Waterdam Church - Constitution - 12/08
ARTICLE I. NAME
The name of this church shall be
"Waterdam Church, an Evangelical Free Church of America," herein
referred to as "Waterdam Church."
This church was founded in the year of
our Lord, 1985, and incorporated July 31, 1985, organized and existing
under and by virtue of the laws of the state of Pennsylvania.
ARTICLE II. DOCTRINAL STATEMENT
The following statement of faith,
adopted at the 124th EFCA National Leadership Conference on June 26,
2008, shall be the statement of faith of Waterdam Church.
The Evangelical Free Church of America
is an association of autonomous churches united around these
theological convictions:
God
1. We believe in one God, Creator of all
things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving
unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has
graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to
make all things new for His own glory.
The Bible
2. We believe that God has spoken in the
Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human
authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without
error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for
salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human
knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be
believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and
trusted in all that it promises.
The Human Condition
3. We believe that God created Adam and
Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with
Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from
God, and under His wrath. Only through God's saving work in Jesus
Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed.
Jesus Christ
4. We believe that Jesus Christ is God
incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures.
Jesus-Israel's promised Messiah-was conceived through the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified
under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and
Advocate.
The Work of Christ
5. We believe that Jesus Christ, as our
representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the
perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and
victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.
The Holy Spirit
6. We believe that the Holy Spirit, in
all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the
world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are
baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of
God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips and empowers
believers for Christ-like living and service.
The Church
7. We believe that the true church
comprises all who have been justified by God's grace through faith
alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body
of Christ, of which He is the Head. The true church is manifest in
local churches, whose membership should be composed only of believers.
The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord's Supper,
which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the
means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith,
these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer.
Christian Living
8. We believe that God's justifying grace
must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God
commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live
out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and
justice for the oppressed. With God's Word, the Spirit's power, and
fervent prayer in Christ's name, we are to combat the spiritual forces
of evil. In obedience to Christ's commission, we are to make disciples
among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.
Christ's Return
9. We believe in the personal, bodily and
premillennial return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at
a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our
blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial
service and energetic mission.
Response and Eternal Destiny
10. We believe that God commands everyone
everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and
receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the
dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to
condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to
eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new
earth, to the praise of His glorious grace. Amen.
ARTICLE III. MISSION AND PURPOSE
The mission of Waterdam
Church: Transforming lives through Jesus Christ.
The church shall seek to accomplish this
mission by focusing on three essential purposes:
1. Intimacy with God - through Bible Study, Prayer, and Worship
2. Community with One Another - through Fellowship and Ministry within the church body
3. Impact in the World with the Gospel - through Evangelism and Service in our local community and beyond.
ARTICLE IV. MEMBERSHIP
The membership of this church shall
consist of only those who testify of being born again through a saving
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and who give evidence of the New
Testament principles of Christian living. (Romans 10:9-11,
Galatians 5:16-26) The church shall seek to promote the
spiritual growth of its members and shall exercise New Testament
discipline.
ARTICLE V. DENOMINATIONAL AFFILIATION AND FORM OF GOVERNMENT
This church shall be affiliated with the
Evangelical Free Church of America and thus shall be congregationally
governed. A congregational government acknowledges the
congregation as a local expression of the body of Christ. As
such, the congregation selects its leaders, determines its pastors,
makes changes to its constitution, approves the budget, and sells or
purchases property.
ARTICLE VI. CHURCH LEADERSHIP
The directing body of this church shall
be the Board of Elders and Deacons, hereafter referred to as the
"Board", which shall be selected annually from members conforming to
the qualifications set forth in 1 Timothy 3. The number of
elders and deacons may increase or decrease from time to time, but
shall never be less than five. One elder or deacon shall be
selected as Church Chairman. The Senior Pastor serves as a
member of the Board. Any remaining pastoral staff is not
eligible to serve in office, but may participate in the meetings of the
Board on a non-voting basis.
The members of the Board, working with
each other in oneness of spirit, shall have oversight of all areas of
ministry within the church and shall coordinate the work of all the
committees.
Newly selected Elders, Deacons, church
officers, and committee chairpersons shall begin their term of office
on January 1.
ARTICLE VII. CONGREGATIONAL MEETINGS
The congregation shall hold regularly
scheduled business meetings. At minimum these meetings will
include the selection of Board members and other church officers,
approval of the annual budget, and reception of the annual
reports. Leadership selection and budget approval should
occur prior to the beginning of the calendar year.
All business meetings shall be properly
advertised in the church bulletin or through a mailing to the last
known address of each member. This advertising must occur no
less than fourteen days prior to the meeting.
Minimum attendance (a quorum) at any
business meeting shall be 40% of the membership.
ARTICLE VIII. RESPONSIBILITY AS TAX EXEMPT ORGANIZATION
(Reference: IRS Publication
557, Revision Jan. 92)
This church is organized for religious
purposes as specified in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
of 1986, and shall not carry on any activities not permitted to be
carried on by a corporation exempt from Federal income tax under
section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
No part of the net earnings of the
church shall inure to the benefit of any member, trustee, officer, or
other private persons except that reasonable compensation may be paid
for services rendered to or for the church.
No substantial part of the activities of
the church shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise
attempting to influence legislation, or participating in, or
intervening in (including the publication or distribution of
statements), any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to
any candidate for public office.
ARTICLE IX. PROPERTY
1. In the event that this
church shall ever dissolve, after paying or making provision for the
payment of all of the liabilities of the church, remaining assets shall
be distributed to one or more organizations operated for religious
purposes as tax exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or the corresponding section of any
future United States tax code), in accordance with a plan of
distribution adopted by a two-thirds majority vote of the members age
18 and older.
2. During the existence of this
church, the ownership and control of all property shall remain in that
part of the congregation which adheres to the tenets and doctrines set
forth in this constitution.
3. If a minority of the
membership of this church shall ever secede, ownership and control of
the property shall remain with the majority, subject to the provisions
of Section 2 of this Article.
ARTICLE X. AMENDMENTS
Changes and amendments of this
constitution can be made only at a properly noticed business meeting of
the church. Such changes must be proposed in writing to each
member and discussed at a properly noticed business meeting at least
one month prior to the meeting at which the vote on the change is to be
taken. Amendments of this constitution will require a
two-thirds majority vote of membership age 18 and older.