From a long series of experiences, we, the United Baptist Churches of Jesus Christ, being regularly baptized upon the profession of our faith in Christ, are convinced of the necessity of a combination of churches in order to perpetuate union and communion among us and to preserve and maintain a correspondence with each other in our union.  We, therefore, purpose to maintain and keep the orders and rules of an association, according to the following plan or form of government.

     1^st:  The Association to be composed of the members duly chosen by the churches in our union, and sent to represent them in the Association who are to be members whom they may judge best qualified for that purpose and producing letters from their respective churches certifying their appointment are entitled to a seat.

     2^nd:  The letters from the different churches to express their number in full fellowship – those baptized, received by letter, dismissed, ex-communicated or dead since last Association.

     3^rd:  The members thus chosen and convened to be denominated THE CENTRAL MISSOURI ASSOCIATION OF UNITED BAPTISTS, being composed of sundry churches lying and being in State of Missouri and Illinois, who are to have no power to lord it over God’s,

heritages; nor are they to have classical power over the churches, nor to infringe on any of the internal rights of the churches in our union; nevertheless, it becomes necessary in some cases to have a uniform rule of proceeding; this is, in case where an offense may be committed either by an individual church, or an individual member of a church which affects any of the sister churches in the union, that the church or individual so offending may be brought to trial, and their case determined upon by the rules prescribed in the Gospel, referred to in Matthew xviii, and other Scriptures concerning discipline for the bringing to trial and determining upon the case on an individual or an individual church.

     4^th:  The Association, when convened, is to be governed and ruled by a proper decorum, which they are authorized to form for themselves.

     5^th:  The Association to have a Moderator and Clerk who are to be chosen by the suffrages of the members present.

     6^th:  New churches may be admitted into this Association who are to petition by letter and delegate, and upon examination, if found orthodox and orderly, may be received by the Association, and manifested by the Moderator giving the right hand of fellowship.

     7^th:  Every church in this union is entitled to representation in the Association.

     8^th:  Every query presented by any church in the Association is to be read, and before it is debated the delegates from said church are to state or open the nature of the query to the Association; then the Moderator is to put the vote, and if there be a majority for its being debated, it may be taken into consideration and be debated, but if a majority are against it, it is to be withdrawn.

     N.B.-We advise the churches not to send any query to this Association but what has been debated in their own churches and cannot be determined upon with satisfaction.

     9^th:  Every motion made and seconded is to come under the consideration of the Association except it be withdrawn by the member who made it.

     10^th:  The Association is to furnish the churches with the minutes of the Association, the best method for effecting that purpose to be at the discretion of the future Associations.

     11^th:  We think it necessary that we should have an Association fund for defraying the expenses of the same; for the raising and supporting of which we think it the duty of the churches in the union to contribute such sums of money as they may think proper and send by the hand of their delegates to the Association; and those moneys thus contributed by the churches are to be deposited into the hands of the Treasurer, by the Association appointed, who is to be accountable to the Association for all moneys received by him and paid out according to the directions of the Association.

     12^th:  There is to be an Association book kept wherein the proceedings of every Association are to be regularly recorded by a secretary appointed by the Association, who may receive a compensation yearly for his trouble.

     13^th:  The minutes of the Association to be read and corrected, if need be, and signed by the Moderator and Clerk before the Association arises.

     14^th:  It is the business of the Association:  I.  To provide for the general union of the churches; II.  To observe inviolably a chain of communion amongst the churches in order to attain the desired end.  We think it most advisable that the churches be constituted by presbyteries from at least two churches in the union among whom there are at least two ordained ministers and that ministers be ordained by at least two ministers in the union who have the pastoral care of churches or who officiate in the office of Pastor; III.  To give the churches all necessary advice in matters of difficulty; and if the church or churches to whom the Association gives such advice cannot receive it, they may send it back again to the next Association with their objections and it is to be reconsidered; IV.  To inquire into the cause why the churches do not represent themselves in the Association; V.  To appropriate those moneys by the churches contributed for an Association fund to anything they think proper; VI.  To appoint any member or members by and with their consent to transact any business they may think necessary; VII.  The Association has power to withdraw from any church in this union which may violate the rules of the Association, or deviate from the orthodox principles of religion, whose determination is to be by a majority of members present; VIII.  To admit any of the distant Brethren in the ministry and assistants, who may be present at their sitting, whom they may judge qualified; IX.  This Association agrees to do all her business by a majority, except in the reception of churches but in that case by unanimous voice; X.  The Association has power to adjourn to any future time and place they may think most convenient to the churches; XI.  Amendments to this plan or form of government may be made at any time by a majority of the churches when they may think necessary.