Adopted August 21, 2003

Article No. 1: Name

This organisation shall be known as Atlantic Baptist Youth (ABY).

Article No. 2: Purpose

1) To provide an opportunity for Christian youth and young adults ages 15-28 to connect and build relationships with one another.

2) To host events for Christian youth which provide an opportunity for them to celebrate their faith and grow in their Christian commitment.

3) To provide an opportunity for youth and young adults to gain experience as leaders on the regional level by serving on the Executive.

Article No. 3: Members

Members of ABY are Christians, 15 to 28 years of age, who are active members of a church within the Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches, and who agree to the organization’s purposes as stated in Article No. 2.

Article No.4: Business Meeting

1) A business meeting shall be held at least once every two years.

2) This business meeting shall be held at a place and date determined by the Executive, in consultation with the Executive’s Advisor(s). Normally this business meeting will be held in conjunction with a youth event hosted by ABY.

3) While the business meeting may be attended by anyone who is at least 15 years of age, only Members as defined in Article #3 may vote on ABY business. Non-members may address issues of business upon permission of the Executive.

Article No.5: The Executive

1) Members of ABY shall elect an Executive at the business meeting to lead the organisation for a two year period with the exception of the Newfoundland and Labrador Representative who shall be appointed by the Newfoundland and Labrador Association, and the African United Baptist Association Representative who shall be appointed by the African United Baptist Association.

2) The Executive shall be composed of:

• President
• Vice-President
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Two Provincial Representatives from New Brunswick
• Two Provincial Representatives from Nova Scotia
• One Provincial Representative from Newfoundland and Labrador
• One Provincial Representative from Prince Edward Island
• One Representative from the African United Baptist Association

The Executive’s Advisor(s) shall be one or more persons appointed by the Council of the Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches.

3) Each member of the Executive shall be elected to a two-year term.

4) Any Member is eligible to hold any position on the Executive except the position of President, which must be filled by someone who has served at least one year on the Executive. In the event that there is no candidate for the position of President who has previous experience on the Executive, a candidate with no Executive experience may be permitted to run upon approval of the Executive.

5) The function of the Executive is to carry out the purposes of the organisation as stated in Article No. 2.

6) At least 50% of the members of the Executive must be present to hold a meeting.

Article No. 6: Nominations and Elections

1) The Nominating Committee:

a) The Executive shall appoint a Nominating Committee of at least five Members selected with due regard to geographical divisions. The Advisor(s) shall serve as a non-voting member, with the President acting as chairperson.

b) The Nominating Committee shall be selected by February 15th of the year in which an election is to be held.

c) The Nominating Committee shall nominate at least one Member for each position and obtain the consent of each nominee.

d) The Nominating Committee shall meet and have their preliminary report for the Executive available by May 15th. Nominations may be submitted to the Nominating Committee with the consent of the nominee. All nominations must be submitted to the President or Advisor(s) at least three weeks before the election.

e) There must be a minimum of 3 people plus the Advisor(s) present at meetings of the nominating committee.

2) Election Procedures:

a) The candidates shall have an opportunity to introduce themselves at the business meeting prior to the election.

b) The elections shall be chaired by the President or a representative appointed by the Executive. Votes shall be taken by secret ballot, and in the case of a tie, the chairperson shall cast the deciding vote.

3) A vacancy occurring in the Executive between elections may be filled by appointment by the Executive.

Article No.7: Ceasing Operation

A motion calling for the organization to disband may be considered by the Executive upon recommendation of the Advisor(s) following 30 days notice to the youth ministry community of the Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches. For such a motion to take effect the Council of the Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches must give its approval upon recommendation of The Convention’s Executive Minister.

Article No.8: Amendments

Amendments to this constitution may be made following a two-thirds vote of those present at the business meeting, providing the amendment is in the hands of the President and Advisor(s) 90 days prior to the business meeting (as stated in Article #4).