We are voting to accept the updated Constitution presented by the Church Board to replace the current Constitution and Bylaws. With the adoption of the new governance model in January 2025, this updated document reflects those changes. The current Constitution and Bylaws will be archived as a part of the historical document and available for reference in the future.

This Constitution has more articles and some articles are more fully detailed. This is due to folding some of the essential details within our current Bylaws into the updated Constitution. The Constitution Committee suggested that it be narrowed down to a singular document rather than two documents.

Both by-laws and policies are written rules that guide non-profit organizations on their goals, actions, and how they make decisions. By-laws are government-required rules for officially starting a non-profit, covering core things like its purpose, how its board is set up, and how it answers to members; changes need member and government approval. Chester Baptist has opted to include those details as a part of our updated Constitution. Policies, however, deal with everyday management details not in by-laws, can be created and changed by the Board without outside permission, offering more flexibility in setting rules. Some non-profits also have less detailed "governing policies" that focus on general ideas, and more specific "operational policies" that staff, like the executive director, develop for daily tasks.

Policies are the responsibility of the Church Board. They are not a part of the Constitution. While there is a process to add/amend policies to the Board for review, they do not require congregational permission.

Yes. It is essential that all policies be available and understood by the CBC community. They are guiding principles for both staff and laypeople as they accomplish day-to-day tasks.

In our current Constitution and Bylaws, the Deacons were originally written in as a “Deacon Board”. The Deacons provided accountability for the Pastor, and the Chairman of the Deacons provided certain aspects of church leadership. The Deacons also provided conflict resolution, church discipline, etc. The Church Board will fulfill the governance role that “Deacon Board” did previously. With the updated Constitution focusing on governance, the omission of Deacons is only due to their non-governing, servant leadership role.

Our Deacons have adopted a ministry-first, serving role rather than governance for some time. They are essential to the New Testament church and, specifically, in the life of our church and will continue to serve in that capacity. 

If needed, the Church Council group would be composed of the primary or point person over all long-standing committees/ministry teams as listed in Article X. The role and purpose would be to accomplish the vision, mission, and strategy of the church through ministry efforts and not organizational oversight. This document does not need to specify any necessary committees, teams, positions or meetings due to the lack of organizational oversight.

Having a strong, detailed Article of Dissolution is important for an independent nonprofit or church for several key reasons, primarily revolving around legal compliance, asset distribution, and protecting individuals involved. It informs the state that the organization is closing ending fees or reports expected. It provides clarity  for the process, who “makes” decisions and how those decisions are executed. This provides for the appropriate disposal of all assets, and protects the organization from any person, group, or entity from taking advantage of an opportunity. It also ensures that the organizational leaders and members are not personally responsible for any remaining debts after the organization has closed. It is best to decide these details in moments of organizational health rather than in the season of closing.

Here is the historical list of updates listed:

• Updated July 29, 1992
• Article X revised April/May 2011 
• Updated October 30, 2014 due to change in annual meeting from October to July.
• Updated July 29, 2015 (see minutes of that meeting)
• Updated October 28, 2020 (see business meeting minutes)

In short, current or existing Board members will prayerfully consider, discuss, and invite members to Board when positions come open. Board members will consider spiritual qualifications and use their inner-working knowledge of being on the Board to prayerfully pursue who God is leading them to invite to the role. Our first Board came from representatives on the Church Coordinating Council as we began this process. That Council initiated the first members of the current Board. The Board will then present the new Board member(s) for congregational affirmation.

A decision has initially been made by the Board. Those with the responsibility of making the decision are seeking affirmation of said decision by others, which could be one person, a group of people, or multiple members of the church. The Board's decision might change based on feedback and input. With this approach, input and feedback are a necessity for the process. It necessitates clear communication from those responsible for the decision, and those present to contribute honestly and clearly.

The church membership. It will require a congregational vote as has been the tradition.

Yes. An annual meeting will be held to present the budget to church members for clarity and to allow questions and concerns. This would be in advance of the budget year. Feedback from the congregation may cause the Board to adjust the budget for the upcoming year.

Please see previous question regarding “affirmation” of a decision.

On another note, our current Constitution and Bylaws requires a quorum of fifty members for the meeting to pass the annual budget. At our last three annual budget meetings we have not met that quorum, and we have had to reschedule. Those follow up meetings have often been less than 15 minutes on Sunday mornings simply to ensure compliance.

The modified Carver Policy Governance model is the primary model used by churches with board leadership. Rarely do they define their governance as a modified Carver model or a “complementary” model; however, using those terms may help someone reading this document who would like to research and understand it in broad terms.

There are two basic board model types, a working board that oversees all staff, all committees, and are fairly involved in the day to day, and a Carver board model, where the board hires the Executive leader, empowers them, and then can becomes somewhat disengaged. The modified Carver model or complementary model has been developed to serve the non-profit world, finding the strengths of both models as well as provide deeper clarity to roles.

The differences between church boards and non-profit boards are primarily found in the scriptural descriptions around the office of elder, which is far beyond organizational leadership and includes caring for the flock as a shepherd. Here is a helpful link to a description of the duties of biblical elders.

The BGAV does not make “recommendations” for church governance. They value the autonomy of the local church, which is a Baptist distinctive. They do supply support for churches with a variety of church governance model.

This has been an ongoing tension in Baptist churches for many decades. What is a true membership number? The roles do not match the regular worship attendance of the church on a Sunday. How long do we keep someone on the roll after they have moved, chosen to attend another church, or stopped going to church altogether? A healthy church will have a worship attendance number that reflects the membership rolls, regular attenders, and guests, while also taking into account those that are homebound, online, and cannot attend regularly for other uncontrollable situations.

Our current Constitution under Article V Church Covenant is states: 

"We commit ourselves to worship together regularly, to study faithfully the Word of God, to seek His presence in daily prayer, to involve our lives in the ministry of our church, to use our talents to do effectively the work of Christ in and through this church and seek to bear a faithful witness for Christ in our daily lives." 

We commit ourselves to support this church by giving regularly and systematically to its mission. We will seek to win those of our household to Christ and to magnify Christ in our home."

This would seem to indicative of what Chester Baptist has deemed as a healthy active member. The goal would always be, for all churches, that all members be active healthy members. While that is ideal, the health of a church is derived from the unity of the members around the Gospel for the cause of Christ.

In the updated Constitution, the close of Article IV on Membership it states:
“Defining membership terms such as good standing, active, and inactive are the care of the Church Board and shall be carefully managed through pastoral care or a process of church discipline.”

The simple answer is yes. The Senior Pastor is empowered by the Board to hire the right people for the right positions necessary to fulfill the mission and vision God has set before Chester Baptist.

Consider that the Board is responsible to work with the Pastor to establish the mission and vision of the church. Also consider that the Board will hold the Senior Pastor accountable for the outcomes. No new positions can be developed without the approval of the Board simply due to budget constraints, etc.

Please see below the Board Policy regarding Constraints on the Role of Senior Pastor, specifically when it comes to employment and personnel matters for further understanding. 

Employment Constraints: With respect to treatment of paid staff, the Senior Pastor will not cause or allow conditions that are unbiblical, inhumane, or undignified. Accordingly, the Senior Pastor will not:

1. Hire anyone unwilling to endorse the Mission, Vision, and Statement of Faith. 
2. Hire a staff (Both FT & PT) member who is unwilling to be a fully engaged (Attending, Giving, Serving) member of CBC. 
3. Discriminate among employees except that established by law 
4. Fail to discipline any employee whose conduct is contrary to stated Biblical values 
5. Fail to address the harassment of any employee or volunteer (e.g. sexual, emotional, etc.) 
6. Fail to have and employ a Whistleblower Policy 
7. Hire anyone without providing them with a position description, personnel manual or employee handbook 
8. Hire anyone who has not undergone a background check 
9. Withhold from any employee a due-process grievance procedure, able to be used without retaliation 
10. Fail to have and enact a compensation plan and policy for all employees (e.g. performance system) that meet legal requirements 
11. Hire any family member or relative without Board approval 
12. Fail to have and follow a Nepotism Policy 
13. Fail to address improper hiring decision documentation, employment documentation and disciplinary procedures, including termination or resignation. 
14. Fail to have and maintain a succession plan for mission critical staff
15. Hire a minister, director, manager or full time associate without participating in at least one level of a personal interview with that individual.
16. Hire a minister, director, or manager without a documented assessment of leadership skills, emotional intelligence (EQ), staff chemistry, theological fit, and past/current issues that might be of concern.