elders must appoint one non-voting Elder liaison to each Administrative Committee; the liaison promotes communication and spiritual alignment and does not direct the committee or vote.

(1) Election. The congregation elects the members of Administrative Committees each year, as follows:

(a) By the first Sunday of May, the Leadership Council must publish a recommended slate for the open seats on each committee, stating the number of seats.

(b) For 14 days after publication, any Member may add a name by written nomination delivered to the Church Clerk. The Leadership Council must add every nominee who is a Member, meets any requirement of the committee, and is willing to serve. The Council may not decline a nominee for any other reason.

(c) At least 14 days before the election, the Leadership Council must publish every name — the slate and the additions — with a brief biography of each.

(d) The election is held by written ballot at the Sunday morning worship services on the second Sunday of June. The Leadership Council prepares, distributes, and counts the ballots and confirms the quorum. No committee prepares ballots for its own election.

(e) If the names for a committee equal its open seats, the congregation votes “yes” or “no” on each name. A majority of the votes cast on a name elects. If the names exceed the seats, each Member votes for up to the number of seats. A name must appear on more than half of the ballots cast to be elected. Among the names that qualify, seats go in order of vote totals. A tie for the last seat is decided by a runoff at the services on the following Sunday.

(f) A seat not filled at the election is filled under item (5).

(2) Executive Session. An Administrative Committee may meet in executive session, excluding any ex-officio or liaison member, whenever it takes up a matter touching that member or a sensitive personnel matter.

(3) Committee Size. Each Administrative Committee has at least 3 elected members and no fixed maximum. The Leadership Council decides how many members each committee needs. With congregational approval, the Council may add seats. The Council may decline to fill a vacated seat if the committee keeps at least 3 elected members. The number of seats may not be reduced below the number of sitting members; any reduction takes effect only as terms expire. No Procedure may vacate or suspend an elected seat. A member elected to a newly created seat begins a full 3-year term.

(4) Terms and Rotation. Elected members of Administrative Committees serve 3-year terms, staggered so that only part of each committee’s seats expires in any year. A member whose term ends may be re-nominated and re-elected at once. A member elected to a seat vacated mid-term serves the rest of that term. An officer who sits on a committee by virtue of office, such as the Treasurer on the Finance Committee, holds that seat while holding the office. The 3-year term does not apply to that seat.

(5) Mid-Term Vacancies. When a seat falls vacant mid-term and the Leadership Council chooses to fill it, the Council may appoint an interim member to serve until the congregation elects. The Council must announce a nomination window of at least 7 days, in which any Member may nominate under the rule in item (1)(b). The congregation elects a member to complete the term at the next Business Meeting, by majority of Members present and voting. The Council may leave a seat unfilled if the committee keeps at least 3 elected members.

(6) Removal and Deemed Resignation. The congregation may remove an Administrative Committee member for cause, on the recommendation of the Leadership Council. Cause includes misconduct, a conflict of interest, or refusal to step down despite a clear problem. Removal requires a two-thirds vote of Members present and voting, by secret ballot, at a Business Meeting called on 14 days’ notice stating the matter. The attendance floor of Article V, Section 3 applies. Ordinary questions of fit are handled by not re-nominating a member when the term ends. A member who misses 3 consecutive regular meetings without excuse, or who tells the chair in writing that he or she is unwilling to continue, has resigned the seat. The chair must report the vacancy to the Leadership Council, which fills it under item (5).

Commentary: The congregation elects these committees by a process it can shape. The Leadership Council does the legwork of a recommended slate, but any Member may add a name, and the congregation chooses among all the names. A yes/no vote on a slate alone would be confirmation; the right to add names makes it selection. The staggered 3-year terms keep the committees experienced while a member who is a poor fit simply is not re-nominated — no removal vote is needed. When these provisions first take effect, initial terms are assigned under Article V, Section 22.

N. Trustees

The Trustees have at least 3 members elected by the congregation. No Trustee may serve as Treasurer at the same time.

Duties:

(a) serve as the legal representative of the church; the Trustees do not make policy

(b) keep records of all church property and sign for every legal transaction the church has voted; at least 2 Trustees must sign every legal document

(c) conduct the annual internal review of the church’s financial records for the past year by March 31, and report it at the April Business Meeting

(d) keep all church property insured against loss, update property values by appraisal as warranted, and review the property inventory the Building and Grounds Committee keeps. A proposal to buy, sell, mortgage, or dispose of real property may be brought by the Leadership Council or the Trustees. It requires a two-thirds vote of Members present and voting at a Business Meeting, with the attendance floor of Article V, Section 3. The Trustees may sign related documents only after that vote.

O. Finance Committee

The Finance Committee has at least 3 members elected by the congregation, and the Treasurer, who serves ex-officio with voice but no vote and does not count toward the quorum.

Duties:

(a) prepare the proposed annual budget in consultation with all committees, ministry teams, and staff, using their budget requests

(b) distribute the draft budget to the congregation in writing during November, inviting questions, and present the final budget at the December Business Meeting for adoption

(c) supervise spending under the adopted budget and the policies of the church

(d) approve unbudgeted spending between Business Meetings, up to the limit in its written spending policy. The policy, and every change to it, takes effect when the congregation approves it by majority vote at a Business Meeting. The approved policy is filed with the Church Clerk. The Committee must present the policy for approval within 60 days after these Bylaws take effect. Until the congregation approves the policy, every limit the policy would set is $0. The Committee must report each expenditure made under this item at the next Business Meeting

(e) give or withhold its written consent to the funding of any proposed Staff Elder before the nomination goes to the congregation (Article II, Section 3)

(f) meet at least quarterly to review the budget and report a summary to the Leadership Council

(g) review every motion to be presented at a Business Meeting that would change the budget

(h) recommend an annual stewardship emphasis

(i) submit the proposed budget to the Council of Elders for advisory review before presenting it to the congregation (Article II, Section 1(3)(n))

(j) receive the Personnel Committee’s compensation recommendations by October 15 and include them in the final budget

(k) move money between lines of the adopted budget, up to the limit in the written spending policy of item (d). A transfer may not change total spending, may not reduce a committee’s adopted allocation, and may not touch designated gifts (Article V, Section 8). The Committee must report each transfer at the next Business Meeting. A larger change to the budget goes to the congregation under Article V, Section 5.

Commentary: The Finance Committee prepares and presents the budget because it holds the stewardship mandate from the congregation. The Elders review the draft to ensure ministry priorities are reflected, but the Finance Committee independently prepares and advocates for the budget. No single body both sets ministry direction and controls the budget. When the Leadership Council recommends nominees, several qualities deserve weight: trustworthiness with confidential financial information; a personal pattern of regular giving; and the ability to weigh every ministry fairly rather than favoring one. These are not bylaw requirements, but they describe the character this role demands.

P. Personnel Committee

The Personnel Committee has at least 3 members elected by the congregation.

Duties:

(a) develop and maintain a written job description for every paid position; present ministerial job descriptions, and changes to them, to the congregation for approval; hold final authority over non-ministerial job descriptions, with no congregational vote required

(b) assign each paid position its classification, Ministerial or Non-Ministerial, when its job description is created, with the concurrence of the Elders. Record the classification in the personnel file

(c) conduct an annual performance review of every paid staff member, in coordination with the Elders for Ministerial Staff, and keep the record in the personnel file; share findings that bear on ministerial fitness with the Elders

(d) recommend Ministerial Staff to the congregation for affirmation, after consulting the appropriate ministry committee and receiving the Elders’ input on ministerial qualifications

(e) deliver to the Finance Committee, by October 15 each year, its recommendations to the congregation on changes in staff compensation, working conditions, benefits, vacation, and sick leave (Luke 10:7). The Finance Committee reviews each recommendation and includes it in the proposed budget (Article III, Section 5.O(j))

(f) keep a personnel file for each staff member containing the current job description, the notes of each annual review, and the terms of employment

(g) administer the background-check program and ensure that the church’s child protection procedures are followed for all staff and volunteers (Article V, Section 14)

(h) give or withhold its written consent to the employment terms and role of any proposed Staff Elder before the nomination goes to the congregation (Article II, Section 3)

(i) count and report the results of congregational votes on staff matters; the Leadership Council prepares the ballots for Administrative Committee elections, and no committee prepares ballots for its own election

(j) hire Non-Ministerial Staff, and end their employment, under its written procedures and within the adopted budget. Before ending employment, except a position elimination under Article II, Section 5(4)(d), the Committee must give the staff member a written statement of the reasons and meet with the staff member to hear a response. A decision made without that step has no effect until the step is taken. The Committee must adopt written procedures for this item within 60 days after these Bylaws take effect. Until it does, items (a), (b), and this item govern a hiring or an ending of employment directly. The Committee must report each hiring, and each ending of employment, to the congregation at the next Business Meeting.

Commentary: The Personnel Committee’s independence from the Elders in conducting reviews and maintaining job descriptions is intentional. Staff deserve a fair, structured process that is not subject to the relational dynamics of shepherding. The Elder liaison ensures spiritual concerns are heard; the committee deliberates and decides independently. That protects the staff, the Elders, and the integrity of the process. When the Leadership Council recommends nominees, several qualities deserve weight: grace and humility in difficult conversations; freedom from any family or close personal tie to a staff member that could create partiality; and the ability to be both structured and compassionate. These are not bylaw requirements, but they describe the character this role demands.

The Three Election Tracks Compared

Summary only. Every row leaves out conditions. Read the governing section before you act.

Money and Property — Who Decides

Summary only. Every row leaves out conditions. Read the governing section before you act. Every financial path ends at either the congregation or a published report.

ARTICLE IV — STATEMENT ON MARRIAGE AND SEXUALITY

We believe that the term “marriage” has one meaning: the lifelong, exclusive union of one man and one woman, as ordained by God and set out in Scripture (Genesis 2:24).

We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. Any form of sexual immorality is sinful and offensive to God. This includes adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography, and any attempt to change or deny one’s biological sex.

We believe the biblical teaching that marriage is between one man and one woman. For that reason the ministers of this church do not perform, and church property is not used for, any marriage outside that definition.

We believe that every person must be shown compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. This church speaks the truth about sin clearly and without apology, and extends the same grace it has received from Christ. Hateful or harassing behavior toward any person is repudiated and is contrary to Scripture and the doctrines of this church. This church does not endorse, affirm, celebrate, or facilitate any form of sexual sin or gender confusion, including homosexuality, same-sex relationships, or the denial of biological sex. Offering compassion to struggling sinners is the call of the gospel; affirming their sin in any form is its betrayal.

We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

Commentary: This article is a confessional statement, not a peripheral policy. It reflects the unanimous teaching of Scripture and the unbroken witness of the Christian church. It stands as a bylaw article for three reasons: to protect the legal standing of our ministers and facilities against compelled participation in any ceremony or activity that contradicts our doctrine; to make our confession unmistakably clear to members, prospective members, and the public; and to set a standard that no officer, Elder, or body of this church may waive or make exceptions to without a full amendment. The pastoral charge stands beside the doctrinal line: we speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), we call all people to repentance and faith in Christ (Acts 17:30), and we treat every person, whatever their sin, with the dignity owed to one made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27).

ARTICLE V — GENERAL POLICIES

Section 1. Business Meetings

(1) Regular Meetings. The church holds 6 regular Business Meetings each year, on the Wednesday after the first Sunday of February, April, June, August, October, and December. The Leadership Council may move a regular meeting for sufficient cause and may call additional meetings at any time. In no case may fewer than 6 Business Meetings be held in any 12-month period.

(2) Notice. Notice of every Business Meeting is given by the Leadership Council. Notice is given by announcement at the Sunday morning worship services and by publication in the church bulletin or its electronic equivalent. Notice must be given at least 14 days before the meeting and must state the business to be decided. Notice takes effect when it is first announced or published, whichever is earlier.

(3) Order of Business. The order of business at a regular meeting is: (a) call to order and opening prayer; (b) reading and approval of minutes; (c) report of the Treasurer; (d) reports of ministries; (e) report of the Deacons; (f) reports of Discipleship and Service Committees; (g) reports of Administrative and provisional committees; (h) old and unfinished business; (i) new business.

(4) Special Meetings. The Leadership Council may call a special Business Meeting on 14 days’ Notice. In a genuine emergency, the Leadership Council may call a special meeting on 3 days’ Notice stating the business. An emergency meeting may act only on the stated business and may not take up a matter listed in Section 2(5). The Leadership Council must explain the emergency at the next regular meeting.

(5) Meetings by Petition. 25 Members may require a Business Meeting by written petition delivered to the Leadership Council or the Church Clerk. The Church Clerk must verify the signatures and the membership of the petitioners as of the day the petition is delivered. This verification applies to every petition these Bylaws authorize. The Leadership Council must call the meeting within 30 days of receiving the petition, and the Notice must state the petitioned business. If the Leadership Council has not given Notice by the 16th day after the petition is received, the Church Clerk must give the Notice. If the Clerk does not, a Member the petitioners designate may give it. The meeting then proceeds.

(6) New Business. Any Member may make a motion under new business at any Business Meeting. A substantive motion not stated in the Notice may be introduced and discussed. Its binding vote is taken at the next Business Meeting, or at a special meeting called on 14 days’ Notice. Routine and procedural matters may be decided the same day. A motion that affects the adopted budget must follow Section 5.

(7) Actions Taken Without Proper Notice. This item applies when a meeting was held without the Notice this Section requires, or a required step was missed. The actions taken there still stand unless a Member challenges them in writing to the Church Clerk before the next regular Business Meeting. If a challenge is made, the congregation votes at that meeting to keep or undo the action. This item does not apply to the matters listed in Section 2(5); those are valid only when their own requirements are met.

Commentary: Business meetings follow a fixed schedule — the Wednesday after the first Sunday of every second month, beginning in February — so the whole congregation knows well in advance when the church gathers for business. Setting the dates in the Bylaws guarantees at least 6 meetings a year and protects the congregation’s regular voice, while the Leadership Council may still call more as needs arise. The 14-day notice means no one is surprised and everyone has time to prepare and pray. The fixed rhythm lines up with the budget cycle and the annual elections: the Trustees’ review is reported in April, committees are affirmed in June, elections fall between the August and October meetings, and the budget is adopted in December.

Figure 5: The Church Year at a Glance

Regular Business-Meeting Schedule

Section 2. Quorum

(1) A quorum is the lesser of 25 Members or 20% of the Members, rounded up to the next whole Member.

(2) A quorum is required for every Business Meeting, and for every election, removal, and other secret-ballot vote held at worship services under these Bylaws. The moderator must confirm and record the quorum before the result is declared. Acts of welcome, such as receiving new Members, do not require a quorum count.

(3) For a vote held across more than one worship service, each Member may cast one ballot, however many services he or she attends. The church must track ballots to prevent duplicate voting. The quorum is measured by the number of different Members present across those services.

(4) If a Business Meeting does not reach a quorum, it must adjourn without binding business. Reports may be given to those present, but no vote may be taken.

(5) If a quorum cannot be reached and a matter is genuinely urgent, the Leadership Council may act on an interim basis. Interim action is limited to urgent operational matters needed to prevent immediate harm. The Council must bring the action to the next properly convened Business Meeting for ratification. An action not ratified there ends. Interim action may never include property transactions, church discipline, elections, or amendment of these Bylaws.

Section 3. Voting

(1) Voice Votes. Votes at a Business Meeting are ordinarily taken by voice. The moderator must call a counted vote, by show of hands or by ballot, in three cases: when the rule requires a specific fraction; when the result of a voice vote is in doubt; or when any Member asks for a count.

(2) Secret Ballots. A written secret ballot is used whenever these Bylaws require it, or whenever a Member asks for one and the congregation agrees by a counted vote. Secret ballots for the Elder, Staff Elder, Senior Pastor, and Deacon votes, and for Administrative Committee elections, are taken at the Sunday morning worship services as those sections direct. Every other secret ballot — including any vote on removal or discipline — is taken at the Business Meeting where the matter is decided.

(3) Presence. A Member must be present to vote. Proxy and absentee voting are not allowed.

(4) Removal and Discipline Votes. Every vote to remove or discipline an Elder, Deacon, Administrative Officer, Administrative Committee member, or Member is taken by secret ballot.

(5) Attendance Floor. For a vote to remove an Elder, the Senior Pastor, a Deacon, an Administrative Officer, or an Administrative Committee member; to remove a Member or suspend a Member from the Lord’s Supper under Article I, Section 3; to buy, sell, or mortgage real property; to amend these Bylaws; or to merge or dissolve the church — the Members present must number at least the greater of 25 or 20% of the Members. A vote taken without that attendance has no effect.

(6) Neutral Moderator. A matter of removal or discipline may not be moderated by its subject. A matter in which the Council of Elders is a party, or has an interest of its own, may not be moderated by an Elder. In either case, if the usual moderator cannot serve, the congregation elects a moderator for that matter by majority vote.

(7) Ties and Computation. A tie vote defeats the motion. Unless a section states a different basis, a required majority or percentage is computed on the Members present and voting.

Commentary: Elections — where the congregation decides weighty matters such as its Elders, Deacons, Senior Pastor, and Administrative Committees — are held at Sunday morning worship services, where the whole church is gathered. Affirmations and ordinary business are conducted at Business Meetings. Voice votes are the ordinary practice of this church; the counted-vote rule exists so that every threshold in these Bylaws can be measured when it matters.

Vote Threshold Reference

Summary only. Every row leaves out conditions. Read the governing section before you act; where a section states a different rule, that section controls.

Section 4. Parliamentary Procedure

Unless these Bylaws provide otherwise, Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised governs the conduct of business.

Section 5. Motions Affecting the Budget

A committee recommending a paid position must consult the Finance Committee before recommending a salary to the congregation. A motion that affects the adopted budget must be given to the Finance Committee in writing at least 7 days before the Business Meeting at which it will be considered. For an emergency meeting under Section 1(4), the motion must be given to the Finance Committee as early as practicable before the meeting.

Section 6. Amending These Bylaws

(1) A Member or committee proposing an amendment must present it in writing at a regular Business Meeting.

(2) The Church Clerk must publish the proposed amendment in the church bulletin, or its electronic equivalent, on the following Sunday.

(3) The congregation discusses and votes on the amendment at the next regular Business Meeting. Adoption requires a two-thirds vote of Members present and voting, with the attendance floor of Section 3(5).

(4) An amendment takes effect when adopted, unless it states a later date.

(5) Transition. Unless the amendment says otherwise: a process already underway when the amendment takes effect finishes under the rules in force when it began; and a person already in office serves out the term under the rules in force when he or she was elected. A process is underway once its first required notice or announcement has been given.

Commentary: Bylaws are meant to be stable, not immovable — and never changed carelessly. The two-meeting process gives the congregation time to read, pray, discuss, and arrive at the vote with considered minds. The two-thirds majority and the attendance floor ensure that a change reflects genuine broad consensus, not a bare majority on a sparse night. Operational details belong in the Trinity Operating Manual, which the Leadership Council may update without this process. Procedure 11 gives the step-by-step amendment process.

Section 7. Ordinances

(1) The Lord’s Supper. The church observes the Lord’s Supper at least once each quarter, at times the Elders set. It is open to baptized believers walking in fellowship with Christ and His church. A Member under suspension from the Lord’s Supper does not take part until the suspension ends.

(2) Baptism. The church baptizes new believers as soon as circumstances permit after their profession of faith.

Section 8. Designated Gifts

(1) The Finance Committee may accept, decline, and administer designated gifts, including conditional and unbudgeted gifts, consistent with the church’s mission and adopted policies. It must report each designated gift to the Leadership Council.

(2) Designated funds may be spent only for the purpose designated. If a designated purpose becomes impossible, impracticable, or fully accomplished, the remaining funds are re-designated with the donor’s written consent. If the donor is unavailable, the congregation re-designates them by majority vote of Members present and voting, consistent with applicable law.

(3) All designated funds, including the Benevolence Fund, are held in the church’s unified accounts, recorded in the Treasurer’s books, and included in the annual internal financial review. The Deacons’ annual benevolence report states totals only, to protect recipient privacy.

(4) No one may announce or solicit a church-wide fundraising campaign or a new designated fund without prior congregational approval at a Business Meeting. In a crisis, the Elders and Deacons acting together may authorize an immediate benevolence appeal, and must report the appeal and its receipts at the next Business Meeting.

(5) The Elders may refer any designated gift to the congregation for a vote. They must refer a gift that would create a new program, a staff position, or an interest in real property. They must also refer any gift greater than 10% of the adopted annual budget. The congregation accepts a referred gift by majority vote of Members present and voting.

Section 9. Fiscal and Program Years

(1) The fiscal year runs from January 1 to December 31. If no budget has been adopted by January 1, the prior year’s budget continues at one-twelfth per month until a budget is adopted.

(2) The Sunday School year begins August 1. The Sunday School operates under the oversight of the Elders, who set its structure, leadership, and curriculum. The Leadership Council may move the start date for a given year by majority vote, if it announces the change to the congregation no later than the June Business Meeting.

Section 10. Southern Baptist Cooperation

Trinity Baptist Church cooperates fully with the North Shore Baptist Association, the Louisiana Baptist Convention, and the Southern Baptist Convention. The congregation elects messengers and alternates to their annual meetings before each meeting, in the numbers those bodies allow. Messengers are the Members who carry this church’s vote at those meetings; they carry the church’s voice, not their own authority. Only a church associated with the Southern Baptist Convention, the Louisiana Baptist Convention, or the local Baptist association is a church of like faith and order.

Section 11. Resignations

A person resigning from an elected position must deliver a written resignation to the Church Clerk or the Leadership Council. The resignation takes effect when delivered unless it states a later date. An Elder stepping down from the Council of Elders follows Article II, Section 3(4); returning to the office requires election under Article II, Section 4. A serving member of the Ministerial Staff so elected serves as a Staff Elder (Article II, Section 3(5)).

Section 12. Literature

The primary literature for all church organizations is literature published by the Southern Baptist Convention or in harmony with its teachings.

Section 13. Committee Reports

A committee’s report is given by its chair or a member the chair designates. A member of a committee who wishes to give a minority report must tell the committee at its regular meeting. The minority report may be received after the committee’s report, but may be acted on only if a Member moves, and another seconds, to substitute it for the committee’s report.

Section 14. Child Safety and Minor Protection

The church is committed to the safety, protection, and well-being of every child and minor in its care. This Section sets the minimum safeguards for every person — staff, volunteer, or committee member — who serves in any role involving minors.

(1) Background Checks. No person, paid or volunteer, may serve in a role with regular or unsupervised contact with minors until that person has passed a criminal background check the Personnel Committee accepts. This applies to workers in Children’s, Youth, and Nursery ministries, and to Security Team members assigned where minors are present, among others. Checks must be renewed at least every 3 years for volunteers and every year for paid staff. The Personnel Committee sets the approved provider and minimum screening standards and keeps the records (Procedure 13).

(2) Two-Adult Rule. No adult may be alone with a minor in any church-sponsored setting. At least 2 screened adults must be present whenever minors are under church supervision, including in classrooms, the nursery, vehicles, and off-site events.

(3) Reporting. Any staff member, volunteer, or committee member who has reasonable cause to believe that a child has been abused, neglected, or exploited must report it immediately. The report goes to the civil authorities as Louisiana law requires, and through the internal path of Section 18. The church does not impede or discourage any legally required report.

(4) Responsibility. The Personnel Committee administers the background-check program and keeps its records. The Children’s, Youth, and Nursery Ministry Committees must ensure that everyone serving under their oversight is screened before serving. The Security Committee must ensure the same for the Security Team. The Elders keep spiritual oversight of this Section and may require additional safeguards at any time.

Commentary: The protection of children is a non-negotiable priority. Scripture calls us to protect the vulnerable and to welcome children as Jesus did (Mark 10:14). This Section is not about distrust of our members; it is about a culture of accountability and transparency that honors the children in our care and the families who entrust them to us. Churches that have failed here did not fail for lack of good intentions; they failed for lack of clear procedures. The detailed steps, including the background-check process and screening standards, are in Procedure 13.

Section 15. Matters Not Provided For

The congregation may act on any substantive matter these Bylaws do not address. In the ordinary course, the Council of Elders brings the matter, with the agreement of a majority of the Leadership Council. The congregation decides by majority vote of Members present and voting at a Business Meeting. This Section does not limit a Member’s right to initiate action under Article I, Section 4(2). Operational matters these Bylaws do not address remain within the Leadership Council’s authority under the Trinity Operating Manual. This Section may not be used to amend these Bylaws or to bypass any process, threshold, or authority stated in them. It may not be used to exercise a power reserved to the congregation in any way other than its governing section provides.

Commentary: No set of bylaws can anticipate every circumstance a church will face. This Section prevents two failures: paralysis (“the Bylaws don’t mention it, so we cannot act”) and improvisation (leaders acting on new matters with no defined path). The ordinary course runs through the same channel as everything else in this document — leadership discerns, the congregation decides — while the congregation’s own initiative rights remain fully available. The closing sentence is the guard rail: this Section opens a path for genuinely new matters; it is never a shortcut around the deliberate processes this document establishes.

Section 16. Merger, Dissolution, and Disposition of Assets

Three actions may be adopted only by the amendment process of Section 6, including its two-thirds vote and attendance floor: a merger of the church with another body; a dissolution of the church; and a sale or disposition of all or substantially all of its assets. On dissolution, after all obligations are paid, the remaining assets go to one or more nonprofit organizations of like faith and practice, as the congregation designates. Each must be exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. No asset may go to the benefit of any individual.

Commentary: The weightiest decision a congregation can make deserves the document’s most deliberate process. Requiring the amendment standard ensures these matters never ride on a bare majority at a single meeting, and the asset-distribution clause protects donor intent and the church’s tax-exempt obligations.

Section 17. Conflict of Interest

This Section applies to every Elder, Deacon, Administrative Officer, committee member, and staff member. A person with a personal, family, or financial interest in a matter before a body he or she serves on must disclose the interest. That person takes no part in the deliberation or vote. No person may deliberate or vote on his or her own removal, discipline, or compensation. No person may deliberate or vote on a matter in which a member of his or her household has a financial interest. A person who recuses does not count toward the quorum for that matter. The Leadership Council must keep a written conflict-of-interest policy and may require annual written disclosures.

Section 18. Whistleblower and Protected Reporting

(1) No Member, officer, volunteer, or employee may be retaliated against for a good-faith report of suspected misconduct, financial impropriety, or abuse.

(2) Suspected child abuse or neglect must be reported immediately to the civil authorities as the law requires, and to the Senior Pastor. If the report concerns the Senior Pastor or an Elder, it goes instead to the Deacon Chairman or the Personnel Committee Chair. If it concerns one of those persons, it goes to any Elder or Deacon who is not the subject. The duty to report to civil authorities never depends on any internal report.

(3) Any other suspected misconduct may be reported to any Elder, the Deacon Chairman, or the Personnel Committee Chair.

(4) Suspected financial impropriety may be reported to any of those persons or to any member of the Finance Committee. Whoever receives it must in every case inform the Finance Committee Chair, or, if the concern involves the Chair, another member of the Finance Committee.

(5) The person who receives a report must see that it is handled under the procedures kept for this Section. The Leadership Council must maintain those procedures.

Section 19. Corporate Status and Tax-Exempt Purposes

(1) The church is Trinity Baptist Church, Inc., a Louisiana nonprofit corporation. Its legal situs (its official legal location) is Hammond, Louisiana, and it is known in the community as Pumpkin Center. Its registered office and registered agent are as stated in its Articles of Incorporation.

(2) The church is organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, and educational purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

(3) No part of the church’s net earnings may go to the benefit of any Member, Elder, Deacon, officer, or other private person. The church may pay reasonable compensation for services and make payments that further its exempt purposes.

(4) No substantial part of the church’s activities may be attempting to influence legislation. The church may not take part in any political campaign for or against a candidate for public office.

(5) For the Louisiana Nonprofit Corporation Law, the Council of Elders is the board of directors of the corporation, and the congregation keeps the powers these Bylaws reserve to it. If fewer than 3 Elders are serving, the Deacons must designate enough Deacons to bring the board to 3 members, solely for civil-law purposes, until a third Elder is seated. That service confers no spiritual office or authority.

(6) A Member may inspect the corporate and financial records of the church for a proper purpose, on reasonable written notice, consistent with Louisiana law. The Church Clerk must file the corporation’s annual report with the Louisiana Secretary of State on time and keep the registered agent current.

Section 20. Indemnification and Insurance

To the fullest extent Louisiana law (La. R.S. 12:227) permits, the church indemnifies (protects and covers the costs of) those who serve it against expenses reasonably incurred in any proceeding arising from that service. This covers any Elder, Deacon, Administrative Officer, Trustee, committee member, or agent who acted in good faith and within his or her authority. The church may buy and maintain directors-and-officers and general-liability insurance for those who serve. This Section does not cover willful misconduct, gross negligence, or a knowing violation of law.

Section 21. Order of Authority, Severability, and Interpretation

(1) In the government of the church, authority is ordered as follows: the Holy Scriptures; the Articles of Incorporation; these Bylaws; the Trinity Operating Manual; and, for matters not otherwise addressed, the parliamentary authority in Section 4. The Articles of Incorporation control in any conflict with these Bylaws.

(2) If any provision of these Bylaws is held invalid, the remaining provisions remain in force.

(3) A dispute over the meaning of these Bylaws is decided by majority vote of the congregation at a Business Meeting. Until the congregation decides, the reading most protective of the congregation’s reserved powers governs.

Section 22. Adoption, Supersession, and Transition

(1) When the congregation adopts these Bylaws, they replace all prior Bylaws of Trinity Baptist Church. They take effect at once, unless the adopting motion states a later date.

(2) Every person serving in an office or on a committee at adoption continues to serve. Within 90 days, the Leadership Council must assign each continuing Non-Staff Elder, Deacon, and Administrative Committee member an initial term of 1, 2, or 3 years. The terms are spread as evenly as possible to create staggered terms. The Council must record the assignments with the Church Clerk. The first men elected as Non-Staff Elders under these Bylaws receive initial terms of 1, 2, and 3 years, spread as evenly as possible. The men with the higher numbers of affirmative votes receive the longer terms; a tie is decided by lot. A man completing an initial term shorter than 3 years may stand for immediate re-election; the 1-year waiting rules of Article II, Sections 4(1) and 6(1) apply only after a full 3-year term. Staff Elders and the Senior Pastor continue under Article II.

(3) An office these Bylaws eliminate ends at adoption, and its duties pass as these Bylaws provide.

Commentary: These closing sections give the Bylaws the corporate and legal scaffolding a Louisiana nonprofit church should have — tax-exempt purpose, protection for those who serve, a clear order of authority, and a clean transition at adoption. A Louisiana attorney should review them before adoption.

THE TRINITY OPERATING MANUAL (COMPANION VOLUME)

The step-by-step procedures that carry out these Bylaws are kept in a separate companion volume, the Trinity Operating Manual (TOM). A reference in these Bylaws to a numbered Procedure means that Procedure in the TOM.

The TOM is subordinate to these Bylaws in every respect (Section 21). The Leadership Council may adopt or revise any Procedure by a two-thirds vote of the full Council, if the Procedure remains fully consistent with these Bylaws. A revised Procedure takes effect when it is distributed to the affected officers and committee chairs; the Leadership Council must distribute it within 7 days of adoption. In any conflict, these Bylaws control. The Church Clerk keeps the authoritative copy of both documents, together with the church calendar kept in the TOM. The Church Clerk must make the TOM available to any Member on request. A congregational guide, Understanding Our New Elder-Led Church Structure, explains the governance model in plain language and is likewise available from the Church Clerk. The guide is explanatory only and creates no authority.

APPENDIX A: CHURCH LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE

The structure at a glance; the detail follows below.

Chairman, Council of Elders Church Clerk

Date Adopted: ___________

Bylaws v71 · Elder-Led Model Guide v16 — proposed draft under review by the Bylaw Committee (September 2026); not yet adopted