0
THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH-GHANA
STUDENTS AND ASSOCIATES
APOSA
CAMPUS MINISTRY
LOCAL CONSTITUTION
Table of Contents
PageSubject
2Preamble
3Article 1 - Name
Article 2 – Aims and Objectives
Article 3 – Tenets of Faith
5Article 4 - Membership
Article 5 – Patrons
6Article 6 - Officers
11Article 7 – Teams/Wings/Departments
12Article 8 – Meeting Days and Programs
Article 9 - Relationships
13Article 10 - Discipline
Article 11 - Finance
14Article 12 - Amendment
15Appendix
THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH, GHANA STUDENTS AND ASSOCIATES
APOSA CAMPUS MINISTRY LOCAL CONSTITUTION
FOR CAMPUS CHAPTERS
PREAMBLE
To the glory of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. We the executives
and members of the Apostolic Church, Ghana Students and Associates Campus Ministry
……………………………………………… Chapter, in pursuit of accomplishing the
Great Commission bequeathed to us by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and in line with
the APOSA vision founded upon the following pillars:
a spiritual circumcision of the removal of the old body of sin executed by the
sharp knife of the word of God leading to holiness (Joshua 5:1-15; Colossians 2:13);
the building of the broken walls and burnt gates of the church of God, leading to a
restoration of God’s glory in His church (Nehemiah 2:18; Obadiah 17);
the mobilization, training and equipping of an army of ready men and women who will
be vessels used by God to spark a revival, leading to Holy Spirit-empowered
evangelism and the expansion of the kingdom of God;
Do hereby adopt and give to ourselves this constitution. We therefore pledge our
unflinching adherence through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit to the article and
spirit of this constitution.
ARTICLE 1: NAME
The group shall be known and called The Apostolic Church, Ghana Students and
Associates Campus Ministry ………………………………………………..Chapter
(hereinafter referred to as APOSA Campus Ministry ……………………………. Chapter).
ARTICLE 2: AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
In tune with the general vision of APOSA Nationwide, the group shall have the following
aims:
(1) To meet as an identifiable group on campus to tap and enjoy the benefits inherent in
Christ-centred fellowship.
(2) To help in the dissemination of authentic Apostolic doctrine thereby guarding
members against doctrines of devils.
(3) To see to the spiritual, social, professional and intellectual advancement of members.
ARTICLE 3: TENETS OF FAITH
The following are the fundamental doctrinal beliefs of The Apostolic Church, Ghana;
hence APOSA Campus Ministry ……………………… Chapter, based on the Holy
Scriptures. Such doctrinal beliefs as accepted and confessed, and the personal experience
and practices resulting therefrom, shall be an essential basis of the fellowship and union of
the members thereof:
TENETS
(1) The Unity of the Godhead and the Trinity of the Persons therein.
(2) The Utter Depravity of Human Nature, the Necessity for Repentance and
Regeneration and the Eternal Doom of the finally impenitent.
(3) The Virgin Birth, Sinless Life, Atoning Death, Triumphant Resurrection, Ascension
andAbiding Intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ, His Second Coming and Millennial
Reign upon Earth.
(4) Justification And Sanctification of the Believer through the finished work of Christ.
(5) The Baptism of the Holy Spirit for Believers with signs following.
(6) The Nine Gifts of the Holy Spirit for the Edification, Exhortation and comfort of the
Church, which is the Body of Christ.
(7) The Sacrament of Baptism by Immersion and of the Lord’s Supper.
(8) The Divine Inspiration and Authority of the Holy Scriptures.
(9) Church Government by Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, Teachers, Elders and
Deacons
(10) The possibility of falling from Grace
(11) The Obligatory Nature of Tithes and Offerings
Alteration
The confession of faith as set out above shall forever be the doctrinal standard of The Apostolic Church, APOSA and by implication, that of the APOSA Campus Ministry
………………. ……Chapter. It shall not be subject to any change in any way whatsoever.
ARTICLE 4: MEMBERSHIP
(I) Membership shall be open to students in The Apostolic Church, Ghana.
(2) Associate membership shall be open to all other students and non-students who have
professed belief in the tenets of faith, and have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and
personal Saviour.
(3)Membership is subject to the requirement of signing a membership form which is
to be counter-signed by the local ambassador/president.
(4) In cases where the local leadership rejects an application, it shall be referred to the
Campus Ministry Coordinator who shall, in the concert with the Campus Ministry
Committee, determine whether to sign the declaration or not.
ARTICLE 5: PATRONS
(A) Qualifications and Appointments
(1) The group may have one or more patrons.
(2) A patron should preferably be a fully-fledged member of the Apostolic Church, Ghana
and of good report.
(3) Where however, a fully-fledged member of the Apostolic Church, Ghana is not readily
available for the position of the patron, a non Apostolic member of good report and
who accepts the vision of the group may be considered for the position.
(4) Patrons shall be appointed by at least a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the executives
of the chapter, in consultation with the Campus Ministry Coordinator.
(5) A patron may be discharged if he commits acts incompatible with the Holy Scriptures
or his status.
(B) Functions of the Patron
(1) To seek and promote the welfare of the group.
(2) To serve in an advisory capacity to the group.
(C) Change of Patron(s)
A patron shall have tenure of office of two (2) years which may be reviewed on
expiry by the chapter executive in consultation with the Campus Ministry Coordinator.
A patron may be discharged of his responsibilities as a patron;
(1) if he commits an act which may bring the group into disrepute.
(2) if in any case he ceases to be eligible as provided under Article 5 (A).
(3) if he becomes liable for disciplinary action under the guidelines of APOSA.
(4) if he shows by any overt or covert actions that he has lost interest in the vision of the
group.
(5) in any case, where a patron becomes liable to be discharged of his duties, the local
Campus Ministry shall present a resolution of the Executive Committee with three-
Fourth (¾) of the members present and two-thirds (⅔) majority of those present to the
Campus Ministry Committee, which may ratify the decision to discharge the said patron.
ARTICLE 6: OFFICERS
(A) Executive Committee
(1) There shall be an executive committee comprising of at least the President/Ambassador,
Secretary, Prayer Secretary, Evangelism Secretary, Organizing Secretary, Treasurer
and/or Financial Secretary.
(2) Assistant/Vice/Deputy officers of these offices may be elected to act in the event of
the absence, resignation or dismissal of the incumbent officers or to perform any other
duties that may be assigned by the President/Ambassador or by an executive decision.
(3) Other offices may be created as and when the need arises. Such offices may be created
upon a resolution of the duly constituted meeting of the Executive Committee of the
Chapter.
(b) Functions
(a) President/Ambassador
(1) He shall be the chief spokesman for the group.
(2) He shall oversee all activities of the group on the campus.
(3) He shall be the chairman of all executive meetings, which shall be convened at his
instance.
(4) He shall become the APOSA Vice National Organizer in the years that his chapter
hosts the Campus Secretariat.
(5) He shall be a signatory to the group’s bank account.
(b) Vice President/Vice Ambassador
(1) He shall act in the absence of the incumbent.
(3) He shall be the vice chairman of the APOSA Editorial and Bible Study Committee
whenever his institution hosts the Campus Secretariat.
(4) He shall have general oversight of the activities of the various teams/wings and
departments and report to the President/Ambassador and the Executive committee on
their activities.
(5) He shall undertake any duties delegated to him by the incumbent or by an executive
decision.
(c) Secretary
(1) He shall take minutes of all business, general and executive meetings of the chapter,
and shall constantly remind these fora of all issues raised, to ensure full
implementation.
(2) He shall keep accurate records of all meetings and act as the custodian of all official
documents.
(3) He shall write out the agenda for executive meetings at the instance of the
President/Ambassador, and make them available to its members at least seventy-two
(72) hours prior to the scheduled meeting (except for emergency meetings).
(4) He shall work closely with hall or house representatives, where they exist, in order to
keep a proper register of the membership of the chapter.
(5) He shall accompany the President/Ambassador to represent the chapter on all
official meetings unless it is specifically stated otherwise.
(6) He shall become the APOSA National Vice Secretary in the year that the chapter
hosts the Campus Secretariat.
(7) He shall be one of the signatories of the chapter’s bank account.
(d) Organizing Secretary
(1) He shall be responsible for all the necessary arrangements connected with meetings
and programmes (including publicity in cases where there is no other executive
member specifically responsible for publicity).
(2) He shall be responsible for keeping the group’s non-monetary assets (except for
official documents).
(3) He shall perform other such duties as shall be directed by the executive committee.
(e) Prayer Secretary
(1) He shall be responsible for the organizing of prayer meetings and any other prayer
based programme that will ensure the spiritual upliftment of the brethren.
(2) He shall prepare prayer bulletins for the local chapter and also ensure that brethren
receive prayer bulletins sent from the National or other levels.
(3) He shall be responsible for organizing a prayer team/wing/department where possible.
(f) Evangelism Secretary
(1) He shall organize and mobilize brethren to participate in evangelistic outreaches.
(2) He shall organize classes for new converts of the group.
(3) He shall assist in organizing evangelistic training programmes for the group.
(g) Treasurer
(1) He shall be responsible for launching fund-raising programmes on behalf of the
group, using scripturally sound methods. This may be done in conjunction with the
Financial Secretary.
(2) He shall be responsible for sending the group’s monies to the bank.
(3) He shall keep petty cash for the chapter.
(4) He shall facilitate the payment of the chapter’s financial obligations and any other
payments as may be directed by the Executive Committee.
(5) He shall be responsible, either singly or in conjunction with the Financial Secretary,
for keeping proper records of the group’s accounts.
(6) He shall be a signatory to the group’s bank accounts.
(7) He shall be responsible, either singly or in conjunction with the Financial
Secretary, for the regular presentation of the financial standing of the group to
brethren, and to the APOSA National Executive through the Campus Ministry
Coordinator and Campus Ministry Committee.
(h) Financial Secretary
(1) He shall be responsible, either singly or in conjunction with the Treasurer, for
launching fund-raising programmes on behalf of the group, using scripturally sound
methods.
(2) He shall be responsible, either singly or in conjunction with the Treasurer, for keeping
proper records of the group’s accounts.
(3) He shall be responsible, either singly or in conjunction with the Treasurer, for the
regular presentation of the financial standing of the group to brethren, and to the
APOSA National Executive through the Campus Ministry Coordinator and Campus
Ministry Committee. (C.M.C)
(4) He shall be responsible for coordinating the drawing up of a budget for the group
wherever required.
(5) He shall be the APOSA National Vice Financial Secretary in the years when his
chapterhosts the Campus Secretariat.
(C) Election and Tenure of Office
(1) Officers shall ordinarily be elected by an outgoing executive after nomination by all
members of the chapter. However in situations where the Campus Ministry
Committee specifically permits other modes of election, such modes of election shall
be implemented.
(2) Offices shall be held for one academic year. An Officer may be eligible for re-election
so long as he fulfils the requirements of the office.
(3) The offices of President/Ambassador, Secretary and Treasurer shall not be held by
non-Apostolics on campuses which are eligible to host the Campus Secretariat of
APOSA.
(4) The APOSA National Executive shall have the right to intervene in any election
process. Such intervention may involve organizing fresh elections for the chapter, or
annulling election results upon reasonable grounds of widespread irregularities in the
conduct of the elections.
(5) The list of duly elected members of the Executive Committee shall be conveyed to the
Central Executive Committee (CEC) of APOSA through the Campus Ministry
Coordinator.
ARTICLE 7: TEAMS/WINGS/DEPARTMENTS
(1) These may be formed to take care of specific areas of the group like Bible Study,
Prayer, Evangelism, Praise and Worship, Finance etc, either on standing or on ad-hoc
basis.
(2) Such Teams/Wings/Departments shall be formed upon a resolution at a duly
constituted meeting of the Executive Committee of the Chapter.
(3) The terms of reference, tenure of office and all modalities for the said Team/Wing/
Department shall be determined by the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE 8: MEETING DAYS AND PROGRAMMES
(1) Regular meeting days for prayer, Bible Study, fellowship etc shall be established
wherever possible.
(3) Other days may also be scheduled for retreats, all-nights, social activities and any
other activity that will enhance the total growth and development of the group and its
members.
ARTICLE 9: RELATIONSHIPS
(1) The chapter shall fulfill its part in the APOSA vision for the benefit of the group, the
Apostolic Church, Ghana and the Body of Christ in general.
(2) It shall operate within the Campus Ministry of APOSA under the supervision of the
Campus Ministry Coordinator, who would eventually report to the APOSA National
Executive and disseminate National Executive decisions to the chapter.
(3) The chapter shall cooperate with other APOSA chapters both on other campuses and
outside campuses, local assemblies of the Apostolic Church Ghana, and other
Christian groups with similar beliefs and goals. Towards that end, the chapter may
hold joint programmes whenever necessary and possible for their mutual benefit and
for the enhancement of the work of the kingdom of God, in consultation with the
C.M.C.
ARTICLE 10: DISCIPLINE
(1) Any act committed by any member proven to be incompatible with the Holy
Scriptures, constitutes an infringement of church doctrine, or violates the spirit and
article of this constitution renders the offender liable for disciplinary action.
(2) The disciplinary action taken shall be equivalent to that prescribed by the church, and
APOSA National.
(3) Any disciplinary action shall be taken in consultation with the Campus Ministry
Committee.
(4) Disciplinary action shall be administered in love, without fear, favour or malice.
ARTICLE 11: FINANCE
(1) Tithes, offerings, donations, dues and other scripturally sound methods approved by
Executive Committee of the chapter shall be the main source of funds for the chapter.
(2) The chapter shall open a bank account with any recognized bank of its choice with the
President/Ambassador, Secretary and Treasurer as the signatories to the accounts, and
at least two of them shall be required to sign any authorization for any transaction
with the bank.
(3) The Treasurer shall keep an imprest on behalf of the chapter. The quantum of the
imprest shall be determined by the Executive Committee. He shall account for this
monthly or as otherwise decided by the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE 12: AMENDMENT
(1) With the exception of article 3 of this constitution, all other portions may be amended
by at least two-thirds (2/3) majority of a general meeting of the executive committee
and hall/house representatives (where they exist) of the chapter.
(2) Any amendment shall however become effective after ratification by the Central
Executive Committee (CEC) of APOSA.
Appendix
(1) Meaning Of “Duly Constituted”
For the avoidance of doubt, wherever the executive need to deliberate on any issue concerned with the constitution, the quorum of the meeting should be at least three-fourth (¾) of the executive, with the usual procedure for calling executive meetings having been followed. This would constitute a “duly constituted” executive meeting on constitutional matters.
(2) References to Gender
In this document, the word “He” stands for both genders (i.e. both male and female) unless the context indicates otherwise or it is specifically stated otherwise.
(3) Interpretation
As with any other document in APOSA, the final word on the interpretation of the provisions of this constitution lies with the General Executive Committee (G.E.C) of APOSA, in cases where the chapter after consultation with the Campus Ministry Committee fails to satisfactorily settle the issues involved.
1