A New Constitution January 25, 2016
Last week, our elders published the draft of a new church constitution and asked all of you to examine it, pray over it, and prepare to discuss it with the elders over the next couple weeks before we (Lord willing) vote to adopt it.
A constitution is, of course, an extremely important document in the life of any church. It helps the church maintain order and preserve unity. It offers clarity to outsiders (and insiders!) about why we exist, what we believe and value, and how we function. And it provides a measure of safety from potential threats both inside and outside the church.
But why are the elders proposing a new constitution in the first place? In answer, we would hasten to say that our current bylaws have served us well for over 10 years, and we thank the Lord for the guidance they have provided. Nonetheless, our bylaws have proven insufficient at several points. For example, they include no explanation of what we believe. They are too easily changed by too small a number, requiring only a two-thirds vote of the (five) trustees in order to be altered, amended, or repealed. Most importantly, they don’t organize our church as biblically as we would like, making no mention of deacons and vesting authority in the non-biblical office of trustee.
In addition, the culture in which we find ourselves in America in 2016 has changed dramatically just in the last few years. Christian institutions have been increasingly forced to take steps to protect themselves and their religious liberties. Given this changing landscape for religious liberty in America, our current bylaws are no longer able to serve us effectively.
Our intention is to hold a few Sunday afternoon luncheons—“Constitutional Conventions,” if you will—on February 7 and 14 to read and discuss the new constitution with all of you. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend these historic events! Assuming the congregational reception is positive, the elders intend to bring a motion to adopt the new document on March 6, with a vote on that motion two weeks later on March 20. If that motion passes, we would formally repeal the old bylaws and adopt the new constitution on May 15, giving us plenty of time to organize ourselves properly under the new order.