Summary Of Amendments These summary pages are a chronological brief description of the amendments that have been made to THE MIDWAY BAPTIST CHURCH CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS. They are not a part of the constitution and by-laws. • Version 0 – This is an unaltered copy of the original constitution and by-laws adopted by the church in 1978 and printed in multiple paper copies. A soft copy, typed from this original paper copy, is contained in file: “MBC Constitution-Bylaws Ver 0.doc” • Version 1 – Amendment presented by Charles Logan on 10/12/1988 and signed by Marcia Endicott and Robert Comley, Jr. The amendment was approved on January 11, 1989. Added to Article VIII – COMMITTEES – STANDING COMMITTEES a statement stipulating that ex-officio members of any organization, department, or committee shall not have voting rights. A soft copy that displays the amended text in bold-underline is contained in file: “MBC Constitution-Bylaws Ver 1.doc” • Version 2 – Amendment presented by Don Dobson on July 13, 1994 and signed by Philip Dotson and Robert Comley, Jr. The amendment was approved in the October, 1994 business meeting. Added to Article VIII – COMMITTEES – STANDING COMMITTEES – subitem C, adding the Investment Management Committee. A soft copy that displays the amended text in bold-underline is contained in file: “MBC Constitution-Bylaws Ver 2.doc” • Version 3 – Amendment presented by Letha J. Tomes presented on 11/8/2000 and signed by D. W. Forman and E. J. Arnold. The amendment was approved in the February 2001 business meeting. It changes Article VI – CHURCH GOVERNMENT – Section II to change the regular business meeting from the second Wednesday of each month to the third Wednesday of each month. A soft copy that displays the amended text in bold-underline is contained in file: “MBC Constitution-Bylaws Ver 3.doc” • Version 4 – Amendment presented by Letha J. Tomes on 5/16/2001 and signed by Arthur Craig and Paul Simmons. The amendment was approved in the August business meeting. Article VII - Section C – Trustees was changed to alter the amount of money the Trustees are permitted to spend without advance approval in emergencies from $300.00 to $1,000.00. A soft copy that displays the amended text in bold-underline is contained in file: “MBC Constitution-Bylaws Ver 4.doc” • Version 5 – Amendment presented by Paul Simmons on 9/17/2003 and signed by Arthur Craig and Robert Comley, Jr. The amendment was approved on 12/17/2003. It alters Article VII – CHURCH OFFICERS – ELECTION AND DUTIES – B. Deacons so that deacons elected after January 1, 2004 shall serve a term of 3-years. It also defines “Active Deacon.” A soft copy that displays the amended text in bold-underline is contained in file: “MBC Constitution-Bylaws Ver 5.doc” • Version 6 – Amendment presented by Letha Tomes on 10/15/2003 and signed by Arthur Craig, Eddie Davis, Paul Simmons, and Dave Forman. The amendment was approved on January 21, 2003. It alters Article VII – CHURCH OFFICERS – ELECTION AND DUTIES – B. Deacons so that the deacon election process is changed from a single day nomination/election to a separate nomination and election held two weeks apart. A soft copy that displays the amended text in bold-underline is contained in file: “MBC Constitution- Bylaws Ver 6.doc” • Version 7 – Amendment presented by Mike Taylor on 5/16/2007 and signed by Jamie Woods, Iraline Craig, Nathan Craig, Larry Craig, Vincent Price, and Art Craig. The amendment was approved on 8/15/2007. It alters Article VI – CHURCH GOVERNMENT – Section II to change the time of the business meeting from the third Wednesday of each month to simply require that the business meeting be held once each month (no specific time requirement). A soft copy that displays the amended text in bold-underline is contained in file: “MBC Constitution-Bylaws Ver 7.doc” • Version 8 – Amendment presented by Don Dobson on 9/21/2008 and signed by Iraline Craig and Tom Allen. The amendment was approved on 12/21/2008. It alters Article VIII – COMMITTEES – STANDING COMMITTEES – A. Nominating Committee to change the at-large members from 3 to 4, and to remove the WMU Director from Nominating Committee. It also changes the date of Nominating Committee appointment from June to April and the date of the first report from August to June. Other small grammatical changes are included. A soft copy that displays the amended text in bold-underline is contained in file: “MBC Constitution-Bylaws Ver 8.doc” • Version 9 – FAILED Amendment presented by Joy Arnold on 10/21/2009 and signed by Paul Simmons and Arthur Craig. The amendment was brought to a vote on 1/17/2010, but failed to pass . It would have restructured the by-laws section on Deacons to better integrate the three amendments that have been made to this section, clarified how to handle ballots with multiple votes for the same person, how to handle a tie vote, defined the limits on deacons from the same family, defined paid staff as ineligible to be deacons, addressed multiple services on deacon nomination/election day, defined a time limit for a deacon to be inactive, and other minor changes in sentence structure and punctuation. A soft copy that displays the proposed amended text in bold-underline is contained in file: “MBC Constitution-Bylaws Ver 9.doc” • “MBC Constitution-Bylaws Current Ver.doc” is the current version of the constitution and by-laws and is the same as Version 8 (since version 9 was rejected by the church) except that the bold-underline highlighting the amendment has been removed. 2 THE MIDWAY BAPTIST CHURCH CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS PREAMBLE We, the members of Midway Baptist Church, being aware of our sacred purpose in the gospel, and desiring that this body may be governed in an orderly manner, declare and establish this constitution which will preserve the rights and liberties of each individual church member and the freedom of action of this body in relation to other Baptist Churches. ARTICLE I THE NAME AND LEGAL STATUS OF THE CHURCH The name of this church shall be known as the Midway Baptist Church, Midway, Kentucky. This church was incorporated September 1, 1978 by the State of Kentucky, County of Woodford and recorded by the clerk of the County Court of Woodford County the first day of September, 1978. ARTICLE II THE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH The purpose of Midway Baptist Church shall be to maintain public services for the worship of God, to proclaim the Gospel, to educate, to minister to the needs of the community, and to promote the interest of the Kingdom to all mankind according to the teachings of Christ. ARTICLE III COVENANT Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, and on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we do now in the presence of God, and His assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another as one body of Christ. We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this church, in knowledge, holiness, and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the Gospel through all nations. We also engage to maintain family and secret devotions; to religiously educate our children; to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment; to avoid all tattling, backbiting, and excessive anger; to abstain from the sale of, and use of, intoxicating drinks as a beverage; to be zealous in our efforts to advance the kingdom of our Saviour. 3 We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember one another in prayer; to aid one another in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and Christian courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation and mindful of the rules of our Saviour to secure it without delay. We moreover engage that when we remove from this place, we will as soon as possible, unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this Covenant and the principles of God’s Word. ARTICLE IV ARTICLES OF FAITH THE SCRIPTURES The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is a record of God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. It reveals the principles by which God judges us; and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ. Ex. 24:4; Deut. 4:1-2; 17:19; Josh. 8:34; Psalm 19:7-10; 119:11, 89, 105, 140; Isa. 34:16; 40:8; Jer. 15:16;36; Matt. 5:17-18; 22:29; Luke 21:33; 34:44-46; John 5:39; 16:13-15; 17:17; Acts 2:16ff; 17:11; Rom.