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Messengers Approve Changes to Bylaws, Constitution
11/15/2011
FLORENCE – Messengers to the Kentucky Baptist Convention modified the KBC Constitution and Bylaws to express more clearly the role of the convention to its member churches.
The change to Article VI was introduced at last year’s annual meeting and was ratified at this year’s session held at Florence Baptist Church at Mt. Zion.
Adam Greenway, a candidate for KBC president and professor and associate dean at Southern Seminary’s Graham School, presented to messengers the report of the convention’s constitution and bylaws committee.
The new language states that the KBC "Body shall serve and assist the churches in their sovereign capacity by the providing of resources and the facilitating of cooperation so that both the Body and the churches may fulfill the Great Commission."
In changing the language, messengers also moved the statement higher in the constitution, establishing it as Article II.
In its report, the committee said the new language "more clearly and properly affirm that under Baptist polity, the Convention serves the local church, not the other way around."
Additionally, the committee recommended several tweaks to the bylaws that "improve the parliamentary language of our bylaws, as well as accurately reflect Convention practice." Approved by a two-thirds majority vote were changes that:
- Clarify that the presiding officer ultimately has authority to grant speaking privileges to visitors during convention debates.
- Clarify that messengers must make their remarks through the chair and do not have to physically sit down when finished speaking.
- Make consistent the use of the word "messenger" throughout the bylaws.
- Clarify that the presiding officer’s decisions may be appealed by a majority vote, consistent with parliamentary procedure.
- Clarify that if only one candidate is nominated for office, the presiding officer will call the secretary to cast the ballot without the need for an intervening "vote to vote."
Messengers approved the changes to the bylaws.
The constitution and bylaws committee also proposed changes to KBC Committees of the Convention with Guidelines which were approved.
The first was to permit the KBC Committee on Committees to recommend more than one person from the same association to serve on the KBC Committee on Nominations.
In its report, the committee stated, "the encouragement remains to diversify associational representation as much as possible." The committee noted that the change more accurately reflects a "longstanding convention practice."
The committee also recommended removing the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs from the list of cooperating organizations in guidelines used by the KBC Committee on Public Affairs. Messengers approved the change.
Greenway presented three new proposed revisions to the KBC Constitution. The changes were presented as a first reading without discussion. Messengers to the 175th Annual Meeting of the Kentucky Baptist Convention will discuss and vote on them Nov. 13, 2012 at Immanuel Baptist Church in Lexington. They are:
Recommendation 1: That Article III of the KBC Constitution be revised by striking the current wording and replacing it with the following:
The Body shall consist of messengers who are members of Baptist churches cooperating with the Convention as follows:
- One (1) messenger from each church which: (1) Is in friendly cooperation with the Convention and sympathetic with its purposes and work. Churches in cooperation with the Convention are understood by the Convention to be local congregations of scripturally-baptized believers in general agreement with any of the historic Baptist confessions of faith and who voluntarily prepare and submit an annual church profile. And, (2) Has been a bona fide contributor through the Cooperative Program during the fiscal year preceding.
- · One (1) additional messenger from each such church for every two hundred (and) fifty (250) resident members; or for each $250 contributed through the Cooperative Program during the fiscal year preceding.
- The messengers shall be appointed and certified by the churches to the Convention, but no church may appoint more than ten (10).
- Ballots shall be issued to each messenger at the time of registration, and only registered messengers present shall be eligible to vote on business matters brought to the Convention.
Recommendation 2: That the phrase, "within the state" be inserted between "A move" and "of an at-large member …" in paragraph 3 of Article VII of the KBC Constitution.
Recommendation 3: That the phrase, "With the exception of the Executive Director-Treasurer," be inserted at the beginning of paragraph 3 of Article IX of the KBC Constitution.
The Kentucky Baptist Convention is a cooperative missions and ministry organization made up of nearly 2.400 autonomous Baptist churches in Kentucky. A variety of state and worldwide ministries are coordinated through its administrative offices in Louisville, including: missions work, disaster relief, ministry training and support, church development, evangelism and more. For more, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
by Dannah Prather, KBC Communications
