First Baptist Church Bryan

Church Organization Temporary Committee Final Report

Committee Members:
Gay Craig - Chair Dillard Leverkuhn Lisa Nelson James Puckett Jay Don Watson Justin Barrett ex-officio Transition Team member Suzanne Phelps ex-officio Transition Team member Lynn Eckeberger - ex-officio Staff member Bill Wiman ex-officio Staff member

November 1, 2013

PRIOR TO READING THIS REPORT

PLEASE TAKE NOTE

The Transition Team is appreciative of the work of the temporary committees and their associated working groups. All reports and suggestions are being made available to the church body and have been forwarded to appropriate committees and staff members for review. Encouraged by the Transition Team some recommendations within the routine churchauthorized service of our staff and lay leadership are being enacted. Any major recommendations rising to the level of church approval will not be performed without first being presented to the church in an announced business meeting. Please accept the content of this report as counsel from members of our church asked to provide thorough consideration to the assigned matter. They have each offered their considered suggestion for the betterment of our church. We are grateful to their dedicated and heartfelt labor on our behalf.

The Church Organization Temporary Committee was charged with reviewing the current guiding documents for First Baptist Church Bryan. The materials reviewed included the Constitution/Bylaws and various policies adopted by the church. All these materials were approved by the church in business meetings between 1980 and the present. In addition, several working groups were formed to extend the document review and bring all documents into a consistent format. Based upon Gods Law as given to us in the Bible, First Baptist Church Bryan follows federal, state, and local laws while operating as a non-profit religious corporation, with its latest Articles of Incorporation adopted in 1979. Adherence to these laws allows First Baptist Church Bryan to develop guiding documents that reflect who we are and how we operate to the membership and to the public. New guiding documents have been developed that follow a hierarchy of governance that should serve our church for the future. Regular review of all the guiding documents is recommended by the Church Organization Temporary Committee. Hierarchy of Guiding Documents reviewed, updated, and/or developed: 1. Constitution basic belief statements that reflect who we are and what we believe as a corporate body 2. Bylaws basic statements about the membership and operation of our corporate body 3. Policies adopted guidelines regarding the management of our corporate actions and decisions 4. Practices, Procedures, Handbooks, Manuals the day-to-day guidelines for conducting the business of our corporate body

The Church Organization Temporary Committee recommends that the Church in conference adopt levels 1 through 3 of the guiding documents. Materials at the lowest level should be available for review by the membership but remain open for revision by committees and staff to allow flexibility of operation. Matters of practice and procedure as they are outlined in handbooks and manuals will be subject to the higher guiding documents. Any member may seek clarification on these matters by acquiring a copy of the document and addressing questions to the designated staff member or lay leadership assigned responsibility for the area. Notwithstanding the response given by the designated staff member or lay leaders, any member may bring unanswered or disagreed outcomes to the next higher level of administration, not to exclude public inquiry through church business meetings. Reports from various working groups, sub-committees and standing committees offered support: 1. Missions Committee 2. Business Meetings and Communications 3. Personnel Handbook 4. Deacon Standard Operating Procedures 5. Finance Guidelines 6. Communication Practices The Church Organization Temporary Committee is submitting the following documents for adoption by the church: Constitution and Bylaws Business Meeting Guidelines Committee, Ministry Team, and Advisory Council Guidelines and Descriptions