CONSTITUTION
OF
FIRST
BAPTIST CHURCH
OF
MEDFORD,
NEW JERSEY
as
adopted May 11, 1960, by unanimous vote of the Church. A previous favorable
vote April 21, 1960, followed two public readings, and private examination
by
as many members as desired to make recommendations. The entire Church
membership were invited to act as a "Constitution
Committee."
Sec. 1. This Church shall be
known
as The First Baptist Church of Medford, New Jersey.
See. 2. Affiliations,
Fellowships:
a. This Church, by its own sovereign will, is in
fellowship with The General Association of Regular Baptist Churches, but
reserves the prerogative of Baptist Churches to withdraw our fellowship from
this Association at any time.
b. This Constitution forbids this Church from
committing itself to an unbreakable or permanent association or relationship
with any group outside of itself.
c. This Church reserves the right to fellowship
with
other groups or associations of like faith providing Article 1, Sec. 2b is
followed.
d. Article I, Sec. 2b must not be
amended,
Sec. 3.
Historical and Scriptural
Distinctives which have characterized Baptists through the years and which
this
Church embraces:
a. The right of the individual to meet God
through
His Son Jesus Christ, and, in dependence upon the Holy Spirit, to read and
interpret the Word of God for himself.
b. The Word of God, (especially that portion known as the New Testament) is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice.
c. The absolute sovereignty of the local
Church‑-its
complete right to govern itself in accordance with the Word of God without
interference from any outside source.
d. A regenerate, baptized Church membership, and
in
that order.
e. Baptism is the immersion of the believer in
water
upon the profession of his faith in Christ in the Name of the Father, Son,
and
Holy Ghost in obedience to the Word of God.
f. Separation of Church and State.
Sec.
4. Statement of
Faith:
a.
Because
of widespread unbelief and apostasy, this Church reaffirms its faith in the
following:
·
The
verbal inspiration and infallibility of the thirty‑nine books of the
Old
Testament and the twenty‑seven books of the New Testament in their
original writings comprising the complete written Revelation from God;
·
The
Eternal, Triune God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;
·
The
creation, including man, as the direct act of God;
·
The
fall of man through sin with resulting depravity of the entire
race
·
The redemptive work of Christ whereby,
through
His death for man's sin. ‑ He
forgives,
cleanses, and gives everlasting life ‑to those who exercise saving
faith
in Him;
·
The
Virgin Birth of Christ as a supernatural work of God;
·
The
death of Christ as the Substitute for man, and His bodily resurrection from
the
dead;
·
The
ascension of :Christ and His
Mediatorial work in Heaven for us'; The Personal, Premillennial. coming of
‑Christ
to set up His Millennial Kingdom;
·
The
premillennial and pre‑tribulational rapture of believers in
‑Christ;
The resurection of the just and the resurrection of the unjust;
·
The
eternal conscious blessedness of those who are saved and the eternal
conscious
judgment of those who are lost;
·
Separation
from worldliness, unbelief, and apostasy.
b. The Church of the New Testament which is in operation through this
age
of grace is the local Church, consisting of an assembly of born again,
immersed
believers, properly organized in accordance with New Testament teaching for
the
purpose of worship, fellowship, edification of believers, Bible teaching,
the
practice of the two ordinances‑-Baptism and the Lord's Supper,
ministering to those in need, the winning of lost souls throughout the world
to
our Lord Jesus Christ by the preaching of the gospel of Christ, and the
perpetual task of establishing other New Testament
Churches.
c. To the local Church has been committed the two
ordinances, and the local Church has the right to regulate them, but never
contrary to the New Testament.
d. Bible believing and practicing New Testament
Churches have existed from the first century by various names ‑one of
which is the present name "Baptist."
Sec.
5.
Membership:
a. Membership in this Church is to be limited to
those who have received the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour, and who
subsequently have been baptized, immersed in water in the Name of the Triune
God. (Triune baptism, three dippings, is not
acceptable.)
b. All members are to be received by vote of the
Church.
c. Members may be received by baptism upon their
confession of faith in Christ.
d. Members may be received by letter of transfer
from another Baptist Church if they meet the above requirements and are in
agreement with the belief and position of this Church.
e. Members may be received upon the confession of
their faith in Christ when for various reasons they may not at present be members of a Church if they meet the above
requirements and are in agreement with the belief and position of this Church.
f. Erased members may be reinstated upon their
confession of their faith in Christ and renewed interest if they are in agreement with the belief and
position
of this Church.
Sec.
6. Termination of
Membership:
a. By death.
b. By letter of transfer to another Baptist
Church.
c. By letter of dismissal when request is made by
member so that he may join a church other than
Baptist.
d. By erasure when moral or other reasons exist
for
withdrawing the hand of fellowship.
e. By erasure when members have no contact with
the
Church for a period of one year unless Providentially
hindered.
f. Except by death, termination of membership is
to
be effected only by vote of the Church.
Sec. 7.
Discipline:
a. Discipline of members is a grave
responsibility
committed in the New Testament to the local Church. Its purpose is to
correct
members who, without regard for their own spiritual welfare or the spiritual
welfare of the Church, persist in an ungodly walk contrary to the teachings
of
the Word of God; e.g., I Corinthians 5. When the purpose of Church
discipline
is fulfilled in the true repentance of the erring member, it is the
responsibility
of the Church, in the spirit of
love
and forgiveness, to restore the erring one
to its fellowship; e.g., II Corinthians 2. Anything short of this fails to
meet
the New Testament standard.
b. The procedure in Church discipline is given in
Matthew 18:15‑19 and is to be the standard procedure of this Church.
Every move is to be seasoned by prayer, motivated by a desire to magnify
Christ
and to honor His Word, and carried out in Christian
love.
c. Before proceeding with the third step, the
aggrieved
member should discuss the matter with the pastor and, if the pastor thinks
it
wise, with the deacons remembering that the purpose of discipline is to
correct
an evil as quickly, effectively, and quietly as
possible.
d. Unfounded or anonymous rumors, personal
conclusions, or hearsay are not to be considered valid reasons for
instituting
Church disciplinary action but may be considered by the Church in order to
correct such rumors before they do serious harm.
Sec.
8. Financial
Policy;
a. This Church is a work of faith. Worldly means
of
raising funds are not to be employed. The practice of Malachi 3:10 is to be
encouraged but is not to be made a test for
membership.
b. The Church, Bible School, Youth Fellowship,
and
Bible Clubs shall operate under a unified budget system with all funds being
handled by the Church treasurer.
c. A percentage of all undesignated funds
received
in tithes and offerings is
to be used for missionary purposes. This
percentage
shall be set by the Church, and
may
be changed by the Church at any business meeting if notice in advance has been given.
d. Undesignated missionary money is to be
distributed to those missions, schools, and
other organizations of a missionary nature which are Bible believing
Baptist in agreement with the aims and purposes of this Church. Exception to
this rule is to be only those works being actively supported at the time of
the
adoption of this Constitution until such time as there is a change in the
personnel or policy of such works.
Sec. 1. Church
Services:
a. Regular services are to include Sunday Bible
School, Sunday morning service, Sunday evening service, and prayer and
praise
service during the week.
b. Other services, when feasible, should be
conducted for young people and for children.
c. Special services may be arranged by the
pastor,
the Church including the pastor, or the pastor and
deacons.
d. The Ordinance of the Lord's Supper shall be
observed on the first Sunday of each month unless the Church votes to cancel
it
or to change time and place. The hand of fellowship shall be extended to new
members preceding the Ordinance.
Sec.
2. Business
Meetings:
a. An annual business meeting shall be held on an
appointed day of the third week of April for the purpose of electing
officers,
adopting a budget, hearing
reports,
and conducting other pending business including election of Bible School
teachers and officers and cemetery officers.
b. Unless dispensed with by vote of the Church,
monthly business meetings are to be held on a Wednesday
night.
c. Special meetings of the Church may be called
at
any regular service when a quorum is present.
d. A quorum shall consist of ten voting
members.
e. A voting member is a member in good standing
sixteen years of age and older. Good
standing
is to defined as a member of regular attendance for a three month period
prior
to a business meeting. (Regular
attendance is to be defined by the deacons.)
Good standing is to be renewed by following the procedure for
restoring
erased members in Article I, Sec. 5, para, f,
New members are brought into membership in good standing.”
f. Special business meetings may be called by the
pastor, the pastor and deacons, or at the written request of five voting
members.
g. Unless otherwise noted in this Constitution, a
simple majority of those voting shall be sufficient to elect or to validate
motions presented except in the case of privileged
motions.
h. In matters not covered by this Constitution or
the New Testament, "Robert's Rules of Order" shall be the guide in
business meetings.
i. The pastor shall be the moderator at all
meetings
when present. In his absence the moderator may be the vice chairman of the
deacons or any brother the Church may select.
j. The fiscal year of the Church is to extend
from
April 1 to March 31,
k. The moderator shall keep order, state and
explain
propositions, cause meetings to be opened and closed with prayer, and
present
the business in the following order:
1.
Reading
of minutes of previous meeting.
2.
Reception,
dismission of members.
3.
Hear
reports of officers and committees and other unfinished
business.
4.
New
business.
5.
Election
of officers.
Sec. 1. His call by the
Church:
a. A candidate for the pulpit of this Church must
be
a member in good standing of a Bible believing New Testament Baptist Church
who, together with his wife, if married, accepts without mental reservations
the statements of faith and Baptist distinctives set forth in Article I,
Secs.
3 and 4 of this Constitution.
b. Before coming as a candidate, the prospective
new
pastor must submit in writing a brief account of his salvation, call to the
ministry, ordination, schooling, Christian service, belief concerning
Article
1, Secs. 3 and 4 of this Constitution. This information is to be' requested
by
the secretary of the pulpit committee. (Note:
A reasonable education is to be desired, but the amount of secular education
a
prospective candidate has is not to be the deciding factor in extending a
call.)
c.
The pastor shall be selected at a special meeting of the Church called for
that
purpose, notice of which shall be given from the pulpit one Sunday preceding
the meeting. Only one candidate is to be voted on at a meeting.
Three‑fourths
of all votes cast shall be necessary for his call.
d. The pastor's services may be terminated by one
month's written notice by either party. Three‑fourths of all votes
cast
shall be necessary for his dismissal.
e. Accusations against a pastor are not to be
received except in the presence of two or more witnesses. If relations
between
pastor and people deteriorate to the extent that the whole body suffers, it
is
recommended that the pastor voluntarily resign if: (1) His resignation will
not
tend to change the Baptist position of the Church.
(2) His resignation will not tend to lead the
Church
into apostasy.
Sec. 2. His Position in the
Church:
a. The pastor as God's under shepherd is overseer
of
the entire Church including its organizations and Bible School, and is
ex‑officio
member of every committee and board.
b. To the best of his ability the pastor is to
fulfil the tasks incumbent upon his office which include preaching,
teaching,
visiting, doing the work of an evangelist, officiating at services,
meetings,
and other special events, etc. He will advise and make recommendations
which,
in his estimation, will be for the good of the Church and the glory of
God.
c. There is to be mutual respect between pastor
and
people. His is an honorable office and is not to be treated with contempt or
disdain. The people to whom he ministers are children of God and are not to
be
treated by him with less dignity than he would expect for himself.
d. The pastor's salary is to be set at the annual
meeting of the Church, but may be changed by mutual agreement of pastor and
Church
at any regularly called meeting. (Note: The salary agreed upon by the Church
should be included with their call to a new pastor.)
e. The pastor's vacation shall consist of one
month
but may be altered by mutual consent of pastor and
Church.
f. Since the pastor is overseer of the work,
there
is to be no facet of Church work closed to him, but experience teaches that
it
is unwise for a pastor to occupy positions or offices in a Church when there
are members who are qualified and available, except in cases of emergency.
This
is to be the practice of this Church.
g. The pastor shall act as both pastor and
moderator
at business meetings advising and suggesting that which be believes will be
for
the good of the Church and the glory of God.
h. In January the pastor shall appoint a
nominating
committee of three to work with him in recommending the names of members to
be
elected to the Church offices at the annual meeting of the
Church.
See. 1. Deacons and Trustees:
a. It is recommended that deacons be elected by
the
Church at the annual meeting following the adoption of this Constitution.
Three
will serve a one‑year term and three will serve a two‑year term.
Thereafter, deacons will be elected to a two‑year
term.
b. Deacons shall meet the qualifications of I Timothy
3.
c. All deacons will serve as
trustees.
d. Deacons and trustees are to assume no
authority
which the Church does not give
them
through this Constitution or through special action of the
Church.
e. As trustees, they are to represent the Church
in
legal matters, but they are forbidden to sell or jeopardize existing
properties
or to acquire new property without special consent of the
Church.
f. Deacons are to assist the pastor where needed;
e.g., The Ordinance of the Lord's Supper, Baptisms, etc.
g. Deacons, with others the Church may elect,
shall
act as a pulpit committee when the Church is without a
pastor.
h. Deacons shall consult with the pastor about
pulpit supplies when the pastor is to be absent.
i. Deacons, with the pastor, shall arrange for a
sexton and other employees as the need arises.
j. The deacons and trustees shall be organized,
with
the pastor as chairman, a vice chairman, and a
secretary
k. Deacons are, with Church consent, to arrange
for
insurance, fuel oil, light, etc., for Church,
properties.
l. Deacons are to arrange for repairs to Church
property when it would be more practical for them to do so than to wait for
a
Church meeting, if such repairs do not exceed
$500
m. Deacons, with the pastor, are to assist the
membership of the Church when they are in special need, but must have Church
approval to disburse funds exceeding $25.00 for this
purpose,
n. Deacons are to meet regularly with the pastor
for
prayer, necessary business, and discussion about the welfare of the
Church.
o. Deacons are to quell idle gossip, visit the
sick,
encourage the weak and fallen, and strive for the advancement of this Church
for the glory of God.
p. Deacons are not to be considered a governing
body, but like every other member of the Church, are to be subject to the
Church.
q. Deacons are to seek out those who absent
themselves from Church services in an effort to promote their regular
attendance, and shall report their findings and conclusions to the
pastor.
r. A quorum for
transacting
business shall be a majority.
Sec. 2. Church
Clerk:
a. He shall be elected at the annual meeting of
the
Church for a one‑year term.
b. He shall keep an accurate record of all
business
meetings of the Church and read the same for approval at business
meetings.
c. He shall keep an accurate record of all
members,
baptisms, transfers, dismissals, additions, deaths,
etc.
d. He shall prepare letters of transfer
dismission.
or other matters pertaining to his office.
Sec.
3.
Treasurer:
a. The treasurer of the Church shall be elected
by
the Church to serve a one‑year term.
b. He shall keep accurate records for each fund
under his care and shall submit monthly reports to the Church, Deacons or [sic]
c. He shall make payment of all bills authorized
by
the Church or Deacons when he receives written notice in the form of a
signed
check from the budget director.
d. He shall assist the other financial officers
in
the handling of Church offerings or other receipts.
See. 4. Financial
Secretary:
a. The financial secretary shall be elected by
the
Church at its annual meeting to serve a one‑year
term.
b. He shall. assisted by the other financial
officers, count and record all receipts for all funds.
c. He shall keep a record of individual
contributions made through the use of identifiable Church
envelopes.
d. He shall report weekly to the pastor and make
reports at all regular business meetings of the
Church,
See. 5. Budget
Director:
a. The budget director shall be elected by the
Church
at its annual meeting to serve a one‑year term.
b. He shall keep ‑accurate records of the state of the budget and report
regularly to the Church and/or deacons.
c. He shall draw orders on the treasurer for
payment
of all bills authorized by the ‑Church or
Deacons‑‑restricted
to their limitations. This order shall be in the form of a signed check by
the
budget director and shall be valid when countersigned by the
treasurer.
d. He shall assist the other financial officers
in
the handling of Church receipts.
e. This office may be combined with that of
financial secretary.
See. 6. Assistant Financial
Officers:
a. Assistant financial officers may be elected at
the annual meeting of the Church to serve in the event the financial
officers
are unable to serve.
Sec. 7. Deacons and other
officers
of the Church are expected to attend the services of the Church as regularly
as
possible.
Sec.
1. The secretary shall be
elected at the annual business meeting of the Church to serve a
one‑year
term. He shall handle all necessary business relating to the operation of
the
cemetery and make reports at the annual business meeting of the
Church.
Sec.
2. The assistant secretary
shall be elected at the annual business meeting of the Church to serve a
one‑year
term. He shall familiarize himself with the duties of the secretary and
function in that capacity when necessary.
Sec.
3. The treasurer shall be
elected at the annual business meeting of the Church to serve a
one‑year
term. He shall handle all cemetery funds, providing a safe place for same.
He
shall make disbursements as necessary in conjunction with the other cemetery
officers. He shall keep accurate records of the finances of the cemetery and
shall make reports at the Church business meeting.
Sec.
1. The following committees
shall be elected at the annual business meeting of the Church to serve
one‑year
terms:
a. The Ordinance service committee shall consist
of
three women. This committee shall care for the service of the Lord's Supper
and
assist candidates for Baptism.
b. The Missionary
Committee shall consist of at least three. They shall serve with the
missionary funds, corresponding with missionaries, investigating ways of
expanding the missionary program of the Church, reporting and making
recommendations to the Church.
c. An Auditing Committee of three. They shall
audit
the books of the financial officers of the Church and Cemetery at the close
of
the fiscal year or at any time considered wise, and report to the
‑Church
at the annual meeting or at the business meeting following their
audit.
d. A Flower Committee of
two
or more.
They shall endeavor to
provide floral decorations for the services and distribute same to the sick.
61‑1
e. A Music Committee of at least three. They
shall
work with the pastor to strengthen the musical program of the
Church.
Sec.
1. All organizations
desiring
to use the name, facilities, or reputation of this Church must be in full
accord with the Constitution of the Church and must receive permission from the Church before formally
organizing. Any organization connected with the Church may be disbanded by
vote
of the Church.
a. Organizations of this Church, though independent in organization and practice, are subject to the oversight and authority of the Church.
b. The pastor of the Church is also to be
overseer
of the organizations within the jurisdiction of the
Church.
c. The various organizations of the Church shall
make reports to the Church when requested.
Sec. 1. The
Bible
School shall be under the jurisdiction of the Church.
a. Members shall be those who attend at least
four
consecutive Sundays.
b. Membership may be terminated by death or by
vote
of the Workers Council when they consider a sufficient reason
exists.
Sec.
2. The officers of the
Bible
School shall consist of a General Superintendent, Associate General
Superintendent, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Superintendent of Beginners
and
Primary Department, Associate Superintendent of Beginners and Primary
Department, Superintendent of Cradle Roll, Associate Superintendent of
Cradle
Roll, Teachers, and Substitute Teachers. All new officers, teachers, and
substitute teachers must be members of this Church.
a. A Pianist and Assistant Pianist shall be
elected
by the Church at the annual business meeting for each organized department
to
serve a one‑year term.
b. Officers, teachers, and substitute teachers
shall
constitute a Workers Council, which shall meet at least quarterly for the
purpose of conducting business related to the Bible
School.
c. Teachers and officers of the Bible School are
expected to attend at least one service of the Church regularly unless
providentially hindered.
Sec. 3.
The nominating committee
of
the Church, with the general superintendent of the Bible School, shall also
serve as the nominating committee of the Bible School and shall submit their
nominations of officers, teachers, and substitute teachers to the Church at
the
annual meeting.
Sec. 4.
Duties of
Officers:
a. The general
superintendent shall be chairman of the Workers Council. He shall direct the
Bible School services and shall be ex‑officio member of all Bible
School
committees.
b. Department superintendents shall preside over
the
assemblies of their respective departments and perform other duties
incumbent
upon their office.
c. Associate
superintendents
shall perform the duties of the superintendents in
their absence.
d. The secretary shall
keep
accurate records of attendance and receipts of the Bible School, turn over
funds to the financial secretary of the Church, and make weekly reports to
the
superintendents.
e. The assistant secretary shall perform the
duties
of the secretary in his absence.
Sec.
5. Bills pertaining to the
Bible School shall be checked by the Workers Council, or general
superintendent
and submitted to the Church for approval and payment.
Sec. 6.
Meetings:
a. The regular public meeting of the Bible School
shall be conducted each Lord's Day unless Providentially
hindered.
b. Business meetings shall follow the procedure
for
Church business meetings.
c. A quorum for the transaction of business,
shall
be seven members of the Workers Council, including the
pastor.
See.
1. It is to be expected
that
the age and qualifications of officers, teachers, and committees will be
reasonably and prayerfully considered at the time of their election or
appointment.
Sec. 1. The Word of God, in particular the New Testament is to take precedence over this Constitution in all matters.
Sec.
1. These rules of order,
apart
from the following exceptions, may be changed or amended at any regular or
special business meeting of the Church by a two‑thirds vote of members
present and voting, notice in writing of the proposed amendment having been
posted and announced at least one week, on Sunday, before action is to be
taken.
a. Article 1, See. 2b is not to be
amended.
b. Article X is not to be
amended.
c. No amendment changing or tending to change the position of this Church as a New Testament Baptist Church is to be adopted.
Sec. 2. The adoption of this
Constitution repeals any other heretofore adopted by this
Church.
At
the earliest practical time, an amendment stating that a deacon cannot
succeed
himself in office until a year has passed is strongly
urged.
Sec. 1 Because the Scriptures
definitely teach the permanency of the marriage relationship, namely, that
God
in marriage binds one man with one woman until one of them
dies.
Romans 7:2‑3,
Genesis
2:24, Matthew 19:5‑6
I Corinthians 7:39, and
Numbers 30:2
And, because the
Scriptures
definitely reject divorce with remarriage during the lifetime of their
Spouse
as God's will for the married.
Mark 10:2‑11, Luke
16:18, Malachi 2:15,
Romans 7:2‑3, and I
Corinthians 7:10
And, because the local
church must stand as the pillar and ground of the truth, upholding the
commands
of the Lord, not in letter only, but also in spirit, those in leadership
positions must not be divorced and remarried.
I Timothy 3:15, Hebrews
13:7, John 15:12
1 John 4:11, Ephesians
4:2,
& I Cor. 12:28
Sec. 2 Therefore, it is the position of the
First Baptist Church of Medford the any member who is divorced and
remarried,
who having a repentant heart, and who unreservedly agrees with the teaching
in
this policy may serve the Lord in the following
ministries:
One who has been divorced and remarried, and/or
their
spouse*, may not serve as Pastor, Deacon,
or chairman of pastoral committees including AWANA, Music, Youth, and
Sunday School Superintendent. He/she may, however, serve as a member or
chairman of advertising, audit, cemetery, flower, kitchen, maintenance,
missionary, ordinance, usher, visitation, bus, choir, nursery, secretary,
teacher and teacher's helper.
*The person to whom they are presently married