Constitution Committee Report

The IBSA Constitution Committee met on March 28 to review and consider the IBSA Constitution, Bylaws for both the Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services (BCHFS) and the Baptist Foundation of Illinois (BFI), and the Association’s Officer and Committee Manual as directed in Article VIII, Section 8 of the IBSA Constitution.

During its August 26 meeting the Committee discussed several items in the IBSA Constitution that included removing formatting dates, clarifying that a convention employee cannot serve on the Board, that a person can move to a different IBSA standing committee when rotating off a different committee, and changing one place that still used the term chairman rather than chairperson.

Following are the committee’s recommended changes to the IBSA Constitution and the BCHFS and BFI Bylaws, for first reading at the 2019 IBSA Annual Meeting, and for discussion and action at the 2020 IBSA Annual Meeting.

Recommended Ammendments For First Reading

Recommended Changes (noted in red type) to the IBSA Constitution – First Reading

ARTICLE V MEETINGS

Section 6.3

3.Any actions on the matter taken by the entity or action proposed to the Annual Meeting. (approved 11-2-16)

ARTICLE VII

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 3.4c the membership of the board consisting of a minimum of one-third (1/3) laypersons. (A lay person shall be defined as anyone who is not vocationally employed in a ministry position by a church or association. or state convention. A lay person who begins ministry employment with a church or association or state convention shall be eligible to continue service until the expiration of his/her term),

ARTICLE VII

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 14.

The board shall be organized into standing committees. Each committee shall have a chairpersonman, a vice-chairpersonman, and a secretary. At the last committee meeting of the year, officers are elected for the following year. The chairpersonman of the board shall appoint each board member to one standing committee each year. The standing committees shall evaluate, approve, and recommend to the board such goals as may pertain to that committee’s area of responsibility.

ARTICLE VIII

STANDING COMMITTEES

Section 2

The standing committees of IBSA shall consist of twelve (12) members each. One-third (1/3) of the members shall rotate off annually. Any person having served three (3) years, or major fraction thereof, shall be ineligible for re-election to the same committee until at least one (1) year has elapsed. Committee membership shall be reserved for those who have been a member in residence of cooperating IBSA member churches for at least twelve (12) months immediately prior to election, and who continue such membership during their term.

Recommended Ammendments For Second Reading

Recommended Changes (noted in red type) to the IBSA Constitution – Second Reading

ARTICLE VII

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 3.5

No employee of IBSA or family member of an employees of IBSA, nor any person whose salary is subsidized by IBSA, nor any person whose service shall provide a conflict of interest (other than those disclosed to and approved by the Board), shall serve as a member of the board of IBSA.

ARTICLE VIII

STANDING COMMITTEES

Section 12. A detailed guideline of the work of each standing committee of IBSA shall be placed in the Policy and Procedures Officer and Committee Manual of IBSA. Such guideline shall include a particular method for reviewing and dismissing members for violations of policy which it deems necessary for the effective and ethical service by its members.

Recommended Change (noted in red type) to the BCHFS Bylaws– Second Reading

ARTICLE III

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

7. Conflict of Interest. No member of the Board may derive or appear to derive any personal profit or gain, directly or indirectly, by reason of his or her membership on the Board or because of services provided to the Board. Each board member must disclose to the Board any personal interest, which he or she may have in any current or potential matter before the Board and refrain from participation in any decision on such matters.

No employee of BCHFS or family member of an employee of BCHFS, nor any person whose salary is subsidized by BCHFS nor any person whose service shall provide a conflict of interest

(other than those disclosed to and approved by the Board), shall serve as a member of the Board of BCHFS.

Article Vii

Executive Director

(Delete the following because it will be covered in the changes made in ARTICLE III,7)

5. Conflict of Interest. No member of the immediate family of the Executive Director or the Director of Accounting may serve on the Board.

Recommended Change (noted in red type) to the BFI Bylaws– Second Reading

Article Iii

Board Of Trustees

7. Conflict of Interest. No member of the Board may derive or appear to derive any personal profit or gain, directly or indirectly, by reason of his or her membership on the Board or because of services provided to the Board. Each board member must disclose to the Board any personal interest, which he or she may have in any current or potential matter before the Board and refrain from participation in any decision on such matters.

No employee of BFI or family member of an employee of BFI, nor any person whose salary is subsidized by BFI nor any person whose service shall provide a conflict of interest (other than those disclosed to and approved by the Board), shall serve as a member of the Board of BFI.

Respectfully submitted:

Glen Carty

Frank Forthman

Stephen Freels

Cody Hudspeth

Shelly Pender, Vice-Chair

Brad Sloan

David Stanton, Chair

Ben Towell, Secretary

2020 Officers

Shelly Pender, Chair

Brad Sloan, Vice-Chair

Secretary will be nominated and voted on at their first spring meeting.

Credentials Committee Report

Members of the Credentials Committee received and reviewed applications for IBSA membership from 17 churches and conducted interviews with leaders from those 17 churches. The Credentials Committee recommends the following to be accepted into membership with the Illinois Baptist State Association at the 2019 IBSA Annual Meeting:

Calvary Baptist Church, Granite City

Christ Church, Carbondale

Elmwood Park Community Church, Elmwood Park

First Baptist Church, Collinsville

Grace Baptist Church, Peoria

Grace Fellowship Church, Davis Junction

Greater New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, East St. Louis

Harvest Bible Chapel, Rockford

Jesus is the Life Church, Park Forest

Journey Church, Normal

Morning Star Church, Rockford

Net Community Church, Staunton

Progressive Baptist Church, Chicago

Road to Freedom Baptist Church, Galesburg

Second Baptist Church, Mt. Vernon

Trail of Hope Cowboy Church, Sherrard

The Committee further recommends the Association disaffiliate with the following churches that have not been cooperating with IBSA for at least five (5) years, in accordance with IBSA Constitution Article 4, Sections 3, 4 and 10:

Liberty Baptist Church, Rockford, North Central

Greater Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church, Chicago, Chicago Metro

Victory Christian Assembly, Markham, Chicago Metro

New Promise Land Baptist Church, Chicago, Chicago Metro

Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, Rock Island, Quad Cities

New Hope Community Church, Palatine, Chicago Metro

New Memorial Missionary Baptist Church, Chicago, Chicago Metro

Soul Saving Missionary Baptist Church, Chicago, Miscellaneous

The committee discussed the importance of continuing to try and reclaim non-cooperating churches. This is being done by IBSA staff through multiple letters each year, and through attempts at personal contact and reclamation by both the IBSA staff and associational leadership.

Respectfully submitted,

David Auxier, Vice-Chair

Ryan Beck

Billy Dye Jr.

Jay Huddleston

Jon McDonald

Joshua Monda, Chair

Jerry Montgomery

Rusty Morecraft

LeRoy Tucker

Marilyn Vaughan, Secretary

Robert Ward

2020 Officers

Joshua Monda, Chair

Jon McDonald, Vice Chair

Ryan Beck, Secretary