Indian Hill Baptist Church

Bylaws

 

Article Two

Membership

Section 1 - General

 

• The New Testament presents a picture of definable groups of people who, once committed to the Lord, identified themselves with and committed themselves to a particular local body (Acts 2:42-46; Romans 16:1; I Corinthians 1:2; II Corinthians 8:1; Philippians 1:1; Acts 11:26)
• Membership is open to people who have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, have been baptized by immersion, and who are united together by covenant as one body in Christ.
• This is a sovereign and democratic Southern Baptist Church under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The membership retains the right to exclusive self-government in all phases of the spiritual and temporal life of this church.

 

Section 2 - Candidacy

 

• Any person may offer oneself as a candidate for membership in this church and shall be presented to the church at any regular church service in any of the following ways:
  • By profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and upon baptism by immersion as demonstrated by Jesus in scripture.
  • By promise of a letter of recommendation from another Baptist church of like faith and order. The church office will write the former church for a letter of recommendation.
  • By statement of prior profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and baptism by immersion when no letter is obtainable.
  • New members will be encouraged to participate in the church's New Member Orientation Class.
  • By restoration upon the evidence of repentance and reformation.

Should there be any dissent as to any candidate, such dissent shall be referred to the pastor and deacons for investigation and the making of a recommendation to the church within thirty days. A two-thirds (2/3) vote of those church members present and voting shall be required to accept such candidates for membership.

 

Section 3 - Designation

 

In an effort to properly reflect the membership of the church, two(2) church rolls will be maintained by the Church Clerk; to be updated periodically and reported to the church.

• Active members: All members who are currently involved in the activities, functions and worship of the church by counts taken of all services. Attendance records of active members will be maintained by the Deacons and/or a member of the Church Council
• Inactive members: Members who have become inactive as a result of moving from the Church's ministry area and having joined another church, or members who have been inactive for six (6) months. Inactive members may be reinstated by personal request at a regular church service.

 

Section 4 - Responsibilities

 

The responsibilities of membership are as follows:

• Protect the unity of the church by acting in love toward other members, by refusing to gossip and by following the leaders (Romans 15:5-19; I Peter 1:22; Ephesians 4:29; Hebrews 3:17)
• Share the responsibility of the church by praying for its growth, inviting the unchurched to attend and by warmly welcoming those who attend (I Thessalonians 1:2; Luke 4:23; Romans 15:7)
• Serve the ministry of the church by discovering individual gifts and talents, being equipped to serve by pastors and by developing a servant's heart (I Peter 4:10; Ephesians 4:11-12; Philippians 2:3-4, 7)
• Support the testimony of the church by attending faithfully, living a Godly life and by giving regularly (Hebrews 10:24,25; Philippians 1:27; I Corinthians 16:2)

 

Section 5 - Voting Rights

 

• Every active member sixteen (16) years or older is entitled to vote at all elections and on all questions submitted to the church in conference.
• Voting matters include, but not limited too: annual Church budget, election of Trustees, aquisition of real property and related indebtedness, incurring indebtedness for facilities development, merger or dissolution of the Church, amendments to the Articles of Incorporation, Constitution or Bylaws, calling or removing of a Pastor, and election of messengers for annual associational, state and national meetings.
• Inactive Members that are reinstated (Section 3-B of this article) as active members may vote thirty (30) days after reinstated.
• Voting by proxy is prohibited.

 

Section 6 - Termination

 

Membership shall be terminated for the following reasons:

• Death
• Transfer of membership to another Church
• By personal request of the member

 

Section 7 - Discipline

 

• It shall be the practice of this church to emphasize to its members that every resonable measure will be taken to assist any troubled member. The pastor, deacons, and other members of the church staff are available for counsel and guidance. The attitude of members toward one another shall be guided by a concern for redemption rather than punishment.
• Should a member commit a serious offense which the church considers to be detrimental to the church's general welfare and reputation, the Pastor and Deacons will take every resonable measure to encourage the offender to repend and be reconciled to God and the Church in accordance with scripture (1 Corinthians 5:6; I Timothy 5:20-21; Matthew 18:15-18)
• If the welfare of the Church is best served by the exlusion of the member, the church may dismiss the member by a two-thirds (2/3) vote in a specially called conference.
• The Church may restore membership to any person previously excluded upon their request, and by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the church upon evidence of the excluded person's repentance and reformation.