Article IX - Elders
Section Two: Vocational Elders
A vocational Elder is one who has as his vocation the work of the
ministry. Vocational Elders shall be the Senior Pastor/Elder and
Associate Pastor/Elders. There shall be only one Senior
Pastor/Elder (hereinafter called “Pastor”).
a. Senior Pastor/Elder
(Pastor)
The Pastor shall have general oversight of
all Youth, groups, and organizations of Valley View Baptist Church, including
other Vocational Elders, Staff, Lay Elders, Deacons and Deaconesses,
Teachers, and other ministers. The Pastor, with the help of the
Elders, shall maintain a Ministry Manual, which shall include a job
description of every position within the church, including, but not
limited to, Elders, Deacons, Musicians, Worship Leaders, paid staff,
Teachers, helpers, and volunteers. It shall be the responsibility
of the Pastor and Elders to communicate these job descriptions to those
who serve in those positions.
The Pastor shall have the authority of
Executive Order, in situations that he deems to be an emergency, to
operate independently for the purpose of resolving the situation at
hand. If his decision conflicts with this Constitution, he must
call a special meeting within 30 days to resolve this issue of conflict
with the church.
In the event of a vacancy in the office of
Pastor, a Search Team of five people shall be formed. One shall be
an Elder, one shall be a Deacon, and the other three may be members in
good standing who shall be recommended by the congregation at a meeting
called for that purpose. More than one Elder or Deacon may serve as a
part of the Search Team. When the Pastor Search Team finds a
worthy man for the position, the church may extend a call to him upon a
three-fourths (3/4) majority vote of members present at a meeting called
for that purpose. Upon his acceptance of the call, the Pastor
shall become a member of Valley View Baptist Church as soon as possible.
The Pastor’s salary shall be determined by the Stewardship Ministry.
The Pastor may be dismissed from his
position by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of members present at a
meeting called for that purpose provided that the following procedure
has been followed. The charges for dismissal must be presented in
writing to the Pastor, one Lay Elder, and one Deacon. The charges
for dismissal must be signed by at least 25% of the church members in
good standing. In the event that there is no Lay Elder or Deacon,
presentation of the charges to the Pastor shall suffice. At least
one week shall pass after the presentation of the charges before the
charges can be read in front of the church. After the waiting
period of one week, the charges for dismissal shall be read from the
pulpit on a Sunday morning during a regularly-scheduled worship service.
A special meeting shall be called, to be held the following Sunday after
the public reading of said charges, for the purpose of giving the Pastor
an opportunity to answer said charges. There shall be no
discussion at this meeting. The Pastor may have no more than
thirty minutes to answer said charges. A vote shall be taken as to
whether or not to proceed with said charges. A majority vote of
members present at this meeting shall constitute the calling of a
special meeting to be held the following Sunday, one week from the
Senior Pastor’s answer to said charges, for a final vote to dismiss the
Pastor. There shall be no discussion at this final meeting but
only a reading of the charges, a five-minute rebuttal by the Pastor, and
a final vote regarding his dismissal. By a two-thirds (2/3)
majority vote of members present at said meeting, the Pastor shall be
dismissed from his position and will no longer be a member of Valley
View Baptist Church. Depending upon the circumstances, the church
may offer a severance package to the dismissed Pastor, which shall be
determined by the Ministry Council and approved by a majority vote of
the members present at a meeting called for that purpose.
b. Associate Pastor/Elders
In the event that ministerial needs arise,
the Pastor may present said needs to the Ministry Council for the
purpose of hiring an Associate Pastor/Elder. If at least two
thirds (2/3) of the members of the Ministry Council agree to such need,
and the Stewardship Ministry affirms that a viable salary can be paid to
a new Associate Pastor/Elder, a special meeting of the church shall be
called for the purpose of expressing said ministerial needs and
presenting to the church the qualifications of the candidate. The
purpose of this initial meeting is informational only and questions from
the congregation shall be entertained. Notice of this initial
meeting shall be given from the pulpit by the Pastor on a Sunday morning
during a regularly-scheduled worship service and said initial meeting
shall be held no less than three days after its announcement. A
final meeting shall occur no less than seven days after the initial
meeting for the purpose of presenting the candidate to the church for a
final vote. The date and time of the final meeting shall be given at the
initial meeting. A majority vote of members present at this final
meeting will result in the extension of a call to the man being
considered. Upon his acceptance of the call, the Associate
Pastor/Elder shall become a member of Valley View Baptist Church as soon
as possible.
An Associate Pastor/Elder may be dismissed
from his position by the following procedure: the Pastor shall
recommend to the Ministry Council that an Associate Pastor/Elder be
removed from his position and shall give reasons for his decision to do
so. If a majority of the members of the Ministry Council agree,
the Pastor shall announce from the pulpit on a Sunday morning during a
regularly-scheduled worship service his recommendation to remove an
Associate Pastor/Elder. A special meeting shall be called no less
than seven days after the announcement for the purpose of dismissing the
Associate Pastor/Elder in question. A majority vote of members
present at the special meeting will suffice to remove the Associate
Pastor/Elder in question. Upon said vote, the Associate
Pastor/Elder shall vacate his position and will no longer be a member of
Valley View Baptist Church.
