BGCT Executive Board Debates Church Bylaws Ahead of Annual Convention
The Exertive Board of the Baptist General Convention of Texas had the first peek at the newly proposed bylaws to the Convention on March 1, 2005. The Board members, who gathered in Dallas, Texas for the general meeting, debated two general topics concerning the governance of the Church and the representation of its constituents.
The first discussion was over the use of terminology regarding “cooperating” and “affiliated” churches to the Convention. Under proposed bylaws, a church is cooperative with the convention if it identifies with the BGCT and is eligible to send messengers to the annual meeting. At a higher level of association is the “affiliated” church – one that endorses the “purposes and work of the Convention” and is eligible to send messengers to the annual meeting.
The “affiliated” status indicates a higher level of commitment to the BGCT, but the proposed bylaws are unclear about what it means to align and endorse the convention and who makes that determination, according to BGCT news. At that light, two board members “questioned how a church could be cooperative but not affiliated.”
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In addressing the predicament, Wesley Shotwell, the chairman of the Board’s General Committee – which is developing the bylaws – said more work is needed and will be done in regards to the issue before it is voted upon during the board’s May 24 meeting.
The executive board went on to tackle the ongoing debate over the governance structure of the Convention. The current proposal suggests that each “sector” from which board members will be elected have about 52,000 resident church members. Some members petitioned against the proposal since it would ultimately shift the weight of representation from the sparsely populated but geographically significant parts of Texas to urban clusters of cities that take up a portion of the state’s land.
Shotwell said a subcommittee of the Governance Committee is exploring that issue and is to report to the full committee during its April 1 meeting, according to BGCT news.
The new bylaws must be approved at only one executive committee meeting before it goes to the general messengers to the BGCT Convention.
