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BDF Constitution and By-Laws CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS Constitution and Bylaws of Preamble This
Constitution and Bylaws are made to: 1. Preserve and secure the principles of
our faith. 2. Preserve the liberties of each
individual member of the church. 3. Ensure freedom of action of
independence from any religious body or organization. 4. Provide for orderly conduct of
internal affairs, in dealing with others, and of governing church members. I. Name The name of
this church shall be Bethel Deaf Fellowship. It shall be affiliated with the
Washington-Madison Baptist Association, the Arkansas Baptist State Convention,
and the Southern Baptist Convention. II. Business Location The address of
the principal office of this church shall be: III. Purpose The purposes of
Bethel Deaf Fellowship are: 1. To worship God, who is worthy of all
praise and glory. 2. To serve God locally, nationally, and
internationally by fulfilling the Great Commission of Jesus Christ as set forth
in Matthew 28:19-20. 3. To minister to the needs of the
members and others as the church is able to do so. 4. To do any and all things related to
and in connection with the carrying out of the purposes of a New Testament
Church. IV. Articles of Faith 1. We believe the Holy Bible as the
inspired Word of God, without any error, the all-sufficient authority in
matters of faith, doctrine, and Christian living. 2. We believe in one God, eternally
existing in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 3. We believe in the Virgin Birth of
Jesus Christ, and that He is true God and man. He died on the cross for our
sins. He rose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven where He sits at the
right hand of the Father and is now our High Priest and Advocate. 4. We believe that man was created in
the image of God but fell into sin and is, therefore, lost. Only through
regeneration by the work of the Holy Spirit can man’s salvation and spiritual
life be obtained. 5. We believe that eternal salvation is
the free gift of God, entirely apart from man’s works, and is possessed by any
and all who have faith in and receive Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and
Savior. 6. We believe in a regenerated church
membership: that is, persons old enough to understand their need for Jesus
Christ and, of their own free will, accepted Him as their personal Lord and
Savior. 7. We believe that baptism is by
immersion and the Lord’s Supper is a memorial to His suffering and death on the
cross. These are ordinances to be observed by the church in its present age.
They are, however, not to be regarded as means for man’s salvation. 8. We believe in the personal, bodily,
imminent, and glorious return of the Lord Jesus Christ and that His second
coming inspires believers for dynamic and zealous life and service for Him
while waiting for His return. 9. We believe in the bodily resurrection
of the dead, the everlasting blessedness of the saved in heaven, and the
everlasting punishment and separation from God of the unsaved in hell. 10. We believe in the autonomy of the
local church. The church shall manage its own affairs and shall not be subject
to any other religious body or organization. 11. We subscribe to the “Baptist Faith
and Message 2000” adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention as our larger
statement of faith with scriptural references. V. Government The government
of Bethel Deaf 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 needs for mutual counsel and cooperation, which
are common among Baptist churches. This church will cooperate with and mutually
work with Washington-Madison Baptist Association, Arkansas Baptist State
Convention, and the Southern Baptist Convention. VI. Non-profit Status and Liquidation This church is
not organized for profit. In the event of liquidation or dissolution of the
church, all of its assets and property of every nature and description
whatsoever shall be paid over and transferred at the direction of the trustees
to the Washington-Madison Baptist Association, the Arkansas Baptist State
Convention or both. VII. Amendment This
Constitution and Bylaws may be amended provided the proposed amendment shall
have been presented in writing at a regular church business meeting and then
circulated to the membership. Amendments to this Constitution and Bylaws shall
be two-thirds vote of members of the church who are qualified to vote and are
present in the business meeting with a quorum to discuss and vote for this
matter. BYLAWS I. Church Membership A. Qualifications Membership of (name of church) shall consist of people having
made a profession of their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and who,
having been scripturally baptized by immersion, are in agreement with the
Articles of Faith. B. Reception Membership in the church may be attained by majority vote of the
church in any of its regular business meetings and in one of the following
manners: 1. By scriptural baptism by immersion after profession of faith
in Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior. 2. By transfer of church letter from another Baptist church. 3. By a statement of faith of their prior experience of
conversion and scriptural baptism by immersion in another evangelical church of like faith
and practice. 4. By restoration to the church membership after having been
dropped. 5. By Watch Care - These individuals are members of another
church yet want to join our church family while they are living in our
community. They do not want to transfer their membership from their
church, but want to identify with our church family. While Watch Care
membership allows for all the privileges of fellowship and worship, one may not
serve in an elected position of leadership but can serve on committees and vote
in church business sessions.
C. Termination Membership in this church shall be terminated when a member: 1. Requests a letter of transfer to join another Baptist church.
2. Is dropped from the roll of membership when he or she joins
another kind of church. A letter of transfer is not necessary. 3. The member dies. 4. Is dismissed by a vote of the church due to reasons and
circumstances provided in Section VII. Church Discipline. The pastor will do
all he can to counsel the member for restoration prior to action of dismissal
or a request of the member to be dismissed from the church membership. D. Orientation of New Members Candidates for membership and new members need to attend a
Church Membership Class to learn and understand the privileges and
responsibilities of belonging to the Lord’s church. 1.
Members in good standing shall have the right to a voice and vote in all church
transactions and shall have the right and privileges to full participation in
the life and work of the church. 2.
It shall be the duty of church members to uphold the Articles of Faith, Constitution and Bylaws. II. Church Officers All church
officers must be members of the church in good standing. A. The Pastor: 1. The qualifications for pastor shall
be consistent with those listed in I Timothy 3:1-7. His training, skills, and experiences are needed in this
area of leadership. 2. His responsibilities: a) These generally fall into the following areas: preaching,
teaching, pastoral counseling, administration, planning, and guiding the church
to grow and fulfill its purposes. b) He shall lead the church, the organizations, and all leaders
of the church in performing their tasks in worship, proclamation, education,
and evangelism. c) The pastor shall be an ex-officio member of all church
standing committees, except the Pastor’s Selection Committee. 3. Call a) A pastor shall be chosen and called
whenever a vacancy occurs. b) A Pastor’s Selection Committee shall be appointed by the
church to seek out a suitable pastor and this committee’s recommendation will
serve as a nomination. c) The Pastor’s Selection Committee will recommend only one
candidate at a time. d) The pastor’s election shall take place at a meeting called
for that purpose, of which at least one week notice shall be given to the
members. e) An affirmative vote of three-fourths (3/4) of those present
is necessary for a choice. 4. Terms of Service a) The chosen pastor shall serve until
the relationship is terminated by either his request or that of the church. In
either case, at least sixty (60) days’ notice shall be given unless otherwise
mutually agreed. b) There shall be a written mutual contract/agreement made
between the pastor and the church. B. Church Staff This church shall employ or call staff as it shall need. 1. Staff members other than that of the
pastor shall be recommended for employment by an elected personnel committee. 2. A written
job description and mutual contract/agreement will be prepared when the need for church
staff is determined. A. Moderator 1. The church moderator may be the
pastor or a lay leader elected to this position. 2. The moderator shall preside at all
regular and called business meetings of the church. 3. In the absence of the moderator, the
church clerk shall call the church to order and an acting moderator will be
elected. E. Clerk 1. The church clerk shall be elected and
be responsible for keeping an accurate record of all business meeting
transactions of the church and preparing the annual report to the association. 2. He or she shall keep a register of
the names and addresses of the church members, with dates of admission,
dismissal, dedication of children, and deaths of members of the church family. 3. He or she shall issue letters of
dismissal voted by the church and write letters of transfer of membership,
prepare written reports of the church, and keep an accurate history of the
church. 4. An assistant church clerk may be
elected or the clerk’s responsibilities shall be delegated to a church
secretary if and when the church can afford to employ one. F. Treasurer 1. The church treasurer shall be elected
as the custodian of all moneys of the church and shall disburse these moneys by
checks as authorized by the church. 2. He or she shall keep, at all times,
an itemized account of all receipts and disbursements and shall render a monthly
and annually written report of this account to the church. 3. The treasurer’s report shall be
audited annually by an auditing committee. 4.
He or she shall be responsible for seeing that the offerings are
properly received, counted, and deposited in the church’s bank account. 5. He or she shall properly credit each
contributor and their offerings. 6. He or she shall be responsible for
preparing for mailing a quarterly or annual record of contribution to donors. H. Trustees 1. At least three (3) trustees shall be
elected by the church to hold in trust the property of the church. 2. They shall have no power to buy,
sell, mortgage, lease, or transfer any property of the church without a
specific vote of the church authorizing each action. 3. It shall be the function of the
trustees to sign any, and all legal documents involving the sale, mortgage,
purchase, or lease of church property or any other legal documents requiring
the signature of the trustees for and in behalf of the church. I. Vacancies In case of vacancy in any office, except that of the pastor and
staff members, the vacancy shall be filled by the church at a regular or
special meeting as soon as possible after such vacancy has occurred. III. Church Committees Church
committees shall be formed as needed for successfully accomplishing the mission
and purpose of
the church. Church committee members shall be elected by the church from
nominations presented by a Nominating Committee, and nominations from the floor
with the consent of the nominee. All committees shall have a minimum of three
(3) members with a chairperson. Any committee member elected to fill any
vacancy shall serve the term of the position vacated. Each committee
chairperson shall submit an annual budget request to the Budget and Finance
Committee. IV. Church Meetings A. Worship Services The church shall meet regularly each Sunday afternoon for the
worship of God, for preaching, instruction, evangelism, and on Wednesday, or
another night, for designated for prayer and Bible study. These meetings shall
be open for the entire membership of the church and for all people and shall be
conducted under the direction of the pastor or designated church officer in the
absence of the pastor. B. Regular Business Meetings Regular business meetings shall be held on every first Wednesday
of the month. The agenda shall be circulated or made known to the church one
week prior to the business meeting. Should there be any unusual meeting or
matter of unusual interest to be brought before such regular meeting, notice
shall be given to the membership one week prior to that meeting. C. Special Business Meeting A special called business meeting may be called by the pastor,
and with other church officers, or by action of the church to consider special
matters of significant nature. A one-week written notice or announcement must
be given for the especially called business meeting. D. Quorum The quorum consists of those who attend the business meeting,
provided it is a stated meeting or one that has been properly called. At least
one-fourth of the members shall constitute a quorum. E. Parliamentary Rules Robert’s Rules of Order (revised edition) is adopted as the
authority for parliamentary rules of procedure for all business meetings of the
church and for all business meetings of the church and for all other meetings
that demand voting of the church members, including committee meetings. V. Church Discipline A. Should any unhappy difference arise
among members, the aggrieved member shall follow in a tender spirit, the rules
given by our Lord in Matthew 18:15-17. B. Should any case of gross breach of
relationship, or of public scandal occur, the deacons shall endeavor to resolve
the conflict; and if this effort fails, shall report the case to the church. C. All such proceedings shall be
pervaded by a spirit of Christian kindness and forbearance, but should an
adverse decision be reached, the church may proceed to admonish or declare the
offender to be no longer in the membership of the church. D. Any person whose membership has been
terminated for any offense may be restored by vote of the church, upon evidence
of his repentance and reformation; or if an account of continued absence, upon
satisfactory explanation. Ratified by
action of the church in its business meeting on _____________________________. (date) Moderator:
_____________________________________________ Church:
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