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Constitution and By-Laws
Preamble
Preamble
Receiving by faith the Lord Jesus Christ and relying wholly on Him for salvation, believing the Bible to be the divinely inspired, plenary, infallible, and authoritative Word of God; and the King James Bible (1611. 1769 Cambridge edition) as our infallible authority for English-speaking people; accepting Biblical Baptistic principles; and knowing that all things should be done decently and in order; we do voluntarily band ourselves together as a body of immersed believers and adopt this constitution as a declaration of our faith and practice.
This Constitution is neither a substitute for, nor a supplement to, the Word of God. It is simply a review of the doctrines as they apply to practical matters concerning the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship International. It is a guide to aid in the application of biblical principles to fellowship polity. The Word of God shall be the first and final authority on all fellowship matters, and any issue whereon this Constitution is silent shall be governed by the clear statement of the Word of God.
Article I: Name & Association
This fellowship is Bible Believers Fellowship of Worthington, Ohio, and is a local fellowship of the Church of Jesus Christ.
This fellowship shall be an independent and sovereign organization and as such, unrelated to any other organization or movement, but in fellowship with New Testament Bible believing Christians everywhere. It shall exist to serve them.
Article II: Purpose
The purpose of Bible Believers Fellowship shall be the preaching of the Gospel of Christ as a soul-saving institution, the edification of born-again believers, through the teaching of the Holy Bible with emphasis on verse-by-verse expository teaching, the promotion of worship of God, the worldwide proclamation of God’s saving grace, administering the ordinances, licensing and ordaining qualified men of like faith to the Gospel ministry, establishing other independent, fundamental Baptist churches, and exposing religious error and apostasy. A further purpose is to be a regular church with the authority to operate and maintain a children’s home, Christian school, and any other necessary co-related ministries needed to accomplish the Lord’s work.
Article III: Covenant
Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we do now in the presence of God, and this assembly most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another, as one body in Christ. In doing so, I commit myself to God and to the other members to do the following.
- I will protect the unity of my church
By acting in love toward other members
By refusing to gossip
By following the spiritual leadership
(Romans 14:19; Romans 15:5, I Peter 2:22; Ephesians 4:29; Hebrews 13:17) - I will share the responsibility of my church
By praying for its growth
By inviting the unchurched to attend
By warmly welcoming those who visit
(I Thessalonians 1:2; Luke 14:23; Romans 15:7) - I will serve in the ministry of my church
By discovering my gifts and talents
By being equipped to serve the Lord
By developing a servant’s heart
(I Peter 4:10; Ephesians 4:11,12; Philippians 2:3-7) - I will support the testimony of my church
By attending faithfully
By living a godly life
By giving regularly
(Hebrews 10:25; Philippians 1:27; I Corinthians 16:2; Leviticus 27:30)
We engage, therefore, as the Holy Spirit directs us, to walk together in Christian love, to strive for the advancement of this church in knowledge, holiness, and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality, to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines, to contribute regularly and cheerfully to support this ministry, the church expenses, the missionary work, and the relief of the poor.
We also seek to maintain family and secret devotions; to spiritually train our children; to seek salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings; faithful in our engagements; and exemplary in our deportment; to avoid all tattling and backbiting, and excessive anger; to abstain from the abuse of intoxicating drink as a beverage (drunkenness), and from the abuse non-prescribed and/or prescribed drugs; and to zealously promote the cause of Christ in every aspect of our lives.
We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love, to remember each other in prayer, to aid one another in sickness and distress, to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation, and when we remove from this place, we will as soon as possible unite with some other Bible believing local church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word.
Article IV: Statement of Faith – (Click To View On Separate Page)
Article V: Membership
Section 1. Acceptance and Identification of General Members:
All believers regularly attending locally-held, in-person services and/or those unable to attend in-person but joining services by means of internet Live Stream and/or other means of audio/video participation, while also in communication with the Bible Believers of this local church, and who wish to identify with this local body as their own church family and also identify the pastor of BBF as their own personal pastor are invited to do so and will be viewed as "General Members" by the pastor and local church family, so long as that person is not in violation of these Constitution and By-Laws.
All General Members will be viewed as and treated like a member of this local church family in all practical, spiritual matters. All who are born again by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ, having the indwelling Holy Spirit and having been adopted by the Spirit of God are one family under Heaven and all members of that one family are welcome to identify with Bible Believers Fellowship in this manner.
However, differentiation will be made in matters of business and when choosing a permanent, new pastor, or when taking any vote, as well as when consideration is made to fill any position of official ministry status. Only those identified as "Voting Members" are eligible to vote or to hold such official ministry positions. And only "Voting Members" will be subject to official Church Discipline.
Section 2. Reception and Appointment of Voting Members:
General Members, having professed faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, having given evidence of being born again and having reached the age of 16, may, by designation of the pastor with confirmation by the unanimous consent of the elder-deacons, be received as "Voting Members" of Bible Believers Fellowship, provided they will subscribe to the Constitution and Bylaws set forth herein, agreeing to the full Statement of Faith by fulfilling one of the following requirements:
- By profession of faith in Christ followed by baptism by immersion at BBF.
- By statement of Christian experience if already a baptized believer.
- By a letter of recommendation from another church which holds to similar faith and practice.
By restoration to voting member status, if having been excluded from this church, and upon confession of his/her errors, giving evidence of repentance by designation of the pastor with confirmation by the unanimous consent of the elder-deacons..
Section 3. Dismission of Voting Members:
- By death.
- By letter of recommendation. Such a letter shall be granted by vote of the church in a regular business meeting for any member in good standing to any church of like faith and practice which requests it.
- By erasure in the case of a member who unites with another church to which Bible Believers Fellowship cannot grant a letter of recommendation.
- Discipline - Jesus Christ commanded for the church to exercise discipline, including the exclusion from its fellowship of any member (General or Voting status) who persists in sin and disobedience to God’s Word. Matthew 18:15-20; I Corinthians 5.
- Grounds - Any member (General or Voting status) who is an offense to the church and a stumbling block to the ministry, by reason of immoral and unchristian conduct, by consistent breach of his/her covenant vows, or by reason of heretical beliefs, the church may terminate his/her membership.
Procedures:
- In all considered cases of church discipline, the pastor and elder-deacons shall exercise every spiritual means of persuasion to draw the errant member back into the fellowship with Christ. Matthew 18:15;16; Galatians 6:1.
- There shall not at any time be an open church trial. All Voting Member discipline will be conducted by the pastor and elder-deacons in private and all communications regarding the process will be made in private as open discussions during regular meetings could be a stumbling block to those in attendance who know not our Lord Jesus Christ, or are babes in their walk with the Lord.
- Once a person is discharged, the church shall deal lovingly with him/her and seek to win him/her back into fellowship with Christ and the church. II Thessalonians 3:13,14. Restoration to Voting Member status will be left to the discretion and decision of the pastor and elder-deacons.
- Inactive Voting Membership. Any voting member failing to attend one church service or to contribute financially to the church for any six (6) month period shall be placed on the inactive list of members with a loss of voting privileges. The pastor and elder-deacons will counsel with any such member, according to Matthew 18:15-17, and if the situation does not improve, they shall be removed from Voting Member status at the discretion and decision of the pastor and elder-deacons. This only applies to those members who are not providentially hindered from attending.
Article VI: Meetings –
Section 1. Regular Services:
- Sunday services.
- A mid-week prayer and Bible study service.
- Baptismal services, when needed, usually in conjunction with the regular services.
- The Lord’s Supper shall be commemorated at such times as the pastor (or during times without an active pastor during pastoral searches, the elder-deacons) determine.
- Special meetings such as Bible conferences, missionary conferences, evangelistic or revival services, etc. can be held as the pastor is directed of the Lord.
Section 2. Business Meetings
- Business meetings shall be held as the pastor and deacons see fit. No business meet shall be called without the pastor's consent unless the meeting is called to deal with pastoral transgression or removal, or the pastor is mentally and/or physically incapacitated or legally declared incompetent.
- Annual business meetings for adopting the church budget shall be held once each year by the pastor and all able-bodied elder-deacons. The church fiscal year shall begin on January 1 and conclude on December 31. The church budget and finances are open for all Voting Members to review at any time within a reasonable requested time and number of requests. The pastor and elder-deacons may limit requests by unanimous decision when/if such requests become burdensome, unreasonable or otherwise objectionable. No good faith requests shall be denied.
- Moderator - the pastor shall moderate all business meetings except in those cases in which his consent is not required. In such cases, the elder-deacons shall choose a representative to moderate that particular meeting without pastoral moderation.
- Voting - All members holding Voting Member status will be allowed to vote on any items of business when presented to the congregation for a vote.
Section 3. Quorum
In all business meetings, twenty percent (51%) of all voting members shall constitute a quorum.
Article VII: Officers
Since officers are in positions of respect, it is expected they meet up to a faithful Christian walk and to meet spiritual standards set forth in Scripture. I Timothy 3; Titus 1.
Section 1. Pastor:
- Qualifications - Must be a male called of God to preach, meeting the Scriptural standards as set forth in I Timothy 3 and Titus 1.
- Call - If necessary a pulpit committee, composed of elder-deacons, shall recommend a qualified man to the church. After hearing him preach and sufficiently viewing his life, a three-fourths (3/4)-majority vote of the quorum is necessary to call a new pastor. Only one man may be considered at a time. Female candidates will not be considered
- Tenure - The pastor shall be elected for no specific term. The church may request his resignation upon three-fourths (3/4) majority vote in a special meeting for that purpose and announced at least two weeks in advance. When the pulpit is vacated, except on moral grounds, the departing pastor is entitled to one month’s pay if he is on salary. Other considerations of assistance in the spirit of Christian love will be considered and enacted by majority vote.
- Responsibility - As under-shepherd responsible to Jesus Christ, the pastor is to preach the Word, administer the ordinances, advance the spiritual life of the church, and oversee all phases of the ministry. The pastor is ex-officio member of every committee and organization of the church. The pastor has the right to call the man he feels led of the Lord to hold meetings and fill the pulpit in his absence.
Section 2. Staff:
The pastor has liberty to fill salaried and unsalaried positions with qualified personnel in areas such as church secretaries, music directors, youth directors, etc. The pastor has responsibility of dismissing staff members who violate expected conduct..
Section 3. Elder-Deacons:
- Qualifications - Males meeting the qualifications in I Timothy 3:8-13 who have been active members for at least 1 year. Female candidates will not be considered.
- Election and Tenure - The pastor shall present a nominee for the office at any regular business meeting. The vote will be by secret ballot and the term is in perpetuity until such time as the elder-deacon submits resignation or is removed for disqualifying behavior or violation of expected conduct.
- Responsibilities - The elder-deacons assist, help, and advise the pastor in the spiritual interests and advancement of the church, assist in administering church ordinances, examine candidates for membership, labor with wayward members, and involve themselves in the soul-winning activities of the church. Elder-deacons will also serve as the legal trustees of the church.
Section 4. Other Officers:
The pastor has the discretionary right to appoint or request the election or hiring of such officers as church clerk, treasurer, financial records secretary, and Sunday School Superintendent, etc.
Section 5. Committees:
The pastor has the discretionary right to appoint church members to function on whatever church committees may be deemed necessary.
Article VIII: Ministries
All ministries are subservient parts of the church, and under no circumstances shall they be considered separate from the church.
Section 1. Christian School:
In the event Bible Believers Fellowship shall have a day school, kindergarten, elementary and high school, it shall be operated as a branch of the overall church program. The school’s board of directors shall be approved by the deacons and the church, and its chairman shall be the pastor of Bible Believers Fellowship..
Section 2. Other Ministries
Other ministries such as bus ministries, radio or television ministries, etc. shall be added as the Holy Spirit leads. Lay ministries can be established by members of Bible Believers Fellowship as God leads and directs them. Every believer is a minister for Jesus Christ. These ministries must maintain doctrinal agreement with the church and be united in purpose with Bible Believers Fellowship. (Visitation, Small Group Bible Studies, Children Bible Clubs, Tape Ministry, Hospital Visitation, etc.)
Ministry is a lifestyle, not an occupation.
Article IX: AUTONOMY AND ASSOCIATION
This church shall be completely autonomous and non-affiliated and remain an independent local Church. It shall not, as a church, become a member of any convention or denomination. Any association and fellowship with other organizations or religious alliances will be those voluntary associations that do not violate the independence and autonomy of this local church. Under no circumstance will any organization ever be given authority over this local church or the pastoral leadership of Bible Believers Fellowship.
Article X: LITERATURE
Only literature that is fundamental and true to the Scripture will be used at Bible Believers Fellowship for instructional purposes or outreach. Only literature that uses (without correction) the Authorized King James Bible will be used for instruction and outreach. Other materials such as cult publications, corrupt Bible versions, secular sources, etc., can be kept and made available for either teacher reference or educational purposes in the designated church library but will not be promoted or distributed for any other purpose.
Article XI: FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND POLICY
Section 1.
Tithes, offerings and love gifts shall be the only plan of finances.
Section 2.
The church shall not be supported by door-to-door solicitation, raffles, bingo or any other sort of solicitation of non-believers or "game-of-chance" gambling.
Section 3.
Budgets: The annual budget shall be observed for financial allocations. Major changes may be made in advance if approved by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the congregation at a regular business meeting.
Article XII: LICENSING AND ORDINATION
Any male giving evidence of a divine call to the gospel ministry and accepting the Articles of Faith of Bible Believers Fellowship may be licensed to preach by recommendation from the pastor and a majority vote of members present. An ordination council composed of ordained ministers whom the pastor considers wise to invite shall thoroughly examine the candidate for ordination with regard to his doctrinal, moral and personal soundness. After examination, he shall be recommended and ordained to the gospel ministry at a duly called service.
Article XIII: PROPERTY, BUILDINGS AND EQUIPMENT
Decisions relative to the acquisition or sale of property shall require a majority vote of the members at a business meeting announced in advance. All buildings, property and equipment shall be used only by permission of the pastor. They shall be used principally for church functions and related activities. When the pastor is not available (for health reasons) to approve use of facilities or property, an elder-deacon can approve such use as in keeping with this statement and any precedence of pastoral approval for such uses.
Article XIV: MISCELLANEOUS
We are opposed to the following movements in the "Christian" society:
- All cults - Those which teach contrary to the Scripture and deny the Deity of Christ, the blood and supreme place of Jesus Christ.
- Neo-Orthodoxy - More accurately called "pseudo-Orthodoxy", this heresy denies the objective infallibility and inerrancy of Scripture and subject the word of God to the emotions, feelings and opinions of fallible man. This false movement leads to apostasy.
- Neo-Evangelicalism - A spirit of toleration and co-operation with liberalism.
- Liberalism - An outright denial of fundamental Biblical truth and moral absolutes.
- Pentecostalism - An emphasis upon healing and tongues speaking.
- Word of Faith - Mind Science cultism under a Christian banner.
- Ecumenical Movement - A desire to unite with all denominations and religions.
- Extremist Health cults - Any claim to be able to reverse the curse and undo the effect of the Fall (Genesis 3) by removing all disease and death by a prescribed regimen of diet, physical exercise and mental meditation or thought control.
Article XV: ADOPTION AND AMENDMENT
Section 1. Adoption:
Adoption of this constitution, including the Statement of Faith, was instituted by the founding pastor with approval and adoption by unanimous consent of the charter members, June 6, 2007.
Section 2. Amendments:
This document may be amended so long as the proposed amendment is consistent with the teaching of the Word of God, and it does not violate the purpose for which Bible Believers Fellowship was founded. Any amendment that would be added will be done at a business meeting announced beforehand and must be approved by a three-fourths (3/4) vote.
Article XVI: DISSOLUTION
In the event of the dissolution of Bible Believers Fellowship, as a non-profit organization the assets shall be given and paid over to a non-profit corporation of like faith and order which would satisfy the remaining membership.
Article XVII: NON-INUREMENT PROVISION
No part of the net earnings of the organization shall inure to the benefit of any member, trustee, director, or officer of the organization or any private individual (except that reasonable compensation may be paid for services rendered to or for the organization), and no member, trustee, officer of the organization or any private individual shall be entitled to share in the distribution of any of the assets on dissolution of the organization.
Article XVII: RESTRICTIVE LEGISLATION PROVISION
No substantial part of the activities of Bible Believers Fellowship shall be carrying on partisan political propaganda, or participating in, or intervening in (including the publication or distribution of statements), any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office. We reserve the right to discuss "politics" as it is addressed in Scripture or has implications for our daily lives, our local church and/or Bible prophecy. Bible Believers Fellowship is not affiliated with nor does this organization serve or endorse any political party.
This is our authority for faith and practice.
Statement On Marriage
We unequivocally acknowledge and state that God ordained marriage in the Holy Bible as being between one man and one woman, and that marriage existed before any law, constitution or government: we agree with the position taken by other religious leaders that to go against God’s word can and will bring judgement upon our Nation: we state herein the historical evidence that the destruction of major empires occurs when homosexual behavior becomes rampant: we reject any form of marriage not in conformity to the Biblical model of "one biological male, one biological female for life" and acknowledge that neither the Supreme Court of the United State, nor any other court (international or local), has the power or the authority to change God’s word.
Biblical Marriage: One man, one woman for life.
Statement On Vaccines
Bible Believers Fellowship is not opposed to vaccinations. We are:
- Opposed to forced vaccinations.
- Opposed to disinformation.
We support your right to being vaccinated.,
We also support the right to NOT be vaccinated.
It is our sincerely held religious belief that injecting toxic substances (such as mercury), products of eugenic-styled use of aborted fetus cell lines and other known toxic "adjuvants" into our body is a violation of God's word: We believe it is an established fact that modern vaccines are derived from and developed by the use of cell lines from murdered unborn children.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (KJV) "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. "
And while we allow this as a matter of personal liberty and do not require members to avoid all vaccinations (or prove that they are not vaccinated, as we have been falsely accused of doing), we support those who choose not to be vaccinated and will provide a signed statement to that effect to any member who needs documentation for a religious exemption at school, in the workplace, etc.
