A Texas Baptist History Sourcebook: A Companion to McBeth's Texas Baptists

Chapter 4. PROGRESS AMIDST PROBLEMS, 1848 - 1868

86 4.1 The Baptist State Convention With victories realized in the advent of the UnionAssociation and Baylor University at Independence, the Baptists of Texas began to believe that they needed a larger organizational body to accomplish their ministerial goals on a statewide level. These desires led to the first Baptist Association of Texas in 1848, the Baptist State Convention. Despite their most ardent desires to serve the entire state, the BSC’s greatest strength and emphasis would always lie in Southwest Texas and the Gulf Coast regions. This emphasis was made obvious by the fact that every two years the BSC was scheduled to meet in Independence. The Constitution of the Baptist State Convention—1848 Article 1. This body shall be called the “Baptist State Convention of Texas.” 2. The objects of the Convention shall be missionary and educational , the promotion of harmony of feeling and concert of action in our denomination, and the organization of a system of operative measures to promote the interest generally, of the Redeemer’s Kingdom, within the State. 3. The Convention shall be composed only of members of Baptist churches in Good standing. 4. Any member of a Baptist church may be a member of the Convention , upon the payment of five dollars, and shall be entitled to life C H A P T E R 4 Progress Amidst Problems, 1848–1868 membership upon the payment of twenty-five dollars at any one time. Any association, church or society, shall be entitled to one representative in the Convention for every five dollars contributed to its funds; and any church belonging to an association, shall be entitled to one representative , without a contribution. 5. All donations to the Convention shall be sacredly appropriated in accordance with the wish of the donor. 6. The officers of the Convention shall be a president, three vicepresidents , a corresponding secretary, a recording secretary, and a treasurer , who shall be annually elected by ballot; but shall hold their office till others are elected; which officers shall be ex-officio members of the board of directors. 7. It shall be the duty of the president to preside over the deliberations of the convention and the board of directors, and to discharge such duties as are generally incumbent upon this office in deliberative assemblies . He shall appoint committees in office in deliberative assemblies. He shall appoint committees in all cases, except when the convention shall otherwise determine. In the absence of the president one of the vice-presidents shall thus preside, and the one entitled to the office shall be determined by seniority of age. 8. It shall be the duty of the corresponding secretary to conduct all the correspondence of the Convention and board of directors. He shall make an annual report in writing of the same, embodying therein such matter or information as he may deem important. 9. It shall be the duty of the recording secretary to keep in a book, suitable for the purpose, a correct record of the proceedings of the Convention and board of directors, and to file and keep such papers as he may deem important to be preserved. 10. It shall be the duty of the treasurer to take charge of all moneys, specialties, and property belonging to the convention, and to make such disposition of the same as he shall be directed the by Convention or board of directors. He shall not make any disposition of money or property without an order signed by the presiding officer and recording secretary . He shall make an annual statement in writing to the Convention, of his official acts, and of his receipts and disbursements. THE BAPTIST STATE CONVENTION ⁄ 87 88 ⁄ PROGRESS AMIDST PROBLEMS, 1848–1868 11. The Convention shall annually elect by ballot a board of directors , of not less than twenty members, whose duty it shall be to act in the recess of the Convention, and whose powers shall be the same as those of the Convention; they shall not do any thing inconsistent with the constitution , nor contrary to the objects and intentions of the Convention. It shall be their duty to meet once in every four months, and oftener if they deem it necessary. They shall keep a record of their proceedings and make an annual report in writing, to the Convention, of the same. They shall make their own by-laws. Eight members shall constitute a quorum to do...