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(Proposed) Bylaws of the Women’s Ministries of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren (WMCLB)
(to be voted on June 1, 2019)
A. Statement of Faith
B. Organizational Chart
C. Primary Responsibilities of WMLT
D. Job Descriptions
E. WMCLB Convention
F. Terms of Elected Officers
G. Nominating Committee
H. Finances
I. WMCLB Regions
J. Dissolution Statement
[THE STATEMENT OF FAITH WILL BE MOVED TO THE WMCLB CONSTITUTION AND WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE BYLAWS IN THE CONSTITUTION CHANGE PROPOSED IN 2019 FOR VOTE IN 2020]
A. Statement of Faith of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren
Women’s Ministries of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren (WMCLB) adheres to the Statement of Faith of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren (CLB) as it may be amended from time to time. The current version of the Statement of Faith as of the date of the printing of this document is as follows:
1. The Bible
The Bible, including both Old and New Testaments as originally given, is the verbally and plenarily inspired Word of God and is free from error in the whole and in the part, and is therefore the final authoritative guide for faith and conduct.
2. The Trinity
There is one God eternally existent in three distinct persons in one divine essence, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
3. God the Father
God the Father has revealed Himself as the Creator and preserver of the universe, to Whom the entire creation and all creatures are subject.
4. The Human Race
God created Adam and Eve in His image to live in fellowship with Him. They fell into sin through the temptation of Satan and thereby lost fellowship with God. Through their disobedience the entire human race became totally depraved, that is, self-centered sinners who oppose God, and who by nature are unable to trust, fear or love Him. They are subject to the devil and are condemned to death under the eternal wrath of God.
5. God the Son
Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son, is the image of the invisible God. To accomplish our redemption, He became fully human, being conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus Christ, who is true God and true man, by His perfect obedience and substitutionary death on the cross, has purchased our redemption. He arose from the dead for our justification in the body in which He was crucified. He ascended into heaven, where He is now seated at the right hand of God, the Father, as our interceding High Priest. He will come a second time personally, bodily, and visibly to gather the believers unto Himself and to establish His millennial kingdom. He will judge the living and the dead and make an eternal separation between believers and unbelievers. His kingdom shall have no end.
6. God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is a divine person eternally one with the Father and with the Son. Through the Word of God, He convicts people of sin, persuades them to confess their sinfulness to God and calls them to faith through the Gospel. He regenerates, sanctifies, and preserves believers in the one true faith. He comforts, guides, equips, directs, and empowers the church to fulfill the great commission.
7. Means of Grace
The knowledge and benefit of Christ’s redemption from sin is brought to the human race through the means of grace, namely the Word and the sacraments.
8. Law and Gospel
Through the Word of the Law God brings sinners to know their lost condition and to repent. Through the Word of the Gospel He brings sinners to believe in Jesus Christ, to be justified, to enter the process of sanctification, and to have eternal life. This occurs as the Holy Spirit awakens them to see their sin, convicts them of their guilt of sin, and calls them to repent and believe, inviting and enabling them to accept God’s grace in Christ. Each one who thus believes is instantly forgiven and credited with Christ’s righteousness. The Word then teaches and guides the believer to lead a godly life.
9.Baptism
In the Sacrament of Baptism, God offers the benefits of Christ’s redemption to all people and graciously bestows the washing of regeneration and newness of life to all who believe. God calls the baptized person to live in daily repentance, that is, in sorrow for sin, in turning from sin, and in personal faith in the forgiveness of sin obtained by Christ. By grace we are daily given the power to overcome sinful desires and live a new life in Christ. Those who do not continue to live in God’s grace need to be brought again to repentance and faith through the Law and Gospel.
Because the sinfulness of human nature passes on from generation to generation and the promise of God’s grace includes little children, we baptize infants, who become members of Christ’s believing church through baptism. These children need to come to know that they are sinners with a sinful nature that opposes God. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, they need to confess their sinfulness and yield to God; and possess for themselves forgiveness of their sin through Jesus Christ, as they are led from the faith received in infant baptism into a clear conscious personal faith in Christ as their Lord and Savior and being assured of salvation, rely solely on the finished work of Christ, and the power of the Gospel to live as children of God.
10. Communion
In the Sacrament of Holy Communion, Christ gives to the communicants His body and blood in, with, and under the bread and wine. He declares the forgiveness of sin to all believers and strengthens their faith.
11. Salvation
Eternal salvation is available to every living human being on earth by God’s grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. This salvation consists of an instantaneous aspect and an ongoing, continual aspect.
12. Justification
Justification is God’s gracious act by which He, for Christ’s sake, instantaneously acquits repentant and believing sinners and credits them with Christ’s righteousness. At that moment, God gives each one who believes a new and godly nature and the Holy Spirit begins the process of sanctification. There is no place for human effort in justification.
13. Sanctification
Sanctification is God’s gracious, continual work of spiritual renewal and growth in the life of every justified person. Through the means of grace, the Holy Spirit works to reproduce the character of Christ within the lives of all believers, instructing and urging them to live out their new nature. The Holy Spirit enables believers more and more to resist the devil, to overcome the world, and to count themselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit produces spiritual fruit in and bestows spiritual gifts upon all believers. He calls, empowers and equips them to serve God in the home, in the community, and as part of the Church Universal. The process of sanctification will be complete only when the believer reaches glory.
14. The Church
The Church Universal consists of all those who truly believe on Jesus Christ as Savior. The local congregation is an assembly of believers in a certain locality among whom the Gospel is purely taught and the sacraments are rightly administered. The confessing membership of the local congregation shall include only those who have been baptized into “the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” confess personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, maintain a good reputation in the community and accept the constitution of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren. It cannot, however, be avoided that hypocrites might be mixed in the congregation; that is, those whose unbelief is not evident to the congregation.
15. Church Governance
The Church of the Lutheran Brethren practices the congregational form of church government and the autonomy of the local congregations. The office of pastor and elder is to be filled by men only. The synodical administration has an advisory function as it relates to the congregation, and an administrative function as it relates to the cooperative efforts of the congregations.
16. Lutheran Confessions
The Lutheran confessions are a summary of Bible doctrines. We adhere to the following confessional writings: The Apostles’ Creed, Nicene and Athanasian Creeds, unaltered Augsburg Confession, and Luther’s Small Catechism.
B. Organizational Chart –WMCLB Leadership Team (WMLT)
- The WMLTwill be made up of:
- Admin Team(3 officers, elected at Convention): Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary
- Advisory Team(elected, nominated). Each Region of the WMCLB may elect or appoint a representative to the Advisory Team.
- Director of Women’s Ministries (DWM)(hired by Admin Teamand Pod Leaders)
- In addition, WMLTwill be made up of:
- Women whom the DWM may choose to invite to the Advisory Team who have ministry experience that can be seen as desirable to be shared.
- Pod Leaders(appointed by DWM) (for example:IT/Digital; Teaching/Training; Connections) These Pods will change over time; they can be added or removed and can be redefined as necessary to accommodate changing requirements of our organization.
C. Primary Responsibilities of WMCLB Leadership Team (WMLT):
- Creation and implementation of Strategic Plan & coordination of vision of WM to align to the vision of CLB
- Mission projects/connections and support of missionaries; also, identification and development of resources that encourage women to serve the Lord at home and/or abroad
- Convention planning (speakers, learning sessions, food, business session)
- Identification and development of training and education resources (as needed) that encourage spiritual growth (main focus: prayer and scripture study on a daily basis) for the women of the CLB
D. Job Descriptions
- Director of Women’s Ministries
- Provide vision and strategic leadership by working with WMLT to establish short and long-range goals, strategies, and plans
- Promote missionary activity by women and for women both locally and internationally
- Ensure each Pod works towards set goals
- Represent WMCLB on the CLB Council of Directors
- Prepare annual report and regular reports to the WMLT
- Select, train and develop Pod leaders
- Support, understand, and express our CLB theology and doctrines
- Chairman: (Admin Team Leader):
- Ensure Constitution and Bylaws are reflective of organization and that changes are made as required
- Identify and organize training/education required for DWM
- Oversee DWM (ensure strategies and policies are effectively implemented)
- Review and approve strategic planning and goals as determined by the WMLT
- Secretary:
- Maintain correspondence and keep non-financial records
- Assist with convention planning
- Update and maintain historical records
- Treasurer:
- Manage and oversee financial administration
- Review procedures and financial reporting
- Advise leaders on financial strategy and fundraising
- Advisory Team:
- Provide unique knowledge and skills which will augment those of the women of the WMLT in order to more effectively guide our organization
- Make recommendations and/or provide key information to the WMLT
- Co-lead projects or working groups as requested
- Pod Leaders: (appointed)
- Set clear goals for their area of operation (short and long-term)
- Supervise, manage and motivate
- Monitor performance and report as required
[ARTICLE IV. ANNUAL CONVENTIONWILL BE REMOVED FROM THE WMCLB CONSTITUTION IN THE CHANGE PROPOSED in 2019 FOR VOTE IN 2020 AND THESE BYLAWS WILL GOVERN.]
E. WMCLB Convention
The Convention of the Women’s Ministries of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren shall be held in conjunction with the convention of the CLBA, whether that results in an annual or biennial WMCLB Convention.
F. Terms of Elected Officers
- The three officers will be elected by simple majority on a rotating basis at the WMCLB Convention. The order of election rotation will be: Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer beginning in 2019. With Annual Convention, terms will be three years. With Biennial Convention, terms will be 4 years with Chairman and Secretary elected together and Treasurer elected at next Convention.
- If the Chairman is unable to fulfill her term, the WMCLB Leadership Team (WMLT) will appoint a member of the team to act as Chairman until the next WMCLB Convention. A new Chairman will be elected at the next WMCLB Convention.
- If the Secretary or Treasurer is unable to fulfill her term, the WMLT will appoint a woman who is a member in good standing of a CLB church to serve in that role until the next WMCLB Convention. A new Secretary or Treasurer will be elected at the next WMCLB Convention.
G. Nominating Committee
This committee will be appointed by the WMCLB Leadership Team (WMLT).
- The nominating procedure will be as follows:
- The appointed committee members will identify potential candidates.
- Pastoral references will be obtained before asking the candidate to run for office.
- Nominating committee report should be presented to the WMLT prior to the Annual Convention.
- The nominees shall have the following qualifications:
- The nominee shall be a member in good standing of a CLB church or a church affiliated with the CLB and will be in agreement with the CLB Statement of Faith.
- The nominee shall have a favorable reference from her current pastor.
- The nominee shall have the abilities needed to fill the position.
H. Finances
- The annual budget will be developed by WMCLB Leadership Team (WMLT) and presented for approval at the WMCLB Convention.
- Funding Statement: The WMCLB is committed to funding its ministry through gifts from the CLB Regions, local congregations, individuals, and memorials.
I. WMCLB Regions
- WMCLB Regions will be determined by the Regions of the CLB. Each WMCLB Region shall be organized and governed by its own constitution.
- Each Region may elect/appoint a representative to be on the WMLT Advisory Team.
- The responsibility of each Regional Advisory Team member is to report as required by the DWM.
[THE DISSOLUTION STATEMENT WILL BE MOVED INTO THE WMCLB CONSTITUTION AND WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE BYLAWS IN THE CHANGE PROPOSED IN 2019 FOR VOTE IN 2020]
J. Dissolution Statement
Upon dissolution of Women’s Ministries of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren, the assets of the organization shall be deeded over to the Church of the Lutheran Brethren.
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