Let me start by saying this post will not be everyone’s cup of tea. And that’s fine. If paperwork bores you, pay it no attention. But, if you’re the kind of person who enjoys filling out a tax return, help us by reading our policies, and commenting on them before we adopt them.
As we have been going through the process of aligning our constitution to Scripture and our present practice, a number of requests for clarification have been raised. For example, more detail regarding the qualification of elders. And, could a member bring a nomination from the floor? There are also legal requirements for policies to describe public access to information. And how we protect the children in our care.
We have given thought to where additional clarifications to our constitutional processes should sit. In the constitution itself, requiring member approval? In a policy document, requiring executive approval? In a guideline, issued by a ministry leader (most often the pastor)? Or in an informal email from the pastor? Given the importance of our constitutional amendments, it seems best to use the mechanism of bylaws in the constitution, or policy documents, approved by the executive.
In the providence of God, Andre and I met with Colin Diesel, the secretary of the Baptist Union of Southern Africa, a few months ago, on the matter of church constitutions. We were able to ask him for his recommendation, which was a policy document (adopted by the executive). Andre suggested that we go through the process of asking for comment from the executive, and comment from the church, before we adopt it, so as to get the broadest congregational by-in. You can view the proposed policies here.
We have other policies, already adopted, such as the child protection, protection of personal information, finance, etc which we presently have on hardcopy, and will add over time. Going forward we will keep all these documents in one place, on our website, so that they’re transparent to all members and available to all members.
If you have feedback please speak to Mark, an elder, a member of the executive, or send an email to the office.
Thank you for your partnership at Benoni Baptist Church.