SOLID ROCK BAPTIST CHURCH

Stephenville, Texas

 

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Constitution of

Rocky Point Mission Church DBA Solid Rock Baptist Church

Stephenville, Texas

 

Article I – Organization and Purpose

 

Section 1.               The name of the organization incorporated as Rocky Point Mission Church under State of Texas Charter Number 01556576 dated November 1, 1999 shall be Solid Rock Church of Stephenville, Texas and by church vote on March 30, 2003 shall herby be additionally called Solid Rock Baptist Church.  This church shall be composed of members who have been baptized by immersion on a profession of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and shall be an independent, autonomous and a self-governing body.

 

Section 2.               The purpose for which this body is formed is to support public worship of God, the promulgation of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and such missionary, educational and charitable work.

 

Section 3.               This organization is not for profit

 

Section 4.               The church shall be a directed democracy.  The authority and responsibility of the church affairs is vested in its members whose will on any subject or measure is expressed by a majority vote in a duly constituted business meeting or confidence under the perpetual examination of the elder board.

 

Section 5.               The policy of this church and its procedure for the transaction of business shall be the same as the basic practices, customs and usage now recognized as Baptist Churches especially those affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.

 

Section 6.               Should there ever become a need to disband or otherwise dissolve this body then all property, lands, vehicles and in-common church possessions shall be given to appropriate agents of the Southern Baptist Convention for use as they see fit for the fulfilling of the purposes lined out in Article I Section 2 above.

 

 

Article II – Membership

 

Section 1.               The membership shall consist of professed believers in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and who have baptized by immersion under the authority, of this or duly recognized and cooperating Baptist Church.

 

Section 2.               Reception into membership:  Persons shall be received into membership by majority vote of the church or special allowance of the chief elder upon one of the following conditions:

1)       Baptism:  Upon evidence of regeneration by public profession of faith in Christ, and submission to baptism.

2)       Letter:  Presentation of Letter of recommendation from a sister church which adheres to the fundamental doctrines accepted by this church set up in Article VII of this document.  Applications for membership may be made with letter in hand or promise of such a letter.  Membership becomes effective upon acceptance by the church or receipt of letter.

3)       Statement:  Applicant for membership may make a statement of faith, baptism and church membership when for an unavoidable reason a church letter cannot be obtained.  Such statement should include the best possible detail of the above information as well as ones conversion, doctrinal adherence, constitutional agreement and purpose for joining.

4)       Restoration: Any person whose membership has been terminated for any offense may be restored by a vote of the church, upon the evidence of repentance and reformation; or, if on account of continued absence, upon satisfactory explanation.

 

 

Section 3.               Responsibilities in Membership:

 

1)       All members shall recognize the authority of the church and their accountability as members to it.  The church shall have the right to administer, reprove, rebuke, or to withdraw fellowship.

2)       In all personal offenses the members shall be governed in their conduct by the provisions of Matthew 18:15-17, “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.  But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed.  If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”  In all public offenses, the church shall deal with a member according to I Corinthians 5, Galatians 6:1, “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.”  I Timothy 6:5 states, “and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain; depart from such” therefore it is the burden of the member to leave when unable to remain faithful to the church in doctrine, polity or the like.

3)       While every member has a right to present disciplinary cases directly to the church, yet they are urged first in regards to scripture and second  in the interest of harmony to first bring the matter to the attention of the committees on fellowship.

4)       All matters of a disciplinary nature, affecting the fellowship of the church, must be commenced and concluded at a regular conference or at a special conference, duly convened and appointed for that purpose.  No member shall be tried unless he shall have at least ten (10) days prior notice in writing of the charge, and have an opportunity to be present and be heard in his own defense.  The form, manner, and procedure of church discipline shall be that as prescribed in McConnell’s Manual for Baptist Churches, by F.M. McConnell, D.D., copyrighted 1926 by Judson Press.

 

 

Section 4.               Termination of Membership:  Membership shall terminate upon any one of the following conditions:

1)       Death:  Upon authentic notice of death of a member, the church clerk will have authority to drop the deceased from membership.

2)       By Letter:  Letters of recommendation will be granted to churches of like faith and order upon request of said church.  Letters of dismissal may be granted upon request of an individual member and are not subject to reinstatement without rebaptism.

3)       Exclusion:  In case of a member violating the covenant of fellowship, reflecting upon Christian standards of morality or denying belief in the fundamental doctrines of the church, in accordance with Article VII, such member shall be dealt with by methods in accordance with Article II, Section 3.

4)       Dropping from the roll:  Upon satisfactory evidence that a member has united with a church of another denomination, notice of same shall be made at regular church business meeting and the church clerk will drop such member from the roll.

 

 

 

ARTICLE III – OFFICERS AND ORGANIZATION

 

Section 1.               General Church Officers: Officers of the church shall be:  Pastor or Chief Elder, Elders, Deacons, Trustees, Clerk, and Treasurer.  The church may elect such others as may deem necessary.

1)       Election and duties:

A.      Pastor:  He shall be elected by the church upon recommendation of a pulpit committee previously authorized by this church and shall serve indefinitely at the will of the church and/or until the relationship is terminated by mutual consent.  The election of the pastor shall require an affirmative vote by secret ballot of three-fourths of the members present at a business meeting announced one week previously for the purpose of calling a pastor.  The pastor shall be responsible for the regular and appointed times of worship services, and attention to the spiritual welfare of the membership and lead out in worship, proclamation, education and pastoral ministry.  He shall be the church moderator and preside at all meetings of the church except as might otherwise be agreed upon with the church.  He shall be an ex-officio member of all committees of the church.  The pastor shall give at least two weeks notice at the time of resignation before terminating his responsibilities as pastor.

B.       Church Staff:  The church shall call or employ such staff members, as the church shall need.  A job description shall be written and maintained when the need for staff members is determined.  Vocational staff members other than the pastor shall be recommended to the church by the elder board, nominating committee or an elected committee and employed by church action. 

C.       Elders:  There will be an active Elder Board that will serve with the pastor prayerfully and Biblically in the vision and direction of the church’s ministry.  The pastor will serve as the chief elder of this body with all voting rights but shall not hold an office on this body.  Elders shall be appointed as needed by the church by secret ballot after an adequate examination and approval of the existing elder board on an annual basis at the last business meeting of the fiscal year.  An elder will remain in the office until death, resignation, move of church membership, or a two-thirds vote of no-confidence by the membership.  The elder board (presbytery) will elect its own chairman and secretary that will dually serve as the church’s trustees having authority to buy, sell, mortgage, lease and/or transfer church property and will be the responsible signers to legal documents on behalf of the church body.  This body will meet prior to all regular church business meetings and set the agenda for all such meetings.  The qualifications for an elder shall be those set forth by the Scriptures (I Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9) and such other qualifications as the church from time to time may prescribe.  Elders shall recommend to the church matters related to employment of personnel for administration, staff needs, salaries, benefits and personnel services.  Elders are to serve solely on the missions committee and in cooperation with the deacons on the benevolence committee.  Elders are to serve the best interest of the church and shall serve undaunted unless clear case of immorality or false doctrine is demonstrated.

D.      Deacons:  There shall be an active Deacon body recognized and elected by the church.  The Deacons are servants of the church and not its rulers; they shall, subject to the wishes of the church, cooperate and assist the elders; they shall not encroach on the pastor’s duties as the spiritual leader; they shall in general minister to the family and charitable affairs of the church in accordance with their scriptural office and duties.  The qualifications for a Deacon shall be those set forth by the Scriptures (Acts 6:3, I Timothy 3:8-13) and such other qualifications as the church from time to time may prescribe.  Deacons shall elect their own officers and shall organize themselves to serve the church in the areas of baptism, Lord’s Supper and coordinating the taking of offering.  Deacons are to work in conjunction with the elders on the benevolence committee and independently on the Baptismal and Lord Supper committees.  They shall serve at the church’s discretion.

E.       Moderator:  The moderator of all meetings shall be the pastor with the exception of matters pertaining to his employment and salary.  In his absence the chairman of elders will preside and in the absence of both the elder secretary will preside.

F.       Treasurer:  The Treasurer shall be elected annually by the church and shall supervise the receiving and distributing of funds upon the authority of the church Budget and Finance Committee, or upon special order of the church.

G.       Clerk:  The Clerk shall be elected annually by the church and shall be responsible for keeping records of the church action, long term information and membership roll.

 

Section 2.               Employees:  All employees of the church will be employed by the church and under the general direction and at the will of the pastor.  All such positions must be authorized by the church and the salaries set by the church action.  They shall not be employed for any fixed or stated period; the church having final authority in this regard.

 

Section 3.               Organizations of teaching, training and activities for men, women, and young people shall be maintained at the will of the church.  Officers, teachers, and workers of all such organizations shall be elected by the church and regular reports of organizations made to the church.

 

 

Article IV – Committees

 

Section 1.               Church Council:

1)       The church shall have a Church Council.  Its membership shall be composed of the Pastor (who will serve as Chairman), all Associate Pastors, Chairman of Deacons, Music Minister, Youth Minister, Sunday School Director, Church Training Director, Baptist Men’s Director, and Baptist Women’s Director.

2)       The tenure of office of the office of the Church Council shall be for the period of October 1st to September 30th inclusively, for the year for which they are elected for due purpose and referred to by the year number of the three-quarters split number.

Section 2.               Church Committees:

1)       The functions and duties of each standing committee shall be prescribed by the church.  The church shall publish a manual, listing the names of the two standing committees and the church prescribed area and scope of their functions, duties, and responsibilities shall be defined, which may be enlarged or diminished by appropriate church action.

2)       The tenure of office of all committees shall be from October 1st to September 30th inclusively, for the year for which they are elected for due purpose.

 

 

Articles V – Meetings

 

Section 1.               In any regular worship service, Sunday and Wednesdays, or at special evangelistic and revival meeting as deemed appropriate by the church, members may be received or dismissed as provided under Article II.

 

Section 2.               Regular quarterly business meetings shall be held on Sunday evening regular service time two weeks prior to final month in a regular quarter system for the transaction of any and all business.

 

Section 3.               Special or called business meetings of the church may be held only for the transaction of business of any emergency nature upon the concurrence of the Pastor and Elders, or the Elders alone, by giving at least two days prior notice of the time, place, and purpose of the meeting, except in the case of calling a pastor when one week’s notice shall be given.  Announcement of such meeting shall be made at a regular worship service preceding the business meeting, which must be held at another regular worship service.  For such meetings no business shall be transacted except that specified in the call.

 

Section 4.               At all regular business meetings of the church, each member is entitled to one vote.  All votes must be cast in person and no proxies shall be authorized, utilized, or recognized.  Ten members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business where 6 shall be considered a majority (though normally 51%) , 6 a two-thirds (though normally 66%) split and 7 a super majority (though normally 75%) of the quorum.

 

Section 5.               Regular business meetings will follow a regular order of business that have individual items pre-approved by the elder board prior to each such instance.

 

Section 6.               The church shall be governed by the rules set forth in Principles and Practices in Baptist Churches, by Edward T. Hiscox, copyrighted 1893 by Kregel Publishing, in question of business procedure.

 

Section 7.               The church year for the tenure of all offices and standing committees, except the offices of Pastor, Elders and Deacons, shall commence on October 1st and end at midnight September 30th of each year.  In matters of finance, the finance year shall begin on January 1st and end midnight on December 31st.

 

 

Article VI – Church Covenant

 

                Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we do solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant as one body in Christ.

                We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this church, in knowledge, holiness, and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines.

                We also engage to study the inspired Word of God with which to maintain family and secret devotions; to educate our children religiously and to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances.

                We endeavor to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings; faithful to our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment and to be zealous in our efforts to advance the Kingdom of our Savior.

                We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember one another in prayer; to aid one another in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and Christian courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation, and mindful of the rules of our Savior, to secure it without delay.

                We moreover, engage that when we remove from this place, we will, as soon as possible, unite with some other church of like faith and order, where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and and most importantly the principles of God’s Word.

 

 

Article VII – Doctrine

 

The Standard of Faith and Practice of this church shall be in keeping with the Holy Bible as represented by the sixty-six recognized books and in conformity with the Baptist Faith and Message most currently adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention. A summation of these doctrines are provided here in this article to clarify our position on critical areas of organizational uniformity as a whole although there may be others that are equally adhered to.  This list is not to be understood to be in place of the Scriptures in any sense.

 

I.                     The Bible

a.        We believe in the Holy Scriptures.  We accept fully the writings of the Old and New Testament, 66 books, as the inerrant Word of God.  It is verbally inspired in all parts and therefore altogether sufficient as our only infallible and authoritative rule of faith and practice allowing the Old and New Testaments to interpret each other as a closed unit best understood in the original Hebrew and Greek tongues of its recording.  We believe that the Bible should be taken as it is written, in a literal way as determined by context.  The Bible is to be understood as God’s revelation of Himself to mankind and God cannot be removed from His Word.

b.       Scriptures

                                                               i.      Psalms 119:160

                                                              ii.      Proverbs 30:5a

                                                            iii.      2 Timothy 3:16-17

                                                            iv.      2 Peter 1:19-20

 

II.                   God the Father

a.        We believe in One True God who is best known and identified by his attributes.  God is everywhere, all powerful, all knowing, righteous, just, sovereign, loving, unchanging, eternal, absolutely true and trustworthy.  He is absolutely separate from and above the world as its Creator, yet everywhere present in the world as the Sustainer of all things.

God is revealed to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three distinct persons but without division of nature, essence or being and each having a distinct ministry in God’s relation to His creations and peoples.

b.       Scriptures

                                                               i.      Genesis 1:1

                                                              ii.      Exodus 15:11

                                                            iii.      Psalms 83:18

                                                            iv.      Psalms 139:7-9

                                                             v.      Ezekiel 16

                                                            vi.      Matthew 28:19

                                                          vii.      John 10:30

                                                         viii.      John 15:26

 

III.                 God the Son

a.        We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.  He is the Second Person of the Triune God, Eternal Word and Only Begotten Son of God.  He became man by the miracle of the Virgin Birth thus to continue forever as both true God and true man, one person with two natures.  He was tempted as we are and remained without sin making Him the Perfect Lamb of God who willingly laid down His life as a ransom for all of the sin of mankind.  He gave Himself in death upon the cross, bearing there the sin of the whole world that the many might be saved from the divine wrath due them.  Jesus died on the cross and remained 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of the Earth, was bodily resurrected and ascended into Heaven to become our Great High Priest and resides there as our Advocate and Intercessor.

b.       Scriptures

                                                               i.      John 1:1

                                                              ii.      John 10:10

                                                            iii.      John 14:6-7

                                                            iv.      Galatians 4:4-5

                                                             v.      Philippians 2:6-10

                                                            vi.      1 Corinthians 15:3-7

                                                          vii.      Hebrews 4:4-16

 

IV.                 God the Spirit

a.        We believe in God the Holy Spirit who is the third person of the Trinity and a divine agent in nature, revelation and redemption.  He convicts the world concerning sin, righteousness and judgment.  He regenerates, dwells in, baptizes, seals and anoints all who become children of God.  He further empowers, guides, teaches, sanctifies and fills believers who daily surrender to Him.

b.       Scriptures

                                                               i.      John 3:5

                                                              ii.      John 14:16-17

                                                            iii.      John 26:16

                                                            iv.      Romans 8:9

                                                             v.      1 Corinthians 12:13

                                                            vi.      2 Corinthians 3:18

                                                          vii.      Ephesians 1:13

                                                         viii.      Ephesians 5:18

 

V.                   Mankind

a.        We believe that all men are by nature and choice sinful, lost and totally depraved.  Man was the direct creation of God, made in His image and likeness.  We believe that by personal disobedience to the revealed Will of God, man became a sinful creature not separate from God’s perfect will but rather subject to life in a fallen race both by nature and choice in full deserving of God’s perfect wrath, justice and righteousness.  Without faith it is impossible to please God and no work of man can procure escapement of God’s wrath or grace before, during or after a conversion experience.

b.       Scripture

                                                               i.      Genesis 1:27

                                                              ii.      Gen 3:6

                                                            iii.      Psalm 51:5

                                                            iv.      Isaiah 64:6

                                                             v.      Romans 3:23

                                                            vi.      Galatians 3:11

 

VI.                 Salvation

a.        We believe in salvation by grace alone by faith alone in Christ alone.  That this salvation is a free gift of God, neither merited or secured in part or in whole by any virtue, emotional response or work of man, but received only by personal faith in Jesus Christ in whom all true believers have a present possession the gift of eternal life, a perfect righteousness, adoption into the family of God, deliverance and security from all condemnation.  This salvation affects the whole man and without Jesus Christ, the divine revelation of God, there is no salvation.

b.       Scriptures

                                                               i.      Ephesians 2:8-9

                                                              ii.      Titus 3:5

                                                            iii.      John 1:12

                                                            iv.      John 3:14

                                                             v.      John 10:28-29

                                                            vi.      Romans 8:1

                                                          vii.      Philippians 1:6

 

VII.               Christian Life

a.        We believe in righteous living and Godly works that cause those who examine us in the world to see these works and glorify our Father in Heaven.  These works are not to be thought of as bringing salvation in any sense, but rather as proper evidence and fruit of a redeemed life as one demonstrates cooperation with God’s permissive will and commands.  We believe in a judgment of Christians works not for good or bad but instead for good and better of which all glory and honor will eventually will be returned to our God and King.

b.       Scriptures

                                                               i.      Ephesians 2:10

                                                              ii.      Romans 12:1-2

                                                            iii.      Philippians 2:16

                                                            iv.      2 Corinthians 5:10

 

VIII.             Spiritual World

a.        We believe in the existence of Satan who was originally created as a holy and perfect being but through pride and wicked ambition rebelled against God thus becoming utterly depraved in character.  Satan, whose very name means adversary, has a physical people on the Earth who follow him according to various cult and occult - in both aware and unaware - deviations from legitimate Christianity in addition to 1/3 of the created heavenly host who were cast down at a point prior to the creation account of Genesis 1:1.  Satan’s powers are vast but limited by the perfect and permissive wills of God.  Satan was defeated on the cross entirely and is confounded when mankind resists by submission to God.

b.       Scriptures

                                                               i.      Isaiah 14:12-15

                                                              ii.      Ezekiel 28:1-10

                                                            iii.      Ephesians 6:12

                                                            iv.      1 Peter 5:18

                                                             v.      1 John 3:8

                                                            vi.      Revelation 12:8-11

                                                          vii.      Revelation 20:10

 

IX.                The Second Coming

a.        We believe in the second coming of Jesus Christ, not only His coming in the air to rapture away His chosen ones in the church but also the blessed hope of the deliverance of Israel at the end of the tribulation period, Daniel’s 70th week.  This is our blessed hope and always imminent.  The second coming will follow 7 years of judgment of God’s wrath and prior to one thousand year reign of Christ in a physical kingdom upon the Earth.

b.       Scriptures

                                                               i.      1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

                                                              ii.      James 5:8

                                                            iii.      Hebrews 10:37

                                                            iv.      Jude 14-15

                                                             v.      Revelation 19:11-16

                                                            vi.      Revelation 20:4-7

 

X.                  Resurrection

a.        We believe in a future life, bodily resurrection and eternal judgment.  The spirits of the saved at death go immediately to be with Christ in Heaven, that their works shall be brought before the judgment seat of Christ for reward, which will take place at the time He comes for his chosen ones.  The spirits of the unsaved at death descend immediately into a literal Hell where they are kept under punishment until the day of final judgment, at which time their bodies shall be raised from the grave and shall be judged finally and cast body, soul and spirit into Lake of Fire with the Devil and his angels.

b.       Scripture

                                                               i.      1 Corinthians 15

                                                              ii.      2 Corinthians 5:8-10

                                                            iii.      Luke 16:19-23

                                                            iv.      Revelation 20:11-15

 

XI.                Government

a.        We believe in the separation of Church and State with each having definite and distinct spheres of responsibility.  Both church and state function their best when kept distinct yet in cooperation with each other.

b.       Scriptures

                                                               i.      Matthew 22:21

                                                              ii.      Romans 13:1-7

 

XII.              Priesthood of Believers

a.        We believe in the priesthood of the believer and that Christ is our Great High Priest.  Through Him every born-again person has direct access into God’s presence without the need of human mediation in any way.  The believer has the right and responsibility to personally study and interpret the Holy Scriptures as guided by the Holy Spirit.  We believe that this priesthood excludes the born again Christian from any other secret organization in order to do their ministry before God and supercedes all public organizational ties including marriage, public office and/or public agent.

b.       Scriptures

                                                               i.      John 14:6

                                                              ii.      Hebrews 4:16

                                                            iii.      2 Timothy 2:15

                                                            iv.      1 Peter 2:1, 5, 9

 

XIII.            Church Organization

a.        We believe in the Lordship of Jesus Christ and that He alone is Head of the church, the body of Christ, into which all true believers are immediately identified (baptized) by the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation; that all members of this one spiritual body should assemble and identify themselves into local churches.  Since there are no more credible witnesses there are no more apostles.  Since there is a closed cannon of scripture there are no more ecstatic prophets as of old or need of any special or extra revelations.  There are two offices in the local church – elders and deacons – that are different in calling rather than strata.  The office elder or which the pastor should serve as the chief are the spiritual leaders of the church whose primary duties are prayer and preparation for presentation of the Word of God and all spiritual related activities of the church as each one is gifted.  The office of deacon is the physical worker of the church who is by assignment responsible for the duties performed in the church both physical and spiritual as each individual deacon is gifted.  We believe a church should never endeavor to anything that the Holy Spirit has not gifted and enabled towards, whether they can do it successfully or not.  Both elders and deacons are equally subject to Christ and are to be appointed (elders) or approved (deacons) only upon careful examination of each individual’s qualifications according to scripture.  Other than definite stipulations governed by scripture each church is free to do right in worshiping God, ministering and membership as directed by the congregation either by direct vote or common consensus but always in unity and self-sacrificing (agape) love.

b.       Scriptures

                                                               i.      1 Corinthians 12:14

                                                              ii.      Ephesians 1:22-23

                                                            iii.      Ephesians 4:11-15

                                                            iv.      1 Timothy 3:1-13

                                                             v.      Titus 1:5-11

                                                            vi.      Galatians 1:22

 

XIV.            Church Function

a.        We believe in the importance of the local church and that a New Testament church is a local assembly of born-again baptized believers united in organization to practice New Testament ordinances, to meet together for worship, prayer, fellowship, teaching, a united testimony and to engage actively in carrying out the Great Commission.  The church members are responsible to God for the giving of money to support those who teach and minister as able as well as collecting for missions both home and foreign.  The church is established for the benefit of its non-members, which means that not all ministries that it engages in are profitable but an eye of stewardship should be applied at every intersection of finances and ministry with accountability to God.  Every member of the church is responsible for soul winning, training, giving, visiting, calling and concern of every other member of the church.

b.       Scriptures

                                                               i.      Matthew 28:19-20

                                                              ii.      Acts 2:41-42

                                                            iii.      1 Corinthians 11:2

                                                            iv.      Ephesians 5:18-21

                                                             v.      Colossians 3:16-17

 

XV.              Church Autonomy

a.        We believe in the independence and autonomy of the local church and that each New Testament church is free to govern itself without ecclesiastical interference.  The local church should only cooperate with other New Testament Churches as the Holy Spirit directly leads thus making the church directly accountable to God.

b.       Scriptures

                                                               i.      Matthew 18:17

                                                              ii.      Acts 6:1-5

                                                            iii.      Acts 15:22-23

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XVI.            Church Ordinances

a.        We believe that there are two ordinances given to the New Testament church, which are the Lord’s Supper and Baptism.  Baptism (identification) is by immersion of believers in water in obedience to our Lord’s example showing the His own death, burial and resurrection and is a physical representation of the spiritual reality that took place when the Holy Spirit comes to reside in the believer.  The Lord’s Supper is the partaking of the bread and cup by the believer in a continuing memorial of the broken body and shed blood of Jesus.  While these ordinances do not provide salvation in any sense they are taken with all seriousness and solemnity as clear cooperation of the church body with scripture and the Holy Spirit.

b.       Scriptures

                                                               i.      Matthew 28:19-20

                                                              ii.      Acts 2:41

                                                            iii.      Acts 8:38-39

                                                            iv.      Matthew 26:26-30

                                                             v.      1 Corinthians 11:23-34

 

 

Article VIII – Constitutional Amendments

 

The Constitution and By-Laws of this organization may be amended by a three-fourths affirmative vote of the members present at time of business meeting.  Notice and wording of proposed amendment must be presented not less than one regular business meeting prior to action on same.

 

 

 

… Commit your works to the LORD and your plans will be established. – Proverbs 16:3

 

 

Proud Member of the Southern Baptist and the Southern Baptist of Texas Convention

 

E-Mail:             solidrockstephenville@yahoo.com