By-Laws 2009
ARTICLE 1 -- The Corporation
a) The name of the Corporation shall be: The Central Presbyterian Church, with its principal office at Massillon, Ohio. This Corporation is organized for the purpose of supporting worship of Almighty God and providing instruction and fellowship in the Christian faith, according to the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Central Presbyterian Church, being a particular Congregation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), recognizes that the Constitution of said church is, in all its provisions, obligatory upon it and its members.
b) The Corporation shall be governed by a Board of Trustees. The members of said Board of Trustees shall be the sitting Elders of Session duly elected by the congregation. Officers of the Corporation shall be president, vice president, secretary (Clerk of Session), and treasurer (church treasurer). The Elders of the Session shall elect the officers annually following the May/June congregational meeting and they shall serve until their successors are elected.
c) Only a person elected for a term on the Session shall be eligible for election to the office of President or Vice President of the Corporation. He or she shall serve only for the duration of the term for which elected as a sitting member of Session. The Secretary, (Clerk of Session) elected must be an ordained elder, but does not need to be a current Session member. The Treasurer elected is not required to be a Central Presbyterian member.
d) The Corporation shall meet annually between January 15th and February 15th for the purpose of receiving the financial report of the treasurer, reports pursuant to the purpose of the corporation and any other announced business of the corporation. The exact date of these meeting will be set by vote of the Session. Notice of said meeting shall be published in the church newsletter and worship folders and announced from the pulpit two Sundays in advance of said meetings, and said meetings may be properly held on the second of said Sundays. A quorum at any meeting of the Corporation shall be one-tenth of the active members.
e) Special meetings of the Corporation may be called for any or all of the purposes appropriate to an annual meeting or to conduct such other business as may be proper for consideration. Notice of any special meeting shall be published in the church newsletter and worship folders and announced from the pulpit two Sundays in advance of said meetings, and said meetings may be properly held on the second of said Sundays.
f) The business to be transacted at special meetings shall be limited to items specifically listed in the call for the meeting.
g) The Pastor/President shall preside at all meetings of the Corporation. The Vice-President shall preside in the absence of the President. The Secretary shall keep minutes of all regular and special meetings of the Corporation in permanent form in a book provided by the Corporation for that purpose.
h) Any unbudgeted expenditure of money required in the conduct and operation of the affairs of this corporation in excess of the sum of $10,000.00 shall not be authorized by the Board of Trustees (Session) without first obtaining the approval of the Corporation of Central Presbyterian Church (Congregation) of Massillon, Ohio at a properly called meeting.
i) A complete audit of all books and records relating to finances shall be performed once each year by a public accountant or public accounting firm or a committee of members versed in accounting procedures. Such auditors should not be related to the treasurer or treasurers.
j) Corporation meetings may be held separately and/or concurrently with any meeting of the congregation.
k) In keeping with the purposes of the corporation, all meetings of the corporation shall begin and end with prayer.
ARTICLE 2 - The Congregation
a) There shall be two meetings of the Congregation annually. One of these meetings shall be held at the church between January 15 and February 15 and may be held concurrent with the annual Corporation meeting for the purpose of receiving annual reports, reviewing the adequacy of the compensation of the Pastor or Pastors upon report of the prior review of the Session, and other announced business of the Congregation. The second of these meetings shall be held at the church on a date between May 15 and June 15 for the purpose of electing the officers (Elders and Deacons) of the Congregation for the ensuing year and to consider such other business as may be appropriate. The exact dates of these meetings will be set by vote of the Session. Notice of said meetings shall be published in the church newsletter and worship folders and announced from the pulpit two Sundays in advance of said meetings, and said meetings may be properly held on the second of said Sundays.
b) Special meetings of the Congregation may be called for any or all of the purposes appropriate to an annual meeting or to conduct such other business as may be proper for congregational consideration. Notice of said meetings shall be published in the church newsletter and worship folders and announced from the pulpit two Sundays in advance of said meetings, and said meetings may be properly held on the second of said Sundays.
c) The business to be transacted at special meetings shall be limited to items specifically listed in the call for the meeting.
d) Meetings of the Congregation may be called:
By the Session whenever it determines such a meeting is necessary.
By the Presbytery whenever it determines such a meeting is necessary.
By the Session when requested in writing by one-fourth of the members of the active roll of The Central Presbyterian Church.
e) Notice of said meetings shall be published in the church newsletter and worship folders and announced from the pulpit two Sundays in advance of said meetings, and said meetings may be properly held on the second of said Sundays.
f) A quorum at any meeting of the congregation shall be one-tenth of the active members.
g) The Pastor shall be the Moderator of all meetings of the Congregation. When the church is without a Pastor, the Moderator of the Session, appointed by the Presbytery, shall preside at all Congregational meetings. If it is impractical for the Pastor or the Moderator of the session appointed by the Presbytery to preside, the Pastor shall invite, with the concurrence of the Session, another minister of the Presbytery to preside. When this is not expedient, and when both the Pastor and Moderator of the Session concur, a member of the Session may preside.
h) The Clerk of Session shall be secretary of the meetings of the Congregation. If unable to serve, the congregation shall elect a secretary.
i) All meetings shall be opened and closed with prayer.
ARTICLE 3 - The Session
a) The governing board of the Congregation shall consist of three classes of five (5) members each. This body, called the Session, shall have the duties and powers and be subject to the limitations and exceptions as set forth in the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
b) The members of the Session shall be elected in classes each year to serve for a period of three (3) years with the provision that no person elected to the position of Elder on said Session shall hold office longer than six years in succession, regardless of the length of said terms, but shall be eligible for election again after being out of office for a period of one (1) year.
c) The Session shall meet on a regular basis but not less than six times per calendar year.
d) The Pastor shall be the Moderator of all meetings of the Session. When the church is without a Pastor, the Moderator of the Session shall be appointed and/or approved by the Presbytery.
e) A quorum of five Elders shall be necessary to conduct business at any meeting of the Session.
f) Special meetings of the Session may be called by the Moderator, the Presbytery or on petition of at least five Elders currently serving on the Session. Only items for which the meeting was called may be decided at a special meeting.
g) All meetings of Session shall begin and end with prayer.
ARTICLE 4 - The Deacons
a) There shall be up to eighteen (18) Deacons divided into three classes of six (6) members each. The members of Deacons shall be elected in classes each year to serve for a period of three (3) years with the provision that no person elected to the position of Deacon shall hold office longer than six (6) years in succession, regardless of the length of said terms, but shall be eligible for election again after one (1) year. The Pastor(s) shall be advisory members (s).
b) The Board of Deacons shall elect a Moderator and a Secretary from among its members. The Secretary shall keep a record of the Board's proceedings. The records of the Board of Deacons shall be submitted to the Session at least annually and at other times upon the request of the Session.
c) The duties of the Board of Deacons are described in the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
d) The Board of Deacons shall meet on a regular basis but not less than six times per calendar year.
e) Special meetings of the Board of Deacons may be called by the Moderator as needed or on petition of five deacons currently serving on the board.
f) The Board of Deacons shall have a joint meeting with the Session at least annually to confer on matters of common interest, with the moderator of the Session presiding. No binding decision may be reached in such a joint meeting, but the Session and the Board of Deacons shall act separately on matters committed to their care.
g) All meetings of the Board of Deacons shall begin and end with prayer.
ARTICLE 5 - Requirements for holding office
Any and all persons, to be eligible for any office of the Congregation or corporation shall be active communicant members of the Church.
ARTICLE 6 - Order of meetings
All meetings shall be conducted in accordance with the most recent edition of Robert's Rules of Order, except in those cases where The Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) provides otherwise.
ARTICLE 7 - The Church Nominating Committee
A Nominating Committee shall be elected annually whose duty it shall be to present nominees to the Congregation for all Session and Deacon offices and vacancies therein to be filled each year at the May 15 - June 15 meeting. This Nominating Committee shall consist of no more than seven (7) members, two (2) to be chosen by the Session from its membership, one (1) by the Board of Deacons, four (4) to be elected by the congregation at its January - February Congregational Meeting each year. The Pastor shall be a member of this committee, serving ex-officio and without vote. The Nominating Committee shall be fully constituted and organized within one month and after the first annual Congregational Meeting, and its Moderator shall be one of the Elders on said committee from the Session. No congregation member shall be elected to this committee for more than three (3) consecutive years. Elders and Deacons can serve six (6) consecutive years.
CONCLUSION
These regulations may be superseded by changes in the laws of the State of Ohio, any may be amended subject to the charter of the Corporation and the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) at any annual meeting at any special meeting by two-thirds vote of the voters present provided that full reading of the proposed changes or a printed distribution of the same shall have been made in connection with the call of the meeting. Notice of said meetings shall be published in church newsletter and worship folders and announced from the pulpit two Sundays in advance of said meetings, and said meetings may be held on the second of said Sunday.
It is hereby certified that the foregoing Constitution and Regulations of The Central Presbyterian Church of Massillon, Ohio were reduced to writing in their present form, voted on and accepted by two-thirds (2/3) majority of said church attending the Annual Corporation Meeting on October 11, 2009.