NEAS | Constitution and Bylaws

NEAS Constitution

(Amended 2023)

Article I. Name and Incorporation

The name of the organization shall be the Near East Archaeological Society (NEAS), incorporated under the laws of the State of Illinois.

Article II. Purposes and Statement of Faith

A. Purposes of the society:

To stimulate interest in and broaden knowledge of Near Eastern and biblical archaeology.
To provide fellowship for those interested in Near Eastern and biblical archaeology.
To encourage and foster archaeology conferences.
To present current archaeological information through publications, lectures, and seminars.
To endorse and financially support excavations in Bible lands as resources permit.

B. Statement of faith: “The Bible alone, and the Bible in its entirety, is the Word of God written and is therefore inerrant in the autographs. God is a Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each an un-created person, one in essence, equal in power and glory.”

Article III. Membership

Membership requires the payment of annual dues. Categories of membership include the following:

A. Professional members have earned a doctorate or master’s degree from an accredited institution or contributed to the field of archaeology through research or excavation and agree with the society’s statement of faith.

B. Student members are enrolled in college or graduate school and agree with the scholarly purposes of the society and its statement of faith.

C. Associate (non-voting) members do not qualify for professional or student membership but agree with the scholarly purposes of the society even if they do not fully subscribe to the statement of faith.

D. Corporate/institutional (non-voting) members are schools and other organizations that support the society’s work.

Article IV. Corporate Structure

A. A board of directors shall be elected at the society’s annual meeting as specified in the bylaws.

B. An executive committee shall be established by the board of directors.

C. The NEAS is a distinctly evangelical Christian organization. Members who accept a nomination to the board of directors or the executive committee are expected to exhibit biblical principles and faith.

D. The executive committee shall establish committees as needed.

Article V. Annual Meeting

The annual meeting shall be held in association with the meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society or at other times and places as determined by the board of directors.

Article VI. Board of Directors

A. The board of directors shall have at least nine members, each serving a three-year term on a rotating basis.

B. Policy decisions shall be made by the board of directors and implemented by the executive committee.

C. Members of the board of directors shall attend the board meetings. A member who misses two consecutive annual meetings shall be removed from the board by a majority vote of the attending members of the board of directors, and a new director shall be appointed by the board of directors to serve the remainder of the term.

Article VII. Executive Committee

The executive committee conducts its business between annual meetings.

Article VIII. Amendments

The constitution may be amended by a majority vote of the members at the annual meeting.

Article IX. Bylaws

The executive committee shall recommend bylaws to the board of directors for approval.

NEAS Bylaws

(Amended 2023)

Article I. Purposes and Statement of Faith

A. Purposes of the society:

To stimulate interest in and broaden knowledge of Near Eastern and biblical archaeology.
To provide fellowship for those interested in Near Eastern and biblical archaeology.
To encourage and foster archaeology conferences.
To present current archaeological information through publications, lectures, and seminars.
To endorse and financially support excavations in Bible lands as resources permit.

Article II. Membership

A. Society members consist of eligible individuals who pay the annual dues.

B. The annual meetings of members and directors shall be held concurrently.

C. Only professional and student members are eligible to vote.

D. The membership chair, in cooperation with the president and secretary, manages the membership renewal process and keeps the membership roster updated.

Article III. Meetings

A. The annual meeting shall be held in association with the meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society or at other times and places as determined by the board of directors.

B. A board meeting and general membership meeting will be held at the annual conference. Members can attend and participate face-to-face or virtually.

C. A program committee, consisting of a chair and the executive committee, shall coordinate the pro-gram of the annual meeting.

Article IV. Election

A. The board of directors shall elect NEAS officers at the annual meeting.

B. The members shall elect directors at the annual meeting.

Article V. Officers

A. The society’s officers shall be president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, membership chair, publications chair, nominations chair, and program chair.

B. Officers shall be elected at the annual meeting and shall serve the following terms:

The president and vice president shall serve three years with the possibility of being reelected for a second term.
Other officers shall serve five years with the possibility of being reelected for a second term.

Article VI. Duties of Officers

A. The president or a designee shall notify members of the time, place, and agenda of meetings; pre-side at meetings or request the vice president to preside; represent the society when necessary; be responsible for publicity; and call executive committee meetings. The president shall be an ex-officio member of every committee.

B. The vice president shall assume the duties of the president in the president’s absence, or at the request of the president.

C. The secretary shall record the minutes of each meeting and carry on or delegate necessary corre-spondence. He or she will ensure the timely renewal of corporate filings. An assistant secretary may be named.

D. The treasurer shall collect and disburse funds, keep an accurate record thereof, and provide an annual report to the members and a quarterly report to the executive committee. An assistant treas-urer may be named.

E. The membership chair shall maintain an accurate membership roster and communicate with mem-bers regarding their dues.

F. The publications chair shall oversee the society’s publications, including NEASB, Artifax, and other publications.

G. The nominations chair shall vet and recommend members to serve on the board of directors and directors to serve as officers.

H. The program chair shall organize the annual meeting program in coordination with the executive committee.

Article VII. Executive Committee

A. The executive committee shall consist of all officers.

B. The executive committee shall meet whenever the president calls a meeting or when one is re-quested by another officer.

C. The executive committee shall schedule meetings and direct the affairs of the society throughout the year.

D. The executive committee can appoint commissions or committees as the needs arise.

E. Executive committee meetings may be face-to-face or digital/virtual.

Article VIII. Editorial Committee

A. An editorial committee, consisting of the publications chair and the executive committee, shall coordinate the society’s publications.

B. The society’s publications include the following:

Near East Archaeological Society Bulletin (NEASB), an academic journal of articles, excavation reports, and book reviews, published annually or more frequently.
Artifax, an evangelical news digest and commentary on the Holy Land, published quarterly.
Other publications that the society chooses to create.

C. Editors of NEAS publications shall be appointed by the executive committee and approved by the board of directors.

Article IX. Amendments

The bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the members at the annual meeting.

NEAS_Constitution_and_Bylaws_2023.pdf