Preamble
God requires that a Christian congregation shall conform to His divine word in doctrine and practice (Ps. 119:105, Matt. 28:18-20, Gal. 1:6-8, 2 Tim. 4:1-5) and that all things be done decently and in order (1 Cor. 14:40). Therefore, we the members of the Evangelical Fellowship Church, accept and subscribe to the following By-Laws in accordance with which all spiritual and material affairs of our congregation
shall be governed.
Article 1: Name
The name of this congregation shall be Evangelical Fellowship Church.
Article 2: Purpose
The purpose of this congregation shall be to seek to honor and glorify God, to carry out His will, to manifest the unity of our faith in Jesus Christ as God and Savior to spread the kingdom of God and to foster Christian fellowship and love by the preaching of the Word of God, and by administration of the sacraments of Communion and Baptism.
Article 3: Articles of Faith
1. We believe the Bible to be the inspired, infallible, authoritative Word of God.
2. We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
3. We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father and in His personal, pre-millennial return in glory and power.
4. We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful men, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential. We believe that salvation is the act of sovereign grace conferred on the believer by a loving heavenly Father and that it is by grace alone; that man's good works are of no avail in bringing personal redemption, good works being rather the fruit of devoted Christian discipleship.
5. We believe that men in his natural condition is a sinner and alienated from God: That the sinner must repent of his sin before he is in condition to receive forgiveness of sin and regeneration.
6. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose application of the blood of Christ to the heart of the believer he is cleansed from all sin and enabled to live a godly life, victorious over all power of the devil.
7. We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.
8. We believe in the spiritual unity of all believers in Christ.
9. We believe that the walk of a Christian should be one of continual growth in grace and the knowledge of the Son of God.
10. We believe in two sacraments: Baptism, which is an outward sign of the new birth, and the Lord's Supper, which is also an outward acknowledgment of faith in Christ.
Article 4: Membership
1. Members shall be in agreement with the statement of faith as set forth in Article 3.
2. Prospective members shall be admitted to membership upon confession of faith after having first been examined by the consistory.
3. Voting members shall be at least 18 years old.
4. Termination of membership:
a. A member may be terminated by not attending at least three worship services during the calendar year.
b. Members who conduct themselves in an unchristian manner shall be admonished according to Matthew 18:15-20. If they remain impenitent after proper admonition, their membership shall be terminated.
c. Each case shall be presented individually to the Consistory which is the spiritual governing board of the church. A unanimous vote shall be required for termination. If such member deliberately absents himself from the meetings at which his case is to be discussed, or in some other manner makes it impossible to deal with him/her, he thereby terminates his own membership.
Article 5: The Office Of Pastor
The pastoral office of this congregation shall be conferred only on such who profess and adhere to standards set forth in Article 3.
Article 6: Authority Of The Congregation
1. General: The governing bodies of this congregation shall manage their affairs, but shall be subject to the approval of the congregation.
2. Right of calling: The right of calling pastors shall be vested in the congregation and shall never be delegated to a small group or to an individual.
3. Decision making process: Any decision made by the congregation must be in accordance with the Word of God.
4. The congregation shall have the power to elect:
a. The permanent pastor.
b. All members of consistory and the board of trustees.
c. The Sunday school superintendent.
d. An elder as the president of the congregation, in the absence of a permanent pastor.
The president of the congregation is also the president of the consistory.
5. The congregation shall have the power to remove:
a. The permanent pastor.
b. Any member of the consistory and board of trustees.
c. The Sunday school superintendent.
d. Any person from church membership.
5A. Procedure from removal of office.
a. Any pastor or officer may be removed from office by the congregation by a two thirds majority ballot vote, in a Christian and lawful order, for one of the following reasons: persistent adherence to doctrine other than specified in Article 3, scandalous life, or willful neglect of duties.
b. The congregation may request the resignation of any pastor or officer from his position in the church in the case of prolonged incapacity of general incompetence.
6. The congregation shall have the right to decide the regular place of worship.
7. The congregation shall have the right to set the date of regular congregational meetings.
8. The congregation shall have the right to call special congregational meetings.
This requires one fifth of the voting members of the congregation. The president of the congregation may also call special meetings.
9. The congregation shall have the right to approve the purchase of real property and the erection of and addition to buildings. The congregation may not order the purchase of real property or the erection or addition to buildings.
10. The congregation gas the right to audit the financial records of the church in the presence of the financial secretary and or treasurer. Records of congregational giving will be kept confidential.