In February, 2018, a 2 year long discussion led to the congregation to form a committee to explore the possibility of changing our governance from its current model of five distinct boards to an elder-led one board model of governance with ministry teams.
In November, 2018, the congregation voted to form a bylaws rewrite committee to rewrite the bylaws and revise the constitution to reflect an elder-led governance.
On October 20th, 2019, the congregation met, voted and passed a motion to enact and implement the revised constitution and new bylaws to form a new system of government beginning after our annual business meeting, which is scheduled for February 2, 2020. The information posted on this page is for posterity reasons as we transition to this new government.
The newly adopted constitution and bylaws can be found below.
In November, 2018, the congregation voted to form a bylaws rewrite committee to rewrite the bylaws and revise the constitution to reflect an elder-led governance.
On October 20th, 2019, the congregation met, voted and passed a motion to enact and implement the revised constitution and new bylaws to form a new system of government beginning after our annual business meeting, which is scheduled for February 2, 2020. The information posted on this page is for posterity reasons as we transition to this new government.
The newly adopted constitution and bylaws can be found below.
| constitution_and_bylaws_of_bethany_baptist_church.pdf |
UPDATE 10/17/19
This week, the bylaws committee met and discussed corrections and additions to the final draft before Sunday's vote. Below is a document that includes those changes. Additionally, there is a revised final draft with the changes included which will be submitted for the vote on Sunday, October 20th, 2019.
This week, the bylaws committee met and discussed corrections and additions to the final draft before Sunday's vote. Below is a document that includes those changes. Additionally, there is a revised final draft with the changes included which will be submitted for the vote on Sunday, October 20th, 2019.
| constitution_and_bylaws_additions_and_corrections_to_the_final_draft.pdf |
| 2019_constitution_and_bylaws_proposal_-_final_draft_revised_10_17_19.pdf |
UPDATE 10/04/19
Below is the Final Draft of the Proposed Constitution and Bylaws. The motion from the Bylaws Committee reads as follows: The Bylaws Committee makes a motion that the membership of Bethany Baptist Church approve the rewriting of the constitution and bylaws as presented by the committee in the final draft and be implemented following our 2020 Annual Business Meeting.
Also Included below is an Addendum Packet with helpful resources and information summarizing this four year long process and a comparison document between the 2015 edition and the proposed final draft of the Constitution.
Below is the Final Draft of the Proposed Constitution and Bylaws. The motion from the Bylaws Committee reads as follows: The Bylaws Committee makes a motion that the membership of Bethany Baptist Church approve the rewriting of the constitution and bylaws as presented by the committee in the final draft and be implemented following our 2020 Annual Business Meeting.
Also Included below is an Addendum Packet with helpful resources and information summarizing this four year long process and a comparison document between the 2015 edition and the proposed final draft of the Constitution.
| 2019_constitution_and_bylaws_proposal_-_final_draft.pdf |
| constitution_and_bylaws_proposal_addendum_packet.pdf |
| church_constitution_comparison_2015_2019.pdf |
UPDATE 9/30/19
The Bylaws Committee met and considered congregational feedback from the Preview on September 15 and the Presentation on September 22nd. Below is the revised constitution and bylaws with highlighted changes since September 15th.
The Bylaws Committee met and considered congregational feedback from the Preview on September 15 and the Presentation on September 22nd. Below is the revised constitution and bylaws with highlighted changes since September 15th.
| 2019_constitution_and_bylaws_proposal_-_final_draft_highlighted_changes.pdf |
UPDATE 9/15/19
On September 15th, the Bylaws committee previewed the third section of the rewrite during the Sunday School hour. This entails the whole constitution and changes to titles, names and processes which are impacted by Article 1 of the bylaws. This will be presented to the congregation on September 22nd. Below is posted the whole constitution with highlights of the edits that have been made so far. Also posted is a copy of the current constitution for comparison.
On September 15th, the Bylaws committee previewed the third section of the rewrite during the Sunday School hour. This entails the whole constitution and changes to titles, names and processes which are impacted by Article 1 of the bylaws. This will be presented to the congregation on September 22nd. Below is posted the whole constitution with highlights of the edits that have been made so far. Also posted is a copy of the current constitution for comparison.
| 2019 Constitution Proposal with highlights |
| Current Constitution |
UPDATE 7/25/19
On June 30th, the Bylaws committee presented the second section of the rewrite during a congregational meeting. This includes Article 1, Section 6 which focuses on committees of the church. The bylaws committee reviewed the congregational notes from the June 23rd preview and June 30th presentation. A revised document of Article 1, Sections 1 - 6 is posted below and is open to further congregational input, though no formal presentation will take place until October.
On June 30th, the Bylaws committee presented the second section of the rewrite during a congregational meeting. This includes Article 1, Section 6 which focuses on committees of the church. The bylaws committee reviewed the congregational notes from the June 23rd preview and June 30th presentation. A revised document of Article 1, Sections 1 - 6 is posted below and is open to further congregational input, though no formal presentation will take place until October.
| 7.25.19 Draft of Proposed Article 1, Sections 1-6 |
UPDATE 6/23/19
On June 23rd, the Bylaws committee previewed the second section of the rewrite during the Sunday School hour. This includes Article 1, Section 6 which focuses on committees of the church. This will be presented to the congregation on June 30th. You can see the proposed rewrite below. The second file is the governance chart proposal with committees included in the flow chart.
On June 23rd, the Bylaws committee previewed the second section of the rewrite during the Sunday School hour. This includes Article 1, Section 6 which focuses on committees of the church. This will be presented to the congregation on June 30th. You can see the proposed rewrite below. The second file is the governance chart proposal with committees included in the flow chart.
| section_2_proposed_bylaws_-_committees.pdf |
| governing_model_-_proposal__with_committees.pdf |
UPDATE 5/6/19
On May 5th, the first section of the bylaws were presented to the congregation after a review period. The Committee met and, using the congregational input over the last month, fixed errors and revised the document that is in progress. This document is posted below and is open to further congregational input, though no formal presentation will take place until October.
On May 5th, the first section of the bylaws were presented to the congregation after a review period. The Committee met and, using the congregational input over the last month, fixed errors and revised the document that is in progress. This document is posted below and is open to further congregational input, though no formal presentation will take place until October.
| section_1_by-law_committee_completed-2.pdf |
UPDATE 4/15/19
The bylaw committee hosted its first preview of section 1 on April 14th. A congregational presentation will be held on May 5th immediately following the worship service. You will find below two documents. The first is a proposed chart of governance/organizational hierarchy. The second file is what has currently been rewritten by the by-laws committee: Article 1, sections 1 - 5.
The bylaw committee hosted its first preview of section 1 on April 14th. A congregational presentation will be held on May 5th immediately following the worship service. You will find below two documents. The first is a proposed chart of governance/organizational hierarchy. The second file is what has currently been rewritten by the by-laws committee: Article 1, sections 1 - 5.
| Governance Chart Proposal |
| Proposed Rewrite of Article I, Sections 1-5 |
Please direct your questions to the by-law committee as listed below.
UPDATE 2/28/19
The 2019 Bylaw Committee has begun meeting and rewriting by-laws. For informational purposes and for feedback from the membership, we will be presenting the rewrites to the congregation in 3 sections.
The 2019 Bylaw Committee has begun meeting and rewriting by-laws. For informational purposes and for feedback from the membership, we will be presenting the rewrites to the congregation in 3 sections.
- Section 1 will be presented on May 5, 2019 (preview during Sunday School on April 14)
- Section 2 will be presented on June 30, 2019 (preview during Sunday School on June 23)
- Section 3 will be presented on September 22, 2019 (preview during Sunday School on September 15)
UPDATE 11/11/18
The Congregation approved the following motion brought by the bylaw exploration committee:
The Congregation approved the following motion brought by the bylaw exploration committee:
The bylaws exploration committee, formed by the membership at the annual business meeting in February, 2018, has met, prayed, studied, and discussed at length the issue of governance at Bethany Baptist Church. We have the conviction that the model presented to us in the Bible is an elder-led congregational model of governance. Based upon our findings, we present a motion for the congregation to form a committee, with representation from each board, to begin drafting by-laws which will serve to bring us into closer alignment with what is presented in Scripture.
Frequently Asked Questions: (Posted October, 2018)
When, why and how did this committee come about? (Historical purpose)
- In 2015, as the church embarked on a journey for a new senior pastor, we turned to our conference Converge MidAmerica, for assistance. As a part of their process in getting to know our needs, they examined our current status as a church, including our by-laws. From this came recommendations that the church consider moving to an elder-led, single board governance polity.
- In 2016, the Advisory Council studied this possibility and a motion was made. However, more understanding of the nature and impact of such a change was needed before the church was ready to subscribe to this new change.
- In spring 2017, Pastor Rick took the congregation through a study in the book of 1st Timothy and held 2 special sessions for Q&A.
- In February 2018, the church voted to form a committee comprised of a representative from each of the five boards, in addition to Pastor Rick, to explore Elder Governance at Bethany Baptist Church.
What has this committee done? (Actions)
- We have met 6 times for prayer, study and discussion.
- We have examined samples of by-laws from 6 different evangelical congregations in addition to the recommended by-laws from Converge Mid-America.
- We have read the book titled “Elder Governance: Insights into Making the Transition” by Daniel Evans and Joseph Godwin Jr.
- We have hosted two Q&A sessions with the Bethany family.
- We have highlighted all the areas of our current by-laws which would need to be changed should the church vote to move to elder-governance.
What was this committee exploring? (Charge)
This committee is viewing the current Bylaws and studying how a congregational, elder-led governance works at other churches and how this could be incorporated into our current bylaws. There have been no rewriting of the current by-laws, only the sharing of ideas.
What are the findings of the committee? (Findings)
We believe that the Bible establishes an elder-led congregational form of governance defined in the following ways:
- Plurality - the Bible prescribes that the church has more than one elder. Acts 11:30, 14:23, 20:17, 28, 1 Tim 5:17, James 5:14
- Parity - Each elder has equal say. The Bible does not make a formal distinction between the lead pastor and the rest of the elders, but instead establishes a formal parity. Acts 20:17, 28; 1 Tim. 4:14; James 5:14; 1 Peter 5:1
- Complementarian - We believe that God has divinely appointed roles for the genders in the institution of marriage and the institution of the church. While both male and female are equal in value and importance, God has established male headship in the marriage and in the church for both leading in the current age and accountability on the Day of Judgement in the next. Gen 1-2, Ephesians 5, 1 Timothy 2 - 3, Hebrews 13:17
We believe that the time is now for Bethany Baptist Church move to a congregational, elder-led governance.
Would the current Deacons become the Elders? (Transition)
While it is possible that some of the Deacons could become Elders, it is not a guarantee. We would like the new Bylaws to include the description and qualifications for both Elders and Deacons, to establish a practice of affirming elders and deacons into service, and a temporary solution for selecting the first Elders to serve should the congregation affirm this decision.
Are women able to serve as Elders? (Proper Candidates)
Our interpretation of the qualifications for an Elder (1 Timothy 3) is that the Elders of a church should be male. They are to be the overseers of the church, under Christ, and are the head of the church family in the same way as the husband should be the head of a household. While Scripture is clear in this for the role of elder, the role of deacon is not gender specific. We interpret the roles of the Deacons as being male or female.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE REFER TO THE THREE MESSAGES BELOW THAT ADDRESS THESE ISSUES:
- Love Leads Men and Women to Submit to the Biblically Mandated Order for the Church - 1 Timothy 2:8-15 (6/27/17): https://BethanyBaptist.sermon.net/main/main/20956763
- Love Leads the Church to Appoint Qualified Leaders to Serve the Church - 1 Timothy 3:1-13 (7/2/17): https://BethanyBaptist.sermon.net/main/main/20961160
- The Contribution of Women in Ministry - Luke 8:1-3 (10/28/18): https://BethanyBaptist.sermon.net/main/main/21264813
What happens to women that are currently in leadership positions? (Complementarian: Equal and Distinct)
We believe that the Bible is clear in its teachings that men and women are created equal. We do not think that leadership is for men only as there are many cases of women in leadership positions in the Bible (Junia, Priscilla, Deborah, Miriam) who did amazing things for God’s Kingdom. We are not proposing to change who can be in charge of boards or teams or who can be officers of the church. We believe the Bible teaches that while men and women are equal, God has prescribed certain roles for each to fill for His glory. Our recommendation is that any by-law change ensure that all will continue to have an ongoing voice and input into the direction and mission of our church.
Do you think our church is not biblical in having our current governance? (Biblical Authority)
We believe that, individually and corporately, we should always be striving to be more biblical. The Bible gives broad parameters for an Elder Board governance. This should not be interpreted that our present church polity and governance is "bad". Our current governance is well written and well thought out, but was written in a different time and, in reality, a different culture. As the culture around us grows increasingly secular and post-Christian, we believe we need to be ever more grounded and anchored in biblical practice. Biblical principles and divine truths must be the binding staple that unites the body through our teaching and practices. To err in this can be a slippery slope.
What does the committee believe should be the next steps? (Future Action)
Pending the vote by the membership to move forward with a by-law re-write committee, we believe that the information we have collected and studied should be considered when rewriting the by-laws. We also believe it would be helpful to have the committee present by-law changes in portions to the congregation prior to a future vote. The purpose would be for congregational input during the process and the push for clarity.
Please direct all questions and inquiries to the members of the Bylaw Exploration Committee: Pastor Rick, Darren Hancock, Linda Fusek, Kimberly Orton, Joe Saunders and Melissa Egan.
For a PDF file of the above information, please see below:
For a PDF file of the above information, please see below:
| by-law_exploration_faqs.pdf |
