BY - LAWS
CTC WALK TO EMMAUS COMMUNITY
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BY - LAWS |
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CTC WALK TO EMMAUS COMMUNITY |
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BY-LAWS THE CENTRAL
TEXAS CONFERENCE WALK TO EMMAUS
COMMUNITY January 2004 ARTICLE I. NAME
The name of this Community shall be the CENTRAL TEXAS CONFERENCE
WALK TO EMMAUS COMMUNITY, hereinafter referred to as the Community. ARTICLE II. AFFILIATION
AND BOUNDARIES
The Community shall be affiliated with the International Walk to
Emmaus Movement of the Upper Room, Nashville, Tennessee.
The Community shall also be affiliated with the Central Texas
Conference of the United Methodist Church through the Board of
Discipleship. The Community
shall have the same boundaries as the Central Texas Conference of the
United Methodist Church. Within
these boundaries, the Community shall be divided into four Regions: the
Fort Worth East/Fort Worth West Region; the Waco/Waxahachie Region; the
Temple Region; and the Weatherford/Brownwood Region. ARTICLE III. OBJECTIVE
The objective of this Community shall be to provide a vehicle by
which the three-day walk in Christian Discipleship, called the Walk to
Emmaus, can organize and conduct its business in accordance with the
annual Upper Room Letter of Agreement.
The Community shall also support and encourage the local Fourth Day
Communities and shall inspire, challenge, and equip church members for
Christian action in their homes, churches, places of work, communities,
and the world community. ARTICLE IV. MEMBERSHIP
Membership in the Central Texas Conference Walk to Emmaus Community
shall consist of the various local Fourth Day Communities that are
situated within the jurisdictional boundaries of the Central Texas
Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Membership in the local Fourth Day Communities shall consist of any
and all persons who: have completed a Walk to Emmaus, Cursillo, Via de
Cristo, Tres Dias, Kairos, Chrysalis or equivalent weekend; reside in the
Central Texas Conference jurisdictional area; participate in the local
Fourth Day Community events; and ask the local Fourth Day Communities to
place them on their respective mailing lists.
Submission of the names of these persons to the Community and
placement on the Community mailing list shall make these local Fourth Day
Community members voting members of the Community for the purposes
outlined in these By-laws. ARTICLE V. BOARD
OF DIRECTORS
Section 1. Direction
of the Community shall be vested in a Board of Directors, hereinafter
called the Board.
Section 3. Six lay
members and two clergy members shall be elected each year in a class to
serve a term of three years. Any
person who has served as a team member on a three day weekend event as
listed above for membership eligibility and who is an active member of a
local Fourth Day Community and an Accountability Group is eligible to be a
member of the Board. Nominations
shall be accepted by the Board from any local Fourth Day Community or any
active individual member of a local Fourth Day Community within this
jurisdiction. The Lay Director shall appoint a Nominating Committee which
shall prepare a list of nominations including at least two names for each
position. The Administrator
shall prepare a ballot from the nominations list and shall provide copies
of the ballot to the Local Fourth Day Communities in each Region by
October 1 of each year. Votes
shall be submitted to the Administrator by November 1 of each year.
The Administrator shall provide the results of the voting to the
Lay Director prior to the November Board meeting. Members cannot succeed themselves in consecutive terms unless
the member’s first term is an appointed term to fill a portion of an
un-expired term and the member is then elected to serve a full term on the
Board. Board member’s terms
of service shall begin January 1 and shall terminate December 31, except
for those appointed to fill a vacancy as provided in Section 4.
Upon ratification of this amendment, the terms of all sitting Board
members shall be extended six (6) months.
Beginning with the election in October 2004 for the class of 2007
the following sequence of positions to be filled shall be followed: 2007
– one woman and one man from the Waco/Waxahachie Region, one woman from
the Brownwood/Weatherford Region, one woman from the Temple Region, one
woman from the Fort Worth Region, and one man from the Conference
at-large; 2008 – one woman from the Fort Worth Region, one woman from
the Brownwood /Weatherford Region, one woman and one man from the Temple
Region, one woman from the Waco/Waxahachie Region, and one man from the
Conference at-large; 2009 – one woman
and one man from the Fort Worth Region, one woman and one man from the
Brownwood/Weatherford Region, one woman from the Temple Region, and one
woman from the Waco/Waxahachie Region.
After election of the class of 2009 in October 2006, the cycle
shall repeat.
Section 4. The Lay
Director, with the approval of the Board, may appoint a member to fill any
lay vacancy in the Board that occurs.
The Lay Director shall nominate members to fill vacancies and a
majority vote of the Board members present at the meeting where nominated
shall constitute approval. The
Spiritual Director, with approval of the Board, may appoint a member to
fill any clergy vacancy in the Board that occurs. The Spiritual Director
shall nominate members to fill vacancies and a majority vote of the Board
members present at the meeting where nominated shall constitute approval.
Members appointed to fill such vacancies shall be members of the
Board effective with approval and shall serve until the regular expiration
of the term of the member being replaced.
Such members may succeed themselves in consecutive terms for one
full term if nominated and elected in accordance with Section 3.
Section 5. Officers of
the Board shall be Lay Director, Assistant Lay Director, Secretary,
Treasurer, and Spiritual Director. The
Assistant Lay Director shall serve as the Lay Director for the year
following his/her term of service as Assistant Lay Director.
Elections shall be held to fill the positions of Assistant Lay
Director, Secretary, Treasurer, and Spiritual Director.
Officers shall be elected annually by the Board at the regularly
scheduled November meeting and shall serve for a term of one year.
Officer’s terms shall begin January 1 and end December 31 of the
same year. Officers must be
active members of the Board at time of election.
An officer may be removed from office by a motion to remove made at
any regular Board meeting. The
motion shall be made and seconded at a meeting and may be discussed but no
vote shall be taken at the meeting where the motion is made.
The motion shall be placed on the table, the Administrator shall
notify all Board members that such a motion is under consideration, and
the motion shall be brought off the table for a vote at the next regular
Board meeting. A majority
vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the Board members present at the meeting where
the vote is taken shall immediately remove the person from office. Section 6.
The Lay Director, with the approval of the Board, may appoint a
Board member to fill any vacancy in officers that occurs.
The Lay Director shall nominate Board members to fill vacancies and
a majority vote of the Board members present at the meeting where
nominated shall constitute approval.
Officers appointed to fill such vacancies shall take office
immediately upon approval and shall serve until the regular expiration of
the term of office of the officer being replaced.
In the event the Lay Director position is vacant, the Assistant Lay
Director shall assume the duties of the Lay Director and shall fill out
the unexpired term. He/she
may appoint a Board member to serve as Assistant Lay Director for the
remainder of the unexpired term in accordance with this section.
Any Assistant Lay Director who assumes the duties of Lay Director
for an unexpired term shall then continue to serve as Lay Director for the
regular term in the following calendar year to which he/she was originally
elected. The position of
Assistant Lay Director would be subject to election at the next November
meeting and the person appointed to fill the unexpired term would not
assume the duties of the Lay Director for the following calendar year.
Section 7. The Lay
Director shall be the chief administrative officer of the Board and the
Community. The Lay Director
shall set the time and place of all meetings of the Board and shall chair
such meetings. The Lay
Director shall perform other such duties as the Board may direct.
The Assistant Lay Director shall chair meetings in the absence of
the Lay Director and shall perform other such duties as the Lay Director
or the Board may direct. The
Secretary shall keep and distribute minutes of any and all Board meetings,
shall chair meetings in the absence of the Lay Director and Assistant Lay
Director, and shall perform other such duties as the Lay Director or the
Board may direct. The Treasurer shall serve as chairperson of the Budget
Committee, shall oversee the day-to-day financial activities of the
Administrator, shall provide for an annual audit of Community finances,
shall chair meetings in the absence of the Lay Director, Assistant Lay
Director, and Secretary, and shall perform other such duties as the Lay
Director or the Board may direct. The
Spiritual Director shall be the theological and spiritual leader of the
Board and the Community. The
Spiritual Director shall appoint Walk Spiritual Directors, and shall
perform other such duties as the Board may direct.
Section 8. The Lay
Director, with the approval of the Board, shall appoint a Regional
Chairperson for each Region from the members representing that Region.
The four Regional Chairpersons shall comprise the Regional
Chairperson Committee.
Section 9. The past
Lay Director and Spiritual Director shall continue as members of the Board
for one year immediately following their term of service. Section 10.
The Lay Director, with the approval of the Board, may appoint a
Leadership Trainer each year. A person appointed as Leadership Trainer may be re-appointed
to the position. The Leadership Trainer shall be a voting member of the
Board. The Leadership Trainer
shall be responsible for developing and maintaining training for Lay
Directors, Board members, and other such matters as the Board may deem
necessary. All training shall
be consistent with Article III of these By-laws, the Procedures Manual,
current Board policies, the annual Upper Room Letter of Agreement, and the
Upper Room Handbook On Emmaus.
The content of all training must be approved by the Board.
The Leadership Trainer shall be responsible for the presentation of
all training. The Leadership
Trainer may recommend additional personnel to the Board to assist in
presenting the approved training. The
Leadership Trainer may establish requirements to ensure that any such
additional personnel are qualified to present effective training.
Section 11. The Lay
Director may recommend to the Board that a member be removed from the
Board or prohibited from serving as Board Representative on a Walk if that
member: misses two consecutive regularly scheduled Board meetings; fails
to fulfill committee responsibilities; fails to fulfill the requirements
of a Board Representative on a Walk as established in Board Member
Training; does not support the Vision and the goals of the Community; or
fails to support the annual Upper Room Letter of Agreement.
A majority vote of the members present at the meeting where the
recommendation is made shall remove the member or prohibit his/her serving
as a Board Representative on a Walk.
The prohibition of serving as a Board Representative on a Walk
shall remain in place until such time as the Board by majority vote upon
the recommendation of the Lay Director may allow the member to serve as
Board Representative again. ARTICLE VI.
EMPLOYEES
The Board shall be authorized to employ an Administrator and/or
other positions to assist in conducting the activities of the Community. The Board shall prepare a written job description for each
position established and shall set the salary and compensation of any such
employees. Any such positions
shall be supervised and evaluated annually by the Lay Director unless
otherwise established by the Board. The evaluation shall be presented to
the Board and shall be the basis for an annual review of salary and
compensation for each such employee. ARTICLE VII. MEETINGS
Section 1.
The Board shall conduct regular meetings the third Saturday of
every other month, beginning in January of each year. Section 2.
Special meetings of the Board may be called by the Lay Director or
may be called by the Lay Director at the request of two-thirds (2/3) of
the members of the Board. Special
meetings shall require notification of Board members of the subject of the
meeting and the date, time, and location of the meeting at least seven
days in advance of the meeting. Section 3.
A quorum at any Board meeting shall be those members present. Section 4.
The Board shall convene a gathering of local Fourth Day Communities
and members annually. The
date, time, and location shall be announced at least three months in
advance of the gathering. The
Annual Gathering shall provide a time for fellowship, singing, education,
information sharing, and an Emmaus Worship Service. Section 5.
The Board may convene other gatherings of the Community at the
request or confirmation of two-thirds (2/3) of the members of the Board.
Special meetings shall require notification of Community members of
the subject of the meeting and the date, time, and location of the meeting
at least 14 days in advance of the meeting. ARTICLE VIII.
COMMITTEES
Section 1. The Annual
Gathering Committee shall be a standing committee of the Board.
It shall be responsible for planning and conducting the Annual
Gathering of Local Fourth Day Communities.
Section 2. The
Administrative Committee shall be a standing committee of the Board.
It shall consist of the Lay Director, the Spiritual Director, the
Assistant Lay Director, the Secretary, and the Treasurer.
This committee is charged with the administrative responsibilities
of the Board including but not limited to, personnel management (both paid
and volunteer), budgeting and accounting, and office management including
strategy, procedures, computers and other equipment.
Section 3. The Site
Selection Committee shall be a standing committee of the Board.
This committee is responsible for quality assurance at various
retreat locations to be certain the facility can support the needs of a
walk weekend. This committee
will deal with problems with a retreat center that extend beyond a
specific Walk, or which can’t be dealt with by the Walk leadership.
This committee also recommends the scheduling of Walks.
Section 4. The
Training Committee shall be a standing committee of the Board.
It shall be responsible for determining training needs and
developing and arranging for presentation of training.
Section 5. The
Community Development Committee shall be a standing committee of the
Board. This committee is
responsible for interactions with the various local Fourth Day
Communities. Its
responsibilities include but are not limited to: recruiting community
support for Walks; Board representation at Candlelights; creating and
distributing Board News to Community Newsletter editors; and ensuring
ongoing education of the local communities.
Section 6. The
Regional Chairperson Committee shall be a standing committee of the Board.
This committee is responsible for consistency in operations among
the four regions of the Community. Its
duties include recommendation of Lay Directors for Board approval, team
selection, and developing leadership for the future.
Section 7. The
Chrysalis Steering Committee or Board of Directors shall be a standing
committee of the Board. This
committee conducts Chrysalis Flights and Journeys within the boundaries of
the Central Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Section 8. The Board
may establish such other committees, standing, special, or ad hoc, as
needed from time to time. Section 9.
The Lay Director shall chair the Administration Committee.
The Lay Director, with the guidance of the Administrative
Committee, shall appoint the members and designate the chair of other
committees. Section 10.
The Lay Director and Administrator shall be non-voting members of
all committees. ARTICLE IX. PARLIAMENTARY
AUTHORITY
Section 1. With the
exception of Special Rules established by the Board, the most current
edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall prevail.
Section 2. The Board
may establish Special Rules without previous notice by a majority vote at
any duly called meeting of the Board.
Section 3. No Special
Rule, resolution, motion, or any other business is in order if it
conflicts with the annual Upper Room Letter of Agreement, with any
existing Special Rule, with the UPPERROOM HANDBOOK ON EMMAUS, with the
Central Texas Community PROCEDURES MANUAL, or with these By-laws. ARTICLE X. WALK
TO EMMAUS
Section 1. The
Community shall follow the guidelines established in the UPPER ROOM
HANDBOOOK ON EMMAUS, of the International Emmaus Movement, The Upper Room,
Nashville, Tennessee, in the formation and conduct of the three-day
(72-hour) experience, “Walk to Emmaus.”
Section 2. The Board
shall have general oversight in all matters relating to the Central Texas
Community “Walk to Emmaus.” The
Board shall delegate to the Walk Lay Director responsibility for each
individual Walk to Emmaus event.
Section 3. The Board
shall appoint a Lay Director and a Board Representative for each Walk to
Emmaus event, whenever possible selecting them from the same geographical
area. The Board Spiritual
Director shall appoint a Spiritual Director for each Walk to Emmaus event,
wherever possible selecting him/her from the same geographical area as the
Lay Director and Board Representative.
These three people shall form the leadership team for each Walk to
Emmaus event. The leadership
team shall meet with the Regional Team Selection Committee to develop a
potential team list from which the Lay Director shall recruit members for
the team for each Walk to Emmaus event.
Section 4. Potential
Lay and Spiritual Directors must meet the following eligibility
requirements: they shall have attended a Walk to Emmaus or other weekend
event as established in the membership article of these By-laws; They
shall be actively involved in a Reunion Group, a Local Fourth Day
Community, and their local church; they shall be willing to conduct the
Walk to Emmaus event as written in the Directors’ Manual
Section 5. Potential
Team Members must meet the following eligibility requirements: they shall
have attended a Walk to Emmaus or other weekend event; they shall be
actively involved in an Accountability Group, a local Fourth Day
Community, and their local church; and they shall be willing to accept
whatever legitimate responsibility for the success of the Weekend that is
assigned by the Lay and/or Spiritual Director.
Section 6. Appointed
Lay Directors must attend the Lay Director Foundations Training and Lay
Director Logistics Training in that order prior to team selection. ARTICLE XI.
AMENDMENT AND RATIFICATION
Section 1. Any Board
member may submit proposed amendments to these By-laws to the Board.
The proposed amendment must be submitted to the Lay Director in
writing at least seven (7) days prior to a regular meeting of the Board.
Proposed amendments shall be read and considered at the regular
Board meeting immediately after submission but shall not be voted upon at
that meeting. Proposed
amendments will be placed on the agenda of the second regular Board
meeting following submission for voting purposes.
Section 2. Adoption of
an amendment shall require a two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of members
present at a regular Board meeting in which it is scheduled for vote.
Section 3. Adopted
amendments shall become effective immediately upon ratification unless the
motion to adopt establishes a specific effective date.
Section 4. Local
Fourth Day Communities shall be given a copy of any proposed amendments.
The Local Fourth Day Communities shall be given at least 45 days to
consider the proposed amendments. The
affirmative vote of a majority of the local Fourth Day Communities in the
Central Texas Conference jurisdiction submitted to the Board in writing as
a result of written Board transmittal of an adopted amendment shall be
considered ratification. Adopted by the Board the fifteenth day of November,
2003. Ratified by the Community the first day of January, 2004.
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