CHRIST COMMUNITY CHURCH
CONSTITUTIONS
AND
BY-LAWS
PREAMBLE
To the glory of God, the Christ Community Church is established to carry out the God ordained responsibilities of the local church.
1. Teaching:
· To stand for the historic, biblical truths of Scripture;
· To equip the saints for the word of service for the building up of the body of Christ;
· To attain unity and maturity that is measured by the fullness of Christ;
· To instruct and encourage growth in the knowledge of God
2. Fellowship:
To provide a means of developing meaningful relation ships among believers in order to:
· Express love and concern for one another;
· Be accountable to one another;
· Stimulate spiritual growth;
· Encourage emotional and spiritual growth
3. Outreach:
· To participate in world evangelism in various ways;
· To encourage local evangelism by training people to have an effective influence and loving ministry in the society in which they find themselves.
4. Worship and Prayer:
· To provide for meaningful biblical worship in spirit and in truth
· To encourage private and corporate prayer in our daily lives
· To administer the ordinances of immersion baptism and communion
5. Service:
· To use our spiritual gifts to serve others and influence our world.
· To recognize that all believers have God-given gifts and are to use them
CONSTITUTION
ARITCLE I – NAME
1. IMPORTANCE OF DOCTRINE – The church shall function as an independent, evangelical church committed to the historic Christian truths recorded in God’s inerrant revelation, the Holy Bible. All members must wholeheartedly agree with the following doctrines found in the Articles of Faith:
A. The Trinity – God exists in three eternal, coequal persons; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
B. The Person of Christ – Undiminished deity (true God) and complete humanity are united forever in one sinless, virgin born person, the Lord Jesus Christ.
C. The work of Christ – Death of Jesus Christ served a perfect, God-satisfying, substitute payment of the penalty for the sins of mankind. His bodily resurrection guaranteed the hope of eternal life for all who believe in his life, death and resurrection.
D. Personal Salvation – One can be assured of God’s forgiveness and deliverance from eternal separation from God in Hell and the surety of eternal life with God, through genuine repentance, belief and personal trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and acceptance of God’s free gift of grace and eternal life through faith in Him.
E. Revelation – God has revealed Himself and His will through the inerrant authoritative, divinely inspired Scripture, the Holy Bible. The Bible is our final authority of belief and practice personally and in this church.
BY–LAWS AND GUIDELINES
ARTICLE I – GOVERNMENT
1. The ultimate authority for the operation of this church resides in the Head of the church, the Lord Jesus Christ. For the purpose of carrying out our Lord’s will in the life of this church, the church as a body (the congregation) shall have the responsibility to recognize qualified men to select as elders and to appoint them by confirmation vote to the Elder Board on a yearly basis. The Elder Board shall be responsible to the congregation for the leadership, direction and supervision of all ministries of the church including pulpit ministry finances, and the church facilities. The operating and policy procedures for the Church and Elder Board are contained in these by-laws and in the Church Policy statements which are to be developed as needed by the Elder Board for individual offices and ministries.
2. CONGREGATION
A. The congregation which meeting as a body in a properly called business meeting and acting in accordance with the procedures outlined in these by-laws, shall have the responsibility to prayerfully find the mind of Christ regarding the following:
1) Recognition of the leadership of Elders;
2) Annual confirmation or denial vote of Elder Board;
3) Concurrence by vote with the following major Elder Board decisions:
· Hiring new staff or pastoral staff
· Termination of paid staff
· Purchasing real estate for the church or ministries
· Initiating new building programs
· Approval of the annual financial budget
· Approval of single item expenses greater than $1,000
The vote shall be held at a properly called congregational meeting. All other business shall fall under the direction of the Elder Board.
B. Membership
1) Prospective members shall be interviewed by an Elder Board member to insure they satisfy the qualifications listed herein. Upon recommendation by the Elder Board member to the senior pastor or a pastor designated, the prospective member shall be welcomed into the fellowship of the church during a regular service or business meeting.
2) Qualifications for membership:
a) Statement of faith and testimony of personal salvation in Christ. (Romans 10:9-10
b) Baptism by immersion or evidence thereof, shall be required
(Acts 2:41)
c) Willingness to submit to the biblical authority and leadership of the pastors and Elder Board. (Hebrews 13:17)
d) Agreement with the Article II of the Constitution. (Acts 2:42)
e) Desire to please Jesus Christ and live in obedience to His will. (Ephesians 4:1-3)
f) Agree and sign the annual church covenant to renew membership.
3) Children – Children may be received into membership of the church; however, they must meet the qualifications and are ineligible to vote until they are 16 years of age.
4) Removal from Membership
a) A member may be removed from the church membership fellowship for any of the following reason:
· Joining another church
· Death
· Request by the member for removal in writing
· Absence from worship services for 6 months or longer without valid reason or cause
· Church discipline applied
5) Church Discipline – shall be practiced by the Elder Board or Elders selected (two or more) only when clear scriptural grounds are evident. Such action shall follow Matthew 18 and I Corinthians 5. Individual problems should be worked out in a spirit of love, cooperation, humility and unity. Only after individual attempts at reconciliation or solutions shall the Elders initiate the disciplinary process.
6) The Elder Board shall review the church roll at least bi-annually and revise it as necessary.
C. MEETINGS
1) Fiscal Year – The fiscal year of the church shall be January 1 to December 31st.
2) Annual Congregational Meeting – The annual meeting of the members of the church shall be in accordance with the constitution and by-laws of Christ Community Church. The annual meeting of members shall be held at the church each year in the month of November on the date set by the Elder Board. The purpose of the meeting will be to hear the past year’s reports, state of the church, and transact any necessary business of the church. Finance report, budget & Elder vote are necessary.
3) Special Business Meetings – Special Business Meetings may be called by the Pastor, the Elder Board, or a group of 25 or more members qualified to vote. Notice of such meeting shall be given from the pulpit at all services on the Sunday preceding the meeting this notice shall state in general terms the business to be conducted.
4) Quorum and Vote – The following shall govern unless otherwise noted herein:
Type of Meeting
Annual or Special
Calling/dismissing of
Pastoral staff
Elder Board/Committees
Quorum
25% of voting members
50% of Voting members
Majority of members
Vote Required
Majority of those casting votes
80% Majority of those casting votes
Majority of those casting votes
5) Rules of Order- Business meetings shall generally be conducted in accordance with the principles of parliamentary procedure or Roberts Rules of Order.
6) Chairman - The Chairman or Vice-Chairman of the Elder Board shall lead the business meetings including the annual meeting.
D. LEADERSHIP
1) The officers of the church – of Christ Community Church shall all be members of the Elder Board which consists of Elders and the Pastor. The number of Elders on the board shall be determined by the needs of the congregation and approved by the Elder Board.
2) Other offices and ministries shall be determined by the Elder Board. Recommendations and input are welcomed from the congregation. The following offices are required on a yearly basis. Financial Treasurer, Financial Secretary and Elders. Other offices will be determined by the needs of the congregation.
3) Selection of Leadership – The pastor is a voting member of all church committees as he designates and the Elder Board. Elders once selected by the Elder Board and approved by the congregation annually may remain in that capacity as long as they remain church members and are not terminated as permitted in paragraph 5) Below.
4) Candidates – Candidates for all offices and positions may present themselves to an Elder or Elder Board member. Alternately, if no one comes forward for an office, the Elder Board may approach individuals who are gifted and qualified for the position. The Elder Board shall appoint an Elder to interview the candidate concerning his life and biblical and other qualifications for the office. This Elder may then recommend or not recommend the candidates name for consideration to the entire Elder Board. Upon the candidate’s approval by the Elder Board the candidate shall be presented to the congregation.
5) Termination of Leadership – may be conducted for any of the following reasons:
a) Withdrawal of membership in writing
b) Voluntary resignation
c) Vote of the majority of the Elder Board for removal
d) Failure to receive annual confirmation by the congregation
6) Annual Confirmation – membership confirmation for the Elder Board, excluding the Senior Pastor, shall be an order of business at the annual meeting. Voting shall be by written secret ballot (“yes, or no”) and the tellers (three non-board members selected by the chairman) shall count and report only those votes and share only those receiving a number of “no” votes exceeding 25% of the voting membership casting votes. Elder Board members failing to be confirmed shall be removed from the Elder Board for the new year.
7) Elder Board Organization – from their own members the Elder Board shall elect a chairman and Vice-Chairman.
a) The chairman shall lead all meetings of the board and congregation.
b) The Vice-Chairman shall keep meeting notes and act for the chairman in the chairman’s absence.
c) The Elder Board shall keep the congregation well informed of all finances, activities and provide times for expression of concerns and thoughts.
d) Elder Board meetings must be conducted at least monthly and are open to all church members. Closed session shall be conducted only when discussing personal or confidential matters of trust.
8) Other positions/committees
The Elder Board shall prepare a qualifications and description of duties list for each position, including Elders, ministry and committee leaders, not referred to previously herein. These shall be approved by the Elder Board and discussed with the candidates before confirmation by the Elder Board.
ARTICLE II – PASTORAL STAFF
1. POSITIONS
The Elder Board will determine what paid, pastoral staff positions the church should have subject to congregational vote and approval.
2. DUTIES
A. Senior pastor – The Senior Pastor of the church shall operate under general policies of the Elder Board and be a leader of the church. He shall preach and teach the whole counsel of the Word of God, oversee the Ordinances, function as a member of the Elder Board, tenderly watch over the membership and spiritual interests of the church, help organize and develop it’s strengths for the best possible service, be administrator of the church organization, and executive director of the Church staff paid and unpaid.
B. Associate Pastors – Associate pastors shall operate under the general policies of the Elder Board and shall perform such duties as the senior pastor and Elder Board direct.
3. CALLING A PASTOR
The procedure for calling a pastor shall be as follows:
A. When it becomes necessary to call a pastor, we believe it is imperative to hold a congregational prayer meeting to ask God to send the man of His choice.
B. All Elders whether presently on the Elder Board or not shall be invited to participate in the selection of new pastoral staff.
C. A 90% approval vote by all Elders casting votes and a unanimous vote approval by the acting Elder Board shall be required before a recommendation may be brought to the congregation.
D. An affirmative vote by 80% of those voting members casting votes in a duly called congregational business meeting shall be sufficient to authorize the Elder Board and reviewed with the congregation prior to implementation. Letter of call shall contain as a minimum the Church Constitution, Bylaws, proposed salary, benefits, job description, and indefinite period of call.
4. DISMISSING STAFF OR A PASTOR
The procedure for dismissing a staff member or pastor of the church shall be as follows:
A. All Elders shall be invited to consider the dismissal of the staff or pastor.
B. The individual shall be given clear scriptural grounds for dismissal regarding his moral and spiritual qualifications and/or his quality of ministry to the Church.
C. A 2/3 vote of all Elders present in a duly called Elders meeting shall be sufficient to initiate a “Resolution for Removal” to be considered by the congregation.
D. And affirmative vote by 80% of those voting members casting votes in a duly called congregational business meeting shall make the Elder’s “Resolution for Removal” recommendation approved and final.
E. If Dismissed the staff or pastor will be given 30 days to conclude their business and severance pay for those 30 days. The Elder Board will determine if they will have access to their office, church property and any authority during those 30 days.
ARTICLE III – AMENDMENTS
1. The Elder Board may make necessary constitution and/or by-law changes which are required from time to time by submitting the proposed change in writing to the congregation at least two weeks before the annual or special business meeting. Approval shall be per by-law Article I C 4
2. Absentee Ballots: These may be requested for voting on any change on the constitution or by-laws providing there is legitimate reason for absence from the meeting. Absentee ballots must be submitted to the Elder Board Chairman before the regular balloting begins