/ HOSANNALUTHERANCHURCH
BY-LAWS / January 1, 2011

ARTICLE 1

MEMBERSHIP

All activities of the Church membership shall be within the basis of the Holy Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions.

1.1Baptized Membership

  1. Baptized members are all persons within the congregation, whether children or adults, who have been baptized with water in the name of the Triune God and come under the Pastoral care of this congregation. It is expected that all baptized members will:
  1. Attend worship services faithfully and regularly, if at all physically possible.
  2. Lead a Christian life as taught in Galatians 5:19-26.
  3. Out of Christian love, submit to brotherly admonition, according to Matthew 18: 15-17, when having erred or offended.
  4. Contribute, as God has blessed them (Corinthians 16:2), of their time, talents and treasure toward the maintenance of the congregation and the extension of the Church at large.
  5. In due time, take a course of instruction in preparation for confirmed membership in this congregation.

1.2Confirmed Membership

  1. Confirmed members are all baptized persons within the congregation who have received a course of instruction in Christian doctrine that is consistent with Article 3 of the Constitution. The Pastor shall ascertain the understanding and commitment to the purpose and confession of faith contained in Article 3 of the Constitution.
  2. Persons seeking to attain confirmed membership through transfer from another LCMS congregation shall make that fact known to the Pastor(s). The persons seeking to obtain transfer will attend a class introducing them to the ministry of Hosanna Lutheran Church. Upon completion the Pastor is authorized to extend confirmed membership to the transferring person and shall announce that in a public way.
  3. Persons seeking to attain confirmed membership from another Christian church body through Affirmation of Faith shall make that fact known to the Pastor(s), and will attend a class on the basics of the Christian faith (as understood from a Lutheran perspective and described in the Constitution under Article 3) and their exercise at Hosanna. Upon completion, The Pastor(s) is authorized to affirm the faith of and extend confirmed membership to such a person and shall announce that in a public way.
  4. Persons seeking to attain confirmed membership from an unchurched status or from a non-Christian entity through adult baptism or profession of faith shall make that fact known to the Pastor(s). The person will attend a class introducing them to basics of the Christian faith and their exercise at HosannaLutheranChurch. Upon completion, the Pastor(s) shall ascertain the understanding and commitment to the purpose and confession of faith contained in Article 3 of the Constitution. Following baptism and/or profession of faith, the Pastor(s) is authorized to extend confirmed membership to the transferring person and shall announce that in a public way.
  5. In addition to the duties of baptized members, it is expected of all confirmed members that they:
  1. accept the Confessional Standard listed in Article 3 of the Constitution.
  2. partake of the Lord’s Supper.
  3. participate in continuing Christian Education.
  4. provide for the Christian training of their children by making use of the educational opportunities of the congregation.
  5. live a godly life adorned by faith in Jesus Christ.
  6. have not been excommunicated by a sister congregation for reasons that are scripturally valid.

1.3Associate Membership

  1. Associate members are confirmed members of another LutheranChurch who agree to abide by Article 1.2.5
  2. Associate Membership in the congregation, while having no official standing in the Synod, is offered to members of other LCMS congregations and members of other Lutheran Synods, considered on a case by case basis upon review by the Pastor(s) and the Board of Elders residing in the area for extended periods of time. This provides the long term visitor with a regular place to worship while away from their home congregation. Associate members are accorded all the customary privileges of membership including the right to vote, hold office, and serve on committees and teamsbut cannot be elected as a delegate to a district or synodical convention.
  3. Voting Members
  1. Voting members are all confirmed, active and associatemembers that are not under the Arizona legal voting age. An active member is defined as a member who attends no fewer than three (3) worship services each calendar year.

1.5Termination of Membership

  1. Baptized membership

Except under special circumstances, the membership of baptized children shall terminate when the membership of their parents or guardians has been terminated.

  1. Transfer to other Congregations

A communicant member desiring to join another congregation in church fellowship shall present their requests for transfer to the Pastor(s).Authorization to issue peaceful release transfer is granted upon approval by the Pastor(s) and the Board of Elders. A Letter of Transfer shall be issued by the Pastor(s) and names will be removed from the church membership list and reported by the Board of Elders to the Voters Assembly.

  1. Joining Other Churches

Communicant members who have joined a congregation outside our fellowship shall be considered to have terminated their membership, and shall have their names removed from the membership list by the Pastor(s), and names shall be removed from the membership list and reported to the Board of Elders.

  1. Whereabouts Unknown

The names of members whose whereabouts are unknown and cannot be established shall, after a period of six months, be removed from the membership list of the congregation by the Pastor(s) and reported to the Board of Elders.

  1. Members Who Move Away

Members who have moved away, have been contacted and urged to request a transfer to a congregation in Church fellowship, but have failed to act on the request made, shall, after a period of six months, be removed from the membership list by the Pastor(s), reported to the Board of Elders, and shall thereupon be informed of the action taken. This regulation, however, is not to be invoked in the case of members serving in the armed forces, attending school, or temporarily absent for occupational reasons, nor in cases deemed to be special by the Pastor(s) in consultation with the Board of Elders.

  1. Self-exclusion

When a member has failed to worship or commune for a period of six months, such a person has excluded himself/herself from membership in the congregation. Prior to termination of membership however, the Board of Elders in conjunction with the Pastor(s), shall have attempted to contact and admonish such a person including sending a letter expressing the consequences of his/her failure to worship and commune. This procedure is to be carried out in an evangelical manner with the aim of keeping that person in Christian fellowship. Due consideration is to be given in special cases.A decision to declare a member self-excluded may only be made by a 2/3 vote of the Voters Assembly in a properly called meeting.

  1. Excommunication

Communicant members shall be removed from the Church’s membership list with the approval of the Board of Elders and Pastor(s).

Any member who persists in false doctrine or conducts himself/herself in an UN-Christian manner shall be dealt with according to Matthew 18:15-20. If that person refuses to amend his/her UN-Christian life after proper admonition, that person shall have his/her membership terminated by excommunication.A decision to declare a member excommunicated may only be made by a 2/3 vote of the Voters Assembly in a properly called meeting.

  1. Forfeiture of Rights

A person whose membership in this congregation has been terminated forfeits all rights of membership and all claims on the property and assets of this congregation as long as that person is not reinstated into membership.

A person wishing re-instatement should contact the Pastor(s).When the circumstances that have led to excommunication or self-exclusion have been removed and the individual desires reinstatement, the Board of Elders shall recommend reinstatement to the Voters Assembly for its joyous action.

ARTICLE 2

VOTERS ASSEMBLY

2.1Regular Meetings

The Voters Assembly shall meet at least oncea year. The day and hour of the annual meetings shall be published in the newsletter and weekly bulletin one month in advance. The notification shall contain the agenda of items to be considered. The meeting will be held in November. The agenda will include budget approval and election of officers.

2.2Special Meetings

The Voters Assembly may meet at other times of the year subject to a call by the Church Council or by petition signed by ten (10) percent of the Voters Assembly members of this congregation. This petition for a special meeting shallbe presented to the President who shall present it to the Church Council. Notice of any such special meeting shall be communicated in writing as effectively as possible to the Voters Assembly members, published in the weekly bulletin,on the church’s website and announced at all services two (2) weeks in advance of the meeting. The notice shall contain the agenda as approved by the Church Council of items to be considered. No agenda items may be added once notification of any meeting is publicized.No matters may be discussed or decided other than those listed in the announcement.

ARTICLE 3

STAFF

3.1Nominations

When a Called ministry staff vacancy occurs, the President shall appoint a Search committee of five (5), or seven (7) members, with one (1) member being an Elder; the committee should also consist of one (1) confirmed Youth as an advisory member. The Search committee shall be approved by the Church Council. This committee shall invite members of the congregation to submit names of candidates to be considered for the Call. All names received shall be submitted to the District President for a characterization. This list, together with such additions as the District President submits, shall constitute the Call list from which the Search Committee shall make their recommendations to present to the Voters Assembly.No candidate may be considered without first submitting his/her name to the district president for a characterization.

3.2Elections

The election of a Called Ministry StaffWorker from the list of candidates shall be by ballot. The candidate receiving 50% +1 of the votes cast shall be considered electedand the Call shall be sent to the Called worker. If no candidate receives 50% or more, the bottom vote getter will be dropped and another vote will be taken.

3.3Removal from Office of Called Workers

The Voters Assembly may remove any Called Worker from office because of persistent adherence to false doctrine, scandalous life, neglect of duties, or inability or unwillingness to perform the duties of the office. This will require a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the voting membership present and voting at a properly called meeting of the Voters’ Assembly.

3.4Definitions of Staff Positions

The staff of Hosanna Lutheran Church may be defined by the following categories: Ministry Staff - those having direct supervision and responsibility for areas of ministry (e.g. youth ministry): Support Staff - those having direct responsibility to other members of the staff for purposes of assisting the ministry (e.g. secretary).

ARTICLE 4

ELECTIONS OF OFFICERS

With the advice and consent of the Church Council, the Vice President of the congregation shall annually appoint and chair a Nominating Committee of at least three additional persons as voting members and the pastor as a non-voting member. The responsibility of the Nominating Committee will be to develop a slate of candidates for officers, Church Council members and members of the Board of Elders. This slate of candidates shall be published in the Church Bulletin the two Sundays prior to the meeting and in the Church Newsletter. The slate proposed by the nominating committee may consist of up to two names for each office. Additional nominations may be made from the floor, subject to the prior approval of the one being nominated. The annual election shall be by ballot and shall take place at the November meeting. The officers-elect shall be installed, and shall assume their respective duties in January of the following year.

4.1Officers and Directors of the Boards

The elected officers of this congregation shall be: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Financial Secretary. In addition to elected officers, chairpersons of the Board of Fellowship, Board of Trustees, Board of Stewardship, Board of Outreach and Board of Education shall be elected by the Voters Assembly.

In addition to officers and board directors the congregation shall elect members to the Board of Elders by voting on the candidates identified by the nominating committee and approved by the Church Council. The Chairperson of the Board of Elders shall be selected by the elected board members.

4.2Church Council

The following positions will make up the Church Council: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Financial Secretary, Chairperson of the Board of Elders, Chairperson of the Board of Education, Chairpersonof the Board of Fellowship, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees, Chairpersonof the Board of Stewardship, and Chairperson of the Board of Outreach. The members of the Church Council may not receive compensation from the congregation and shall not be under the Arizona legal voting age. Only duly elected representatives have a vote on the Church Council, not their appointed representatives. The Ministry Staff are ex officio, non-voting members of the Church Council.

4.3Term of Office

Each officer and Church Council member shall serve for a term of two(2) years. No one shall serve more then two(2) successive terms on the Church Council unless the Voters’ Assembly approves a variance. A time period of one(1) year must elapse before eligibility to serve again on the Church Council is valid. The term of office commences in January following the election.

Each member of the Board of Elders shall serve for a term of two (2) years with no limit to the number of terms that can be served. Each year, one half of the members of the Board of Elders shall be up for election. While there are no defined term limits, an Elder must be re-elected by the voters at the end of each two year term.

On even numbered years the positions up for election shall be President ,Financial Secretary, Chairpersons of the Board of Trustees, Board of Fellowship and Board of Outreach and one-half of the Board of Elders. On odd numbered years the positions up for election shall be Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Chairpersons of the Board of Stewardship and Board of Education and one-half of the Board of Elders.

Members of all boards, except the Board of Elders, shall be appointed by the elected chairperson of the board subject to Church Council confirmation. There shall be no term limits on the appointed members of a board.

4.4Church Vacancies – Officers and Directors

  1. In the event of a vacancy of a congregational elected officer the President shall create a list of valid candidates from which the Church Council will elect an individual to serve until the next election for that particular position. The Vice President shall fill the unexpired term of the President.
  2. In the event of a vacancy of a Board Chairperson, that Board will elect a new chairperson from their membership, subject to Church Council confirmation.Non-elected board members are appointed by the chairperson of the board.
  1. Removal from Office

Any officer or Church Council member who is unable or is willfully neglectful in the performance of his/her official duties may be removed from the office by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of votes cast by the Voters Assembly.

4.6Meetings

The Church Council shall typically meet once a month and may be called more frequently at the request of the President or any three(3) Church Council members. An elected officer shall be present and preside with 60% of the members of the Church Council present to constitute a quorum for any meeting. Notice of each meeting shall be posted two weeks in advance; variances may apply in cases of an emergency. The minutes shall fully disclose all actions taken and be signed by the Secretary. Minutes of the meetings shall be available to voting members.

4.7Appearing before the Church Council

Members of the congregation may attend a Church Council meeting; however, if they have a specific issue to discuss or present it must be presented to the President of the congregation in writing and be on the printed Agenda.

4.8Conduct

All members of the Church Council shall lead exemplary lives and shall promote the welfare of the congregation.

ARTICLE 5

DUTIES OF OFFICERS AND BOARDS

5.1 Establishment of Committees and Boards

All officers and directors of the boards may establish committees to assist them in the tasks with the approval of the Church Council.

5.2President Shall:

  1. Preside at all meetings of the Voters Assembly and the Church Council.
  2. Appoint any boards, committees, task groups or action teams, which the Church Council requests.
  3. Ensure the Constitution and Bylaws are properly followed.
  4. Perform the general duties as are common for the office, including such additional duties as may be directed by the Voters Assembly.
  5. Have the authority to sign legal documents.
  6. Perform other duties and responsibilities as necessary.

5.3Vice President Shall:

  1. Perform all of the duties of the President in the latter’s absence and such other additional duties which may be directed by the Voters Assembly or by the President.
  2. Appoint and Chair a Nominating Committee with the advice and consent of the Church Council.
  3. Have the authority to sign legal documents.
  4. Perform other duties and responsibilities as necessary.

5.4Secretary Shall:

  1. Perform those duties commonly required of that office, especially the keeping and preserving of accurate records of attendance at all Voters’ Assembly meetings and handling such correspondence as the congregation may require.
  2. Keep minutes of all Church Council and Voters’ Assembly Meetings.
  3. Keep on file in the church office all of the official minutes which shall remain the property of the congregation.
  4. Keep a record by name of attendanceat all Church Council and Voters’ Assembly meetings.
  5. Have the authority to sign legal documents.
  6. Perform other duties and responsibilities as necessary.

5.5Treasurer Shall: