Government

1. Congregation

The government of this congregation and the administration of its affairs shall be by the members of the congregation and such officials as it may be direct.

The elected officials are Elders, Deacons/Trustees, Deacon Assistants, Church Treasurer and Church Clerk, and any other official as the Church membership may deem necessary. They must be members in good standing of the Church. In the case of a Pastor or other employee being “called,” he/she must agree to become a member of the Church on his/her acceptance by the membership, and be subject to the same authority and discipline as that which is imposed on all members of the Church as stipulated in the Church Constitution.

All officials and workers of the Church are elected by the membership or appointed under the authority of the Board and are answerable to the membership.

2. The Pastor

Pastor is a term used to differentiate a full-time Elder, who has significantly more time to devote to those duties than do others.

A. Qualifications

The Pastor must be qualified according to the standards established in Scripture:

  • Humble servant,
  • Able to teach,
  • Love, care and pray for the flock,
  • Shepherd by example,
  • Serve with love.

B. Duties

  1. To oversee the spiritual needs of the Church.
  2. To shepherd the flock by giving direction, guidance and support.
  3. To equip the saints for the work of the ministry.
  4. To sit automatically as an ex-officio member of any duly authorized Church Committee.
  5. To work together with the Church Board seeking unity in decision and work.
  6. To pray for the Church on a regular basis.
  7. To lead, by example, together with the Church Board, the saints along the path of spiritual development.

C. His Calling

When the position of a Pastor becomes vacant, or when the Elders/Deacons, with the approval of the membership, wish to call an additional Pastor, the Elders/Deacons shall:

  1. encourage and foster earnest prayer by the membership,
  2. arrange for pulpit supplies,
  3. develop [for congregational approval] a plan for calling the Pastor, including, as required, any statements of Church ministry focus, strategies and goals which shall be used to determine the suitability of any candidates.
  4. nominate a Search Committee for congregational confirmation which functions to:
    1. develop a statement of qualifications [SOQ] for the Pastor based on Scripture and on the needs identified under 3 above. This SOQ shall put a major emphasis on personal suitability with respect to the leadership of people while following Jesus Christ faithfully [including the ability to communicate, to delegate tasks, to build people up, and to work together with other Elders, etc.].
    2. seek out through all available sources good pastoral candidates and examine their background and experience against the statement of qualifications.
    3. give the Church membership an opportunity to hear and interact with a number of candidates who are considered worthy of further consideration after an interview involving role playing simulations [and any other means of assessing personal suitability in terms of actions], and who agree to consider carefuly the call of the Church, should that come.
    4. carefully and prayerfully evaluate the candidates and the Church’s response to them.
    5. keep the lines of communication open between the Board and the membership.
    6. The Church Board and the Chairman of the Search Committee will meet together with the prospective candidate before presentation of the candidate to the Church.
    7. Recommend only one candidate [at a time] to the Church membership.

The Board shall call a Special Meeting for the election of a Pastor. At least fifty percent [50%] of the eligible voting members shall be present, and at least eighty percent [80%] of those present shall support a candidate to elect him.

His calling shall be on a probationary basis for a period of two [2] years, to be reviewed by the Church Board on a six [6] month basis. At the end of the probationary period, the Church membership will vote on the confirmation of his calling, subject to the provisions specified under item D, Dismissal of a Pastor.

D. Dismissal of a Pastor

At least fifty percent [50%] of the eligible voting members shall be present at a Special Meeting called for this purpose and at least sixty-six percent [66%] of those present shall approve the dismissal. In the case where more than thirty-three percent [33%] of those present approve the dismissal, the Pastor in question must seriously consider the possible future of his ministry in the Church with a view to possible resignation.

3. Church Board

A. General

  1. The Board oversees the pursuit of the Church’s mission and brings major decisions to the Church body for ratification. It is understood that the Board may form any number of sub-committees to develop detailed plans for approval of the whole body. All ministries and committees shall be accountable to the congregation through the Board, which includes annual review and ratification of ministry positions. This means that each ministry will have an Elder, Deacon, Trustee, Deacon Assistant liaison with the Board, and that business arising from these groups shall be brought to the full Board for ratification.
  2. The Board will be comprised of Elders, Deacons/Trustees, Deacon Assistants, Church Treasurer and other duly authorized or appointed persons. These positions, with the exception of Deacon/Trustee, are mutually exclusive.The Pastor[s] shall not be a member[s] of the Board but shall receive notification and copies of minutes of all meetings and be present and fully participate in all such meetings of the Board without the right to vote thereon. The same conditions shall apply to any official who receives monetary renumeration from the Church.
  3. The Church Board shall elect its own chairman, secretary, etc. It will also appoint all other non-elected committees and positions in the Church.
  4. All elected Church officials, excluding Pastor[s], shall have been active voting members of the Church for at least one [1] year prior to the election and shall meet all spiritual standards established in Scripture.
    • Pastors/Elders:  1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9
    • All Other Officials:  Acts 6:3, 1 Timothy 3:8-13
  5. Where it is deemed desirable, the Elders and Deacons may hold separate meetings. Business arising from these meetings shall be brought to the full Board for ratification.
  6. The size of the Board shall be related to the number of active members. There shall always be a minimum of two Elders, two Deacons, and two Deacon Assistants, three Trustees and a Treasurer, making for a minimum total of ten officers. When the number of active members exceeds one hundred and twenty [120], Elders, Deacons and Deacon Assistants should be added to handle the workload. The exact numbers to be proposed will be determined by the Board each year before nominations are called for electing officers at the Annual Meeting.

B. Elders

Duties:

  1. The Elders and Pastor[s] shall work together as a team to oversee the spiritual needs of the congregation and the community served by the Church.
  2. To teach by word and example “so that the body of Christ may be built up to reach unity of faith, knowledge of the Son of God, and become mature.”

C. Deacons

Duties:

  1. To assist the Elders and Pastor[s] in the spiritual, practical and social needs of the congregation.
  2. They may serve in the capacity of Trustees.

D. Deacon Assistants

Duties:

  1. To assist the Elders and Pastor[s] in the spritual, practical and social needs of women in the congregation and in the community served by the Church.
  2. At least one of the Deacon Assistants should normally be available during the daytime on weekdays.

E. Trustees

Duties:

  1. Jointly must sign all legal documents on behalf of the Church as the membership may direct.
  2. Deposit all legal and valuable documents in a safe place for the Church.
  3. They have no power to sell, mortgage, lease or transfer any property without specific vote of the Church membership authorizing such action.

F. Church Treasurer

Duties:

  1. To properly maintain the required financial books of the Church.
  2. To present monthly statements to the Board, quarterly and annual financial statements to the membership.
  3. To have the financial records of the Church audited on an annual basis.
  4. To serve as a mentor to a treasurer intern.

G. Church Clerk

Duties

  1. To maintain the Minutes of all Business Meetings.
  2. To keep the Church roll up to date.
  3. To carry out routine correspondence relating to membership and Church Business Meetings.

Footnote

Trustees, Church Treasurer or Church Clerk may be male or female. Deacon Assistants shall be female.