Church

Constitution
Template

Prepared by:
Association of Baptist Churches of NSW & ACT
ABN 24 941 624 663
www.nswactbaptists.org.au
Last Updated April 2019

Church Constitution Template

Introduction
This document was produced by offering guidelines for the preparation of Constitutions
for Fellowships moving towards Church Formation and affiliation with the Association of
Baptist Churches of NSW & ACT. (It will also prove helpful to Churches reviewing the fit
of their existing Constitution with their existing ministries and future plans).

In presenting these suggestions it will be noted that a number of assumptions are made,
including:

(a) A wide diversity of expressions of the faith of the Churches of the Baptist faith
and order is to be found within the Association of Churches of NSW & ACT.
(Therefore in several areas covered below a range of alternative options is
presented);

(b) Churches seeking affiliation with the Association of Churches of NSW & ACT
must accept the provisions of the Baptist Union of NSW Incorporation Act 1919
(NSW). It follows that
i) Church government must be by the congregation;
ii) The church must adhere to the Statement of Beliefs set out in the Act of
Incorporation and expanded by the 2003 Baptist Union of NSW Assembly.

(c) The autonomy of the local Church in matters concerning its life and ministry;

(d) The recognition that each Church is part of a wider Fellowship of Baptist
Churches, including:
i) Opportunities of mutual help, encouragement and co-operation in the work of
the Gospel, locally and worldwide by giving as per the Church Partnership
Support Guidelines;
ii) The privilege of having leadership trained and equipped for beneficial ministry
among Churches;
iii) Accountability to one another for our work in the Gospel for the glory of Christ
Jesus our Lord;
iv) Responsibility to participate in the corporate ministries of the Denomination
through prayer, financial support and encouragement.

(e) Acceptance of historic Baptist principles for faith and conduct such as:

The Lordship of Christ, the supremacy of Scripture, the liberty of believers before
God and ("a" to "d" above).

Church Constitution Template

SUGGESTED CONSTITUTION
1. NAME

The name of the Church shall be the ............................................. Baptist Church.

2. DOCTRINAL POSITION OF THIS CHURCH

This Church shall hold to the following evangelical doctrines set out in the Baptist Union
of NSW Incorporation Act, 1919 (NSW) and amplified by the Statement of Beliefs
affirmed at the 2003 Baptist Union of NSW Assembly:
• The nature and unity of the Godhead
• The deity and humanity of Christ
• The Holy Spirit
• The divine inspiration of the Scriptures
• The sinfulness of man
• Christ's atonement for the sin of man
• The work of the Holy Spirit in salvation
• The Church
• The baptism of believers only, and by immersion
• The communion
• The return of the Lord Jesus Christ
• The resurrection of the dead
• Rewards and punishments in a future state

3. GOVERNMENT (ie Decision-making)

• The Church shall be affiliated with the Association of Baptist Churches of NSW &
ACT accepting its responsibility to support and share ministries undertaken by
the Denomination.

• Recognising the headship of Jesus Christ and the leadership of the Holy Spirit,
the Church shall be governed in line with the fundamental Baptist principle of the
autonomy of the local church and congregational government. That is, the
decision-making of this Church shall be vested in the body of believers who
compose its membership.

• Notwithstanding this principle of autonomy, the Church recognises and sustains

the obligations of mutual counsel and co-operation which are common among
Baptist Churches. Therefore the Church will be interdependent as well as
independent.

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4. OBJECTIVE

The Church adopts as its objective (which it believes to be in harmony with the purpose
of Christ's Church as declared in the New Testament) the desire to glorify God through:

• The inspiration and maintenance of active spiritual growth among its

congregation by the regular assembling for public worship and the administration
of the ordinances.

• The proclamation of the truths of the Bible by all means so that persons
experience salvation.

• Teaching, training and discipling all who come to faith in the Lord Jesus so that
they grow together in love, are loyal to each other and grow to maturity in Christ
under the guidance of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

• Proclaiming the sole Lordship of Christ Jesus in the lives of the members of the
congregation and seeking to fulfil His desires in the life of the community, nation
and wider world through evangelistic and other missionary enterprise. To assist
those who are in need in the belief that social action and evangelism are mutually
our response to the Gospel.

5. MEMBERSHIP

5A. Eligibility for Membership (Select ONE of the following)

(a) Members shall be persons who give evidence of a sincere profession of faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ who have been baptised as believers by immersion and
agree to hold to the doctrines set forth in this Constitution under the heading
"Doctrinal Position of this Church".
OR
(b) Members shall be persons who give evidence of a sincere profession of faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ who have been baptised as believers and agree to hold to
the doctrines set forth in this Constitution under the heading "Doctrinal Position of
this Church".
OR
(c) Members shall be persons who give evidence of a sincere profession of faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ and agree to hold to the doctrines set forth in this
Constitution under the heading "Doctrinal Position of this Church".

OR

Church Constitution Template

 (d) Members shall be persons who give evidence of a sincere profession of faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ who agree to hold to the doctrines set forth in this
Constitution under the heading "Doctrinal Position of this Church" except possibly
for the doctrine of the baptism of believers only by immersion. Should a member
not believe in the doctrine of the baptism of believers only by immersion then they
must agree to this Church holding to this doctrine. Further, a member who does
not personally believe in the doctrine of the "baptism of believers only, and by
immersion" shall be restricted in the following three respects:
(i) Voting in relation to the call or removal of a Pastor of this Church;
(ii) Voting in relation to a property transaction by this Church;
(iii) Being a delegate of this Church to an Assembly of the Association of Baptist
Churches of NW & ACT

Note: 1. Individual Churches may decide to impose other restrictions on

members who do not believe in "the baptism of believers only, and by
immersion". These restrictions might include the holding of certain
positions in the Church such as Church Secretary, Church Treasurer,
Sunday School Superintendent, Deacon and/or Elder.

2. Churches wishing to allow people who do not hold to the Doctrine of

the Baptism of Believers only by immersion to be Church Secretary,
Church Treasurer, Deacons, Elders or Management Committee
members will need to ensure that these positions do not involve any
decision-making relating to property.

5B. Admission to Membership

Applicants for membership shall apply to the Pastor or Church Secretary. Applicants
for membership shall be visited by two members appointed by the Diaconate or the
Church to discuss their testimony to faith in Jesus Christ, membership
responsibilities, the Church Constitution and its various ministries. A report shall be
presented to the Church following the visitation. Applicants may be admitted to
membership upon majority vote at a properly constituted Church meeting.

Where the applicant for membership has been a member of another Baptist Church,
letters of transfer and/or commendation shall be sought and shall be taken into
account by the Church meeting when determining the application for membership at
a properly constituted Church meeting.

Note: 1. It is recommended that all applicants for membership be visited as this

gives opportunity for the strengthening of fellowship and the building of
relationships. In some instances letters of transfer and/or
commendation may be ambiguous, even negative, and in these cases
visitation allows for a first hand assessment of the faith and practice of
applicants.

2. Most Church Constitutions provide for the Pastor to baptise believers at

their own discretion. It is strongly recommended that Pastors and
Churches consider baptism and Church Membership as a single step
and applicants for baptism be encouraged to consider membership at
the same time. Adequate teaching should be given. Some Churches
receive persons baptised into membership in the one service.

3. It is important that new Christians receive adequate nurture and are given
opportunity to go on to maturity in Christ.

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5C. Responsibilities of Members

(a) To endeavour at all times, by God's grace, to remain true to their commitment to
Christ as expressed in their baptism.
(b) To join regularly in the worship of the Church.
(c) To lead a life worthy of Christ in love, humility and peace, endeavouring to build
each other up through encouragement, counsel and comfort.
(d) To study the Scriptures in private and in groups as the Lord gives opportunity.
(e) To express their gratitude to God, and their responsibilities as His stewards by
contributing regularly and wholeheartedly to the financial support of the Church
and the wider work of the Denomination.
(f) To seek opportunity to use their gifts in the ministry of the Church.
(g) To pray regularly in private and where possible in fellowship for the people and
ministry of the Church and the family of Churches.

5D. Membership Roll

A Members' Roll and an Absent Members' Roll shall be kept by the Church
Secretary.

5E. Removal from Membership

The Diaconate, Eldership or other appropriate body will prayerfully review the
Members Roll at least every two years.

Members who for a period of six months fail to participate in the Worship of the
Church without satisfactory explanation or fail to honour other responsibilities of
membership shall receive special attention. Where the failure to participate in the
Worship of the Church relates to removal from the District in which the Church is
situated, then such members shall be transferred to an Absent Members Roll. Where
the failure to participate in the Worship of the Church relates to some reason other
than removal from the district or where the member in question fails to honour other
responsibilities of membership, every effort shall be made to restore such members
to worship and fellowship (Matt. 18:15-17). Where these efforts fail, a
recommendation may be brought to the Church that such member’s names be
removed from the roll (or transferred to an Absent Members Roll).

No member's name shall be transferred or removed from either the Members' Roll or
the Absent Members' Roll except by their request or the decision of a three-fourth's
majority of the members present and voting at a properly constituted Church meeting.

5F. Transfer of Membership

Any member in good standing may request that a letter of commendation be sent to
another Baptist Church he or she wishes to join. The Deacons may process the
request reporting their action to the next Church meeting for confirmation.

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 5G. Offence and Dispute

(a) Where a member becomes an offence to the Church by reason of immoral or

un-christian conduct, the Church will make every effort, in the spirit of love and
meekness, to restore such a member to fellowship (Matt. 18:15 - 17). Where
such efforts fail the Church may terminate or suspend for a specified time, their
membership. Termination or suspension of membership shall be only on the
decision of three-fourths majority of members present and voting at a properly
constituted Church meeting.

(b) In the event of a dispute arising either between the members, the Pastor(s) and
the members, or the Church and the Association of Baptist Churches of NSW
& ACT, such dispute may, after every effort has been made to resolve it within
the Church or through the services of Ministry Support and Development, seek
outside mediation.

(b) Matters of offence or dispute between members shall not be brought before the
Church unless the parties have first complied with the direction of Matt. 18:15-
17.

Or

This church will actively pursue and maintain a culture of peace.

We acknowledge that there are times in the life of every group (and church) when
people disagree with each other and some level of conflict arises.

In seeking to be fully committed disciples of Jesus Christ, the members of the church
agree to undertake the process outlined in the churches Peace Making Policy to bring
about forgiveness, peace and restoration with each other in times when conflict or
disagreement arises.

A copy of the Churches Peace Making Policy can be found in Appendix B

6. CHURCH OFFICERS

Pastors, Church Secretary, Church Treasurer, Deacons and/or Elders, and/or

Management Committee members may be appointed as the officers of the Church.
Such officers shall comprise the diaconate of the Church which shall attend to the
affairs of the Church, within the framework of the Church's determined Governance
Policy from time to time.

Note:

It is increasingly recognised that appointment of Church officers in the New

Testament varied from place to place in response to the setting and needs of
each Church. Therefore a variety of options is presented here. Each Church
may select the number and type of office which it believes best suits its particular
situation.

A clear Governance Policy should be developed along with a clear Position

Description for each Leadership and Governance role.

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6A. Pastor(s)

The Pastor(s) shall be a person whose credentials are acceptable to the Association
of Baptist Churches of NSW & ACT and holds the doctrines set forth in this
Constitution under the heading: "Doctrinal Position of this Church".

Where more than one Pastor is appointed the Pastors shall comprise the Pastoral
Team in which one shall be the Senior Pastor. (The Pastor or Senior Pastor shall
normally be ex-officio President of all organisations, although this responsibility may
be delegated to another member of the team or member of the Diaconate.) Pastors
will be appointed upon a three-fourths majority or removed upon a simple majority
vote of the members present and voting at a meeting of which notice has been given
on the two Sundays preceding such meeting, the purpose of such meeting having
been specified.

Note: Churches may include a quorum provision such as: "The quorum for a meeting
to call or remove a Pastor shall be ...%.)

When calling a Pastor -

(a) Pastorate Committee appointed by the Church shall call for nominations.
Members of the congregation may make recommendations for discussion
within the Committee by submitting a name, together with reasons supporting
the recommendation, in writing to the Committee.

(b) The Committee may advise Ministry Support & Developmentof the vacancy and
seek advice and assistance from the appropriate denominational officer.

(c) Should more than one name come before the Committee, discussion will
continue until agreement is reached regarding the approach to one person.

(d) The Committee shall communicate privately with this nominee and/or with the
appropriate Denominational officer, to ascertain their willingness to allow their
name to be placed before the Church.

(e) Should this nominee be willing, the name shall be submitted to the Church.
Only one name shall be before the Church at any one time.

(f) In the event of an adverse vote, or a call or approach not being accepted, the
above procedure shall be repeated until successful.

All terms and conditions of a call shall be conveyed to a Pastor in writing, having
previously been clarified between both parties, together with full particulars of the
Church and its development. (Churches should note that the terms of the call will
generally be as recommended by the Baptist Union of NSW and should be extended
without stating any length of tenure.)

Acceptance shall be made in writing to the Church indicating acceptance of terms of

call.

The tenure of office of a Pastor may be terminated by two months' notice in writing by
either the Church or the Pastor.

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6B. Church Secretary

A Church Secretary should be elected by the Church at the Annual Church Meeting.
The Church Secretary will be a member of the Diaconate by virtue of office. Eligibility
requirements and mode of election as for deacons will apply in relation to the Church
Secretary.

The Church Secretary shall ensure that adequate records of all Church, Diaconate
and Committee meetings are kept, conduct correspondence for the Church and
generally deal with the business of the Church.

By means of an annual report and otherwise, they will ensure an adequate flow of
information from the various Committees to the Church members.

The Church Secretary shall keep an up-to-date Members' Roll and Absent Members'
Roll of the Church which shall be available for members to scrutinise.

Unsuccessful nominees for Secretary may, if they consent, be included in the ballot
for Deacons.

6C. Church Treasurer

A Church Treasurer should be elected by the Church at the Annual Church Meeting.
The Church Treasurer will be a member of the Diaconate by virtue of office. Eligibility
requirements and mode of election as for Deacons will apply in relation to the
Treasurer.

The Church Treasurer shall receive all moneys for the Church and make such
payments as may be directed. They shall keep a record of all financial transactions,
keeping the Church informed through regular reporting.

A Treasurer's Financial Statement shall be presented to the Annual Church meeting

covering the income and expenditure for the past year. Such statement shall be
audited.

Unsuccessful nominees for Treasurer may, if they consent, be included in the ballot
for deacons.

6D. Elders

(Please Note: Some Churches make no provision for Elders in their Constitution)

The Church may appoint Elders from the membership of the Church, who shall share
with the Pastor(s) in the pastoral ministry of the Church.

Elders shall be responsible to the Church in co-operation with the Pastor(s) and shall:

(a) Assist in shepherding those who are part of or associated with the Church,
willingly and ably encouraging and building up such people and being an
example to the Church in Christlike living;

(b) Visit such people mentioned in "(a)";

(c) Participate in the preaching and teaching ministry of the Church when they are
recognised as having these gifts and are invited to do so by the Pastor(s).

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 The biblical material, especially 1 Timothy 3: 2 - 7,'Titus 1:7 - 9 and 1 Peter 5: 1 - 4,
shall assist the Church in appointing Elders. Only persons of known maturity,
spirituality and gifts appropriate to the office shall be appointed upon three-fourths
majority vote at the Annual Church Meeting and upon the unanimous nomination in
writing of the Pastor(s) and existing Elder(s) or the Diaconate. Such nominees shall
be over the age of 21 years and have been in membership in the Church for at least
six months.

The term of office shall be one (or two or three) year(s) with eligibility for
re-appointment.

Elders, while meeting separately, may from time to time meet with the Diaconate for
mutual benefit.

6E. Deacons

Members of the Church, who are over the age of 18 years and have been in
membership for at least six months may be appointed to the office of Deacon by the
church at the Annual Church Meeting.

The number of Deacons, in addition to the Church Secretary and Church Treasurer,
to be appointed shall be determined at the members' meeting prior to the Annual
Meeting. Nominees shall give evidence of spiritual maturity and fulfil the qualifications
of 1 Timothy 3: 8 -13.

The Diaconate shall meet monthly and at other times as required. The Senior Pastor
may be the chairman or a chairman may be appointed from among the Deacons.

Note: Churches may choose to have a quorum provision such as: "the quorum for
Diaconate meetings shall be not less than …% of elected members of the
Diaconate".

Nominations for the office of Deacon shall be invited from the members two Sundays
prior to the Annual Church Meeting. All such nominations should be in writing, signed
by the nominator and nominee and in the hands of the Church Secretary not later
than the Sunday preceding the Annual Meeting. Vacancies during the year may be
filled in similar manner, after two Sundays' notice of such election has been given.
The names obtaining the highest number of votes shall be deemed elected.

Note: Some Church constitutions provide: "Where the number of nominations does
not exceed the number of vacancies, then each nominee must obtain at least
...% of the formal vote in order to be elected."

The Deacons, as far as shall be in their power, shall attend and sustain all meetings
connected with the Church, shall assist in visiting the sick, shall maintain discipline in
the Church and shall be empowered to transact the routine business of the Church.

Note: Some Churches provide that: "All Deacons shall be elected for 12 months and
shall be eligible for re-election. Other Churches provide that: "Each year, half
the number of Deacons decided upon by the Church shall be elected for a term
of two years. Those retiring from office after two years shall be eligible for
re-election".

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6F. Management Committee

The Annual Church Meeting may elect a Management Committee including the
Church Secretary and Church Treasurer to assist in the ministry and routine business
of the Church.

7. CHURCH MEETINGS AND PROCEDURES

The "meeting" is a Church meeting. The expression "Business meeting" detracts

from the essential nature of the meeting. This is not meant to put a wall between
matters which must be attended to, but to emphasise the spiritual nature of the
meeting.

7A. Meetings

The Church shall meet quarterly.

Extraordinary meetings may be convened by the Pastor(s), or upon requisition signed

by 10% of the Church membership or a majority of the Diaconate. An Extraordinary
Meeting may be called for a special purpose and only consider matters of which
written notice has been given.

Notice of all Church Meetings including Extraordinary Meetings shall be given on at

least the two Sundays at services prior to the meeting.

An Annual Church Meeting shall be called each year to receive reports and conduct
elections as herein prescribed, such meeting to be within two months of the end of
the Church Financial year which will close on 30 June each year.

When there is no (senior) Pastor, or in their absence, an Elder or one of the

Diaconate or a member of the Pastoral Team a Church member shall be elected to
preside. Alternatively, for special reasons in consultation with Ministry Support and
Development, an outside chairman may be appointed. Such a chairman shall be a
member in good standing in a Church affiliated with the Association of Baptist
Churches of NSW & ACT. The Church Meeting shall be a meeting of those persons
on the Members' Roll and the Absent Members' Roll.

Note: 1. Non-Church members may be invited to be present at and to take part in

the whole or any part of a Church Meeting, without right to vote.

2. Some churches emphasise the 'family' nature of the meeting.

3. Some Church Constitutions have a quorum provision: "The quorum for all
Church Meetings shall be 25% of the Church membership, (or as
determined by each Annual Church Meeting), recorded on the Members'
Roll at the end of the last financial year. If a quorum is not present within
30 minutes of the appointed starting time of the meeting, the meeting shall
stand adjourned usually to the same day, time and place in the next week.
Notice of the adjourned meeting will be given at the intervening services.
Such meeting will be competent to deal with the matters adjourned
notwithstanding the absence of a quorum."

It should be noted that members under 18 years of age may not vote on matters
relating to property transactions.

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7B. Procedure

All questions affecting the management and general interests of the Church shall
normally be submitted to the Diaconate before presentation to the Church.

The vote of the Church shall be taken ordinarily on the voices.or by a show of hands,
but ail voting for the election of officers mentioned herein will be by ballot or as
determined by the meeting. The Chairman may only exercise one vote.

8. CHURCH ORGANISATIONS

The (senior) Pastor may, at their discretion, preside at all meetings of the Church,
Diaconate and Church organisation.

All organisations associated with the Church shall formulate and present, for approval
to the Diaconate, guidelines governing their operations.

The leader of Church organisations shall be elected by the Church at the Annual
Church Meeting, upon nomination from the respective organisations, provided that
any Church member may submit a nomination. A closing date for nominations
should be set.

All organisations shall submit to the Diaconate the names of all appointees to their
various offices other than those elected at the Annual Church meeting. The
Diaconate shall then submit a report to a Church meeting that shall have the right to
discuss and confirm appointments. (Some Churches have found it helpful to have a
Co-Ordinating Council.)

A Church Co-Ordinating Council representative of the Church organisations and

Committees may be appointed and shall meet as required. The object of this council
is to ensure that all activities of the Church and its organisations function in harmony
and with maximum efficiency for the life of the Church. The Church meeting shall
determine annually the number of representatives each organisation shall have on
the Council.

The Church meeting may appoint groups for specific functions to assist in the general
operation of the Church's ministry. Such groups shall report to the Church in
co-operation with the Co-ordinating Council.

9. SUNDRY

9A. Ordinances

(a) Baptism
The Pastor may baptise any believer upon application at their discretion, or
alternatively a member of the pastoral team, Diaconate, Eldership or member of
the Church may baptise any believer upon approval of the Pastoral Team.

(c) The Lord's Supper

The Lord's Supper shall be observed regularly. All believers in the Lord Jesus
Christ shall be invited to take part in the Supper. Church members absent from
the Lord's Table for six consecutive months shall be visited.

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9B. The Trustees

The Trustees of all Church properties shall be the Baptist Churches of NSW Property
Trust.

9C. Property

Church buildings and properties shall not be used or occupied by people or

organisations for any purpose except where previous consent has been obtained
from the Church Secretary, who may give such consent in accordance with the
decisions and guidelines laid down by the Church.

9D. Insurance

Insurance shall be effected on all Church buildings and property in accordance with
the requirements of the Association of Baptist Churches of NSW & ACT.

9E. The Ministry

The ministry of the Church shall be supported and expenses met by voluntary
contributions. Cheques shall be signed on behalf of the Church by two of the
Diaconate, one of whom shall normally be the Church Treasurer.

9F. Auditors

Auditors shall be appointed at the Annual Church meeting and shall audit the financial
records of the Church for presentation at the Annual Church meeting (including all
organisations).

9G. Application of Church Assets and Income

The assets and income of the church shall be applied solely in the furtherance of its
charitable purpose and the advancement of religion and no portion shall be
distributed directly or indirectly to the Members except as bona fide reimbursement of
expenses incurred on behalf of the church.

9H. Church Dissolution

In the event of the church being dissolved, the amount that remains after such
dissolution and the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities shall: a) in the case of
property held in trust pursuant to the Baptist Churches of NSW Property Trust Act
1984, be dealt with in accordance with that Act and in particular Section 29 which
said trusts provide that no portion shall be distributed directly or indirectly to the
members of the Church: b) in all other cases be transferred to the Association of
Baptist Churches of NSW & ACT or to any other organisation with similar purposes
and which has rules prohibiting the distribution of its assets and income to its
members and which is exempt from income tax.

10. ALTERATIONS TO CONSTITUTION

No alteration shall be made to the Constitution except by a three-fourths' majority of

members present and eligible to vote at a meeting convened for the purpose.

Note: Some Church constitutions provide: "The quorum for such a meeting shall be
.. % of the membership"

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Any proposed change to the Constitution shall be given in writing as a Notice of
Motion to the Diaconate and shall be distributed by the Secretary to all members not
less than one month before the date of such meeting.

The Association of Baptist Churches of NSW & ACT shall be notified of any changes
to this Constitution by the Church Secretary within 14 days of any decision being
made by the Church.

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