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PLEASANT VALLEY BAPTIST CHURCH

Constitution

 
Pleasant Valley Baptist Church

PREAMBLE

So that things may be done decently and in order in accordance with the accepted tenets of other churches of like precious faith, and that we may more readily help each other in our Christian service, we declare and establish this Constitution to which we voluntarily submit ourselves.

 

Article I

Name and Purpose

Section 1 - Name:

This congregation of believers shall be known as the Pleasant Valley Baptist Church.

Section 2 - Purpose:

  1. This congregation is organized as a church exclusively for charitable, religious, and educational purposes within the meaning of Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Revenue law), including but not limited to for such purposes, the establishing and maintaining of religious worship, the building, maintaining and operating of churches, parsonages, schools, chapels, radio stations, television stations, rescue missions, print shops, day care centers, camps, nursing homes, and cemeteries, and any ministries that the Church may be led of God to establish.

  2. The Church shall also ordain and license men to the Gospel ministry; evangelize the unsaved by the proclaiming of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ; educate believers in a manner consistent with the requirements of Holy Scripture, both in Sunday and weekday schools of Christian education; maintain missionary activities in the United States and any foreign country; and engage in any other ministry that the Church may decide, from time to time, to pursue in obedience to the will of God.

 

Article II

Statement of Faith and Covenant

Section 1 - Statement of Faith:

  1. The Holy Scriptures

    We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally and plenary inspired Word of God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible, and God-breathed; therefore, are the final authority for faith and life. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the complete and divine revelation of God to man. The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal grammatical-historical meaning. The 1611 King James Version of the Bible shall be the official and ONLY English translation used by the Church (II Tim. 3:16-17; II Pet. 1:20-21).

  2. Dispensationalism

    We believe that the Scriptures interpreted in their natural, literal sense reveal divinely determined dispensations or rules of life, which define man's responsibilities in successive ages. These dispensations are not ways of salvation, but rather are divinely ordered stewardships by which God directs man according to His purpose. Three of these dispensations - the age of law, the age of the Church (current), and the age of the kingdom - are the subjects of detailed revelation in Scripture (Gen. 1:28; I Cor. 9:17; II Cor. 3:9-18; Gal. 3:13-25; Eph. 1:10; 3:2-10; Col. 1:24-25,27; Rev. 20:2-6).

  3. The Godhead

    We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal, in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfection (Deut. 6:4; Matt, 28:19; II Cor. 13:14; John 14:10,26).

  4. The Person and Work of Christ

    1. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; II Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5; Phil. 2:5-8).

    2. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Acts 2:18-36; Rom. 3:24-25; I Peter 2:24; Eph. 1:7; I Peter 1:3-5).

    3. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9-10; Heb. 9:24; 7:25; Rom. 8:34; I John 2:1-2).

  5. The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

    1. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ at salvation, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8-11; Rom. 8:9; I Cor. 12:12-14; II Cor. 3:6; Eph. 1:13-14).

    2. We believe that He is the Divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and that if is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 1:17-18; 5:18; I John 2:20,27).

    3. We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip the believers in the assembly in order that they can do the work of the ministry (Rom. 12:3-8; I Cor. 12:4-11,28; Eph. 4:7-12).

    4. We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing were temporary. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit and that the ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection. Though God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing, we do not believe that in this present age, any particular individual has the power to heal (I Cor. 1:22, 13:8; 14:21-22).

  6. The Total Depravity of Man

    1. We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam's sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and, that man is totally depraved, and of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition but possesses the free will to accept or reject God's call to salvation (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Eph. 2:1-3; 4:17-19).

  7. Salvation

    1. We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins and that it is God's will that no one should perish, but that all should come to repentance (John 1:12, Eph. 1:7; 2:8-10; I Peter 1:18-19).

  8. The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers

    1. We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God's power and not their works, (good or bad) and are thus secure in Christ forever (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1,38-39; I Cor. 1:4-8; I Pet. 1:4-5).

    2. We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God's Word; which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh (Rom. 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15).

  9. The Church

    1. We believe that the local church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is solely made up of born-again persons (I Cor. 12:12-14; II Cor. 11:2; Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-27).

    2. We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-27).

    3. We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control (Acts 13:1-4, 15:19-31; 20:28; Rom. 16:1,4; I Cor. 3:9, 16; 5:4-7, 13; I Peter 5:1-4).

    4. We recognize only water baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper as the Scriptural ordinances of obedience for the Church in this Age (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:18; I Cor. 11:23-26).

  10. Separation

    1. We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Saviour and Lord; that our conduct, dress, and speech should be of the highest standards to avoid offending others around us, and that, separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices and associations is commanded of God (Rom. 12:1-2; 14:13; II Cor. 6:14-17; II Tim. 3:1-5; I John 2:15-17; II John 9-11).

  11. The Second Advent of Christ

    1. (1) We believe in that "Blessed Hope," the personal, imminent return of Christ Who will rapture His Church prior to the seven-year tribulation period. At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return, with His saints, to establish His earthly Messianic Kingdom which was promised to the Nation of Israel (Ps. 89:3-4; Daniel 2:31-41; Zech. 14:4-11; I Thess. 1:10; 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Rev. 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6).

  12. The Eternal State

    1. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment (Matt. 25:46; John 5:28-29; 11:25-26; Rev. 20:5-6; 12-13).

    2. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, wherein conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43; II Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 3:21; I Thess. 4:16-17; Rev. 20:4-6).

    3. We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when with the soul and body reunited they; shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment (Matt. 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; II Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6&7; Rev. 20:11-15).

  13. The Personality of Satan

    1. We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and the cause of the Fall of Man; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and, that he shall eternally be punished in the Lake of Fire (Job 1:6-7; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matt. 4:2-11; 25:41; Rev. 20:10).

  14. Creation

    1. We believe that God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods. We reject evolution, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin (Gen. 1-2; Exodus 20:11).

  15. Civil Government

    1. We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: 1) the home, 2) the Church, 3) the state. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that; no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the Church, and the state are equal and sovereign in; their respective, Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God. (Rom. 13:1-7; Eph. 5:22-24; Heb. 13:17; I Peter 2:13-14).

  16. Human Sexuality

    1. We believe that God has commanded that no sexual activity should be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, beastiality, incest, fornication, pediaphilia, transvestite, adultery and pornography are sinful perversions of God's gift of sex (Gen. 2:24; 19:5, 13; 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1:26-29; I Cor. 5:1; 6:9; I Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4).

  17. Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage

    1. We believe God intends marriage between a man biologically born and remaining a male and a woman biologically born and remaining a female to last until one of the spouses dies. Divorced and remarried persons may join the Church and be greatly used of God for Christian service; however, they may NOT be considered for the offices of Pastor, Deacon, teacher, secretary, treasurer, clerk or Sunday school superintendent. The Pastor, or any minister ordained by this Church, shall NOT conduct a marriage ceremony that consists of a divorced person or persons (Mal. 2:14-17; Matt. 19:3-12; Rom. 7:1-3; I Tim. 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6).

  18. Abortion

    1. We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child; is a living, human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. Abortion Is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancy due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selections, birth or population control, or the mental well-being of the mother are acceptable (Job 3:16; Psalms 51:5; 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24; 49:1,5; Jer. 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44).

  19. Missions

    1. We believe that God has given the Church a Great Commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As Ambassadors of Christ, we must use all available means to go to the foreign nations and not wait for them to come to us (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; II Cor. 5:20).

  20. Lawsuits Between Believers

    1. We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the Church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the Church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve disputes between members. We do believe, however, a Christian may seek compensation for physical injuries from another Christian's insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander (I Cor. 6:1-8; Eph. 4:31-32).

  21. Giving

    1. We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God's wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to support his local Church financially. We believe that God has established the tithe as a basis for giving but that every Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the Church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of the tithe or offering once the gift has been made (Gen. 14:20; Proverbs 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; I Cor. 16:2; II Cor. 9:6-7; Gal. 6:6; Eph. 4:28; I Tim. 5:17-18; I John 3:17).

 

Section 2 - Authority of Statement of Faith:

The Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself is the sole and final source of all that we believe. We do believe, however, that the foregoing Statement of Faith accurately represents the teaching of the Bible and, therefore, is binding upon all members, Pastor, Deacons, Teachers, Treasurer, Clerk, Secretary, and any other officer. Anyone that is found not to agree with the Statement of Faith in belief of lifestyle can be dismissed from the body of this membership.

 

Section 3 - Covenant

Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, and on profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of our 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 Spirit, 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, 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 the sale of and the use of intoxicating drink as a beverage; and to be zealous in our efforts to advance the Kingdom of our Saviour.

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 courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense but always ready for reconciliation, and mindful of the rules of our Saviour, 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 this covenant and the principles of God's Word.

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