First Baptist Church

505 S. Malley St. Depew, OK 74028 United States

918-324-5381

The purpose of this church shall be to maintain the public worship of God; to exalt the standard of Christian living and the leadership of our Lord; to strive to lead the lost to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ; to cooperate in spreading the gospel and extend the Kingdom of God throughout the world.

Constitution of the First Baptist Church of

Depew, Oklahoma, Inc.

 

Preamble

 

We, the members of First Baptist Church of Depew, Inc.. recognize a church of Jesus Christ as a spiritual organization, divinely instituted for the gospel of the Son of God. We believe that we are to look to the Holy Bible for the principles on which churches are founded and the laws by which they are governed. For the more certain preservation and security of the principles of our Christian faith and practice, and to the end that this body may be governed in an orderly manner and for the purpose of preserving the liberties inherent in each individual member of this church and the freedom of action of this body with respect to its relation to other churches of like faith and order, we do declare and establish this constitution.

 

Article 1

Name and Purpose

 

     SECTION 1: The name of this body, for identification and legal purposes shall be FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF DEPEW, OKLAHOMA, INC..

 

     SECTION 2: The purpose of this church shall be to maintain the public worship of God; to exalt the standard of Christian living and the leadership of our Lord; to strive to lead the lost to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ; to cooperate in spreading the gospel and extend the Kingdom of God throughout the world.

 

Article 2

Faith and Practice

 

     SECTION 1: We affirm that the Holy Bible is God’s revelation to mankind, and that it depicts the birth, life, death and resurrection of our Savior and therefore is the sole basis of our faith. We regard the scriptures of the Holy Bible as authoritative in all matters of our faith, practice, and principle.

The beliefs of this church are in general accord with beliefs characteristic among Southern Baptist people. The 2000 edition of Baptist Faith and Message adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention is an accepted illustration of these beliefs.

 

     SECTION 2: Statement of Faith

 

THE PRINCIPLE OF CHURCH MEMBERSHIP- According to Jesus commandment, Christians are to associate themselves together in local congregations. Such a fellowship is composed of Jesus true disciples, who have experienced the new birth. It is evident by these person’s profession and lifestyle that they have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. In joining a local church, believers unite with the rest of the congregation by covenant. Church members willingly commit to walk together, giving themselves to the Lord, and to one another. This covenant admits them to the privileges of the church, and in it they also place themselves under its discipline and government. The Lord Jesus is the Head of the Church and each congregation is to operate according to His laws. Until Jesus comes again, the local church is a “colony of Heaven” (Phil. 3:20) and is a fellowship on a mission. The central purpose is to honor and glorify God; the central task of the church is to bear witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ through evangelism and missions. Only those who have a relationship with Christ, sharing his message and mission for the church should join.

 

THE SCRIPTURES- The Holy Bible, which consist of 66 books of the Old and New Testament was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. it reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.

Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1-2; 17:19; Joshua 8:34; Psalms 19:7-10; 119:11,89,105,140; Isaia 34:16; 40:8; Jeremiah 15:16; 36:1-32; Matthew 5:17-18; 22:29; Luke 21:33; 24:44-46; John 5:39; 16:13-15; 17:17; Acts 2:16ff.; 17:11; Romans 15:4; 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 1:19-21.

GOD-There is one and only one living and true God….The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.

 

GOD THE FATHER-God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace…..God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.

Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; 15:11ff.; 20:1ff.; Leviticus 22:2; Deuteronomy 6:4; 32:6; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah 43:3, 15; 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10; 17:13; Matthew 6:9ff.; 7:11; 23:9; 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24; 5:26; 14:6-13; 17:1-8; Acts 1:7; Romans 8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:6; Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:6; 12:9; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:7

 

GOD THE SON-Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord.

Genesis 18:1ff.; Psalms 2:7ff.; 110:1ff.; Isaiah 7:14; 53; Matthew 1:18-23; 3:17; 8:29; 11:27; 14:33; 16:16,27; 17:5; 27; 28:1-6; 19; Mark 1:1; 3:11; Luke 1:35; 4:41; 22:70; 24:46; John 1:1-18; 29; 10:30,38; 11:25-27; 12:44-50; 14:7-11; 16:15-16, 28; 17:1-5, 21-22; 20:1-20, 28; Acts 1:9; 2:22-24; 7:55-56; 9:4-5, 20; Romans 1:3-4; 3:23-26; 5:6-21; 8:1-3, 34; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2:2; 8:6; 15:1-8, 24-28; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; 8:9; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:20; 3:11; 4:7-10; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:13-22; 2:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 3:16; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews 1:1-3; 4:14-15; 7:14-28; 9:12-15, 24-28; 12:2; 13:8; 1 Peter 2:21-25; 3:22; 1 John 1:7-9; 3:2; 4:14-15; 5:9; 2 John 7-9; Revelation 1:13-16; 5:9-14; 12:10-11; 13:8; 19:16.

 

GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT- The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to the Savior, and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration He baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.

Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalms 51:11; 139:7ff.; Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-32; Matthew 1:18; 3:16; 4:1; 12:28-32; 28:19; Mark 1:10, 12; Luke 1:35; 4:1, 18-19; 11:13; 12:12; 24:49; John 4:24; 14:16-17, 26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4, 38; 4:31; 5:3; 6:3; 7:55; 8:17, 39; 10:44; 13:2; 15:28; 16:6; 19:1-6; Romans 8:9-11, 14-16, 26-27; 1 Corinthians 2:10-14; 3:16; 12:3-11,13; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 5:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; 1 Timothy 3: 16; 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:14; 3:16; Hebrews 9:8, 14; 2 Peter 1:21; 1 John 4:13; 5:6-7; Revelation 1:10; 22:17

 

CREATION- God created the world and all things in the world for His own pleasure and glory. Genesis 1; Revelation 4:11; John 1:2-3; Collosians 1:16. God created the angels, an innumerable host of spirit beings. Holy angels worship God and execute His will; while fallen angels serve Satan, seeking to hinder God’s purposes. Collosians 1:16; Luke 20:35-36; Matthew 22:29-30; Psalms 103:20; Jude 6. God created man in His own image. As the crowning work of creation, every person is of dignity and worth and merit’s the respect of all other persons. Psalm 8; Genesis 1:27; 2:7; Matthew 10:28-31.

 

MAN- Man is the special creation of God, made in His own image, and is not a product of evolution. He created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation. The gift of gender is thus part of the goodness of God’s creation. In the beginning man was innocent of sin and was endowed by his Creator with freedom of choice. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Through the temptation of Satan man transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original innocence whereby his posterity inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin. Therefore, as soon as they are capable of moral action, they become transgressors and are under condemnation. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.

Genesis 1:26-30; 2:5,7,18-22; 3; 9:6; Psalms 1; 8:3-6; 32:1-5; 51:5; Isaiah 6:5; Jeremiah 17:5; Matthew 16:26; Acts 17:26-31; Romans 1:19-32; 3:10-18, 23; 5:6, 12, 19; 6:6; 7:14-25; 8:14-18, 29; 1 Corinthians 1:21-31; 15:19, 21-22; Ephesians 2:1-22; Colossians 1:21-22; 3:9-11.

 

SATAN-Satan is a being rather than a personification of evil. He with his demons opposes all that is true and Godly by blinding the world to the Gospel, tempting Christians to do evil, and warring against the Son of God. Isaiah 14:12-20; Ezekiel 28:12-19; John 8:44; 2 Corinthians 4:3-4; Ephesians 6:11; 1 Peter 5:8; Genesis 3:15; Revelation 20:1-10

 

SALVATION: THE MEANING of salvation is the gracious work of God whereby He delivers undeserving sinners from sin and it’s results. In justification He declares righteous all who put their faith in Christ as Savior and Lord, giving them freedom from condemnation, peace with God, and full assurance of future glorification. Matthew 1:21; Ehpesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:20-22; 3:24-26. THE WAY of salvation is based wholly on the grace of God apart from works. Anyone who will exercise repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved. Acts 16:30-32; Luke 24:47; Romans 10:17. THE PROVISION of salvation is Jesus Christ dying for the sins of the whole world. John 1:29; 3:16; 1 John 2:1-2. Through His blood, atonement is made without respect of persons. 1 Timothy 2:4-6. All sinners can be saved by this gracious provision. Hebrews 2:9; John 3:18. DIVINE SOVEREIGNTY AND HUMAN FREEDOM. God’s sovereignty and man’s freedom are two inseparable factors in the salvation experience Ephesians 2:4-6. The two Bible truths are in no way contradictory in the great salvation so freely provided. God, in His sovereignty purposed, planned, and executed salvation in eternity while man’s freedom enables him to make a personal choice in time, either to receive this salvation and be saved, or to reject it and be damned Ehpesians 1:9-14; John 1:12-13.

 

ETERNAL SALVATION from sin, death and hell is the free gift of God’s grace, and is based solely upon man’s personal faith and belief in Jesus Christ’s finished work. He voluntarily died as a substitution sacrifice for our sins and arose bodily from the dead, thus guaranteeing our own resurrection to eternal life. This salvation is not received by, nor based on, any sacrament, merit, or good work on our part. Whosoever receives Christ’ salvation is eternally secure because they are indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God enabling  their perseverance in good works and are kept by the power of God. John 1:11-13; 3:16; 5:24; 10:28-30; 14:6; Acts 16:31; Romans 3:23-26; 5:8; 6:23; 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 3:5; Hebrews 7:24-25; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 John 5:11-13; Romans 8:9; 1 John 4:4; Philippians 1:6; 2:12-13; 1 Peter 1:3-5; Hebrews 13:5

 

HEAVEN AND HELL- The Bible teaches there is a literal heaven being prepared for the saints of God and a literal hell for those that reject the Lord Jesus. John 14:1-6; Matthew 31:34; Revelation 20:1-Revelation 22:13. God in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to it’s appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord. Isaiah 2:4; 11:9; Matthew 16:27; 18:8-9; 19:28; 24:27, 30, 36, 44; 25:31-46; 26:64; Mark 8:38; 9:43-48; 16:19-26; 17:22-37; 21:27-28; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 17:31; Romans 14:10; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 15:24-28, 35-58; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Philippians 3:20-21; Colosians 1:5; 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 5:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:7; 2; 1 Timothy 6:14; 2 Timothy 4:1, 8; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 9:27-28; James 5:8; 2 Peter 3:7; 1 John 2:28; 3:2; Jude 14; Revelation 1:18; 3:11.

 

THE CHURCH- A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the two ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. Each congregation operated under the Lordship of Christ and by the guidance and leading of His Holy Spirit. It’s scriptural officers are Pastors and Deacons. While both men and women are gifted and used by God in the church, the offices of Pastor and Deacon are limited by God in scripture, to men. The New Testament also speaks of the church as the body of Christ which includes all of the redeemed of all the ages, believers from every tribe, tongue, and people, and nation. 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Acts 6:3; Titus 1:6-9; 1 Timothy 2:11-15

 

BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER-Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord’s Supper.

The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.

Matthew 3:13-17; 26:26-30; 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11; 14:22-26; Luke 3:21-22; 22:19-20; John 3:23; Acts 2:41-42; 8:35-39; 16:30-33; 20:7; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 10:16, 21; 11:3-29; Colossians 2:12.

 

STEWARDSHIP- God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we are we owe to Him. Christians have a spiritual debtorship to the whole world, a holy trusteeship in the gospel, and a binding stewardship in their possessions; and should recognize all these as entrusted to them to use for the glory of God and for helping others. According to the scriptures, Christians should contribute of their time, talents and material possessions cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, locally and liberally for the fulfillment of God’s purpose and ministry in and through His Church.

Genesis 14:20; Leviticas 27:30-32; Deuteronomy 8:18; Malachi 3:8-12; Matthew 6:1-4, 19-21; 19:21; 23:23; 25:14-29; Luke 12:16-21, 42; 16:1-13; Acts 2:44-47; 5:1-11; 17:24-25; 20:35; Romans 6:6-22; 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 4:1-2; 6:19-20; 12; 16:1-4; 2 Corinthians 8-9; 12:15; Philippians 4:10-19; 1 Peter 1:18-19.

 

FAMILY-God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption. Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to the biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race. We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to only occur between a man and a woman who are married to each other. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography or any attempt to change one’s sex, or disagreement with one’s biological sex, is sinful and offensive to God. The husband and the wife are of equal worth before God since both are created in God’s image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, protect, and to lead his family. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. She, being in the image of God as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their children God’s pattern for marriage. Parents are to teach their children spiritual and moral values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth. Children are to honor their parents.

Genesis 1:26-27; 2:15-25; 3:1-20; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Joshuah 24:15; 1 Samuel 1:26-28; Psalms 51:5; 78:1-8; 127; 128; 139:13-16; Proverbs 1:8; 5:15-20; 6:20-22; 12:4; 13:24; 14:1; 17:6; 18:22; 22:6, 15; 23:13-14; 24:3; 29:15, 17; 31:10-31; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; 9:9; Malichi 2:14-16; Matthew 5:31-32; 18:2-5; 19:3-9; Mark 10:6-12; Romans 1:18-32; 1 Corinthians 7:1-16; Ephesians 5:21-33; 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21; 1 Timothy 5:8, 14; 2 Timothy 1:3-5; Titus 2:3-5; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 3:1-7.

 

Article 3 

Church Covenant

 

Having been led, as we believe by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and, on the profession of our faith, haven been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we do now, in the presence of God, and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another as one body in Christ. We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Sprit, to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this church, in knowledge, holiness, and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel through all nations.

We also engage to maintain family and secret devotions; to religiously educate our children; to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful to our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment; to avoid all tattling,

backbiting and excessive anger; to abstain from promotion of the sale and use of destructive drugs,intoxicating drinks as a beverage, or abuse of prescription drugs; to shun pornography; to be zealous in our efforts to advance the Kingdom of our Savior.

We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember one another in prayer; to aid one another in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling, and Christian courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation, and mindful of the rules of our Savior to secure it without delay.

We moreover engage that when we remove from this place, we will as soon as possible, unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of the covenant, and the principles of God’s Word.

 

Article 4

Membership

 

SECTION: 1

The membership of this church shall consist of:

  1. Those persons who publicly confess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, have been scripturally baptized, and have entered into a covenant relationship according to our Church Covenant and Statement of Faith.
  2. Those persons who present themselves by transfer of membership from a church of like faith and order, when said church presents in writing evidence of membership, and have entered into a covenant relationship according to our Church Covenant and Statement of Faith.
  3. Those persons who present themselves by statement that they have been baptized members in a church of like faith and order, but due to circumstances a written statement of certification of membership in that church cannot be obtained (each of these are to be on a case by case consideration of doctrine and Christian experience) and have entered into a covenant relationship according to our Church Covenant and Statement of Faith.
  4. Those persons who come from another Christian group who give evidence of confession of faith in Christ as Lord and Savior, and who afterwards have submitted  to baptism by immersion, and have entered into a covenant relationship according to our Church Covenant and Statement of Faith. 

SECTION 2: Discipline

Church members who exhibit a continuing, unrepentant lifestyle of sin in regard to doctrine or conduct shall be dealt with according to the biblical process of church discipline. This is always done for the ultimate goals of glorifying God, purifying the church, and the restoration of the individual.

  1. The first step in this process shall be for fervent, continual prayer to be made on the behalf of the sinning member by the one who has knowledge of the sin. (James 5:16-20) It shall be the responsibility of any member of the body who has knowledge of a sinning member’s heresy or misconduct to reprove and seek correction and restore the sinning member in private. (Matthew 18:15-18, and Galatians 6:1) If said member does not heed this reproof, then the reproving member shall again go to the sinning member accompanied by one or two witnesses to reprove, correct, and restore. One of these should be the Pastor of the Church since he has the rule over the membership and is responsible for them before God. (Hebrews 13:17
  2. If the sinning member still fails to repent, the Pastor shall tell it to the Church. (Matthew 18:17) If the sinning member still refuses to repent, the Pastor shall initiate termination procedures as outlined in Article 1, Section 3 of the Bylaws.(Matthew 18:17-18; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13; 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15) There shall be no appeal to any court from that decision.
  3. However, if after removal of fellowship the sinning individual repents, he or she shall be joyfully restored back into fellowship. (Luke 17:3-4; 2 Corinthians 2:6-9)
  4. If during the process of Christian discipline the member withdraws membership voluntarily but continues in the identified sin, the Church shall still be responsible to seek the sinning individual’s restoration through the process outlined in Scripture above.
  5. The actions described in this section must at all times be carried out with a gentle, loving, and humble attitude with a sensitivity to God’s timing, and with the ultimate goal of glorifying God, purifying the church, and restoring the individual.
  6. Upon the disciplined removal of a member, the membership relationship is terminated and there are no letters of membership to forward to a church requesting the same. In rare circumstances of serious problems that may endanger other individuals or churches, the Church has no obligation to transfer or forward a letter of membership or a positive affirmation of the disciplined former member. Because of spiritual duties to other Christian Churches, all members understand that the Church has qualified privileges to communicate any facts of beliefs behind the Church’s decision that it cannot recommend that a former member be accepted into another Church. All members waive any right to assert any claim of wrongdoing or tortious misconduct against the Church based on such communications. Both as a matter of biblical responsibility and by way of the members’ consent to these bylaws, all members waive and release the Church from any claims or liability for any alleged or actual liability to the member for such disclosures as authorized herein and protected under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

 

SECTION 3: Termination:

This church reserves the privilege of determining its own membership. Membership can be terminated when:

  1. A member transfers to another church.
  2. A member is found guilty of grave, unchristian conduct, but only after due process as outlined in section 2 “Discipline”.
  3. Death of member.
  4. Member unites with church of unlike faith and practice.
  5. Under request of member to be taken from the membership.

 

 

SECTION 4: 1. Active membership consists of all who are not on the inactive 

     list.

2.  Inactive members consist of: 

     A. Those who have moved away so that they cannot regularly attend.

     B. Those who have purposely absented themselves from the regular 

          services of this church for one year. Each individual case can be 

          reviewed with renewal to active membership possible by the vote  of

          the church.

3. Those members who are on the inactive list are denied the privilege of 

     voting on any matter brought before this church.

 

 

 

Article 5

Government

 

SECTION 1: This church shall be governed by and with the consent of its members. Only members on the active list, who are the age of 18 or over, and present at the business meetings, shall be allowed to vote.

 

SECTION 2: The legal title to the property of this church shall be vested in a Board of Trustees, to be elected by the members of the church on a rotating basis, and said Trustees shall hold said title for and in behalf of The First Baptist Church of Depew, Oklahoma, Inc..

 

SECTION 3: This church shall cooperate with the following agencies:

  • The Cimarron Baptist Association
  • The Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma
  • The Southern Baptist Convention

 

Participation in each of the above is on a non-authoritative basis of voluntary cooperation and such relation shall be maintained so long as it does not violate the independent autonomy of this church, and the doctrine adopted by this church.

 

SECTION 4: Each member of this church is expected to respect the opinion of his fellow members in accordance with the majority opinion in the conduct of church affairs.

 

Article 6

Amendments

 

These articles of principles may be amended by 80% majority of the members present, provided that a petition to change this constitution shall consist of the signatures of ten (10) members on the proposed amendment, and provided that notice of the proposed amendment has been published in writing to all active members at least thirty (30) days before the  meeting and that such amendment must be considered by a committee appointed by the church before its coming to a vote. ALL amendments to this constitution MUST be approved in two (2) consecutive annual business meetings. If however it is deemed that the church or any of it’s ministries are endangered, this constitution may be amended by a 100% vote of it’s members present at a regularly scheduled business meeting.