The Constitution

The constitution is the technical definition of how the CU should be run, so it has details about how to run various meeting types, how to elect a new committee, how to welcome new members, etc...

The constitution is available to download as a PDF.

  1. The Name

    The full name of the society shall be 'Bath University Christian Union', hereafter referred to as BUCU.

  2. Aims

    1. To know Christ

      • Unity: To unite Christians in the University.

      • Spiritual Growth: To deepen and strengthen spiritual life through Bible teaching, study and prayer, so that the Holy Spirit may increase our likeness to Christ in character, behaviour and effective witness.

      • Commitment to Truth: To explore and assert biblical truth, and to apply it to every issue of private and working life and public concern.

    2. To make Christ known

      • Evangelism: to proclaim Jesus Christ as God Incarnate, Saviour and Lord, and to seek to lead others to a personal faith in Him.

      • World Mission: to obey God's commission to go into all the world with the Gospel, sharing in this privilege by giving, praying and serving in every area of life to which He calls us.

  3. Membership

    All BUCU meetings shall be open to all members of the University.

    1. Full Membership: This shall be open to all students of the Bath area, including those on placement.

    2. Associate Membership: This shall be open to all of the University staff and to the husbands or wives of full or associate members.

    3. Honorary Membership: This shall be open to all who were Full Members but no longer study at the University.

    All members defined in sections [a], [b] and [c] shall be required to conscientiously sign the following declaration:

    In joining BUCU I declare my faith in Jesus Christ as my Saviour, my Lord and my God, and I will seek in my thoughts and actions to be ruled by the teaching of the Bible.

    The committee shall reserve the right to refuse membership of the BUCU to any person. Such a decision can be revoked by agreement of three-quarters of those present and voting at a General Meeting.

  4. Basis

    The Doctrinal Basis of the fundamental truths of the Christian faith including:

    • The unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in the Godhead.

    • The sovereignty of God in creation, revelation, redemption and final judgement.

    • The divine inspiration and infallibility of Holy Scripture, as originally given, and its supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

    • The Universal sinfulness and guilt of human nature since the fall, rendering man subject to God's wrath and condemnation.

    • The full deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, His virgin birth and His real and sinless humanity, His death on the cross, His bodily resurrection and His present reign in heaven and earth.

    • Redemption from the guilt, penalty and power of sin only through the sacrificial death, once and for all time, of our representative and substitute, Jesus Christ, the only mediator between God and man.

    • Justification as God's act of undeserved mercy, in which the sinner is pardoned all their sins and accepted as righteous in God's sight, only because of the righteousness of Christ imputed to them, this justification being received by faith alone.

    • The need for the Holy Spirit to make the work of Christ effective to the individual sinner, granting him repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ.

    • The indwelling of the Holy Spirit in all those thus regenerated, producing in them an increasing likeness to Christ in character and behaviour, and empowering them for their witness in the world.

    • The one holy universal Church, which is the Body of Christ, and to which all true believers belong.

    • The future personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge all men, executing God's just condemnation on the impenitent and receiving the redeemed to eternal glory.

    All leaders within BUCU - committee members, Bible study group leaders, nurture and enquiry group leaders should have signed this Doctrinal Basis as a sign of their agreement with it.

  5. Affiliation

    BUCU shall be affiliated to the University and Colleges Christian Fellowship.

  6. Committee

    The committee shall consist of a President, Secretary, Treasurer and any other officers deemed necessary and approved by the committee. The full committee shall be structured as sub-committees as deemed necessary and approved by the committee.

    A meeting of the full committee shall be deemed quorate when two-thirds of all committee members are present, including the President and Secretary.

    A sub-committee meeting shall be deemed quorate when two thirds of that sub-committee are present, including the nominated chairperson of that sub-committee.

    The members of the committee shall hold office until the next AGM when they will be eligible for re-election.

  7. Annual General Meeting

    1. BUCU shall hold a general meeting of BUCU for all members in the month of January, February, March or April every academic year.

    2. This meeting shall be called the AGM and shall receive:

      • Minutes of the previous AGM

      • President's annual report.

      • Treasurer's annual report.

      • Election of committee members.

      • Any other business.

    3. A written copy of the President's Report shall be included in the minutes.

    4. The date, time and venue of the AGM shall be publicised to all full members present at the University at least fourteen days prior to the AGM.

    5. A quorum shall consist of one half of the number of full members present in the University. Full members returning from placement to attend the AGM may be included in this quorum.

  8. Extraordinary General Meeting

    An Extraordinary General Meeting of BUCU may be called by any ten full members, by giving the Secretary of the committee two weeks written notice of business to be transacted. The date, time, venue and details of business shall be publicised to all full members present at the University, at least seven days in advance.

  9. Election

    1. Election of committee members shall take place annually, normally at the AGM.

    2. Nominees shall be full members of BUCU and shall be required to signify their personal agreement with the Doctrinal Basis of Faith by signing it.

    3. In the autumn term a list of the committee post to be filled will be circulated. Any full member may nominate any other full member to post on the committee. The committee will prayerfully consider the nominations and, having had the consent of the chosen nominees, will produce a list of candidates (one candidate per post) two weeks prior to the AGM.

    4. Full members only may vote. Voting shall be carried out by secret ballot except in the case of postal voting.

    5. Postal voting may only take place in writing, and when a member cannot be present at the AGM or EGM at which the vote will take place. A completed and signed voting form must be received by the Secretary prior to the AGM or EGM.

    6. Applications for membership will not be considered during the six days before an AGM or EGM.

    7. If, by the time that nominations close no nominations are submitted for one or more posts, election shall proceed for the remaining posts. A further election at a subsequent General Meeting shall be held at the earliest possible opportunity. If the election is postponed on two occasions as a result of the meetings being inquorate, then the committee shall be able to co-opt a member onto the committee to fill the post.

    8. A majority of three-quarters of those present and voting is required for candidates to be elected to a post.

    9. In the event of a candidate not attaining the required majority, the nomination procedure will be repeated for the post and a further election at a subsequent General Meeting shall be held at the earliest possible opportunity.

    10. If a committee post falls vacant between AGMs, then the committee shall be able to co-opt a further member onto the committee to fill the post. In the even of the President's post falling vacant, the new President shall ideally be a member of the existing BUCU committee.

    11. In the event of a President going on placement during his term of office it will be possible to elect a temporary President, who will assume the post for that period only. The two positions will be elected as one post.

  10. Finance

    The financial need of BUCU shall normally be met by its members. The Treasurer shall keep accounts, which shall be audited by a senior friend of BUCU, and, after being signed by the auditor, Chairman and Treasurer, shall be presented to the members of BUCU at the AGM, in the form of a balance sheet, which shall be included in the meeting.

  11. Co-operation with other Organisations

    1. BUCU shall co-operate officially only with such other religious organisations that substantially uphold the truths stated in the Doctrinal Basis.

    2. BUCU will actively promote co-operation with other Christian societies of students in the Bath area.

    3. BUCU will seek to associate closely with the evangelical churches in the Bath area.

  12. Speakers

    Any speaker at a meeting of BUCU who has been invited to give a Christian perspective on a particular topic must acknowledge their agreement with the Doctrinal Basis.

  13. Amendments

    Notice of intention to alter the Constitution in any form may be undertaken only by a full member and shall be submitted to the Secretary in writing together with the signatures of at least ten other full members of BUCU not less than fourteen days before a General Meeting at which the motion is to be considered. The Secretary shall provide no less than seven days notice of the proposed amendment to all the members of BUCU in the College and all honorary members. No alteration shall be made in the Constitution except by the agreement of three-quarters of those present and voting at the General Meeting. The committee shall retain the power of vote on any constitutional change which is accepted at the meeting.