This information was presented by Pastor Ken Currie at the Special Congregational Meeting on Sunday, September 13, 2020. See the PDF of this document, which was distributed at the meeting.
This webpage summarizes and highlights the impact of the proposed amendment to Bethlehem’s Constitution and Bylaws (current and proposed) regarding the formal establishment of “Campuses.” The following summarizes the main areas of change:
The proposal defines the nomenclature and the effects (below). The term Campus is intended to convey and acknowledge the New Testament significance of worshiping, fellowshipping, and ministering together at our campus locations while maintaining the reality that the campuses are part of a larger whole: Bethlehem Baptist Church. Each Bethlehem member is currently affiliated with a Campus, and new members will be affiliated with a particular Campus when they become a member.
Many of the functions currently conducted at an All-Church Quarterly Strategy Meeting (QSM) may be delegated to Campus meetings. These include the following:
a) Accept members into the Church, give letters of transfer or recommendation to members, drop members from the Church roll, and discipline members;
b) Call and reaffirm Elders and Deacons of the Church who have been recommended by the Council of Elders;
c) Approve the call and job description of those Staff Elders who receive compensation from the Church for fulfilling their elder responsibilities.
Meetings shall be designated “All Church” or “Campus.” All-Church meetings are those in which the entire membership of Bethlehem is invited and encouraged to participate. Campus meetings are those conducted for the membership affiliated with an individual campus as we carry out responsibilities as a local expression of the body of Christ.