Religion

Constitution

ARTICLE I—NAME

This organization shall be called the COLORADO HOME MISSIONS COUNCIL, Auxiliary to the National Home Missions Council.

ARTICLE II—OBJECT

Section 1—The object of the Council shall be the promotion of effective co-operation among the churches and Christian workers of Colorado, that their sense of unity be manifested; that the evangelization of every community may be more systematically accomplished; that a means may be found for expressing the united Christian sentiment of the State in regard to moral issues, that the various Christian and benevolent activities of the State may be more completely co-ordinated; and that other appropriate ends may be secured.

Section 2—It shall be its object to promote co-operation in the organization and maintenance of evangelical churches in Colorado; to prevent waste of resources and effort in small communities; and to stimulate missionary work in the destitute regions.

ARTICLE III—ANNUAL AND QUARTERLY MEETINGS

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ARTICLE IV—OFFICERS

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ARTICLE V—EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

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Section 2—It shall be the duty of the Executive Committee to recommend to the Council for its action such rules and regulations as shall be necessary to make effective the work of the Council and to make annual report of the Council to each affiliating denomination and agency.

Section 3—It shall be the duty of the Executive Committee to act on matters arising under Statement of Principles Number 7, as follows:

(a) Direct the interested parties to make an earnest effort to settle differences through their Home Mission or general field representative or superintendent.

(b) Failing in this, petition the Secretary of the Council, who shall proceed as per Article 7 of the Statement of Principles, when the Executive Committee shall name an Advisory Committee of three or five connected with denominations other than the parties concerned. This Advisory Committee shall hear the testimony on both sides, carefully weigh the same, and give a written decision to the parties concerned, and to the Secretary of the Council for record. Provided, however, that notice of time and place at least one month in advance of hearing shall have been given the local parties interested, each of which shall have the privilege of being represented by Counsel, consisting of two persons agreeable to the Advisory Committee.

(c) In cases of controversy three methods or procedure are to be undertaken by the Executive Committee:

(1) The matter shall first be taken to the state officials of the denomination in question:

(2) If this fails, the Executive Committee shall take the matter directly to the officers of the National Society of the offending denomination;

(3) And if this fails, a campaign of education on comity may be undertaken by the Executive Committee in the local community affected.

Section 4—Working agreement. Where a new church organization is contemplated in a community where a church of another denomination already exists, the Field Worker of the denomination proposing the new church is expected to first advise the Executive Committee of the Home Missions Council and secure its consent for the organization of the proposed new church. Any refusal upon the part of the Executive Committee of the Council to grant such consent may be appealed to a vote of the Home Missions Council.

ARTICLE VI—DEPARTMENTS

Section 1—Department of City and County Organization.

A Commission of three members shall be elected by the Council at its annual meeting whose duty it shall be to promote the organization of City and County or District Church Councils, which shall be auxiliaries to the Colorado Home Missions Council.

Section 2—Department of Field Work.

A Commission of three members shall be elected by the Council at its Annual meeting whose duty it shall be:

(a) To investigate by survey or other means fields which in their judgment afford opportunity for constructive evangelization.

(b) To make a full report of such findings at a regular or called meeting of the Council together with definite recommendations as to the line of procedure that in their judgment may be indicated.

(c) Upon the receipt of such reports and recommendations, it shall be the duty of the Council to give due consideration to the case in hand, and the commission shall be intrusted and empowered with the introduction and application of such plans as may be agreed upon by a two-thirds vote of the members present at any meeting in which the recommendations of this Commission shall be received and considered.

Section 3—Department of Union, Federated and Community Churches.

A Commission of three members of the Council shall be elected whose duty it shall be to co-operate with all union, federated, or community churches, not identified with any denomination, in such a way as to help them realize their greatest usefulness.

(a) It shall be the duty of this commission to get in touch with all such churches and report conditions prevailing in the work of these churches.

(b) Representatives of this commission shall visit these churches with a view to lending helpful co-operation.

(c) This Commission shall urge all such churches to contribute to missionary causes.

(d) This Committee should suggest to these churches that they contribute to the Colorado Home Missions Council money for home missions purposes, this money to be spent in such ways as the Council may advise.

ARTICLE VII—AMENDMENTS

By-Laws

1. Members. The members of the Council shall consist of the Field Workers and Chairman of Home Missions Committees of all affiliating evangelical denominations and the State field workers of the following interdenominational organizations: The Young Men’s Christian Association, the Colorado Sunday School Association, and the American Sunday School Union, together with two delegates from each city, county, or district church council, and a lay member named from each denomination by its state organization or delegation in the Missions Council.

District and Local Organizations

1. The Home Missions Council invites the organization of local and district Councils to further its interests throughout the state.

Such Councils should make surveys of unchurched districts and make recommendations to the Home Missions Council;

Should hear any complaints arising from over-churching in their respective districts and decide such cases, with right of appeal to the Missions Council;

Should give publicity to the principles of the Council and in every way extend the influence of these principles;

Should in all cities and locations act as a church federation to carry out all the common purposes of the churches.

2. Such organizations should be based on the principles already accepted by the Council:

Should appoint officers and a Committee to see to the effective carrying out of these principles in their locality;

Should include members of all denominations working in conjunction with the Council, as comity must rest on assured equity.

Where the organization is a district organization it may appoint local committees to represent it in the towns and centers of the district.

3. The Council suggests the following proposed Home Missions Council districts, centers and territory:

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Statement

The Colorado Home Missions Council presents the following articles to the various denominational church bodies of Colorado, for consideration and adoption. The wide spread and growing desire of the people of the towns and villages, and suburban sections of the state for some plan of local religious co-operation must be met sympathetically. The strength and wisdom of denominationalism in this arrangement is given to the initiation, propagation and supervision of a work that challenges the unselfish interest and support of a United Church. The plan proposed provides for the incorporation of a League of Churches in accord with the following suggested provisions.

Suggested Articles of Incorporation

1. The corporate name of this Association shall be "The League of Churches of Colorado."

2. The particular business and objects for which this Association is formed shall be

(a) The encouragement and fostering of the religious life of certain communities within the State of Colorado.

(b) The incorporation shall have full powers to own or lease property within the state, both real and personal.

3. The number of directors shall be not less than six.

4. The directors for the first year shall be:

Suggested By-Laws

ARTICLE 1. MEMBERSHIP

Sec. 1. The membership of the League shall consist of one delegate from each religious body having a membership of ten thousand or less, two delegates from bodies of more than ten thousand but less than twenty thousand, and three delegates from bodies of twenty thousand or more within the state of Colorado which shall, by proper action of its Conference, Convention, Association or other authorized State body approve the purposes of the incorporation and elect its delegates according to the provisions of the incorporation’s by-laws.

Sec. 2. All churches under the direction or supervision of the League shall be organized into a working State Association which shall in turn, be entitled to two delegates in the membership of the league.

ARTICLE 2. PURPOSES

Sec. 1. The League shall assume fostering direction over the organized religious life of any community within the State of Colorado which shall, by a vote of two-thirds of its church membership, express a desire for a larger church program and request such a relationship.

Sec. 2. It may organize non-denominational churches in any communities within the state not being served at the time by effective church organization.

Sec. 3. In all local church organizations organized and fostered by the League, the requirements for church membership shall be determined by the local church.

ARTICLE 4. BENEVOLENCES

Sec. 1. The local Community Church shall be required by the League to make regular offerings for Missions and other designated agencies for the extension of the work of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Sec. 2. The funds given for Home Missions by the churches, under the direction and supervision of the League, shall be expended for the extension of the work of the League and may be appropriated to any Home Missions projects designated by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.

Sec. 3. The Board of Directors, after requesting submission of suitable suggestions from the Board of Foreign Missions of each of the denominations represented in the League, shall designate the projects on the foreign mission field to which the foreign missionary offerings of the churches under the supervision of the League shall be appropriated for the ensuing calendar year, and the Directors shall specify the amount to be appropriated to each project.

Text—Pamphlets: The Colorado Home Missions Council; and Proposed League of Churches of Colorado.