Grace Good Shepherd Church

McKinleyville, California

Congregational By-Laws

Article I – Name

The Grace Good Shepherd Church of McKinleyville, California being a congregation recognizing the historic traditions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in American (hereafter – ELCA; known as The Lutheran Church in America when Grace Good Shepherd was joined as one congregation) and the Presbyterian Church of The United States of America ( hereafter – PCUSA;, known as the United Presbyterian Church of the United States of America when Grace Good Shepherd was joined as one congregation) – in so far as possible desires to adhere to the current Constitutions of both current denominations obligatory upon it and all of its members, utilizing the Presbyterian form of government and the Lutheran form of worship. (For purposes of representing Grace Good Shepherd at ELCA and PCUSA conferences and meetings, all members shall be considered members of both denominations).

Article II – Meetings

All meetings shall be conducted in accordance with the General Rules of Judicatories as adopted by the General Assembly of the PCUSA, in so far as they apply, in accordance to the usual legislative procedures and rules of order as expressed Robert’s Rules of Order. All meetings shall be opened and closed with prayer.

A. Annual Meetings – There will normally be (2) annual meetings in the church edifice; (1) the first of which will be held sometime during late autumn for the purpose of nominating officers, the approval of the current Terms of Call for the pastor(s,) and presenting the annual budget; (2) the second of which shall be held in January for the purpose of electing officers, electing a committee to nominate new church officers (Elders, Deacons, and Trustees), and for any business properly coming before such a meeting. It shall be obligatory and the responsibility of the Session, to prepare and present to the second annual meeting an Annual Report of activities of the various organizations of the Church. The time and form of the meetings shall be determined by the Session.

B. Special Meetings – Special Congregational meetings may be called by the Session of Grace Good Shepherd Church and by the Presbytery of the Redwoods. Calls for Special Meetings shall state clearly the purpose of such meetings and no matter, save that which is specified in the call for the meeting, may considered at that time (Book of Order: G-1.0501).

C. Notice of Meetings – Public notice thereof shall be given from the pulpit on two consecutive Sundays preceding the day of such meeting. Other methods of notifying the

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congregation may be approved by the Session in Accordance to the PCUSA Book Order and as deemed necessary to fully notify all current members of the Grace Good Shepherd Church.

D. Quorum – A quorum shall consist of 20% (twenty percent) – of the eligible voters and the Moderator of the Session.

E. Officers of the Church

1. The pastor(s) shall preside at all congregational meetings. If the Church is vacant or if the pastor and elders agree that the subject(s) to be discussed requires it, or if the pastor is ill or is otherwise unable to be present, a minister of the Presbytery of the Redwoods shall be invited by the session to preside. This invitation shall be cleared through the Committee on Ministry of said Presbytery.

2. The Clerk of the Session shall be the secretary of the meetings of the congregation. If the Clerk is unable to attend, the session shall designate a secretary in the Clerks stead.

3. Elders – There shall be six (6) or more ruling elders divided as nearly as possible into three (3) equal classes, one class of which will normally be nominated each year at the Fall Annual Meeting for a three (3) year term beginning with the next calendar year. No elder shall serve on the session for more than two (2) consecutive terms, either for a full or partial aggregation of more than six (6) years. An elder is ineligible to be elected to a new term until one (1) year shall have elapsed from his or her last term of office.

4. Deacons – There shall be six (6) or more deacons as nearly as possible divided in (into) three (3) equal classes, one class of which will normally be nominated each year at the Fall Annual Meeting for a three (3) year term beginning with the next calendar year. No Deacon shall serve on the Board of Deacons for more than two (2) consecutive terms, either full or partial aggregation for more than six (6) years. A Deacon is ineligible to be elected to a new term until one (1) year shall have elapsed from his or her last term of office.

5. Duties—the duties of all officers of the church shall be defined by the current Book of Order in the PCUSA.

6. Vacancies – If there should be vacancies on the Session or the Board of Deacons, these vacancies may be filled at a special or regular annual meeting of the Congregation as the Session may determine.

Article III – Voting

Voting at Congregational meetings shall proceed as follows:

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A. All members on the most current church roll shall be entitled to vote on all matters of ecclesiastical affairs.

B. Voting by proxy is not allowed.

Article IV – Nominations

Nominations shall be made by a nominating committee of the Congregation as defined below. Nominations, after due and careful deliberations, may also be made from the floor when elections for an office are being held.

A. There shall be a representative nominating committee chosen in accordance with the form of government as specified in the PCUSA Book of Order. Two (2) members shall be designated by and from the Session, one of whom is to be chairperson of this committee. One (1) member shall be designated by and from the Board of Deacons. Other members of the committee in sufficient numbers to constitute a majority thereof (exclusive of the pastor(s) who is/are ex-officio member(s) without a vote) shall be chosen annually by the congregation at the January Congregational Meeting, (normally two (2) Members At-Large). A member may serve two (2) successive terms on this committee. One year must elapse before a person may be re-elected to this committee.

B. The nominating committee shall bring to the Fall Annual Meeting nominations of only one (1) eligible person for each office. Additional nominations of qualified person(s) may be made from the floor by any eligible voter.

C. The nominating committee elected the previous year shall nominate members at large for the nominating committee to succeed it.

Article V – Worship

Grace Good Shepherd Church will follow the Lutheran form of worship as determined by the ELCA. The Congregation recognizes that the worship of God is a living relationship which may change as our understanding of our relationship with God changes, and, therefore, it is not immutable. The adherence to the Lutheran form of worship is one of the foundations of the coming together of Grace Lutheran and Good Shepherd Presbyterian churches to form one Congregation Grace Good Shepherd Church.

Article VI – Incorporation of the Congregation

The congregation of Grace Good Shepherd church shall be incorporated under the Laws of the Constitutions of the PCUSA and ELCA and the Laws of the State of California.

A. Officers – There shall be three (3) trustees divided into three (3) equal classes, one class of which shall be elected each year at the Annual Corporation Meeting for a term of 3 years. No trustee shall serve on the Board of Trustees for more than two (2) consecutive terms, either full

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or in part aggregating more than six (6) years. A person shall not be eligible for election to a new term until one (1) year shall have elapsed.

1. One member shall be elected by the Board as chairperson. 2. One member shall be elected by the Board as Secretary/Treasurer.

B. Meetings

1. Annual Meetings – Annual meeting shall be held on the same date as Annual Congregational Meeting in January, immediately following adjournment.

2. Special Meetings – Special meetings may be held at any time subject to the By-laws of the Corporation.

Article VII – Pastoral Vacancy

When there is a pastoral vacancy, or need for a second (any additional minsters to effectively run the church or church programs), the prospective pastor(s) shall know that he/she serves two denominations. Replacement shall come from either the ELCA or the PCUSA or any denomination in full communion with both said denominations as approved by the Bishop of the appropriate Synod and The Stated Clerk of The Presbytery of the Redwoods and Presbytery’s Committee on Ministry.

Article VIII – Membership

As of the date of adoption of these By-Laws, those persons in the future desiring to join Grace Good Shepherd Church will be enrolled in a single membership book. For purposes of paying the appropriate per capita taxes to the two (2) denominations those new members who wish to be will be listed as part of the denomination of their choice. Members with no choice or who specifically do not wish to select a denomination may be distributed equally between the two (2) denominations to provide equal distribution of funds to the appropriate Synod or Presbytery.

Article IX – Mission Support

The Mission Programs of the ELCA and the PCUSA shall be supported equally.

Article X – Amendments

The above rules are based on the Constitution (of the PCUSA and the ELCA) and may be amended only as follows:

A. Article II – Section A: subject to amendment to hour, date, and place of the meeting only.

B. Article IV – Section B: subject to amendment only to the number of nominations which shall be presented for each office.

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C. Article I, Article II preamble Article II B, C, E-1, Article III, sections A, B – are not subject to amendment.

D. Amendments may be made by a 2/3 vote of those present and entitled to vote at any congregational meeting, after a ten (10) day notice of any intention to amend the By-Laws has been given from the pulpit, or by additional means of notice as approved in the Book of Order of the PCUSA or by the Session that allows the same ten (10) day notice to any eligible voting member of the congregation.

Addendum to the By-Laws of

Grace Good Shepherd Church

Session

1. Any ordained Ruling Elder may be appointed by the Session to fill an unexpired term until the next regularly scheduled Congregational meeting.

2. No more than one (1) member of a household shall be eligible to serve on the session at one time.

3. Committee conveners shall have privilege of the floor at session meetings, but no vote.4. As the congregation grows, there shall be one (1) elder added to the Session for every

twenty (20) members or fraction thereof.

Finances

1. The treasurer shall handle all funds which are consolidated into one account showing how the funds are received and distributed. An elder shall assist the treasurer with any offerings. (counting and deposit)

2. Any money donated to a specific account shall be added to the budget allowed for that account.

3. Wedding donations from non-members shall be at the discretion of the pastor(s).4. The portion of the Two Cents a Meal funds donated to the Church will go towards the

food Pantry, ELCA Hunger and PCUSA Hunger Programs by equal shares unless the (Deacons and Session) wish to designate special gifts to other purposes.

5. Deacons shall present an annual report to the Clerk of the Session for Session review.

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General

1. Presbyterian Elders or Deacons are eligible to assist with communion, as well as all Lutheran members of Grace Good Shepherd. Those approved by the by The Presbytery of the Redwoods, or the Sierra Pacific Synod of the ELCA are allowed to serve communion in the absence of an ordained minister. (Doesn’t this mean all members? Surely we don’t want to have one rule for Presbyterians and another one for Lutherans?)

2. Committee conveners shall serve one (1) year terms with an optional and maximum second year.

3. Baptisms shall be approved by the Session and shall be preceded by a period of instruction (unless deemed unnecessary by the pastor(s) and/or Session).

4. Children shall be eligible to receive communion when parents feel the child is ready and after the child with their parents has received communion instruction

5. Unless it is determined by the pastor(s) that said instruction is unnecessary due to prior instruction of the parents and their child.

6. All youth shall participate in a membership instruction course, teaching the traditions of both denominations (Bk of Order 20.03). Unless it is determined by the pastor(s) that said instruction is unnecessary due to prior instruction of a youth seeking membership in the Church.

By-Laws

For

The Corporation of Grace Good Shepherd Church

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Of

McKinleyville, CA

1. The By-Laws of the Grace Good Shepherd Church as a corporation shall always be subject to the Constitution and the Laws of the State of California, and also to the Constitutions of the ELCA or PCUSA as appropriate.

2. There shall be an annual meeting of the corporation immediately following the adjournment of the annual ecclesiastical meeting of the Congregation for the transaction of business properly coming before such a meeting.

3. Special meetings may be called by the trustees and shall be called by the trustees at the request of the Session. Presbytery of the Redwoods may call a special meeting or authoritatively direct the trustees to do so. All such calls shall state clearly the purpose of such meeting, and no other matter, save that specified in the call may be considered.

4. Public notice of the time, place, and purpose of all meetings of the corporation as prepared by the trustees (Presbytery) shall be publically announced from the pulpit on the two (2) successive Sundays preceding the day of such meeting. Additional means of announcement may be used as approved in the PCUSA book of Order or as approved by the Session so long as the notice allows for fourteen (14) effective days’ notice.

5. The President of the Board of Trustees or other member of the board designated by it shall convene the meetings of the Corporation and shall preside unless by majority vote the Corporation shall elect another of its membership in his or her place.

6. The secretary/treasurer of the Board of Trustees shall be the secretary of the corporation meeting. If the secretary is unable to serve, the Board of Trustees shall designate a substitute.

7. All communicant members of the church, in good and regular standing shall be entitled, at all meetings of the Church Corporation to vote on all matters affecting the corporate affairs (unless otherwise provided for by the Laws of the State governing its incorporation).

8. Voting by proxy is not allowed.

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