CONSTITUTION and BY-LAWS OF THE
FELLOWSHIP FREE WILL BAPTIST CHURCH, INC.
PARK HILLS, MISSOURI
ARTICLE 1: Name and Purpose
This Church shall be known as the Fellowship Free Will Baptist Church. The purpose shall be to preach the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ by means of the pulpit, personal contact, Bible Study, Sunday Schools, Radio Broadcasting, the printed page and other methods and means which are Scriptural. To labor for the promotion of the Denomination and its enterprises, the support of missions, the fellowship and perfecting of the saints and the salvation of the lost.
ARTICLE 2: Affiliation
This Church may, at its option, unite for fellowship with other bodies of like faith. It is understood that this Church in. its highest authority and the only superiority such bodies, to which this Church may affiliate, may exercise over this Church is to determine if this Church may be a member of said body.
ARTICLE 3: Doctrine
This Church accepts the Articles of Faith as set forth in the Treatise of the Faith and Practices of the Original Free Will Baptist.
ARTICLE 4: Covenant
This Church has accepted and adopted the Church Covenant as set forth in the Treatise of the Faith and Practices of its Original Free Will Baptist.
ARTICLE 5: Ordinances
Section 1. Baptism. Baptism by immersion of believers in Christ is recognized as a Scriptural
Section 2. The Lord's Supper . The Lord's Supper shall be administered on the first Sunday of each Quarter and as provided for in Section 3.
Section 3. Washing of the Saint's Feet. The Washing of the Saint's Feet shall be practiced two times a year together with the Lord's Supper, at a time to be determined by the Pastor and Board of Deacons.
ARTICLE 6: Membership
Section 1. General Provisions. A person presenting himself for membership must give evidence of Scriptural salvation in his life and a willingness to accept the Doctrine, Covenant and Ordinances of this Church as set forth in Articles 3, 4 and 5.
Section 2. Admission of Members. A person presenting himself for membership shall be placed under the Watch Care of the Church. They shall be contacted by the Board of Deacons to see if they comply to Article 6, Section 1 of the Constitution and By-Laws. If the person meets the qualifications for membership, they shall be received into the Church by a vote of the congregation. Methods of admission shall be as follows:
A. Baptism. A person meeting the requirements in Section 1 may be received as a candidate for baptism. Upon baptism he shall automatically enjoy the full fellowship as a member of the Church.
B. Letter. Persons may be received into the Church upon the presentation of a letter from other Evangelical Churches and evidence of baptism by immersion. If an unfavorable letter is received, it shall be referred to the Pastor and Board of Deacons for study and recommendation.
C. Statement. Any person baptized by Immersion may be received into the Church upon his/her statement of experience and faith in Christ, as Saviour.
D. Restoration. Any former member whose conduct has caused the termination of his membership, may, upon evidence of restoration and repentance, be restored to full fellowship by vote of the congregation.
Section 3. Dismissal of Members.
A. Letter.
1. To Churches. Letters will be granted to other Evangelical Churches upon proper application. The letter must state the member's active or inactive status in our Church.
2. To Individuals. We will grant letters of recommendation and commendation on behalf of individuals to other Evangelical Churches; and upon a written request we will grant a letter of dismissal to an individual.
3. Order. These letters may be granted by the Church in any regular service or business meeting of the Church.
Section 4. Discipline of Members. All matters of discipline shall be referred to the Board of Deacons and they shall proceed according to Matthew 18:15-17. After their study and investigation of the matter they may recommend to the Church such action as they deem wise and proper. The vote of the Church shall be final.
Section 5. Duties of Members. The duties of members are set forth in the Church Covenant. It shall be the duty of each member to notify the Church of any change of address or any change of status due to marriage.
Section 6. Inactive Membership Roll. Those members who do not attend any of the Church Services for six (6) successive months without a reason deemed justifiable by the Board of Deacons shall be placed on an Inactive Membership Roll. Such members do not have a voice or vote in the Church until they are restored to full fellowship as provided for in Article 6, Section 7 below. This shall be done only after said members have been visited and dealt with, when possible, by the Board of Deacons.
Section 7. Restoration. Any person who has been placed on the Inactive Membership Roll, may, upon proper explanation, be restored to full fellowship by recommendation of the Board of Deacons.
ARTICLE 7: Officers
Section 1. General Officers. The general officers of this Church are the Pastor, Clerk,
Treasurer, Deacons, Trustees, Ushers, Sunday School Superintendent & Church Training Service Director.
Section 2. Other Officers. These officers are Department Sunday School Superintendents, Sunday School Secretary, Sunday School Teachers, Church Training Service Secretary, Church Training Service Sponsors, Choir Director, Organist, Pianist and other officers which this Church may deem necessary.
Section 3 A. Duties. The officers and boards of this Church shall be subject to this Church,
and shall be expected to perform the duties demanded of them in their respective offices, and shall at all times work in harmony and co-operation with the Pastor, and in and for the best interest of the Church. Failure to do so will constitute sufficient reason for dismissal of any officer from office or disbanding of any board or organization.
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B. Qualifications of all Officers. All officers of the Church, Sunday School
and Church Training Service should be consistent tithers, active
members and regular attendees of the Services and other programs of the Church. They should be in agreement with the church covenant. Because the world judges them, their church, and the Lord Jesus by their actions, each officer should maintain a good Christian testimony and abstain from all sinful amusements, and unholy conformity to the world. Each officer should practice Bible separation and standards in their language, dress, and places they attend.
C. Assistant Officers. Assistant officers may be elected for any office when
and where needed.
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Section 4. Pastor.
A. Qualifications. He must be a regular ordained Free Will Baptist minister in good standing with his local Church or Conference. I Timothy 3:1-7 should be used as a guide in the selection of a Pastor.
B. Election. When the Church is without a Pastor, the Board of Deacons shall serve as a pulpit committee. This committee shall bring all recommendations before the Church. The financial arrangements, the annual paid vacation time, amount of time permitted to hold revivals, and arrangements for pulpit supply shall be worked out with the committee and the Pastor and presented to the Church for approval at the time of election. The Pastor is elected by a ¾ vote of the active members present. He is to be elected for an indefinite period of time. Should either the Church or the Pastor desire to terminate the pastoral relationship, the party wishing such shall give the other sixty (60) day's written notice.
C. Duties. The Pastor shall faithfully administer the duties generally exercised by a minister of the Gospel as outlined in the New Testament. He shall be responsible for the planning and conducting of the public worship services of the Church. He shall have the general oversight of the work of the Church. He shall preside at the business sessions of the Church. In his absence, the Chairman of the Board of Deacons may preside. The Pastor shall be an ex-officio member of all boards and committees, whether permanent or temporary.
Section 5. Board of Deacons.
A. Qualifications. A man must have been a member in good standing in the Church for at least one (1) year. During that time he must have been faithful in attendance and support of the Church. He must have the same qualifications as set forth above for the other officers of the Church. The qualifications set forth in Acts 6 and I Timothy 3 should be prayerfully considered.
B. Organization. The number of the Board of Deacons shall be determined by the Church as time and occasion may require. They shall hold office at the pleasure of the Church, during the maintenance of sound doctrine, good Christian character and faithfulness to performance of their duties as set forth below. Any deacon failing to perform his duties on this Board for the period of six (6) months will be sufficient cause for his office to be declared vacant and a replacement to be elected by the Church. This Board shall elect a Chairman and a Secretary annually and meet periodically as may be determined by the Board.
C. Duties. It shall be the duty of the Board of Deacons, along with the Pastor, to promote the spiritual welfare and success of the Church. They shall endeavor to promote peace, harmony and a spirit of co-operation among the membership of the Church. They shall assist the Pastor in the administration of Baptism, The Lord's Supper and the washing of the Saint's Feet. They and the Pastor shall arrange for revival and evangelistic services, when deemed necessary and any other special services of the Church. They shall prepare the Annual Budget of the Church, and present it to the Church for approval at the Annual Business Meeting.
Section 6. Board of Trustees. The number of the Board of Trustees shall be determined by the Church as time and occasion may require. They shall be elected for two (2) year terms. They shall be eligible for re-election. They shall sign all legal papers upon direction of the Church in a business session. They may not sell, mortgage or otherwise encumber the Church property in any way without the consent of 3/4 vote of the Church members present, in regular or special meeting, with a week notice given to enable all to know of the impending action. They shall have charge of the maintenance, repair and upkeep of any properties whether real or personal. They may employ person or persons for the upkeep of any properties whose salaries shall be approved by the Church. They are hereby authorized to use their own discretion in minor maintenance and repairs, provided such shall not exceed the amount of $150.00. Those involving greater amounts must be approved by the Church.
Section 7. Board of Christian Education.
A. The Board of Christian Education will consist of as many members as needed; Sunday School Superintendent, Superintendents of each Department and the Assistant Superintendent of the Sunday School. The Pastor and Youth Pastor will serve as ex-officio members plus any other person that the Church would like to serve. Each members of this Board must meet the qualifications as set forth in ARTICLE 7, Section 2-B of the Constitution and By-Laws of the Fellowship Free Will Baptist Church.
B. Duties.
1. The Board of Christian Education will oversee the operation of the
Sunday School, Church Training Service, Teacher Training and any other educational needs of the Church. They will serve for one year and be elected at the Annual Business Meeting.
2. It will be their duty to select and oversee all the literature used in Education Programs of our Church.
3. The Board of Christian Education will have the authority to review and recommend disciplinary action to the Church of anyone who does not meet the qualifications as set forth in Article 7, Section 6, A & B of the Constitution and By-Laws.
Section 8. Clerk. The Clerk shall be elected annually. The Clerk shall keep accurate minutes of all business meetings of the Church and keep the Membership Roll. All of these records shall be the property of the Church.
Section 9.
A. That the Church Secretary receive the bills, write the checks and prepare a Monthly Financial Statement.
B. That two (2) members of the Board of Deacons and two (2) members of the Board of Trustees act as a Finance Committee to sign all checks. (Two of the four signatures will be required on all checks.)
C. That we elect a Stewardship Secretary to record the information off the Tithing Envelopes and keep a record of all Designated Giving and provide a Yearly Giving Record to each giver.
D. That the Board of Ushers be responsible for the receiving of All offerings and that the Chairman of the Board of Ushers, along with one Deacon and one Usher count and deposit all offerings.
E. That All Church records be kept in the Church vault.
Section 10. Ushers. The Board of Ushers shall consist of eight (8) men elected for two (2) years, the term of four (4) expiring each year. These are eligible for re-election. They shall elect annually from their number a Chairman, who shall supervise their work. They shall arrange for the welcoming and seating of the congregation and the receiving of all offerings.
Section 11. Sunday School Superintendent. The Superintendent shall be elected annually. His duties are outlined in the By-Laws of the Sunday School.
Section 12. Church Training Service Director. The Director shall be elected annually. His duties are outlined in the By-Laws of the Church Training Service.