As of April 15, 2014 1

Guiding Principles First Baptist Church of Geneva

MISSION PRINCIPLES

MO1 Comprehensive Mission Statement Our Mission: The mission of FBCG is to honor God by making more disciples for Jesus Christ. We will seek to accomplish this mission by: Reaching the people and families of our local communities. Connecting people to Christ, to FBCG, and to each other. Equipping believers for spiritual maturity and ministry, and Serving others in the name of Christ.

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BOUNDARY PRINCIPLES

The senior pastor shall not cause or allow any practice, activity, decision, or

organizational circumstance that is unlawful, imprudent, unethical, or unbiblical.

BP1 Biblical and Moral Integrity

The senior pastor shall not fail to uphold high standards of biblical teaching and

morality in all areas.

BP2 Financial Planning and Budgeting

Financial planning for any fiscal year or the remaining part of any fiscal year shall

not deviate materially from the Executive Council’s Goals, increase financial risk

or fail to be derived from the long-range plan.

BP.2.1 Sufficient Information

The senior pastor shall not allow funding or budgeting that contains

too little information to enable credible projection of revenues and

expenses, separation of capital and operational items, relation of

expenditures to Ministry Goals, and disclosure of multiyear planning

assumptions.

BP2.2 Expenditures within Projected Funds

The senior pastor shall not allow funding or budgeting that plans the

expenditure, in any fiscal year, of more funds than are reasonably

projected to be received in that period.

BP2.3 Asset and Cash Margins

The senior pastor shall not allow cash in the unrestricted reserves to

drop below one month’s expenses unless expressly authorized by the

Executive Council.

BP3 Financial Condition and Activities

With respect to the actual, ongoing financial conditions and activities, the senior

pastor shall not allow increased financial risk or a material deviation of actual

expenditures from Executive Council priorities established in Ministry Goals.

BP3.1 Expenditures

The senior pastor shall not expend more funds than have been received

in the fiscal year to date unless the amount has been budgeted.

The senior pastor shall not expend an amount greater than forecast

fiscal year revenues.

BP3.2 Debt

The senior pastor shall not indebt the church in a manner that is

inconsistent with the church bylaws.

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BP3.3 Long-Term Reserves

The senior pastor shall not use any long-term reserves unless the use is

consistent with the long range plan.

BP3.4 Inter-fund Shifting

The senior pastor shall not conduct inter-fund shifting without the

approval of the Executive Council.

BP3.5 Payroll and Debt Settlement

The senior pastor shall not fail to settle payroll and debts in a timely

manner.

BP3.6 Government Payments and Filings

The senior pastor shall not allow tax payments or other government-

ordered payments or filings to be overdue or inaccurately filed.

BP3.7 Purchase Cap

The senior pastor shall not make a single, unbudgeted purchase of

greater than 1% of the annual budget in the General Fund and shall not

exceed the available unencumbered funds in any other fund.

BP3.8 Real Property

The senior pastor shall not acquire, encumber, or dispose of real

property in a manner that is inconsistent with church bylaws.

BP4 Asset Protection

The senior pastor shall not allow the assets to be unprotected, inadequately

maintained, or unnecessarily risked.

BP4.1 Insurance

The senior pastor shall not fail to insure against theft and casualty

losses to at least 80 percent of replacement value and against liability

losses to Executive Council members, staff, and the church itself in an

amount less than $6,000,000.

BP4.2 Insurance for Financial Improprieties

The senior pastor shall not allow financial operations without a

reasonable level of insurance coverage to protect against employee and

volunteer misconduct.

BP4.3 Facilities and Equipment

The senior pastor shall not subject facilities and equipment to improper

wear and tear or insufficient maintenance.

BP4.4 Liability

The senior pastor shall not unnecessarily expose the organization, the

Executive Council, or its staff to claims of liability.

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BP4.5 Independent Financial Review

The senior pastor shall not receive, process, or disburse funds under

controls that are insufficient to meet the Executive Council-appointed

independent financial reviewer’s standards.

BP4.6 Secure Instruments

The senior pastor shall not invest or hold operating capital in insecure

instruments, including uninsured checking accounts. Investments in

Converge’s (Baptist General Conference’s) Cornerstone Funds above

$250,000 require the approval of the Executive Council.

BP4.7 Public Reputation

The senior pastor shall not endanger the organization’s public image or

credibility, particularly in ways that would hinder its accomplishment

of mission.

BP5 Treatment of Constituents

With respect to interactions with constituents or potential constituents, the senior

pastor shall not cause or allow conditions, policies, procedures, or decisions that

are unsafe, undignified, unnecessarily intrusive, or that fail to provide appropriate

confidentiality or privacy.

BP6 Compensation and Benefits

With respect to employment, compensation, and benefits to employees,

consultants, contract workers, and volunteers, the senior pastor shall not cause or

jeopardize the integrity or public image of the church.

BP6.1 Senior Pastor Compensation

The senior pastor shall not change his own compensation and benefits.

BP6.2 Promise of Employment

The senior pastor shall not promise or imply permanent or guaranteed

employment.

BP6.3 Market Value

The senior pastor shall not establish current compensation and benefits

that deviate materially from the geographic or professional market for

the skills employed.

BP6.4 Fairness of Benefits

The senior pastor shall not establish or change health or pension

benefits that conflict with government regulations or provide benefits

that are discriminatory.

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BP7 Treatment of Staff

With respect to the treatment of paid and volunteer staff, the senior pastor may

not cause or allow conditions that are unfair or undignified.

BP7.1 Personnel Policies

The senior pastor shall not operate without concise personnel policies

that clarify rules for staff, provide for effective handling of grievances,

and comply with government regulations.

BP7.2 Grievance

The senior pastor shall not prevent staff from expressing a grievance to

the Executive Council when (1) internal procedures have been

exhausted, and (2) the employee alleges either that the Executive

Council’s Guiding Principles have been violated to his or her

detriment or that the principles do not adequately protect his or her

legal rights.

BP7.3 Staff Evaluation

The senior pastor shall not fail to at least annually evaluate staff

performance using a valid and fair system that includes clear

categories and scales of measurement.

BP8 Communication and Support to the Executive Council

The senior pastor shall not permit the Executive Council to be uninformed or

unsupported in its work.

BP9 Emergency Senior Pastor Succession

In order to protect the Executive Council from the sudden loss of senior pastor

services, the senior pastor will have at least one other ministry staff member

familiar with Executive Council and senior pastor issues and processes.

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ACCOUNTABILITY PRINCIPLES

The responsibility of the Executive Council before God, on behalf of people in Geneva,

the surrounding region and the world who need to know Christ and grow to be like Him,

is to see that First Baptist Church, through the leadership of its senior pastor, (1) achieves

the fulfillment of its Ministry Goals, and (2) avoids violation of its Boundary Principles.

AP1 Stewardship to Christ for Those He Calls Us to Serve

The Executive Council shall maintain an active connection with the attendees of

the church, Christ and the community he has called this church to serve.

AP1.1 Seek Guidance Through Prayer and the Word of God

Under the teaching and guidance of God’s Word, the Executive

Council will continually seek the wisdom and leading of Christ as the

Lord of the church.

AP1.2 Community Research and Public Relations

The Executive Council will continually enhance its understanding of

the needs of people in the community and to enhance the church’s

reputation of service to the community.

AP1.3 Church Feedback and Assessment

The Executive Council will monitor feedback from attendees, to better

understand their needs. Annually the Executive Council will conduct

a minimum of two town hall meetings. Every five years or less the

Executive Council will arrange a full church assessment by a

competent consulting group.

AP2 Executive Council Conduct

The Executive Council shall conduct itself with discipline and integrity with

regard to its own process of governance.

AP2.1 Executive Council Style

The Executive Council will govern with an emphasis on

1. Outward vision rather than internal preoccupation

2. Encouragement of diversity in viewpoints

3. Strategic leadership more than administrative detail

4. Clear distinction of council and staff roles

5. Collective rather than individual decisions

6. Future focus rather than past or present

7. Proactive rather than reactive

AP2.2 The Work of the Executive Council

The essential responsibilities of the Executive Council are:

1. Serve as representatives of the congregation

2. Establish policy in the form of Guiding Principles

3. Review By-laws & Guiding Principles regularly

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4. Achieve executive accountability by monitoring senior pastor

performance

5. Empower and resource the senior pastor for success in

achieving the annual Ministry Goals

6. Join the senior pastor in planning for the future of the church

and ensure that mission drive all actions and decisions

7. Recommend the annual budget of the church

8. Fulfill fiduciary and all other legal responsibilities as required

by state and federal law

9. Ensure yearly financial audit or review

10. Develop leaders for future Executive Council service

11. Develop current Executive Council members for more

effective service

12. Conduct self-evaluation based on adherence to the

Accountability Principles and Ministry Goals

13. Establish a minimum of two goals specific to the Executive

Council

14. Ensure appropriate financial planning to achieve the long range

plan and Executive Council goals

15. Provide avenues of care for the senior pastor including conflict

resolution, discipline, and restoration.

AP2.3 Executive Council Member Code of Conduct

The Executive Council commits itself and its members to the

following code of conduct:

a. A member must disclose any conflict of interest and withdraw

from any decision-making affected by it.

b. Executive Council members will meet and hold to the standards

outlined in the Executive Council Qualifications and will sign and

abide by the requirements of the Executive Council Leadership

Covenant

AP2.4 Responsibility of the Chairperson for Integrity of Process

The chairperson enforces the integrity and fulfillment of the Executive

Council’s process including the monitoring of senior pastor

performance. The chairperson is authorized to use any reasonable

interpretation of the Accountability Principles as he acts to ensure the

integrity of the Executive Council’s process.

AP2.5 Responsibility of the Senior Pastor for Visionary Leadership

The senior pastor has the responsibility, authority, and accountability

to serve as the primary leader of the church. With respect to the

Executive Council, the senior pastor will engage and collaborate with

the Executive Council on all actions, except for the monitoring of

senior pastor performance. If a question of process arises with regard

to the bylaws or guiding principles of the church, the senior pastor will

defer to the judgment of the Executive Council chairperson.

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AP2.6 Use of Executive Council Task Forces/Committees

Executive Council task forces and committees, if used, will be

assigned to reinforce the wholeness of the council’s job and never to

interfere with the delegation from the Executive Council to the senior

pastor or with the work of the staff.

AP2.7 Governance Commitment

The Executive Council will invest in its own governance capacity

through training, outside expertise, and research mechanisms.

AP3 Monitoring the Performance of the Senior Pastor

The Executive Council’s connection to the operating organization of the church,

its achievement, and conduct shall be through the senior pastor.

AP3.1 Unity of Control

Only formal, documented decisions of the Executive Council are

binding on the senior pastor.

AP3.2 Accountability of the Senior Pastor

The senior pastor is the Executive Council’s link to operational

achievement and conduct, so that all authority and accountability of

staff, as far as the Executive Council is concerned, is considered the

authority and accountability of the senior pastor.

AP3.3 Delegation to the Senior Pastor

The Executive Council will instruct the senior pastor through written

principles that prescribe the mission to be achieved and establish the

boundaries to be avoided, allowing the senior pastor to use any

reasonable interpretation of these principles.

AP3.4 Performance Review of the Senior Pastor

The Executive Council will at least annually, systematically review the

senior pastor’s job performance. The measure of his performance will

be limited to:

1. The accomplishment of the Ministry Goals.

2. Operation within the Executive Council’s Boundary Principles.

A raise or corrective action shall be determined based on the current

financial position of the church, the market compensation for similar

positions, and the degree to which he has or has not achieved specific

objectives.

AP3.5 Annual Goals of the Senior Pastor

The senior pastor will be required to write measurable goals each year

which correspond to each of the Executive Council’s Ministry Goals.

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AP3.7 Absence of the Senior Pastor

In the absence of the senior pastor the Executive Council shall

delegate senior pastor responsibilities to one or more existing staff

members and/or pastors for the interim. The designee(s) and

Executive Council will abide within the authorities and restrictions

of this document.