CONSTITUTION FOR YOUTH GROUP
OF THE ARMADALE FREE REFORMED CHURCH

Revised edition as proposed in 2002 with explanatory footnotes

 

ARTICLE 1: Name

The organisation bears the name Free Reformed Church of Armadale Youth Group
(referred to in this document as “Youth Group”). This organisation consists of the
Bible Study Clubs (referred to as “the Clubs”) Knowledge, Insight, Understanding,
Wisdom, and Discernment[1].

ARTICLE 2: Constitution History / Establishment

 

The Youth Group was founded on the March 10^th 1952. Club members adopted the Dutch constitution on the 14^th December 1955. It was translated and revised in May 1971, and amended in both November 1983 and December 1988. The Constitution was provisionally revised in January 1992 and was used until these changes were adopted in 1996. The latest revision of this constitution took place in August 2002.

ARTICLE 3: Foundation

The Youth Group is founded on God’s infallible Word the Bible, and accepts the doctrinal standards: Belgic. Confession of Faith, Heidelberg Catechism and Canons of Dort as being a sound declaration of God’s Word. To see to it that the above doctrines are held and maintained central to the organization’s focus, the Youth Group places itself under the supervision of the consistory of the Free Reformed Church of Armadale, Western Australia.

ARTICLE 4: Objectives

The purpose of the Youth Group is to study God’s Word (and the above mentioned supporting doctrinal standards) in order to increase in scriptural knowledge and zeal. A variety of topics consistent with the primary objectives shall be rostered at the commencement of every club year (Sec Housekeeping Guidelines #1 –  HKG 1) and the names of the Bible study clubs’ members assigned to introduce these topics.  The Youth Group also shall promote fellowship within the youth of the communion of saints.

ARITCLE 5: Membership

Youth Group members shall be those young adult (HKC2) members of the Free Reformed Church of Armadale who are a minimum age of sixteen years old and are prepared to submit themselves to the regulations of this constitution (HKG3).

Non members of the Free Reformed Church of Armadale shall only be accepted as members upon satisfying the Core Committee that they are willing and eager to study God’s Word and become a member of the Armadale FRC. Visitors are always welcome.

 

The decision of the Core Committee shall then be brought to the attention of the consistory, which has the power of interdiction.

Individual members shall be allocated to one of the Bible Study Clubs (Article l)[2].

Termination of membership may be occasioned by any of the scenarios listed below:

1. Resignation by the member;
2. Expulsion by the Core Committee by a decision on grounds of any or both of:
1. Grievous non-compliance with this constitution,
2. Non-attendance, and failure to do his/her assigned duties. The Consistory shall be consulted before proceeding with a member’s expulsion.
3. Excommunication from the above-mentioned church.
4. Death of the member.

ARTICLE 6: Duties of Members

In keeping with our Christian identity, the Youth Group expects that members will act in a Christian manner towards their fellow youth and respect the Core Committee’s authority.

Furthermore, members are expected to attend all rostered meetings and shall provide reasonable notice to a person holding an office within their particular club, if unable to attend.

Members may be assigned the task of preparing an essay or presentation as an introduction to a study topic and will be expected to fulfil what reasonable duties are assigned to them (HKG4).

Members shall pay the reasonable membership fees prescribed by the Core Committee.

ARTICLE 7: Committee Structure

At the end of every club year the Youth Group is to elect committed and able persons to the positions of Chairperson (HKG5), Secretary, Treasurer and General Deputy of the organisation (HKG6). (This election shall conform to the specifications of Article
9). These elected persons shall constitute the organisation’s governing body known as the “Core Committee” and it is their task to ensure that the constitutional operation of the Youth Group is maintained throughout the following year.

The Core Committee may appoint sub-committees to facilitate in specific areas of organisation (UKG7). These sub-committees shall remain under the supervision of the Core Committee.

The Clubs shall, if deemed necessary[3], elect within themselves persons who will chair their meetings, fulfil the role of secretary and act as agent for the Core Committee treasurer. Procedure for the election of persons to these positions shall be in accordance with Article 9.

Persons elected to the positions in the Core Committee shall be Confessing Members of the above-mentioned church, and of good standing. The maximum term of office in any committee is two years, except in the Entertainment Committee sub-committee where those holding positions shall be re-evaluated after two (2) years and may be reappointed.

ARTICLE 8: Sub-Committees

The sub committees that are under the jurisdiction of the Core Committee are:

ARTICLE 8(A): Entertainment committee

The Entertainment Committee operates under the jurisdiction of the Core Committee for the main purpose of promoting the communion of saints among the youth in the Free Reformed Churches.

The structure of the Entertainment Committee is at the discretion of Entertainment Committee, providing there are an uneven number of members on the committee (HKG8).

ARTICLE 8(B): Roster committee

Roster Committee is appointed by the Core Committee to execute a limited number of tasks (HKG9). These tasks relate to the choice of subjects for the upcoming year, make-up of individual clubs, and the assignment of duties for each of these clubs, as well as the equal distribution of potential leaders between the clubs who are confessing members.

It is important that the various operations of the Youth Group are well orchestrated and to achieve this it is imperative to maintain a single directing body: The Core Committee (HKG1O).

ARTICLE 9: Election / Voting

Before any election of a person to any committee may proceed, whether in an assembly of the Youth Group or in an assembly of a Bible Study Club, a quorum of two-thirds must be achieved (HKG11).

Voting for the election of any office shall be done by secret ballot. To be eligible for election, candidates must first acknowledge their nomination and have indicated that they are willing to accept the intended office, should they successfully be voted in.

An absolute majority (i.e. at least half plus one) is necessary for a decision to be made, and in the case of election for any office if a deadlock occurs the elder candidate shall be declared elected.

Voting within committee meetings may proceed by the Chairperson of that meeting as deemed appropriate, and approval by the majority of those present. In committee situations the Chairperson shall clearly define by what standards the ruling will be made before the vote is under way.

ARTICLE 10: Finances

The treasurer of the Core Committee shall administer finances. The membership fee to be paid shall be determined by the Core Committee (HKG12). The agents for the treasurer in each of the clubs shall collect fees.

A report indicating income, expenses, and balance at the closing of the fiscal year
shall be presented to the Youth Group annually. Books are to be audited annually by
two members of the Youth Group not currently standing in any Youth Committee and
a report presented to the youth by the auditor(s) (HKG13).

A reserve fund of $1,500 shall be maintained by the clubs for future undertakings, and may only be spent with the approval of a majority of the Youth Group (HKG14). In the case of having been expended the reserve is to be built up again as soon as possible (HKG15).

The budget of the Entertainment Committee is not the primary concern of the Core Committee. However, the Core Committee may contribute to certain events, as it deems fit (such as start/end of year barbecue and the subsidy for leaders at the annual youth camp)[4].

ARTICLE 11: Archives

An original copy of any minutes, reports, publications or documents relating to the
Youth Group’s operation, past or present, is to he placed in the care of the standing
Core Committee. The collection of this matter shall be referred to as the Youth
Group’s “Archives”, and shall be maintained for future reference.

ARTICLE 12: Meetings

The Youth Group shall assemble at least once a year to hold an Annual Meeting at which the Core Committee shall give report(s) of the Youth Group’s activities and finances.

The Bible Study Clubs shall meet once a week, for the period rostered, and on a set day and time which is convenient to the members of the Youth Group. Again, this is at the discretion of the standing Core Committee, upon consultation of the Youth Group, and with Consistory approval and with a majority approval by the Youth Group as stipulated in Article 9.

The Core Committee shall meet alone or with the representatives of its subcommittees as frequently as it deems necessary for the effective administration of the Youth Group. It shall meet with members representing the individual clubs or with members who are interested in the Youth Group’s organisational affairs (HKG16) no less than six (HKG17) times a year.

ARTICLE 13: Reports[5]

A treasurer’s report and auditor’s report consistent with Article 10 are to be presented at the Annual Meeting.

A secretary’s report shall be presented at the Annual Meeting, making mention of the Youth Group’s membership statistics, the topics studied and whatever else is of general interest regarding the organisation’s operation in the past year.

Minutes of Core Committee meetings are to be kept of every meeting dealing with the organisational matters of the Youth Group. These minutes shall be a record of all procedures undertaken and decisions made at the meetings.

A summary shall be presented to each of the clubs at the first meeting following every Combined Committee Meeting. This report shall give indication of all decisions made, all correspondence received or sent and all matters for which the club members feedback is required (pertaining to major decisions a brief report may be placed in the newsletter[6]).

Minutes of Bible Study Club meetings should e kept in relation to Youth group matters (HKG18).

ARTICLE 14: Amendments

This constitution may be amended except the intent or substance (HKGI9) of Article
3, Article 4 and Article 14, on the support of two thirds of all Youth Group members.
A record of these changes is to be kept for future reference and also handed to the
Consistory.

ARTICLE 15: Matters not covered in this constitution

In matters for which this constitution has made no allowance it is within the Core Committee’s discretion either to consult members to decide the matter or to decide on the matter itself.  Notice shall be provided to the members of any matters affecting the Youth Group as a whole, and opportunity given for a wider input into the decision- making process.

HOUSE KEEPING GUIDELINES (HKG)

 

1. The “club year” correlates with the calendar year, with meetings generally being held between early February and early December.
2. The question of a maximum age limit has frequently been raised in Core Committee discussions, but no definitive statement addressing the issue has ever been made. This matter is best left to the final judgement of the standing Core Committee.
3. It is common practise to provide new members with a copy of the current constitution so that they might understand their obligations and the regulations that govern the organisation.
4. “Duties assigned” generally amounts to the preparation of a brief essay (and the reading of this essay to the club) on a particular topic. This essay is commonly referred to as an “introduction” and notice of member’s assignments is normally in the form of a roster issued at the commencement of the club year.
5. The use of the word “Chairperson” in context of this constitution in no way intends to define gender, although it has traditionally beep accepted that women should not aspire to the role of Core Committee Chairperson.
6. The procedure of allocating one Core Committee person to each Bible Study club has recently been adopted in order to maintain a fair representation of each club’s interests in committee decisions and also for communicating committee decisions to the clubs. This matter of allocation may be addressed after the election has taken place and rosters for the upcoming year are being drafted. It is at the discretion of the Core Committee whether or not individual club Chairpersons, Secretaries, and Treasurers are chosen or each Core Committee member represents the Core Committee in each club.
7. The most common examples of such sub-committees are “Entertainment Committee,” “Camp Committees” and “Roster Committee”.
8. It is generally accepted that in order to make decisions and to come to a majority decision, an uneven number of persons are to be elected to any committee.
9. The time of appointment of this Committee is at the discretion of the Core Committee in terns of whether it deems it necessary to have a Roster Committee or simply to manage the task itself
10. For example, a Camp Committee may disassociate itself with Bible Study Clubs (who remain under the supervision of the Core Committee) and seek to establish itself as an independent committee offering a service to the youth of the above-mentioned church. Should any one of these committees refuse to acknowledge the advice or supervisory role of the Core Committee it should be advised that it be out of line and usurping the role of the Core Committee. If allowed to develop unchecked, this type of situation could potentially lead to a split of the Youth Group’s organisational structure and very likely a split of the actual Youth Group.
11. Voting for new Core Committee members is ideally to be done at the first meetings of the year, usually with the highest attendance. Thus the existing committee is responsible for the administration associated with setting up the club for the coming year. This is a recommendation, and is at the discretion of the Core Committee, with the aim however that as many members as possible are present when voting is done.
12. This amount shall be derived from a consideration of the current bank balance, existing rates of expenditure and anticipated expenditure. The Core Committee shall decide what amount it deems appropriate.
13. This report is given at the Annual General Meeting (AGM), at which time the auditors are also mentioned by name.
14. The concept of a reserve fund dates to the decision of the Core Committee of 1993 to build up a sizeable fund to assist the work of the Entertainment Committee in the purchase of large items such as outdoor sports gear, Table Tennis equipment, and Pool Tables. Because the Core Committee’s membership changes yearly, it is difficult to ensure that the financial provisions laid up by a committee one year will be handled in the intended manner by succeeding Core Committees. A constitutionally protected reserve fund offers each new committee the opportunity to draw on ready funds for larger scaled projects without first having to undertake a fundraising program. An outgoing committee may also confidently leave the funds which they have managed to build up to a new committee, having the assurance that this money will not be spent without the majority of the members giving their approval.
15. The concept of “as soon as is possible” is heavily dependant on the year to year club expenses, fees collected, and attendance to club in that particular year. Therefore, it is likely that the building of this reserve fund may run into the next committee’s term. To remedy this, it is recommended that a budget fund be kept and continually monitored so that this fund is maintained at the above-mentioned amount (Article 10).
16. Those eligible to attend the “Combined Committee Meeting” are those, as indicated in Article 7, members representing the individual clubs or members who are merely interested in the Youth Group’s organisational affairs. These meetings are traditionally the most important decision-making meetings where the individuals are given opportunity for representation. The closed session Core Committee meetings, on the other hand, occur most commonly over the Christmas holiday period when generally only the sparsest arrangements for the Youth Group’s operations are made.
17. This number being the providence of the 1992 Draft constitution. The earlier constitutions had absolutely no provision for committee meetings.
18. Minutes have rarely been taken in Bible Study Club meetings since 1995, an unconstitutional oversight with respect to Article 12 D of the 1992-draft constitution. Reference to minutes in club meetings was made in Article 6 of the 1983 constitution. However, if there are no Representatives in each Bible Study Club, then there will be no Chairperson, no Secretary, and no Treasurer, and therefore no minutes either.
19. It must be drawn to the reader’s attention that the actual wording of these clauses has been altered with the successive amendments, and that this constitution also differs in the wording from the 1992 draft. However, as a provision for future modernisation of language, the word “substance” has been used to define the material immune to amendment. It is not the wording that cannot change but the intent of these Articles.
20. It is suggested also that in order to enhance the cooperation between Core Committee and Entertainment Committee, a common member be elected to each committee, perhaps not being placed in exhaustive roles in each, but just to liaise between committees.

Signed by    Chairman:             Bruce Huizinga _________________     Date: _________

                     Secretary:      Damian Posthuma ______________     Date: _________

                     Treasurer:     Roslyn Van dyk ________________     Date: _________

                     Member:         Justin Geurts __________________     Date: _________

                     Member:         Kristy Slobe ___________________     Date: _________