LOUISIANA BAPTIST AGRICULTURAL MISSIONS FELLOWSHIP
(Approved by the membership January 30, 2016)

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Article I

Name
The name of the organization shall be the Louisiana Baptist Agricultural Missions Fellowship (hereinafter designated as the Fellowship.)

Article II

Objectives
The objectives of the Fellowship shall be to foster and promote Christian service, especially by members of the agricultural profession, in support of the agricultural missions work of the International Mission Board (IMB) of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). This will be accomplished through meetings, workshops, conferences, newsletters, PowerPoint and DVD presentations, mission trips, websites, and other means.

Specifically, the Fellowship proposes:

1. To provide a Fellowship for those interested in agricultural missions to associate with like-minded individuals, in a spirit of Christian love and sharing, to alleviate hunger, malnutrition, extreme poverty, and other human needs through a variety of self-help projects and programs.

2. To inform Louisiana Baptists and other interested persons about the agricutural missions activities of the IMB and the Fellowship and to encourage their support of these activities.

3. To encourage farmers, professional agricultural workers, veterinarians, and others to learn more about and be involved with the agricultural missions activities of the IMB and the Fellowship.
4. To encourage and provide opportunity for direct personal participation in special agricultural mission projects supported by the IMB and the Fellowship.

5. To serve as a resource whereby technical agricultural information and professional advice and services may be obtained by IMB missionaries.

6. To assist in providing the services of technical agricultural personnel, veterinarians, professional agricultural workers, and farmers as requested by the Louisiana Baptist Convention and the IMB.

7. To furnish seed, equipment, supplies, livestock, direct financial support, and other useful materials as needed and requested by missionaries serving through the IMB or their designated representatives.

8. To encourage those traveling abroad to visit agricultural mission activities.

9. To work with other Southern Baptists in accomplishing various agricultural missions ministries.

Article III

Membership
The membership shall consist of like-minded individuals who in a spirit of Christian love desire to associate with and support the activities of the Fellowship because of their commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Dues will be $50.00 for individual families per year. Checks for dues (and contributions for support of projects) should be made payable to the Louisiana Baptist Foundation and sent to the Louisiana Baptist Agricultural Missions Fellowship, P.O. Box 120, Homer, LA 71040. Indicate on the check the funds are for Ag Missions Fellowship.

A current membership list will be maintained by the Executive Committee.   Acknowledgement of dues payment will be sent to all members as well as to the Chairman of the Membership Committee and the President of the Fellowship.

Article IV

Officers
The officers of the Fellowship shall be President, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer, and Projects Coordinator.

1. The President will provide leadership in developing and implementing the objectives of the Fellowship. He/She will preside over meetings of the Fellowship and the Executive Committee and will represent it as liaison to other organizations.

2. The Vice President will perform duties as delegated by the President. In the absence of the President, he/she will assume the duties of the President.

3. The Secretary/Treasurer will keep a record of all meetings of the Fellowship. After a reasonable time following each meeting, a copy of the minutes will be forwarded to members of the Executive Committee. A record of all funds received will be maintained and a report will be provided to the membership at the annual meeting.

4. The Projects Coordinator will be responsible for developing, communicating, and coordinating service projects as designated by the Fellowship.

The officers shall be active members of the Fellowship and their term of service shall be one year. Each officer can be re-elected for an indefinite number of successive terms at the pleasure of the membership. Each officer may hold only one elective office at a time and will serve until such time as a replacement is elected. Vacancies that occur between annual meetings shall be filled by the Executive Committee to serve until the next annual meeting.

Article V

Executive Committee
The Executive Committee of the Fellowship shall be made up of the President (who will also serve as Chairman), immediate Past President, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer, Projects Coordinator, and three members at large as recommended by the Nominating Committee and elected by the membership. The Executive Assistant to the Executive Director of the Louisiana Baptist Convention will serve as an Ex-officio member.

The Executive Committee shall have the power to act for the Fellowship between annual meetings, and shall function to serve the purpose and intent of the Fellowship. The President shall call meetings of the Executive Committee when he deems it necessary for the proper functioning of the Fellowship. Members of the Executive Committee may initiate a meeting of the Executive Committee by a majority making a request in writing to the President with the purpose and nature of the meeting clearly defined. The Executive Committee shall have the power to appoint other committees as needed.

Article VI

Elections
Officers of the Fellowship shall be elected by majority vote of the membership present at the annual meeting. Newly elected officers will be installed at the annual meeting of the Fellowship and their term will commence with the close of that annual meeting.

Nominations for officers shall be made by a Nominating Committee, which shall be appointed by the Executive Committee in a timely manner prior to the annual meeting. The Nominating Committee shall consist of three members with one member rotating off each year. At the annual meeting, the Nominating Committee shall nominate officers and committee members with chairpersons designated. Nominations from the floor for specific offices will be permitted if the nominees have previously agreed to serve in the office for which they are nominated.

The Nominating Committee also will recommend representatives from Louisiana to serve on the Board of Directors of the Agricultural Development Foundation, which is considered the parent organization of the Fellowship. These representatives shall be elected by a majority vote of the membership present at the annual meeting. Persons elected will serve three-year terms, unless elected to fill an unexpired term. Representatives can be re-elected for an indefinite number of successive terms.

Article VII

Financial
All membership dues (and other financial contributions made to support activities of the Fellowship) will be maintained in the account of the Fellowship in the Louisiana Baptist Foundation. Requests for checks to pay for expenses of the annual meeting, transmit funds through the IMB for designated projects, or other appropriate needs, shall be made by the President with the concurrence of the Executive Committee. In the interest of expediency, a representative designated by the LBC Executive Team will sign requests for checks to be drawn on the account upon request by the President or the Executive Committee.

A second account will be established at a Louisiana bank at the discretion of the Executive Committee. This account will support the day-to-day administrative needs and other expenses of the Fellowship as determined by the Executive Committee. Funds supporting this account will be contributed by members of the Executive Committee to ensure that all other contributions made by the general membership for support of projects are used solely for that purpose.

Article VIII

Meetings
The Fellowship will hold a minimum of one meeting of the membership each year, termed the annual meeting. The meeting will be held at a time and place designated by the Executive Committee, but as a rule, such meetings will be held during the month of January each year.

Special meetings of the Fellowship may be called by the President with the approval of the Executive Committee, or by the Executive Committee on its own initiative, or at the request of the membership as evidenced by a petition addressed to the President and signed by at least one-third of the members. The nature and purpose of the meeting shall be clearly defined.

Meetings of the Fellowship will be open to all members and the general public with only dues-paying members having voting privileges.

A quorum at Fellowship meetings will consist of those members present. The Revised Robert’s Rules of Order will be the parliamentary guide for all meetings.

Article IX

By-Law Changes
The By-Laws of the Fellowship may be amended by a majority vote of the members present at an annual meeting, or at a special meeting of the Fellowship with notice of the proposed amendments being given to the membership at least 30 days in advance of the meeting.