Constitution & bylaws

CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS

Convention of Original Free Will Baptists

PREAMBLE

We, the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists, assembled in order to advance, promote, and increase the cause of Jesus Christ, do establish and ordain this constitution and these bylaws.

CONSTITUTION

Article I

Section 1: This assembly shall be known as the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists.

Section 2: This Convention shall hold an annual session commencing on Wednesday after the third Sunday in May of each year; the place of such meetings to be determined by the Convention or the executive committee. Special sessions may be called by the executive committee

in the event of the existence of needs of sufficient urgency.

Article II

Section 1: The officers of this Convention shall be a president, vice-president, recording secretary, and treasurer. No more than 2 officers of the Convention shall be from the same conference.

Section 2: The Convention shall be composed of the general officers, members of standing boards, committees or commissions, all ordained ministers, and heads of ministries who are members of churches of conferences or associations that are affiliated with the Convention, and

who personally subscribe and adhere to the Articles of Faith and Principles of Church Government for Original Free Will Baptists (of the English General Baptist Heritage); one delegate from each church in good standing for every one hundred members or a fraction thereof, and one delegate from each union meeting, conference, or association in good standing for every five hundred members or a fraction thereof.

Section 3: A denominational ministry of the Original Free Will Baptist Church is an institution or enterprise that provides Christian Ministry on behalf of and at the direction of the Convention and the governing body is elected directly or indirectly by the Convention or its member churches. These denominational ministries being: (1) Free Will Baptist Children’s Home, Inc. (2) Church Planting and Renewal, (3) O.F.W.B. International (Foreign Missions), (4) Free Will Baptist Minister's Program, (5) Free Will Baptist Retirement Homes, Inc., (6) Free Will Baptist Press Foundation, Inc., (7) Church Finance Association, (8) Cragmont Assembly, Inc., (9)

University of Mount Olive, (10) The Original Free Will Baptist Christian Education Ministry.

Additional denominational ministries may be created by a 2/3 vote of the Convention in a regular session, upon meeting the preceding requirements.

Section 4: Associate membership in the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists shall be extended to denominations, foreign Conventions, conferences, or organized groups of like faith recommended by the Executive Committee and approved by the Convention.

BYLAWS

Article I

Section 1: The work of this Convention shall be departmentalized, with a board of control over each department. Each board shall be governed by rules set forth by the Convention. It shall be the duty of the Convention to solicit the cooperation of the conferences and associations in promoting the work of these departments.

Section 2: All members of the Convention shall have a right of voice and vote on any issue before the body, providing they have been properly recognized by the presiding officer. They shall serve the Convention in any capacity when called upon by the proper authority. Before membership in the Convention is established, all ministers and delegates must be properly registered.

Section 3: Associate members may send representatives to the Annual Convention. Duly appointed representatives shall be extended all the privileges of members, except voting.

Article II

Officers, Boards, Committees, and the Manner of Their Election years.

Section 1: President: The president shall be elected for a term of two (2) years.

Section 2: Vice-President: The vice-president shall be elected for a term of two (2)

Section 3: Recording Secretary: The recording secretary shall be elected for a term of two (2) years.

Section 4: Director of Convention Services: The Director of Convention Services shall be employed by the Convention under such contract as may be agreed upon by himself and the executive committee. The Convention's executive committee shall be the directing and governing

authority of this office.

Section 5: Treasurer: The treasurer shall be elected for a term of two (2) years. A positional bond of not less than $5,000 shall be continuously maintained.

Section 6: Children' Home Board: The Board of Trustees of the Free Will Baptist Children's Home, Middlesex, shall be composed of twelve (12) members including two (2) ladies, one (1) alumnus or a member of the community, with terms of three (3) members expiring each year, the vacancies to be filled by the Convention. No person is eligible to serve on this board for more than three (3) consecutive four-year terms.

Section 7: Board of Minister's Program: The Board of Minister's Program shall be composed of five (5) members with the term of one member expiring each year; the vacancy to be filled by the Convention.

Section 8: O.F.W.B. International: The O.F.W.B. International shall be composed of five (5) members with the term of one member expiring each year; the vacancy to be filled by the Convention.

Section 9: Board of Trustees: The Board of Trustees shall be composed of three (3) members with the term of one member expiring each year; the vacancy to be filled by the Convention.

Section 10: Representatives of Cragmont Assembly Stock: The stock held by this Convention in Cragmont Assembly, Inc., shall be represented by nine (9) members with the terms of three members expiring each year; the vacancies to be filled by the Convention.

Section 11: Representatives of Church Finance Association Stock: The stock held by this Convention in the Church Finance Association, Inc., shall be represented by one (1) member elected annually by the Convention.

Section 12: Historical Commission: The Historical Commission shall be composed of five (5) members with the term of one member expiring each year; the vacancy to be filled by the Convention. The Curator of the FWB Historical Collection shall be an ex-officio member.

Honorary members may be recommended by the Commission to the Convention Nominating Committee. The Committee selects its own chair.

Section 13: Executive Committee: The Executive Committee shall be composed of the president, vice-president, recording secretary, treasurer, and one representative elected by the Convention from each member conference. The representative from each member conference shall

be elected for a term of two (2) years. The recording secretary and treasurer, and half the conference representatives shall be elected on odd numbered years and the president, vice president, and half the conference representatives shall be elected on even numbered years. In the event of an uneven number of conference representatives, the simple majority shall be elected on odd numbered years.

Section 14: Board of Trustees of University of Mount Olive: The Board of Trustees of the University of Mount Olive shall consist of a maximum of thirty (30) members, each elected by the Convention for a term of six (6) years, with the term of five (5) members expiring annually. No member shall be removed from membership during any unexpired term without due process as prescribed by the Articles of Faith and Principles of Church Government for Original Free Will Baptists. It is expressly provided that a minimum of sixty percent (60%) of the members shall hold membership in churches affiliated with the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists. Members shall assume office on December 1 following their election at the annual session of the Convention in May.

Section 15: Commission on Chaplains: The Commission on Chaplains shall be composed of five (5) members with the term of one member expiring each year; the vacancy to be filled by the Convention.

Section 16: Church Planting and Renewal: Church Planting and Renewal shall be composed of seven (7) members with the term of one member expiring each year; the vacancy to be filled by the Convention.

Section 17: Retirement Homes Board: The Board of Trustees of the Free Will Baptist Retirement Homes shall be composed of ten (10) members elected by the Convention for a term of five (5) years with the term of two members expiring each year. Each conference shall be represented on this board with one member per fifty churches or fraction thereof.

Section 18: The Original Free Will Baptist Christian Education Ministry: The Original Free Will Baptist Christian Education Ministry shall be composed of nine (9) members, with at least one member from each of the conferences of our denomination. The members of this board are to be elected to three-year terms with the term of three (3) members

expiring each year.

Section 19: Commission on Youth and Student Ministry Leadership: The Commission on Youth and Student Ministry Leadership shall be composed of five (5) members with the term of one member expiring each year; the vacancy to be filled by the Convention. Of these five (5)

members there shall be at least one (1) ordained Original Free Will Baptist minister, one (1) salaried youth minister, and one (1) lay person.

Section 20: No persons shall be eligible to serve on the Executive Committee while they are a member of any other board, standing committee, or commission of the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists or any of our denominational ministries (institutions and enterprises).

Section 21: Term Limits: No person shall be eligible to serve as a general officer of the Convention for more than two (2) consecutive terms except the treasurer who may serve no more than four (4) consecutive two (2) year terms.

Article III

Duties and Responsibilities

Section 1: President: It shall be the duty of the president to preside over each session, preserve order, govern the body according to established parliamentary usage, and to work with a subcommittee of three from the Executive Committee to appoint all temporary committees. He

shall have power to declare any office of the Convention vacant, temporarily, subject to the approval of the Convention or the executive committee. He shall have authority to call meetings of the executive committee, when such is needful, and preside over said meetings.

The president shall be ex officio member of all boards, standing committees, and commissions of the Convention.

Section 2: Vice-President: The duties of the vice-president shall be the duties of the president when that officer is not present.

Section 3: Recording Secretary: The recording secretary shall keep an accurate record of the transactions of the Convention and preserve the same, keep all valuable documents, and shall secure and maintain all bonds required by the Convention, and surrender the same to his/her

successor in office.

Section 4: Treasurer: The treasurer shall hold all money belonging to the Convention. He shall pay all bills ordered by the Convention or the executive committee; other bills paid must be approved by the president and recording secretary. He shall give an annual report to the

Convention; also make reports to the executive committee when called for.

Section 5: Children's Home Board: The Children's Home shall be responsible for the management and control of the Free Will Baptist Children's Home at Middlesex. It shall give an annual report to the Convention setting forth its progress, needs and achievements.

Section 6: Board of Original Free Will Baptist Minister's Program: It shall be the purpose of this board to organize and unify all superannuation work throughout this Convention.

They shall seek to provide for our aged, retired, and infirm ministers in some form of a superannuation program; also seek to offer to our active ministers some program whereby they may help to provide for their future security and retirement.

Section 7: O.F.W.B. International: The O.F.W.B. International shall regulate and supervise all mission work under the control of the Convention outside of the continental United States.  However, the board shall have the right and authority to establish a business office and own such

property and assets in the United States as is necessary to the operation of a foreign missions program. Furthermore, they shall have the responsibility to promote the cause of foreign missions, raise funds, and supervise the expenditure of these funds.

Section 8: Board of Trustees: The Board of Trustees shall hold title of all properties belonging to this Convention and not assigned to other bodies. It shall have the power to convey such properties when authorized by the Convention.

Section 9: Representatives of Cragmont Assembly Stock: The representatives of the stock held by this Convention in Cragmont Assembly, Inc., shall work jointly with representatives of

other auxiliaries holding stock in said institution.

Section 10: Representatives of Church Finance Association Stock: The representatives of the membership stock held by this Convention in the Church Finance Association, Inc., shall meet annually, or as often as called upon, with the stockholders of the corporation for the purpose of

transacting any business that may come before them.

Section 11: Historical Commission: The Historical Commission shall work to preserve the history and heritage of the denomination by:

• Conducting and/or encouraging individual and collective research and writing

• Collecting and preserving historical materials, records, memorabilia, etc.

• Encouraging publication of scholarly research

• Sponsoring lectures, workshops, etc. to promote awareness of and interest in the importance of preserving denomination history

Materials collected and research produced shall become the property of the Convention and shall be deposited in the Free Will Baptist Historical Collection, the official depository of the denomination.

Section 12: Executive Committee: The work of the Executive Committee shall be that of the Convention when the Convention is not in session. It shall call as many sessions as necessary between the annual sessions of the Convention to transact business. It shall have the authority to

suspend any officer of the Convention when such officer proves a failure in duties, is non-Christian or detrimental to the cause of Christ, and appoint another to fill the vacancy, also fill vacancies by

any other cause.

The executive committee shall supervise the work of the promotional department between the annual sessions of the Convention as most practicable to our Convention work and in keeping with the expressed will of the annual session of the Convention.

A report of all transactions of this committee shall be made to the Convention in annual session.

Section 13: Board of Trustees of the University of Mount Olive: The governance of the University of Mount Olive shall be vested in the board of trustees elected by the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists. The board shall have power to organize at will and to create such bylaws as may be deemed essential for its governance, consistent with the charter of the College.

All amendments to the charter of the University of Mount Olive shall be approved by the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists.

Section 14: Commission on Chaplains: The responsibilities of this commission will be to formulate policies and procedures relative to the endorsement and supervision of Original Free Will Baptist ministers for the chaplaincy of the United States Armed Services and all other

institutions and organizations using such services in the U. S. A.

Section 15: Church Planting and Renewal shall promote church planting within the United States. They are to plant new churches in areas that have potential for success. They are also to encourage church growth, renewal and outreach within existing Original Free Wil Baptist

Churches. Church Planting and Renewal shall have the right and responsibility to promote this ministry, raise funds and supervise the disbursements of these funds.

Section 16: Retirement Homes Board: The Retirement Homes Board shall be responsible for the management and control of the Free Will Baptist Retirement Ministries. The scope of the Free Will Baptist Retirement Ministries is to own, operate, and maintain apartments, rest homes,

skilled nursing care, day care and all other facilities and services necessary or incidental to the operation of such retirement ministries and to do all other things usually done in the conduct of such ministries for the care of elderly and indigent persons.

Section 17: The Original Free Will Baptist Christian Education Ministry: The Original Free Will Baptist Christian Education Ministry will be responsible for promoting the overall improvement and growth of the local Sunday Schools throughout our denomination and the interest of Christian education in general. To this end, the Board will make available to the

churches of our denomination qualified resource persons, practical learning opportunities and

materials to enable and equip people to respond to God's call through an understanding of teaching and learning for all.

Section 18: Commission on Youth and Student Ministry Leadership: It shall be the responsibility of this commission to focus on equipping leaders of youth and student ministries for effective Christian ministry. This commission will advocate for outlets for youth and student ministry among Convention Ministries, through the Woman’s Auxiliary, Layman’s League, State Youth Convention and other events that facilitate leadership development among youth and student leaders. This commission will also be responsible for offering recommendations to and assisting Churches and Conferences in issues dealing with both salaried and volunteer youth and student ministry staff.

This commission shall work in support of all other youth and student organizations to bring about unity in the mission field of youth and student ministry. This commission shall uphold a spirit of unity and cooperativeness.

AMENDMENTS

The constitution and these bylaws shall not be changed or altered except by a two-thirds vote of members present in a regular session. All amendments shall lie on the table until they are read twice, once in the morning and once in the afternoon.

Revised May 2019