I. MEMBERSHIP 

Composition: This Association shall be composed of messengers elected from churches affiliated with the Association. When such churches are in good standing and in harmony with our doctrines of faith, their messengers shall be seated and entitled to participate in the affairs of the Association. Each church shall be entitled to five messengers. 

Admission: Churches desiring membership in the Association shall initiate the membership process by making a request to the Executive Board at any of its regularly scheduled meetings. In addition to the request, the petitioning church will provide a copy of their Constitution and By-Laws and a statement of faith and practice. The Executive Board may request additional information if needed. The Executive Board, after examination of the petition and accompanying documents will make a recommendation to the Association at any of its regularly scheduled meetings. A two/thirds (2/3) majority vote by the Association will be required to bring the requesting church into the Association. 

 

II. ASSOCIATIONAL OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES 

The following officers and committees shall be elected by the Association at a regularly scheduled annual meeting. The duties of these officers and committees will be detailed in the Operations Manual. All elected and appointed personnel of the Association must be active members of churches in good standing with the Association. 

 

Officers 

The officers of the Association shall be: Moderator, Vice-Moderator, Clerk and Treasurer. The Moderator, Vice-Moderator and Clerk will be elected on an annual basis. 

 

Trustees 

The Trustees shall hold in trust the property of the Association, but shall have no power to buy, sell, mortgage, lease, or transfer any property without the specific vote of the Association in a regularly scheduled annual meeting authorizing such action. In an emergency, the Trustees, under the direction of the Executive Board, may rent office space. Such action shall be reported at the next regularly scheduled annual meeting. 

 

Committees 

The Association shall have the following standing committees: Nominating & Finance. Other committees can be appointed or elected as needed. The duties and responsibilities of these committees shall be described in the Operations Manual. 

 

III. ASSOCIATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS 

This Association shall encourage and promote such Associational organizations, councils and committees as are necessary for the promotion of the work. 

 

Executive Board 

The Association shall have an Executive Board consisting of representatives from each cooperating church, the officers of the Association, namely Moderator, Vice-Moderator, Clerk and Treasurer, the heads of the Associational Ministry teams as well as any mission pastors. Each church shall be entitled to two members and an alternate elected by the church; this is in addition to any members who might be on the Executive Board because of their position in the Association. One of the two members from each church will be the senior pastor of the church if they have one. The Moderator, Vice-Moderator, Clerk and Treasurer will serve as the respective officers of the Executive Board. 

 

The Executive Board shall attend to all matters of the Association between sessions, promote all programs authorized by the Association, and carry out all directives given by the Association. It shall make an annual report of its work to the Association. The Executive Board shall have power to initiate new Associational projects during the year, provided it does not violate any directive expressed by the Association in a regularly scheduled meeting. 

 

Ministry Teams 

The following Associational Ministry Teams shall be maintained and promoted by the Association for the benefit of the work in the churches: Church Health, Leadership Development and Missions Development. 

 

Associational Council 

The heads of the Associational Ministry Teams, Committee Chairs, the Ambassador, and the Moderator and Vice-Moderator shall comprise the Associational Council. The Council shall meet quarterly to review and plan the activities of the Association. 

 

IV. ASSOCIATIONAL MEETINGS 

The Association shall meet at least annually for the election of officers, for annual reports and other business. The annual meetings of the Association shall be at the time and place as recommended by the Associational Council and approved by the Association. The Executive Board may change the stated time and/or place for annual meetings of the Association as necessary and may call special meetings as necessary for the promotion of the work. Organizations sponsored by the Association shall schedule meetings as needed. 

 

The Associational year shall be from the first day of January to the last day of December. Reports to the Association shall cover this one year period. 

 

In all it does, the Association shall operate under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. In parliamentary procedure, the Association shall follow the guidelines outlined by “Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised”. A quorum for conducting business shall be more than half of the cooperating Associational churches. 

 

V. FINANCES 

The fiscal year shall be from first day of January to the last day of December. The Finance Team will be responsible for presenting a budget to the Association, for their adoption, at the last Associational meeting in the fiscal year, to cover the upcoming fiscal year. 

 

VI. OPERATIONS MANUAL 

The Association shall provide an Operations Manual that shall define various policies of the Association and the functions of organizations, councils and committees. The Associational Officers and the Moderator, in consultation with organizational heads shall have a primary responsibility for maintaining the Operations Manual. Changes to the Operations Manual shall be made by the Association or Executive Board at any regularly scheduled meeting. 

 

VII. AMENDMENTS 

The By-Laws may be amended at any regularly scheduled annual meeting of the Association by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the messengers present, provided notice of such change has been given to the churches in writing at least thirty (30) days prior to the meeting, and provided it is read in the first session of the meeting and voted on in the last session