Constitution of the Christian Faculty-Staff Forum at Mississippi State University
Article I. Name
The name of this organization shall be "The Christian Faculty-Staff Forum” hereafter abbreviated CFSF.
Article II. Purposes
The purposes of CFSF shall be:
1. To represent The Lord Jesus Christ, the greatest Teacher the world has ever known, on the
campus of MSU, while maintaining the highest scholarship, research, and service.
2. To develop effective and appropriate means of Christian outreach to the campus.
3. To establish and maintain a unified, active, and influential Christian faculty-staff fellowship
and presence on campus.
4. To promote integrity on campus via a positive, Christian witness.
5. To minister to the needs of faculty, staff, and students in hopes of saving the spirit, soul,
and body.
6. To integrate Christianity in the academic setting to impact future leaders of the nation
and the world.
Article III. Statement of Faith
(This statement of faith is designed to establish a basic level of agreement upon which Christian faculty and staff can join together to accomplish CFSF's purposes. This Statement of Faith is not designed to encompass every detail of Christian doctrine, as matters outside its scope are left to the individual before God and His Word. This Statement of Faith is drawn from, and is in agreement with, the Apostle’s Creed [2nd Century]). http://www.reformed.org/documents/index.html
1. We believe that the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is the inspired, inerrant Word of
God. It is the final authority for all Christian living and for all matters upon, and to which, It
speaks.
2. We believe there is One True God, eternally existing in a Godhead of three Persons –
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – Each of Whom possesses all the attributes of Deity and the
characteristics of personality. We believe in the unity and trinity of the Godhead.
3. We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son. We believe in His pre-existence, His
incarnation, His virgin birth, His sinless life, His substitutionary sacrificial death for sinners,
His bodily resurrection from the grave, His ascension into heaven, and His imminent
Personal return from Heaven to rule and to judge.
4. We believe in the ministry of the Holy Spirit, Who convicts, regenerates, baptizes,
indwells, enlightens, teaches, and empowers believers for godly living.
5. We believe that man was created in the image of God, that he sinned in Adam, and that,
as a consequence of Adam’s sin, we are all sinners by nature and by choice.
6. We believe in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, without any human
contribution from our own human merit, works, or ceremonies.
7. We believe in the resurrection of the human body, the eternal existence of all people in
Heaven for divine reward, or in Hell for judgment.
Article IV. Statement of Emphasis
CFSF gives emphasis to these key activities within the University and surrounding community:
1. Pray for the members and the well-being of CFSF.
2. Seek to promote Christian love and acceptance to all.
3. Provide opportunities to equip and challenge Christian faculty and staff to be appropriate
ambassadors, ministers, and witnesses of the Gospel.
4. Maintain a Christian presence.
5. Support other Christ-centered organizations and activities.
6. Commit to fellowship with and/or mentor interested student(s) that God brings into our
lives.
7. Encourage ties to local Christian churches and act as ambassadors to help place students
into fellowship with the local body of Christ.
8. Provide a forum to encourage students, staff, and faculty to raise questions, present and
propose answers, share testimonies, encourage discussion, and/or edification.
9. Provide resources to those wanting to integrate Christianity in their academic setting.
10. Exercise our First Amendment rights on campus including freedoms of religion, speech,
assembly, and press.
11. Promote the Christian faith as Truth and encourage Christian scholarship in
confronting/debating other religions, philosophies, and cultures.
12. Promote other activities as deemed necessary (according to Scripture).
Article V. Membership in CFSF
1. Membership of CFSF shall be open to faculty and staff of Mississippi State University who
state agreement with:
A. The purposes of CFSF;
B. Its Statement of Faith.
2. Membership privileges include voting, giving input on policies and planned activities, and
participation in meetings and other CFSF functions.
3. REGULAR Members shall be those who support and/or are involved in CFSF activities, but
don’t pay annual dues.
4. FULL Members shall be those who support and are involved in CFSF activities and pay
annual dues.
5. FULL Members are eligible to run for election to the Steering Committee and to be
subsequently eligible for election as the Chair of the Steering Committee (and who
thereby serves as President of CFSF) or any other office deemed necessary by the Steering
Committee.
Article VI. Officers
The Steering Committee shall determine what officers, or their designees, are needed, shall gather nominations for all offices, and shall determine the duties, length of service, and all other aspects of each office.
Article VII. Steering Committee
1. The Steering Committee shall be the governing body of CFSF.
2. It shall consist of as many members as it shall determine.
3. A term on the Steering Committee shall be the duration of one current academic year
(August – July).
4. Elections for membership on the Steering Committee for the next year shall be announced
electronically near the end of the current academic year.
5. This election shall occur during the end of the SPRING term of the current academic year,
in accordance to details determined by the Steering Committee.
6. There shall be no limit on consecutive years a member in good standing may serve on any
committee or as an officer of any committee.
7. The election for the future Steering Committee shall be administered by the current
steering Committee.
8. Election to membership on the Steering Committee shall be conducted as follows:
B. The outgoing Steering Committee shall approve/recommend to the REGULAR
Membership, at least 2 weeks before the election, candidates to serve on the
incoming Steering Committee;
C. Nominees shall sign a statement attesting to:
C.1 Their willingness to serve as an officer of CFSF;
C.2 Their agreement with the CFSF Statement of Faith;
C.3 The Purposes of CFSF;
D. The membership shall vote on these candidates by e-mail on a day and manner
specified by the Steering Committee;
E. This vote shall occur after 2 weeks, to allow for discussion and debate;
F. The top vote recipients shall become the new members of the incoming Steering
Committee.
9. If an officer of the Steering Committee resigns, the Steering Committee shall appoint at
the next Steering Committee meeting an officer to fill that vacant position until the next
election cycle.
10. A member of the Steering Committee may be dismissed, by a simple majority (more than
50 percent; two-out-of-three, three-out-of-four, three-out-of-five, four-out-of-six, four-
out-of-seven, five-out-of-eight, etc.) affirming vote, when it is determined that he no
longer holds to the items in Articles II, III, or IV of this Constitution.
Article VIII. Dues
1. Annual dues shall be required of FULL members.
2. The amount of the dues shall be determined by the Steering Committee at the first official
meeting of the new year.
3. New FULL members may join at any time upon payment of a full year’s dues.
Article IX. Meetings
1. The Steering Committee shall meet at times and places as it deems necessary.
2. Christian standards of conduct shall be followed in all Steering Committee
business.
3. A Steering Committee meeting may occur with only two members attending, but no
permanent, binding decisions shall be made at meetings attended by less than three
members and by an affirmative vote of greater than 50 percent.
4. All appropriate details (time, place, purpose, etc.) of general membership meetings and/or
functions shall be publicized by the Steering Committee at least 2 weeks before each
event.
Article X. Minutes, Records, and Accounts
1. The Secretary of the Steering Committee, or his designee, shall:
2. The Treasurer of the Steering Committee, or his designee, shall:
A. Make payments incurred by CFSF;
B. Maintain a record of all financial transactions and accounts, receipts, property records,
dues, and charitable donations;
C. Maintain a checking account in which the treasurer or his designee shall sign
checks;
D. Establish and maintain CFSF as a non-profit organization and file IRS reports annually or
as required;
E. Maintain an accurate and current expense log;
F. Issue an annual financial report (and other summary reports
as requested) to the Steering Committee;
G. CFSF funds shall not be loaned to any individual or group within or outside the CFSF
organization, nor be dispersed for any purpose, without the simple majority approval
of the Steering Committee.
3. All accounts and records shall be maintained securely by the Secretary and Treasurer
and shall be made available to the Steering Committee, upon its request.
4. The Steering Committee may decline donations.
Article XI. Sub-Committees
1. The Steering Committee, shall have authority to establish any sub-committees deemed
necessary to assist in carrying out the purposes and goals of CFSF; e.g., membership
programs, function planning, fund-raising activities, outreach, etc.
2. Sub-Committees shall not have power to establish policy or change this Constitution.
Article XII. Relationship to other related Christian ministries
1. CFSF shall seek to work cooperatively with, and assist the outreach and service of, those
Christian ministries that agree with the goals and activities of CFSF.
2. The extent of such assistance, outreach, and service shall be dependent on the amount of
resources that CFSF has available at that time.
3. CFSF shall not go into debt for any reason.
Article XIII. Amending the Constitution
1. The power to alter, amend, change, modify or repeal this Constitution, or any part
thereof, is vested in the Steering Committee.
2. Such power shall be exercised by a simple majority of the Steering Committee voting
In favor of the proposal.
3. The Amendment process shall be as follows:
A. Proposed changes shall be submitted, in writing, to the Steering Committee by any
member of CFSF;
B. The President of CFSF (Chair of the Steering Committee) shall make the proposal known
to all members of the Steering Committee, in writing, after receiving the proposal;
C. The President shall schedule a vote on the proposed resolution;
D. This vote shall occur after 2 weeks (to allow for discussion and debate);
E. A simple majority of affirmative votes shall be required in order for the amendment to
be accepted as passed by the Steering Committee.
Article XIV. Dissolution
1. CFSF shall be dissolved by a simple majority affirmative vote to that affect by the
Steering Committee and in consultation with the general membership of CFSF.
2. Grounds for dissolution include:
A. The group as a whole no longer holds to the goals and purposes of CFSF or to its
Statement of Faith as contained in this Constitution;
B. A prolonged (2 plus years) loss of commitment of the leadership and
membership of CFSF to its goals and purposes exists.
3. In the event of dissolution,
A. All legitimate, genuine financial obligations shall be paid; and
B. All remaining money shall be donated to any bonafide Christian ministry whose
objectives, purposes, and behavior are consistent with God's Word and this
Constitution, as determined by the Steering Committee.
May 11, 2011
Article I. Name
The name of this organization shall be "The Christian Faculty-Staff Forum” hereafter abbreviated CFSF.
Article II. Purposes
The purposes of CFSF shall be:
1. To represent The Lord Jesus Christ, the greatest Teacher the world has ever known, on the
campus of MSU, while maintaining the highest scholarship, research, and service.
2. To develop effective and appropriate means of Christian outreach to the campus.
3. To establish and maintain a unified, active, and influential Christian faculty-staff fellowship
and presence on campus.
4. To promote integrity on campus via a positive, Christian witness.
5. To minister to the needs of faculty, staff, and students in hopes of saving the spirit, soul,
and body.
6. To integrate Christianity in the academic setting to impact future leaders of the nation
and the world.
Article III. Statement of Faith
(This statement of faith is designed to establish a basic level of agreement upon which Christian faculty and staff can join together to accomplish CFSF's purposes. This Statement of Faith is not designed to encompass every detail of Christian doctrine, as matters outside its scope are left to the individual before God and His Word. This Statement of Faith is drawn from, and is in agreement with, the Apostle’s Creed [2nd Century]). http://www.reformed.org/documents/index.html
1. We believe that the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is the inspired, inerrant Word of
God. It is the final authority for all Christian living and for all matters upon, and to which, It
speaks.
2. We believe there is One True God, eternally existing in a Godhead of three Persons –
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – Each of Whom possesses all the attributes of Deity and the
characteristics of personality. We believe in the unity and trinity of the Godhead.
3. We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son. We believe in His pre-existence, His
incarnation, His virgin birth, His sinless life, His substitutionary sacrificial death for sinners,
His bodily resurrection from the grave, His ascension into heaven, and His imminent
Personal return from Heaven to rule and to judge.
4. We believe in the ministry of the Holy Spirit, Who convicts, regenerates, baptizes,
indwells, enlightens, teaches, and empowers believers for godly living.
5. We believe that man was created in the image of God, that he sinned in Adam, and that,
as a consequence of Adam’s sin, we are all sinners by nature and by choice.
6. We believe in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, without any human
contribution from our own human merit, works, or ceremonies.
7. We believe in the resurrection of the human body, the eternal existence of all people in
Heaven for divine reward, or in Hell for judgment.
Article IV. Statement of Emphasis
CFSF gives emphasis to these key activities within the University and surrounding community:
1. Pray for the members and the well-being of CFSF.
2. Seek to promote Christian love and acceptance to all.
3. Provide opportunities to equip and challenge Christian faculty and staff to be appropriate
ambassadors, ministers, and witnesses of the Gospel.
4. Maintain a Christian presence.
5. Support other Christ-centered organizations and activities.
6. Commit to fellowship with and/or mentor interested student(s) that God brings into our
lives.
7. Encourage ties to local Christian churches and act as ambassadors to help place students
into fellowship with the local body of Christ.
8. Provide a forum to encourage students, staff, and faculty to raise questions, present and
propose answers, share testimonies, encourage discussion, and/or edification.
9. Provide resources to those wanting to integrate Christianity in their academic setting.
10. Exercise our First Amendment rights on campus including freedoms of religion, speech,
assembly, and press.
11. Promote the Christian faith as Truth and encourage Christian scholarship in
confronting/debating other religions, philosophies, and cultures.
12. Promote other activities as deemed necessary (according to Scripture).
Article V. Membership in CFSF
1. Membership of CFSF shall be open to faculty and staff of Mississippi State University who
state agreement with:
A. The purposes of CFSF;
B. Its Statement of Faith.
2. Membership privileges include voting, giving input on policies and planned activities, and
participation in meetings and other CFSF functions.
3. REGULAR Members shall be those who support and/or are involved in CFSF activities, but
don’t pay annual dues.
4. FULL Members shall be those who support and are involved in CFSF activities and pay
annual dues.
5. FULL Members are eligible to run for election to the Steering Committee and to be
subsequently eligible for election as the Chair of the Steering Committee (and who
thereby serves as President of CFSF) or any other office deemed necessary by the Steering
Committee.
Article VI. Officers
The Steering Committee shall determine what officers, or their designees, are needed, shall gather nominations for all offices, and shall determine the duties, length of service, and all other aspects of each office.
Article VII. Steering Committee
1. The Steering Committee shall be the governing body of CFSF.
2. It shall consist of as many members as it shall determine.
3. A term on the Steering Committee shall be the duration of one current academic year
(August – July).
4. Elections for membership on the Steering Committee for the next year shall be announced
electronically near the end of the current academic year.
5. This election shall occur during the end of the SPRING term of the current academic year,
in accordance to details determined by the Steering Committee.
6. There shall be no limit on consecutive years a member in good standing may serve on any
committee or as an officer of any committee.
7. The election for the future Steering Committee shall be administered by the current
steering Committee.
8. Election to membership on the Steering Committee shall be conducted as follows:
- The REGULAR membership may recommend to the Steering Committee, candidates for the Steering Committee;
B. The outgoing Steering Committee shall approve/recommend to the REGULAR
Membership, at least 2 weeks before the election, candidates to serve on the
incoming Steering Committee;
C. Nominees shall sign a statement attesting to:
C.1 Their willingness to serve as an officer of CFSF;
C.2 Their agreement with the CFSF Statement of Faith;
C.3 The Purposes of CFSF;
D. The membership shall vote on these candidates by e-mail on a day and manner
specified by the Steering Committee;
E. This vote shall occur after 2 weeks, to allow for discussion and debate;
F. The top vote recipients shall become the new members of the incoming Steering
Committee.
9. If an officer of the Steering Committee resigns, the Steering Committee shall appoint at
the next Steering Committee meeting an officer to fill that vacant position until the next
election cycle.
10. A member of the Steering Committee may be dismissed, by a simple majority (more than
50 percent; two-out-of-three, three-out-of-four, three-out-of-five, four-out-of-six, four-
out-of-seven, five-out-of-eight, etc.) affirming vote, when it is determined that he no
longer holds to the items in Articles II, III, or IV of this Constitution.
Article VIII. Dues
1. Annual dues shall be required of FULL members.
2. The amount of the dues shall be determined by the Steering Committee at the first official
meeting of the new year.
3. New FULL members may join at any time upon payment of a full year’s dues.
Article IX. Meetings
1. The Steering Committee shall meet at times and places as it deems necessary.
2. Christian standards of conduct shall be followed in all Steering Committee
business.
3. A Steering Committee meeting may occur with only two members attending, but no
permanent, binding decisions shall be made at meetings attended by less than three
members and by an affirmative vote of greater than 50 percent.
4. All appropriate details (time, place, purpose, etc.) of general membership meetings and/or
functions shall be publicized by the Steering Committee at least 2 weeks before each
event.
Article X. Minutes, Records, and Accounts
1. The Secretary of the Steering Committee, or his designee, shall:
- Maintain minutes, records, and archive of CFSF actions;
- Maintain other documents necessary and pertaining to its affairs.
2. The Treasurer of the Steering Committee, or his designee, shall:
A. Make payments incurred by CFSF;
B. Maintain a record of all financial transactions and accounts, receipts, property records,
dues, and charitable donations;
C. Maintain a checking account in which the treasurer or his designee shall sign
checks;
D. Establish and maintain CFSF as a non-profit organization and file IRS reports annually or
as required;
E. Maintain an accurate and current expense log;
F. Issue an annual financial report (and other summary reports
as requested) to the Steering Committee;
G. CFSF funds shall not be loaned to any individual or group within or outside the CFSF
organization, nor be dispersed for any purpose, without the simple majority approval
of the Steering Committee.
3. All accounts and records shall be maintained securely by the Secretary and Treasurer
and shall be made available to the Steering Committee, upon its request.
4. The Steering Committee may decline donations.
Article XI. Sub-Committees
1. The Steering Committee, shall have authority to establish any sub-committees deemed
necessary to assist in carrying out the purposes and goals of CFSF; e.g., membership
programs, function planning, fund-raising activities, outreach, etc.
2. Sub-Committees shall not have power to establish policy or change this Constitution.
Article XII. Relationship to other related Christian ministries
1. CFSF shall seek to work cooperatively with, and assist the outreach and service of, those
Christian ministries that agree with the goals and activities of CFSF.
2. The extent of such assistance, outreach, and service shall be dependent on the amount of
resources that CFSF has available at that time.
3. CFSF shall not go into debt for any reason.
Article XIII. Amending the Constitution
1. The power to alter, amend, change, modify or repeal this Constitution, or any part
thereof, is vested in the Steering Committee.
2. Such power shall be exercised by a simple majority of the Steering Committee voting
In favor of the proposal.
3. The Amendment process shall be as follows:
A. Proposed changes shall be submitted, in writing, to the Steering Committee by any
member of CFSF;
B. The President of CFSF (Chair of the Steering Committee) shall make the proposal known
to all members of the Steering Committee, in writing, after receiving the proposal;
C. The President shall schedule a vote on the proposed resolution;
D. This vote shall occur after 2 weeks (to allow for discussion and debate);
E. A simple majority of affirmative votes shall be required in order for the amendment to
be accepted as passed by the Steering Committee.
Article XIV. Dissolution
1. CFSF shall be dissolved by a simple majority affirmative vote to that affect by the
Steering Committee and in consultation with the general membership of CFSF.
2. Grounds for dissolution include:
A. The group as a whole no longer holds to the goals and purposes of CFSF or to its
Statement of Faith as contained in this Constitution;
B. A prolonged (2 plus years) loss of commitment of the leadership and
membership of CFSF to its goals and purposes exists.
3. In the event of dissolution,
A. All legitimate, genuine financial obligations shall be paid; and
B. All remaining money shall be donated to any bonafide Christian ministry whose
objectives, purposes, and behavior are consistent with God's Word and this
Constitution, as determined by the Steering Committee.
May 11, 2011