CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS

Article I. NAME, DURATION, AND SEAL

In accordance with its charter, this organization shall be known as Alturas Baptist Church. It shall exist for the maximum period allowed by the laws of the state of California, unless it is lawfully dissolved sooner. Its corporate seal shall be imprinted on all legal documents.

Article II. PURPOSE

The purpose of Alturas Baptist Church is to bring people to Jesus Christ as Savior, to membership in His church family, to develop them to Christ-like maturity, and to equip them for ministry in His church and missions in the world–all in order to magnify the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Savior’s Great Commandment, recorded in Matthew 22:37-40, and Great Commission, recorded in Matthew 28:19-20, guide us in this purpose.

Article III. PLACE OF WORSHIP

The place of worship shall be at 500 W. 4^th Street, Alturas, California, or such other place as may be designated by the congregation. The business of the organization shall be conducted at such place of worship.

Article IV. GOVERNMENT

Alturas Baptist Church shall be a sovereign, autonomous, and democratically governed church, under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The membership retains to itself the exclusive right of self-government in all phases of the spiritual and temporal life of this church.

Article V. AFFILIATIONS

This church shall maintain affiliation with the Southern Baptist Convention, the California Southern Baptist Convention, and the Feather River Baptist Association (or other local Southern Baptist association). It may also cooperate in worship and outreach to our community with other community churches and Christian groups, as the congregation may decide.

Article VI. STATEMENT OF FAITH

i. The Scriptures

The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.

ii. God

There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. God is all-powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.

a. God the Father

God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all-powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men.

b. God the Son

Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord.

c. God the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to the Savior, and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration He baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.

iii. Man

Man is the special creation of God, made in His own image. He created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation. The gift of gender is thus part of the goodness of God's creation. In the beginning man was innocent of sin and was endowed by his Creator with freedom of choice. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Through the temptation of Satan man transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original innocence whereby his posterity inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin. Therefore, as soon as they are capable of moral action, they become transgressors and are under condemnation. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.

iv. Salvation

Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.

a. Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God's grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace. Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Savior.

b. Justification is God's gracious and full acquittal upon principles of His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ. Justification brings the believer unto a relationship of peace and favor with God.

c. Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God's purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person's life.

d. Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.

v. God’s Purpose of Grace

Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end. It is the glorious display of God's sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable. It excludes boasting and promotes humility. All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end. Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

vi. The Church

A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the two ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. Each congregation operates under the Lordship of Christ through democratic processes. In such a congregation each member is responsible and accountable to Christ as Lord. Its scriptural officers are pastors and deacons. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.

The New Testament speaks also of the church as the Body of Christ which includes all of the redeemed of all the ages, believers from every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation.

vii. Baptism and the Lord's Supper

Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.

Matthew 3:13-17; 26:26-30; 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11; 14:22-26; Luke 3:21-22; 22:19-20; John 3:23; Acts 2:41-42; 8:35-39; 16:30-33; 20:7; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 10:16,21; 11:23-29; Colossians 2:12.

viii. The Lord’s Day

The first day of the week is the Lord's Day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should include exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private. Activities on the Lord's Day should be commensurate with the Christian's conscience under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

ix. The Kingdom

The Kingdom of God includes both His general sovereignty over the universe and His particular kingship over men who willfully acknowledge Him as King. Particularly the Kingdom is the realm of salvation into which men enter by trustful, childlike commitment to Jesus Christ. Christians ought to pray and to labor that the Kingdom may come and God's will be done on earth. The full consummation of the Kingdom awaits the return of Jesus Christ and the end of this age.

x. Last Things

God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord.

xi. Evangelism and Missions

It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and of every church of the Lord Jesus Christ to endeavor to make disciples of all nations. The new birth of man's spirit by God's Holy Spirit means the birth of love for others. Missionary effort on the part of all rests thus upon a spiritual necessity of the regenerate life, and is expressly and repeatedly commanded in the teachings of Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ has commanded the preaching of the gospel to all nations. It is the duty of every child of God to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by verbal witness undergirded by a Christian lifestyle, and by other methods in harmony with the gospel of Christ.

xii. Education

Christianity is the faith of enlightenment and intelligence. In Jesus Christ abide all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. All sound learning is, therefore, a part of our Christian heritage. The new birth opens all human faculties and creates a thirst for knowledge. Moreover, the cause of education in the Kingdom of Christ is co-ordinate with the causes of missions and general benevolence, and should receive along with these the liberal support of the churches. An adequate system of Christian education is necessary to a complete spiritual program for Christ's people. In Christian education there should be a proper balance between academic freedom and academic responsibility. Freedom in any orderly relationship of human life is always limited and never absolute. The freedom of a teacher in a Christian school, college, or seminary is limited by the pre-eminence of Jesus Christ, by the authoritative nature of the Scriptures, and by the distinct purpose for which the school exists.

xiii. Stewardship

God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him. Christians have a spiritual debtorship to the whole world, a holy trusteeship in the gospel, and a binding stewardship in their possessions. They are therefore under obligation to serve Him with their time, talents, and material possessions; and should recognize all these as entrusted to them to use for the glory of God and for helping others. According to the Scriptures, Christians should contribute of their means cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally for the advancement of the Redeemer's cause on earth.

xiv. Cooperation

Christ's people should, as occasion requires, organize such associations and conventions as may best secure cooperation for the great objects of the Kingdom of God. Such organizations have no authority over one another or over the churches. They are voluntary and advisory bodies designed to elicit, combine, and direct the energies of our people in the most effective manner. Members of New Testament churches should cooperate with one another in carrying forward the missionary, educational, and benevolent ministries for the extension of Christ's Kingdom. Christian unity in the New Testament sense is spiritual harmony and voluntary cooperation for common ends by various groups of Christ's people. Cooperation is desirable between the various Christian denominations, when the end to be attained is itself justified, and when such cooperation involves no violation of conscience or compromise of loyalty to Christ and His Word as revealed in the New Testament.

xv. The Christian and the Social Order

All Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society. Means and methods used for the improvement of society and the establishment of righteousness among men can be truly and permanently helpful only when they are rooted in the regeneration of the individual by the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ. In the spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose racism, every form of greed, selfishness, and vice, and all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography. We should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death. Every Christian should seek to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love. In order to promote these ends Christians should be ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth.

xvi. Peace and War

It is the duty of Christians to seek peace with all men on principles of righteousness. In accordance with the spirit and teachings of Christ they should do all in their power to put an end to war. The true remedy for the war spirit is the gospel of our Lord. The supreme need of the world is the acceptance of His teachings in all the affairs of men and nations, and the practical application of His law of love. Christian people throughout the world should pray for the reign of the Prince of Peace.

xvii. Religious Liberty

God alone is Lord of the conscience, and He has left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are contrary to His Word or not contained in it. Church and state should be separate. The state owes to every church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual ends. In providing for such freedom no ecclesiastical group or denomination should be favored by the state more than others. Civil government being ordained of God, it is the duty of Christians to render loyal obedience thereto in all things not contrary to the revealed will of God. The church should not resort to the civil power to carry on its work. The gospel of Christ contemplates spiritual means alone for the pursuit of its ends. The state has no right to impose penalties for religious opinions of any kind. The state has no right to impose taxes for the support of any form of religion. A free church in a free state is the Christian ideal, and this implies the right of free and unhindered access to God on the part of all men, and the right to form and propagate opinions in the sphere of religion without interference by the civil power.

xviii. The Family

God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption. Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God's unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race. The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God's image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. She, being in the image of God as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their children God's pattern for marriage. Parents are to teach their children spiritual and moral values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth. Children are to honor and obey their parents.

Article VII. 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 of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we do now, in the presence of God, and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another as one body in Christ.

"We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this church, in knowledge, holiness, and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel through all nations.

"We also engage to maintain family and secret devotions; to religiously educate our children; to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment; to avoid all tattling, backbiting, and excessive anger; to abstain from the sale of, and use of, intoxicating beverages and drugs; to be zealous in our efforts to advance the kingdom of our Savior.

"We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember one another in prayer; to aid one another in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and Christian courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offence, but always ready for reconciliation, and mindful of the rules of our Savior, to secure it without delay.

"We moreover engage that when we remove from this place we will, as soon as possible, unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word."

It is the duty of every member to subscribe to--and abide by—this adopted Church Covenant and Constitution and Bylaws.

Article I. MEMBERS

Section 1. General

The membership of this church reserves the exclusive right to determine who shall be members of this church, and the conditions of such membership.

Section 2. Candidacy

Any person may offer himself/herself as a candidate for membership in this church. Candidates for membership shall present themselves to the church at any regular church service. This can be done in one of the following ways: (1) by profession of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, followed by baptism (by immersion, according to the policies of this church); (2) by promise of a letter of recommendation from another Baptist church; (3) by a satisfactory statement of prior conversion experience and baptism in a church of like faith and order, when no letter is obtainable. Should there be any dissent regarding a candidate, the matter shall be referred to the pastor and deacons for examination of the candidate, and recommendation to the church within 30 days. A two-thirds vote of church members shall be required to approve such a candidate for membership.

Section 3. Orientation

Newly converted members and candidates for membership with doctrinal backgrounds dissimilar to the Baptist Faith and Message may be required to participate in a new member orientation course.

Section 4. Membership Voting Rights

(1) Every member of this church is entitled to one vote at all elections and on all questions submitted to this church in regular or special business meetings, when attending such meetings.

(2) Any active member desiring to vote, who has been incapacitated by reason of poor health or emergency absence, may vote by signed, written ballot, or other provision approved by this church, after being apprised of the issue for vote.

Section 5. Termination of Membership

Membership in this church shall be terminated by: (1) death of the member; (2) transfer of membership by letter to another Baptist church of like faith and order; (3) vote of the members of this church; (4) written request from the member.

Section 6. Inactive Membership Roll

An inactive membership roll may be maintained. This shall be for the purpose of keeping record of members who have been inactive for a period of five years, and attempt to locate and/or contact such members have failed. A majority vote of a regular business session shall be required to move such members to the Inactive Roll.

Section 7. Discipline

(1) Should some serious condition exist which would cause a member to bring reproach on the Lord and witness of His church, every reasonable measure will be taken by the pastor and appointed church leadership to resolve the problem through counsel and guidance. All proceedings shall be undertaken in a spirit of Christian kindness and forbearance, with repentance and redemption as the goal. Our scriptural guideline shall be Matthew 18:15-17.

(2) Subsequently, finding that the welfare of the church will best be served by the exclusion of the member, the church may take action at any business meeting, with a majority vote of members required for exclusion. The church will notify the member(s) of the action taken.

(3) Any person whose membership has been terminated for any condition, which had made it necessary for the church to exclude him, may, upon his request and upon evidence of repentance and reformation, be restored to membership by a vote of the church.

(4) This church does not allow nor recognize a dual--or multiple--membership status. We believe membership in a local, new testament church, is exclusive of membership in other churches. Therefore, when a person becomes a member in this church, that member is expected to sever any membership ties with other churches. And, conversely, when a member from this church joins another church, his membership in this church will be terminated.

Article II. BUSINESS MEETINGS AND QUORUM

A regular business meeting shall be held monthly on such date or times as may be designated by the church, and fifteen (15) members, or fifty percent (50) of the resident membership, whichever is less, shall constitute a quorum for conducting business. The acceptance of members and routine, non-controversial matters may be acted upon by the congregation at any regular meeting for worship. Special business meetings may be called by the pastor for any special purpose by announcing the same in at least two regularly scheduled services preceding such business meeting. Should the pastorate be vacant, or the pastor unable for any reason to act, then such business meeting may be called in like manner by the chairman of the deacons.

Article III. OFFICERS

The officers of this church shall consist of a pastor, church staff (if any), deacons, moderator (if other than the pastor), church clerk, treasurer, and the heads of the various departments of the church--that is, Sunday School, Discipleship Training, WMU, Brotherhood, and Music--or as recommended by the agencies of the Southern Baptist Convention, and as the church may direct. All officers shall be members of Alturas Baptist Church.

Section 1. Pastor

The pastor shall be a duly licensed and/or ordained Southern Baptist minister of the Gospel, in full fellowship with the Southern Baptist agencies and associations with which the church is cooperating. He shall be called for an indefinite period, unless otherwise agreed upon at the time of the call, and shall be paid such salary as may be fixed by the church in its annual budget. He shall perform all duties, which, according to custom and tradition, are performed by pastors of Southern Baptist churches. He shall be ex-officio member of all committees.

Section 2. Church Staff

This church shall call or employ such staff members as the church shall need. A job description shall be written when the need for staff members is determined. Vocational staff members other than the pastor shall be recommended to the church by the personnel committee and employed by church action. At least two weeks notice at the time of resignation or termination shall be given.

Section 3. Deacons

A. The deacon body shall be composed of those ordained deacons in the membership of the church, who have been elected to active status. It shall organize itself in such a manner as necessary to enable it to assist the pastor in spiritual ministry to the church and to serve the church in any way needed.

B. Ordained Southern Baptist deacons coming into membership may be considered for election to active status after at least one year of observation.

C. Men in the membership of this church, who are qualified according to scripture, and who have at least one year of membership in this church, may be nominated for ordination. When thus nominated, they will meet with the Deacon Body in all its functions, except that of participation in ordination or organization meetings. Once all requirements are met, the church will proceed with the ordination of men thus nominated at a time mutually agreeable. Prospective deacons shall agree with the Baptist Faith and Message statement and complete a prescribed course of study in the deacon ministry, as recommended by the agencies of the Southern Baptist Convention.

D. Recommendations or motions to elect deacons to active status, to nominate men for ordination as deacons, or to proceed with the ordination of nominees to the church, shall be made only by the nominating committee, at the recommendation of the current deacon body and pastor.

Section 4. Moderator

The pastor, at his discretion, shall serve as moderator. In the absence of a pastor, or if he shall decline to serve as moderator, a moderator shall be elected annually. In the absence of a moderator, the chairman of deacons shall preside at business meetings. In the absence of both, the church clerk shall call the church to order and call for the election of an acting moderator.

The moderator shall preside at all business meetings of the church, and shall conduct such meetings in accordance with Roberts Rules of Order, Revised.

Section 5. Clerk

The clerk shall attend all regular and special business meetings of the church and take minutes of its proceedings. He/she shall accurately keep the membership roll of the church, assist the pastor in the receiving of new members, issue letters of dismission voted by the church, and preserve on file all annual church letters of report to the agencies of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Section 6. Treasurer

The treasurer shall be responsible for receiving and depositing in the depository bank all funds belonging to the church. However, should a financial secretary be elected by the church, the treasurer will delegate this responsibility to the financial secretary, who shall report to the treasurer funds received and deposited. The treasurer shall disburse such funds, guided by the annual church budget and directed by the finance committee, by check drawn on the depository bank. He/she shall make monthly reports to the church.

Section 7. Financial Secretary

A financial secretary may be elected, at the church’s discretion. He/she shall be responsible to the Treasurer for receiving, keeping a true and accurate record, and depositing all church funds in the depository bank. Each week the financial secretary shall provide a bank statement of deposits to the church’s treasurer, and report to the treasurer any discrepancies in the counting report.

Section 8. Recorder

A recorder may be elected, at the church’s discretion. He/she shall receive all envelopes of tithes and offerings from the financial secretary, and will keep an accurate account of each individual’s contribution to the church’s financial plan. A quarterly report of each individual’s tithes and offerings will be completed and sent to that individual. Each individual record will be of confidential nature and will not be discussed with any person except the individual.

Section 9. Trustees

The trustees shall consist of not less than three members, one of whom shall be elected every year; one of whom shall be president, and one, secretary. They shall have care, custody and control of all property of the church, and administer the same under such rules as may be prescribed by the church. The president and secretary shall execute all legal instruments as may be authorized by the church, and all instruments so executed and bearing the corporate seal of the church shall be presumed to have been executed by the lawful authority of the church. They shall be subject to impeachment only for actual fraud.

ARTICLE IV. COMMITTEES

Section 1. General

The standing committees shall be nominating, finance, baptismal, ushers, and such others as the church may add from time to time. Special committees may be constituted at any time needed. The pastor shall be ex-officio member of all church committees. Persons comprising all committees shall be members of Alturas Baptist Church.

Section 2. Nominating Committee

The nominating committee shall be elected, along with program directors, at the June business meeting, and nominations for church office shall be presented by the September business meeting. The nominating committee shall bring to the church nominations for all elective offices, including vacancies, except its own chairman, its members at large, and that of pastor. With any report of nominations, opportunity shall be given for nominations from the floor, except those pertaining to the deacon body. All properly nominated and elected persons shall begin serving the following October 1, and unless otherwise specified, shall serve one year, ending the following September 30. The nominating committee, however, shall serve from its election until the next nominating committee is elected in the succeeding year. The nominating committee shall be composed of a chairman and two members elected from the floor, plus the directors of the various departments (that is, Sunday School, Discipleship Training, Music, WMU, Brotherhood, and others determined by the church). Persons put into nomination for any church office shall be members of Alturas Baptist Church.

Section 3. Personnel Committee

The personnel committee, when elected, shall assist the church in matters related to employed staff personnel (with the exception of senior pastor). Its work includes such areas as determining staff needs, employment, salaries, benefits, and personnel services. In the absence of an elected personnel committee, the finance committee shall be serve as personnel committee.

Section 4. Finance Committee

The finance committee shall be composed of no less than four members, three of whom shall be the treasurer, financial secretary (when elected), and the recorder (when elected), and shall conduct financial affairs as the church may direct. Budget development shall be the responsibility of the finance committee, care being taken to insure sufficient time for church consideration and approval before the end of the calendar year.

Section 5. Counting Committee

The treasurer, financial secretary, and recorder shall comprise the counting committee, which shall count all offerings received by the church. A minimum of THREE persons shall be present when all offerings are counted.

Section 6. Secretarial/Office Committee

A secretarial/office committee shall be under the supervision of the church secretary, when employed. This committee shall maintain the church office, carry out assigned stenographic, typing, data entry, clerical, and telephone-staffing duties, as assigned by the pastor and other church ministerial staff.

Section 7. Building and Grounds Committee

This committee shall assist the church in matters related to properties administration. Its work includes such areas as maintaining all church properties for ready use, recommending policies regarding use of properties, recommending employment of maintenance personnel, and assigning responsibility to appropriate personnel for supervision.

Section 8. Usher Committee

An usher chairman, and an usher committee shall be elected annually. They shall greet visitors, seat the congregation, distribute bulletins and visitor cards, and receive the offerings. The usher chairman shall organize/oversee the execution of each duty. A minimum of six others shall be elected to comprise the usher committee. Ushers shall be organized into offering and greeter sub-committees, and for monthly assignment of duties.

Section 9. Baptismal Committee

A Chairman and a minimum of three others shall be elected to prepare for the baptismal services and to assist the pastor and the candidates.

Section 10. Benevolence Committee

This committee shall have a chairman, elected by the church. It shall serve in concert with the pastor and deacons to serve as a liaison with other social agencies in our community, and to provide assistance to needy persons.

Section 11. Food Services Committee

This committee shall consist of the church hostess and seven other members. Assignments include a decorations director, servers, and cleanup crew.

Responsibilities of the church hostess are: (1) to coordinate and promote church fellowship dinners/events, (2) be responsible for housing and meals for evangelists, etc., and (3) to give direction, if needed, in any other area of church hospitality. She shall be the chair of the food services committee and shall keep track of duty rotations between the servers and the clean up crew.

Section 12. Flower Committee

The flower committee is responsible for securing, arranging, and disposing of floral arrangements for church services, and for providing flowers for sick and bereaved members.

Section 13. Music Committee and Music Director

A. The music committee shall consist of a music director elected by the church, the pianist, organist (and their alternates), along with the pastor. This committee shall assist the music director in planning the music program of the church.

B. The music director shall have the responsibilities agreed upon by the church in scheduling practices and selecting music for regular services and special programming.

Section 14. Youth Committee and Youth Director

A. The youth committee shall consist of a youth director and at least two others elected by the church. under the supervision of the youth director, the committee shall plan, schedule, and coordinate youth activities.

B. The music director shall direct the overall youth ministry of the church, and shall have such other responsibilities as are agreed upon by the church.

Article V. AMENDMENTS

This constitution and bylaws may be amended by a two-third (2/3)-majority vote of members voting, at a meeting called for this purpose, the proposed amendment being inserted in the call. Proposals must be presented to the church in writing, at a business meeting no less than one month before the proposed change, and announced from the pulpit on the Lord’s Day preceding such action, unless it is the same day—in which case, it shall be announced a week before such action.