BYLAWS

BYLAWS

  1. STATEMENT OF FAITH

We believe:

 

  • That the Bible is the inspired, infallible, authoritative Word of God.
  • In the existence of the one true God, who has revealed (manifested) himself as Father (in creation), Son (in redemption) and Holy Spirit (in regeneration).
  • That Jesus Christ is the Saviour of mankind, conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin named Mary, fully God and fully man.
  • In creation, and at the fall of man, as recorded in Genesis, his total spiritual separation from God, led to his inability to attain righteousness.
  • That forgiveness of sin and eternal life is a free gift offered to all by our Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is by grace through faith, because of the perfect, sufficient and finished work of Christ, who was crucified and died for our sins, shed his blood, was buried and rose again on the third day.
  • In baptism with water, by total immersion in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
  • In the baptism of the Holy Ghost with scriptural evidence, namely of speaking in tongues.
  • In the gifts of the Holy Ghost as enumerated in the books of Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles
  • In the five-fold Ministry as mentioned by Ephesians 4:11, namely those of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastor and teachers; and that these remain valid and active in today’s church.
  • In divine healing as practiced and evidenced throughout scripture.
  • In the Lord’s Supper (communion) for believers
  • In the life-long sanctity of marriage as an exclusive commitment between one man and one woman.
  • In living a spirit led life. The Holy Ghost is the means of sanctification, who seeks to produce his fruit in the believer’s life and is the very power by which their hearts and minds are renewed and conformed into the image of Christ.
  • In the personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
  • In eternal life of the believer and eternal punishment for the unbeliever.
  • That the church should be distinct from the world in conversation, in charity, in faith, in purity, in spirit, in word, in modesty. (1 Timothy 2:9, 4:12, 1 Peter 1:13-16, 1 Tim 2:9-10, 1 Peter 3:3)

 

  1. PARTNERS

 

  • Membership shall consist of those persons who have become partners in accordance with these bylaws and have not ceased to be partners
  • To be eligible to become a partner, a person must:
    • Be born again, according to St. John 3:3
    • Have been baptized in water by total immersion
    • Be 18 years of age or older
    • Indicate their acceptance of the church’s Statement of Faith; and
    • Be prepared to fulfill the responsibilities contained in this bylaw
    • New Partners are subjected to approval by the Church Board
    • To remain in good standings, a partner must:
    • Regularly attend church services and not be absent for more than three consecutive months without providing reasons;
    • Use their spiritual gift(s) and abilities in the area of their heart’s in a way that best expresses their personality and experience in order to minister to others through one or more ministries in the church;
    • Support the ministry of the church with tithes and offerings, as the Lord prospers;
    • Endeavour to attend general meetings of Partners
    • Uphold the church’s constitution and comply with these bylaws; and
    • Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace according to Ephesians 4:3
  • The Church Board may remove a person from being a Partner if the Partner:
    • Ceases to remain in good standings in accordance with bylaw 2.4 for more than three consecutive months without providing an acceptable reason; or
    • Submits a letter of resignation to the Church Board; or
    • Is able but fails to minister in at least one church ministry for more than one year without providing an acceptable reason; or
    • Is found to be in serious violation of scriptural conduct and; having been counselled by pastors, elders or the Church Board according to the scriptures found in Matthew 18:16-17 and 1 Corinthians 5:11-13, refuses to repent; or
    • Dies

 

  1. PARTNER MEETINGS

 

  • Each partner in good standing shall be entitled to one vote at any duly constituted general meeting of the society. Votes at general meetings shall be recorded as the chairperson of the meeting my direct.  There shall be no voting by proxy.
  • An annual general meeting shall be held at least once each year. The agenda shall include:
    • Consideration of the financial statements for the preceding fiscal year;
    • Consideration of the budget for the current fiscal year
    • Ratification of Elders as outlined in by law 5.2 and
    • Election of directors as required by bylaw 6.3 and 6.4
  • General meetings may be called by the Church Board or by a written request signed by ten percent or more of the partners
  • Notice of general meetings specifying place, date and time of the meeting shall be by general announcement, or in writing and sent to each Partner by email, at least fourteen days prior to the meeting. The accidental omission to give notice to a partner, or the non-receipt of a notice by any Partner, shall not invalidate proceedings at the general meeting.
  • If a special resolution is to be considered at a general meeting, the proposed resolution shall be incorporated into or accompany the notice of meeting. Such special resolution shall be subject to amendment at the meeting and require approval of seventy-five percent or more of Partners present at the meeting.
  • No business shall be transacted at any general meeting unless a quorum of partners is present when the meeting is called to order.
  • A quorum shall consist of the greater part of Fifty One percent of the Partners in good standing.
  • If a quorum is not present when the general meeting is called to order, the meeting shall stand adjourned for a week and if at that time a quorum is not present, the Partners present at such time shall constitute a quorum.
  • The chairperson, or in absence of the Chairperson, the vice-chairperson, or in the absence of both another Church Board Member as appointed by the Church Board, shall chair general meeting. Minutes of general meeting shall be recorded by the Corporate Secretary, or in the absence of the Corporate Secretary, a Partner appointed by the Church Board.
  • ?All meetings shall be conducted according to Roberts Rules Order, unless otherwise provided for in these bylaws

 

  1. PASTORS
    • A pastor serves as overseer and spiritual leader of the congregation and shall meet the necessary qualifications according to Acts 20:28; 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9 and 1 Peter 5:2-3
    • Other pastors shall be appointed by the Lead Pastor and ratified by the Elders and Church Boards to serve under the direction of the Lead Pastor.
    • The Lead Pastor’s position may be terminated if:
      • The Lead Pastor submits his resignation in writing; or
      • A motion is passed by the Church Board, after consultation with the Elders, that the pastor is living wilfully in misconduct to scripture and refuses to repent or receive correction
    • Other pastor’s position may be terminated by the Lead Pastor in consultation with the Elders Church Board

 

  1. ELDERS
    • The Lead Pastor shall by virtue of their position be an Elder
    • ?A minimum of four Elders shall be appointed by the Lead Pastor
    • To be appointed as an elder, a person other than the Lead Pastor must:
      • Be a partner who is fulfilling the responsibilities outline in bylaw 2.4;
      • Be qualified as an Elder according to Acts 20:28, 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9 and 1 Peter 5:2-3
      • Meet any applicable requirements approved by the Church Board and set out in the Church’s Ministry Qualifications Policy;
      • Be nominated by the Lead pastor; and
      • Be ratified annually at the annual general meeting.
    • Elders shall:
      • Be responsible for the spiritual oversight of the congregation and church ministries;
      • Assist the Lead Pastor regarding pastoral position decisions in accordance with bylaws 4.6 and 4.6;
      • Nominate a Lead Pastor as and when appropriate in accordance with bylaw 4.3
      • Assist with termination of Lead pastor as and when is appropriate in accordance with bylaw 4.5
      • Discipline leaders as required in accordance with bylaw 9.1
    • Elders shall meet at least four times yearly, meeting shall be called by the Lead Pastor or by any two Elders
    • The Lead Pastor shall chair meetings of Elders. In the absence of Lead Pastor, the Elders present shall select a chair.
    • A majority of the Elders then in service shall constitute a quorum

 

  1. CHURCH BOARD

 

  • The Church Board shall be the governing body of the church
  • The Church Board shall consist of the Lead Pastor and the elected directors. Persons serving as Elders other than Lead Pastor may also be nominated to serve as directors.  Ideally, one or two persons would be serving as both elders and directors.
  • In the event of non-agreement amoung the Board, the Pastor will have final authority to decide appropriate course of action/resolve.
  • Majority vote decision win, in regards to Church direction
  • ?A minimum of five directors shall be elected to the Church Board for predefined  terms of one or two years
  • To be elected as a director, a person must:
    • Be a partner in good standing in accordance to bylaw 2.4;
    • Be qualified as a deacon according to Acts 6:3, 1 Timothy 3:8-13;
    • Be nominated in writing by a partner with such nomination submitted to the Church Board by January 10th or be nominated by the Church Board;
    • Consent to be a director candidate
    • Meets any applicable requirements approved by the Church Board and set out in the church’s Ministry Qualification Policy;
    • Not be an employee of the church;
    • Not be deemed by the Canada Revenue Agency as ineligible to serve as a director for a registered charity;
    • Be approved as a director candidate by the Church Board; and
    • Be elected by the partners at a general meeting
  • In the event of the loss of a director during their term of service, the Church Board may appoint a substitute director to serve until the next annual general meeting.
  • The Partners may, by special resolution, remove a director before the expiration of his or her term of office and may appoint a successor bypassing the need for nomination or approval by the Church Board.
  • The Church Board shall meet at least four times per year to conduct a review of the business of the Church and to give direction. Church Board meetings shall be called by the Chairperson, or in the absence of the Chairperson, a Church Board member appointed by the Church Board.
  • The chairperson, or in the absence of chair, the Vice-Chairperson, or in the absence of both, another Church Board member as appointed by the Church Board, shall chair Church Board meetings. Minutes of Church Board meetings shall be recorded by the Corporate Secretary, or in the absence of corporate Secretary, A church Board member appointed by the Church Board.
  • A majority of directors then in office shall constitute a quorum for the Church Board.

 

  1. DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS

 

  • The elected directors are the directors of the society
  • The following officers shall be appointed by the Church Board from among the elected directors:
    • A chairperson who shall chair general meetings and Church Board meetings;
    • A Vice-Chairperson who shall assist the Chairperson as required and perform chair duties in the during Chairperson’s absence.

 

  1. FINANCE
    • Monies received by the Church shall be deposited in the name of the Church, in a bank account or financial institution account provided that such accounts are insured by either the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation or the Canada Investor Protection Fund.
    • Church monies may be used in accordance with the policy set by the Church Board
    • All expenditures shall be approved in accordance with the policy set by the Church Board
    • All payments made by cheque shall bear the signature of two cheque signing officers, as approved by the Church Board
    • The fiscal year of the Church shall end on December 31st. Financial records and reports shall be reviewed annually by a financial panel of at least three persons appointed by the Church Board, a majority of whom are partners and a majority of whom are independent of the Treasurer and finance-related ministry participants.

 

  1. DISCIPLE OF LEADERS

 

  • If there is an accusation brought against any church leader, the person(s) presenting the accusation must first follow the procedure found in Matthew 18:15-17, 1 Timothy 5:19-21, Deuteronomy 19:15. If the accusation is proven to be true the violator shall be disciplined by the pastors and/or elders according to Galatians 6:1, Titus 3:10-11.  Any church leader who flagrantly or persistently violates the standards of God’s Word in matters of conduct, ethics and doctrine will be removed from leadership by the elders if the individual does not see fit to voluntarily withdraw.  Should the Lead pastor be the guilty party, discipline shall be determined by the remainder to the elders in consultation with the Church Board.

 

  1. PROPERTY RIGHTS

 

  • All property, real or personal, shall be taken, held, sold, transferred or conveyed in the name of the Church. No real property of the Church shall be sold, leased for a period exceeding one year, mortgaged or otherwise alienated with the same having been approved by special resolution at a general meeting of the society.

 

  1. OTHER

 

  • In these bylaws, “church” is the equivalent of “society”, “Church Board” is the equivalent of “directors”, “Partner(s)” is the equivalent of “member(s)”, and “Register of Partners” is the equivalent of “Register of members” as used in the Society Act. The use of the term “Partner(s)” herein does not confer or imply any rights beyond those of a member in the society.
  • These bylaws and the alterable portions of the society’s constitution may be amended only by special resolution at a general meeting of the society.