BYLAWS OF ST. JAMES' PARISH,
MONTGOMERY COUNTY    

SECTION I. 

AUTHORITY: 

 

In accordance with Section 1 of Canon 25 of the Episcopal Church of the Diocese of Washington, the following sections constitute the
bylaws of St. James' Parish, Montgomery County, Potomac, Maryland, and shall be used to conduct the business of the Parish.  Nothing in the
bylaws shall be interpreted in any manner that would contradict the requirements set forth for bylaws in Canon 25 of the Diocese of Washington.  Adopted February 28, 1971.  (Revised April, 1988; February, 2000).

 

SECTION II . 

ELIGIBILITY TO VOTE AT MEETINGS OF THE PARISH: 

 

All voters at Annual and Special Meetings of St. James' Parish shall be:

 

A.            Members of the Church in good standing as defined in Canon I.  17, Sec. 1, of the General Convention of the Episcopal Church (quoted as Appendix to these bylaws);

 

B.               At least 16 years of age when not prohibited by public law;

 

C.               Contributors of record to the Parish during the 12 months preceding the meeting (with any recorded contribution of time, treasure or talent serving to meet this requirement, with any question of fulfillment being decided by the majority of the Vestry present); and

 

D.            Enrolled as voting members of St. James' Parish at least one month prior to the meeting.

 

SECTION III. 

MEETINGS OF THE PARISH:

 

A.              Annual Meeting:  The Annual Meeting of St. James' Parish for election of Wardens, Vestry members and Diocesan Convention Delegates shall be held on the third Sunday of October in a place selected by the Vestry and announced as specified in Section III.D.

 

B.              Special Meetings:  A Special Meeting of the Parish may be called by the Rector, by a simple majority of the members of the Vestry, or by written petition to the Rector or Senior Warden signed by ten percent of the qualified voters of the Parish.

 

C.              Meeting Place:  The meetings must be held in the Parish Church buildings or some suitable building within the Parish boundaries.

 


D.            Notice of Meetings:  Written or printed notice shall be given to all known members of the place, day and hour of any Annual or Special Meeting of the Parish and, in the case of a Special Meeting, of the purposes for which the meeting is called.  Such notice must be given by mail and by publication in the Sunday bulletin at least six weeks but not more than two months prior to each Annual Meeting.  The initial announcement of the Annual Meeting shall also contain full instructions for qualifying as a voter so that the enrollment deadline (Sec. II.D) can be met by all eligible members.  Notice of at least thirty days shall be given of any proposed amendment, modification, or repeal of any by-laws, and at least two weeks notice shall be given for a Special Meeting.  Public announcements shall be made at all worship services held in the Parish on the two Sundays prior to an Annual or Special Meeting.

 

E.              Quorum:  Ten percent (10%) of the qualified voters of the Parish shall constitute a quorum at Annual and Special Meetings.  A quorum having been established, a majority vote of the eligible voters voting shall be necessary for an election or the adoption of any matter voted on, except that a two-thirds vote of the eligible voters voting shall be necessary for the adoption or amendment of by-laws.

 

F.              Presiding Officer:  The Rector shall preside at all Annual and Special Meetings of the Parish, or, in the Rector's absence, the Senior Warden, or in the absence of both of them, the Junior Warden.  If all three of them be absent, the Vestry members present shall select one of their number to preside.  If the rectorship is vacant, the Bishop shall preside, if present.

 

G.              Election Procedures: 

 

1.            Nominations: 

 

a)           Not later than sixty days prior to an election at a Parish Meeting, the Vestry shall approve and make known to the Parish a Nominating Committee of at least five members, one of whom shall be a retiring member of the Vestry, if possible, and one of whom shall have served on the preceding year's nominating committee, if possible.  All such appointees shall be registered voters of the Parish.  The Nominating Committee may include members of the Vestry, but neither the chairman nor a majority of the committee may be Vestry members.  The Committee shall be charged with the responsibility for nominating candidates for the offices of Wardens, Vestry members, Delegates, and Alternate Delegates.

 

b)           The Vestry shall instruct the Committee as to the number and terms of Wardens, Vestry members and other positions to be elected.

 

c)           The roster of the Nominating Committee members shall be:  (1) prominently published in the Sunday bulletin; (2) promptly posted on the bulletin board; and (3) mailed to all Parishioners, who shall also be informed of the standards and qualifications prescribed by these by-laws for the selection of nominees and invited to submit to the Committee, within fourteen days next following the date of the mailing, names of persons requested to be considered for nomination.

 

d)            Candidates for nomination shall be members entitled to vote under Section II of these by-laws in every respect except age and communicants of the Episcopal Church in good standing.  They shall also meet the age requirements, if any, as may be prescribed in these by-laws for the offices for which they are nominated.

 


e)           The Committee shall nominate at least one qualified candidate for each of the offices to be filled.  The Committee shall report its actions to the Vestry not later than thirty days next preceding the date set for the Annual Meeting.  The committee shall publish its report within one week of reporting to the Vestry.

 

f)           In addition to the candidates nominated by the Committee, other persons may be nominated by written petition signed by not less than ten qualified voters of the Parish.  Such petitions shall be filed with the Nominating Committee not later than fourteen days before the Annual Meeting.  Persons nominated by petition shall meet the requirements in paragraph d. above.  A candidate must have given consent to the nomination.

 

g)           The Committee shall, in accordance with guidelines set by the Vestry, publish an informative report of the names of those nominated by it and by petition as soon as possible but not later than ten days prior to the date of the Annual Meeting.

 

h)           Vestry members to Judge Elections:  A majority of those members of the Vestry present at an Annual or Special Meeting shall judge the elections, the qualification of voters, and the qualification of the parishioners proposed to be elected.

 

2.           Voting Procedures:    

 

a)             General.  Parish elections shall be by written ballot, except that, in the event only one person is nominated for any office, the Secretary, on proper motion duly carried, shall cast a unanimous ballot for such nominee.  Ballots shall be counted by three tellers appointed by the Presiding Officer.  Tellers must be eligible voters who are not candidates for the election for which ballots are being tallied.  The person (or persons, when more than one office is being filled on the same ballot) receiving a majority of votes present for a given office (or offices) shall be declared elected, except that, if the number of nominees receiving a majority of the votes present is greater than the number of offices to be filled, a group of nominees sufficient to fill the offices in question and receiving the highest number of votes shall be declared elected, provided that, in the case of a tie vote which affects the outcome of the election, a further ballot shall be cast as to those receiving such tie vote.  When the election includes filling unexpired terms, the candidates elected first or receiving the greatest number of votes will be considered a having been elected to the full terms.  If, upon balloting, a majority of the votes present is not received by any nominee for a given office or by the required number of nominees when more than one office is being filled on the same ballot, a further ballot or ballots shall be taken as to the nominees who did not receive a majority vote, until the required votes to elect are obtained.  On each additional ballot, the nominee receiving the least number of votes on the preceding ballot shall be dropped off, except that no election shall be determined by this elimination.    

 


b) Absentee Voting.  Members of St. James' parish otherwise meeting the eligibility requirements of Section 2 may vote by absentee written ballot.  Absentee written ballots will contain the same information as ballots used in the annual parish meeting.  Such ballots will be available 10 days in advance of the annual Parish meeting upon request made to the St. James' Registrar.  In order to be counted in the election process at the annual meeting, written absentee ballots must be received in the St. James' Church Office by 12:00 noon on the Friday preceding the annual parish meeting in which the ballot is being cast.  Absentee ballots will only be counted for the first ballot in any election.

 

SECTION IV. 

VESTRY: 

 

A.            Members:  The Vestry shall consist of the Rector, a Senior Warden, a Junior Warden, twelve regular Vestry members and may include one additional vestry member between the age of 16 and 18 ("youth member").

 

B.             Election:  Regular Vestry members shall be elected at the Annual Meeting of the Parish, in accordance with procedures specified herein, from among its registered members who meet the requirements of Section 2 of these bylaws.  In addition, a youth vestry member between the ages of 16 and 18 who meets the eligibility qualifications of Section 2 except for age may be elected if nominated pursuant to these bylaws.

 

C.             Term:  The term of office for a regular Vestry member (not a Warden) elected at an Annual Meeting shall be three years except when filling an unexpired term.  The word "year", as used herein, shall mean a 12-month period of time beginning on January 1 following the annual meeting through December 31 of that year.  The terms of the twelve regular Vestry members will be staggered so that four positions become vacant each year.  No regular member of the Vestry shall, after serving a full three-year term, become a candidate for re-election as a regular Vestry member for at least one year, although he or she may be a candidate for Senior or Junior Warden.  However, a regular Vestry member elected to fill a vacancy for the unexpired period of service to which another was originally elected, and who has served less than two years, may be elected as a regular Vestry member and serve a full three-year term.  The term of office for a youth vestry member shall be one year.  A youth vestry member under the age of 18 shall be eligible for re-election to one additional term of one year.

 

D.            Continuity of Service on the Vestry:  After three absences from regularly

scheduled Vestry meetings in a one year period, determine whether the responsibilities of the office are being fulfilled or a replacement would better meet the responsibilities to the Vestry and the congregation.

 

E.            Filling of Vacancies:  In the event of a vacancy in the office of Vestry member between Annual Meetings, a majority of the Vestry may appoint from among the qualified members of the Parish a successor to fill the vacancy until the next Annual Meeting.  Any unexpired term existing at the time of an Annual Meeting shall be filled by the election of a qualified member of the Parish.

 

F.            Meetings:  Regular Vestry meetings shall be held on a schedule adopted by each new Vestry.  Meetings of the Vestry may be called by the Rector, the Senior Warden, or one-third of the Vestry, upon not less than three days' notice, provided that the time for this advance notice may be shortened by waiver of a majority of the Vestry at any meeting.

 


G.            Quorum:  One half of the regular vestry shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, except that a youth member shall not be counted in determining a quorum.

 

H.              Voting:  The act of the majority of the Vestry present at a meeting shall be the act of the Vestry, except that, for purposes of approving any contractual obligations of the Vestry, the vote of the youth vestry member shall not be included in determining a majority of vestry members voting.

 

I.              Presiding Officer:  The Rector shall preside at all meetings of the Vestry, shall collect the votes and shall have a vote.  If the Rector cannot preside or is absent, the Senior or Junior Warden shall preside or, in their absence, an appointee of a majority of the Vestry shall preside.  However, if the rectorship is vacant, the Bishop shall preside, if present.

 

J.              Committees:

 

1.  A majority of the Vestry in office may designate or appoint one or more Committees, each of which shall consist of two or more Vestry members, which Committees, to the extent provided by resolution of the Vestry, shall have and exercise the authority of the Vestry in the management of the Parish, but such Committees shall not operate to relieve the Vestry of any responsibility otherwise imposed upon it by civil or canon law.

 

2.  The Rector, the Senior Warden, and/or the majority vote of a quorum of the Vestry at any meeting may appoint Vestry Committees, not having the authority of the Vestry, to assist in the life and work of the Parish.  Authority for policy and budget shall remain with the Vestry.  The Committees, through their Chairmen, shall report regularly to the Vestry on the status of their area of responsibility.

 

SECTION V. 

PARISH ELECTED OFFICERS: 

 

Officers of the Parish shall be the vestry members referred to in Section IV. A. shall be a Senior Warden, a Junior Warden, and the authorized number of Lay Delegates to the Diocesan Convention and one or more Alternate Lay Delegates.

 

A.              Wardens:

 

1.            Election:  The Senior Warden and Junior Warden shall be elected at the Annual Meeting of the Parish in the same manner as Vestry members except that they shall be elected first on separate ballots and any current Vestry member may be a candidate.  Qualifications for Wardens are the same as for Vestry members except that additionally, where possible, they shall have served at least one (1) year as a Vestry member or Warden at an Episcopal Church prior to election as either Senior or Junior Warden.

 


2.           Term:  The Senior and Junior Warden shall be elected for a two-year term on alternate years so that their terms will be staggered and they may not stand for re-election to the Vestry for one-year, except that any person who has served as a Vestry member during a preceding term may be elected Senior or Junior Warden.  However a Warden elected to fill a vacancy for the unexpired period of service to which another was originally elected, and who has served one year or less, may be re-elected, as a Warden and serve a full two-year term.

 

3.            Vacancies Between Annual Meetings:  Vacancies in the offices of Warden between Annual Meetings shall be filled from among elected Vestry members in the same manner as specified for Vestry members.

 

4.           Duties:

 

a)           Senior Warden:  Shall be the Rector's advisor on all matters affecting relations between the Rector and the Parish.  During the absence or disability of the Rector, the Senior Warden shall be responsible for the maintenance of regular services of worship in the Parish Church, and shall maintain necessary contact with the Bishop or other Ecclesiastical authority to assure such maintenance of services of worship.  During absence or disability of the Rector, the Senior Warden shall also preside at all meetings of the Vestry and shall consult with other Officers, Vestry members and Committee Chairmen to insure that the affairs of the Parish are conducted in a proper manner.

 

b)           Junior Warden:  During the absence or disability of the Senior Warden, the Junior Warden shall assume any or all of the duties of that office as may be required for the proper conduct of the affairs of the Parish.

 

B.            Delegates:  In conformity with the Constitution of the Diocese of Washington, an authorized number of Lay Delegates and one or more Alternate Lay Delegates to Diocesan Convention shall be elected annually at the Annual Meeting of the Parish.  Each Delegate shall be elected to a two-year term, with the terms staggered so that at least one delegate is elected at each annual meeting.  Delegates are eligible for re-election to one additional term.  Qualifications and elections procedures shall be the same as for Vestry members, except that the Delegates and Alternate Delegates may simultaneously hold other Parish offices or may be ineligible by previous service for election to the Vestry.  Delegates shall take office immediately after the annual Diocesan Convention which follows their election.

 

SECTION VI.

VESTRY APPOINTED OFFICERS:

 

A.            Treasurer:  A Treasurer of the Parish shall be the chief financial officer of the Parish and shall be appointed annually by a majority of the Vestry.  The Treasurer shall have the same qualifications as a Vestry member.

 

B.              Secretary:  The Vestry shall annually appoint a Secretary who shall maintain the minutes of the meetings of the Parish and of the Vestry and who shall have such other duties as are set forth by the Vestry.  The Secretary shall have the same qualifications as a Vestry member.

 


C.              The Clerk:  Shall keep and care for the Register of the Parish and shall be the custodian of the Service Record Book and shall have such other duties as are set forth by the Vestry.  The Clerk shall be appointed annually by the Vestry and shall have the same qualifications as a Vestry member.

 

D.              Legal Counsel:  Any Legal Counsel shall be approved by the Vestry and shall be a person learned in the law, who shall be acquainted with the Maryland Vestry Act, the Constitution and Bylaws of the Episcopal Church and the Canons of the Diocese of Washington, as well as other appropriate civil law and to advise the Rector and Vestry concerning compliance therewith and any other legal matters which shall concern the Parish.

 

SECTION VII. 

CLERGY:

 

A.              Rector:  When the rectorship becomes vacant, the Vestry shall, by at least a majority vote, elect a new Rector from among the presbyters of the Episcopal Church or other clergy authorized by the Canons of the General Convention to officiate in the Episcopal Church.  Such elections shall follow consultation with the Bishop in conformity with appropriate Canons of the General Convention.

 

B.              Assistant Ministers:  Election of Assistant Ministers shall be by majority vote of the Vestry from among the clergy of the Episcopal Church or other clergy authorized by the Canon of the General Convention to officiate in the Episcopal Church.  Such election shall be at the nomination of the Rector and after consultation with the Bishop in conformity with appropriate Canons of the General Convention.

 

C.              Contract:  A call of a new Rector or a new Assistant Minister shall be made to and accepted by the Minister in Writing and shall contain a provision substantially in the form of Canon 25, Section 6(c) of the Diocese of Washington.

 

 

WSH\38065.1

Return to St. James' Home Page