Eastern North Carolina Lutheran Via de Cristo

Adopted March 8, 2001

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Chapter 1 Business Meetings of the Secretariat

B1.01 There shall be one regular business meeting of the Secretariat each month unless otherwise determined by the Secretariat. The Secretariat shall meet on the same day and time each month as agreed upon by the current Secretariat Board.

B1.02 If no Spiritual Director was present at the previous month's meeting, no official business was conducted at that time. By voting to accept the minutes as read at a subsequent meeting a Spiritual Director "officiates" the board's actions of the previous month.

Chapter 2 Appointment and Terms of Office on the Secretariat

B2.01 Lay members of the Secretariat shall be nominated by a nominating committee and elected by the entire Secretariat.

B2.02 The terms shall be staggered so one half of the terms expire on July 31 of each year. Service on the Secretariat shall not exceed four consecutive years without an absence of one term (2 years) from the Secretariat. Persons filling an unexpired term less than one year shall be eligible for two full term appointments.

B2.03 The President shall be nominated from the current members of the Secretariat Board to serve a one year term. The President may be re-elected to serve one additional term. While in office, the President may not be nominated or serve as rector of a Weekend.

B2.04 The Vice President shall be nominated and elected in August of each year from the current members of the Secretariat Board to serve for a one year term, to fill in when the President is absent. The Secretary and Treasurer are not eligible for this position.

B2.05 Any member of the Secretariat missing three (3) consecutive meetings without being excused by the president shall be removed and notified by a Spiritual Director.

B2.06 All job duties for each office, as well as the Nominating Committee, and their Standard Operating Procedures are attached to these Bylaws, and can be amended as necessary without formal amendment of the Bylaws in accordance with the Constitution. Each officer is required to keep their individual Standard Operating Procedures current.

Chapter 3 Nominating Committee

B3.01 At the January meeting, the President will appoint a nominating committee consisting of at least three people.

B3.02 At least one member of the nominating committee will be a voting member of the Secretariat. One member must be a Cursillista who has worked on at least one team in the past two years, and the other member should be a former Secretariat member.

B3.03 No member of the nominating committee shall be a candidate for office.

B3.04 The president shall not serve on the nominating committee.

B3.05 The Secretariat member of the nominating committee shall be chairperson of the committee.

Chapter 4 Duties of the Secondary Officers of the Secretariat

B4.01 The PRE-WEEKEND Chairperson shall process all applications for upcoming Weekends and present them to the Secretariat. This person shall handle all correspondence with guests, spouses and sponsors, as well as any other duties that are described in the operating procedures or assigned by the President.

B4.02 The OPERATIONS Chairpersons (there shall be two at all times) are responsible for all activities related to conducting a Via de Cristo Weekend, including securing a location for each Weekend and obtaining all materials necessary to conduct the Weekend. They are also responsible for storage of all materials between Weekends. These people shall also be responsible for any other duties that are described in the operating procedures or assigned by the President.

B4.03 The FOURTH DAY chairperson is responsible for the continued contact of Cursillistas with one another after their Via de Cristo experience. This person shall plan and organize Ultreyas, keep information on Reunion Groups and publish same annually for the community's information, and be responsible for any other duties that are described in the operating procedures or assigned by the President.

B4.04 The LEADERS chairperson is to secure educational materials needed for team meetings and Via de Cristo Weekends, as well as other materials needed to better equip Cursillistas to do God's work. The Leaders chairperson should be a former Rector or assumed a variety of leadership roles within the movement. This person is also responsible for other duties that are described in the operating procedures or assigned by the President.

B4.05 The PALANCA chairperson is to inform other Via de Cristo movements of our Weekends, organize all palanca efforts of our movement, see that all palanca arrives at the beginning of a Via de Cristo Weekend, and be responsible for any other duties that are described in the operating procedures or assigned by the President.

B4.06 The COMMUNICATION chairperson shall be responsible for the preparation and mailing of periodic newsletters, the annual number to be determined by the Secretariat. This person shall also maintain a current roster of all persons involved in the movement, and mail updated directories to members as directed by the Secretariat. This person shall be responsible for any other duties that are described in the operating procedures or assigned by the President.

B4.07 The MUSIC chairperson shall be responsible for maintaining a list of all people who play musical instruments, and provide list to future rectors. This person shall obtain all necessary copyright authority as needed. This person shall serve as a resource to Rectors for selection of Music Chas and serenade leaders are obtained for each upcoming serenade, as well as any other duties that are described in the operating procedures or assigned by the President.

B4.08 The OUTREACH chairperson shall be responsible for organizing informational meetings/temple talks at church where Via de Cristo is not currently active, to help inform others of the Via de Cristo movement and provide churches and pastors with current information on Via de Cristo. This person shall be responsible for any other duties that are described in the operating procedures or assigned by the President.

B4.09 The ARCHIVIST chairpersons (there shall be two at all times) are responsible for keeping computer-based records for the Eastern North Carolina Lutheran Via de Cristo. The Archivist is to function as a servant by providing information requested by the Secretariat and Rectors. The Archivist should have experience in the programming and maintenance of databases, web sites, and other electronic media. The Archivist should also have access to Electronic Mail. These people shall also be responsible for any other duties that are described in the operating procedures or assigned by the President.

B4.10 The SPIRITUAL DIRECTORS (there should be a minimum of two) are the spiritual heads of the Eastern North Carolina Via de Cristo movement. At least one Spiritual Director is to be at all Secretariat meetings, and must inform the President if they are unable to attend. They are to provide Lutheran doctrine guidance as needed. These persons are also responsible for other duties that are described in the operating procedures or assigned by the President.

Chapter 5 Rector Selection

B5.01 The leaders chairperson shall provide a list of all cursillistas qualified to serve as rector to each member of the Secretariat at least one week prior to the meeting at which rector selection is to occur.

B5.02 All rector candidates should have served on at least three (3) Via de Cristo teams and have served at least once in a cha position, and once as a speaking professor, be active in a reunion group and Fourth day activities, and be an active member of a Lutheran Church. Persons who have served as Rector on an adult Cursillo-type Weekend are not eligible. Obvious exceptions are TEC, Kairos, and Hesed.

B5.03 At a regularly scheduled meeting of the Secretariat to be held not less than seven (7) months prior to the approved Via de Cristo date, the President shall call the Secretariat into executive session for the purpose of selecting rector candidates.

B5.04 Upon convening the executive session, the President shall open the floor for nominations of at least three, but preferably more, names for each upcoming Weekend. When nominations have been closed, members of the Secretariat shall have an opportunity to comment briefly on the qualifications of the nominees.

B5.05 Three rector candidates will be selected for each Weekend. Three separate written ballots will be held to determine the primary candidate, first back-up and second back-up candidates. The Spiritual Director(s) will tally the votes. A candidate will be chosen by simple majority. In the case of a tie, an additional ballot will be held.

B5.06 Prior to the next scheduled meeting, the Spiritual Director will contact the primary candidate to see if he/she will serve on the Weekend for which he/she was selected. The first and second back-up candidate will be contacted respectively if the primary candidate declines. The results of this contact will be presented at the next scheduled meeting. If none of the candidates accepts for a given Weekend, the process above shall be repeated.

Chapter 6 Rector Duties/Team Selection

B6.01 The Rector, in consultation with the Leaders chairperson, President, and Spiritual Directors is responsible for the selection of the Weekend team. The selection of the Head Cha shall be a consensus between the Rector, Leaders Chair, and a Spiritual Director. It is recommended that team applications be a primary source for team members, but not the only source. The prospective team must be presented to the Secretariat for approval before team members are notified. Ideally, team members should be currently active in a reunion group and other 4th day activities.

B6.02 A minimum team should consist of: 1 rector; 2 spiritual directors; 1 head cha; 22 chas; and 12 professors (total 43).

B6.03 It is strongly recommended that service on a team as a head area cha or professor, one is currently involved in a reunion group.

B6.04 The rector-elect will be instructed by the Leaders Chairperson when they can begin team selection after the current rector(s) teams have been selected and approved.

B6.05 The Rector shall guide professors in the completion of the lay rollos, furnish professors with materials needed to write rollos, ensure the rollos are critiqued in a loving, Christian manner, and exercise final approval of the rollos.

B6.06 The Rector shall direct preparation of the Weekend team, which consists of conducting a minimum of four team meetings prior to the Weekend, and work with the head cha and head spiritual director to build a Christian community for the Weekend.

B6.07 The Rector shall exercise final authority during the Weekend. The Rector, Head Cha, and all Area Heads shall provide the Secretariat with a written report following the Weekend.

Chapter 7 Guest Selection for Via de Cristo Weekends

B7.01 Ideally, a guest should be an active member of a Christian church, sponsored, and have their application signed by a pastor.

B7.02 The Secretariat may exercise discretion for screening guests who are at risk.

B7.03 The number of non-Lutheran guests is limited to the number of tables, unless approved by the Secretariat.

Chapter 8 Spiritual Director Selection and Duties for a Via de Cristo Weekend

B8.01 The spiritual directors for each Via de Cristo Weekend shall be selected by the spiritual directors on the Secretariat, with consideration of input from the rector. The head spiritual director at each Weekend shall be an ordained Lutheran pastor. Other spiritual directors may be rostered Lutheran leaders or ordained leaders of another Christian body.

B8.02 Ideally there should be three spiritual directors committed to serve on each Weekend team.

B8.03 At least one spiritual director shall commit to being present for the complete 72 hour Weekend.

B8.04 Those selected shall be contacted at least five months prior to a Via de Cristo Weekend.

B8.05 Spiritual directors are members of the team and are required to attend team meetings, give support to the rector and the team, and administer Holy Communion at each team meeting.

B8.06 The head spiritual director should assign the responsibilities of the Via de Cristo Weekend to the specific pastors prior to the Weekend (i.e., which rollos, meditations, morning worship/holy communion service they are responsible for).

B8.07 Spiritual director talks shall be critiqued at team meetings.

B8.08 Prior to each team meeting and Weekend the head spiritual director shall work with the music and chapel chas to plan worship. He/she should also work with the rector the procedure for the closing service and distribution of crosses and service sheets.

B8.09 Spiritual directors are to make themselves available for personal counseling at the end of each night's chapel visit, as well as throughout the Weekend, as necessary.

Chapter 9 Annual Financial Audit

B9.01 An annual audit of the financial records shall be conducted, preferably by a qualified member of the Via de Cristo community who is currently not on the Secretariat board. This audit is subject to the general guidelines established by the Secretariat Board.

B9.02 The audit will review, report and make recommendations to the Secretariat with regard to audits and accounts of the Treasurer and other organizations within the Board, and persons authorized to handle funds for the Board.

B9.03 The auditor will make recommendations to the Secretariat with regard to financial record keeping accountability and internal controls.

Chapter 10 Delegates to National Lutheran Secretariat Annual Meeting

B10.01 An appropriate number of official delegates shall be selected by the current Secretariat Board. It is strongly recommended that the President serve as one of the delegates. Additionally, a Spiritual Director is encouraged to attend.

B10.02 These persons shall attend the annual meeting of the NLS and report back in a written summary all information helpful to the movement in Eastern North Carolina, and they shall keep the Secretariat informed of actions taken by the NLS.