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Constitution

Constitution

How the Christian Union is run, amended as of 8th December 2008.

Introduction

The following is the constitution of the University of York Christian Union. The constitution is in four parts: the first states the name and affiliations of the society; the second states the constitutionally binding items; the third states guidelines as to the practical running of the society; the fourth states the orders of the society.

1. The Society

The Society shall be called The University of York Christian Union.

2. Affiliation

The Society shall be affiliated to the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship (UCCF) and representatives of the society shall attend UCCF Universities General Committee meetings.

Constitutional Items

The following are the constitutionally binding items of the constitution of the UYCU, and are to be adhered to as such.

3. Aims

Our aim is to love God and reflect His glory by:

  1. Individually and corporately proclaiming the Gospel of our Lord Jesus to our fellow students and living lives consistent with the Gospel.
  2. Challenging and deepening the faith of members by teaching, prayer, Bible study and worship.
  3. Stimulating interest and active involvement in missionary work at home and abroad.
  4. Encouraging members to be committed to a local church.

4. Membership

  1. Membership shall be open to all members of the University who can honestly sign the basis of membership which is: "In joining this society I declare that I accept Jesus Christ as my Redeemer, Saviour, Mediator, Lord and God and I will seek in thought and action to be ruled by the teaching as written in the Bible; and give my active support to the aims of the society."
  2. Membership shall be renewable annually. Nobody can join the society at a general meeting or during the seven days before it. Only members will be entitled to vote at a general meeting or propose amendments to the constitution of the society.
  3. The main meetings, prayer meetings and small groups organised by the Christian Union shall be open to all members of the University irrespective of membership to the society.

5. Doctrinal Basis

The society agrees with and will defend the truths set out in the Doctrinal Basis here.

6. Committee and Official Positions (Structure and eligibility)

  1. The society shall have an Executive committee (Exec) which shall consist of a joint presidency of one male and one female member, a treasurer, prayer secretary, general secretary, small groups co-ordinator, evangelism secretary and international secretary.
  2. Each college shall have an appropriate number of Small Group Leaders (SGLs), College Reps (CRs), and College Evangelism Coordinators (CECs). Other posts may be deemed desirable for the situation in a given college. These additional posts shall be confirmed and filled by a meeting of the CR(s), the CEC(s), and the SGLs of the given college with one member of the Exec.
  3. The membership of the Exec, SGLs and CRs shall hold office for one year, and may be re-accepted if still eligible to hold such a position.
  4. A new Exec shall be accepted if 75% of those voting at the AGM indicate their approval of all the nominations. The SGLs and CRs shall be accepted if the new Exec is accepted.

7. Speakers

  1. All speakers invited to address the society shall be required to sign their agreement with the Doctrinal Basis of the Society.
  2. The Exec shall not invite a speaker to address the society on any issue of faith or conduct if, no matter how pressing the issue, they cannot find a suitably qualified speaker (decided at the discretion of the Exec) willing to sign honestly the Doctrinal Basis.

8. General Meetings (GMs)

  1. The Annual General Meeting (AGM) shall be held during the last three weeks of the Autumn term.
  2. Any other general meeting may be called at the discretion of the Exec or by a petition of 10% of the members.
  3. No person shall join the society at a general meeting or during the seven days preceding it. Only members can vote at a general meeting.
  4. The quorum for general meetings shall be 30% of the membership.
  5. All voting at GMs for official posts shall be by secret ballot.

9. Constitution and Standing Orders

  1. The constitution shall contain rules by which the society shall be run.
  2. All activities shall be consistent with the doctrinal basis.
  3. A change in the constitution shall be made when 75% of those voting at a GM vote to that end.
  4. The Standing Orders shall contain procedural methods and any necessary clarifications to the constitution.
  5. A change in the standing orders shall be made when 50% of those voting at a GM vote to that end.
  6. The constitution shall, when necessary, be interpreted by the exec.
  7. Any change of the constitution or standing orders shall come into effect at the close of the GM at which it is accepted.
  8. Members shall be encouraged to seek an understanding of the terms of the constitution. The constitution shall be made available to all CU members at least seven days before every AGM or GM, by email and/or on the CU website. If the constitution is revised or amended, the amended constitution shall be made available to every member, by email and/or on the CU website. The Exec shall be responsible for this.
  9. The Statement of Faith and the Doctrinal Basis shall be available on the CU website.

Guideline Items

The following items are the constitutional guidelines as to the practical running of the UYCU. The recommendations of these guidelines are to be adhered to. However, in exceptional circumstances, if the full active agreement of the Exec is acquired, then the guidelines may be broken. All members shall be informed when the guidelines are broken, and any grave doubts of the members should be considered by the Exec.

10. General Meetings

  1. At least seven days notice of a general meeting and its agenda shall be given to all members of the society.
  2. Additions to the agenda must be submitted to the Chairperson, who shall be one of the presidents, at least four days before such a meeting.
  3. Notice shall be given to all members, by written or electronic means, of the nature and content of all proposed constitutional amendments at least seven days in advance of the general meeting in which those amendments are to be discussed.
  4. Revisions of proposed amendments (either before or during a general meeting) may be accepted, even after members have been notified of those amendments. Any such revisions must: clarify the amendment, rectify an anomaly or make an improvement; preserve the original intention of the amendment; and be the smallest revisions which can reasonably achieve the first two goals.

11. Committee and Official Positions (Selection and appointment)

  1. The new Exec shall be chosen by a selection meeting open to the present Exec and those members of the society who will not be eligible to hold office (see section 11.l).
  2. After a minimum of 5 days a second selection meeting will be held. This will be held to reselect unaccepted Exec Posts and select CR's, College Evangelism Coordinators (CEC's) and other non-collegiate posts as listed in section 11.13.
  3. A collegiate selection meeting will be held in each college. This will take place during the second selection meeting. It will be open to members of the CU within that college not eligible to hold office (see section 11.l). One member of the present Exec must also be in attendance.
  4. Every member of the society may submit nominations to the selection body, who shall consider all nominations. At least one week's notice of the selection meeting shall be given to all members.
  5. Members occupying official positions in the society must be students for the duration of their office and shall indicate their agreement with the Doctrinal Basis by signing (see item 5).
  6. The names of the proposed new postholders shall be published seven days before the AGM on the agenda. Any member having grave doubts as to the suitability of any proposed person should approach the presidents in the seven days preceding the AGM. The Presidents shall be responsible for any subsequent actions.
  7. The new postholders shall take office at the end of the Autumn term.
  8. If the nominee refuses a post, or the nominated Exec are rejected, the selecting body meets again to propose new nominees, unless the first meeting has agreed to an alternative committee, which can then be proposed to the AGM.
  9. Retiring postholders shall retain their positions until the end of the Autumn Term.
  10. If an Exec post becomes vacant, the Exec shall select a member to fill the vacancy.
    1. If a post as SGL becomes vacant, a new SGL shall be chosen by the remainder of the college team, one or more members of the Exec, and those who are not eligible for a post.
    2. If a post as CR becomes vacant, the members of the college CU will be advised that they have one week to send nominations to the Presidents. After this week, the Exec shall choose one member to arrange a meeting of all those in the college not eligible. That member of the Exec will chair the meeting, in which the new CR shall be selected.
  12. Any member of the CU who will not be present in the next academic year (i.e., finalists and those approaching a year out) are not eligible to hold office.
  13. The following are the non-collegiate posts to be selected at the second selection meeting:
    • International Team
    • International Evangelism Co-ordinator (IEC)
    • Music Co-ordinator/s
    • Welcome Team Co-ordinators
    • Web Co-ordinator/s
    • Publicity Co-ordinator/s and Team
    • Social Action Rep/s

    Any other posts the present Exec deem necessary.

  14. Collegiate posts may only be held by members of the same college except in exceptional circumstances and at the discretion of the Exec.

12. Accounts

  1. There shall be no subscription. The treasurer shall keep accounts which shall be audited annually and, after being signed by the presidents and treasurer, shall be presented to the society at the next AGM.
  2. The society shall have a bank current account in the name of "UYCU General Account" and any others the Exec deem necessary.
  3. The signatories of the UYCU account shall be any two from: the treasurer, the female president, the male president.

13. Amendments

December 2002

  1. Main Selection process amended to include two selection meetings not one (section 11.a, 11.b, 11.c, 11.l and 11.m).
  2. Section 13. Amendments added.

December 2003

  1. Buck the Bear removed (old Standing Order L removed)
  2. Selection process changed in regard to Wentworth Graduate College (new Standing Order L added)

December 2004

  1. Procedure for proposing amendments and revising proposals formalised in Section 10.
  2. Wentworth selection procedure modified (Standing Order 'l').
  3. Section 11.n was added to clarify eligibility criteria for collegiate posts.
  4. College reselection procedure modified to allow CRs to be present at meeting, in Section 11.k.
  5. Section 6.b modified to include reference to CECs.
  6. Section Standing Order 'm' was added to safeguard the selection of follow-up course leaders.
  7. Standing Order 'k' revised.
  8. Section 9.f broadened from 'presidents' to 'exec'.

December 2005

  1. Section 6.a modified to bring constitution in line with current practice.
  2. Social Action Rep/s added to the list of non-collegiate posts in Section 11.m.
  3. Standing order l modified to give more flexibility to the Wentworth selection procedure.
  4. Section 4.b modified so that only members can propose amendments to the constitution.

December 2006

  1. Standing order f modified to add more flexibility in the way things are advertised.

December 2007

  1. Section 11.13 modified to rename Press & Publicity post to just Publicity.

December 2008

  1. Reword Section 11.3 from ‘...This will take place after the second selection meeting...’ to ‘...This will take place during the second selection meeting...’
  2. Reword Section 11.6 from ‘The names of the proposed new Exec, SGLs and CRs...’ to ‘The names of the proposed new postholders...’
  3. Reword Section 11.7 from ‘The new Exec, SGLs and CRs shall take office...’ to ‘The new postholders shall take office...’
  4. Reword Section 11.9 from ‘Members of the retiring Exec shall retain their positions...’ to ‘Retiring postholders shall retain their positions...’
  5. Change ‘Worship Co-ordinators’ to ‘Music Co-ordinators’ in Section 11.13.
  6. ‘Welcome Team Co-ordinator/s’ should be added to the list of non-collegiate posts in Section 11.13.
  7. ‘International Evangelism Co-ordinator (IEC)’ should be added to the list of non-collegiate posts in Section 11.13.

Standing Orders

  1. University meetings. The Society shall meet on at least seven evenings during term time to praise God and learn more about Him. There shall be at least one weekly prayer meeting.
  2. There shall be at least six main CU meetings a year considering social, political, and intellectual implications of the Gospel (subject to item 7b).
  3. There will be at least six CU meetings a year investigating subjects by means of extensive Biblical exposition.
  4. Sung and spoken worship in the main CU meetings shall reflect a broad range of traditions and tastes such that all members may worship freely and equally.
  5. Small Group Leaders shall organise small groups that meet for Bible study and prayer.
  6. The Exec shall publish in whatever format(s) they deem most suitable: details of each term's meetings, the basis of membership, the aims of the society and names of all members holding official positions. Exec meetings shall be held at least once a fortnight. Minutes will be taken and will be available on request to all members of the society. Agendas shall be available to all members of the Exec at least 48 hours before the meeting.
  7. Official positions shall be Exec, College Reps and SGLs and any others as the Exec see necessary.
  8. The Exec and College Reps shall meet together at least twice a year, in order to pray together and to discuss any matters of mutual concern.
  9. Doctrinal Basis item (c): No verse or passage of Scripture shall be interpreted so as to contradict the rest of Scripture.
  10. Doctrinal Basis item (e): The present reign of the Lord Jesus Christ refers to His reign from His resurrection (Matthew 28:28) until He has put all enemies under His feet (1 Corinthians 15:25).
    1. It is the responsibility of the exec to ensure that all activities taking place or promoted within the CU context (Small groups, College Meetings, Main CU, email, etc) or shared in by the CU, are consistent with the truths contained in the Doctrinal Basis.
    2. One way in which the conditions of this standing order can be fulfilled is if the society organising or taking part signs the DB.
    3. It remains the prerogative of the exec to decide not to share in or promote such activities (see k(i)) at all.
  12. Wentworth College, as the graduate college, comprises members whose studies are often one academic year in duration, and has previously felt separated from the main CU.
    1. With reference to items 6c and 11l Wentworth SGLs may therefore hold office for less than one year, in which case the selection of Wentworth SGLs shall be as in item 11k.
    2. With reference to item 11c, in order to provide continuity for the college during the summer and to provide for Freshers' events, and to maintain close relations with the body of the CU, it is recommended that Wentworth shall have two College Reps selected, one to be an undergraduate who will commit to the college, and serve for at least one year, the other to be a postgraduate member of Wentworth College, who may hold office for less than a year. The undergraduate CR should be of sufficient maturity and experience to deal with postgraduates; a first year undergraduate shall not be selected, with the exception of a mature student.
    3. Consequently all members of Wentworth College are eligible for all collegiate posts except undergraduate CR. Selection for Wentworth shall take place during the second selection meeting and shall be as follows: Nominations for graduate posts are to be submitted to the Presidents. Nominations for undergraduate CR shall be submitted to the Presidents, it is hoped from the whole CU, including Wentworth. All Wentworth members may attend the second selection meeting, during which the undergraduate CR shall be selected, a post for which graduates are ineligible. All Wentworth members shall then leave, where after Wentworth graduate posts, for which they are eligible, shall be selected. It is hoped that graduates will take an active role in getting to know and nominating undergraduates.
    4. In cases where there is no-one suitable to fulfil the role of Wentworth CR, it is the responsibility of the Exec to ensure that Wentworth College is kept on the agenda. This includes encouraging members of other colleges to pray for Wentworth College, to include outreach to Wentworth in evangelistic activities and to create links with Christians within Wentworth. This shall be done with a view to establishing a college team at a suitable time, in keeping with the aims set out in Standing Order l (ii).
  13. Follow-up Courses (e.g. Christianity Explored): The course leader shall ensure that (a) any discussion-group leaders can sign the DB, (b) there is at least one more mature Christian leading each group, and (c) group leaders are provided with sufficient training. It is strongly advised that 1 or 2 members of committee meet with the course leader before the course begins to prayerfully discuss the list of potential leaders and the training to be given.