Council Officers

Elected Officers

Elected Officers of the MBA shall be a Moderator, Vice-Moderator, Scribe, Treasurer and Registrar.  When the Moderator is an ordained minister, the Vice Moderator shall be a lay minister, and vice versa.

Moderator

The Moderator shall preside at all meetings of the MBA, the MBA Council, and Ecclesiastical Councils.  The Moderator shall take office upon the adjournment of the Spring Meeting at which elected and shall hold office through the next Spring Meeting or until a successor has been qualified and elected.   The Moderator shall be an ex-officio member of all MBA Committees, instruments, and task forces, shall oversee projects developed within the program areas and shall exercise all other duties which normally fall to that office.

Vice Moderator

The Vice Moderator shall preside at all meetings of the MBA, the Council, and Ecclesiastical Councils in the absence of the Moderator and shall perform all duties of the Moderator if the Moderator is unable to perform them.

Scribe

The Scribe shall keep the records of meetings of the MBA and the MBA Council.

Treasurer

The Treasurer shall keep the accounts of the MBA, collect funds from the member churches, receive donations and gifts, disburse monies as authorized by the MBA, MBA Council or the Executive Committee of the MBA, and submit periodic reports to the Council and an annual financial report to the MBA.  The Treasurer shall be bonded and the accounts shall be audited at such intervals as the MBA Council determines.

Registrar

The Registrar shall keep the roll of the churches and ministers under the direction of the Committee on the Ministry and the Committee on Ministerial Standing, report annually any changes in the rolls to the MBA and the Conference and perform other duties as specified by the Committee on the Ministry, and assist the Moderator in the conduct of Ecclesiastical Councils.

Terms of Office

The above elected officers of the MBA shall serve for a term of one year, or until their successors are elected.  The Moderator and the Vice-Moderator may serve for no more than two consecutive terms.  The Scribe, the Treasurer and the Registrar may serve for no more than six consecutive terms.  The MBA Council may waive these term limits for up to two additional years.

Vacancies

All vacancies occurring in elective offices and Standing Committees shall be filled by the MBA Council until the next Meeting of the MBA.

MBA Council

The MBA Council shall consist of the above listed elected officers (Moderator, Vice Moderator, Scribe, Treasurer, Registrar), the members of the Massachusetts Conference Board of Directors from the MBA area, any paid staff of the Association, the Associate Conference Minister for the MBA area (Associate Conference Minister), the Executive Director of the City Missionary Society, and one member at-large from each of the sectors elected by the MBA.  Members-at-Large may from time to time be appointed to serve on committees or task forces.  The Council shall act on behalf of the MBA except in matters specifically reserved for the MBA.  At-large members shall be elected to three year terms by the MBA.  The Council shall meet not less than five times per year.

The Council, adhering to policies adopted by the MBA shall initiate and execute programs consonant with the purposes of the MBA.

All Committees shall be responsible to the MBA through the Council.  The Council shall have the duty of coordinating the activities and plans of the committees to ensure unified program results.

The Council may organize itself at it deems expedient to fulfill its responsibilities consistent with this Constitution and By-laws.  One-fourth of its members shall constitute a quorum.

The Council shall act on all matters concerning the employment of staff consistent with the terms of the appropriate contracts and with any directives which the Association may issue from time to time.