Article
I: Name
1. The name of this church shall be the
City of Zion Church.
Article
II: Mission Statement
The Mission of the City of Zion Church
is to reach the "unsaved and unchurched" for
Jesus Christ. Our goals are to lead them into Christian
Discipleship and abundant Christian living, so that they
will be equipped to impact the world for Jesus Christ.
Article
III: Doctrinal Statements
1. We believe in the Bible as the inspired,
infallible Word of God (II Peter 1:20-21).
2.
We believe in the Triune God, manifested in three persons:
God
the Father, God the
Son and God the Holy Spirit (Mat 28:19/ Col 2:9).
3.
We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, the immaculate
conception and His virgin birth
(Mat 1:18-23/ Col 2:9).
4. We believe in the substitutionary
atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ and justification
by faith. We further believe that salvation is a result
of the sovereign grace of God, free and apart from any
work of man. (Eph 2:8/I Jn 2:1-2).
5. We believe in
the physical resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, that
He ascended bodily into
heaven, and that He is now seated at the right hand of
the Father. We also believe in His imminent and visible
return, along with His Saints (I Cor 15:3-8/I Thes 4:13-18).
6. We believe in the divine personhood of the Holy
Spirit and His
present
day ministry to Believers,
which includes regenerating, indwelling, filling and
the sealing of Believers until the day of Christ’s
return (Tit 3:4-5/Eph 1:13-14/Eph 5:18).
7. We believe
in the manifestation of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
We also believe that the
Holy Spirit sovereignly distributes the Spiritual Gifts
to Believers for the purposes of serving others and
edifying the Saints (I Cor 12:1-11).
8. We believe
in Holy Communion
and Water Baptism by full immersion as the ordinances
of
the Church. We further believe that these ordinances
are to be observed as a public declaration of salvation
through Jesus Christ and the commemoration of His
death, burial and resurrection (Mat 28:16-20/I Cor
11:23-34).
Article
IV: Government
1. In regard to matters of government,
polity and discipline, the City of Zion Church is an
autonomous, local church.
2. A Board of Elders shall
make all business, fiduciary and ministry decisions
affecting
the City of Zion Church. All decisions will be decided
by unanimous vote when possible. If a unanimous decision
can not be reached, the issue will be resolved by majority
vote.
3. An Annual Church Conference shall
be held every year to discuss and inform the congregation
of all business, fiduciary and ministry decisions made
by the Board of Elders.
4. The Board of Elders shall
consist of the Pastor and no fewer than two other Board
members.
The Senior Pastor shall act as the Chair of the Board
of Elders.
5. Elders may
be nominated by the Congregation and/or recommended
by
existing members of the Board of
Elders. Elders must be mature Christians who are currently
officers of the church who exhibit leadership qualities
as defined in the Scriptures (I Tim 3:1-13/Tit 1:5-9).
The existing Board of Elders will vote on the nominee(s).
Selection will be determined by majority vote.
Article
V: Membership
1. Members will be received upon a profession
of faith in Jesus Christ as personal Savior and Lord
and a letter of reference from their previous church
if requested.
2. Membership may be terminated from
the City of Zion Church due to excessive absence,
transfer to another church, death, or the exercising
of church
discipline as prescribed by the Scriptures (Mat 18:15-17/I
Cor 5:1-5).
Article
VI: Officers 1. The officers of the City of Zion Church
shall be as follows:
a.
The Senior Pastor
b. Elders (Ordained Clergy)
c. Ministers (Licensed Clergy)
d. Deacons
e. Deaconesses
f. Secretary
g. Treasurer
2. The following procedures apply regarding
the licensing and ordination of clergy at the City
of Zion Church. Authority to license and ordain
clergy at
the City of Zion Church rests with the Board of Elders.
A member of City of Zion may be licensed in the Gospel
ministry after providing evidence of a Biblical call
to the ministry as described in the Scriptures (I Tim
3:1-7/II Tim 4:1-5) and enrolling in a Seminary or Bible
College for further training.
A minister may be ordained as an Elder
in the Gospel ministry after providing evidence of a
Biblical call
to ministry as described in the Scriptures (I Tim 3:1-7/II
Tim 4:1-5), successfully completing training at a Seminary
or Bible College and successfully passing an examination
administered by the Senior Pastor.
Deacons and Deaconess will assist the Senior Pastor
in serving the needs of the congregation of the City
of Zion Church. In order to serve as a Deacon or Deaconess,
a member of the church must be approved by the Board
of Elders after exhibiting the standard of spiritual
maturity and leadership as described in the Scriptures
(Acts 6:1-6/I Tim 3:1-13). After receiving training provided
by the Senior Pastor and being examined, they may serve
as Deacons or Deaconesses.
The Secretary of the City of Zion Church shall serve
at the pleasure of the Senior Pastor and Board of Elders.
The Secretary shall be responsible for maintaining all
church business records, meeting minutes and legal documents
that pertain to the City of Zion Church.
The Treasurer
of the City of Zion Church shall serve at the pleasure
of the Senior
Pastor and Board of Elders.
The Treasurer shall be responsible for maintaining all
fiduciary records, establishing and implementing the
church’s accounting program which includes the
collection and deposit of all funds, and provide regular
financial reports to the Board of Elders and the congregation.
If it is evident that the relationship between an officer
and the church is not beneficial to the church, he or
she may be asked to resign or be dismissed by the Board
of Elders. Dismissal procedures of a church officer may
be initiated by the Board of Elders or by a signed petition
by at least 50 percent of the members of the congregation.
Dismissal of a church officer requires a majority vote
from the Board of Elders.
Article VII:
Dissolution
1. In the event of dissolution, all assets both real
and personal shall be distributed to such organizations
as are qualified under section 501C (3) of the Internal
Revenue code or the corresponding provisions of a future
United States Internal revenue Law. Such distribution
shall be administered by a special board elected from
the congregation at a duly called business meeting.
Article VIII: Amendment of By-Laws
1. These By-Laws may be amended by majority vote from
the Board of Elders. Recommendations may be received
from members of the City of Zion Church for vote by the
Board of Elders. |
