Preamble

We, the members of Berean Bible Church willingly and solemnly submit ourselves to the following articles, as reflecting an orderly congregational life according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 14:33,40).

Article I: NAME

The name of this church shall be Berean Bible Church of Queensland.

Article II: AFFILIATION

Article III: PURPOSE

Article IV: ARTICLES OF FAITH

The Scriptures alone are the ultimate and final authority in all matters of faith and practice (Isa. 8:20; 2 Tim. 3:16- 17). However, we recognize the Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689 to be a sufficient summary statement of what the Scriptures teach and the essence of things most surely believed among us (Luke 1:1). We accept this historic document, which is in no way equal in authority to the Scriptures, as an assistance in controversy, a confirmation in faith, and a means of edification in righteousness.

Article V: CHURCH MEMBERSHIP

A. Requirements for Membership

i.

The local church ought to be composed only of those who are true disciples of Jesus Christ according to the Scriptures (Acts 2:47). Therefore, to be eligible for membership, a person must demonstrate repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21). This should result in a life evidently transformed by the power of Christ. This person should also be baptized in obedience to the Lord’s command after exercising faith in God (Matt. 28:19-20).

ii.

The church is responsible to strive to maintain the unity within its membership (Eph. 4:3). Therefore, members must be in substantial agreement with the confession and constitution of the church (1 Cor. 1:10), intend to give wholehearted support to its ministry (Acts 2:42) and willing to submit to the government (1 Cor. 14:40; Eph. 5:21; Heb. 13:17) and discipline of the church (Matt. 18:15-18).

B. Reception into Membership

i.	A person who wishes to apply for membership of the church must approach an elder indicating their desire.
ii.	At the discretion of the elders, the applicant will be required to complete a ‘Pre-Membership Study’. On completion of this study the applicant will be provided with a copy of the constitution, the Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689 and a membership application form.
iii.	The completed membership application form must be submitted to the elders, who will ordinarily seek an interview with the applicant. During the interview the elders shall seek to determine whether or not the applicant meets the requirements as stated in Section A of this Article.
iv.	If the applicant is or has been a member of another church, efforts will be made to determine the person’s standing in that church and the reasons for leaving (Acts 15:1-2 with 24-25). If a former church raises an objection, which the elders consider valid (3 John 8-10), the applicant may be denied membership at the discretion of the elders.
v.	If the elders are satisfied that the applicant meets the requirements for membership, they shall announce the same to the congregation at a stated meeting of the church. Usually the elders will request the applicant at this time to give a testimony (orally or written) to the church of their experience of the gospel of grace. A period of at least two weeks shall be allowed for objections or questions to be raised privately with the elders concerning the applicant’s life or doctrine. If no objection is raised which the elders deem to be valid, the members will be asked to express their consent by common suffrage (Acts 9:26-29).
vi.	Those applicants accepted as members shall be received into the church at a stated meeting of the church, usually the next meeting for the celebration of the Lord’s Supper.

C. Responsibilities of Membership

i. A Godly Corporate Life

a.	Members are required to attend all stated meetings of the church unless providentially hindered (e.g. illness, unusual working conditions, etc.). The stated meetings of the church are all which occur on the Lord’s Day, the prayer meeting, the church business meetings, and any special meetings which the elders consider necessary (Acts 2:42; Heb. 10:24-25).
b.	Each member must seek the good of the entire body, and not their own (Rom. 12:10). They must actively seek to get to know one another; to pray for one another; love, comfort, exhort and encourage one another; and bear one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2). They must endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit, in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3) and exercise their gifts for the benefit of all (1 Cor. 12:12-27), as God shall enable them.
c.	All members are expected to support, pray for and submit to the overseers of this church (1 Thes. 5:12-13; Heb. 13:17).
d.	It is clearly taught in Scripture that Christians should support the church through conscientious tithing and free-will offerings as God so prospers them (Mal. 3:8-10; 1 Cor. 16:1-2; 2 Cor. 8 and 9). All the members of this church are expected to conform to this rule of Scripture.

ii. A Godly Personal Life

a.	The church expects its members to make use of the various means of grace, which are available to them, such as the regular daily reading of the Bible (Ps. 1:2), private prayer (Matt. 6:6) and a proper reverence and careful observance of the Lord’s Day (Gen. 2:1-3; Ex. 20:8-11; Acts 20:7; Rev. 1:10).
b.	True religion involves keeping oneself unstained by the world (James 1:27), therefore members are expected to practice and cultivate godliness in all areas of life (Heb. 12:14).
c.	Such godliness will manifest itself in ones attitude and conduct toward our civil governments. Therefore according to the Scriptures, members are to lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence and they are to honour, obey and pray for all those in authority (Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Tim. 2:1-2; 1 Peter 2:13-17).
d.	The members of the church are expected to obey the teachings of the Bible in respect to family life and government. As the God-appointed head of the family, the husband must rule his household with gentleness and love but also with wisdom and firmness (Eph. 5:25-29). The wife must be in subjection to her husband in all things (Eph. 5:22-24). The parents must both nurture their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, by setting a godly example before them, by leading them in family worship, by instructing them consistently in the Scriptures, and by a wise and firm discipline including the use of the rod when needed (Eph. 6:1-4; Prov. 13:24; 29:15).
e.	It is the duty of every member to pray and labour according to his God-given ability and opportunity (Rom. 12:6) for the extension of the Kingdom of God both at home and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Therefore, every member should seek to recognize and seize every opportunity to bear witness to Christ by consistent Christian conduct and by verbal testimony (Matt. 10:32-33; Rom. 10:14; 1 Peter 3:14-16).

D. Removal from Membership

i.	By Physical Death. When a member of the church is removed from our midst by death, their name shall automatically be removed from the membership roll.
ii.	By Transfer. When it is requested, the elders may grant to a departing member in good standing a letter of commendation to another church (Acts 18:27). No such letter may be given to a member who is at the time under the corrective discipline of this church. The elders may also refuse to grant a letter of commendation to any church which is in their judgement disloyal to “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).
iii.	By Exclusion. If a member habitually absents themselves from the stated meetings of the church without showing just cause, they may be excluded from the membership. In such cases the elders shall try to contact the person and resolve the situation (Ezek. 34:4). If these efforts fail, the elders shall recommend to the church that the person be excluded. If the members of the church express their consent to the exclusion, the elders shall inform the person, when feasible, that they are no longer a member.
iv.	By Resignation. As a general rule, a member may voluntarily resign from the membership of this church. However, because of the seriousness of church membership, members should first consult with the elders. If after due counsel and admonition from the elders, the member still insists on withdrawing, the elders shall announce the person’s resignation to the members of the church. No resignation will be accepted from a person guilty of sin which warrants corrective discipline, and the church may proceed with public censure, suspension of privileges, or excommunication in accordance with the procedure outlined in Article VI.
v.	By Excommunication. According to the teaching of Holy Scripture a congregation must cut off from its fellowship and visible membership any person who blatantly and persistently acts in a disorderly or scandalous manner or who insists on holding heretical doctrine (Matt. 18:15-17; Rom. 16:17; 1 Cor. 5:1-13; Titus 3:10-11). The procedure to be followed in such excommunication is set forth in Article VI, Section B.

E. Roll of Membership

The elders are to ensure that an accurate record is maintained of current church members’ names, residential addresses and date of admission.

Article VI: CHURCH DISCIPLINE

The purposes of church discipline are the glory of God, the welfare and purity of the church (1 Cor. 5:6) and the restoration and spiritual growth of the offender (1 Cor. 5:5).

A. Ordinary Discipline
The church is under the discipline of Christ (ie. His instruction and correction). This is administered by the loving oversight of the elders (Heb. 13:17), the diligent application of the preached Word (2 Tim. 4:2) and the mutual care and exhortation of the members (Heb. 3:12-13, 10:24-25). There are occasions, however, when this form of discipline is insufficient and corrective discipline becomes necessary.

B. Corrective Discipline

i.	This discipline becomes necessary when disorderly or scandalous conduct or heretical doctrine appears among the members of the church. In all such cases reasonable efforts must be made to resolve difficulty, correct error, and remove offense through counsel and admonition before more drastic steps are taken (Gal. 6:1; James 5:19-20). The principles given to us in Matt. 18:15-16; Rom. 16:17-20; 1 Cor. 5; 2 Thes. 3:6-15; 1 Tim. 5:19-20 and Titus 3:10 must be carefully followed in all cases of corporate discipline.
ii.	When admonition is not heeded, suspension of some of the privileges of membership may need to be imposed, and if this measure fails, excommunication from the membership of the church may be necessary (Matt. 18:17).
iii.	If the elders have failed in their earnest effort to bring the offender to true repentance, they shall report the same to the congregation at a regular or specially called members meeting of the church and recommend that the offender be excommunicated – which must be done, according to Scripture by the entire church (Matt. 18:17; 1 Cor. 5:4). To be valid, an act of excommunication must have the approval of at least two-thirds of the members present and voting.
iv.	It is the duty of the church to forgive and restore to membership those persons who give satisfactory evidence of true repentance (2 Cor. 2:6-8). Excommunicated members shall be eligible for membership under the provisions of Article V.

Article VII: CHURCH ORDINANCES

There are two ordinances of special significance which our Lord has commanded us to observe, namely, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Neither of them has saving merit, nor is receiving them absolutely necessary for salvation, nor is any grace automatically imparted to the recipient through the water of baptism or the bread and the cup of the Supper (Luke 23:32-43). Nevertheless they are means of grace and powerful aids to the faith of believers who properly participate in them. Accordingly our Lord is concerned that they be observed unto edification, in a decent and orderly manner. Therefore, our policy regarding their observance is specified in the following sections.

A. Baptism

Only confessed disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ are proper candidates for baptism, and all such persons should be baptized and joined to a local church (Acts 2:38,41). The proper mode of baptism is a single immersion in water and “into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19). Believing that baptism is the God-ordained door of the entrance into the visible community of the people of God, we shall receive into the membership of the church only those who have been baptized on profession of their faith and who meet the requirements of Article V, Section A. Under unusual circumstances and at the discretion of the elders, we may receive those who have been baptized as a believer by a mode other than immersion.

B. The Lord’s Supper

Whereas baptism should be observed only once by each believer, the Lord’s Supper should be celebrated frequently by the assembled church (1 Cor. 11:26). While this is a most holy ordinance and should be observed with reverence and dignity, the bread and the cup of supper are and remain only symbols of the broken body and the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 11:17-34). The Lord’s Supper shall, under normal circumstances, be celebrated by the church once every month.

Article VIII: CHURCH OFFICERS

Jesus Christ alone is Head of the church (Col. 1:18), and He governs His church through office-bearers whom He appoints and who are endowed by His Spirit with the gifts and graces needed to accomplish their work. According to the New Testament there are only two officers: elder and deacon (Phil.1:1; 1 Tim. 3:1-13). It is the duty of the church to seek and discover among its members those to whom the Lord Jesus Christ has imparted the necessary gifts for office- bearing, and after formally recognising them by common suffrage, to set them apart by united prayer, and then to submit to their authority.

A. Elders

i.	Whereas in a new or small congregation only one man may have the gifts necessary to his being recognized as an elder, the Scriptures teach that normally there should be a plurality of elders in a local church (Acts 20:17; Phil. 1:1). These are also called “bishops” (meaning ‘overseers’) because they are charged with the oversight of the assembly (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2). They are the “pastors and teachers” given to the church “for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:11-12).
ii.	The elders’ oversight of the local church includes the preaching and teaching of the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:20,27), the watching out for the welfare of the soul of every member of the church (Heb. 13:17), and the directing of the church in all its tasks (1 Tim. 3:4-5). Such oversight must be exercised with sensitivity to the congregation (Ezek. 34:4; Acts 6:5) and in the manner fitting for servants and examples in the church (1 Peter 5:3).
iii.	The elders of the church are all equal in office and authority (Acts 20:28; Heb. 13:17), but diverse in gift and function. Each elder must be “able to teach” (1 Tim. 3:2) and must be engaged in private instruction and admonition and in the administration and government of the church (Acts 20:20,28; 1 Thes. 5:12). However, some elders will be more gifted by God, more experienced and more involved in the pastoral office (Rom. 12:3-8). For example, some will be more engaged in public preaching and teaching than others (1 Tim. 5:17). In view of this diversity of gift as well as the numerous and serious responsibilities of the office, it is highly desirable that at least one elder should devote himself full-time to the work. In such a case, the church is responsible to give adequate financial support, according to its ability (1 Cor. 9:14; 1 Tim. 5:17-18).
iv.	The qualifications for an elder are clearly set forth in Scripture – 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9.

B. Deacons

i.	Deacons are responsible to administer the ordinary business, secular affairs and benevolent concerns of the church so that the elders may devote themselves without distraction to the matters of spiritual oversight (Acts 6:2-4). They must fulfil the duties of their office in co-operation with and in subjection to the elders of the church (1 Tim. 3:10).
ii.	Among others, their duties include ensuring proper handling of receipt and disbursement of moneys received, presentation of an annual financial report to the annual business meeting, as well as appointing annually a person in good standing to act as auditor of the church accounts.
iii.	While the deacons are not rulers in the church, their office must be held in high esteem, for by serving well they obtain for themselves a good standing (1 Tim. 3:13).
iv.	The number of deacons shall not be fixed. The church shall choose as many as are needed for the work to be done from among the men who give evidence of having the scriptural qualifications for the office.
v.	The qualifications for a man chosen to fulfil the office of Deacon are set forth in Acts 6:3, 5 and 1 Timothy 3:8-13.

C. Appointment of Church Officers

i.

The local church, under the guidance of the Scriptures and in dependence upon the Holy Spirit, is responsible to appoint men to the offices of elder and deacon (Acts 6:3-6). Each potential officer should have an inward conviction that the Lord is calling him to this particular office, and the church should recognise that call as it observes in the man the gifts and graces which Scripture requires for the particular office. Any man called to office in this church must be able conscientiously to affirm his agreement with our Confession of Faith and submission to the Constitution of the church. Should he at any time change his convictions respecting these standards, he is under obligation to make this fact known to the church (Psalm 34:13; Eph. 4:25).

ii.

The responsibility to recognize the gifts of Christ to His church is a matter of such gravity that it should be accompanied by much prayerful waiting on God for guidance, a careful perusal of the relevant passages of Scripture and an objective evaluation of each man considered for a particular office. These activities are the responsibility of each individual member of the church as well as of the church as a whole (Acts 6:1-6).

a. Nominations
Nominations to the office of elder or deacon shall be made by the elders (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5). In order to assist the elders in their task of nominating men, the members are expected to consider whether any men are qualified for office and to communicate the names of such men to the elders (Acts 6:1-7). The elders will consider the recommendations and determine, after careful examination and prayer, whether they should nominate any of the suggested men to office. The elders may at any time during the year nominate a candidate or candidates to either office and call a special church business meeting for their public approval. Likewise, members are free at any time to suggest to the elders the names of men whom they consider to be potential future officers.

b. Congregational Vote

(1)

Following nomination by the elders, congregational approval will be sought (Acts 15:22). The name of the man nominated by the elders shall be submitted to the congregation three Lord’s Days prior to the church business meeting in which the nomination will be considered. During this period the members have a solemn obligation to prayerfully assess the nominee in the light of relevant passages of Scripture. Any member who has reservations about the man’s fitness for office should contact him or one of the elders. Failure to resolve the matter to the elders’ satisfaction may warrant postponement of the congregational vote.

(2)

When the business meeting is conducted at which a nomination is considered, the candidate for office and any member of his immediate family who are present shall be requested to leave the room while the qualifications are openly discussed by the entire congregation in the fear of God and the light of Scripture (1 Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9). After that a congregational vote shall be taken. It is hoped that the vote of the members will in such matters always be unanimous, but if unanimity is not realized, no less than three-fourths majority of the members present and voting shall be required for the election of an office-bearer.

c. Installation
Following the recognition of an officer by congregational vote, he shall be installed in his office at a regular worship service by prayer and the laying on of hands by the elders (Acts 6:6; 14:23).

d. Affirmation
Church officers shall hold office as long as they are faithful to their calling and have the confidence of the congregation. The church shall affirm (or express the withdrawal of) its confidence in each officer no later than four years following the date of his installation, and no later than every four years thereafter. The procedure for affirmation shall be the same as that outlined in Section C, ii, b of this Article. The elders may at their discretion call for a vote of confidence in any officer at any time.

e. Termination

(1)	Any church officer who, in examining himself before God, becomes convinced that he is no longer qualified, or for other good and valid reasons, may resign from office without prejudice to his character and standing in the church (unless some matter for discipline is involved). In any case such as this, the elders (or the rest of the elders) should be sought for counsel and direction before the resignation is offered.
(2)	Church officers are subject to the same discipline as the other members of the church, with the especial directive in the case of elders that two or three witnesses are necessary to confirm any accusation made against them (1 Tim. 5:19-20). Any officer brought under the discipline of the church shall automatically be dismissed from his office until such time as he may be re-appointed by the procedures outlined in Section C of this Article.
(3)	Any church officer who fails to retain the confidence of the congregation and is not affirmed in that office will be dismissed from office. His standing in the church is not affected by this action unless a matter of discipline is involved.

Article IX: CHURCH BUSINESS MEETINGS

Article X: DISSOLUTION

Recognising that the Lord controls providence for His glory (Psalm 135:6; Isaiah 46:10-11), it may become necessary to dissolve this church. Such a dissolution may only be accomplished through a specially called members meeting wherein a three-fourths majority vote shall be required to effectuate the dissolution. Any and all property and other assets, or the proceeds from the sale of such, shall then be given to another church (or churches) which adheres to the statement of faith as set our in Article IV.

Article XI: AMENDMENTS

The Berean Bible Church is committed to the final authority of the Holy Scriptures, as is stated in Article IV. Therefore, as God grants fresh light from His Word, we shall seek to amend this constitution, thereby adjusting our conduct according to that light (Psalm 119:59-60; Acts 5:29).

Amendments to this constitution shall require a three-fourths affirmation of the membership present at a meeting called for that purpose. No proposed amendment may be voted on which has not been distributed to the congregation in written form at least one month prior to such a meeting.

“To Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” Ephesians 3:21

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