Golden Triangle Baptist Association

Section 1 This organization shall be known as the Golden Triangle Baptist Association.

Section 2 The Association will cooperate with the Southern Baptist Convention and other entities, as approved by the Association, in carrying out the Great Commission.

Section 1 This Association shall foster and promote Worship, Fellowship, Discipleship, Missions/Evangelism, and Ministry.

Section 2 This Association shall promote the unity of faith and fellowship among Baptists and put forth practical methods to advance the interests of God’s Kingdom.

Section 1 This Association shall be composed of Southern Baptist churches cooperating with and supporting the work of the Golden Triangle Baptist Association.

Section 2 The churches of this Association shall be in doctrinal harmony with the faith and practice of Southern Baptists.

Section 3 Each church shall be entitled to five (5) messengers and one (1) additional messenger for every one hundred (100) or fractional part thereof above the first one hundred (100) members, provided that no church shall have more than twelve (12) messengers. These messengers shall be authorized to conduct the business of the Association at all duly constituted meetings of the Association.

Section 4 The basis of operation in the Association shall be entirely in the sphere of voluntary cooperation in work and fellowship. Recognizing that this body is in no sense an ecclesiastical one, this Association shall not attempt to exercise any legislative or ecclesiastical authority over or interfere with the rights and autonomy of the body. Each church is sovereign and independent in all matters.

Section 5 The Association, when duly assembled, shall be the sole judge of the qualification and fitness of its membership, both as to churches of the common fellowship and individual messengers. In justice and propriety, it claims the power to deny seats to or withdraw fellowship from messengers of churches unorthodox in faith, unchristian in character of leadership, unethical in deeds, or non-cooperative in spirit or practice. This right shall be recognized as inherent and indispensable. Any question regarding these issues must first be submitted in writing to the Credentials Committee for referral to the Association.

Section 6 Churches desiring to affiliate with this Association shall present, at least thirty (30) days prior to a duly constituted meeting, a Petitionary Letter, the form to be supplied by the Association, indicating the desire of the church, the standards of faith which the church holds, and its pledge of cooperation with this Association.

Section 1 The Association shall have the following officers: Moderator, Vice-Moderator, Treasurer, and Clerk. The officers of the Golden Triangle Baptist Association, a Texas corporation, shall be: Moderator of the Association shall be President of the corporation; Vice-Moderator shall be Vice-President; and the Treasurer shall be Secretary-Treasurer.

Section 2 At the will of the Association an Executive Director may be employed who will hold this office so long as mutually agreeable.

Section 1 The Association shall meet quarterly or at the call of the Moderator or the Executive Director. The churches shall send statistical reports to the fall Quarterly Meeting. Petitionary Letters and matters of business may be presented at any duly constituted meeting.

Section 2 The fall Quarterly Meeting shall be held in October of each year. The fall Quarterly Meeting shall also be known as the Annual Meeting. In the fall Quarterly Meeting, the time and place of next year’s meetings shall be published. The Executive Director shall notify each church in the Association of each Quarterly Meeting at least fifteen (15) days prior to such meeting. In case of failure to meet at the designated time and place for any meeting, the Officers of the Association, in conjunction with the Executive Director, shall designate a time and place for meetings.

Section 1 This Constitution shall not be changed or amended unless the proposed amendment has been offered in writing and approved by two-thirds (2/3) majority of those present and voting at two consecutive Quarterly Meetings.

Section 1 The messengers, when convened, shall organize themselves into a deliberative body and shall, during the session of the Association, elect officers. They shall be inducted into office at the close of the fall Quarterly Meeting and shall serve until their successors have been elected and inducted. A slate of officers shall be presented by the Association Nominating Committee. Additional nominations may be made from the floor.

Section 2 The Moderator is to preside at all Associational meetings. The Moderator shall be an ex-officio member of all committees; and shall not serve more than two years consecutively.

Section 3 The Vice-Moderator shall preside in the absence of the Moderator, or at the direction of the Moderator. The Vice-Moderator shall succeed the Moderator to that office in case of vacancy.

Section 4 The Clerk shall keep an accurate record of the proceedings of the meetings of the Association, shall prepare copies of these minutes, publish them to the churches comprising the Association, and maintain copies on file in the Association Office. The Clerk shall supervise the preparation, printing, and distribution of the Minutes.

Section 5 The Treasurer shall make sure that responsible accounting procedures and safeguards are maintained by the Association office in the handling of all funds. The Treasurer, and all others having responsibility for the handling, receiving, or disbursing of Associational funds, shall be adequately bonded.

All checks shall be signed by two people, one from outside the Association office and one from within the Association office. The Treasurer, or someone appointed by the Finance and Policy Committee to sign in his absence, will constitute one signature. The Executive Director, or those on his staff, shall constitute the other signature. Employees responsible for maintaining financial records of the Association shall not sign checks.

Section 6 Any vacancy of the office of Vice-Moderator, Clerk, or Treasurer shall be elected with nominations from the Nominating Committee at the subsequent Quarterly Meeting. Additional nominations may be made from the floor.

Section 1 The messengers of the Association shall have power to transact all business of the Association and shall have charge of its Worship, Fellowship, Discipleship, Missions/Evangelism, and Ministry.

Section 2 No person receiving a salary from the Association or its auxiliaries shall be a voting member of the Association.

Section 3 The Association shall have the power to acquire and dispose of personal property and real estate in the name of the Golden Triangle Baptist Association at any Quarterly Meeting or called meeting of the Association.

Section 4 The Association shall meet quarterly or at the call of the Moderator or of the Executive Director. All members shall be notified of all meetings.

Section 1 The Executive Director shall maintain an Associational office, and shall, under the direction of the Association, carry out the objectives of the Association as identified in Article II of the Constitution.

Section 2 It shall be his duty, in conjunction with the proper committees, to promote all the cooperative endeavors of the Association. He shall be an ex-officio member of all councils, boards, committees, and teams with the power to make recommendations and to enter into discussion of all matters.

Section 3 The Executive Director shall be responsible for all funds belonging to the Association. He will enforce guidelines of the Finance and Policy Committee concerning the reception and distribution of all funds. He will be responsible for publishing a monthly financial report, in addition to a report to the Quarterly Meetings.

Section 4 All Associational employees are under supervision and direction of the Executive Director.

Section 5 In the event of a vacancy in this office, a search committee of seven (7) may be elected by the Association to recommend a successor. The Association will determine the time frame or necessity of this process when a vacancy occurs. Nominations for this committee shall be from the floor. The election of this committee and two (2) alternates shall be by secret ballot. This committee shall make reports of progress and any changes of the committee structure to a regular or called meeting of the Association.

Section 1 The Association in its Spring meeting shall elect the Nominating Committee. The Committee shall be nominated from the floor. It shall be composed of nine (9) members on a rotating basis, with a regular term of three (3) years. Replacements on this Committee shall be for the unexpired term. No member shall succeed himself. The Committee shall nominate all officers, committees, trustees, and ministry team leaders, unless otherwise designated by the Association. In the selection of committees, the Nominating Committee shall be instructed to see that all areas of the Association are represented on committees.

Section 2 Ministry objectives of the Association shall be carried out through additional teams and auxiliaries, each with their own leadership. These teams and auxiliaries shall serve in the following areas: Bible Study Team, Discipleship Team, Church Music Team, Youth Team, Vacation Bible School Team, Bible Drill Team, Prayer Team, Senior Adult Team, Woman’s Missionary Union Auxiliary, and Baptist Men’s Auxiliary. These teams and auxiliaries may vary as needs change. Leadership shall be presented to the Nominating Committee for approval by the Association.

Section 3 The Leadership Advisory Council shall provide a forum for communication and coordination among the leaders of the Association. The Council shall be charged with the responsibility of providing leadership in the implementation of the Association’s Vision and make recommendation to the Association regarding the pursuit of that Vision. It shall provide regular counsel for GTBA Administrative Staff, monitor vision, and identify and create additional leadership teams, as needed. They would meet, as necessary, for the effective execution of their assignment. The Council shall have the responsibility of determining the time, place, and program for each Quarterly Meeting.

1. Associational Officers (Most Recent Moderator, Current Moderator, Vice-Moderator, Treasurer, and Clerk)

6. Chairman of the Constitution and By-Laws, Finance and Policy, Missions Development/Credentials, Nominating, and Personnel Committees

Section 4 For the efficient promotion of the work of the Association, the following Standing Committees, each composed of at least six (6) members, shall be elected at the time of the election of officers. It shall be on a rotating membership basis, with a regular term of three (3) years. Replacements on this Committee shall be for the unexpired term. No member shall succeed himself.

1. Constitution and By-Laws: It shall be the duty of this committee to carry on a continuing study of the Association’s Constitution and By-Laws, receiving and transmitting such proposals for changes and amendments to and on behalf of the Association.

2. Finance and Policy: It shall be the duty of this committee to prepare a budget necessary to carry on the work and objectives of the Association for the ensuing year. This budget shall be presented to the Association in the summer Quarterly Meeting and voted on at the fall Quarterly Meeting. This committee shall be responsible for the operation of the budget and make decisions in matters pertaining to finances, not specifically prescribed elsewhere in the Constitution and By-Laws. This committee shall be responsible for having the financial records of the Association evaluated at the end of each fiscal year. It shall also be the responsibility of this committee to make recommendations concerning policies of the Association in areas not specifically assigned by the Constitution and By-Laws to other committees.

3. Missions Development/Credentials: The duty of this committee shall be two-fold:

a. to give counsel in locating missions and new churches and to investigate and recommend to the Association the property necessary for missions or new churches. It shall be the duty of this committee to survey the applications for church loans, pastor supplemental salary aid, and to make appropriate recommendations to the Association.

b. to receive the Petitionary Letter from any church seeking to become a member of the Golden Triangle Baptist Association and make appropriate recommendations. At least two weeks prior to a Quarterly Meeting, the messengers shall be notified of any and all Petitionary Letters presented. It shall also consider any questions of the fellowship of messengers from any church, and make appropriate recommendations.

4. Personnel: It shall be the duty of the Committee to consult with the Executive Director in matters related to personnel employed by the Association. For recommendations of replacement of professional Staff, the Committee may be enlarged to include representatives of appropriate other committees. This committee is ultimately responsible for all personnel matters. The Executive Director will work in conjunction with the Personnel Committee to develop and maintain a policy manual.

5. Student Work: It shall be the duty of this committee to promote Baptist Student Ministries among the local churches. This committee shall serve as an advisory liaison between the churches of the Golden Triangle Baptist Association, Student Work Departments of any Baptist entities, and the B.S.M.’s at local colleges and universities.

Section 5 Trustees for East Texas Baptist Encampment shall be elected at the time of the election of officers. The number of trustees and their term of office shall be in accordance with the governing documents of East Texas Baptist Encampment. Trustees shall serve as liaisons between the Association and East Texas Baptist Encampment.

Section 6 For the promotion of other ministries of the Association, Ministry Teams shall be selected. The Leadership Advisory Council shall evaluate the need for specific teams, create job descriptions, and recommend the creation, or continuance of a specific team, together with its nomination for team leader and assistant team leader. Each Ministry Team shall be composed of a team leader and assistant team leader and such team members as may be required. Each team leader and assistant team leader shall be presented by the Leadership Advisory Council to the Nominating Committee, and the Nominating Committee shall present these names to the Association for their approval. Each team leader and assistant team leader shall recruit their own members. Each Team Leader and Assistant Team Leader shall be elected annually at the time of the election of officers.

Section 1 The By-Laws may be amended at any quarterly meeting of the Association, provided such amendment was offered at the previous meeting and receives a two-thirds majority of the votes cast at the next meeting.

The Association shall be notified of any proposed amendment prior to the next meeting.

Section 2 Parliamentary Law: Robert’s Rules of Order shall be the authority used by the presiding officers and by the Association, unless the Constitution or By-Laws clearly covers such proceedings.

Section 3 Fiscal year: The fiscal year of the Association shall be the calendar year. The proposed budget shall be presented at the summer Quarterly Meeting and voted on at the fall Quarterly Meeting.