Constitution of the Folcroft Union Church
Superseding all
previous articles and sections on this 26th day of July, 2009. Reprinted to acknowledge word choice
throughout Article 2 and meeting date in Article 8.
Article I - Organization
The name of this Church shall be "THE
FOLCROFT UNION CHURCH, INC." and shall be registered as a non-profit
organization under the laws of the
Article II - Doctrinal
Stand
We believe the Bible to be the verbal,
inspired Word of God and that it is the complete and final authoritative
written revelation of God's will and work, and altogether sufficient in itself
as a rule of faith and practice. 2 Tim.
3:16-17
We believe that there is but one living and
true God, and He is revealed to us in three persons who are executing distinct
but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption: Father - Genesis 1:1;
Son - Luke 3:22, John 10:30; Holy Spirit - John 14:26, Matt. 28:19
We believe in the substitutionary
sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ as the only means of salvation (I Peter
2:24, Acts 4:12, Heb.10:10) and that it is the personal belief in this which
saves from sin (John 1:12, 3:18; Rom.10:9-10).
We believe in the personal abiding of the
Holy Spirit in every believer. 1Cor. 6:19-20.
We believe in the personality of Satan and
the reality of spiritual warfare. Job
1:6-7, Luke 4:2-13, Eph. 6:12
We believe in the everlasting life with God
for the believer and everlasting separation from God for unbelievers. John 3:36, Rev. 22:3-5, 2
Thes.1:7-9, Matt. 25:41, Rev. 20:10
We believe that true Christians must live a
life set apart from worldliness.
Rom.12:1-2, 2 Cor. 6:14-18, James 4:4, Col. 3:1-2, 1 John 2:15-16.
We believe that the faith of a true
Christian is manifest in a life of obedience to Christ and the Word of
God. John 14:23-24
We believe that in the end times Jesus will
rapture all living believers to Heaven; then a tribulation period of seven
years will afflict the earth, followed by a thousand year reign of Christ on
the earth. After which Satan will be
released for one last act of deception, culminating in his destruction and the
final judgment of all unbelievers with the establishment of a New Heaven and
New Earth for all believers forever. Zech 14:3-4, 1 Thes.
4:16-17, Rev. 20:3, 7, 10; 21:1
Article III -
Mission Statement
Folcroft Union Church exists to:
Bring people to
Jesus by
Reaching out in love so that we may
Exalt God by
Adding to His family
and making
Disciples of His people.
Article IV -
Membership
Section 1: All
candidates for membership in this Church shall, upon completion of the
membership classes, appear before two or more members of the Elders for
examination before being accepted into membership. They will be expected to give a brief
testimony as to the New Birth which they possess, ascribe to the Doctrinal
Statement and Church Covenant, and give an adequate reason for desiring
membership, showing the desire to support the Church by their presence,
prayers, gifts and service.
Upon the unanimous recommendation of the
Elders, the candidate shall appear before the Church Body, at which time the
candidate will publicly confess the Lord as their Savior. The pledge of the Church body to prayerfully
support and the extending of the right-hand of fellowship by the Pastor will
then make said person a full-fledged member entitled to share equally in the
blessings and testings of the Church.
Baptism is not required for admission to membership, but it is
considered advisable as a rule of faith and practice.
Section 2:
Membership shall cease only by (a) request, (b) death, (c) removal, or (d)
expulsion, upon the action of the Elders and the Church body as hereinafter
provided in this article.
a)
a) By request.
Any member of this Church desiring to unite with any other church may be
granted a letter of dismissal thereto by a two-thirds vote of all members
present and in good standing at a regular business meeting, provided such
request be approved by the Pastor and Elders before it is presented at the
meeting.
b)
b) By death.
Upon notification of death, a deceased member's name shall be removed from
the roll.
c)
c)
By removal. Names of members may be removed from the
Church Roll for any of the following causes:
·
·
Absence
for six (6) months or more without any report or information given to the
Church.
·
·
Uniting with another Church without a letter of dismissal from this Church.
d)
d) By expulsion.
Members may, after trial before the Elders, be expelled from the
membership of the Church for any of the following reasons:
Any charge against any member shall be
presented to the Elders in writing and if the Elders decide the charge is just,
upon a unanimous vote of the members of said Elders present, the same shall be
removed from the Church Roll and the member notified in writing. This action is to be taken only after
prayerfully application of Matthew 18:15-17.
The Church Body shall be notified of such action.
The member may, however, appeal such
decision to the Body of the Church at a regular business meeting within three
months. It shall require not less than a
two-thirds vote of all members present who are in good standing, to reverse the
Elder’s decision.
Article V -General
Duties of Members
Section 1: Members
of the Folcroft Union Church are expected to maintain a teachable attitude
before the Lord, demonstrating a growing desire to walk in a manner pleasing to
Him and edifying to the body of Christ.
The Elders have the responsibility of the oversight of the conduct of
the members in accordance with Article VI,, Subsection
1b, of the Constitution. In case of a
severe disciplinary problem where expulsion of a member is being considered,
the provisions of Article IV, Section 2, Subsection 2d
shall prevail.
Section 2: Each
member and worker of the Folcroft Union Church will strive to measure himself
honestly in the light of the Word of God with the guidance of the Holy Spirit
to live a life pleasing to the Lord.
Guidelines for this are as follows:
Subsection 2a:
They shall evidence consistent growth in grace and scriptural knowledge (II
Peter 3:18) through a disciplined devotional life consisting of prayer and
Bible study, and shall develop personal convictions based on Scripture
("for whatsoever is not of faith is sin" Romans 14:23) and will not
allow any habit which is harmful or questionable to control them ("sin
shall not have dominion over you" Romans 6:12).
Subsection 2b:
They shall reorder their priorities so that they can be dependable and faithful
to the services and activities of the Church on as regular a basis as possible
so that they will not become a hindrance to others by haphazard attendance and
participation ("not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together as
the manner of some is" Hebrews 10:25).
Subsection 2c:
They shall cheerfully give of their abilities and substance in support of the
work of the Lord through this Church. We
believe it is God's plan and command to support His work by this means (II
Corinthians 8-9). The doctrine of
tithing is recommended for prayerful consideration as a starting point for
giving by each member.
Subsection 2d:
They should cultivate and cherish brotherly love for all those connected with
the Church; visit and sympathize with them in affliction; pray with and for
them; administer relief to those who are in need; tenderly regard their
reputation; affectionately and privately admonish them for faults and improprieties.)
They should strive by all proper measures to promote their spiritual benefit
and prosperity, not becoming involved in any practice which will cause another
person to stumble ("It is good not to ... do anything whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak: Romans i4:21,
John 13:34-35).
Subsection 2e:
They shall honor, esteem and love their Pastor and others in authority, pray
for them fervently and daily, and manifest a tender regard for their reputation
("let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor" I
Timothy 5:17; “yea, all of you be subject one to another and be clothed with
humility" I Peter 5:5).
Subsection 2f:
Toward those who are not connected with the Church, each member shall bear
consistent testimony against evil practices; be exact in fulfilling obligations
and promises; live in a peaceful and neighborly manner; perform acts of
kindness and charity; set an example of industry, honesty, generosity and love;
and look for opportunities to commend the Gospel to them, keeping one's conduct
above reproach before the unsaved so as to encourage the possibilities of
winning them to Christ ("Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in
conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity" I Timothy 4:12).
Article VI - Officers and
Deacons/Deaconesses
Section 1:
Officers. The officers of this Church shall be the Pastor and the Elders. The officers and their spouses, should they
be married, shall be members in good standing.
I Timothy 3:8-13
Subsection la:
Pastor. The Pastor must be a man thirty
years of age or older. He shall conduct
the public services of worship, and the general development of the Church work
shall be under his supervision. He shall
visit the sick and other persons, members or otherwise, as time permits and
occasion seems advisable, and perform general pastoral duties as required. He shall be ex-officio a member of all boards
and committees.
Subsection lb:
Elders. The Elders shall be comprised of
the Pastor and no more than nine other men.
Each Elder must be a man of thirty years of age or older and have been a
member in good standing for at least one year.
He must possess a servant's heart for the ministry and be a godly,
spiritual man who is consciously and measurable striving to achieve the goals
set forth for elders in I Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. His marital status must conform to the Church
policy on divorce and remarriage. The
Elders will be entrusted with the rulership and
oversight of the entire Church program and congregation. Their main focus will be on spiritual long
range planning and goal setting. The
entire ministry of the Church will be divided into key areas; for example,
outreach, education, worship, missions, finances and member services. The Elders are also responsible for setting
policies either directly or indirectly for the entire Church.
A simple majority of Elders shall constitute
a quorum.
The Chairman of the Elders is to be the
direct consulate of the Pastor in all matters wherein council is deemed
necessary. He shall act as moderator at
all business meetings which will be conducted in accordance with Robert's Rules
of Order and must be opened and closed with prayer. In his absence, he shall appoint another
member of the Elders to act for him. He
shall preside during impeachment proceedings.
Section 2: Deacons/Deaconesses. The Elders will appoint Deacons/Deaconesses
to serve in the ministry areas as the Elders deem necessary, using the
responsibilities outlined in I Timothy 3. These ministry areas are to include,
but not limited to, the Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer and Financial
Secretaries. The Deacons/Deaconesses
shall be members in good standing.
Subsection 2a:
Treasurer. It shall be the duty of the
Treasurer to receive all monies from the Financial Secretaries and pay all
orders drawn by the Elders. The
Treasurer shall render a monthly report to the Elders comprising a statement of
all monies so received and paid. The Treasurer
shall keep a true and correct book of accounts and shall also render an annual
report of all the receipts and expenditures during the year at the annual
meeting of the Church. The Treasurer
shall also be a member of the Finance Committee. (Appointed
for two years.)
Subsection 2b:
Assistant Treasurer. The Assistant Treasurer
shall assist the Treasurer in all aforementioned responsibilities, and in the
event of the Treasurer's absence, the Assistant Treasurer shall carry out and
perform the duties of the Treasurer. The
Assistant Treasurer shall also be a member of the Finance Committee. (Appointed for two years.)
Subsection 2c:
Financial Secretaries. It shall be the
duty of the Financial Secretaries to receive and record all monies given at all
services, recording the envelope receipts in a book provided for that purpose. They shall then record the total in a receipt
book provided for that purpose and turn the money over to the Treasurer. Each month, the total of this receipt book
shall be checked against the Treasurer's book.
They shall act in like manner in the receipt of all special funds. (Appointed for two years.)
Subsection 2d:
Church Clerk. It shall be the duty of
the Clerk to keep a careful record of the minutes of the regular business
meetings of the Church, to keep a register of its membership, to give notice of
its business meetings, to issue letters of dismissal voted by the Church, to
conduct its correspondence, (unless otherwise ordered) and to preserve all
papers and reports which the Church may direct to be placed on file. The Clerk shall give timely notice to the
Elders of all members to be dismissed under Article IV, Section 2. (Appointed for two years.)
Article VII - Elections,
Filling of Vacancies, etc.
Section 1:
Pastor. Whenever the Pastorate shall
become vacant, the Church shall proceed without further delay to fill the
vacancy. Candidates whom the Elders
shall invite shall be heard and an election of a Pastor then take place at a
meeting especially called for that purpose.
Notice of this meeting shall be given from the pulpit on two (2)
successive Sundays immediately preceding the election. The election shall be by ballot and require a
two-thirds vote of those members present and in good standing.
There shall be one month's notice given to
the Church by the Pastor in the event he wishes to resign. Likewise, the Church shall give the Pastor
one month's notice should his services no longer be required. In the event it becomes necessary to force
the resignation of the Pastor, the Chairman of the Elders, upon the receipt of
a petition to this effect, signed by twenty-five (25) members in good standing,
shall call a special meeting of the Church.
Two (2) week's notice shall be given to every member of the Church, in
writing, prior to this meeting, and a two-thirds vote of all members present
and in good standing shall rule. In
extreme cases, the Pastor may be excluded under Article IV, Subsection 2d.
Section 2: Elders.
The election to the Elders will be governed by the following procedure: Elders will be elected for a three (3) year term. The Elders, within seven (7) days after the
Annual Meeting, will organize the areas of ministry, and adopting any rules and
regulations required for its functioning.
Should any Elder fail to fulfill their
obligations to the Church, a resignation may be sought after the manner found
in Section 1, paragraph 2, above. The
one exception is the impeachment of the Chairman of the Elders, in which case,
another member of the Elders shall be chosen to preside.
Subsection 2a:
Nominating Committee. The nominating
committee shall consist of chairman appointed by the Chairman of the Elders and
at least four (4) members recommended by the congregation and appointed by the
Elders before the last quarterly business meeting of the year. It is desirable that the committee members
represent a cross-section of the congregation.
The committee shall earnestly seek two (2) or more candidates for each
office to be filled at the Annual Meeting by election. The committee shall seek to qualify
candidates to determine if they are eligible, based on Bible and Elder
guidelines. The Elders must approve all
candidates.
Members shall be informed by way of the
Church Bulletin and Bulletin Board at least 60 days before the Annual Meeting
of their right and duty to submit names to the Nominating Committee. Names must be submitted to the Committee at
least 30 days prior to the Annual Meeting.
The Nominating Committee will then consider all names in selecting the
nominees for approval by the Elders and then presentation to the congregation
by ballot, posted two (2) weeks before the Annual Meeting. The Committee shall inquire of nominees it
they will accept the nomination, and if elected, carry out the responsibilities
of the office. All Elders are to be
elected by a two-thirds vote of those members present and in good standing
unless otherwise specified in this Constitution.
Subsection 2b:
Vacancy in Office. In case of a vacancy
occurring through any cause whatsoever, the Elders will fill the vacancy for
the unexpired term.
Article VIII - Business
Meetings
Section 1: The quarterly
meeting for Church business shall be held during the months of January, April,
July and October. The January meeting
shall be called the Annual Meeting for election purposes. The October meeting shall be called the
Annual Goals & Budget meeting.
Section 2: Special
meetings may be called by the Pastor, or upon the
request of the Chairman of the Elders, or on petition of two-thirds of the then
voting Church Membership. Notice of
time, place and purpose should be placed in the Church Bulletin and on the
Bulletin Board on two (2) consecutive Lord's Days, immediately preceding such
meeting, or in an emergency, when each member is notified of same by mail.
Section 3: Fifteen
(15) members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
Section 4: Members
must be sixteen (16) years of age or over, in good standing, to have the
privilege of voting.
Article IX - Dissolution
Should this Church cease to function and the
membership vote to disband, all assets of the Church will be transferred to
another non-profit religious corporation whose beliefs are similar to this
Church. The assets shall be transferred
in full compliance with whatever laws are applicable and shall be used for the
general purposes of that corporation.
Article X - Amendments
Any proposed alteration or amendment of the
foregoing must be presented in writing at a regular business meeting or special
business meeting of the Church. A vote
of such alteration or amendment is to be taken at a business meeting not
earlier than one (1) month from the date of its presentation (Article VIII,
Section 2). A two-thirds vote to those
present and in good standing shall be necessary for its adoption. Notice of such proposed alteration or
amendment shall be posted on the Bulletin Board to the Church from the time of
its presentation at such stated meeting until the meeting on which action is to
be taken on the same.