CONSTITUTION

of the South Park Mennonite Brethren Church

Revision 2008

To Elders May 15, 2008-05-13 To Congregation AGM May 29, 2008

ARTICLE 1 – NAME

The name of this church shall be the “South Park Mennonite Brethren Church”; hereafter called the church or SPMB.

ARTICLE 2 – MISSION STATEMENT

The purpose of the South Park Mennonite Brethren Church shall be “to call others to join us as we follow in the footprints of Jesus”.

Matt 28:19-20, Matt 10:38-39, John 14:15-27, Romans 12:1-2,

ARTICLE 3 – AFFILLIATION

The church is a member of the Manitoba Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches and is thereby affiliated with the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches and accepts privileges and responsibilities of Conference membership. All policies of this church shall be in accordance with the above.

ARTICLE 4 – CONFESSION

The church accepts the Holy Bible as the supreme and final authority in matters of faith and conduct. The General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches Statement of Faith shall be the written confession of this church.

ARTICLE 5 – AMENDMENTS TO CONSTITUTION

1.Amendments to the constitution may be initiated by a motion from the floor and shall be referred to Elders for processing.

2.The motion to revise must be in writing and duly seconded or come as a written recommendation from the Elders.

3.The motion or recommendation may be discussed at a congregational meeting at which it is presented, however the vote can only be taken at a subsequent meeting.

  1. A 2/3 majority of those present shall carry the motion.

ARTICLE 6 – DISSOLUTION

  1. At a duly constituted meeting, following consultation with the MB MB Conference, the persons present may dissolve the church if it is believes it no longer serves its purpose.
  2. All funds and assets after all debts and liabilities are satisfied, shall be returned over to the MB Conference

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GOVERNANCE By- Laws

1.MEMBERSHIP

Note: every manner of admission is by church membership action.

a.Qualifications:

Church membership is open to any person who believes Jesus to be the Son of God and accepts him as personal Savoir and acknowledges him as Master and Lord of their life, and who seeks the guidance of the Holy Spirit for a consistent Christian life and is prepared to publicly confess this position, or has already done so.

b.Manner of admission:

  1. By baptism upon confession of faith,
  2. By letter of transfer from another church and public testimony,
  3. By testimony, if baptized on confession of faith, and not a member of another church
  4. Through re-affirmation of faith by person having been baptized in the past, but having been out of fellowship with Christ.
  5. In each case verbal or written testimony will be presented to the church prior to admission

c.Manner of Release:

Note: every manner of release is by church membership action.

1.Letter of transfer to another church for a member in good standing

2.Letter of certification: letter is issued certifying good standing

3.Letter of release upon request to individual.

4.By suspension when a member is not walking according to

the principles taught in Scripture

5. Elders shall be advised prior to public notification of release.

6. Role of Deacons???

2.PASTOR(S)

The church shall call Pastors in accordance with the procedures of the Manitoba Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches.

3.ORGANIZATION

a.Elders:

  • The Board of Elders constitutes the leadership of the church and as such are charged with it’s legal administration and general supervision, policy formation, watch care and implementing decisions of the church.
  • The Board membership and duties shall be as per Guidelines.
  • The Elders shall meet at regular designated meeting times.
  • Special meetings may be held at the discretion of the Elders.
  • Board of Elders meetings are open to any member of the church.
  • The Board reserves the right to holds ‘in camera’ sessions when necessary.

b.Officers:

  • The officers shall be Moderator, Assistant Moderator, and Treasurer
  • The terms and duties shall be as per SPMB Ministry Guidelines.

c.Recording Secretary:

  • The recording secretary shall take minutes and keep records of all meetings of Board of Elders and Congregation.

d.Congregational / membership meetings:

  • Congregational meetings shall be held a minimum of three times yearly.
  • Congregational meetings are open to everyone and floor privileges extended to everyone for discussion purposes, however voting shall be by members only.
  • Notice of meeting shall be given two Sundays in advance of meeting, however special meetings, if required, may be announced on Sunday morning with the meeting to follow after the church service or sometime prior to the next Sunday morning worship service.
  • The moderator shall establish the order of business in consultation with the Pastor and Assistant Moderator.
  • Special meetings may be held at the call of the Church Officers
  • The Budget meeting may be held in January, if possible, however it shall be held no later than the end of February in each year.
  • Annual meeting shall be held prior to the end of May.

e.Minutes / Records:

  • Minutes shall be held of all Elders, Congregational and standing committee meetings.
  • Minutes shall be available upon request to any member of the church.
  • Minutes of all Elders and Congregational meetings shall be posted on the Church bulletin board.

f.Quorum:

  • The quorum for Elders shall be1/2 of membership of the Board plus one.
  • The quorum for congregational meetings shall be those present, however a minimum of 10 members shall be present in order to proceed with the meeting.

g.Standing committees:

  • The standing committees shall be Finance, Nominating.
  • They shall function as outlined in SPMB Ministry Guidelines.
  • The Nominating Committee shall be responsible to seek persons to fill various ministry positions within the Church in accordance with the SPMB Ministry Guidelines adopted by the Church”.
  • The Finance committee shall function as per SPMB Ministry Guidelines.

h.Other offices and committees:

  • Other committees as per SPMB Ministry Guidelines or as deemed necessary

i.Decision making process:

  • All church officers shall be affirmed at the Annual Meeting.
  • Church decisions will be by consensus whenever possible.
  • Democratic process shall be used to call pastors, financial & legal affairs and constitutional changes.
  • Scrutinizers shall be appointed by Moderator. Results to be reported only to Moderator and Treasurer and ballots subsequently destroyed.

4.FISCAL YEAR

The fiscal year shall be January 1st to December 31st of each year

The committee year shall be July 1st – June 30th of each year, however the period from the annual meeting to July 1st shall be considered an ‘overlap period’ where both the incumbent and his/her replacement may work together to ‘smooth’ the transition process.

5.SIGNING AUTHORITY

  • Signing authority for transactions on the financial bank accounts shall be the members of the Finance Committee.
  • All cheques issued by the Church shall be signed by at least two members of the Finance Committee.
  • Signing authority for all other matters shall be at least two Officers of the Church. (An example would be land transactions, employment agreements, etc.)

6.AMENDMENTS TO POLICY

  • An amendment to policy may be made by simple majority at any Regular Congregational Meeting, provided notice has appeared on the agenda prior to the meeting.
  • Amendments to Policy may not be made at a Special Congregational Meeting.

TBA

BAPTISM & COMMUNION

SOUTH PARK MINISTRY GUIDE

Approved June, 2007

The purpose of this document is to build unity in the church community and encourage its members to be authentic followers of Jesus.

Our confidence ultimately lies in GOD, His Word, His promises and the guidance of His Spirit.

This document is not based on democratic process but a collaborative model of consensus based decision-making.

SOURCES:

We gratefully acknowledge the following for ideas and information:

MB Conference of MB: Following the Call & Personnel Committee

Elm Creek Community MB Church

SPMB Constitution

Governance Matters by Les Stahlke

Natural Church Development (NCD) by Christian Schwarz

Servant Leadership by Robert Greenleaf

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section A – Constitution & By-laws

Section B – Confession of Faith

Section C – Foundational Documents

Mission, Values and Vision...... Page 3

Responsibilities & Privileges of Living in Unity in Church Community Page 4

Responsibilities & Privileges of Worker in Church Community.. Page 4

Responsibilities & Privileges of Servant-Leader in Church Community Page 4

Responsibilities & Privileges of Conflict Management...... Page 5

Section D – Operating Guidelines

Board of Elders...... Page 6

Senior Pastor...... Page 7

Moderator...... Page 8

Assistant Moderator...... Page 9

Elder at Large...... Page 9

Treasurer...... Page 10

Finance Committee...... Page 11

Elders Secretary...... MISSING

Deacons...... Page 11

Small Groups/Small Groups Coordinator...... Page 14

Helping Coordinator...... Page 13

Hospitality/Greeters...... Page 13

Nominating Committee...... Page 15

Sunday School Coordinator...... Page 16

Assistant Sunday School Coordinator...... Page 16

Sunday School Teachers...... Page 16

Children’s Church...... Page 18

Missions Coordinator/Committee...... Page 19

Youth Pastor...... Page 20

Youth Programs/Sponsors...... Page 21

Worship Committee...... Page 22

Worship Creative Design Coordinator/Committee...... Page 23

Worship Service, Service Leaders & Music Teams...... Page 24

Facilities Coordinator/Committee...... Page 25

Custodian Job...... Page 26

Food Services...... Page 27

Ushers...... Page 28

Audio Visual...... Page 29

Library Coordinator/Committee...... Page 30

Agency Representation...... Page 31

Media Relations...... Page 32

Church Secretary/Receptionist...... Page 33

Pastoral Committee...... Page 34

MISSION STATEMENT

Approved 2003?

Calling others to join us as we follow in the footprints of Jesus.

VALUES

TBA 2010?

VISION

TBA 2010?
RESPONSIBILITY & PRIVILEGES OF LIVING IN UNITY IN CHURCH COMMUNITY

The purpose of this list is to identify specific ways to live out love, responsibility and accountability.

  • Making a commitment.
  • Work for the good of whole versus individual interest.
  • Participating in community life.
  • Assuming positive intentions / look past the action to the heart.
  • Seeking first to understand and respecting differences.
  • Learning and developing in maturity.
  • Cultivating relationships in the church community.
  • Accepting change.
  • Making an effort to determine which traditions present value and keep them.
  • Speaking the truth in love & communicating directly with people.
  • Maintaining a sense of humor.
  • Giving and responding to admonition with grace.
  • Face difficult facts with courage and tender loving kindness.

RESPONSIBILITY & PRIVILEGES OF WORKER IN CHURCH COMMUNITY

  • Have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord.
  • Agree with the Confession of Faith and Constitution of the MB Conference of Canada.
  • Willing to serve as called by the Church.
  • Attend training and planning meetings.
  • Avoid the emphasis of controversial issues in conflict with the Church’s doctrinal position.
  • Willing to work in a spirit of cooperation with fellow workers and program leadership.

RESPONSIBILITY & PRIVILEGES OF SERVANT-LEADER IN CHURCH COMMUNITY

  • Be a member of SPMB.
  • Meet the requirements of worker in church.
  • Consider the good of the whole.
  • Respect all.
  • Strive to be fair to all.
  • Be willing to navigate through the complexities of change dynamics.
  • Speak well of church and its people.
  • Be loyal to each other and courageous.
  • Understand principles of cooperation and conflict management as outlined in this document.

RESPONSIBILITIES & PRIVILEGES OF CONFLICT MANAGEMENT COORDINATOR

SELECTION PROCESS / TERMS / MINISTRY ORGANIZATION

  • Appointed by Elder and Deacons for affirmation by church

QUALIFICATIONS / GIFTS

  • Training, experience, and demonstrated ability in conflict resolution
  • Mature and wise person respected in church community
  • Discerning & gentle spirit

Definitions and types (from Herb Kopp retreat)

Two track process:

Self directed guidelines

Restorative intervention process

Conflict Guidelines Adopted May 2008

Agreeing and DisagreeinginLove -- Commitments for Mennonites in Times of Disagreement (GeneralConference Mennonite Church, Mennonite Church, 1995)

"Making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace," (Ephesians 4:3) as both individual members and the body of Christ, we pledge that we shall:

In Thought
Accept conflict / 1. Acknowledge together that conflict is a normal part of our life in the church. (Romans 14:1-8, 10-12, 17-19; Romans 15:1-7)
Affirm hope / 2. Affirm that as God walks with us in conflict we can work through to growth. (Ephesians 4:15-16)
Commit to prayer / 3. Admit our needs and commit ourselves to pray for a mutually satisfactory solution (no prayers for my success or for the other to change but to find a joint way). (James 5:16)
In Action
Go to the other... / 4. Go directly to those with whom we disagree; avoid behind-the- back criticism.* (Matthew 5:23-24; Matthew 18:15-20)
In the spirit of humility... / 5.Go in gentleness, patience and humility. Place the problem between us at neither doorstep and own our part in the conflict instead of pointing out the others'. (Galatians 6:1-5)
Be quick to listen, / 6. Listen carefully, summarize and check out what is heard before responding. Seek as much to understand as to be understood. (James 1:19; Proverbs 18:13)
Be slow to judge, / 7. Suspend judgments, avoid labeling, end name calling, discard threats, and act in a non-defensive, nonreactive way. (Romans 2:1-4; Galatians 5:22-26)
Be willing to negotiate / 8. Work through the disagreements constructively. (Acts 15; Philippians 2:1-11) Identify issues, interests, and needs of both (rather than take positions).
  • Generate a variety of options for meeting both parties' needs (rather than defending one's own way).
  • Evaluate options by how they meet the needs and satisfy the interests of all sides (not one side's values).
  • Collaborate in working out a joint solution (so both sides gain, both grow and win).
  • Cooperate with the emerging agreement (accept the possible, not demand your ideal).
  • Reward each other for each step forward, toward agreement (celebrate mutuality).

In Life
Be steadfast inlove, / 9. Be firm in our commitment to seek a mutual solution; be stubbornin holding to our common foundation in Christ; be steadfast inlove. (Colossians 3:12-15)
Be open to mediation, / 10. Be open to accept skilled help. If we cannot reach agreement among ourselves, we will use those with gifts and training in mediation in the larger church. (Philippians 4:1-3)
Trust the community, / 11. We will trust the community and if we cannot reach agreement or experience reconciliation, we will turn the decision over to others in the congregation or from the broader church. (Acts 15)
  • In one-to-one or small group disputes, this may mean allowing others to arbitrate.
  • In congregational, conference district or denominational disputes, this may mean allowing others to arbitrate or implementing constitutional decision-making processes, insuring that they are done in the spirit of these guidelines, and abiding by whatever decision is made.

Be the Body of Christ. / 12. Believe in and rely on the solidarity of the Body of Christ and its commitment to peace and justice, rather than resort to the courts of law. (1 Corinthians 6:1-6)
* Go directly if you are European-North American; in other cultures disagreements are often addressed through a trusted go between.

Approved by GeneralConference Mennonite Church Triennial Assembly and Mennonite Church General Assembly, July 29, 1995

BOARD OF ELDERS

The Elders are called by the congregation for the purpose of coming alongside the Pastor in leadership and management of all areas of the church Mission, Vision, and operations.

SELECTION PROCESS / TERMS / MINISTRY ORGANIZATION

  • To be recommended to congregation for 2/3 majority vote??

QUALIFICATIONS / GIFTS

  • Meet qualifications of servant-leader in church.
  • Leadership experience in church and community.
  • Mature person who has demonstrated wisdom and vision.

RESPONSIBILITIES & PRIVILEGES

VISION

  • Work with pastor on preferred future.
  • By prayer and consultation seek and discern the will of God on behalf of the church community.
  • Gather the congregation for prayerful consideration and reflection and decisions on recommendations.
  • Model servant leadership by commitment to attendance and participation in church events and special occasions.

WATCH CARE

  • Shepherd and watch over the congregation with tender loving mercy.
  • Strive to build unity in all matters.
  • Be responsible for all membership matters in cooperation with Deacons.
  • Seek and provide ways to build up and mobilize the church community for personal growth, growth in community and evangelism.
  • Train, disciple and counsel ministry committees.
  • Monitor worship services together with the Worship Committee.
  • Assure that the Conference Statement of Faith is upheld with diligence.
  • Be vigilant and research for false doctrine and unwise practices.
  • Seek, welcome and uphold the counsel of the Conference.

ADMINISTRATION

  • Work with Pastoral Committee in search and support of the Pastor(s) family.
  • Hire and evaluate support staff in cooperation with appropriate committees.
  • Meet annually with ministry committees to set and evaluate goals to carry out the mission / vision of the church.
  • Implement and evaluate progress of church decisions.
  • Be responsible for all legal matters.
  • Administer budget, capital assets, and facilities in cooperation with appropriate committees.

SENIOR PASTOR

The Pastor is the spiritual leader of the church in developing its mission, vision and all areas of ministry: teaching, preaching, discipling, building the church community and its relationships. He guides the administration of operations. He works with Elders, Pastoral staff, support staff and ministry committees to build the church community into a follower of Jesus.

QUALIFICATIONS / GIFTS

  • Aware and committed to following God’s call to Pastoral ministry.
  • A minister in good standing with MB Conference.
  • Meet qualification for licensing.
  • Meet expectation of a servant leader in church.
  • 1 Timothy 3:1-7.

RESPONSIBILITIES & PRIVILEGES

PREACHING / TEACHING

  • The senior pastor shall preach the gospel, administer the ordinances, shepherd and watch over the church community, promote the spiritual interest of the church community, organize and develop the churches strength for the glory of God and His Kingdom.
  • Shall diligently uphold the Word of God as the authority in faith and practices, and in matters of interpretation adhere to the Confession of Faith of the General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches.
  • The Pastor together with the Board of Elders shall be responsible for the ministry in the pulpit.
  • Shall participate in midweek Bible study.
  • Shall provide instruction to baptismal and membership candidates.
  • Shall give support and care to the leadership.

DISCIPLESHIP

  • Assists the congregation with identifying and using their gifts.
  • Challenges congregation in Christian disciplines.

SPIRITUAL NUTURE AND ADMONITION