BY-LAWS OF ST. JOSEPH’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

NEWBERRY, FLORIDA

ARTICLE I

PARISH MEETINGS, VESTRY ELECTIONS, AND QUALIFICATIONS FOR VOTING

Section 1. Annual Meeting. The annual meeting of the Parish shall be held no later than the third Sunday following the annual Diocesan Convention. The purpose of the meeting shall be for Vestry selections, diocesan delegate (a two year term) election, alternates (a one year term) election, to receive financial and other reports through December of the previous year, to acquaint the congregation with the work of the Parish and the preceding Diocesan convention, and to conduct such other business as may be brought before it.

Section 2. Special Meetings. A special meeting of the Parish may be called at any time by either the Rector, both of the wardens, or upon a majority vote of the members of the Vestry.

Section 3. Notice of Meetings. The time, place and date of each annual meeting and of each special meeting shall be made known to the Parishioners by appropriate notice by the Rector or secretary of the Vestry.

Section 4. Parishioners Qualified to Vote. The Parishioners qualified to vote at any annual or special meeting will be as follows: All baptized persons eighteen (18) years of age or over, who regularly attend the public services and business sessions of the Church in the Parish, and are recognized as members of the congregation, and who contribute by pledge or otherwise, to the funds or expenses of the congregation, and have done so for six months prior to the meeting, and who, in addition, if required, declare themselves conscientiously attached to the doctrine, discipline and worship of the Church.

ARTICLE II

THE VESTRY

Section 1. Composition. The Vestry shall be composed of nine (9) members.

Section 2. A. Qualifications. Any confirmed communicant eighteen (18) years of age or over who has been a member of St. Joseph’s Church six (6) months or longer, attends church services regularly, and contributes by pledge or otherwise, to the funds or expenses of the congregation and has done so for a minimum of six (6) months prior to the election or appointment to the Vestry. Any person related to an employee of St. Joseph’s Church may not be elected. Only one member of any family may serve on the vestry at any given time.

B. Nominating Process. All persons desiring to serve on the Vestry shall, with their prior consent and approval, have their names placed into nomination by submitting said name and all other required information to the rector. The Rector and a Nominating Committee comprised of the three outgoing members shall determine if the person(s) nominated is qualified to serve as defined pursuant to Section 2 herein and as defined by the Diocesan Canons. A qualified person may not be serving a full three year vestry term. The nomination process shall be duly announced and published to the Parishioners at least 45 days prior to the Annual Parish Meeting.

Section 3. Selection. The members of the Vestry shall be selected at the annual meeting of the Parish drawing names from a chalice. Three Vestry positions, as well as any unexpired terms that are vacant or that have been temporarily filled during the preceding year as set forth in Section 4 below, shall be chosen at each annual Parish meeting. Each selected vestry member shall serve a term of no more than three years, or until a qualified successor is named.

Section 4. Vacancies. The Vestry may fill all vacancies that may occur in their number to serve until the next annual Parish meeting, at which time the Parish shall fill any such unexpired terms, and the holder of such unexpired term shall not be disqualified for selection to a full term after the expiration of the unexpired term. No person may fill a term if the person has completed a full three year term in the past year.

Section 5. Meetings. The day for regular meetings of the Vestry shall be determined at the organizational meeting of the Vestry following the selection held at the annual meeting. The Vestry must meet a minimum of nine (9) times in a calendar year. If a regularly scheduled meeting should fall upon a legal holiday, in such case, the meeting shall be held on the week following. The time and place of the regular meeting shall be fixed by majority vote of the Vestry. Special meetings may be called at any time by the Rector, both wardens or by request of one-third of the members of the Vestry. The Rector and all members of the Vestry shall be given due notice of all special meetings of the Vestry. A quorum of the Vestry membership is required to be present in any meeting in which a vote on any subject is taken. A quorum shall be defined as a majority of the current Vestry members, and the Rector or one of the Wardens must be in attendance. The Rector shall be the Chair of the Vestry and shall preside over the meetings of the Vestry, or at the Rector’s discretion, the Senior Warden shall preside. The meetings shall be conducted according to the protocol prescribed by the Roberts Rules of Order.

Section 6. Attendance. Any vestry member, who without excuse, fails to attend three vestry meetings during a twelve-month period shall be considered to have resigned from the vestry and the vestry shall thereupon select a replacement according to Section 4 herein.

Section 7. Duties. It shall be the, duty of the Vestry to take charge of the temporal concerns of the Parish, including the financial affairs of the Parish, and to work with the Clergy and laity of the congregation for the furtherance of the Church’s purpose. The Vestry shall act as agents and legal representatives of the Parish, to call, with the approval of the Bishop, a Rector, and to provide for the Rector’s maintenance; to keep order in the Church during divine services, and to act as helpers in whatever capacity as may be appropriate to lay persons, for the furtherance of the work of the Church.

Section 8. Voting. Vestry members must be present at a meeting for their vote to be tallied. There will be no proxy voting. Electronic voting may be used between regular Vestry meetings at the discretion of the Senior Warden or Rector. The topic to be voted on must have been discussed at a previous meeting of the Vestry.

Section 9. The Selection and Election of a Rector. The selection of candidates for the position of Rector shall follow the guidelines and principles of the Diocesan Search Process in place at the time. The election of the Rector requires a minimum of two thirds (2/3) of the Vestry to vote in the affirmative.

ARTICLE III

THE SENIOR WARDEN

Section 1. Appointment. The Senior Warden of the Vestry shall be appointed by the Rector from the members of the Vestry, and shall hold office for a term of (1) one year and shall be eligible for reselection thereafter or until a successor is elected.

Section 2. Duties. The Senior Warden shall serve at the pleasure of the Rector. The duties of the Senior Warden shall include the following:

He or she shall provide for the decent celebration of public worship and shall at the discretion of the Rector preside over meetings of the Vestry;
He or she shall call regular and special meetings of the Vestry; and shall at the discretion of the Rector preside over the annual meeting of the Parish.
The Senior Warden shall act as liaison between the Vestry and the Parish, to keep the Parish advised, insofar as appropriate and expedient, of the actions of the vestry.
The Senior Warden shall render an annual report to the Parish at the annual meeting of the Parish.

ARTICLE IV

THE JUNIOR WARDEN

Section 1. Election. The Junior Warden shall be elected by majority vote of the Vestry from one of their own at the first meeting following the annual Parish meeting, and shall hold office for a term of (1) one year and shall be eligible for reelection thereafter or until a successor is elected.

Section 2. Duties. The duties of the Junior Warden shall include the following:

In the absence of the Senior Warden, the Junior Warden shall provide for the decent celebration of public worship.
In the absence of the Senior Warden, the Junior Warden shall preside over meetings of the Vestry.
Chair the Building and Grounds Committee.
Chair the Parish Council or in its absence be the liaison with the Parish Committees of the Parish.

ARTICLE V

THE SECRETARY

Section 1. Election. The Secretary shall be elected by majority vote of the Vestry from one of their own at the first meeting following the annual Parish meeting, and shall hold office for a term of (1) one year and shall be eligible for reelection thereafter or until a successor is elected.

Section 2. Duties. The duties of the Secretary shall include the following:

The Secretary shall faithfully and accurately record the minutes of all meetings of the Vestry and of the meetings of the parish.
Conduct such correspondence in the name of the Rector, Wardens and Vestry as the Vestry may authorize and direct, and maintain the correspondence of the Vestry in a file appropriately labeled.
Maintain typewritten minutes of all Parish and Vestry meetings in a loose leaf minute book having a durable cover. The minutes will be kept in the church office and available to Parishioners.

ARTICLE VII

THE COMMITTEES

Section 1. Adoption. These By-Laws will be adopted by majority vote of the full Vestry. These By-Laws will be presented at a regular meeting of the Vestry and voted on at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Vestry.

Section 2. Amendments. These By-Laws may be amended by majority vote of the Vestry. All amendments must be presented at a regular meeting of the Vestry and voted on at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Vestry.

Executive Committee: The committee will consist of the Senior Warden, Junior Warden, and Secretary of the Vestry. The committee can make decisions, that do not conflict with the will of the Vestry and its previous decisions, for the Vestry between vestry meetings.
Buildings and Grounds: The committee will be responsible for the upkeep of the physical plant. The committee will maintain a plan for possible future plant improvements.
Spiritual Growth and Education: The committee will oversee the Sunday school program, adult Christian education, regular and special programs to promote the spiritual growth of the Parish.
Finance and Stewardship: The committee will assist the Treasurer with financial planning and financial oversight for the Parish. The committee will be responsible for the on-going stewardship program for the Parish and will develop the appropriate materials for the annual in-gathering of financial pledges and commitments.

Section 3. Other committees such as Communication; Outreach; Parish Life; Youth; and Worship shall be identified as Parish Committees, which enable the spiritual and organizational needs of the Parish to be accomplished. These committees will be established by the Vestry.

Section 4. Additional Committees. Such other committees including: additional Standing Committees; temporary committees; and task forces may be designated by the Vestry at any time, as are necessary for the well-being of the Parish and its ability to function in an orderly and businesslike fashion. Task Forces should have a limited time to accomplish and report their findings and they are automatically dissolved upon acceptance of their work. Upon completion of their responsibilities any committee of a temporary nature may be dissolved by vote of the Vestry.

Section 5. Reporting. All of these committees shall meet regularly to do the work of the Vestry and Parish. Minutes shall be kept of each committee’s meetings. The Parish Committees shall submit their minutes to the Junior Warden no later than the Thursday prior to the regularly scheduled vestry meeting. The Junior Warden shall be responsible for reporting same to the Vestry. Unless a motion requiring Vestry action is involved, the minutes are informational and pro forma and require no action nor discussion other than acceptance of same.

Section 6. Chairs. Chairs of Standing Committees are selected by the Vestry and must be members of the Vestry, whereas Chairs of Parish Committees and any other committee or task force need not be members of the Vestry. Chairs of Parish Committees and Chairs of temporary committees and task forces will be selected by the Vestry.

SIGNED: ____________________ Secretary of the Vestry

DATED: August 24, 2010

BY-LAWS OF ST. JOSEPH’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

HOME