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ARTICLE III- Meetings

SECTION A - FORFor WORSHIPWorship

  1. The Mayflower Church will, unless otherwise voted, hold at least one worship service each Sunday, the time to be determined by the Board of Elders/Pastor.
  2. The ordinance of the Lord’s Supper will ordinarily be observed on the first Sunday of each month and on other occasions as the Elders or Pastor may direct.
  3. Midweek services and other meetings may be arranged by the Pastor in conjunction with the Elders or by vote of the Church.

SECTION B –- FORFor BUSINESSBusiness

  1. The Church will meet quarterly at the call of the Clerk on a Sunday afternoon in January, April, July, and October, the specific dates to be set by the Clerk in consultation with the Board of Elders, unless otherwise voted. The call for such meeting will be read from the pulpit and a copy thereof posted in some conspicuous place near the entrance to the place of worship on at least two Sundays before the day of said meeting.
  2. Action may be taken on any business as specified in the call or authorized in the By-laws.
  3. The order of business will be as follows:
    1. Reading of the Call by the Clerk, or in the Clerk’s absence, by any Officer
    2. Prayer by the Pastor and in his absence, an Elder
    3. Reading of the minutes of the previous business meeting(s)
    4. Membership matters
    5. Reports of Officers and Boards
    6. Old business
    7. Election of Officers and Boards
    8. New business
    9. Correspondence
    10. Adjournment
  4. The Annual year of the Church will run from January 1 through December 31.
  5. At the October Quarterly Meeting, Board Members and Officers for the ensuing year(s) and the annual budget, both to become effective in January, will be approved by the Membership. The report of the NominatingServants TeamCouncil and the annual budget will be available two weeks prior to the meeting.
  6. At the April Quarterly Meeting, the Officers of Boards and Teams of the previous year will submit their annual reports in writing, except that the financial reports will be submitted in writing at both the April and October Quarterly Meetings.
  7. Special meetings of the Church will be called by the Clerk at the request of the Pastor, the Elders, the Diaconate, the Servants Council, the Trustees, the Board of Finance, or upon the written request of any five Members specifying the object thereof. The notice will be read at the services on the Sunday preceding the day fixed for such meeting.
  8. Immediately following any of the regular meetings for worship on Sunday, the Church may, upon special notice, act on the appointment of delegates to councils and conferences, on applications for Church Membership, or to vote on a vacancy on a Board but not on other business. Other exceptions for a brief meeting may be made at the recommendation of the Pastor or Elders.
  9. AtAn Elder shall serve as the Moderator of the Church and shall preside over all duly called business meetings the Moderator will preside. Ifof the ModeratorChurch. isHe absent,shall be well versed in parliamentary procedure and shall conduct the business meetings of the Church in an orderly fashion according to Robert’s Rules of Order. In the absence of an Elder, the Members present willshall elect a Moderator pro tem.
  10. At all business meetings, ten percent of active Membership will be necessary to constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
    1. The approval of routine meeting business will be determined by a majority vote.
    2. A proposal to amend the Constitution or the By-Laws require a two-thirds vote of the Members present and voting.
    3. A proposal to call a Pastor or to terminate a Pastor requires a three-fourths vote by ballot of the Members present and voting.
    4. Upon request of one Member, any vote or election will be conducted by ballot.
  11. If, due to circumstances beyond control, holding of a scheduled business meeting or Church service is impractical or inappropriate, thean Moderator, the Chairman of the Board of Elders,Elder and the Pastor, acting jointly, are empowered to postpone the meeting and set a new date.
  12. Remote Participation: A Member in good standing may participate in a congregational business meeting either in person or by an approved real-time video conferencing connection (for example, Zoom) designated in the call of the meeting.
    1. A Member participating by an approved remote connection is deemed “present and voting” for all purposes of these By-Laws, on the same terms as a Member physically present, provided that: the Member can be identified, can hear the proceedings, and can be heard when recognized by the Moderator; the Member is connected for the portion of the meeting on which the Member votes; and the connection allows the Member to cast a vote that the Clerk can record.
    2. Members participating remotely are counted toward the ten-percent quorum required by this Section in the same manner as Members physically present. On any vote conducted by ballot, including the three-fourths ballot vote required to call or terminate a Pastor and any vote a Member has requested be taken by ballot, the Moderator shall use a method that preserves the secrecy and integrity of the ballot for remote Members equally with Members present in the room. If a secret ballot cannot be conducted for remote Members with adequate integrity, the Moderator shall so state, and the ballot question shall be decided only among Members physically present, with remote Members’ eligibility to vote on that single ballot question suspended and the fact noted in the minutes.
    3. The call of any meeting at which remote participation will be offered shall state that remote participation is available and shall give the means of connecting.
    4. Failure of a Member’s individual remote connection does not invalidate the meeting or any action taken, provided a quorum was present, and the connection was made available in the call.

SECTION C - THEThe CONGREGATIONCongregation

The congregation will be notified to attend the business meetings of the Church. Non-Members and inactive Members may take part in discussion but may not vote.

SECTION D-D THE- LARGERThe CONSTITUENCYLarger Constituency

The larger constituency of the Church, including routine attenders, families whose children are in youth programs, Members of Mayflower Church organizations and others whose religious interests are with the Church, will be kept in mind in the administration of the affairs of the Church.

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