The Church Members’ Covenant
For the glory of God, we at Agape Fellowship pursue Christlikeness in all of life, aim to make disciples of all nations, and work to transform our community – all by the power of the Spirit
through the Word.
Having each been saved by the grace of God and having been united as one church, a body of Christ, out of love for God and one another we have made this solemn covenant:
We covenant together to live for the glory of God in all things. We will joyfully assemble on the Lord’s Day to worship the Lord as the Body of Christ unless providentially hindered. We aspire to love the Lord our God with all our being, to love one another as Christ has loved us, and to love our neighbors.
We covenant together to pursue Christlikeness in all of life. We resolve to practice personal and family worship: abiding in the Word personally, training our children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, and serving our spouses with love and respect. We will abide by the standards of biblical sexual purity in all relationships. We will pursue honesty and integrity in all our conduct.
We covenant to labor to make disciples of all nations. Having been given amazing grace, and we will tell others of the amazing grace for salvation that can only be found in Jesus Christ. We will seek to make disciples of our family members, neighbors, coworkers, and all that God in His providence places in our paths. We will support missions both locally and abroad to make disciples among all nations.
We covenant to labor for the transformation of our community. We are committed to sacrificial and regular giving to support the teaching of God’s Word and the work of evangelism. In every area of life, we will live as salt and light, reflecting the glory of God and His truth in our lives.
We covenant together to do all the above, not relying on our might, wisdom, or means, but on the power of God through His Spirit and Word.
In all these, we covenant to watch over our souls and the souls of our brothers and sisters. In brotherly love, we will help one another in times of hardship and rejoice with one another in times of blessing. We will resolve disputes according to biblical practices and in a spirit of love.
Statements of Faith
Baptist Faith and Message 2000 (updated 2023)
Preamble
This Constitution and Bylaws are made to:
- Preserve and secure the principles of our faith as contained completely in the holy scriptures and summarized in our statements of faith.
- Preserve the liberties of each individual member of the church.
- Ensure freedom of action and independence from any religious body or organization.
- Provide for the orderly conduct of internal affairs, dealings with others, and governing church members and officers as they all pursue the glory of God.
- Name and affiliation
The name of this church shall be Agape Fellowship, INCORPORATED, a not-for-profit religious organization.
The address of the church services shall be 6000 Bear Cub Court, Wasilla, Alaska.
- Purpose
For the glory of God, we at Agape Fellowship pursue Christlikeness in all of life, seek to make disciples of all nations, and work to transform our community – all by the power of the Word and the Spirit of God.
- We worship God corporately on the Lord’s Day (Sundays) as normalized in the New Testament to commemorate Jesus’ resurrection on the morning of the first day of the week. We hold this weekly in-person gathering of the church to be a sacred gathering and an essential part of our religious duty. (Lk. 24:1; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2; Rev. 1:10)
- We proclaim the gospel to all and direct people to receive Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior from their sins. (John 1:12; Matt. 28:19-20; Rom. 1:18, 10:9-15)
- We minister to the needs of our members, seeking to present every member mature in Christ, and as a fitting and acceptable sacrifice of worship. (Rom. 12:1-2; Eph. 5:27; Col. 1:28)
- We minister to the needs within the Palmer-Wasilla community as able. Our primary way of ministering to our community is through the proclamation of the gospel, as mentioned above. Also, we instruct our members to live as godly people so that they may be salt and light in the world. We seek to care for the needs of the poor, oppressed, and marginalized. We seek to honor the Imago Dei that all human beings have, from the point of fertilization and conception to natural death. (Gen. 1:26-27; Jer. 29:7; Matt. 5:13-16, 25:34-40; Gal. 2:10)
- Government
The government of Agape Fellowship is vested in its members. The membership retains unto itself the right of exclusive self-government in all phases of its life and organization. It recognizes the need for mutual counsel and cooperation, which are common among Baptist churches. In addition to this constitution and bylaws document, as needed, the church will create and maintain policies that will elaborate upon the articles contained in this document. The policies will inform, direct, and detail specifications of various ministries within the church, as well as provide detailed requirements and job descriptions for all church officers, committees, and teams. These policies will be kept in a separate Policy and Procedure manual.
- Amendments
The church membership may amend this Constitution and Bylaws, provided the proposed amendment has been presented in writing to the church membership at a regular church business meeting. Proposed amendments must be submitted in writing to the church membership a minimum of two weeks prior to the first member meeting on which the amendments will be voted. To make an amendment to the constitution, the church membership must vote to accept the proposed amendments in two consecutive meetings, with a minimum timeframe of one month between meetings. All voting to amend the Constitution must be done in person; no proxy voting is permitted. Votes to amend this Constitution and Bylaws shall be by a minimum of 67% vote of a quorum. In the event a proposed amendment fails to meet the 67% minimum to pass, then a minimum period of one month must pass before a similar amendment can be submitted on the same section of this Constitution and Bylaws – at which point two consecutive votes are still required in order to amend.
- Church Membership
Overview:
The Membership at Agape Fellowship is to consist of people who have professed faith in Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. Each member must have been baptized by immersion post-conversion, as taught in scripture and outlined in our statement of faith. Members must also agree with the church’s Statements of Faith and mission statement.
Section 1: Requirements.
Prior to being admitted to the church membership, prospective members must meet ALL the requirements below:
- Possess a credible profession of faith in Christ for salvation.
- Be baptized by immersion after their profession of faith.
- Possess the maturity and ability to articulate the gospel and their personal conversion testimony as is age and mentally appropriate to the satisfaction of the elders.
- Affirm the church’s statements of faith and church covenant as is age and mentally appropriate to the satisfaction of the elders.
- Routinely worship with this church on the Lord’s Day, except for when providentially hindered.
Section 2: Privileges.
All church members have the right to prayerfully give one vote in all matters of congregational life. This includes:
- The annual budget of the church.
- The dissolution of the church.
- Acquisition of loans by the church.
- Amending the church’s constitution, bylaws, and articles of incorporation.
- Affirming of new members.
- Dismissing of members via transfer or discipline.
- Calling and dismissing elders and deacons.
- Approving policies and procedures unless a particular policy or procedure is delegated to a subgroup within the church membership, such as a committee or team.
- Any other matter that is brought before the church body.
Section 3: Process of becoming a member.
The invitation to become a member is presented to all who meet the requirements outlined above under section 1 and whose current routine is to worship with the members at Agape on the Lord’s Day. Exceptions to participation in Lord’s Day worship will be granted on a case by cases basis to those who are providentially hindered due to extenuating circumstances such as medical conditions, job requirements (ex., shift work or military), or other circumstances that constitute a providential hindrance. In all cases, the process for becoming a member is as follows:
- The prospective member will express his/her desire to become a member to the church pastors/elders.
- The prospective member will meet with the pastors/elders, who will examine his/her profession of faith and ensure that he/she meets the requirements.
- Upon completion of the first two steps, the pastors/elders will present the prospective member to the body on the following Lord’s Day for reception into the church body. The church will vote to receive the individual as a member. The church may vote to receive members at either a Lord’s Day worship service or at the beginning of a church member meeting.
Section 4: Termination.
Membership with this church is to be terminated when a member:
- Requests a letter of transfer to join another church.
- Is dropped from the roll of membership by joining another church. In this case, a letter of transfer is not necessary. In the case of the other church not having formal church membership, regular attendance at the other church and no attendance at this church for a period of six months is adequate for membership to be dropped.
- Is dismissed by church vote due to reasons and circumstances provided in the below article titled: “church discipline.”
- A member may be dismissed from membership should the member cease attendance for six consecutive months. In such cases of prolonged absences, the church is first to seek the member’s return through appropriate means. If unable to secure their return, their membership may be presented to the church for removal. Exceptions to the 6-month timeline will be graciously considered for members who live in different regions for extended periods and those whose work requires their absences. Further, this paragraph is not intended to undermine the legitimacy of providential hindrances (for example, health issues) that prevent in-person attendance or members who travel abroad for prolonged mission work.
- Church Officers.
The church has two primary offices: elders/pastors (the titles are interchangeable) and deacons(nesses). All church officers must be members.
Section 1: Elders
In accordance with the New Testament, within Agape Fellowship, the title and role of pastor and elder are interchangeable. All pastors are also elders who serve on the elder board, and all elders must see themselves as pastors to the church. While different elders may be assigned different responsibilities, and some may carry heavier burdens of ministerial responsibility within the church, all elders serve alongside each other formally as a plurality of equals.
- The Biblical terms “elder” (presbuteros), “overseer” (episkopos), and “pastor” (poimen) refer to three functions of the one office of elder.
2, The elders’ primary function is to the ministry of teaching the Word and prayer. (Acts 6:4) The elders also oversee, lead, and carry authority within the church. (1 Tim. 5:17, Heb. 13:17)
3. The qualifications of an elder are found in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9, Hebrews 13:7 and 1 Peter 5:1-4.
4. Each elder must hold to the church’s statements of faith, the BFM2000 and Nashville Statement, without hesitation or reservation.
5. The elders shall aspire to meet monthly but must meet no less than once every 60 days. At elder meetings they will pray for the congregation, discuss matters relating to the spiritual oversight of the church, stewardship of resources, doctrine, and other matters relating to the body.
6. The church shall seek to call a plurality of biblically qualified elders without setting a specific number of elders. The church will strive to maintain an adequate number of elders to appropriately minister to the needs of the church (Acts 14:4; 20:17; 21:18: Titus 1:5; James 5:14).
7. The elders shall train and nominate candidates for eldership as needed. (2 Timothy 2:2)
8. Neither past divorce, current remarriage, current celibacy, or unbelieving children shall automatically disqualify an otherwise qualified candidate for eldership. Rather, the current elders will examine the candidate’s life for strong evidence of faithfulness in all current relationships, including but not limited to family, employment, and church membership.
9. A quorum of elders shall consist of two-thirds of the current elders.
10. Elder meetings must be scheduled a minimum of one week in advance, with notification sent to all elders.
11. An elder may not serve as the treasurer or write checks but may carry other responsibilities as needed.
12. Elders shall not have set term limits. The termination of an elder from his office may be brought to the congregation for a vote by the elders. A majority vote is sufficient to dismiss the elder from office and pursue biblical church discipline if warranted, see section IX.
13. An elder may resign by written resignation.
14. An elder may be removed via the process of church discipline, as outlined below, should he have disqualified himself by violating scripture’s character requirements outlined in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9, and 1 Peter 5:1-4.
15. The church is to ordain all elders unless they already possess ordination from another like-minded church. (1 Timothy 4:14)
Section 1. a, Responsibilities of elders:
All elders will serve on the elder board as a plurality of equals. Elders will relate to the church as pastors, some elders may serve in different ways and carry different responsibilities.
- Lay elders/pastors.
– These are members of the church whose gifting, and character have led the church to appoint them as an elder of the church.
– These are not vocational or paid elders. The church may determine to provide some form of compensation or recognition of their service so as to give honor and thanks to those to whom it is due.
– The lay elders are not to be treated as inferior or second class to the other elders, even though their level of ministerial burden or responsibility will be less than staff elders.
– There is no limit on the number of lay elders the church can have.
- Staff elders/pastors.
– The church may determine to hire additional pastoral staff to help with the church’s ministry.
– In such cases where the church seeks to obtain additional pastoral staff, the current elders will present a written job description to the membership for approval prior to presenting any individual for appointment unto that role.
- Preaching elder/pastor.
– The preaching elder is a staff elder and will be primarily responsible for overseeing and officiating the Lord’s Day service and will carry the primary burden and privilege of preaching.
– He will be the primary overseer of church staff and operations on a day-by-day basis.
– As the elder who labors primarily at the ministry of the Word, he is entitled to receive compensation from the church according to the church’s means (1 Timothy 5:17, 1 Corinthians 9:14).
– In the case of the absence of a preaching elder, the remaining elders will carry the burdens of the position until a new preaching elder can be obtained.
– In the case of filling the vacancy of this position, the elders are to select an individual and present him before the church to be voted on. Such a vote must be 67% of the church’s quorum or greater.
While in most cases the preaching elder’s service will be more visible and his ministerial burden may be larger than that of other elders, he still serves among other elders as an equal, and he does not possess any veto authority over the decisions of the elder board collectively.
Section 1.b: The responsibility of the elders individually and collectively.
Individually, each elder’s responsibility centers on living faithfully as Christians and shepherding the church body through ordinary means of pastoral care and teaching. This includes but is not limited to:
-Pursue Christlikeness in life and model it for the church.
-Disciple members of the church.
-Evangelize the lost.
-Conduct their individual responsibilities as assigned.
Collectively, the responsibility of the elders is focused on ruling and teaching.
– The elders will be responsible for evaluating church staff.
– The elders will be responsible for presenting individuals for membership.
– The elders will be responsible for presenting members for discipline.
– The elders will be responsible for the pastoral care of the membership.
– The elders will be responsible to represent the church to outside entities as needed.
– The elders will be responsible to equip and install members onto ministry teams within the church.
– The elders will be responsible for evaluating and examining potential new elders, ensuring they meet the biblical requirements of an elder and are in agreement with the vision of the church, and then presenting them before the church to be voted on.
– The elders will be responsible for all tasks of the church’s daily operation that are not otherwise given to the membership, deacons, or other entities within the church.
– The elders will be responsible for ensuring the church’s finances are being managed well. The elders will have authority to conduct an internal audit of the church’s finances at any time.
Installation of elders.
The church is to be always praying for God to raise up more men who aspire to the office of elder and who have a pastor’s heart. Any member of the church may nominate another member of the church to be considered for the office of elder. Nominations can be received at any church member meeting. Once nominated, the church elders will evaluate the individual for qualification and giftedness. After prayer, if the elders are satisfied with the individual, they will inform the church that the candidate will be presented for a vote. The church will be asked to pray for the individual and the church leading up to the vote. The elders will then present the candidate to the church, who will then vote to determine if he meets the biblical requirements of an elder and if it is desired that he serve as an elder at this church.
Section 2: Indemnification Clause.
This church shall indemnify any officer or member or volunteer of the church against any liabilities which are brought against him/her and incurred in the course of his/her duties within the church. This is to be carried out to the maximum extent allowable by law, provided that he/she acted in good faith and was not willfully or wantonly negligent or reckless.
- Hiring and Terminating Church Staff
Pastoral staff.
The church may hire pastoral staff to do pastoral ministry. The hiring process must include the process of evaluating and calling an elder, as listed below under Section XI regarding ordination. When the candidate is presented to the church, the church is to be informed that the individual is being presented as an elder and as a paid staff member. A detailed job description outlining his job requirements will be presented to the membership before his position is voted on.
Administrative/support/non-pastoral ministry staff.
Non-pastoral staff are hired and fired at the discretion of the church eldership. The eldership may hire various support and administrative staff as needed and as permitted by the church budget. They are not permitted to hire staff for positions that are not established within the church budget. Though the elders possess hiring and firing authority for all non-pastoral staff positions, the membership is to be informed within a reasonable amount of time of all staffing changes.
Terminating staff.
Termination of a person’s employment position within the church may happen for several reasons. In cases of spiritual/moral failure, a staff member may need to be both terminated and disciplined (see section IX below). However, not every case of termination is going to also be a case of discipline, but in cases where both are appropriate, both processes may run congruently.
The eldership can vote to terminate a pastoral staff member. In such cases, the vote must be 67% of the eldership. In the event the staff being voted on is also an elder, then he is not permitted to cast a vote. Should the eldership vote 67% to terminate a pastoral staff member, that person is immediately removed from his pastoral role and responsibilities. Then, no sooner than two weeks and no more than four weeks after the elders voted, the church must also vote to terminate the individual. And the church must vote 67% or greater to terminate.
In all cases of termination, the church must follow the local laws pertaining to issuing payment in a timely manner to the person, as well as settling any other obligations to him.
- Church Discipline.
Any member of this church who deviates from scriptural doctrine, conducts himself immorally, or violates the church’s covenants may be subject to church discipline. In every case of discipline, the church body will seek, firstly, to honor Christ and His holy reputation by keeping it unstained from evil and, secondly, to pursue the wayward brother or sister with the goal of reconciliation resulting from repentance. The church will seek to mediate disputes between members through the process of church discipline outlined below and will seek to avoid bringing such disputes before civil authorities (1 Cor. 6:1-11). In cases where civil authorities are involved, the process of church discipline outlined below will run congruently.
The process of church discipline.
The goal of church discipline is redemption and reconciliation. Scripture outlines three steps for confronting a wayward brother or sister with the goal of winning him/her back to faithfulness unto Christ. (Matthew 18:15-20)
Step 1: A private confrontation. When one member becomes aware of another member’s deviation from scriptural doctrine or practice, the one who becomes aware of the other’s waywardness must confront the individual privately and call him/her to repentance unto Christ and to make confession to any individuals as appropriate. This is to be done in a spirit of prayerfulness and love.
Step 2: A group confrontation. In the event that step one fails, then a group of two or three church members ought to confront the wayward brother or sister as a group. Whenever possible, one of the individuals within the group ought to be a church elder.
Step 3: A body confrontation. If after the first two steps the brother/sister remains unrepentant, then the church will vote to excommunicate him/her. The whole church is to be informed that this brother or sister has deviated from scriptural teaching and practice and that they ought to pray for and pursue him/her with the hope of winning him/her back to Christ. The brother or sister, having been resistant to repentance until this point, will, if present, be encouraged to repent. The church, having been informed of his/her persistence in sin, will vote to excommunicate him/her. Once excommunicated the individual is barred from partaking in the Lord’s Supper, disallowed from serving within the church in any capacity, and is stripped of all member responsibilities and privileges.
If it is found that a brother or sister who is not a covenant member of this church is acting in any of the ways that would cause the church discipline process to begin had they been a member, they shall be confronted in the same fashion, and barred from partaking of the Lord’s Supper with the church by the elders until they are found repentant. It shall be left to the elders’ discretion as the shepherds of the church to bar any non-members from the table for just or reasonable cause as unlike members, their partaking of the Lord’s Supper with the church is a privilege, not a right. If he/she likewise is barred from taking the Lord’s Supper, they are also stripped from serving in any kind of service.
Once an individual is excommunicated, the church will gladly welcome him/her back into the fellowship of the church and without any punitive actions against him/her, should he/she become repentant. In such a case the individual ought to meet with the church elders who will, upon verifying that he/she is repentant, will encourage him/her with appropriate gospel truths. The elders will then present him/her before the church as one who is appropriately seeking reconciliation, and the church will vote to receive him/her back.
Special cases of church discipline.
Section 1: Discipline of an elder.
No member is above the accountability mechanism of church discipline, including the church’s elders. Should an elder be caught in unrepentant sin he is to be encouraged to repent unto Christ in like manner as outlined above, with one deviation. Scripture does provide one modification to the protocol of discipline for an elder, and that is that no charge can be brought against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses (1 Tim. 5:19). This is to protect the church’s leaders from false accusations, gossip, and slander, thus protecting the whole church.
If such a case should arise where an elder is found in sin that disqualifies him from pastoral ministry, yet he is repentant of it, then he is to be removed from his pastoral position but not to be removed from the membership of the church. The church is to view the individual as a struggling child of God and to minister to him accordingly.
Section 2: Discipline for inactive presence for a prolonged period of time.
If a member ceases to participate with this church on the Lord’s Day for a period of six months or greater, then they are subject to the discipline of the church. While an individual may participate in other church events, it is participating on the Lord’s Day that is determinative. They are to be pursued by the church with a spirit of gentleness, inquiring why they’ve been absent for so long. Should their prolonged absence be for reasons other than providential hindrances, then they are to be brought through the above-mentioned steps of discipline and excommunicated unless they repent.
Section 3: Discipline for deviation from the church’s doctrinal positions.
If a member’s doctrinal positions deviate and become contrary to the church’s doctrinal statements, then the individual may or may not be subject to church discipline. The individual should meet with the church elders to discuss the deviations and the reasons for them. Should the elders determine that the individual’s deviation is severe enough to compromise the gospel message, then the individual will be subject to church discipline. But if the elders determine that the individual’s deviation does not compromise the gospel but still is contrary to this church’s statements of faith, then the elders are to recommend that he transfer his membership to another church that better suits his/her doctrinal convictions. Should the individual be unwilling to transfer membership to another church, then he/she will be permitted to remain at this church as an attender but will willingly forfeit membership.
Section 4: The timeliness of discipline.
Different cases of discipline may have different timelines. Some cases of disciplining grotesque sin may progress through the three steps on a single day, whereas other cases of discipline may take weeks or months to work out.
Final remarks.
In all cases of church discipline, the church’s primary goals are to honor Christ and love the one who is being disciplined. The church honors Christ in carrying out discipline by not allowing His name to be united with the unrepentant sin of church members. The church loves the one who is being disciplined through confronting him for his unrepentant sin and calling him/her to faithful living. The hope of all discipline is restoring the wayward brother/sister to faithful belief and conduct. In all cases, the church is to seek the glory of God and to speak truth in love.
- Church Meetings.
The church meets regularly and for a variety of purposes.
Section 1: The Lord’s Day Gathering.
On the first day of the week, the church will gather as one body corporately for the purpose of worship. The church meets on the first day of the week to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead (Lk. 24:1) and in accordance with the pattern of the New Testament church (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2; Rev. 1:10). This weekly gathering is a sacred assembly and is foundational to the church’s practice of faith. The church reserves to itself the exclusive right of weighing and determining what constitutes providential hindrances that impact, diminish, or regulate the church’s ability to meet for the Lord’s Day assembly.
Section 2: Other ministry meetings.
The church will regularly meet together, in whole or part, for various ministry goals. Such meetings may be small group bible studies, prayer meetings, fellowship times, community service, and evangelism, among other meetings as common for Christian churches.
Section 3: Annual Member Meetings.
The church will meet annually to approve the budget, review the previous year’s ministry, and present any upcoming ministry planning for the upcoming year and anything else that is pertinent to the business of the church. This annual meeting is to be held on the first Wednesday of December at the church property. Changes to the date or location of the meeting must be announced publicly to the membership a minimum of two weeks prior to the original meeting date by the elders or an appointed moderator.
Section 4: Special Called Member Meetings.
In addition to the annual member meeting, the church may meet throughout the year as necessary to do the church’s business. These member meetings will be announced a minimum of one week in advance by the elders or an appointed moderator. Any member of the church can request a member meeting be called. To do so, a member must approach the elders or appointed moderator and request a meeting as well as state his reasons for requesting a meeting. The elders then will evaluate the propriety of the reasons and will respond either by calling a meeting or by responding to the individual directly. If three or more members wish to call a special meeting the elders will schedule the meeting within 60 days.
Section 5: Voting and Quorum.
In all matters of voting, each member is afforded one vote. For any member to cast a vote, he must be either physically present at the member meeting or participating virtually. If a member wishes to participate virtually they ought to receive approval from the elders or appointed meeting moderator prior to the start of the meeting who will provide an appropriate means of virtual participation. No absentee or proxy voting will be permitted. Unless otherwise stated in the policy, a simple majority is sufficient to pass a vote. Member meetings will be officiated under the 12th edition of Robert’s Rules of Order. In order for any matter of voting to be official at any member meeting, a quorum of a minimum of 33% of current members must be present at the meeting.
- Licensing, and Ordaining to the Ministry.
Section 1. Licensing:
Individuals may desire to be licensed to the ministry if they sense the call of God into pastoral ministry and wish to commit to their calling publicly. The individual will be licensed by a majority vote of the church congregation. Licensing is a voluntary/unnecessary prerequisite to ordination. Upon examination by the church’s pastors, the eldership will recommend the individual to ministry if they believe he meets the following criteria:
- Is a member of the church in good standing.
- His life is marked by Christian faith and virtue.
- He has an aptitude for teaching, shepherding, and leadership.
- He possesses a solemn commitment to the pursuit of his calling.
Section 2. Ordination:
A member of Agape Fellowship may be ordained to the gospel ministry if he:
- If he is becoming a pastor/elder at Agape.
- If he is a member of Agape, he is being sent to pastor another church of like faith.
- If he is a member of Agape being sent to foreign missions.
In any case, where an individual is being ordained, he must meet all the below scriptural criteria (1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-8; 1 Peter 5:1-4):
- He must meet the character requirements listed in the New Testament for elders. Specifically, he must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, not enslaved to any substance or activity, gentle, not wrathful.
- He must manage his own household well. Meaning, his children are respectful and kind, he shepherds his family with truth and grace and teaches them the Word (Eph. 6:4). He leads his family and wife well and his wife is gladly submissive towards her husband. This requirement does not forbid single men from being ordained into ministry.
- He must meet the skill and spiritual gift requirements of being able to teach truth and refute error. He must have a mature understanding of scripture and the church’s statements of faith, from which he is then able to teach others. In his teaching, he must be able to do more than transmit information; he must guide people towards Christ and Christlikeness. In addition to being able to teach truth, he must be able to identify and refute common errors and heresies as they arise. His method of refutation ought to be edifying in form and function.
- He must be a disciple-maker (Matt. 28:19-20). He must have experience sharing the gospel with unbelievers. He must value the need to evangelize regularly and have a genuine desire to see the lost be saved (Rom. 9:1-3).
- He must love the local church and see the centrality of the local church in God’s plan of redemption.
Any individual being ordained will obtain ordination through the following process.
- The individual may personally request ordination orally or in writing to the church eldership.
- The individual will be examined by an elder to ascertain his qualifications and interests in obtaining eldership. Should the individual be lacking in his qualifications he will be denied ordination and told the reasons for his denial.
- Should there be no obvious deficiency of qualification then the church eldership will convene an ordination committee to evaluate the individual for pastoral ministry where his doctrinal convictions and life practices will be thoroughly evaluated.
- Should he pass the evaluation, he is to be presented before the church in a member meeting for ordination. Should he not pass the evaluation, then the ordination committee should encourage the individual in the areas that he needs to develop to meet the requirements of pastoral ministry.
- If the individual completes the above steps, he will be presented to the church body at a member meeting, and the membership will vote to ordain him to the gospel ministry.
- Missions and Church Planting.
As a regular part of the church’s ministry, the church will support, pray for, and send missionaries of like faith throughout the country and world. The church will support and partner with missionaries only if they agree with and do not contradict the church’s doctrinal positions and if the missionary meets the elder qualifications listed previously in sections 7 and 11. If the missionary does not meet the qualifications for a pastor/elder listed in 1 Timothy 3, Titus 1, and 1 Peter 5, then he cannot be supported by the church at that time.
Substantially supporting new church plants/planters/missionaries.
The church may commit to a substantial partnership with a church plant/planter. Such cases of a substantial partnership may include long-term ongoing financial or ministerial support. In such cases, the church is to obtain from the church/planter a copy of their statement of faith and their church’s constitution/bylaws to ensure similarity of faith and practice. If the new church does not possess their own constitution/bylaws, then they are to be encouraged to adopt this church’s constitution/bylaws until they can draft their own.
Spontaneous/limited support for church plants/planters/missionaries.
The church may provide support of various kinds to missionaries without entering into a substantial partnership with the individual. Such support may look like one-time gifts, love offerings, or sending a mission team. In such cases the church still needs to examine their church for like faith and doctrine but does not need to verify or scrutinize their church documents.
Final remarks.
In all cases of supporting missionaries, the church must conduct herself as a gospel servant towards the missionary. The church is to labor to not lay any additional burden onto the missionary but attempts to support and meet the needs of the missionary thus enabling him to best promote the gospel in his context. The church recognizes that faithful gospel ministry may look different in different contexts and is committed to supporting missionaries who are committed to propagating the gospel so that many can be saved. (1 Cor. 9:19-23)
- Corporate Responsibilities.
Section 1: Fiscal Year
The fiscal year begins on the first day of January and ends on the last day of December. The congregation will present and approve the yearly budget for the coming year before the end of each fiscal year.
Section 2: Exempt Purposes
The property and funds of this Corporation is wholly and irrevocably dedicated to religious purposes, and no part of the net income or assets of this organization shall ever inure to the benefit of an officer, or member of the corporation, or to the benefit of any private individual.
Section 3: Records and Reports
The Church will maintain the following records and reports:
- Adequate and correct financial records.
- Contribution statements for financial contributors.
- Reports of the annual review of all church financial books, records, and proceedings.
- Minutes of the proceedings of its members.
- An internal membership roll, giving their names, addresses, and other relevant contact information.