Constitution Of Rochester Chinese Christian (Baptist) Church
Passed at member meeting on Jun 23, 2002
First revision at member meeting on Jan 31, 2004
Second revision at member meeting on Jul 25, 2004
Third revision at member meeting on Jan 22, 2005
Rochester Chinese Christian (Baptist) Church is a Bible based, independent, self-promote, self-support church. It is in essential agreement with fundamental Baptist doctrine and practice. The purpose of this constitution is to carry out the church operation in accordance with the principles of God’s Word, to develop and promote ministry and to glorify God, edify believers.
Article I – Name
The name of this organization shall be called Rochester Chinese Christian (Baptist) Church (RCCC), as registered with the State of Minnesota. It is in association with Calvary Baptist Church of Rochester as sister church.
Article II – Mission and Purpose
The purpose of this church shall be to promote, using Chinese as the primary language, the worship of the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; to systematically proclaim and teach the Word of God; to bring the lost to a saving knowledge of the Lord and receive the salvation of Jesus Christ; to provide opportunity for believers to grow in grace and in knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ; to obey, as God enables, the commission of our Lord in missionary endeavor both at home and abroad as stated in Matthew 28: 19-20 and Acts 1:8; to discover, assist, and generally encourage men and women in the dedication of their lives for definite Christian service.
Article III – Associations and Cooperation
This church doesn’t belong to any denomination but is willing to work with any church that is genuinely regenerated, sincerely preserve biblical truth to expand the kingdom of our God.
This church shall not associate nor cooperate with any person or group which is a part of or approves of liberalism, cults, extremist and secret societies (2 Corinthians 6:14-17; Romans 16:17; I Timothy 6:3-5)
Article IV – Ordinances
A. Baptism
That professing faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior shall upon authorization of the church be immersed in water by the pastor. This church shall not baptize infants.
B. The Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s Supper shall be served at regular intervals to the assembled church. All that are born-again shall be invited to partake, following self-examination. The elements shall be unleavened bread and grape juice.
Article V – Church Officers
A. Pastoral Staff (Pastor, Elder and Overseer)
A.1. Name
According to biblical teaching, pastor, elder and overseer refer to the same position, but have different functions. Hereafter referred all of them as Pastoral Staff.
A.2. Pastoral Staff Candidates
The candidates for Pastoral Staff must meet the requirements stated in I Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9 and accept and obey the statement of faith and constitution of this church.
A.3. Calling of a full-time (salaried) Pastoral Staff (see Article V.G)
A.4. Term of Pastoral Staff
Pastoral Staff shall serve a three-year term in this church. The first year in the initial term is the adjustment period. During this stage, if difference arises between the two parties and an agreement cannot be reached, both parties shall request a dismissal of the service, which shall be carried out after approval by a three-fourth vote of the church members. If the adjustment goes well, church shall re-call the pastor every three years, to confirm God’s guidance. Church shall never treat Pastoral Staff as an employee, and the Pastoral Staff shall respect all church members. Both shall work together to build up this body of Christ.
A.5. Duties
The Pastoral Staff is responsible for preaching, safeguarding, visiting, and caring of the spiritual lives of the whole church. He shall report church business in each church meeting. At yearend, he shall, according to God’ guidance, submit an annual ministry plan for next year based on the needs of the church. Pastor Stuff shall participate in every ministry service, give appropriate guidance and minister the ordinances of the church.
A.6. Salary and Vacation
The Pastoral Staff is salaried by the church. Board of Deacons shall present the salary budget (including insurance and retirement etc.) for Pastoral Staff at year end church meeting. The budget shall be carried out by a two-thirds vote of the members. The vacation time for Pastoral Staff, excluding the fixed holidays, shall be two weeks in the first year, and increase to three weeks (15 workdays) after the end of the third year.
A.7. Ordination
The church may ordain a Pastoral Staff if one hasn’t been ordained at time of calling. The candidate must have served in this church for more than one year, and has pastor experience for at least three years. Candidate shall ask Deacons Board to call a church meeting to confirm the ordination. After the affirmative votes of at least two-thirds of members, arrangements for ordination shall be made.
A.8. Termination of Service
In case of a call for the Pastoral Staff to serve in other places, a resignation letter shall be submitted to the Board of Deacons at least two months prior to resignation. An arrangement to transfer duties shall be made after announcing at a member meeting. In the event of confliction between the Pastoral Staff and church members, reconciliation shall be made in love and forgiveness. No charges of misconduct of Pastoral Staff shall be considered by the Board of Deacons unless made in writing and with at least two witnesses. In the event of serious misconduct, the service of the Pastoral Staff can be terminated after the confirmation of three-fourth votes of the church.
B. Non-salaried Elder
A non-salaried elder can be ordained when necessary. The qualifications and duties for non-salaried elder are the same as the salaried Pastoral Staff. Non-salaried elder must have served in the Board of Deacons for more than two years. The candidate shall be nominated by the Pastoral Staff or Board of Deacons and appointed after the examination of the Pastor Search Committee and approval by two-thirds vote of the church. Request for ordination can be submitted to the Board of Deacons after serving as elder for more than one year and less than three years. After approval by a two-thirds vote at the church meeting, the elder shall be ordained according to the pastor ordination process in Calvary Baptist Church. Elders who had served in other churches can be invited as coworker by the Board of Deacons when joining this church and can be nominated as candidate for non-salaried elder after serving in this church for two years. Non-salaried elder should work together with the full-time Pastoral Staff to help develop ministry. In the event of misconduct, non-salaried elder shall be treated the same way as a full-time Pastoral Staff.
C. Deacons
C.1. Name
According to Bible teaching, deacons shall administer the general ministry of the church. They shall assist the Pastoral Staff in promoting the ministry of this church by being involved with him in ministering to the spiritual and physical needs of the members as well as administering the ordinances. They shall meet as a group with the Pastoral Staff on a monthly basis for prayer and counsel regarding their respective responsibilities.
C.2. Candidate
Deacons shall meet the qualifications listed in First Timothy 3. They shall be male members at least twenty-one years of age who have not been divorced. Home and family relationships must be considered, as well as individual qualification. Moral conduct must be beyond reproach and free of carnal indulgences, such as the use of intoxicating beverages, tobacco in all its forms, drug abuse, gambling, etc. They should be spiritually mature, or unquestioned Christian character, loyal to the Word of God, dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ and to the spiritually welfare of this church. They should be faithful in attendance, participating in regular and special meetings, as well as business sessions, of the church.
C.3. Election
The church shall establish a Deacon-Nominating Committee when necessary. The Nominating Committee shall consist of three deacons and two other church members. Any member of this church may submit nominations to Deacon-Nominating Committee based on the above qualifications. The Nominating Committee shall determine the number of deacons based on needs. Upon the consent of nominees and the examination of qualifications, the Nominating Committee shall submit a ballot with the names of candidates according to the vacancy to be approved by the congregation. New deacons shall then be elected in a church member meeting based on the number of votes (must at least receive two-thirds of the members). Deacon has not been ordained by this church shall be ordained within six months. Deacons shall not receive any salary from church.
C.4. Term
The term of deacons shall not exceed two years, and, if more than one man was elected, the length of term shall vary so that not all terms expire at the same year. The number of deacons shall not exceed three until the membership of the church exceeds 50 people. Then one additional deacon may be elected for every 25 additional members. Once the office of deacon has been established, deacons whose terms expire can be re-elected once and serve for one more term only. In the event of misconduct, deacons shall be treated the same way as a full-time Pastoral Staff.
D. Treasurer and financial secretary
The Pastoral Staff or the Board of Deacons is authorized by the church to appoint annually a treasurer and financial secretary. The treasurer and financial secretary must be at least 21 years old and is a faithful member of the church. The treasurer will be responsible to deposit the offering and to disburse funds for all ministerial needs. The financial secretary will be responsible to count all offerings with another appointed church member. The secretary is to keep accurate records of the finances of the church, to present a financial statement at the quarterly church meetings, and to issue records of contributions to contributors as required by law. (All financial records shall remain property of the church.)
E. Clerk
The Pastoral Staff or the Board of Deacons is authorized to appoint annually a clerk. The clerk must be at least 21 years old and a faithful member of the church. The clerk will be responsible to keep accurate records of all business sessions of the church and at the same time, acts as the acting treasurer.
F. Auditing Committee
The Pastoral Staff or the Board of Deacons shall appoint two members of the church (not to include the treasurer and the financial secretary) each year to audit the financial record of the church. The audit shall be done in January and a report given to the church members.
The financial secretary shall keep a list of items valued more than $50. Whoever using such items are subjected to keep and maintain the items they used.
The deacon board is authorized to sell, give away, lend, items that are less than $200. Disposition of items more than $200 requires two third majority votes in a congregation meeting.
Any missing, damaged, items shall report to the deacon board immediately. If the damage is done on purpose the responsible party shall pay for the item at the original purchase price.
G. Pastor Searching Committee
A pastor searching committee shall be established whenever there is a vacancy for pastor and dissolved when such vacancy is filled.
This committee shall consist of five spiritually matured church members, at least two of whom shall be the current pastors or deacons and at least two of whom shall be members of more than two years but not holding any church office. Candidates for this committee shall be nominated by the deacon board and confirmed by the two-thirds majority of the congregation. The committee shall elect its chairperson and secretary.
According to the Biblical principles, the church constitution and needs, the pastor searching committee is responsible for establishing a detailed pastor searching process for the approval by two-thirds majority of the congregation. The committee shall then follow the approved process and meet regularly to pray and work together. The deliberations shall be conducted in a confidential manner and updates shall be provided to the congregation on a regular basis.
H. Other committees
Other committees may be established as needs arises. They shall be first recommended by the Pastoral Staff or the Board of Deacons and then approved by at least half of the church members.
Article VI – Membership
A. Reception of Members
Membership in this church shall be open to all those who:
A.1. Profess to be born-again through faith in Jesus Christ
A.2. Have been baptized by immersion following their profession of faith in Christ.
A.3. Seek to live a Christ-honoring life.
A.4. Are in agreement with the Constitution and Statements of Faith of this church.
A.5. Attend the church service for more than 3 months.
All candidates for baptism and /or membership shall give testimony of their salvation and acceptance of the constitution and articles of faith of this church following a Sunday Worship. They shall be received into membership by two-thirds vote of the church.
B. Goals for membership responsibility and daily Christian living and renewing.
Members are led by the Spirit of God to receive the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior, and having been baptized by immersion in obedience to His Word, they enter into a relationship with each other. This relationship encourages the seeking of accomplishment with the aid of the Holy Spirit in the following areas:
B.1. Help this church by seeking personal spiritual growth, support church ministries, and promote evangelical missions
.
B.2. Help this church by attending its services regularly Such attendance is the beginning of a person’s service.
B.3. Honor Jesus Christ through individual efforts to advance His cause; by seeking the salvation of relatives and acquaintances; by having family and personal devotions; by obeying parents, and by training children according to the Word of God.
B.4. Walk in Christian love by avoiding gossip, slander, and anger; by praying for the members of this church and helping them in sickness or distress; by cultivating Christian empathy and courtesy; and by being sincere and without offense.
B.5. Walk wisely by being honest and exemplary in conduct; by dressing modestly and appropriately; and by abstaining from anything that would be a detriment to personal testimony for Christ. Furthermore, one promises to abstain from the use of alcoholic beverages and/or drugs for non-medicinal purposes.
B.6. If one moves away from this area, the member shall unite as soon as possible with another fundamental bible-believing church in which one can carry out the principles of the Word of God and the spirit of these goals.
C. Discipline of Members
C.1. Purpose
C.1.1. To help errant members recognize and repent of their sins so they may be restored to fellowship with the Lord and this church (Galatians 6:1)
C.1.2. To maintain the purity of this church by removing those who are unrepentant toward their sins (1 Corinthians 5:7, 11)
C.1.3. To restrain others from committing sin (1 Timothy 5:20)
C.2. Reasons: The primary Biblical reasons for taking disciplinary actions are
C.2.1. Immorality (1 Corinthians 5)
C.2.2. False doctrine (1 Timothy 6:3-5)
C.2.3. Unrepentant attitude over offense, inconsistent or in contradiction to our believes. (Matthew 18:15-17)
C.3. Execution
The Pastoral Staff and at least one other spiritually mature, adult member of this church shall counsel with the member(s) involved, endeavoring to resolve the matter, and to restore them to fellowship with the Lord and this church. If they are unrepentant, the matter will be taken to the church meeting to remove them from the membership after affirmation of two thirds of church members. When the erring person is repentant, they may be encouraged to ask for re-establishment of their membership.
D. Termination of Membership
D.1. Members who unite with other churches shall be removed from membership. Letters of dismissal with a recommendation may be sent upon request to other churches of like faith for those members in good standing.
D.2. Members who have been absent from the services of this church for a period of six months without due cause shall be removed from membership after attempts have been made to restore them.
D.3. Members who are disciplined by exclusion shall be removed from membership.
D.4. Members who have died shall be removed from membership.
Article VII – Finances
A. General Fund
This church and its ministries shall be financed through the tithes and offerings of God’s people. No sales, suppers or other commercial means shall be used. All moneys are to be placed in the General Fund under a unified budget. Additional moneys may be borrowed when approved by vote of the church.
The Pastoral Staff or the Board of Deacons shall be responsible to see to it that a budget is proposed to church at the December business meeting, which will direct spending for the following year. (The church fiscal year shall be from January 1 through December 31.) The budget shall be adopted by two-thirds vote of the members. A portion of the general budget shall be designated for the regular support of missionaries and mission agencies.
All expenditures shall be made by checks and accurate records kept. The treasurer at the quarterly business meeting shall submit a report of all expenditures to the church. Expenditures of more than $200.00 which are not included in the budget must be treated as a request to deacon’s meeting. Upon a recommendation on the matter by the Pastoral Staff and deacons, the church members would indicate approval by a two-thirds vote or a deferral.
B. Building Fund
A building fund shall be maintained for acquiring property and construction a permanent facility for this church. The annual budget should specify a certain amount to be transferred each month into the building fund. In addition, all special offerings received for the building fund shall be deposited into the building fund.
Article VIII – Business Meetings
Quarterly church business meetings shall be held during the months of March, June, September, and December on a day set by the Pastoral Staff or the Board of Deacons. All coworkers shall try to attend and submit reports on their responsible ministry. Church member meetings shall be held twice a year and shall be announced at least two weeks in advance. The purpose of the member meetings shall be to review the financial report and to handle necessary businesses. The business meeting held in December shall also adopt a budget for the upcoming year and, if necessary, to elect deacons.
The Pastoral Staff or the Board of Deacons shall moderate all business meetings. Active members eighteen years of age and older shall be eligible to vote. Fifty percent of the voting members of the church shall constitute a quorum. Incidental business matters may be dealt with at any regular Sunday after the regular service of the church.
Article IX – Missions
This church shall support and participate in missionary server within our abilities. Missionaries, mission agencies and organizations desiring to speak in or be supported by this church shall be in accord with the doctrinal position of this church. The Pastoral Staff may invite missionaries who are seeking support and whose qualification the Pastoral Staff has screened. They may present their ministry to the church and subject to the recommendation deacons and approval of general membership. Regular monthly support shall be committed to approved missionaries or mission agencies by two-thirds vote of the members.
Article X – Amendments
This constitution may be amended, altered or revised. Proposal shall be submitted to the Pastoral Staff or Board of Deacons. After their discussion and approval, the proposed amendment(s) shall be printed in the church bulletin for at least two weeks before the church meeting. The amendments shall be carried out by a three-fourth vote of the members.
The church may deal with any matters not outlined in this constitution, acting upon the recommendation of the Pastoral Staff or the Board of Deacons and two-thirds vote of the members.
Article XI – Dissolution
In the event of the dissolution of this church, all its debts shall be paid in full. None of its remaining assets or holding shall be divided among the members or other individuals, but shall be irrevocably designated by corporate vote of this church prior to dissolution to non-profit church of missionary organizations which are in agreement with the statement of faith adopted by this church.