ABOUT US Constitution/Articles of Incorporation
(Final Draft)Article I – Name
The official name of this church shall be Christ Community Church
Article II – Statement of Faith
Christ Community Church is a member of the Evangelical Free Church of America, 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 a 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 – Statement of Mission
Our mission at Christ Community Church is to be a caring family committed to the Great Commandment1 and the Great Commission2.
Article IV – Church Affiliation
Christ Community Church shall affiliate with the Evangelical Free Church of America through membership in the local Evangelical Free Church District as long as the district’s members stand true to the Word of God. Christ Community Church shall remain an autonomous body and shall not join itself to any other denomination or synod. It shall remain its own highest authority and conduct its business through its business sessions.
Article V – Membership
Eligibility for membership at Christ Community Church includes any person who confesses faith in Jesus Christ; whose character, conduct, and reputation reflect this confession; who subscribes to the Christ Community Church Statement of Faith (Article II of this document); and, who accepts and abides by the church constitution and by-laws.
Article VI – Officers
The officers of Christ Community Church shall be called elders and according to the provisions of this constitution and by-laws, the board of elders (Elder Board) shall have charge over the conduct of the business affairs of this corporation.
Article VII – Business Meetings
The regular business meetings of the church shall be held at least quarterly at a time and place designated by the elders. Election of officers and transaction of business concerning the work of the church shall take place at any regular business meeting. Additional regular and special business meetings may be held during the year as set forth in the by-laws.
Article VIII – Conduct of Business
Christ Community Church shall have power in its corporate name to buy, own, hold in trust, use, inherit, lease, rent, sell, exchange, or dispose of such real and personal property that may be useful and necessary for the furtherance of the Lord’s work. It shall also have the power to mortgage and encumber all or any part of the church’s property, and to borrow and raise money or other assets of any kind, for the furtherance of the Lord’s work.
Article IX – Property Rights
1 Matthew 22:37-39 2 Matthew 28:18-20
Christ Community Church shall have power to buy, own, and sell real property in its own name. Those adhering to the Christ Community Church constitution and by-laws shall retain the church name and property if the church divides. Should the church dissolve, all real property must be sold and the debts of the church paid. At such time as Christ Community Church might cease to operate as a corporate body, proceeds from the sale of church property will be divided equally among the sponsoring organizations of missionaries supported by the church as identified on the general budget for the fiscal year in which the dissolution decision is taken. Any member who has withdrawn from or who has been excluded from the church loses all rights of church membership including the right to attend church business meetings, and the right to use personal and real property of the church. The private property of individual church members shall be exempt from church debt.
Article X – Amendments
Members may amend this constitution at any regular or special business meeting attended by at least twenty percent of the church’s voting members. Proposed amendments to the constitution require a first and second reading at consecutive business meetings. Any motion to amend must receive at least seventy-five percent of the votes cast to pass. Article II cannot be amended without a seventy-five percent quorum of voting members present.
Article XI – Provision for By-Laws
Members may adopt or amend any by-laws not in conflict with this constitution at any regular or special business meeting attended by at least twenty percent of the church’s voting members. Any motion to adopt or amend a by-law must receive a majority vote of those present.
