Church Government

1.  Qualifications:  

• They shall exhibit the characteristics described in 1 Timothy 3:8-13 and Titus 1:5-9;
• They shall be in agreement with the Doctrinal Statement and Covenant of Membership;
• They shall have been an active member of this church for at least one year.

2.  Duties: 

•  They shall manage the temporal affairs of the church.

3.  Term of Office:

• ​Deacons shall be elected for three-year terms and may succeed themselves if re-elected;
• Approximately one-third of the Deacon’s terms shall expire each year;
• If the Deacons desire to increase its number of members, the board shall bring its request to the attention of the Elders. The nominating committee shall be responsible to act to fill such request.

4. Termination

• The procedure for termination of a Deacon is the same as for the Senior Pastor.

The pastor shall be an Elder and shall meet the biblical qualifications for Elder. He will be responsible to the Elder Board. He shall be an ex-officio member of all boards and committees of the church. He shall be responsible for the following:

• Preaching and teaching the Word of God and administering the ordinances of the church;
• Equipping the Body to do the work of ministry;
• Exercising general leadership, and administrative and pastoral oversight;
• Setting and championing the vision of the church;
• Caring for the members with the love of a shepherd.

The Pastor’s role is not to do all the ministry work of the church himself, but to equip the members, starting with the Elders, for serving in areas such as visiting in the hospital, calling on the sick, teaching Sunday School classes and Bible Studies, and so forth.

Termination:
If at any time the relationship of the Pastor to the church shall be deemed unsatisfactory by the Board of Elders, the Board shall meet with him and endeavor to resolve the matter. If the relationship continues to be unsatisfactory, the Board of Elders shall bring the matter before the church. A meeting for such purpose shall be held, and all active voting members shall be notified by mail of such a meeting at least two weeks prior thereto. The Pastor shall have the right to attend such meeting and to present his side of the matter. Seventy percent of the voting members constitute a required quorum for such a meeting. Likewise, seventy percent of that quorum is required to declare the Pastor’s position vacant upon not less than thirty and not more than sixty days’ notice. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a moral or doctrinal matter is involved, the Board of Elders shall have the authority to relieve the Pastor of further service to the church immediately.

Nominating Committee:

• The Nominating Committee shall consist of two members from the Board of Elders, the Pastor, and two members-at-large elected by the congregation at the annual meeting.
• The members-at-large shall be elected from a slate of nominees prepared by the Nominating Committee and shall at the time of the election not be Elders.
• One of the Elders appointed to the Committee, appointed by the Elders, shall serve as chairman of the committee.
• Members of the Nominating Committee shall have been members of the church for at least one year.
• Elder appointments to the Nominating Committee shall be for a term of one year. Elected members-at-large shall serve for three years. The elected terms shall be staggered. Terms shall begin and end at the time of the Annual Meeting.
• The Nominating Committee shall present at the annual meeting nominations for the elected offices provided for in the Constitution. The Committee shall furnish all prospective nominees with a job description and shall nominate to office only those who have agreed to perform the duties of that office. The Committee, or one of its members appointed by it, shall interview each prospective nominee as to qualifications and availability. A seventy-five percent majority vote of the Nominating Committee shall place a name in nomination. The nominations shall be posted at least four weeks prior to the Annual Meeting. The Nominating Committee shall select at least two nominees for each office, if feasible. Names for consideration may be submitted in writing to the Nominating Committee by any voting member of the congregation at least eight weeks prior to the Annual Meeting. Those so submitted will then be considered by the Committee. No nominations shall be made from the floor at the time of the election.
• Election shall be by secret ballot.
• In case of elective vacancies that occur during the year, the Nominating Committee will appoint a replacement to finish the year. At the Annual Meeting the congregation will elect a replacement to complete the term of office. The Congregation will vote even if only one candidate is nominated.

Pulpit Committee:

• The Pulpit Committee shall consist of the Board of Elders and three members-at-large, appointed by the Elders.
• This committee shall be activated in the event of a full time pastoral vacancy.
• When a qualified candidate has been found, the Pulpit Committee shall give two week’s notice to the membership of the planned appearance of a candidate before the church.
• Following the candidate’s appearance, the Pulpit Committee shall bring a recommendation regarding the candidate’s call and the terms thereof.
• This recommendation shall be presented at a special business meeting.
• An eighty-percent majority of voting members present will be required to call a full time Pastor.
• Only one candidate at a time may be presented for a vote.

Other Committees:

• The Elders may appoint other committees as appropriate.

The officers of the church shall consist of the Elders, Deacons, the Pastor, the Church Clerk, and the Treasurer.

• The Chairman of the Elders, selected by the Elders, shall serve as the Chairman of the Church and shall preside over all business meetings. In his absence, the Vice-Chairman of the Elders shall preside.
• The Church Clerk shall be appointed by the Elders for a term of two years and shall keep accurate and permanent minutes of all business meetings of the church maintain records of baptism and maintain a membership register.
• The Treasurer shall be appointed by the Elders for a one-year term. The Treasurer may or may not be an Elder, and shall be responsible for the following:
• Keeping a clear, accurate, and permanent record of all monies received and disbursements made.
• Keeping an accurate accounting of all funds.
• Disbursing monies only when authorized by the Elders, and only by check.
• Preparing monthly reports for the church and an annual report at the Annual Meeting.
• Insuring that the signatures of the Treasurer and an Elder other than the Pastor are on any disbursement check over the amount of $2,500.

Requirements for Membership:

• Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.
• Agreement with the Doctrinal Statement.
• Commitment to the Church Covenant.
• Water baptism.
• Minimum of twelve years of age (minimum voting age is eighteen)

Procedure for Membership:

• Attendance at a membership class as prepared by the Elders.
• Interview with at least two Elders.
• Approval by the Elders.

Termination of Membership:

• Membership in this church may terminate by any of the following:
  • Death
  • Transfer
  • Written request of the member
  • Erasure

Membership Privileges and Other Information:

• Members eighteen years old or older shall be eligible to vote and are strongly encouraged to take an active role in all decisions and business brought before the church body.
• Elders, Deacons, and Ministry Leaders must be members.
• Members and non-members alike may partake of the Lord’s Supper if they are believers in fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. It will be left up to parents to decide the readiness of their young children to partake. Under no circumstances should an individual who has not personally trusted Christ as Savior partake of the Lord’s Supper.

The Board of Elders shall annually review the membership register and shall remove from membership any member who has severed his relationship with the church for a period of one year.

Voting:

• Only members in regular attendance who are eighteen years of age or older may vote.
• Any member who misses three official business meetings in a row will have voting privileges revoked until reviewed by the elder board for reinstatement. (Amended 1-07)
• Proxy voting by a spouse will be allowed as long as one spouse is in full attendance at the meeting.

Discipline and Expulsion:

• Purpose: The holiness of God requires discipline within the church, having as its aim the glory of God, the welfare, purity and edification of the church, and the repentance and spiritual growth of the offender. (1 Corinthians 5:6-7; Ephesians 4:13; 1 Timothy 5:20; Hebrews 12:11; 1 Peter 1:15-16; 2:12)
• Authority: The authority to discipline comes from Scripture, and is administered through the Elders. (Matthew 18:15-18; 1 Corinthians 5:11; Galatians 6:1-2; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15; 1 Timothy 5:20; Titus 3:10)
• Procedure: The Board of Elders shall be responsible for the discipline of any member whose life conduct is not consistent with the spiritual walk of the believer as set forth in Scripture. The Board shall proceed with due consideration for the spiritual welfare of both the member and the church. The purpose of discipline shall be the spiritual restoration of the erring member and the purity of the church.
  • The Board of Elders shall proceed under the guidance of the principles of Matthew 18:15-17. Two members of the Board, chosen by the Board, shall meet with the member to counsel with him concerning the conduct under consideration. If the member does not respond with godly repentance, he shall be asked to meet with the entire Board to discuss the matter. If he remains unrepentant, the Board of Elders, upon the affirmative vote of at least seventy-five percent of its members, shall place such a member under discipline and shall inform the voting members of the church of its action.
  • A member under discipline shall be deprived of all rights of membership, including any ministry responsibility, and shall be instructed not to partake of the Lord’s Supper and not to attend functions of the church other than the worship service.
  • A member who gives evidence of godly repentance after discipline shall be restored to fellowship by action of the Board of Elders. A report of the restoration shall be made to the membership. A member who remains under discipline without repentance for more than six months shall be expelled by action of the Board of Elders, and the Board shall report such action to the church.
  • Any person who has been expelled may seek restoration to membership by giving evidence of godly repentance to the Board of Elders and indicating his desire to follow the teaching of Scripture. The Board may restore such person, and any act of restoration shall be reported to the church.

• An Annual Business Meeting shall be held in the month of January at which the annual election for officers shall be held. A written evaluation of the ministries of the church for the preceding year shall be prepared and distributed in advance of the meeting.
• Other Business Meetings may be called by the Elders, the Pastor, or by written request of at least thirty-five percent of the voting members of the church. A two-week minimum notice shall be required before any Business Meeting. Notice of any special meeting shall be given in the worship service immediately preceding the meeting. A description of the business matters to be considered at any such meeting must be included in the announcement of the meeting. Unless described in the advance notice, other items of business may not be discussed.
• A quorum of at least thirty-five percent of the voting members shall be required for the transaction of business in any business meeting of the church.
• Business Meetings, as well as other formal business of the church and its committees shall be conducted by Robert’s Rules of Order.

An annual audit shall be performed, either internally or externally.

The budget shall be developed by the elders and presented to the congregation at the annual meeting.

This constitution may be amended at any regular or special business meeting of the church by a two-thirds majority of the voting members present. Written notice of the proposed amendment must be given or mailed to each voting member at least one month prior to the meeting. Such meeting must be announced at the worship service on the two Sundays immediately preceding the meeting.

In the event that Garden Valley Bible Church is dissolved, assets shall first be used to pay any debts. Any remaining assets shall be given to a like-minded evangelical body and used for the Lord’s work. Decisions regarding the disposal of such assets shall be the responsibility of the Board of Elders.