Constitution and By-Laws

CHRISTIAN CHURCH (Disciples of Christ) IN KENTUCKY
WEST AREA
CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
(Adopted March 7, 2020 at a called meeting of the West Area Membership)

Article 1: NAME

      The name shall be Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) In Kentucky-West Area, hereinafter referred to as West Area (WA). The WA may retain a minister to provide leadership and guidance for the WA. (For purposes of this document, the minister hired by the WA shall be referred to as the WA Minister regardless of the contractual title.)

Article 2: MEMBERSHIP AND PARTICIPATION

      As a member of the body of Christ, every person who is a member of a recognized congregation in Districts 1, 2 and 3 of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) In Kentucky, as listed in the current publication of the Yearbook and Directory of the Christian Church (DOC) holds membership in West Area.

Article 3: NATURE AND MISSION

      The nature and mission of WA shall be consistent with the nature and mission of the Christian Church In Kentucky as set forth in its Constitution and By-Laws initially adopted by its September 17-19, 1992 Assembly and as may be subsequently amended.

Article 4: RELATIONSHIPS

      WA is a distinctly separate self-governing organization operating as an integral part of the Christian Church In Kentucky region. WA owns its property outright, manages its finances, determines its program and hires its staff. WA and the Region voluntarily enter into a formal, written covenant to pursue a common mission in Districts 1, 2 and 3 of the Region. Under the agreement WA shall approximate the status of a district organization within the Region’s organizational structure combining Districts 1, 2 and 3 in its responsibility for decision-making and ministry.

Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) In Kentucky-West Area is a legal successor to Murray Christian Student Foundation and the Tri-District Ministry.

Article 5: ORGANIZATION

  1. BOARD
    Ultimate responsibility for WA and its constituent districts shall be vested in an administrative Board. The Board shall approve policy, assume responsibility for program, and maintain relationships essential for effective ministry for both WA and its three constituent district organizations. The Board shall be composed of elected officers of the WA, 2 at large delegates from each of the three constituent districts, the Christian Church In Kentucky Regional Board members from churches of the three constituent districts, the chair of the KBY Advisory Committee, and one representative from the West Area Youth Council (WAYC) which shall be determined by the membership of WAYC. These members shall be voting members. Ad-hoc committees chairs shall not be considered members of the WA Board but shall report to the board as needed.
  2. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

An Executive Committee (EC) comprised of the Board officers (Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer) meets to facilitate response and support to issues needing urgent response. This committee shall report to the Board and holds no independent decision-making authority unless specifically directed by the Board. A detailed report of all actions and/or discussions of the EC will be submitted to the WA Board at each regularly scheduled board meeting. All items requiring Board action must be submitted by the EC in the form of a written motion to the WA Board at one of its regular or specially called meetings.

  1. MEETINGS

The Board shall meet twice yearly, normally in the spring and the fall. The fall meeting shall take place at least 2 weeks prior to the WA annual meeting. Other meetings may be held upon call by the Chair, upon written request of three members of the Board, or upon written request from members of three congregations. Requests shall be made to the Board Chair who is obligated to call a special Board meeting. Written notice of special meetings shall be given two weeks in advance specifying time, date and place.1

  1. VOTING

A majority of members (consisting of at least one more than half of the voting membership) of the Board shall be present to constitute a quorum. A board member, unable to attend a particular meeting, may authorize another person, not on the Board, as a replacement for that particular meeting as a fully participating member with vote on the Board. In certain situations, the Board Chair may allow members who cannot attend and cannot arrange for a replacement to submit a vote on specific topics by email to the Board chair prior to a meeting where the issue is to be presented for vote.

Article 6: OFFICERS

  1. OFFICERS
    The elected officers of West Area shall be Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. These officers also serve as an Executive Committee.
  2. DUTIES
    The chair shall preside over all business meetings of the Board, serve ex-officio without vote on all committees of the West Area. Voting rights for the chair may be granted by any committee in the case of a tie vote of the committee membership. The chair shall also provide leadership to the total program of WA, and counsel regularly with theWA Minister.

The vice-chair, in the absence of the chair, shall perform duties of the chair; shall perform other duties as the chair may delegate, and shall serve as the chair of the nominating committee for Board members. The vice-chair serves as the facilitator of the nominating committee without vote.

The secretary  shall keep the official records of West Area including official minutes for Board meetings and Executive committee meetings. Meeting minutes shall be promptly recorded and presented at the next meeting for review and/or approval as needed.

The treasurer shall oversee collection and disbursement of funds, financial record keeping and reporting procedures of West Area.

The EC facilitates response and support to issues needing urgent response reporting all actions/decisions to the Board.

  1. ELECTION OF BOARD MEMBERSHIP
    Members of the WA Board shall be elected by the annual meeting of WA membership. Board members shall be elected to serve 2-year terms in a rotating pattern. Group A shall begin their terms in even numbered years and consist of the chair, secretary, and one representative from each of the three constituent districts. Group B shall begin their terms in odd numbered years and consist of the vice-chair, treasurer, and the second representative from each of the three constituent districts.

The vice-chair of the Board shall initiate the nomination process by selecting a nominating committee of three to five (3-5) members from the membership of the WA churches. Members shall be selected to ensure representation from all three constituent districts. The Nominating Committee shall make one nomination for each position whose term is ending in that calendar year. Nominees should be selected to ensure diversity in Board membership with respect to gender, race, district affiliation, and to ensure sufficient representation of the laity. Every effort should be made to ensure that nominees are chosen from small and large churches as well as small and large communities and to ensure no single church has multiple members on the Board. The slate of officers shall be presented to the Board prior to the annual meeting of the WA membership for recommendation to the membership.

To be duly elected a person must receive a majority of the votes cast by members of the WA in attendance. In the event a nominee fails to receive a majority of the votes cast the position shall be considered vacant.
When a vacancy occurs in an elective office the Board shall fill the vacancy until the next regular election.

  1. TERMS OF OFFICE
    The term of office for WA Board members shall be two years beginning on January 1 of the year after election.2District representatives to the CCK Regional Board shall be granted voting membership on the WA Board. Their terms shall conform to the Region’s Constitution and By-Laws. As standing committees, the KBY Advisory Committee Chair and WAYC representative shall be granted voting membership on the WA Board. Terms for committee representatives shall be determined by the committee. No person may hold more than one voting position on the Board at a time.

Article 7: DISTRICTS

      Districts are to provide structure for WA ministry and program in a manner consistent with the Regions’ nature and mission as outlined in the Region’s Constitution and By-Laws. The WA Board facilitates decision-making processes and programs for Districts 1, 2 and 3.

Article 8: AMENDMENTS

      Amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws shall be recommended by the Board to the annual meeting of the WA and shall be ratified by two-thirds of the vote of those in attendance.

Article 9: TERMINATION

      In the event that WA should terminate its ministry and organization, the assets of West Area will be transferred to the Christian Church In Kentucky region with instructions concerning distribution of the assets.

BY-LAWS

Article 1: STAFF

Staff positions shall consist of the WA Minister and Administrative Support Personnel. These positions shall be authorized by the Board. Hiring of personnel or termination of employment requires Board approval. Need for these positions, hours of work, pay, and benefits for these positions shall be authorized by a vote of the Board.A personnel committee composed of at least four Board members (including the Board Chair and one member from each District) shall interview and recommend staff personnel, review annually all contracts and suggest employment policies of the West Area. The West Area Minister shall be employed by the Board, upon the recommendation of a Search Committee (as described below). In nominating and calling other West Area staff, the Personnel Committee shall seek counsel from the West Area Minister.

West Area Minister: The West Area Minister shall be related to the Christian Church In Kentucky Region’s staff as an associate regional minister. Conditions and nature of the relationship shall be set forth in a written agreement between the West Area with the Board Chair acting as the WA’s agent and the Christian Church In Kentucky Region with the Region’s General Minister acting as the Region’s agent.
The WA Minister shall supervise, direct and administer the work of the West Area under the direction of the West Area Board. The WA Minister shall have pastoral oversight of the faith, life and unity of Districts 1, 2 and 3; and, along with other ministers and lay leaders, serve the nature and mission of the Region.
The WA Minister shall be employed by the Board upon recommendation of a Search Committee. The Search Committee shall be appointed by the Chair and approved by the Board at a regular or called meeting. The Search Committee shall include five persons from the Board representing all three districts plus, the CCK Personnel Committee Chair or his/her designee from the CCK Personnel Committee. The West Area Board chair shall serve on the committee as an ex-officio member with vote. The General Minister of the Christian Church In Kentucky Region shall serve as consultant to the Search Committee.
The process for calling a WA Minister shall be consistent with the processes of calling an Associate Regional Minister for the Region.
A letter of calling shall set out the terms of the call and the provisions for termination of employment. Both Board Chair and the person called shall sign the letter of calling. The WA minister shall report to the Board Chair or Board appointed designee.

Administrative Support personnel shall report to the WA minister. In the event of a vacancy in the position of WA minister, the administrative support personnel shall report to the Board Chair. Duties of the administrative support personnel shall be administrative in nature in support of the WA programs and Camp Kum-Ba-Ya as agreed upon with the WA Minister/Board Chair.

Article 2: FISCAL YEAR

      The fiscal year of West Area shall be the calendar year, January 1 through December 31.

Article 3: DISTRICT ORGANIZATION

      Districts shall be organized in accordance with Regional policies.

Article 4: AMENDMENTS

      Amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws shall be recommended by the Board to a Meeting of the West Area membership and shall be ratified by two-thirds of the vote of those in attendance.