Constitution and By Laws
of
The Cumberland Gap Association of Baptist Churches

Article I.
This Association shall be known and designated by the name of The Cumberland Gap Association of Baptist Churches, and all rules or questions of decorum shall be guided by Robert's Rules of Order, revised edition.

Article II. 
The objectives of this Association shall be to promote Christian fellowship, Missionary purposes, Christian education, Evangelism, and Christian stewardship.

Article III. 
The Association shall be composed of messengers chosen by the churches belonging to it, whose messengers, on presenting satisfactory evidence of their election, shall be entitled to seats as members of this body. Each member church which has up to one hundred (100) members may have five (5) messengers, Churches with more than 100 members, one (1) messenger for each additional fifty (50) members, but not to exceed ten (10) messengers.

Article IV.
The Association shall have an Executive Committee composed of a Moderator, Clerk, Treasurer, and the Pastor, and one layman from each church in the Association whose letters have been sent in regular order as set out in the minutes of the Association. The Director of Missions shall be an ex-officio Executive Committee member. In addition, the Department Heads, Council and Committee Chairmen and the trustees shall be voting members if they are not voting members already by virtue of being the Pastor or elected layman from their church, but in no case shall any member have two votes regardless of the number of positions he/she may hold. Also the Student Activities Director and the Association WMU President shall be members of the Executive Committee. The duties of the committe shall be to act upon all such matters referred to it by the Association. The committee shall have charge of the work of the Association during the interval between sessions of the Association and to appoint all officers and agencies that may be required to execute the work so far as the funds contributed by the churches may enable it to do so, and shall make a report to the Annual Session of the Association. The committee shall meet monthly or on call of the Moderator. The Director of Missions shall be an ex-officio member of all committees.

Article V.
The Association shall have no power to legislate for the churches, or to pass any resolutions, or do any act that will violate individual church rights.

Article VI.
It shall be the duty of each church to send to each Annual Meeting of the Association a letter containing a brief history of her progress since the last meeting, with the following particulars: Her prosperity or adversity, the names of her messengers, pastor, and deacons, ordained and licensed ministers, etc., the number baptized, received by letter, dismissed, excluded, and the total number in fellowship; and the amount of money paid by the church for State, Home and Foreign Missions and Sunday School work; this information to be published in the annual minutes. Any church that fails to send a letter for two (2) consecutive years shall be dropped from the roll.

Article VII.
It shall be the duty of each church to send to each session of this Association such conntributions in money as she may deem necessary to supply the Association with a fund to defray the expenses incurred by her in the prudent exercise of her constitutional rights, and the faithful discharge of her several duties.

Article III.
Each church shall have the right to send to each session of this Association such queries as she may choose, asking the advice of the Association about them, provided the subject matter of such queries cannot be satisfactorily determined by the church.

Article IX. 
A church wishing to join the Association should send a letter of petition by her messengers, accompanied by satisfactory testimonials of orthodoxy. Any church thus petitioning may be received by a unanimous vote.

Article X. 
The Association shall have the power to appoint to any office of service necessary to carry out her constitutional objectives any messenger belonging to the body.

Article XI. 
The Association shall have power to correspond with sister churches, Associations, or individuals whenever it becomes necessary to do so.

Article XII. 
The Association shall have the power to withdraw fellowship from any church whose doctrines or practices of doctrine are disorderly, and may restore to fellowship any such church from whom it was withdrawn.

Article XIII. 
It shall be the duty of this Association to furnish her churches the number of its annuals that they may desire, when funds are sent to cover the cost of its production.

Article XIV. 
The Assoication shall have the power to adjourn at any time and place it may choose.

Article XV.
The churches whose messengers are present at each annual session shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

Article XVI. 
The officers of this Association shall be a Moderator and Vice Moderator, Clerk and Assistant Clerk, Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer, and all officers necessary to carry on the duties of the Association. The tenure for each election shall be for one (1) year, except for Director of Missions who shall be called for an indefinite period of time. All officers shall be eligible for re-election continuously, except the Moderator, who may not be eligible to serve more than two (2) consecutive years.

Article XVII. 
It shall be the duty of the Moderator or Vice-Moderator to preside over and preserve order in all acts and deliberations of the Association while in session.

Article XVIII. 
It shall be the duty of the Clerk to keep a fair and correct record of all the proceedings of the Association. And, if necessary, be read and corrected before the Association shall adjourn.

Article XIX. 
It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to receive, hold and disburse monies contributed to the Association, subject to the order of the Association. The Treasurer, with the assistance of a Finance Committee, shall prepare a budget and present it to the annual meeting of the Association to promote the objectives of the Association.

Article XX. 
This Association shall have the power to dismiss by letter, any church belonging to its fellowship which shall apply for dismissal.

Article XXI. Trustees:

1. Election. 
   Upon recommendation of the Nominating Committee, the Association shall elect three members from cooperating churches to serve as trustees. The term of office will be for three years. Initially, however, in order to achieve rotation so that the term of only one trustee will expire each year, the first trustees will be elected to serve for a term of one, two, or three years respectively.
   
   Any trustee who has served a three-year term will not be eligible to be elected for another term for at least a year.
   
   If a vacancy occurs by resignation, death, or removal from the Association, it shall be the duty of the Nominating Committee to present to the Association or its Executive Committee a nominee to fill the unexpired term.
2. Responsibilities. 
   As provided by law and the action of the Association, the duly elected trustees shall hold in trust the title to all property of the Association and shall represent the Association in all matters of legal responsibility regarding the purchase, improvement, and disposal of Association property. They shall have no power to buy, sell, mortgagte, lease, or transfer any property of the Association without a specific vote of the Association authorizing such action.
   
   The trustees shall be responsible to see that adequate insurance coverage is secured and maintained on all properties of the Association. They shall have the right to exercise a general oversight and approval of all work done and improvements made to said properties.
3. Organization. 
   At the beginning of the associational year the trustees shall choose a chairman and secretary to preside and keep records, respectively. These two officers shall have the authority to sign any binding contract for the Association after its legality has been determined and in keeping with the expressed desire of the Association as set forth in the above statement. Minutes of the trustee meetings dealing with any legal matter shall be filed with the Clerk of the Association to become part of permanent record.

Article XXII. 
The Cumberland Gap Baptist Association has in its possession, one safety deposit box at Commercial Bank in Harrogate, TN. Items to be placed in this box are deeds of properties belonging to the association, insurance papers, corporation papers, and any other items deemed worthy by the executive committee.

The only people who have access to the safety deposit box are as follows: Moderator, Trustees, Director of Missions, and Treasurer. It will take two of the mentioned officers to open the lock box. There will be one key at the office of the Director of Missions, and one key with the chairman of the Trustees.

Article XXIII. 
Amendments of this Constitution or Rules of Decorum, except Article V and the Abstracts of Faith, may be made at any meeting of the Association at which two-thirds of the messengers present shall deem it necessary by so voting, having been given one (1) year previous notice of the proposed change.

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RULES OF DECORUM

Rule I. 
When the messengers of the several churches shall assemble at the place appointed for the annual session of the Association, the Moderator shall open the business by praise and prayer, in person or by proxy. If the Moderator and Vice-Moderator are absent, the Clerk shall call for an election of Moderator pro tem.

Rule II. 
Immediately after the opening of the session, the Clerk shall enroll messengers and present to the body a digest of letters.

Rule III. 
When the messengers are enrolled, the Association shall nominate and elect all officers of the Association deemed necessary, except the Director of Missions, who shall be called for an indefinite period of time. The majority of votes shall govern the winner.

1. The newly elected moderator will appoint a nominating committee of three (3) persons at the close of each Annual Meeting. The committee will serve for the new Association year and through the close of the next Annual Meeting.
2. The newly elected moderator will appoint a Resolutions Committee of three (3) persons at the close of each Annual Meeting. This makes it possible to notify the churches and their messengers by our newsletter to mail any resolution that they wish to be considered by the Association at the Annual Meeting. These resolutions will be presented to messengers for approval at the Annual Meeting or to the Executive Board for study and consideration at the following Annual Meeting.

Rule IV 
All motions and amendments of motions must be seconded before they are entertained by the Moderator. When motions for amendments to previous motions are made, the last motion for amendment shall be first in order of business, and so on in inverse order to the original motion. However, the person offering the motion may at any time withdraw the motion.

Rule V. 
Any person wishing to make a motion, or to speak on any matter before the Association, shall rise to his feet and respectively address the Moderator. If he be in order, the Moderator shall signify the same by calling the names of the persons so arising. No one thus in order shall be interrupted while speaking unless he departs from the subject, or uses personal reflections. Neither shall any member speak more than twice on the same subject, without permission from the Association, except to explain some of his preceding remarks.

Rule VI. 
Whenever sufficient time has been allowed for the discussion on any subject before the Association, the moderator shall take the vote of the Association and shall declare the results. A majority shall govern in all cases except those specifically provided otherwise.

Rule VII. 
When one member shall speak to or of any other member, the appropriate address of Brother or Sister shall be used.

Rule VIII. 
The Moderator may have the roll of messengers called whenever he deems necessary.

Rule IX. 
The Moderator may speak on matters of debate as other members, by calling one to fill his seat while speaking; but only after all others have spoken who desire to do so.

Rule X. 
The minutes of the Association may be read as often as the Moderator may deem it necessary.

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DIRECTOR OF ASSOCIATIONAL MISSIONS AND ACTIVITIES

INTRODUCTION

No job description can give a detailed outline of the day-today duties of the Director of Missions. Therefore, a job description of this office is of necessity a broad outline which provides guidelines for the discharge of the duties of the office. Such guidelines provide direction and protection for the man, the Executive Board, and the Association.

The Director of Missions must be a leader. As a leader he is to be a man of vision, sensitive to the Will of God and the pulse beat of our Baptist Churches. He should also be able to grace the pulpit and effectively present the program of the Association and the challenge of God in churches small and large.

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JOB DESCRIPTION

I. DEFINITION OF OFFICE:

The office shall be that of the Director of Missions of the Cumberland Gap Association of Missionary Baptist Churches. The Director of Missions shall be responsible for developing and maintaining open and effective communication between the Executive Board, the Association, the Convention and the local churches. He shall also assist the program organizations.

II. ELECTION

1. The election of the Director of Missions shall be an indefinite term of service subject to the retirement policy in agreement with the Tennessee Baptist Convention.
2. It shall be the responsibility of the Association to elect the Director of Missions or to terminate his service at its annual meeting or, as the need may arise, call a special meeting for this purpose.
3. The Tenure of Service:
   1. The Association shall give a 30 to 90-day notice if they wish the Director's service discontinued.
   2. The Director shall give a 30-day notice if he desires to resign his work.

III. DUTIES OF THE DIRECTOR OF MISSIONS

1. He shall provide strong and effective leadership for promoting the program for the Cumberland Gap Association.
2. He shall serve as resource person and advisor to the leaders of the following Associational programs, and others deemed necessary by the Association:
   1. Sunday School {Church Growth and Education}
   2. Discipleship Training {Church Growth and Education}
   3. Women's Missionary Union
   4. Baptist Men
   5. Associational Youth Fellowship
   6. Church Music
   7. Media Library
   8. Church Recreation
3. He shall promote the budget and the Cooperative Program.
4. He shall be responsible for planning and operation of all camps of the Association.
5. His office will be found in the Baptist Center at the present time, but may be moved to a more convenient place as the Association may direct.
6. He shall be available to assist churches in special efforts, problems, or in any other manner which will aid the church in its ministry.
7. Revivals shall be held in the Association by the Director of Associational Missions as he deems necessary for the best interest of the work and as he may be called upon. However, with the approval of the Executive Committee, he may hold as many revivals as he deems necessary off the field, with salary to continue.
8. He shall assist the clerk in having the reports and programs printed for the Annual Meeting of the Association.

IV. RELATIONSHIPS:

1. THE EXECUTIVE BOARD:
   1. He shall present regular progress reports, projected activities and plans to the Executive Board in its regular meetings as he seeks to implement the feelings as well as the directives of the Board.
   2. He shall notify all Executive Board members of meetings of the Board or of any of its committees or groups. This presumes the cooperation of officers and committee chairmen. A notification in the monthly newsletter may constitute proper communication.
2. THE ASSOCIATION:
   1. The Director of Missions and the Moderator of the Association should concur in release to the general public any decisions or information which effect the life, work, and spirit of the association.
   2. He shall have floor privileges at all sessions of the Association.
   3. He shall seek to maintain open communication with the churches and cooperative working relationships with the officers of the Association.
3. CHURCHES:
   1. The Director of Missions shall be an advisor and resource person to work with any church in the Association which seeks his assistance. However, he shall not be considered eligible to serve as interim pastor nor shall he supply the same pulpit more than two consecutive Sundays.
   2. He shall be available to pastors for counsel, encouragement, and assisting them in their personal and vocational needs.
   3. His counseling in the personal lives of any church member shall be upon the request or with the knowledge and approval of the pastor of the member to be counseling, if related to the church.
   4. He shall keep churches informed through an Associational newsletter and other means of communications.
   5. He should recognize, in relating to them, that each local church is an autonomous body.
   6. He should continue his preaching ministry as the opportunity affords in all areas of Associational life and promotion.
   7. When he supplies a pulpit in the absence of a pastor, he should expect to receive an honorarium.
4. Missions:
   1. The Director of Missions should be aware of the areas in which missions might need to be established.
   2. He should lead in surveying needs, discovering potentials, and assisting local churches who are interested in establishing mission work.
   3. He shall have a Mission Committee made up of five people who shall advise, support, undergird, and cooperate with him in the planning and promotion of all phases of the work of the Association.
   4. He shall be responsible to the Executive Board and the Association for all his actions. However, he will have the Missions Committee as his liaison committee.
   5. He should lead in the development of new ministries as needs and opportunities arise, utilizing all resources available to him within and without the Association.
5. COMMITTEES:
   1. He shall be an ex-officio, non-voting, member of all subcommittees of the Executive Committee, unless otherwise stated. He shall encourage all committees to function.
   2. He shall serve as advisor and resource person to all Association committees at their request.
   3. He shall notify committee members of time and place of their meetings at their request. This presumes the cooperation of the committee to notify him in time.
6. BEYOND THE ASSOCIATION:
   1. He shall seek to familiarize himself with the work of the Tennessee Baptist Convention and seek to use convention program assistance when it can be utilized effectively.
   2. He shall cooperate with the Mission Department of the Tennessee Baptist Convention.
   3. He shall be expected to avail himself of the training that is available through the Tennessee and Southern Baptist Convention.
   4. He shall seek to be informed about Tennessee and Southern Baptist Convention work so as to serve as an effective informant to the Association.
   5. He shall be encouraged to attend the Tennessee Baptist Convention and the Executive Board may so approve. Expenses for same shall be included in the Associational Budget.
   6. He shall be encouraged to have a wholesome, redemptive interest in the life of the community, maintaining a sustained relationship with other community groups. Any involvement which would jeopardize his major witness would be discouraged.
   7. He shall conduct himself in all respects (appearance, conduct, spirit, and etc.) to lift up Jesus and this Association.