Author Unknown
PREAMBLE
In order to establish our work on a more efficient and permanent basis, we, the members of Life Tabernacle United Pentecostal Church affirm our belief that God’s people should be scrupulously set in order, and that it is needful for them to be efficiently organized to successfully carry on the gospel work and properly handle their business affairs.
ARTICLE I
THE ASSEMBLY
Section 1. The Name.
The name of this assembly shall be known as Life Tabernacle United Pentecostal Church.
Section 2. The Purpose.
1. To establish and maintain a place of worship.
2. To unite a people of like faith in the bonds of brotherly love and fellowship. (Hebrews 13:1)
3. To meet together to truly worship God in spirit and in truth, and to receive spiritual teaching, (John 4:24; Ephesians 4:11-15)
4. To point the lost to the way by publishing at home and abroad the true plan of salvation, exhorting believers to be filled with the Holy Ghost. (John 1:29; Luke 11:13; Acts 1:8; and Acts 2:38)
5. To Provide rules of Christian conduct, based upon the Word of God. (Titus 2)
ARTICLE II
MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Eligibility.
1. Anyone is eligible to be a member of this assembly who has accepted the Apostolic doctrine as set forth in the Word of God and outlined in the Articles of Faith; and more particularly, set forth as repentance (a personal experience of sins forgiven) having been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38), having received the Holy Ghost as in Acts 2:4; believing in Jesus Christ as the one true God manifest in the flesh, and manifesting a consistent Christian life according to Galatians 5:22-23.
2. To be accepted into full membership one must be sixteen years of age or older, or be married.
3. No one shall be eligible for membership until six months after having received the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues and being baptized in Jesus Name.
Section 2. Obligations.
1. To conduct one’s self everywhere as becometh a Christian.
2. To cleanse one’s self from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (II Corinthians 7:1)
3. To be faithful in attending services according to Hebrews 10:25.
4. To support the work of God with prayer and the Biblical system of tithe and offering. (Malachi 3:10; I Corinthians 16:2)
5. To dress as becometh modesty and holiness, avoiding the use of make-up and jewelry, and using no extremes of styles, dress or shortness of sleeves. (I Peter 3:5; I Timothy 2:9-10)
6. To obey I Corinthians 11:1-11; the men keeping their hair short, the women refraining from shortening their hair in any manner.
7. For the sake of sinners and his own soul, each one must be an example and pattern of good works by abstaining from worldly sports and amusements, such as theaters, skating rinks, bowling alleys, dances, mixed bathing (with those other than the immediate family), unwholesome radio programs and music and such like, Furthermore, the member must abstain from unclean
conversations, intoxicating drinks and tobacco in any form. (I Timothy 4:2; II Corinthians 7:1; I Thessalonians 5:22; Romans 14:21; Matthew 5:16)
8. Because of the display of all these evils on television, we wholeheartedly disapprove of television sets in the homes of our members and require that all members totally abstain from viewing television.
9. To respect and obey the pastor that he may give an account with joy and not with grief. (Hebrews 13:17)
10. To seek to win the lost to Christ and to manifest a spirit of brotherly love and fellowship to all God’s people.
11. To abide by all the by-laws of the assembly as prescribed in this constitution.
12. To maintain secret and family devotion whenever possible.
13. To secure, in case of moving, a letter of transfer from the pastor and unite with another church of the same faith as soon as possible.
Section 3. Admission.
1. Anyone who is eligible and accepts the foregoing obligations shall become a member of the assembly by filling out an application and answering all questions to the satisfaction of the pastor.
2. The membership shall become effective upon the signing of the application by both applicant and pastor.
3. No person desiring to withdraw their membership shall be refused a letter of transfer unless their conduct is under question prior to the request being made.
Section 4. Discipline.
1. Any member failing or refusing after the first or second admonition to keep the obligations and abide by the rules of the assembly shall be automatically suspended by the pastor (II Thessalonians 3:6), provided attempts of restoration have been made according to Galatians 6:1, I John 5:16-17 and James 5:19-20.
2. A member having fallen into sin and desiring to return, repent, make confession and be restored, may do so, being put on probation by the pastor for a time at the pastor’s discretion. (II Corinthians 6:8)
3. If there be any grievance arising between individual members of the assembly, they shall be dealt with according to Matthew 18:15-18. Should the accused be found guilty, he may be disfellowshipped from the assembly and dropped from membership unless he truly repents and makes confession.
4. Any member teaching or advancing any doctrine or theory publicly or privately, contrary to the articles of faith or this constitution, may be automatically suspended from membership unless said member repents and makes public confession of his sin. (Titus 2:1; I Timothy 1:3; 4:7; Romans 16:17,18; I Corinthians 1:10; 3:3; 11:18)
ARTICLE III
OFFICERS
Section 1. Titles of Officers.
1. The officers of the assembly shall be the pastor, who is also the president, a secretary, and three trustees and whosoever else the pastor shall appoint.
Section 2. The Pastor.
1. Must be a General licensed or Ordained minister in good standing of the United Pentecostal Church International.
2. He shall have a recommendation from the district superintendent or sectional presbyter or resigning pastor.
3. The pastor shall be chosen by a majority vote of the members of the assembly at a duly called business meeting after having preached or taught the church at least three times. This should be done by secret ballot and after much consideration in prayer and of the will of God. The term shall be until his resignation or his removal from office according to ARTICLE III, Section 2, Paragraph 11.
4. The support of the pastor shall be the tithe of the members and friends of the church unless both pastor and trustees agree otherwise.
5. The duties of the pastor shall be as follows:
a. To preach and teach the Word of God.
b. To visit and pray for the sick.
c. To encourage the weak.
d. To reprove, rebuke, and warn the unruly.
e. To give advice when needed and be ready to every good work. (I Thessalonians 5:14; II Timothy 4:1-2)
f. To act as president of the corporation and perform other duties as set forth in these by-laws.
6. The pastor’s authority shall be as follows:
a. He shall oversee and superintend all interest of the church and departments of its work, both spiritual and temporal; not as lord over God’s heritage, but as feeding of the flock of God, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind (II Peter 5:2-3), inasmuch as he is responsible for the guardianship and watch care of all who are committed to his trust.
b. He shall be consulted in regard to all affairs of the church and in charge of all activities; whether spiritual, charitable, moral, material, or financial.
c. He shall call for and preside over all church business meetings and meetings of the trustees.
d. He shall appoint such committees as he deems necessary.
7. The Pastor, upon resigning, shall give the church a thirty day notice and notify the district superintendent and sectional presbyter and assist in every way possible in securing a new pastor before his leaving. This time period may be changed if agreed upon by both pastor and church.
8. The pastor shall have the right to withdraw his resignation at any time within the thirty day period or until the election of a new pastor, whichever comes first.
9. After a pastor’s resignation, there shall be no change in this constitution or by-laws and no new members added until a new pastor has been elected or said action has a two-thirds majority vote of the members in a duly called business meeting.
10. The authority to preside over election of a pastor shall be in this order: First, the resigning pastor; Secondly, the district superintendent; Thirdly, the sectional presbyter.
11. In case of misconduct or sin upon the part of the pastor, it shall be reported by no less than two witnesses who are themselves members in good standing of this assembly to the district superintendent, The district superintendent shall take action as he deems best in investigation, trial or dismissal of the case.
a. If, in an investigation and trial, the pastor shall be found guilty, he shall be removed from office, or such disciplinary action as the district board deems best.
b. If the pastor should still claim innocence, he may, upon his discretion, call a business meeting, present district findings and all other facts to the church. The district board shall also have a representative at this meeting who shall have equal time to present the district’s view. Then a vote of confidence shall be taken and upon a two-thirds majority vote, in his favor, remain the pastor. At this time, ARTICLE III, Section 2, Paragraph 1 shall be waived. Also at this time, all other officers shall loose office and new officers shall be chosen according to ARTICLE III.
Section 3. The Secretary.
1. The duties of the secretary shall be as follows:
a. To take minutes of all duly called business meetings of the church and meetings of trustees.
b. To collect, count and deposit offerings of the assembly.
c. To keep accurate records of all transactions. This may be done by a bookkeeper, who shall be assistant to the secretary, appointed by the pastor.
d. Any other duties designated by the pastor.
2. The secretary shall be nominated by the pastor and elected by the church by a majority vote, the term being one year.
3. In case of a vacancy between business meetings, the pastor may appoint a temporary successor to fill the unexpired term.
Section 4. The Trustees.
1. The trustees shall be nominated by the pastor and elected by secret ballot by majority vote of the church membership in a duly called business meeting.
2. The term shall be for three years; one each year being voted on. (In case of present trustees, they shall be presented to the church in alphabetical order of their last names over the next three years following adoption of these by-laws).
3. The duties are as follows:
a. To hold all property belonging to the assembly in trust for the assembly.
b. To make all legal acquirements and transactions which the assembly shall dictate.
c. To act on behalf of the church in all other business matters between duly called business meetings of the church upon the discretion of the pastor.
Section 5. Other Offices and Positions.
1. The pastor may create any other offices or positions as he deems best to further the work of God.
2. The positions shall be appointed by the pastor.
Section 6. Dismissal of Officers.
1. Any officer manifesting a lack of interest or failing to work in harmony and cooperation with the pastor and other officers, may be removed by the pastor and a temporary replacement appointed by the pastor.
2. No one shall be an officer of this assembly unless he is a member in good standing and an example of the believer. This, of course, could not apply to the pastor until after his election.
ARTICLE IV
PROPERTY
Section 1. Buying or Selling of Property.
1. Upon the purchase or sale of church property, the pastor and trustees shall look after the business matters and present their views to the assembly, the deciding factor shall be by a majority vote of the members of the assembly.
2. Upon the decision to buy or sell church property, the trustees shall act in trust for the church.
3. The title of the property shall be in the name of the church and held in trust by the trustees until their successors are elected.
ARTICLE V
BUSINESS MEETING
Section 1. The Particulars.
1. A business meeting of the church shall be announced publicly in at least three services or in the case of an urgent need, one service, prior to the meeting.
2. A majority vote of the members in good standing present shall be the deciding factor unless otherwise specified in this constitution.
3. There shall be at least one duly called business meeting a year on a convenient day in January with an income and expense report of all offerings, gifts, and fund raisings given to the church.
ARTICLE VI
RECORD CF ADOPTION
Section 1. The Institution of By-laws, Constitution, and Membership.
1. These by-laws and constitution shall prevail over and supercede all other by-laws and constitution and resolutions adopted by this assembly prior to the date of adoption of this constitution and by-laws.
2. New membership shall be valid two weeks from the date of the adoption of these by-laws, at which time all other and previous membership shall be considered invalid.
3. Any changes in these by-laws shall only be made in a duly called business meeting of the church by a majority vote of the members present, except where there is a two-thirds clause, which shall require a two-thirds majority vote.
4. These by-laws and constitution shall become the by-laws and constitution of this assembly upon a two-thirds majority vote of the present membership, recorded herein and signed by the officers of this assembly.
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Passed this 29th day of January, 1982. In favor ________ Opposed ________
Signed _______________________________________________________
Pastor
Signed _______________________________________________________
Secretary
Signed _______________________________________________________
Trustee
Signed _______________________________________________________
Trustee
Signed _______________________________________________________
Trustee
(The above material was published by Life Tabernacle, UPCI, Bellflower, CA.)
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