GOVERNMENT
ARTICLE I -- GENERAL
The Lincoln Community Bible Church of Lincolnton, North Carolina, chartered under North Carolina law as a nonprofit organization was founded because of the trend today away from the consistent exposition of the Scriptures in the local church. Realizing that God has called Christians to be diligent students of His Word, this local church has been formed to provide a legitimate forum for the understanding of the message of God to mankind.
The Lincoln Community Bible Church is autonomous in the governing of her affairs,
exercising complete control of all property in her established leadership.
ARTICLE II -- NAME
The name of this church shall be Lincoln Community Bible Church located in Lincolnton,
North Carolina.
ARTICLE III -- PURPOSE
We are a church whose purpose is to consistently proclaim God's Word in an expository manner so that the hearers will be able to participate in the life of God by receiving Jesus Christ as Savior; by growing in His grace and in the knowledge of Him; by serving and worshipping God in love; and by enjoying Christian fellowship without unnecessary conflict. Mat. 18:20; I Thess. 5:11-15; Acts 20:7; Eph. 4:11-16; Heb. 10:25.
ARTICLE IV -- DOCTRINE
http://www.lincolncommunity.org/doctrine.htm
ARTICLE V -- GOVERNMENT
I. AUTHORITY For purposes of carrying out our Lord's will in the life of this church, the decision making authority will reside in recognized and qualified elders in the church who shall govern as a Board of Elders. The Board of Elders shall select its own chairman, and shall have responsibility for, and the authority over, all of the functions of the Church. The operating procedures for the Church and the Board are contained in and further elaborated in this constitution.
II. FISCAL YEAR. The fiscal year of this congregation shall be from January 1 through December 31.
III. MEMBERSHIP.
1. MEMBERS - Any person who has, by faith, received Jesus Christ as his or her personal Savior; gives assurance of his or her desire to trust the Lord for a biblical Christian life; is willing to abide by this constitution; and will, except for extenuating circumstances, attend the services of the church will be eligible for membership in the church.
2. ADMISSION TO MEMBERSHIP - Candidates for membership shall make that desire known to the Board of Elders. They shall give personal testimony to the Board or its representatives as to their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and as to their Christian experience; affirm their willingness to abide by this constitution; give positive testimony to their willingness to submit to the statement of faith and state their place of permanent residence. Being satisfied as to their qualifications, the Board of Elders shall accept them into membership, and they shall be publicly welcomed on a Sunday following this meeting.
ARTICLE VI -- OFFICERS
I. IDENTIFICATION OF THE OFFICERS. The leaders of the congregation shall consist of the elders and any other leader or leaders duly appointed by them.
II. QUALIFICATIONS AND DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS.
A. Elders.
1. The Elders are the spiritual and administrative leaders of the congregation (Acts 20:28; Gal. 6:1; I Tim. 3:1-7; 5:17; Tit. 1:6-9) and function as the executive, policy making board of the membership. They shall be in substantive agreement with the doctrinal statement and constitution of this church. Any areas of disagreement must be made known prior to their establishment as elders. To them is given the general oversight of the spiritual life and function of the congregation. They shall guard the purity of the doctrine and life of the congregation and, if necessary, discipline the membership in accordance with God's Word (cf. Matt. 5:23-24; Matt. 18:15-17). They shall examine or appoint representatives to examine all candidates for membership and shall act for the church in the reception and dismissal of members. They shall minister to believers with spiritual advice, counseling, visiting and comforting the flock. They shall be an example to the church in their walk with the Lord, shepherding the congregation according to the will of God (I Pet. 5:1-4) and keeping watch over the souls entrusted to their care (Heb. 13:7, 17).
2. The Elders will function before the law as trustees of the Church. They shall authorize and oversee the expenditure of all funds. They shall act as search committee for anyone who is needed to function as a pastor/teacher, hire and define the duties of any needed employees, and, in general, establish and carry out the policies of the church as found in the Scriptures and this constitution. They shall maintain a current list of members. They shall, in accordance with Scripture and this constitution, recommend candidates for elder, deacon and deaconess for confirmation by the congregation. They shall also appoint as many other leaders as the needs of the congregation dictate and delineate their duties and responsibilities. They shall post a monthly report of their activities for the benefit of the congregation and make an annual report to the congregation.
3. Scripture indicates that a man is an elder as long as he is in conformity with the biblical qualifications as found in 1 Tim. 3:1-7 and Tit. 1:6-9. Because of this, an elder shall be eligible to serve on the Board of Elders if he is an active member of the congregation, as long as he evidences a conscientious attempt to meet and maintain a satisfactory level of conformity to those biblical qualifications.
4. The normal regular meeting of the Board of Elders shall be once a month, and a quorum shall be at least 2/3 of its members.
5. The Board of Elders may have deacons join with them in their deliberations at their discretion but must do so if the number of elders serving on the Board of Elders is less than three. The number of members serving on the various boards and committees shall be determined by the Board of Elders.
6. An elder who is no longer able to serve regularly because of age, infirmity or similar reasons, may be designated Elder Emeritus by the Board of Elders and after initial confirmation by the congregation, may serve on the Board whenever able to do so.
B. Deacons and Deaconesses -
1. Deacons and deaconesses are to be confirmed by the congregation upon recommendation by the Board of Elders. The lives and Christian experience of such men and women shall conform to the biblical qualifications as found in 1 Tim 3:8-13. Deacons and deaconesses shall serve on the Board of Deacons, if they are active members as long as they evidence a conscientious attempt to meet and maintain a satisfactory level of conformity to those biblical qualifications.
2. The deacons and deaconesses are spiritual leaders in the church and are entrusted with such delegated responsibilities as the elders determine.
C. The Treasurer shall be appointed by the Board of Elders. The Treasurer shall care for and keep a record of all monies, receipts and expenditures in a legally recognized form or book and pay all authorized bills promptly, funds permitting. The Treasurer shall make regular monthly reports to the Board of Elders and shall, upon authorization by the Board of Elders, provide such financial information and data to other boards and committees as they may request. The treasurer shall make both a monthly and annual financial report to the congregation. An annual audit of the treasurer's books shall be made by someone other than the treasurer.
III. SELECTION OF ELDERS
Men shall become elders of the church when they become recognized by the church as living in harmony with the requirements that are placed upon elders in Paul's letters to Timothy and Titus. The manner of this recognition shall be determined by seated elders.
IV. INSTALLATION OF LEADERS
As soon as practicable after selection and during a Sunday morning service, all who are to be designated as leaders in the church shall be installed into their ministries by the incumbent elders in a manner determined by them.
ARTICLE VII - TERMINATION OF MEMBERS AND/OR LEADERS
I. MEMBERS
A. Request. Any member may request to have his or her name removed from membership or transferred to another church and such requests shall be handled by the Board of Elders.
B. Inactivity. Any member who has been absent from the church for an extended period and who does not manifest an interest by attending services or contributing to the church's support, may be subject to disciplinary rejection from membership in the church by the elders.
C. Other Matters of Discipline.
1. Discipline in the congregation shall be conducted in accordance with the steps outlined in Matthew 18:15-17, where it is understood that "the church" means, first of all, its spiritual leaders, the Board of Elders, and, ultimately, if necessary, its membership.
2. No action of church discipline shall be brought against any member until there has been a determined effort on the part of the Board of Elders, assuming the first two steps mentioned above have failed, to reconcile said member to the Lord through personal prayer, counsel, and loving effort. Action by the Board of Elders shall take place when it is evident that failure to act will result in harm to the church or any of its members.
II. LEADERS
A. If a man who is exercising the gift of pastor/teacher for the benefit of the body should be led to resign, he must give the Board of Elders sufficient notice to allow them to make provision for the hole he will be making in the soul of the church. However, he is not required to give more than 60 days notice.
B. If any officer or leader is to be dismissed, he shall be given clear Scriptural grounds for his dismissal, relative to his moral and spiritual qualifications and/or his quality of ministry to the church.
ARTICLE VIII -- FINANCES
This church shall be financed according to the Scriptures - "Every man according to he purposeth in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly, or of necessity; for God loveth a cheerful giver." (II Cor. 9:7).
ARTICLE X -- AMENDMENTS
Amendments to this constitution will be considered and made by the Elder Board.
ARTICLE XI -- INTERPRETATION OF THIS CONSTITUTION
Questions concerning the interpretation of the meaning of this constitution shall be resolved by action of the Board of Elders.
ARTICLE XII -- DISSOLUTION OF ASSETS
This Constitution directs that upon dissolution of Lincoln Community Bible Church any and all assets are to be transferred in accordance to North Carolina G.S. 55A-14-03 to a Christian organization whose doctrinal statement is in harmony with the constitution of Lincoln Community Bible Church.