membership

Constitution and By-Laws

Adopted 7/8/01, Amended 5/32/04

Article I - Name and Location.
The name of this church is the Evangelical Free Church of Los Banos. It is located in Merced County, California.

Article II - Affiliation.
This church is affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America and EFCA West. This church recognizes its responsibility to support the programs, policies and guiding statements of the denomination.

Article III - Purpose.
This church exists to glorify God by fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) and keep the Great Commandments (Matthew 22:37-39).

Article IV - Statement of Faith.
This church shall hold to the statement of faith of the Evangelical Free Church of America.

Article V - Membership.
Section 1. Qualifications. Persons who meet the following criteria may be considered for membership in this church:
1. Able to give testimony of faith in Christ. (Romans 10:9,10)
2. A life in accordance to the Word of God. (I John 2:6)
3. Attendance at this church on a regular basis. (Hebrews 10:25)
4. Completion of a process agreed to by the Elders.
5. At least 18 years of age.
6. Agreement with the Constitution and By Laws.
7. Submission to the authority of the leadership of the church. (Hebrews 13:17)

Section 2. Termination. A person's membership may be terminated for any of the following reasons:
1. Death.
2. Moving from the area.
3. Written request.
4. Lack of regular attendance. Note: For the cases of 2,3,4 members shall be notified in person (or by phone) of pending removal of membership status.
5. Unresolved Biblical discipline by this or any other church.

Section 3. Reinstatement and Restoration. A person may be reinstated to membership upon the following criteria:
1. Relocation: Moving back to the area.
2. Repentance.
3. Re-establishing regular attendance.

Section 4. Discipline. Any member may be disciplined for unrepentant sin. Discipline may include confrontation and removal from fellowship. The Bible shall be the guideline for such matters. Passages such as Matthew 18:15-17, Galatians 5:6, 6:1-5, I Corinthians 5:1-11, 13:1-8, Hebrews 13:17, I Peter 5:3 shall compose some but not all of the portions of scripture that may be used in such cases.

Section 5. Responsibilities. Members are responsible for the following:
1. To pray for one another. (James 5:16)
2. To sacrificially love one another. (I Peter 1:22)
3. To be truthful and honest with each other. (Colossians 3:9)
4. To teach, admonish and restore each other. (Colossians 3:16, Galatians 6:1)
5. To serve and minister to each other. (I Peter 4:10).
6. To seek the Holy Spirit and vote on issues that leadership brings before the body as a whole. (Acts 6:1-5, 15:22, Proverbs 11:14, 15:22, 24:6).
7. To financially support the ministries of the church. (I Timothy 5:18, 2 Corinthians 9:6,7, Matthew 10:10)
8. To faithfully attend church services and special meetings. (Hebrews 10:25)
9. To submit to the Elders of this church. (Hebrews 13:17).

Article VI - Government.
This church shall be governed by a congregational form of church government. This is defined as the congregation delegating leadership authority to the Elders, who in turn lead the church. The term that seems to best define this type of relationship is: "Elder lead."

Section 1. Elders.
1. An Elder shall serve indefinitely but shall be reaffirmed annually by a congregational vote of confidence of at least 75 percent.
2. The Elder board shall consist of no less than three and no more than nine members.
3. Each individual Elder serves at the pleasure of and under the authority of the Elder board as a whole. No one Elder is above any other Elder. Therefore, an Elder may be dismissed on biblical grounds by a simple majority vote of the Elders as a whole. An Elder may not vote on his dismissal. Recommendation for removal of an Elder may be received at any time by the Elders as a whole.
4. An accusation against an Elder must be brought by two witnesses, and if true, dealt with publically. 1 Timothy 5:19,20.
5. The Elders shall be selected based upon the following criteria;
      a. The principles set forth in I Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9 and I Peter 5:1-3. The office of Elder shall be occupied by men of spiritual maturity, of moral purity, of exemplary character, of good reputation both inside the church and without; men of sound judgment, not greedy or quarrelsome, but hospitable and self-controlled, who rule their own household well; men who know the Word of God, who can explain and defend the basics of Christian doctrine, and who are able to teach.
      b. Gift. Candidate must demonstrate leadership ability. (Romans 12:8) Inherent in this are the gifts of wisdom and knowledge. (I Corinthians 12:8).
      c. Affinity. A unified team is a key element to consider during the selection process. (Titus 3:10)
      d. Faithfulness at the congregational level. (See Article V, section 1, #3)
      e. Fruitful at the ministry level.
      f. Agreement with the Constitution and By-Laws.
      g. Membership for at least one year.
      h. Approval and support of wife.
      i. Availability for Elder meetings and ministry.
      j. A vote of acceptance by the members at the annual meeting of at least 75 percent.

6. The selection of Elders shall involve the following process;
Step #1: Education. Two worship services shall be set aside in January of each year to focus on the issue of church leadership. One service shall deal with the state of the church and one shall specifically deal with the issue of Elders.

Step #2: Recommendation. The Elders shall receive recommendations from the congregation during the month of February. An Elder shall confirm with each recommended person whether or not that man wishes to be a candidate. Those interested in candidacy shall be informed of the interview process at this point.

Step #3: Interview. (March) Each candidate (and wife) will be assessed by the Elders based upon the criteria listed above. The Elders must be in unanimous agreement before a candidate can be recommended to the congregation for approval.

Step #4: Evaluation: (April) Once approved by the Elders, the candidate's name is to be posted for two weeks for the congregation to pray over. The congregation shall be encouraged to direct comments, concerns to the Elders at this time.

Step #5: Approval. Candidates for Elder shall be presented to the congregation for approval at the annual membership meeting in May. The members must approve the recommended candidate by a 75 percent vote. The number of candidates shall not exceed the vacancies.

7. The Sr. Pastor shall be considered an Elder with full voting rights.
8. For purposes of incorporation, the Elders of this church shall serve as its officers and directors.
9. A mid-year vacancy may be filled by the Elders for the remainder of the year by a unanimous vote of the Elders and 75 percent approval by the Congregation at a specially called Membership meeting. A "mid-year" Elder must begin the Elder selection process from the beginning once that year is up.
10. Elders are responsible for the following:
a. Congregational care. Knowing what the congregational concerns, cares and needs are and making sure they are met. (Acts 20:28, I Peter 5:2,3, Proverbs 27:23, James 5:14, Ezekiel 34).
b. Oversight. Making sure that all legal, financial, facility and ministry oversight is complete. This includes: executing all deeds, trusts and lease agreements; creation of an annual budget; hosting an outside annual audit; building maintenance and ministry evaluation; making sure that an annual written report on each area of ministry is available at the annual membership meeting. (1 Timothy 5:17).
c. The ministry of the word . (Acts 6:4). While all must be able to teach, those especially gifted as teaching elders should be given the opportunity for and be found effective at those types of ministries. (1 Timothy 5:17).
d. The ministry of prayer. (Acts 6:4). The Elders should devote both personal and time gathered as a team to pray for the flock.
e. Protect the flock from heretical teaching by refuting controversial doctrinal issues and false teachers. (Tituts 1:9).

Section 2. The Senior Pastor.
1. The Sr. Pastor shall meet all the qualifications of an Elder. (See Article VI, Section 1, #5 (except "g".)
2. The Sr. Pastor shall be considered an Elder with full privilege and responsibilities.
3. As an Elder, the Sr. Pastor may be removed by a simple majority vote of the Elders, according to the guildelines stated in Artivle VI, Section 1, #3.
4. The Sr. Pastor shall also be gifted as a teaching Elder (1 Timothy 5:17). Able to present the word in an accurate and relevant manner. (Nehemiah 8:8).
5. The Sr. Pastor shall cast the vision for the church. One that is inspired by the Holy Spirit, constitutionally compatible, congregationally comprehensive and embraced by the leadership and congregation.
6. The Sr. Pastor shall be ordained by the Evangelical Free Church of America or willing to secure such credentials.
7. The selection of the Sr. Pastor shall involve the following process:
- The Elders shall appoint a Pastor search committee of no less than six people, of whom no more than three are from the Elders.
- The Search Committee shall entertain recommendations from the congregation, like- minded seminaries and denominational leaders and other names the Holy Spirit makes available. It shall cull down the list of candidates to three to recommend to the Elders. The Search Committee will have had both written and phone interviews with each of the three candidates recommended to the Elders.
- The Elders will interview the three candidates recommended by the Search Committee and unanimously recommend one candidate to the congregation for the position of Sr. Pastor.
- The Sr. Pastor must receive a 75 percent vote of members present at the selection meeting.
- The Sr. Pastor serves indefinitely with three weeks of mutual termination notice required.

Section 3. Associate Pastor(s), Ministerial Staff and Employees.
1. These individuals are selected by the Sr. Pastor. They then must be unanimously approved by the Elders. The Sr. Pastor may delegate the selection and oversight process to others upon growth and expansion.
2. These individuals are directly or ultimately accountable to the Elders.
3. Other pastors are not automatically members of the Elders. They shall, however, have access to and be available to the Elders.
4. These individuals shall have clearly defined and written job descriptions.
5. These individuals may be removed by a majority vote of Elders.
6. The Associate Pastor must meet the qualifications of an Elder in scripture.
7. Women are eligible for positions that are not excluded by scripture. The excluded ministry positions would be those that include being in authority over and/or teaching men. (I Timothy 2:12, 3:12)

Section 4. Deacons and Deaconesses.
1. Deacons serve for an indefinite term.
2. Deacons and Deaconess are appointed by and accountable to the Elders. Upon growth and expansion the Elders have the freedom to delegate the selection and oversight process to others.
3. They serve in areas of practical need to free up the Elders, Pastoral and ministerial staff so they can focus on prayer and the ministry of the word of God. (Acts 6:4-6).
4. They must meet the qualifications as set forth in I Timothy 3:8-13.
5. They may be removed from office by a majority vote of the Elders.

Article VII - Meetings.
Section 1. Membership Meeting(s).

1. The church shall hold at least one annual Membership meeting in May for the purposes of; reflection, thanksgiving, discussion and decision on major matters needing congregational input and approval. These shall include but not be limited to the approval of; Elders, annual budget, construction, change in location, a merge, dissolution.
2. The fiscal year shall begin July 1.
3. Other meetings can be called at the discretion of the majority of the Elders.
4. While anyone may attend, only members may vote and participate in discussion.
5. A two-thirds majority vote of those present shall decide all issues except acceptance of the Sr. Pastor and Elders as well as annual affirmation of the Elders. These must be accepted and/or affirmed by a 75 percent vote.
6. Voting may be done by secret ballot at the discretion of the Elders or request of a member present at the meeting.
7. Quorum shall be defined as at least 25 percent of voting members.
8. Notice of the annual membership meeting and all pertinent information shall be made available at least two weeks before actual date of the meeting.

Section 2. Elder Meetings.

1. The Elders shall meet at least once a month.
2. At least two-thirds, but not less than three, elders must be present for voting to take place.
3. The Elders shall appoint a secretary, treasurer and facilitator. The secretary shall record all decisions. The treasurer shall oversee the financial matters of the church. The facilitator shall call and lead each meeting. Additionally, he shall make sure all pertinent data and information is present at each meeting.
4. The Elders do not operate by parliamentary procedure or Robert's Rules of Order. All discussion and decisions should be guided by love, wisdom, the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit.

Article VIII - Dissolution.
No part of the earnings or holdings of this church shall be the sole possession of any individual. In the case of division, those holding to this constitution and by laws shall maintain possession of the name, assets and holdings of this church. In the case of dissolution, all holdings and assets of this church shall become the property of the Evangelical Free Church of America.

Article IX - Amendments.
All amendments must be approved by a two-thirds majority of members present at the annual meeting or any special meeting called by the Elders. Notification of the subject matter, date, location and time of meetings shall be done for no less than two consecutive Sundays before said meeting. Article IV may not be amended except to bring it into conformity with the Evangelical Free Church of America.