7 Church Meetings and Procedures
7A Meetings
The (senior) Pastor may, at their discretion, chair all meetings of the Church, elders, deacons and Church departments.
The Church shall meet quarterly to transact business and provide information to the members.
Notice of all Church Meetings including Extraordinary Meetings shall be given at services for at least the two Sundays prior to the meeting.
An Annual Church Meeting shall be called each year to receive reports and conduct elections as herein prescribed, such meeting to be held during the month of October. The Church Financial year will close on 30 June each year within two months of the end of the Church Financial year which will close on 30 June each year.
Extraordinary meetings may be convened by the Pastor(s), or upon requisition signed by 10% of the Church membership or a majority of the deacons and elders. An Extraordinary Meeting may be called for a special purpose and only consider matters of which written notice has been given.
When there is no (senior) Pastor, or in his absence, an elder or deacon or Church member shall be elected to chair the meeting. Alternatively, for special reasons in consultation with the Baptist Union of NSW, an outside chairman may be appointed. Such a chairman shall be a member in good standing in a Church affiliated with the Baptist Union of NSW.
The Church Meeting shall be a meeting of those persons on the Members’ Roll.
Non Church members may be invited to be present at and to take part in the whole or any part of a Church Meeting, without the right to vote.
The quorum for all Church Meetings shall be 25% of the Church membership. If a quorum is not present within 30 minutes of the appointed starting time of the meeting, the meeting shall stand adjourned usually to the same day, time and place in the next week. Notice of the adjourned meeting will be given at the intervening services. Such meeting will be competent to deal with the matters adjourned notwithstanding the absence of a quorum. (It should be noted that members under 18 years of age may not vote on matters relating to property transactions.)
7B Procedure
All questions affecting the management and general interests of the Church shall be submitted to a deacon’s meeting before presentation to the Church.
The vote of the Church shall be taken ordinarily on the voices or by a show of hands, but all voting for the election of officers mentioned herein will be by secret ballot, in accordance with procedures determined by the membership. The Chairman may only exercise one vote.
8 Church Departments
All departments associated with the Church shall formulate guidelines governing their operations and present them to the deacons for approval.
The leaders of Church departments shall be elected by the Church at the Annual Church Meeting, upon nomination from the respective departments or any Church member. The process will be as determined for Deacons.
All departments shall submit to the deacons the names of all appointees to their various offices other than those elected at the Annual Church meeting. The deacons shall then submit a report to a Church meeting that shall have the right to discuss and confirm appointments.
The Church meeting may appoint groups for specific functions to assist in the general operation of the Church’s ministry. Such groups shall report to the Church in co operation with the deacon’s meeting.