The Constitution of St. Paul's Lutheran Church

THE CONSTITUTION OF ST. PAUL'S LUTHERAN CHURCH

ORANGE, CALIFORNIA

PREAMBLE

It is the will of our Lord Jesus Christ that His disciples should preach the Gospel to the whole world (Mark 16:16, Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8) that Christ's mission for His Church might be carried out according to His will. He has commanded that Christians unite in worship (Hebrews 10:24-25), practice fellowship with one another (Acts 2:42), witness to all men (Acts 1:8), help each other grow in the Word (Ephesians 4:11-14), serve the needs of all men in Christian love (Ephesians 4:7-16, Mark 10:42-44, John 13:35, Galatians 6:10), administer the Office of the Keys as His Church (John 20:21-23, Matthew 18:15-20), and maintain decency and order (1 Corinthians 14:40) in the Church.

Therefore we, a number of Lutheran Christians living in and near Orange, California, accept and subscribe to the following Constitution and Bylaws, in accordance with which all spiritual and material affairs of our congregation shall be governed.

ARTICLE 1: NAME

The legal name of the congregation shall be

THE ST. PAUL LUTHERAN CHURCH OF OLIVE, CALIFORNIA

For the purpose of this document the name of the congregation shall be

ST. PAUL'S LUTHERAN CHURCH in ORANGE, CALIFORNIA

ARTICLE 2: CONFESSIONAL STANDARD

This congregation accepts and confesses all the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God, and all the symbolical books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, contained in the Book of Concord of 1580, as the correct presentation and true exposition of Christian Doctrine, drawn from, and in full agreement with, the Holy Scriptures; hence, no doctrine shall be taught or tolerated in this congregation which is in any degree at variance with the following symbols of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, namely:

1. The Apostolic, the Nicene, and the Athanasian Creeds;
2. The Unaltered Augsburg Confession;
3. The Apology of the Augsburg Confession;
4. The Smalcald Articles;
5. The Large and Small Catechisms of Luther;
6. The Formula of Concord.

And we set forth that according to this norm of doctrine and faith all controversies that may arise in this congregation shall be decided and adjusted.

ARTICLE 3: SYNODICAL AFFILIATION

This congregation shall be affiliated with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod as long as the confessions and constitution of said Synod are in accord with the confession and constitution of this congregation as laid down in Article 2. This congregation shall, to the best of its ability, collaborate with said Synod and assist it in effecting all sound measures intended for the building up of the Kingdom of God.

ARTICLE 4: MEMBERSHIP

4.1 Congregational MEMBERSHIP

The membership of this congregation includes the following:

4.1.1 Baptized members are those who have been baptized in the name of the Triune God and who are under the spiritual care of the pastor(s) of the congregation.

4.1.2 Confirmed members are those baptized members who have been confirmed in the Lutheran faith, accept the confessional standards listed in Article 2 of this Constitution, are familiar at least with the contents of Luther's Small Catechism and are not members of an organization which is in conflict with the word of God such as secret-oath bound societies and subversive societies.

4.1.3 Voting members are confirmed members who have reached the age of 18 years and have been received by the Voters Assembly and have acknowledged the receipt of a copy of this Constitution and its Bylaws.

4.2 Reception

Baptized and confirmed members are received through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, through the consent of one or both parents or legal guardian(s) in the case of children who have been baptized in another Christian congregation, through the rite of confirmation, through transfer from a sister congregation, through profession of faith, or through reaffirmation of faith.

4.3 Duties

Members of the congregation shall conform their entire lives to the rule of God's Word and to that end make diligent use of the means of grace, exercise faithful stewardship of God's many gifts and talents, impart and accept fraternal admonition as theneed for such admonition becomes apparent and be readily available for service in the kingdom of Christ within and beyond the congregation.

4.4 Termination

Membership shall be terminated by transfer to a sister congregation, by death, by joining a congregation outside the fellowship of this congregation, by excommunication, or by self-exclusion.

Article 5: Organization

5.1 POWERS AND REPONSIBILITIUES OF VOTING MEMBERS

The voting members of the Church shall have the ultimate power to manage and administer all the business and affairs through the Voters Assembly.

Only confirmed members, who have qualified according to the membership provisions of the Bylaws, shall be received as voting members.

5.2 DELEGATION OF POWER TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

In the interest of expediency and efficiency, the voting members of the Church delegate to its Board of Directors (hereafter referred to as “Board”) the right, power, authority and responsibility to manage, direct, oversee and control the business and affairs of the Church, subject to the conditions and restrictions set forth in this Constitution and/or the Bylaws. The Board shall consist of such representatives of the Church, and the members thereof shall be elected, be appointed, hold office and be replaced, as set forth in the Bylaws. The voting members of the Church hereby delegate their right, power, authority and responsibility in the business and affairs of the Church to the Board, except in the following designated areas:

1. The calling and removing of Ministers of Religion—Ordained (Pastor)
2. The power and authority to purchase, lease, mortgage, sell or otherwise dispose of real estate;
3. The power and authority to incur indebtedness secured by real estate;
4. The right to receive nominations for, elect, and remove from office, the Officers of the Church and the members-at-large of the Board;
5. The right to approve and adopt the annual budget of the Church;
6. The right to adopt and amend from time to time a long-range plan for the Church; and
7. The power to amend this Constitution and the Church’s Bylaws.

5.3 DELEGATION OF BOARD’S POWERS TO COMMITTEES AND MINISTRY TEAMS.

The Board may delegate its rights, powers and authorities to such committees and ministry teams in such manner as it may deem fit, subject to the conditions and restrictions set forth in this Constitution and/or the Bylaws. Such committees and ministry teams shall have no authority beyond that which has been conferred upon them by the Board, and whatever power may have been conferred upon them may be altered or revoked by the Board and/or the voting members of the Church.

5.4 CALLS TO THE CHURCH

The right of calling Ministers of Religion—Ordained (Pastors) shall be vested only in the voting members and shall never be delegated to a smaller body or to an individual. The right of calling other called staff of the Church shall be vested in the Board, subject to the reserved rights of the voting membership. This right may be delegated by the Board as set forth in the Bylaws.

The Board shall establish call policies and procedures consistent with this Constitution and the Bylaws to govern all calls issued by the Church.

5.5 REMOVAL OF PASTORS AND OTHER CALLED STAFF FROM OFFICE

A Minister of Religion—Ordained (Pastors) may be removed from office only by the Voting Members of the Church, after receiving input and recommendations from the Board., Such removal shall be effected in the manner provided in this Constitution and the Bylaws and in Christian and lawful order. All other called staff may be removed from office by the Board. Such removal to be effected in the manner provided in this Constitution and the Bylaws and in Christian and lawful order and such removal to be subject to the reserved rights of the voting membership. Causes for removal of a pastor and other called staff are:

1. Persistent adherence to false doctrine;
2. Scandalous life;
3. Willful neglect of official duties; or
4. Inability or failure to perform official duties.

5.6 OFFICERS

The Officers of the Church shall be a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer, each of whom shall be members of the Board. Other Officers, boards or committees may be established and may be elected or appointed in the manner and for the terms as may be prescribed in the Bylaws.

ARTICLE 6: MINISTERS OF RELIGION - ORDAINED AND COMMISSIONED

Only such candidates shall be called to serve as Pastors, Certified Teachers, Directors of Christian Education, Deaconesses, Directors of Christian Outreach, and Certified Lay Ministers who profess acceptance of, and pledge faithful adherence to, the confessions of the congregation as set forth in Article 2 of this Constitution. Called Ministers of Religion, Ordained or Commissioned, must be endorsed by and be members of Synod.

ARTICLE 7: CONGREGATIONAL GROUPS, MINISTRIES & COMMITTEES

7.1 Groups

Social groups may be organized for fellowship within the congregation only with the approval of the Board. Each group must be under the supervision of a Pastor(s) and be accountable to the Board. Their purpose, activities, and conduct cannot be in conflict with Article 2 of this Constitution and Bylaws.

7.2 Ministries

Ministries may be organized within the congregation if their purpose is to care for, build up, strengthen and support church members, families and the community at large. Each ministry must have a Pastoral Advisor and be accountable to the Board. Their purpose, activities, and conduct cannot be in conflict with Article 2 of this Constitution and Bylaws.

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7.3 Committees

Any committee (standing or special) may be created or appointed within the congregation by the Voters Assembly, or the Board for the purpose of being a task force to research and make recommendations to their respective bodies on a specific issue. The committees are directly accountable to the body that created or appointed them. It is recommended that each committee should have a Pastoral Advisor. Their purpose, activities, and conduct cannot be in conflict with Article 2 of this Constitution and Bylaws.

ARTICLE 8: PROPERTY RIGHTS

If, at any time, a separation should take place within this congregation, the advice of the officers of District and Synod shall be sought. If, despite all efforts to resolve differences in peace and love, a division into factions of the congregation shall occur, the property of the congregation and all benefits therewith connected shall remain with those members who continue to adhere in confession and practice to Articles 2, 3, 4, and 6 of this Constitution.

In the event the congregation should dissolve, the property and all rights connected therewith shall be transferred to the District of the Synod in which the congregation held membership at the time of dissolution.

The property of this congregation is irrevocably dedicated to religious and charitable purposes and no part of net income or assets of this organization shall ever inure to the benefit of any director, officer, or member thereof or to the benefit of any private individual.

ARTICLE 9: VALIDITY OF RESOLUTIONS

All congregation matters shall be decided by a majority vote of the votes cast at a properly convened meeting of the Voters Assembly, except as otherwise provided in the Constitution and Bylaws for dealing with certain situations or matters therein specifically mentioned and defined.

ARTICLE 10: BOOKS AND FORMS

All hymnals, textbooks, forms, etc. used in the church and school for religious instruction must conform to the Articles of Faith as expressed in Article 2 of this Constitution. Only doctrinally pure materials may be used for normative religious study.

ARTICLE 11: AMENDMENTS

11.1 Articles 1, 5, 7 and 9 of this Constitution may be amended by a three-fourths vote of the votes cast provided that the proposed amendment has been included in the call of the meeting of the Voters Assembly at which the proposed amendment will be acted upon.

11.2 Articles 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 11 of this Constitution may be amended by a seven-eighths vote of the votes cast provided that the proposed amendment has been included in the call and discussed at two meetings before the meeting of the Voters Assembly at which the proposed amendment is to receive action. Due notice that a vote will be taken shall be given to the congregation. Any changes to these Articles shall not change their essential meaning. Should a dispute arise in the congregation that cannot be resolved internally, which God may mercifully prevent, the dispute resolution resources of the Pacific Southwest District shall be utilized.

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BYLAWS TO THE CONSTITUTION OF ST. PAUL'S LUTHERAN CHURCH

ORANGE, CALIFORNIA

ARTICLE 1: MEMBERSHIP

1.1.0 APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP

An applicant for membership in the congregation shall consult the Pastor(s) who shall determine whether such applicant is eligible for membership in accordance with Article 4 of the Constitution. An applicant for Confirmed Membership who is not familiar with the doctrines and confessions of the Lutheran Church shall be required to attend a course of instruction and make profession of his/her faith either before the congregation or, at the Pastor(s)' discretion, before other witnesses before being received as a member.

An applicant from a sister Lutheran congregation shall submit a letter of transfer from his/her former congregation to establish their eligibility for membership. In the case of an applicant whose previous membership in a sister Lutheran congregation has lapsed, the Pastor(s) may require re-instruction prior to his/her re-affirmation of faith.

After the applicant has given satisfactory evidence to the Pastor(s) of his/her eligibility, admission as a member is approved. The roster of new members shall be publicized in the various news media of the congregation.

ARTICLE 2: VOTING MEMBERSHIP

2.1.0 ELIGIBILITY

Any confirmed member of this congregation who is at least 18 years of age or older shall have the right to vote. At such time they shall be listed on the Church’s voting member roll and shall thereupon be deemed voting members of the Church.

2.2.0 PRIVILEGES AND DUTIES OF VOTING MEMBERS

Voting members shall prayerfully and conscientiously consider all matters brought before them at a Voters Assembly Meeting before exercising their right to vote.

Voting members shall submit to the authority and rules of order concerning the conducting of the Voters Assembly Meeting. At all times, voting members shall treat each member with courtesy and respect as a brother/sister in Christ. Each voting member shall be willing to serve in any office or capacity using his/her God-given talents and abilities. Voting members shall make every effort to attend all Voters Assembly Meetings.

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ARTICLE 3: DISCIPLINE IN THE CONGREGATION

All discipline in this congregation shall be administered in accordance with the order of discipline laid down in Matthew 18:15-20, 1 Corinthians 5:1-5, and other related New Testament passages.

3.1.0 TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP

3.1.1 TRANSFERS

A member in good standing desiring transfer to a sister Lutheran congregation shall request a letter of transfer from the Pastor(s). Upon request, a letter of transfer shall be issued in a timely manner. Their name(s) shall be removed from the membership list of this congregation.

3.1.2 JOINING A NON-FELLOWSHIP CHURCH

In cases where a confirmed member of this congregation has joined a congregation that is not in fellowship with this congregation, upon the decision of the Pastor(s), shall be deemed to have terminated their membership in this congregation forfeiting all rights and privileges of such membership. Their name(s) shall be removed from the membership list of this congregation.

3.1.3 WHEREABOUTS UNKNOWN

The names of members whose whereabouts are unknown and cannot be established within a period of six (6) to twelve (12) months, upon the decision of the Pastor(s), shall be removed from the membership list of this congregation and placed in a file designated “Whereabouts Unknown”.

3.1.4 SELF-EXCLUSION

A member may be removed from membership by the unanimous vote of the Board if the person has self-excluded him/herself from:

1. All St Paul’s ministry events for a period of one year or more years
2. Making a financial contribution to the church for one year or more
3. Responding to any communications from the church seeking to encourage his/her return

Such self-exclusion releases the individual from all responsibilities to this congregation. It also excludes the member from the privileges of church membership, such as Christian burial and transfer to a sister congregation. However, such an individual will at all times be cordially welcomed to attend all worship services at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Orange, California.

3.1.5 EX-COMMUNICATION

Ex-communication is to be applied to any member who conducts himself/herself in an un-Christian manner; i.e. to one who openly adheres to false doctrine, demonstrates evidence of an immoral and offensive lifestyle, or willfully disregards the preaching of the Gospel and the Lord's Supper. The Senior Pastor shall administer church discipline on behalf of the congregation. The final step of Matthew 18:17 dealing with ex-communication shall be exclusively the responsibility of the Voters Assembly. A super majority vote of 2/3 is required to ex-communicate a member.

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3.1.6 TERMINATION OF VOTING PRIVILEGES/VOTING MEMBER

Any voting member may lose his or her voting privileges and be removed from the Church’s voting member roll in the following manner:

1. Upon the termination of the member;

1. Upon the request of the Board or its designee, if the Board or its designee finds that the member persistently fails to abide by the Constitution or these Bylaws in one or more material respects.

3.1.7 REINSTATEMENT OF MEMBERSHIP

Persons who have been removed from membership for whatever reason shall be restored with all rights and privileges when they ask for forgiveness from our Lord and the congregation through the Pastor(s) and with the approval of the Board. The act of restoration shall be made known to the congregation by whatever method the Pastor(s) and the Board deem most suitable.