Emmanuel Baptist Church of Irvine, Inc. · Est. September 12, 1999
EMMANUEL BAPTIST CHURCH
EST. SEPTEMBER 12, 1999
CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
For the preservation of the principles of our faith and to the end that this body may be governed in an orderly manner, we the members of this church do hereby establish and adopt the following articles as the constitution and by-laws to which we and all subsequent members do voluntarily submit ourselves.
The name of this organization shall be called… The Emmanuel Baptist Church of Irvine, Inc.
This church is organized exclusively for religious, charitable and educational purposes. This shall include establishing and maintaining religious worship and education by declaring all the council of God (Acts 20:27), by continuing to steadfastly assemble ourselves together (Heb. 10:25) in order that the lost might be evangelized (Matt. 28:18-20), the saved edified (Eph. 4:12) and the Lord exalted (Eph. 3:12).
The Holy Scriptures shall be accepted as the final authority on all matters relating to faith and practice through the authority of the church. The government of this church shall be vested in its assembled membership through its duly elected officers and shall never be subject to the control of any other ecclesiastical body or person outside itself. The churches may fellowship and cooperate with other Baptist Churches of like faith and order for the furtherance of the gospel when such shall be in accordance with the scriptures. This cooperation shall always be voluntary in nature.
Scriptural giving is an expression of love for Jesus Christ; therefore, the church shall be sustained by voluntary and free will offering uninfluenced by consideration of material or worldly reward. Tithes and offering brought into the general treasury of the church is the only method of finance found in the Scriptures. Therefore, it shall be the duty of all members to bring their tithes and offerings into the general treasury of the church (I Cor. 16:1-2).
The membership of this church reserves unto itself the right to determine who shall be members and the conditions of such membership. All actions concerning membership, except otherwise stated in these by-laws, will be decided by majority vote of this church in regular business sessions.
Any person may offer themselves for membership in the following ways:
Membership in this church will be terminated in the following ways:
In compliance with our church covenant, it shall be the duty of every member to strive for the advancement of this church by promoting prosperity, spiritually worship, participate in the ordinances, discipline and doctrine, to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministries. Any member who fails to manifest interest in the church by these means and be absent in attendance for a period of time of one year shall be removed from the roll as a result of a review at the end of each calendar year by the pastor and clerk.
These members who are providentially hindered; such as shut-ins, convalescent, out of the area for an extended period of time, military, illness, etc. shall be exempt. The purpose of this annual review is to ensure that the church is governed by those who are involved and participating in the interests and ministries, and to preserve the spirit of harmony and unity within the church.
This church reserves the right to exclude any member for reasons stipulated in the scripture. We believe these reasons are as follows:
In dealing with any offense being against the church in its collective capacity, the admonitions of Gal. 6:1 and II Thess. 3:14-15 shall be adhered to. All personal grievances between individuals shall be dealt with as set forth in Matt. 18:15-19.
This church may elect the following officers for the purpose of facilitating business activities, acquiring and holding estate and handling financial records and correspondence:
Pastor — The pastor is the ordained overseer and undershepherd of the church. His qualifications are recorded in I Tim. 3:1-7 and Titus 1:1-9. He shall act as moderator in all church business. In his absence, any brother may be appointed temporary moderator by the pastor. In the event there is no moderator, or that he is incapacitated, any deacon, in concert with all the deacons, may call the church to order for business.
Deacon — Deacons are officially recognized servants of the church (Acts 6:1-7 and I Tim. 3:8-10). They may be appointed by the church as need arises and publicly ordained to fulfill their office in caring for the outward needs of the pastor and membership, the material interest and secular things of the church to assist the spiritual unity and growth of the church.
Trustee — The church incorporated shall appoint no less than three trustees required by law to act on behalf of the church in legal matters. They shall in no way have authority to dispose of property in any manner except as the church shall order by corporate act.
Treasurer — The treasurer is to receive all monies of the church, to keep a true and fair record of accounts and make a full report to the church as directed by the church.
Clerk — The clerk shall keep a fair and complete record of any proceedings, have charge of all records, keep a register of all members of the church and write letters of dismissal when called for.
Sunday School Director — In light of the Scriptures’ directive to teach and study the Bible (II Timothy 2:15), the church shall develop and engage in an active Sunday School/Bible Study program. To lead this effort, the church shall elect annually a Sunday School Director. The Director shall serve under the direction of the Pastor and with other church officers to administrate and promote all areas of the Sunday School/Bible Study program. This will include the oversight of ordering, distribution and assessment of all curriculum used, and assisting the Nominating Committee with all Sunday School workers to be presented to the church for approval. The Director shall plan the work of the Sunday School to be in harmony with the operation of the church in general. The Director will be expected to report regularly to the church the progress of the Sunday School. The Sunday School Director will serve from October to October for the purpose of aiding the Nominating Committee in their work.
Other Officers — Other officers may be elected, as the church feels led of the Holy Spirit, whenever the need arises, with duties and duration stated at the time of election.
Note: The term or length of service for pastor and deacon shall be considered indefinite. All other subsequent officers shall be reviewed and ratified annually.
Nominating Committee — There shall be a nominating Committee appointed by the pastor in the January business meeting each year, which shall consist of at least three people. This committee shall be responsible for the nomination of all volunteer positions to be elected by the church. This committee will nominate a Sunday School Director in the October business meeting for the purpose of assisting in the nomination of all Sunday School workers.
Finance Committee — There shall be a finance committee elected by the church each year. The duties of this committee shall be to assist the Treasurer in all matters related to the total stewardship program of the church.
Other Committees — Other committees may be appointed by the Pastor or elected by the church as the need arises, with duties and duration to be stated at the time of appointment or election. Any committee not reinstated at the beginning of the new church year will cease to exist.
The church shall meet regularly each Sunday for preaching, instruction, evangelism and the worship of God. At least one other service for prayer and Bible study will be held during the week. These meetings shall be open to all people and shall be under the direction of the pastor.
The pastor will schedule revival efforts and other special meetings with the approval of the church as often as necessary for the spiritual welfare of the church.
Regular business meetings shall be held monthly on the second Sunday night of the month after worship service. No regular business meeting will be conducted when a treasurer report or the minutes of the previous business meeting cannot be presented. In such event or any other circumstances for which the moderator feels the need, the regular business meeting may be rescheduled.
A special business meeting may be called by the moderator to consider any significant matter.
The government of this church shall be by hand vote by its active members present in business session:
Robert’s Rules of Order (revised) shall be the guide for parliamentary procedure.
It is our belief that all buildings and grounds, both now and in the future, are to be set apart first and foremost for the worship of our Lord and the promotion of the Kingdom of Christ. Events for active church members such as, but not limited to, weddings, showers, parties, activities, and etc. shall be secondary in priority. Any requests from outside the Emmanuel Baptist Church active membership must be cleared by the pastor and sponsored by at least one active member. All use of the facilities must be placed on the calendar in the church office, and arrangements made with the custodian for opening and closing of the facilities. The party using the facilities is responsible for cleaning after usage, unless other arrangements are made with the custodian. Use of the facilities must be in compliance with the by-laws and Statement of Faith of the Emmanuel Baptist Church; further, it should be remembered that the facilities are the House of the Lord, and should be treated in a manner that demonstrates due reverence.
The calendar year of this church shall be January 1 through December 31.
Any person who receives Jesus Christ as Savior by personal faith; who professes Him publicly at any worship service; and who indicates a commitment to follow Christ as Lord; or persons coming for membership who need scriptural baptism shall become a candidate for baptism by vote of the church in any business meeting.
The following shall be considered for scriptural baptism:
Baptism shall be administered by the pastor or whomever the Emmanuel Baptist Church shall authorize. Baptism shall be administered as an act of worship.
The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby active members of the church in good standing, through partaking of the bread and wine, commemorate the death of Jesus Christ and anticipate His return.
Changes in the constitution, articles of faith or the by-laws may be made at any regular business meeting of this church, provided such amendments have been presented in writing at a previous regular business meeting and a copy posted on the bulletin board for all to read. Amendments to the constitution, articles of faith or by-laws shall be by three-fourths (3/4).
As amended on September 11, 2022
