Sovereign Grace Bible Church Of The Rockies » Constitution & Declaration Of Faith And Practice

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September 4, 2010

Sovereign Grace Bible Church

Constitution & Declaration Of Faith And Practice

Download our Constitution (in PDF)

Download our Declaration of Faith and Practice (in PDF)

THE CONSTITUTION
OF
SOVEREIGN GRACE BIBLE CHURCH
Of the Rockies

Realizing a need for a church, that is thoroughly biblical in its teaching and practice, we the members of the Sovereign Grace Bible Church of the Rockies, do form such a fellowship in the simple constitution which follows:

ARTICLE I --- THE NAME
This church shall be called the Sovereign Grace Bible Church of the Rockies and shall function as a non-denominational, independent entity.

ARTICLE II --- THE TERRITORY
This church shall serve the State of Colorado and home and foreign missions.

ARTICLE III --- PURPOSE AND POLICY
The purpose of this church as an organization is to preach and teach the Word of God; to be aggressively evangelistic for the propagation of the gospel of Christ; to promote fellowship among God’s people of like faith; to provide opportunities for believers to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, to assist and encourage believers in the service of the Lord through their Spiritual gifts, through missions, through learning the Word of God and applying it to their lives and be of service to the community in such a way as to remain consistent with and conform to our doctrinal statement. The purpose includes but is not limited to preaching, teaching, personal visitation, witnessing, radio and television ministries, Christian schools, home bible studies, hospital visitation, field trips, printing and publishing, ladies and men’s meetings, retreats, counseling, music groups, music, recordings, films, weddings, funerals and pursuits that involve the dissemination and exchange of religious, educational, professional, philosophical and scientific information for the knowledge and awareness of God and His holy Word. We reserve the right to establish whatever ministries or other methods we deem necessary for the fulfillment of these goals in the spreading of the Gospel message.

ACTICLE IV --- ORDINANCES
SECTION 1. We recognize and practice two ordinances, namely: The Lord’s Supper and Believer’s Baptism.

SECTION 2. The Lord’s Supper shall be observed regularly, the time and manner being determined by the Elders of the Church.

SECTION 3. A baptismal service shall be arranged by the Elders of the Church after close examination of a candidate for baptism.

ARTICLE V--- MEMBERSHIP
SECTION 1 All membership within the church is subject to the discretion of the Elders. Due to discipline or extensive absence, membership can be terminated at anytime per the decision of the Elders.

SECTION 2 All members over 16 years of age possess the privilege of voting in relation to church matters (when applicable), and holding an official office or position within the church.

ARTICLE VI --- DISCIPLINE
SECTION 1 All members within the church are subject to church discipline where there persists a state of unrepentant sin or doctrinal heresy. Such actions will only be carried out by the Elders and in accordance with the guidelines given in Scripture. These actions can include: public verbal reproof, social avoidance and the breaking of fellowship.

SECTION 2 While the Elders have no authority to exercise discipline over non-members, it does have the right to protect its members from those who would disrupt its peace, purity of life, or doctrine. If and when such persons trouble the church, the Elders may name them, identify their errors, and warn the members not to associate with them

ARTICLE VII --- LEADERSHIP
SECTION 1. This church shall be strictly self-governing by its own appointed Elders and Deacons, and the authority of Scriptures. It shall therefore not be under the influence of any denomination or federation of denominations.

The Elders of the church shall be responsible for the interpretation of the Scriptures, and for deciding all matters pertaining to the church including but not limited to: its congregation, its finances, its doctrinal statement its constitution, disciplinary issues and those newly appointed to the office of Elder or Deacon. Those appointed as Deacons shall be subject to the oversight and direction of the Elders.

All decisions shall be approved by a majority vote of the Elders - or Fifty percent vote by the Elders along with a majority vote by the members of the church.

SECTION 2. The Senior Pastor shall function as the church’s first Elder and shall be equal in office and authority to the other existing Elders except in relation to the teaching and preaching ministries of the church. In respect to these two ministries, he shall have complete and final authority.

All compensation positions within the church shall be reviewed and adjusted at least once a year as the Elders sees fit. The Senior Pastor shall be excluded only from meetings regarding his personal compensation.

Each year for the first three years, the Senior Pastor shall be awarded two full weeks of vacation as time for personal refreshment and reflection. After three years, he shall receive an additional one week, and after five years, another additional one week. In total after five years, the Senior Pastor shall possess four weeks of vacation time. The final addition to the Senior Pastor’s vacation time, shall come at the end of ten years, when he shall be awarded another four weeks bringing his grand total vacation time to eight weeks.   The Senior Pastor has the right to determine how he chooses to take that time (whether consecutively or non-consecutively). During his vacation time, the Senior Pastor will be free from all his pastoral duties and concerns. This vacation time must be designated by the Senior Pastor as such and is not to be considered as such time when pertaining to absence in the pulpit due to sickness, guest speakers, special occasions, approved conference attendance, or family tragedies.

The Senior Pastor also shall be awarded the right to receive medical coverage for himself and his family at the church’s expense.

The Senior Pastor may retire and receive some amount of monthly compensation until his death, as approved by the Elders and members of the church, only if he has faithfully served this church as Senior Pastor for at least twenty five years.

SECTION 3 Removal of any Elder from office shall only take place when there is a majority vote by the Elders - or Fifty percent vote by the Elders along with a majority vote by the members of the church. The only exceptions to this are:

If an Elder (or Elders) knowingly act in contempt of any decision or action approved by the majority vote of the Elders - or Fifty percent of the Elders and a majority vote by the members of the church. Contempt in this situation is defined as follows: the Elder (or Elders) have been made aware of such actions, but have refused or ignored all suggestions from the other Elders (or Elder) to repent, rectify and immediately resolve the matter. When this takes place, the remaining Elders (or Elder) may vote to immediately remove the contempt Elder (or Elders) from their existing office.

If the Elder being removed is the Senior Pastor. Removal of the Senior Pastor requires a majority vote by the Elders and the members of the church. The Senior Pastor can resign at any time but must do so in writing. After three years of service, and for non-disciplinary reasons only, the Senior Pastor may resign and receive compensation equal to one month of his current salary.

Deacons may be removed from their office at anytime and for any reason per the discretion of the Elders.

SECTION 4 All official offices or positions within the church (including the Elders and Deacons) shall be subject to an annual review by the Elders.

SECTION 5 This constitution, the doctrinal statement and any other official church document may be altered or amended at anytime by the Senior Pastor or the Elders. All alterations or amendments shall be made known to the Elders and the members of the church.

ARTICLE VIII --- DISSOLUTION
Dissolution of the group calling itself Sovereign Grace Bible Church of the Rockies shall happen only upon a majority vote by the Elders and the members of the church in an official business meeting conducted by the Elders and recorded in the official minutes of the church. No private individual or group of individuals shall maintain control of the assets or resources of Sovereign Grace Bible Church of the Rockies in the case of its dissolution or cessation of existence, nor shall any of its assets be used for a profit making venture or business. Cessation of regular meetings for a period of more than one year shall constitute cessation of the existence of Sovereign Grace Bible Church of the Rockies.

Declaration of Faith and Practice

PURPOSE:

To record in simple, relevant, and purposeful terms, the guiding principles within which the Sovereign Grace Bible Church (of the Rockies) (or “SGBC”) family functions. This document and SGBC operate under the singular assumption that the Scriptures found in the Protestant Christian Bible, are our sole authority in all things pertaining to life, faith and practice.

DECLARATION:

SGBC is a thoroughly Christian church believing that according to the Scriptures, Jesus Christ is man’s only hope for the forgiveness of sin, justification before the throne of God, and eternal life in heaven (Act 4:12; Joh 14:6). Further, we believe that (according to the Scriptures) that if we, by the grace of God, have truly received Jesus for those benefits, we will repent of our sins, and give our lives completely to Him in faith, obediently submitting to Him as our First Love, our only Savior and our Sovereign Master for life (Mar 1:15, 8:34-35; Luk 6:46-48; Luk 14:25-26; Joh 14:15). Jesus Christ becomes the Christian’s all-consuming influence, example, priority and purpose for living (Rom 13:14; Phi 1:21, 2:5; Col 2:6, 3:4,17; 1Pe 2:21; 1Jo 2:3-6). And because that is true, we at SGBC strive to serve Christ and His Church in the following 3 ways.

Practicing Christian Commands

Preserving Christian Freedoms

Proclaiming Christian Doctrine

I. Practicing Christian Commands

Since we are under the New Covenant, this means the Old Covenant Law (i.e. the Old Testament commands or Mosaic Law) are no longer binding but rather serve only as a guide to understanding those commands given to us by our new Lawgiver, Jesus Christ in and through the writers of the New Testament. This however, does not mean we consider such Old Testament Laws to be abolished or abrogated. Rather we understand both their prophetic and temporary nature as stated clearly in Scripture (Mat 11:13; Gal 3:17-19; Heb 10:1) to be that which always pointed to someone (and something) greater; those two things being the Person of Christ and His Law. Hence, what we find in the New Testament, as that which the Christian is now obligated to obey is just the fulfillment and divinely anticipated outcome of the Old Testament—including its Law (Mat 5:17-18; Luk 24:27, 44). Jesus Christ has become our new Moses (Deu 18:18; Heb 3:1-6); our new covenant (Isa 42:6) and our new High Priest—which once more brings with it a change in the Law (Heb 7:11-12). That being said, the commands in the New Testament are explicit and clearly defined which further means that there is no excuse for the Christian when it comes to understanding what God desires for their life.

As an example, some of the commands given in the New Testament are:

1. Loving the brethren sacrificially (Joh 13:34-35)

2. Pursuing holiness and sanctification in our lives (1Pe 1:21; 1The 4:3)

3. Attending the local church on a regular basis (Heb 10:24-26)

4. Preaching the Gospel to the lost (Mar 16:15-16)

5. Making disciples for the Kingdom of God (Mat 28:19-20)

6. Teaching with accuracy the whole truth of God from Scripture (2Ti 2:15)

7. Exercising Christian and Church discipline (Mat 18:15-20; 1Jo 1:9-11)

8. Obeying, respecting and praying for all God-ordained authorities (Rom 13:1-5;
1Pe 2:12-3:2; Tit 3:1-2; 1Ti 2:1-4)

*Special note regarding government and the Christian’s responsibility:

Nowhere in Scripture is the Christian ever commanded or given the mandate to “Christianize” the government—or see to it that Biblical principles become the laws of the state or nation. Morality cannot be legislated and the only Christian nation that will (and does) exist before the return of Christ is the Church. She is this world’s only theocracy since she is the only community (and nation) in covenant with God. What this means is that the ideas and agendas of Reconstructionism or Theonomy are completely out of place with what we see in the New Testament and the mandate given by Christ and the Apostles. Our concern is to build God’s spiritual kingdom by fulfilling the great commission (Mat 28:18-20). The New Testament writers saw great separation between the affairs of the church and the state and never sought to influence the latter except with the gospel (ex. 1Co 5:9-13, 6:1-7; Acts 26:29).

Preserving Christian Freedoms

Serving Jesus Christ and His church requires not only that we practice His commands but that we preserve those freedoms He has given to us as well. Without this, the church becomes no different than the world, “following as doctrine the precepts of men” (Mat 15:9).

Many of the freedoms that we in Christ enjoy have been erroneously debated through the centuries, even to the point of dividing churches, creating special movements or even shunning others.

The tendency for a person is to create a sense of self-righteousness based on certain external actions or lifestyle-choices performed or avoided. This breeds contempt of grace and develops into unhealthy-even condemning religious practice (e.g. “legalism”). Many such failures are due to the confusion between the Old and New Covenant and their binding nature upon the Christian. This was explained above, so will not be re-iterated other than to state that we as Christians are bound only to those commands given in the New Testament. Hence, here forward, the word “Scripture” shall be used in this section to refer only to the New Testament.

Christian freedoms are simply those areas of life, faith and practice which are not explicitly commanded, or given to us as a clear model from Scripture. It is those areas of the Christian life which God chooses to be silent on in order to produce the diversity necessary to the joy and beauty of the Body of Christ, the Church. These areas are of course, bound to and guided by the direct, clear and explicit commands and models given in the Scripture and never in violation. Should one of these areas---or others like it violate such a command, then it ceases to be a freedom and immediately becomes sin.

Although the following is far from exhaustive, we list these as examples of those areas of freedom given to us in Scripture.

9. Education

a) Public Schooling

b) Home/Private Schooling

10. Family / Marriage / Children

a) Family Size

b) Birth Control

11. Entertainment / Leisure / Recreation

a) Television

b) Movies

c) Dancing

d) Cards (playing)

e) Secular Music

f) Alcoholic Beverages

12. Apparel / Dress / Appearance

a) Pants/Jeans (for women)

b) Tattoos

13. Finances

a) Spending

b) Debt/Credit

II. Proclaiming Christian Doctrine

As Christians we are called to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down by the saints” (Jud 1:3). To do this however, requires that we know what the faith (meaning the Christian faith) teaches. In other words, we must understand the main doctrines of the Bible.

Those doctrines are divided into 10 sections.

A. Scripture (Bibliology)

B. God, the Father (Theology Proper)

C. God, the Son (Christology)

D. God, the Holy Spirit (Pneumatology)

E. Angels (Angelology)

F. Man (Anthropology)

G. Sin (Hamartiology)

H. Salvation (Soteriology)

I. Church (Ecclessiology)

J. Last Times (Eschatology)

A detailed explanation and what the Bible teaches about each can be found by referencing our Doctrinal Statement.