Article I


Name

The name of this church shall be Grace Brethren Church of Eagle River, Alaska.

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Article II


Covenant

The covenant by which this church exists as a distinct body, and which every member accepts, is as follows:

Acknowledging Jesus Christ to be our Savior and Lord, and submitting to the authority of the Holy Scriptures as our rule of faith and practice, and recognizing the privilege and duty of uniting ourselves for Christian fellowship, the enjoyment of advancement of His church on earth, we do now, in the sight of God and invoking His blessing, solemnly covenant and agree with each other to associate ourselves as a church of the Lord Jesus Christ, as warranted by the Word of God.

We agree to maintain the teaching and the preaching of the Word of God, to submit ourselves to the orderly administration of the affairs of the church and to walk together in brotherly love.we do depending on the aid of our Heavenly Father, who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son for our salvation, and of Jesus Christ who had redeemed us with His blood, and of the Holy Spirit, our Comforter and Guide.

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Article III

Statement of Faith

The Statement of Faith which this church shall embrace, preach and defend is specifically set forth as follows:

  1. THE BIBLE: The word of God, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, verbally inspired in all parts, and therefore wholly without error as originally given of God (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21).
  2. THE ONE TRUE GOD: existing eternally as three persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:22, Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14).
  3. THE LORD JESUS CHRIST: His pre-existence and deity (John 1:1-3), incarnation by virgin birth (John 1:14; Matt. 1:18-23), sinless life (Heb 4:15), substitutional death (2 Cor. 5:21), bodily resurrection (Luke 24:36-43), ascension into heaven and present ministry (Heb 4:14-16), and coming again (Acts 1:11).
  4. THE HOLY SPIRIT: His personality (John 16:7-15); and deity (Acts 5:3-4 ), ; and his work in each believer: baptism and indwelling at the moment of regeneration (1 Cor. 12:13; Rom. 8:9); and filling (Eph. 5:18), to empower for Christian life and service (Eph. 3:16; Acts 1:8; Gal. 5:22-23).
  5. MAN: his direct creation in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-28), his subsequent fall into sin resulting in spiritual death (Gen. 3:1-24; Rom. 5:12), and the necessity of the new birth for his salvation. (John 3:3-5).
  6. SALVATION: a complete and eternal salvation by God's grace alone, received as the gift of God though personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work (Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-7; 1 Peter 1:18-19).
  7. THE CHURCH: one true church, the body and bride of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-32), composed of all true believers of the present age (1 Cor. 12:12-13); and the organization of its members in local churches for worship, for edification of believers, and for world-wide gospel witness, each local church being autonomous but cooperating in the fellowship and work. (Eph. 4:11-16)
  8. CHRISTIAN LIFE: A life of righteousness, good works, and separation unto God from the evil ways of the world (Rom. 12:1-2), manifested by speaking the truth (James 5:12), maintaining the sanctity of the home (Eph. 5:22-6:4), settling differences between Christians in accordance with the work of God (1 Cor. 6:1-8), not engaging in carnal strife but showing a Christ-like attitude toward all men (Rom. 12:17-21), exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23), and maintaining a life of prayer (Eph. 6:18, Phil. 4:6), including the privilege, when sick, of calling for the elders of the church to pray and to anoint with oil in the name of the Lord (James 5:13-18).
  9. ORDINANCES: The Christian should observe the ordinances of our Lord Jesus Christ which are (1) baptism of believers by triune immersion (Matt. 28:19), and (2) the threefold communion service, consisting of the washing of the saints' feet (John 13:1-17), the Lord's Supper (1 Cor. 11:20-22, 33-34, Jude 12), and the communion of the bread and the cup ( Cor. 11:23-26).
  10. SATAN: his existence and personality as the great adversary of God and His people (Rev. 12:1-10), his judgment (John 12:31), and final doom (Rev. 20:10).
  11. SECOND COMING: the personal, visible, and imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ to remove His church from the earth (1 Thes. 4:16-17) before the tribulation (1 Thes. 1:10; Rev. 3:10), and afterward to descend with the church to establish His millennial kingdom on the earth (Rev. 19:11-20:6).
  12. FUTURE LIFE: the conscious existence of the dead (Phil. 1:21-23; Luke 16:19-31), the resurrection of the body (John 5:28-29), the judgment and reward of believers (Rom. 14:10-12, 2 Cor. 5:10), the judgment and condemnation of unbelievers (Rev. 20:11-15), the eternal life of the saved (John 3:16), and the eternal punishment of the lost (Matt. 25:46; Rev. 20:15).

    The Statement of Faith herein set forth cannot be changed or diminished.

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Article IV

Charter

  1. Authority
    The primary authority by which this church exists as an ecclesiastical body is received from God through the Holy Scriptures. It recognizes and sustains the obligation of mutual counsel and cooperation which is common among Grace Brethren Churches.

    The secondary authority is by the laws of the state of Alaska under which it is incorporated.
  2. Property
    The title of the property of this church shall be vested in the corporate body of the church.

    All property or assets owned by the local church and its auxiliaries shall be irrevocably dedicated to religious purposes and upon dissolution such property or assets shall not inure to the benefit of any private citizen but shall be distributed to a religious organization which is a qualified tax exempt organization and which shall be selected by the members of the local church or in the event of their failure to make such selection, by the Judge of Court of general jurisdiction in the county where said church shall be located.

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Article V

Membership Qualifications

  1. Any person who shall have confessed that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and is committed to Him as Savior and Lord, and who shall have publicly submitted to the authority of the Bible as complete, final, inerrant, and inspired revelation of the Triune God to man, and who shall have been baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (this church practices only triune immersion but membership may be granted to believers who have been baptized otherwise following salvation) and who shall have consented to the covenants and provisions of this Constitution, may formally become members of this church.
  2. This church shall recognize the guidelines for ministerial candidates which various District Examining Boards may have, and will also submit to the regulations for delegates with membership in District and National Conference.

Membership Duties

Members are expected to be faithful in all spiritual duties essential to the Christian life, to participate in communion ordinances, to be loyal to the church, to attend regularly its services, to contribute to its support and charities and to share in its organized work.

Membership Privileges

  1. Only these members in good standing, fifteen years and older, are eligible to vote in all business sessions.
  2. Any member who feels a dissatisfaction with the general procedure of any department of this church shall make known his case to the Pastor or the Board of Elders in writing. No verbal complaints shall be entertained before the Board of Elders.

Membership Withdrawal

  1. A certificate of fellowship may be granted, upon request, to any member in good standing by a majority vote of all members present at any regular business meeting or by the Pastor (or by the Board of Elders, in his absence,) provided that announcement of such request has either been made form the pulpit or printed in the church bulletin one week previous to the granting of certificate, and that no objection has been raised by any member of the church. Any objection made by any member of the church must be filed in writing with the Board of Elders. The Board shall investigate the objection and recommend to the congregation the action which it deems necessary.
  2. The member's name is considered released from membership on the date the certificate is granted. The certificate is null and void after six months. A certificate shall only be issued to another organized body of believers.
  3. A member's name may be dropped from the roll upon written request of the member involved.

Membership Dismissal

Should a member fail to perform his duties as outlined in Section 2, Article V, and due efforts by the proper officials of the church have failed to encourage his interest and after this condition has prevailed for (1) year, his name may be dropped from the membership by a two-thirds vote of the members present at any business meeting.

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Article VI

Government

A. Meetings

  1. An annual meeting shall be held on a date set by the Board of Elders when the annual reports shall be presented and such other business transacted as may properly come before the meeting. If such a meeting conflicts with dated spiritual activities, the Pastor may, by consent of the Board of Elders, designate any other day of the month as the day in which such meetings shall be held.
  2. A semi-annual business meeting shall be held. If such a meeting conflicts with dated spiritual activities, the Pastor may, by consent of the Board of Elders, designate any other day of the month as the day in which such meetings shall be held.
  3. Special meetings may be called by the Pastor. The Recording Secretary may also call a meeting in response to a written request stating the purpose of such a meeting. The request must be supported by ten percent (10%) of the voting membership.
  4. All business meetings shall be publicly announced in at least two regularly scheduled services.
  5. Those qualified members present at any duly called business meeting shall constitute a quorum required for the transaction of business.
  6. All congregational decisions require a two-thirds vote.

B. Officers and Committees

The Officers and Committees of this church shall be as follows:

1. Pastor

a. Call: The initial call shall be for three years. When a vacancy occurs, one candidate at a time shall be recommended to the church by the Board of Elders.

b. Duties: In addition to the responsibilities unique tot he roll of elder as listed in section B, 2, he shall provide leadership for the congregation and the Board of Elders, serving as Moderator of both. He shall consider his primary responsibility that of edifying the saints in accord with Ephesians 4:11-16. In addition to preaching and teaching the Word of God, he will set a pattern of good works commensurate with his office. He shall be directly responsible for the selection, conduct, and dismissal of the staff in consultation with the Board of Elders.

c. Termination: His leadership can be terminated voluntarily by the submission of a written resignation to the Board of Elders and to the congregation at any regular service or business session. Immorality, insubordination or teaching contrary to Article III, the "Statement of Faith," shall be cause for immediate termination.

2. Elders

a. Call:The congregation shall elect its own elders according to the qualifications set forth in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. Any member sensing God's call to this office may present himself to the Board of Elders and upon their recommendation shall be submitted to the church for congregational election. If recognition of this elder is to be extended beyond the immediate congregation, the normal procedure for licenser and ordination examination in the district shall prevail.

b. Duties:These elders shall be responsible for the oversight of all matters of church life and practice, and shall see that opportunity be given for regular schedules of public worship, prayer and observation of the Christian ordinances. The Board of Elders shall serve as corporate officers of the church.

c. Election: The Board of Elders will submit to the congregation for election each year a sufficient number of names to provide a full complement to their Board. The number of elders will be commensurate to the size and growth of the church, but at no time will the Board be less than three (3) members. It is the goal of a new church to accomplish this as soon as possible. Initially the election of the Board of Elders shall be divided into one thirds: one third for a three year term; one third for a two year term; and one third for a one year term. After the initial election, all terms shall be for three years.

d. A confirmation of the oversight of this Board shall be attested by:

    (1) Congregational approval on pastor, elder, deacons and all standing ministries and commissions.

    (2) Congregational approval on all financial indebtedness and all salaries paid by the church.

    (3) Congregational approval on any and all amendments to this Constitution.

    (4) The Board may at any time request the voice of the congregation on matters of particular significance.

    e. Termination: An elder may terminate his office to the Board by a written resignation to the Board or Pastor. Immorality, insubordination or teaching contrary to Article III, the "Statement of Faith," shall be cause for immediate termination

    3. Deacon

    a. Call: Deacons shall be chosen from the members of the church according to the qualifications of 1 Timothy 3:8-13. Recommendations for this office shall be submitted to the Board of Elders who will then present to the church those names approved for election. The number of Deacons shall be determined by the immediate needs of the congregation. The term of service shall be for a period of three years.

    b. Duties: Their ministry shall be to assist the Board of Elders. They are to hold residence on such committees as Finance; Missions; Christian Ed.; Ordinances; Trustees; Ushers; Scholarships; New Members; Planning and Construction; Nominations; Appointments; etc. The chairman of each such committee shall be a member of the Board of Elders.

    c. Termination: A Deacon may terminate his office by a written resignation to the Board of Elders or Pastor. Immorality, insubordination, or teaching contrary to Article III, the "Statement of Faith," shall be cause for immediate termination.

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