The Rev. Arthur Woolley

 
 

Saint Michael the Archangel

Anglican Catholic Church of

Frederick, Maryland

BY-LAWS DRAFT

ARTICLE I    NAME AND PURPOSE

a.      The name of the congregation is Saint Michael the Archangel Anglican Catholic Church (“the Parish”).

b.      The Parish is formed to witness to traditional Christianity in its Anglican expression as contained in Holy Scriptures and in the Books of Common Prayer and Ordinals of 1549 (Church of England), 1662 (Church of England), and 1928 (Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States of America), and the Articles of Religion and rubrics contained in said books. together with The Anglican Missal and The American Missal.

ARTICLE II    AFFILIATION AND EPISCOPAL AND LAY AUTHORITY

a.      The Parish is formed and operated as a church of the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic States (DMAS) of the Anglican Catholic Church (ACC), original Province.

b.      Saint Michael has been accepted as a parish of the DMAS at the 2000 Synod of the DMAS and shall be operated in conformance with the dictates of the established Episcopal and Lay Authority as set forth in the Canons and Constitution of the jurisdiction with which the Parish is affiliated.

ARTICLE III    RELIGIOUS SERVICES         

a.     All public worship conducted by or in the name of the Parish shall conform to the Books of Common Prayer and Ordinals of 1549 (Church of England), 1662 (Church of England), and 1928 (Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States of America), and the Articles of Religion and rubrics contained in said books

b.      Music incorporated into worship services, except for appropriate preludes and postludes, shall be selected from the 1940 Hymnal or other source designated by the Rector.

ARTICLE IV    MEMBERSHIP

Voting membership in the Parish is open to all communicant members of the Parish. A communicant member is any individual who is age 18 or older, who regularly attends services of the Parish, who contributes regularly to the financial health of the Parish, and who has been confirmed in the Faith as required by the Canons and Constitution of the jurisdiction with which the Parish is affiliated. Regular attendance means attendance at public worship at least once each month for the previous twelve months, unless inhibited by illness or other infirmity, as confirmed by the Rector.

ARTICLE V    CONGREGATIONAL MEETINGS

a.        Annual Meeting: There shall be an annual meeting of the Congregation. The annual meeting of the congregation shall be held at a convenient time and place, determined by the Vestry, typically during the first calendar quarter of the year. 

b.        Special Meetings: Special meetings of the congregation may be held:

           1.      As determined to be necessary by the Vestry.

2.      Upon the written petition to the Warden of five (5) Communicant Members. Should the Warden be presented with a valid petition, he shall schedule a special meeting within sixty (60) days.

c.       Due notice of all meetings of the congregation, including the date, time, place, and purpose, shall be given at least two weeks prior to the meeting. Notice shall be published in the bulletin for Sunday services and may be given by other means (e.g., local media, personal correspondence, telephone notification) as determined appropriate by the Vestry.

ARTICLE VI    QUORUM, CONGREGATION, ANNUAL MEETING

A quorum necessary for a congregational meeting shall consist of 50% of the communicant members or five individual members, whichever number is greater.

ARTICLE VII    ECCLESIASTICAL AFFAIRS

a.      The Rector of shall exercise authority for the ecclestiastical affairs of the Parish, including, but not limited to, the form and content of all public worship services. The Rector shall also serve as presiding officer of the Vestry.

B.      Consistent with the Parish's status as a church of the DMAS, the Bishop Ordinary of the DMAS shall serve as Rector of the Parish in the absence of a Rector called by the Vestry.

c.       The Bishop ordinary may appoint a vicar as necessary to oversee the ecclesiastical affairs of the Parish.

d.      In the absence of the Bishop ordinary, the vicar appointed by the Bishop ordinary shall exercise authority as the Rector, including serving as Presiding Officer of all meetings of the Vestry.

ARTICLE VIII    TEMPORAL GOVERNANCE

a.      The temporal affairs of the Parish are governed by a board of trustees ("the Vestry").

b.      The members of the vestry shall include the Rector, ex officio, and three (3) elected lay members. All communicant members of the Parish shall be considered eligible for election to the Vestry, except that direct family members (e.g., spouses, children, parents) shall not serve concurrent terms.

c.       The lay members of the Vestry shall be nominated by a communicant member of the Parish and elected by vote of the communicant members present and voting at the annual meeting of the congregation. Those nominees receiving the highest number of votes for the vacancies to be filled shall be deemed elected to the vestry.

d.      No vestry member shall serve more than two consecutive full terms. Any vacancies on the vestry caused by resignation, death, or otherwise, shall be filled by the remaining vestry at the next regular meeting following acceptance of such resignation, or death, or other reason. The person so chosen shall serve until the next congregational meeting, at which time the remainder of the term of the original vestry member shall be filled by election of the voting members. A vestry member serving to fill a vacancy shall be eligible for election to succeed him/herself.

ARTICLE IX    VESTRY POWERS

a.      General Powers -- the vestry have the power to:

                   1. Have perpetual existence under the name of the Parish;

                   2. Purchase, take or acquire by gift, bequest, or in any other manner, and hold any interest in any assets in the estate;

                   3. Use, lease, mortgage, sell, or convey the assets in the manner that the Vestry considers most conducive to the interests of the Parish;

                   4. Generally managing the assets of the Parish; and

                   5. Adopt rules and ordinances for conducting the affairs as necessary and convenient to accomplish the purpose of the Parish, including

                             i. Appointing a time and place of the meeting of its members; and

                             ii. determining the number of members necessary to constitute a quorum.

b.      Instruments prohibiting sale, mortgage, or other disposition -- the provisions of this Article do not authorize any sale, mortgage, or other disposition held under an instrument prohibiting the sale, mortgage, or other disposition.

c.       By resolution, the vestry may authorize one or more of their members to execute any instrument required to be executed by the vestry, including any deed, mortgage, or other conveyance of assets which are to be sold, transferred, or encumbered.

ARTICLE X    VESTRY DUTIES

a.      The Secretary of the vestry shall maintain a record book. The record book will include, in separate sections:

The Secretary of the Vestry shall maintain record books of the Parish. The Record Books shall include:

1.      The names and addresses of the membership, voting and nonvoting;

          The election roll of qualified voters;

2.      The minutes of vestry meetings;

3.      The minutes of congregation meetings;

4.      The record of property holdings and financial transactions;

5.      The record of baptisms, confirmations, marriages, burials, etc., to be maintained by the secretary or the Rector.

b.      The vestry shall allow inspection of the record book by communicant members of the Parish.

c.       The vestry shall allow its proceedings to be presented before public meeting, if required by five or more members of the parish.

ARTICLE XI    MINISTER

The Rector shall serve as the presiding officer of the vestry.

ARTICLE XII    OFFICERS OF THE VESTRY

a.      The officers of the vestry shall include the Warden, the secretary, and a treasurer.

b.      The officers (except the Rector, who serves ex officio) shall be elected by members of the vestry as soon as possible after the annual meeting of the congregation.

c.      The vestry may elect the treasurer of the Parish from its membership or from the list of communicant members.

d.     The vestry may appoint such number of assistants to the officers and treasurer as may be required for the efficient discharge of these offices.

e.     The minutes of each vestry meeting shall be carefully recorded in the vestry records book.

ARTICLE XIII    VESTRY MEETINGS

Vestry meetings may be called by the Rector or two members of the Vestry. If possible members of the vestry should be given notice of a meeting 48 hours before the meeting. Three members of the vestry, including the Rector, shall constitute a quorum. However, for a measure to be adopted by the vestry requires a majority vote of the whole vestry, rather than a quorum. The vestry shall in endeavor to reach consensus on all issues and shall consider, by discussion and vote, tabling any issue on which consensus cannot be reached.

ARTICLE XIV    FINANCES

 a.    All financial assets of the Parish shall be held in the name of the parish and placed in such depository as the vestry shall direct.

b.      The treasurer shall be responsible for the care and management of financial assets, and shall maintain accurate records of all financial operations.

c.       The treasurer shall give the vestry a monthly report on the financial state of the Parish.

d.      Routine disbursements, which have been approved by the vestry, may be made by the treasurer without further action by the vestry. All other disbursements must be approved by a majority vote of the vestry.

ARTICLE XV    BY-LAWS

The Parish shall adhere  to the canons and constitution of any jurisdiction with which the parish is affiliated (currently the diocese of the mid Atlantic states of the Anglican Catholic Church). Should there be any conflict between these bylaws and the Canons and Constitution of the jurisdiction with which the parish is affiliated, the bylaws will be superseded by those canons and constitution. These bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the communicant members in attendance at a special or annual meeting of the congregation, a quorum being present, provided that written notice of the sense of the amendment be published along with the notice of the meeting.

ARTICLE XVI    CHANGES IN AFFILIATION

Any change in affiliation of the Parish shall be subject to discussion and vote of the communicant members at an Annual or Special Meeting of the congregation, as discussed in article 5. Any change in affiliation must be approved by two thirds (2/3) of the communicant members of the Parish.

ARTICLE XVII    PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE

In the event that a Parliamentary issue should arise which is not provided for by law or the charter and bylaws of this parish, the provisions of Roberts rules of order shall be the controlling authority.

CERTIFICATION

The undersigned, constituting the entire vestry, certify that on the____ day of ______________, 2010, a quorum of the congregation of Saint Michael the Archangel Anglican Catholic Church, being duly notified, voted to adopt these bylaws.