Bylaws for KINGDOM BUILDERS CHRISTIAN HOMESCHOOLERS

Article 1 – Name, Purpose, Location

Section 1 – The name of this organization shall be KINGDOM BUILDERS CHRISTIAN HOMESCHOOLERS (KBCH).

Section 2 – KBCH is organized exclusively for religious and educational purposes. The mission of KBCH is to love and honor Christ as we encourage, educate, and engage with a community of homeschool families.

Section 3 – The principal office location of KBCH shall be located in Alachua County in the State of Florida. The organization may have any number of offices at such places as the Board of Directors may determine.

Article 2 – Statement of Faith

Section 1 – The Word of God:

The Bible is the inspired, infallible, and authoritative Word of God. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:21)

Section 2 – The Trinity:

Within the one Being that is God, there has existed from all eternity three coequal Persons; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4, 2 Corinthians 13:14, John 1:1-2, 14)

Section 3 – Salvation:

All people are in violation of God’s righteous requirements and His holy character both by nature and act. (Romans 3:23 and 5:12, Ephesians 2:1-2) Salvation is offered as a gift, free to the sinner. This gift must be responded to by faith, not by any personal works, but in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ alone. (Acts 13:38-39; Romans 6:23;Ephesians 2:8-9)

Section 4 – Identity:

God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. (Genesis 1:26-27)

Section 5 – Marriage:

The term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one adult man and one adult woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture (see Genesis 2:18-25). God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. God has commanded that no sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. (1 Corinthians 6:18; 7:2-5; Hebrews 13:4)

Section 6 – Life:

All human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and equally value all human life irrespective of national origin, hereditary and immutable traits or lack thereof, and intellectual traits or lack thereof. (Psalm 139, Proverbs 24:11-12, Exodus 20:13)

Article 3 - Membership

Section 1 - General membership is defined as the single household of a family unit of parent(s) and/or legal guardian(s) and dependent, biological, adoptive, and foster children of whom at least one of the parents or guardians in the family unit have full, legal custody. Exceptions to this rule must be approved by a majority vote of the Board of Directors on a case by case basis.

Section 2 - Voting - A voting general member is one adult representative from the family membership who votes for elected board members on behalf of the interest of the family.

Section 3 - Requirements for Membership

1. Members must agree to the statement of faith and not promote a value contrary to it, whether explicitly or implicitly in the context of a KBCH activity.
2. Parent(s) or guardian(s) are solely responsible for the safety of those in their family membership.
3. Parent(s) or guardian(s) agree to take full responsibility for the actions of those included in their family’s membership, including indemnifying the owners of any property their children may accidentally or intentionally damage.
4. Members agree to always conduct and present themselves in a way that honors God and loves others, in accordance with the biblical view of morality, as expressed in the Ten Commandments (see Exodus 20) and New Testament affirmations of good behavior (for example see Luke 10:27, Matthew 7:12, Galatians 5:16-26, and 1 Corinthians 13)
5. Per Article 2, Section 4, members agree to present themselves in physical appearance in accordance with their god-given, biological sex and gender identity, evident in their DNA and revealed from conception to birth.
6. Members agree to resolve conflict with other members according to Article 7-Conflict Resolution
7. Members understand and agree that association with KBCH is voluntary, both on the part of the member and on the part of the Leadership Team. A member family may voluntarily resign their membership or the Leadership Team may choose to remove an entire family or specific members of a family, after following the Conflict Resolution procedures defined in Article 7, if this is in the best interest of the organization without necessarily assigning cause.

Section 4 - Participation

Attendance and participation in closed events officially-sanctioned by KBCH is strictly limited to members of KBCH, unless otherwise approved through a vote of the Board of Directors.

Article 4 – Board of Directors

Section 1 – The business of the organization shall be managed by a Board of Directors (The Board). The Board is responsible for maintaining the overall policy and direction of the organization and must abide by the processes outlined in the Board of Directors Handbook. The Board shall delegate responsibility of day-to-day operations to the appropriate volunteers overseen by a member of the Board of Directors. The Board members shall receive no compensation (other than reasonable reimbursement expenses authorized in the Annual Budget) for their service on the Board.

Section 2 – The Board of Directors shall consist of at least three, and no more than seven, members retaining an odd number as required by law. The Board shall consist of both men and women whenever possible.

Section 3 – The Leadership Team shall appoint the President, Secretary, and Treasurer by majority vote. All appointed board positions shall be limited to two consecutive terms and are required to move off the board for one year before resuming office. All elected positions are limited by two consecutive terms.

Section 4 - The Board may, by majority vote, decide to establish, to re-establish, or to discontinue upon term expiration, the elected offices of Vice President (VP), KBCH Liason (KL), as necessary, and up to two auxiliary offices, as necessary, to ensure an odd number of Board members.

i. The Board shall provide notice of officer positions up for election, and the requirements for members to qualify for candidacy of such positions with the meeting notice as required in Article 5, Section 1.

ii. The Leadership Team, as necessary, will nominate candidates for each of the membership-elected positions of Vice President, Program Director, and the auxiliary offices as needed.

iii. The Leadership Team will present the selected candidates for VP, PD, and auxiliary offices to the general membership to be elected by a majority vote at the annual meeting of the membership.

Section 5 – Any Board of Directors member may be removed from office without assigning any cause by a 3/5 vote of the Board at any meeting of the Board. Board members can also be removed from office by a 4/5 vote of the Leadership Team.

Section 6 – Any Board of Directors member may resign at any time by giving notice to the organization.

Section 7 – In the event of a vacancy on the Board (including situations where the number of Board members has been deemed necessary to increase), the Board of Directors shall fill the vacancy based on consent from the Ministry Team.

Section 8 – A quorum of at least 60% of the Board before business can be transacted or motions made or passed. In the event a change in bylaws is needed a quorum of 100% of Board members is required. When actions involve the Ministry Team, a quorum of 60% of the Ministry Team is required. These can be in-person meetings or by electronic means of meeting with the requirement that all in attendance can adequately understand and participate in the business being transacted.

Section 9 – President

The President shall convene regularly scheduled Board meetings and set and execute the Board meeting agenda. The President shall preside or arrange for other Board members to preside at each meeting in the following order: Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. The President shall set the tone of meetings which should include the civil discourse and the rights of all members to have their opinions heard and considered. The President will also have a general knowledge of Parliamentary Procedure as outlined in Robert’s Rules of Order as to keep meetings on time and orderly. The President will serve a limited 3 year term.

Section 10 – Secretary

The Secretary is responsible for keeping records of Board actions, including overseeing the taking of minutes at all board meetings, sending out meeting announcements, distributing copies of minutes and the agenda to each board member, assuring that corporate records are maintained, and maintaining and distributing the official, current versions of governing documents such as bylaws, policy handbooks, applications for membership, or other documents describing or regulating membership or procedures related to membership. The Secretary will serve 3 years, with the exception of the first year being 2 years.

Section 11 – Treasurer

The Treasurer is responsible for keeping the financial books and shall make a report at each Board meeting. The Treasurer shall solicit advice for and prepare an Annual Budget which shall be approved before the Board makes financial information available to Board members and the members. The Treasurer will serve a 3 year term with the exception of the first year being 1 year.

Section 12 - Vice President

The Vice President (VP) is the main new membership coordinator and works closely with the KBCH Liaison. The VP sets up and maintains a secure membership database, welcomes new members, and is the communication link between the Leadership Team and the members. The VP will chair committees on special subjects as designated by the board. In addition, the VP will facilitate meetings in the absence of the President. The VP will serve a 2-year term.

Section 13 - KBCH Liaison

When a KBCH Liaison (KL) is elected, they shall be responsible for overall membership care and morale. The KL will be a mentor position from the homeschooling community who is not currently homeschooling a child in KBCH. The KL will serve a 2 year term alternating with the VP term, with the exception of the first year being a one year term.

Article 5 – Meetings

Section 1 – An annual meeting of the membership will be held at the end of the school year with the time/date/place announced to the general membership no later than 30 days in advance.

Section 2 – Regular meetings of the Board of Directors will be held once per quarter at minimum, time, date, and place to be decided on by the Board. Notice of all regular meetings shall be provided to each voting general member by email at least three weeks prior to the meeting.

Section 3 – Special meetings may be called by any two Board members or by petition by 15% of general membership. The request may be submitted in electronic or written form to the Board of Directors. The Board has the responsibility to reply within 3 business days and set up a meeting within 30 days.These special meetings will be open to the general membership.

Article 6 – Ministry Team Leaders and Leadership Team

Section 1 – Ministry Team Leaders are volunteer leaders of clubs and co-ops. There will be a number of Ministry Team Leaders so that the number is one more than the number of Board of Directors officers. The Ministry Team Leaders are selected from among the other club and co-op leaders in each club category.

a. Club categories are determined annually by the Leadership Team during the Leadership Planning Retreat.

Section 2 - The Leadership team consists of Ministry Team Leaders and the Board of Directors.

Section 3 – Any member of the Ministry Team may be removed from office by 3/4 vote of the Board at the recommendation of the Ministry Team at any meeting of the Board. No Ministry Team member shall be removed without completing the steps of conflict resolution as defined in Article 7 - Conflict Resolution.

Section 4 – Ministry Team Leaders will not be compensated via salary for their service.

Article 7- Conflict Resolution

Section 1 - Conflicts that arise between members of the organization will be dealt with according to Biblical principles of conflict resolution, initiated by the offended person. The goal of conflict resolution will be for reconciliation whenever possible. We recognize that Biblical conflict resolution contains at its core these principals:

1. Stating of the problem from all parties involved in a posture as outlined in James 1:19. (Matthew 18:15)
2. Focus on affirming the relationship as it stands prior to conflict (Matthew 5:9)
3. Confession of any ways that all parties have contributed to the conflict (Matthew 7:5)
4. The focus of forgiveness is the foundation of resolution. Conflict should be approached with grace. (Colossians 3:13, Ephesians 4:32)
5. When appropriate, the parties in conflict may mutually agreed upon a neutral third party to provide wise counsel and mediation with the goal of restoration. (Matthew 18:16-17)

Section 2 - Process

1. First, involved parties, or their selected representatives, should meet together in person or via phone to attempt to peacefully and biblically resolve the conflict
2. Second, if the conflict is not able to be resolved, a conflict resolution meeting with the parties involved, the ministry team leader representing the parties and a mutually-agreed upon neutral third party should be held.
3. Third, if the conflict remains unresolved, a plan for moving forward peacefully should be agreed upon by all parties, including the Board of Directors, with the focus on the core principles of conflict resolution outlined above, up to and including dismissal of a member.

Article 8 - IRS 501(c)3 Tax Exemption Provisions

Section 1 – Upon the dissolution of KBCH, assets shall be distributed to Identify Ministries, Inc. If that ministry is no longer in existence at the time of dissolution, another local ministry may be chosen at the discretion of the Board of directors.

Section 2 – KBCH is organized exclusively for charitable, religious, educational, and/or scientific purposes under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. No part of the net earnings of KBCH shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to its members, trustees, officers, or other private persons, except that the organization shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in Article 1, Section 2.

Section 3 – No substantial part of the activities of KBCH shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the organization shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.

Section 4 – Notwithstanding any other provision of this document, the organization shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by an organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or (b) by an organization, contributions to which are deductible under section 170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.

Article 9 - Indemnification

Section 1 – The organization shall indemnify any agent of the organization including Directors, Officers, and/or Volunteers who was or is a party, or is threatened to be made a party to any proceeding, administrative or investigative, as such a person was or is an authorized representative of the organization. This indemnification against expenses, judgments, fines, and amount paid in settlements actually or reasonably incurred by such a representative of the organization is contingent upon the determination that such person acted in good faith and in a manner he/she believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the organization. With respect to any criminal proceeding, indemnified persons shall have had no cause to believe that their conduct was unlawful.

Section 2 – To satisfy indemnification obligations the organization may maintain insurance, obtain a letter of credit, act as a self-insurer, create a reserve trust, cash collateral, enter into indemnification agreements, or use any other arrangement whatsoever in such amounts, at such costs, and upon other terms and conditions that the Board shall deem appropriate.

Section 3 – This indemnification shall be made only if the organization shall be advised by its Board of Directors acting (1) by a quorum consisting of directors who are not parties to such action or proceeding upon a finding that, or (2) if a quorum under is not obtainable with due diligence, upon the opinion in writing of legal counsel that, the director or officer has met the foregoing applicable standard of conduct. If the foregoing determination is to be made by the Board of Directors, it may rely as to all questions of law, on the advice of independent legal counsel.

Article 10 – Amendments

These Bylaws may be amended when deemed necessary by 4/5 vote of the Board of Directors and ratified by 4/5 vote of the Ministry Team Amendments to Articles 2 and 8 require a unanimous vote of the Leadership Team. These amendments shall be made to a new version of this document. All versions shall be kept for reference.

Amendments to all other governing documents such as policy handbooks, applications for membership, or other documents describing or regulating membership or procedures related to membership, shall be approved by 4/5 vote of the Leadership Team. Any provisions which affect a member’s eligibility for membership or otherwise regulate a member’s behavior may not go into effect until the following school year, unless they are required by law or approved by unanimous vote of the Leadership Team with 100% quorum.

Amendments will take effect at the beginning of the next school year. School year is defined as being a period of time between the first day of classes and the last day of classes.

Article 11 – Conflict of Interest

Whenever a director or officer has a financial or personal interest in any matter coming before the Board of directors, the affected person shall a) fully disclose the nature of the interest and b) withdraw from discussion, lobbying, and voting on the matter. Any transaction or vote involving a potential conflict of interest shall be approved only when a majority of disinterested directors determine that it is in the best interest of the corporation to do so. The minutes of meetings at which such votes are taken shall record such disclosure, abstention and rationale for approval.