Black Christian Fellowship Constitution

Article I. Name

Section 1. The name of this organization shall be MIT Black Christian Fellowship, a chapter of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

Article II. Basis of Faith

Section 1. The basis of faith of this organization is as follows:

a. The unique, divine inspiration, entire trustworthiness and authority of the Bible.
b. The deity of our Lord Jesus Christ.
c. The necessity and efficacy of the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ for the redemption of the world and the historic fact of his bodily resurrection.
d. The presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the work of regeneration.
e. The expectation of the personal return of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Section 2. All officers of this organization, leaders of Bible study groups and speakers must subscribe without reservation to the above Basis of Faith.

Article III. Purpose

Section 1. The primary purposes of this organization are:

a. To witness to the Lord Jesus Christ as God Incarnate and to seek to lead others to personal faith in Christ as Lord and Savior.
b. To help Christians grow toward maturity as disciples of Christ, by study of the Bible, by prayer and by Christian fellowship.
c. To present the call of God to the world mission of the Church; to help students and faculty to discover God's role for them.
Section 2. The secondary purpose of this organization is to contribute to the educatuional, cultural, and social climate of MIT by:

a. developing healthy human relationships.
b. pursuing opportunities for social justice.
c. encouraging development of educational, personal and vocational skills.

Article IV. Membership and Participation

Section 1. Membership and participation in this organization is open to all students and faculty memners of MIT.

Article V. Officers and Duties

The officers of this organization shall be as follows:

Section 1. President. This person shall oversee the administration of BCF affairs, including meeting time and location, finances and UA relations, record keeping, publicity, and web site maintenance. This person may delegate some or all of these responsibilities to members of the administration team and/or other officers.

Section 2. Bible Study Leader. This person shall be responsible for the scheduling of leaders and topics for the weekly BCF Bible studies, and for the training of Bible study leaders in the study and teaching of the Word.

Section 3. Prayer Coordinator. This person shall coordinate the prayer activities of the fellowship, including prayer at regular meetings, any special prayer meetings he/she believes are necessary, and keeping a prayer journal for the group.

Section 4. Praise and Worship Leader. This person shall lead or designate another to lead praise and worship times at weekly meetings, obtaining whatever materials and instruments are deemed necessary for this purpose. He/she shall also keep a Prayer Journal, which is a record of our prayers and God's answers to them, to testify to His love and His power.

Section 5. Evangelism/Outreach Coordinator. This person shall organize the activities, tracts and other materials, and United Christian R/O (UCR/O) followup, for the purpose of reaching out in truth and love to those who do not know the Lord, and helping such people to come into relationship with Him and fellowship with BCF. He/she shall also designate a liaison to UCR/O who will be able to work with that organization throughout the summer.

Section 6. IVCF Staff Worker. This person shall serve primarily as an advisor to the leadership team, making recommendations on whatever aspects of the fellowship he/she sees fit and assisting in fellowship activities where there is a lack in the rest of the leadership team.

Article VI. The Leadership Team

Section 1. The leadership team shall consist of the officers and such others as the chapter may add from time to time.

Section 2. Only those persons committed to the Basis of Faith and Purpose of this organization shall be eligible to be selected to the leadership team.

Section 3. The responsibilities of the leadership team are:

a. To carry out the purpose, general policies, and program of this organization as efficiently as possible.
b. To call the annual meeting for the selection of new officers and for the submitting of reports of the various activities of the year.
c. To be responsible for the continuance of this organization and training of future leadership from year to year.

Article VII. Meetings

Section 1. Meetings for the transaction of business shall be called by the Leadership Team or upon the request of three members.

Section 2. Meetings for Bible study and prayer shall be held at times decided by the members. Bible study meetings with prayer, praise and worship, and time for testimonies, shall usually be held weekly.

Section 3. Other meetings for the discussion and presentation of matters pertaining to the purpose stated herein shall be held as occasion warrants.

Article VIII. Selection of Officers

Section 1. The Nominating Committee shall consist of the officers, who shall reach consensus on and then present to the members their slate of nominees.

Section 2. The Nominating Committee shall also receive nominations from any member of the chapter. These nominations shall be submitted in writing to the committee prior to the annual business meeting.

Section 3. The Nominating Committee shall be responsible to see that all nominees subscribe to the organization's Basis of Faith and Purpose as set forth in Articles II and III.

Section 4. All nominations shall be presented to the members a week in advance of the annual business meeting for their prayerful consideration. Officers shall then be selected at this meeting for a term of one year, by a consensus of the members present.

Section 5. The annual business meeting shall be held during the month of April.

Article IX. Constitution and Amendments

Section 1. This constitution shall be adopted upon receiving approval of all Leadership Team members.

Section 2. This constitution may be amended by a consensus of the Leadership Team, provided that no change is made in Article II and Article III.

Section 3. Amendments to this constitution shall not become valid until a copy of said amendment has been placed in the UA office and with the campus staff member assigned by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

Ammendments

Ammendement 1. (to section 5. of Article VIII.) The annual business meeting for the nomination of officers shall be held during the month of November. (Ratified in October of 2000)

Also see the old constitution.

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