Constitution and By-Laws of Baptist Home Missions, Inc.
November 27, 2012
Article I - Name
The name of this organization shall be Baptist Home Missions, Inc.
Article II – Purpose & Mission Statement
Section 1- Purpose
This mission agency is organized as a missionary sponsoring agency exclusively for charitable, religious, and educational purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Revenue Law), including, but not limited to, for such purposes, the establishing and maintaining of religious worship, the building, maintaining and operating of churches, parsonages, service centers, camps, schools, chapels, radio stations, television stations, rescue missions, print shops, and any other ministry that missionaries may be led of God to establish.
Section 2 – Mission Statement
Baptist Home Missions exists to bring glory to God by serving as a faith mission agency to partner with independent, fundamental, Bible-believing Baptist churches to channel personnel and funds in their implementation of our Lord's Great Commission. The primary ministry of Baptist Home Missions is church planting reaching principally to North America with consideration given to all geographic areas as opportunity, need and ability in that field permit.
Article III - Statement of Faith
Section 1 – Articles of Faith
The Articles of Faith of the organization are found in Appendix 1.
Section 2 – Authority of the Articles of Faith
The Articles of Faith do not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself is the sole and final source of all that we believe. We do believe, however, that the Articles of Faith accurately represent the teaching of the Bible, and therefore, all members of the Board of Trustees, officers, missionaries, associate missionaries and representatives of this missionary sponsoring agency will subscribe to these Articles of Faith without reservation.
Article IV - Organization
Section 1 – Relationship with Still Waters Baptist Church
Baptist Home Missions (hereinafter BHM) is an independent mission agency under the authority of Still Waters Baptist Church, Nags Head, NC (hereinafter SWBC) which gives oversight to BHM. SWBC reserves the right to alter any decision made by BHM except the decision to sever relationship with SWBC. BHM reserves the right to sever relationship with SWBC should the church change its doctrinal position or its standards of separation, fail to give proper support and oversight, or other reasons deemed by the Board of Trustees as detrimental to the ongoing work of BHM. SWBC reserves the right to sever relationship with BHM should the mission agency change its doctrinal position or its standards of separation, fail to fulfill its purpose and mission, or other reasons deemed by the church as detrimental to the ongoing work of SWBC.
BHM shall be governed by the Board of Trustees as delineated in Section 2 of Article IV of this By-Laws.
Financial Policy: BHM receives gifts of money, equipment, and supplies from various churches and individuals given specifically for the furtherance of its missionary endeavors. Such gifts are given for the express purpose of enabling BHM to carry out its mission; they are not given to the general fund of SWBC for the ongoing operational expenses of SWBC. No money or resources given for the ministry of BHM will ever be used to benefit the general fund of SWBC; and no money or resources donated to SWBC will be transferred to BHM except by official church action as provided in its By-Laws. In the event that any BHM resources are sold, all revenues generated from such sale remain the property of BHM. BHM has no authority to obligate SWBC for any indebtedness or to impose any other liability upon SWBC.
Severance of Relationship: If for any reason there is a severance of relationship between BHM and SWBC, all assets owned by and pertaining to BHM will be retained by the mission agency. Should any severance of relationship between any BHM representative and SWBC or BHM occur, all assets owned by and pertaining to BHM will remain the property of the mission agency.
Section 2 – Board of Trustees
A. Composition of Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees shall consist of an undetermined number of members. The members may succeed themselves and shall serve for one (1) year each and shall be elected annually at the regular meeting. The majority of the Board shall consist of active or retired pastors.
B. Officers of the Board of Trustees
The officers of the Board will be (1) the President who is responsible to call for and moderate all meetings of the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee; (2) the Vice-President who shall act in the absence of the President and other duties as assigned by the President or the Board of Trustees; (3) the Secretary who is responsible for keeping minutes of all meetings; (4) the Treasurer who is responsible for ensuring accurate records are kept of all the receipts and disbursements and make such reports as the Board of Trustees will require. The President shall be the pastor of SWBC. The vice-president, secretary and treasurer will be elected annually.
C. Election of the Members of the Board of Trustees
1. New members of the Board of Trustees will be elected by two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present in any Board of Trustees meeting. Nominations will be made either by the Executive Committee or General Director in consultation with each other. Each member shall be in agreement with the Articles of Faith and purpose of BHM.
2. The General Director will be an ex-officio voting member of the Board of Trustees.
3. The Board of Trustees may, by vote of two-thirds (2/3) of its members present at any regular meeting, remove a member for immoral conduct or for willful failure to support the purpose of BHM. Any member of the Board of Trustees who fails to attend three (3) consecutive meetings will not be reelected to the Board of Trustees at the next annual meeting unless unusual circumstances prohibited his attendance.
D. Meetings
The Board of Trustees will meet at least annually on a date established by the President of the Board. Each member of the Board will be notified by the President regarding time, place and date of the meeting. Those Trustees in attendance at the annual meeting or any duly called meeting of the Board will constitute a quorum.
E. Committees
BHM will have two standing committees.
1. The Executive Committee: The Executive Committee will be the administrative body of BHM and has full power to conduct the business of the organization between annual meetings of the Board of Trustees. The Executive Committee will consist of the Officers of the Board of Trustees elected by simple majority at its annual meeting and the General Director. This committee will meet at the discretion of the President of the Board of Trustees, the General Director, or both.
2. The Examining Committee: An Examining Committee may be appointed by the General Director to examine possible missionary candidates for approval by the Executive Committee. The Examining Committee will consist of the General Director and the Executive Committee. Additional Board members may serve at the discretion of the General Director.
F. Board of Reference
A Board of Reference may be nominated by the Executive Committee and elected by the Board to serve in an advisory capacity. The number to serve is undetermined. Each member shall be in harmony with the Articles of Faith, the By-Laws and general purpose of the organization without reservation. The term of service is undetermined. The Board of Trustees may remove by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of members present any member of the Board of Reference for immoral conduct or for willful failure to support the purpose of BHM.
G. Trustee Powers
Any two officers of the Board of Trustees will be vested with the authority to sign notes in the name of Baptist Home Missions, Inc. for the business approved by the Board of Trustees. It is understood and agreed that if, for any reason, any property of BHM is sold, all revenues so received will be disbursed under the direction of the Board of Trustees.
H. Discipline and Termination of Service
1. The Board of Trustees will have the power to expel any missionary, officer, staff member, or the General Director of BHM when it appears that such person has demonstrated a lack of interest in the work of BHM, has become physically or mentally incapacitated keeping him from performing his normal duties, has participated in immoral conduct or becomes insubordinate to his superiors, or for reasons deemed by the Board of Trustees as unbecoming or unworthy of a missionary, officer, or staff member of BHM. Any termination would become effective immediately, unless specifically stated by the Board of Trustees in the termination agreement. The General Director may suspend a missionary for any cause he deems sufficient until the next regular meeting or emergency meeting of the Board of Trustees where the missionary may then appear for examination.
2. A missionary may resign by submitting in writing a letter of resignation to be effective thirty (30) days after its receipt.
3. Discipline is to be administered in a Biblical manner. The BHM Discipline Policy will govern all disciplinary cases.
Section 3 – The General Director
A. The Board of Trustees shall appoint the General Director.
B. The General Director: The General Director is responsible for the administration, supervision, and coordination of all activities of the mission agency. He is fully responsible for the accomplishment of BHM’s vision, mission, and purpose as well as the welfare of all personnel associated with BHM. He supervises the Home Office activities, including finances, communications, and correspondence, and is responsible for the safekeeping of records of all Board and Committee actions. He promotes and raises support for BHM at home and abroad in churches, at colleges, and in missions conferences.
1. He will supervise the surveying of all new fields of ministry. He supervises the fulfilling of the needs of all personnel ministering in the field and reports to the Board of Trustees quarterly on the activities relating to the agency.
2. He will prepare an annual report of all mission activities to be presented to the Board of Trustees at the annual Board meeting. He will also meet with and report to the President of the Board of Trustees on a regular basis.
C. The General Director will reside in the Outer Banks of North Carolina near the Home Office, and will be a member of Still Waters Baptist Church.
D. The General Director will appoint Staff Officers to serve the mission agency from the Home Office. The BHM Office Staff Manual will delineate all positions and responsibilities and govern the process.
Section 4 – Missionaries
1. Each missionary, to be eligible for service under BHM, must be a member in good standing of an independent, fundamental, Bible-believing Baptist church.
2. Candidates shall come before the Board for oral examination only after their application papers have been examined and approved by the Home Office Staff Officers, the General Director and the President of the Board of Trustees.
3. Each candidate’s church of membership shall commission its missionary to the missionary ministry of that church in partnership with BHM.
4. No missionary shall be permitted to proceed to the field until satisfactory evidence has been presented to the General Director that the Lord has supplied sufficient equipment, support and passage.
5. Each missionary shall be responsible to the Board and shall be expected to respect and conform to the policies of Baptist Home Missions as defined by the Board. A missionary may be dismissed by the Board at its discretion in the event of departure on his part from the doctrinal standard or the policies of BHM or failure to perform his duties in a satisfactory manner. It is clearly understood that the Board will not act arbitrarily but will first counsel with the missionary and consult with the commissioning church.
Article V - Finances
Section 1 – Faith Missions
BHM is a faith missionary work, depending upon God through His people to meet the needs. Each ministry will operate the same way. Each missionary is responsible for preparing a budget and trusting the Lord to meet his needs as a faith missionary. The Home Office will assist in any way possible but will not raise the support for the missionary. Faith does not act irresponsibly, and therefore all missionaries must present evidence of sufficient support to the General Director prior to departing to the field of ministry. An annual review of support levels for the missionaries will be presented to the Board of Trustees for review, and if needed, necessary recommendations made.
Section 2 – Designated Funds
All funds received for missionaries, specific fields, specific projects or general missionary work will be administered as follows:
All receipts designated to Home Office expense and all contributions and receipts not specifically designated to one of the other funds shall be placed in the Unrestricted Fund. Expenses incident to the Home Office, promotion and other items of general expense, according to the budget approved by the Board, shall be paid from this fund.
Section 4 – Annual Review
The accounts of BHM shall be reviewed at least once a year by a group approved by the Board.
Section 5 – Supporting Churches
It shall be the policy of BHM to cooperate to the fullest extent with its supporting churches in helping them to evaluate the financial needs of the ministries conducted by their missionaries. All missionaries shall be required to cooperate with BHM and supporting churches in all matters pertaining to finances.
Article VI - Dissolution of Corporation
BHM may be dissolved upon a three-fourths (3/4) majority vote of the Board of Trustees. Upon the dissolution of this mission agency according to the laws of the State of North Carolina, the Board of Trustees shall, after disbursing all designated funds and after paying or making provision for the payment of all liabilities of the mission agency, dispose of all of the assets of the mission agency to such organization or organizations formed and operated exclusively for religious purposes as shall at the time qualify as an exempt organization or organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law), as the Board of Trustees shall determine. Assets may be distributed only to organizations that agree with this mission agency’s Articles of Faith.
Article VII – Private Inurement
No part of the net earnings of this mission agency shall inure to the benefit of or be distributable to its members, trustees, officers, or other private persons, except that the mission agency shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for the services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in Article II.
Article VIII – Amendments
The Constitution may be altered or amended at any meeting by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of all of the Board members present when at least one month written notice of the proposed amendment has been given.
Article I - Name
The name of this organization shall be Baptist Home Missions, Inc.
Article II – Purpose & Mission Statement
Section 1- Purpose
This mission agency is organized as a missionary sponsoring agency exclusively for charitable, religious, and educational purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Revenue Law), including, but not limited to, for such purposes, the establishing and maintaining of religious worship, the building, maintaining and operating of churches, parsonages, service centers, camps, schools, chapels, radio stations, television stations, rescue missions, print shops, and any other ministry that missionaries may be led of God to establish.
Section 2 – Mission Statement
Baptist Home Missions exists to bring glory to God by serving as a faith mission agency to partner with independent, fundamental, Bible-believing Baptist churches to channel personnel and funds in their implementation of our Lord's Great Commission. The primary ministry of Baptist Home Missions is church planting reaching principally to North America with consideration given to all geographic areas as opportunity, need and ability in that field permit.
Article III - Statement of Faith
Section 1 – Articles of Faith
The Articles of Faith of the organization are found in Appendix 1.
Section 2 – Authority of the Articles of Faith
The Articles of Faith do not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself is the sole and final source of all that we believe. We do believe, however, that the Articles of Faith accurately represent the teaching of the Bible, and therefore, all members of the Board of Trustees, officers, missionaries, associate missionaries and representatives of this missionary sponsoring agency will subscribe to these Articles of Faith without reservation.
Article IV - Organization
Section 1 – Relationship with Still Waters Baptist Church
Baptist Home Missions (hereinafter BHM) is an independent mission agency under the authority of Still Waters Baptist Church, Nags Head, NC (hereinafter SWBC) which gives oversight to BHM. SWBC reserves the right to alter any decision made by BHM except the decision to sever relationship with SWBC. BHM reserves the right to sever relationship with SWBC should the church change its doctrinal position or its standards of separation, fail to give proper support and oversight, or other reasons deemed by the Board of Trustees as detrimental to the ongoing work of BHM. SWBC reserves the right to sever relationship with BHM should the mission agency change its doctrinal position or its standards of separation, fail to fulfill its purpose and mission, or other reasons deemed by the church as detrimental to the ongoing work of SWBC.
BHM shall be governed by the Board of Trustees as delineated in Section 2 of Article IV of this By-Laws.
Financial Policy: BHM receives gifts of money, equipment, and supplies from various churches and individuals given specifically for the furtherance of its missionary endeavors. Such gifts are given for the express purpose of enabling BHM to carry out its mission; they are not given to the general fund of SWBC for the ongoing operational expenses of SWBC. No money or resources given for the ministry of BHM will ever be used to benefit the general fund of SWBC; and no money or resources donated to SWBC will be transferred to BHM except by official church action as provided in its By-Laws. In the event that any BHM resources are sold, all revenues generated from such sale remain the property of BHM. BHM has no authority to obligate SWBC for any indebtedness or to impose any other liability upon SWBC.
Severance of Relationship: If for any reason there is a severance of relationship between BHM and SWBC, all assets owned by and pertaining to BHM will be retained by the mission agency. Should any severance of relationship between any BHM representative and SWBC or BHM occur, all assets owned by and pertaining to BHM will remain the property of the mission agency.
Section 2 – Board of Trustees
A. Composition of Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees shall consist of an undetermined number of members. The members may succeed themselves and shall serve for one (1) year each and shall be elected annually at the regular meeting. The majority of the Board shall consist of active or retired pastors.
B. Officers of the Board of Trustees
The officers of the Board will be (1) the President who is responsible to call for and moderate all meetings of the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee; (2) the Vice-President who shall act in the absence of the President and other duties as assigned by the President or the Board of Trustees; (3) the Secretary who is responsible for keeping minutes of all meetings; (4) the Treasurer who is responsible for ensuring accurate records are kept of all the receipts and disbursements and make such reports as the Board of Trustees will require. The President shall be the pastor of SWBC. The vice-president, secretary and treasurer will be elected annually.
C. Election of the Members of the Board of Trustees
1. New members of the Board of Trustees will be elected by two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present in any Board of Trustees meeting. Nominations will be made either by the Executive Committee or General Director in consultation with each other. Each member shall be in agreement with the Articles of Faith and purpose of BHM.
2. The General Director will be an ex-officio voting member of the Board of Trustees.
3. The Board of Trustees may, by vote of two-thirds (2/3) of its members present at any regular meeting, remove a member for immoral conduct or for willful failure to support the purpose of BHM. Any member of the Board of Trustees who fails to attend three (3) consecutive meetings will not be reelected to the Board of Trustees at the next annual meeting unless unusual circumstances prohibited his attendance.
D. Meetings
The Board of Trustees will meet at least annually on a date established by the President of the Board. Each member of the Board will be notified by the President regarding time, place and date of the meeting. Those Trustees in attendance at the annual meeting or any duly called meeting of the Board will constitute a quorum.
E. Committees
BHM will have two standing committees.
1. The Executive Committee: The Executive Committee will be the administrative body of BHM and has full power to conduct the business of the organization between annual meetings of the Board of Trustees. The Executive Committee will consist of the Officers of the Board of Trustees elected by simple majority at its annual meeting and the General Director. This committee will meet at the discretion of the President of the Board of Trustees, the General Director, or both.
2. The Examining Committee: An Examining Committee may be appointed by the General Director to examine possible missionary candidates for approval by the Executive Committee. The Examining Committee will consist of the General Director and the Executive Committee. Additional Board members may serve at the discretion of the General Director.
F. Board of Reference
A Board of Reference may be nominated by the Executive Committee and elected by the Board to serve in an advisory capacity. The number to serve is undetermined. Each member shall be in harmony with the Articles of Faith, the By-Laws and general purpose of the organization without reservation. The term of service is undetermined. The Board of Trustees may remove by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of members present any member of the Board of Reference for immoral conduct or for willful failure to support the purpose of BHM.
G. Trustee Powers
Any two officers of the Board of Trustees will be vested with the authority to sign notes in the name of Baptist Home Missions, Inc. for the business approved by the Board of Trustees. It is understood and agreed that if, for any reason, any property of BHM is sold, all revenues so received will be disbursed under the direction of the Board of Trustees.
H. Discipline and Termination of Service
1. The Board of Trustees will have the power to expel any missionary, officer, staff member, or the General Director of BHM when it appears that such person has demonstrated a lack of interest in the work of BHM, has become physically or mentally incapacitated keeping him from performing his normal duties, has participated in immoral conduct or becomes insubordinate to his superiors, or for reasons deemed by the Board of Trustees as unbecoming or unworthy of a missionary, officer, or staff member of BHM. Any termination would become effective immediately, unless specifically stated by the Board of Trustees in the termination agreement. The General Director may suspend a missionary for any cause he deems sufficient until the next regular meeting or emergency meeting of the Board of Trustees where the missionary may then appear for examination.
2. A missionary may resign by submitting in writing a letter of resignation to be effective thirty (30) days after its receipt.
3. Discipline is to be administered in a Biblical manner. The BHM Discipline Policy will govern all disciplinary cases.
Section 3 – The General Director
A. The Board of Trustees shall appoint the General Director.
B. The General Director: The General Director is responsible for the administration, supervision, and coordination of all activities of the mission agency. He is fully responsible for the accomplishment of BHM’s vision, mission, and purpose as well as the welfare of all personnel associated with BHM. He supervises the Home Office activities, including finances, communications, and correspondence, and is responsible for the safekeeping of records of all Board and Committee actions. He promotes and raises support for BHM at home and abroad in churches, at colleges, and in missions conferences.
1. He will supervise the surveying of all new fields of ministry. He supervises the fulfilling of the needs of all personnel ministering in the field and reports to the Board of Trustees quarterly on the activities relating to the agency.
2. He will prepare an annual report of all mission activities to be presented to the Board of Trustees at the annual Board meeting. He will also meet with and report to the President of the Board of Trustees on a regular basis.
C. The General Director will reside in the Outer Banks of North Carolina near the Home Office, and will be a member of Still Waters Baptist Church.
D. The General Director will appoint Staff Officers to serve the mission agency from the Home Office. The BHM Office Staff Manual will delineate all positions and responsibilities and govern the process.
Section 4 – Missionaries
1. Each missionary, to be eligible for service under BHM, must be a member in good standing of an independent, fundamental, Bible-believing Baptist church.
2. Candidates shall come before the Board for oral examination only after their application papers have been examined and approved by the Home Office Staff Officers, the General Director and the President of the Board of Trustees.
3. Each candidate’s church of membership shall commission its missionary to the missionary ministry of that church in partnership with BHM.
4. No missionary shall be permitted to proceed to the field until satisfactory evidence has been presented to the General Director that the Lord has supplied sufficient equipment, support and passage.
5. Each missionary shall be responsible to the Board and shall be expected to respect and conform to the policies of Baptist Home Missions as defined by the Board. A missionary may be dismissed by the Board at its discretion in the event of departure on his part from the doctrinal standard or the policies of BHM or failure to perform his duties in a satisfactory manner. It is clearly understood that the Board will not act arbitrarily but will first counsel with the missionary and consult with the commissioning church.
Article V - Finances
Section 1 – Faith Missions
BHM is a faith missionary work, depending upon God through His people to meet the needs. Each ministry will operate the same way. Each missionary is responsible for preparing a budget and trusting the Lord to meet his needs as a faith missionary. The Home Office will assist in any way possible but will not raise the support for the missionary. Faith does not act irresponsibly, and therefore all missionaries must present evidence of sufficient support to the General Director prior to departing to the field of ministry. An annual review of support levels for the missionaries will be presented to the Board of Trustees for review, and if needed, necessary recommendations made.
Section 2 – Designated Funds
All funds received for missionaries, specific fields, specific projects or general missionary work will be administered as follows:
- Receipts designated for the ministry and work of individual
missionaries, specifically named fields or specific projects shall be the
property of BHM and will be disbursed under the direction and control of the
Board for the support of the missionary or ministry indicated.
- Receipts designated for general missionary work shall be the
property of BHM and will be used under the direction of the Board with due
consideration to any special interest expressed by the donor.
All receipts designated to Home Office expense and all contributions and receipts not specifically designated to one of the other funds shall be placed in the Unrestricted Fund. Expenses incident to the Home Office, promotion and other items of general expense, according to the budget approved by the Board, shall be paid from this fund.
Section 4 – Annual Review
The accounts of BHM shall be reviewed at least once a year by a group approved by the Board.
Section 5 – Supporting Churches
It shall be the policy of BHM to cooperate to the fullest extent with its supporting churches in helping them to evaluate the financial needs of the ministries conducted by their missionaries. All missionaries shall be required to cooperate with BHM and supporting churches in all matters pertaining to finances.
Article VI - Dissolution of Corporation
BHM may be dissolved upon a three-fourths (3/4) majority vote of the Board of Trustees. Upon the dissolution of this mission agency according to the laws of the State of North Carolina, the Board of Trustees shall, after disbursing all designated funds and after paying or making provision for the payment of all liabilities of the mission agency, dispose of all of the assets of the mission agency to such organization or organizations formed and operated exclusively for religious purposes as shall at the time qualify as an exempt organization or organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law), as the Board of Trustees shall determine. Assets may be distributed only to organizations that agree with this mission agency’s Articles of Faith.
Article VII – Private Inurement
No part of the net earnings of this mission agency shall inure to the benefit of or be distributable to its members, trustees, officers, or other private persons, except that the mission agency shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for the services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in Article II.
Article VIII – Amendments
The Constitution may be altered or amended at any meeting by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of all of the Board members present when at least one month written notice of the proposed amendment has been given.