Napa Valley Baptist Church

PREAMBLE: This Constitution together with any amendments approved by the Church on January 31, 2010 supersedes and declares null and void any previous Church Constitution and/or Bylaws for the Napa Valley Baptist Church located at 2303 Trower Ave., Napa, CA. 

Article I

Membership 

Section  1   General

This is an autonomous Baptist church, which is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The membership retains unto itself the exclusive right of self-government in all phases of the life of this church. The membership reserves the right to determine who shall be members of this church and the conditions of such membership. The membership of this church shall be composed of those persons who have given evidence of their Regeneration, who have been scripturally baptized, who have subscribed to the Constitution, Covenant and Declaration of Faith of the Napa Valley Baptist Church (Appendix---Declaration of  Faith is a separate sheet attached to this Constitution) without reservation.

Section  2   Candidacy  

Any born-again believer that has accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior may offer himself/herself as a candidate for membership in this church. All prospective members shall be asked the pertinent questions regarding salvation and mode of baptism and shall complete the membership class before being presented to the church. A majority vote shall be required for addition of such members to the membership roll of the church. All such candidates shall be presented to the church at any regular church service for membership in any of the following ways:

     A)   By profession of faith in Jesus Christ, followed by scriptural baptism.

     B)   By statement of previous profession of faith in Jesus Christ and scriptural baptism.

     C)   By transfer of letter of like faith and practice.

Section  3    Voting Rights of Members 

Every active member of the church is entitled to one (1) vote at all elections and on all questions submitted to the church in conference, provided the member is present and has reached  his or her eighteenth (18th) birthday. A member is one who has been accepted into the membership of this church and regularly attends the services of this church.

      A) Absentee ballots may be obtained by a current active member for extreme hardship when approved by a Deacon. The ballot must be signed by the member and returned in a sealed envelope to the church office no later than the start of any meeting called for a vote.

Section  4     Termination / Reinstatement  

Membership shall be terminated in the following ways:

     A)   Death

     B)    Transfer of letter to another church.

     C)    Exclusion through action of the church.

     D)   Upon permanently moving from the area.

     E)    Ceasing to attend for a period of 3 months.  (Exception will be made for members on extended     out-of-town vacation, work, extended illness or other assignments.)

In order for a former member to be reinstated to active membership, they must meet personally with the Pastor and then the Pastor will make a recommendation to the Deacons concerning reinstatement.

Section  5    Discipline 

It shall always be the purpose of this church to emphasize to its members that every reasonable measure will be taken to assist any troubled member. The Pastor is available for counsel and guidance. Redemption rather than punishment will be the guideline. (Matt. 18: 15-17: II Thes. 3:14-15). Should some serious condition exist which would cause the member to become a liability to the general welfare of the church, every reasonable measure will be taken by the Pastor to resolve the problem. A spirit of Christian love, kindness and forbearance shall pervade all such proceedings. But, finding that the welfare of the church will be best served by the exclusion of the member, the church may take this action. That excluded member does not become the enemy of the church but is to be treated as a wayward brother/sister/ (II Thes. 3:15).  In order for a former member to be reinstated to active membership, they must meet personally with the Pastor and then the Pastor will make a recommendation to the Deacons concerning reinstatement.

Article II

Church Officers/Leaders 

All Church Officers/ Leaders must have been members of this church for a minimum of one (1) year. A new Pastor and his family may be exceptions. They must adhere without mental reservation to the Church Constitution, Articles of Faith, and Covenant. They must abstain from all appearance of evil. They must observe both modesty and excellence at all times while in public view. The standard for all church officers, ministry leaders and teachers of this church is:  

     A)   Faithful attendance to all worship services of the church. Heb. 10:25

     B)   Live a separated life. II Cor. 6:14-7:1

     C)   Give the tithe (10%). II Cor. 8:7 ( We “give” the tithe and no longer “pay” the tithe). I Cor. 16:2,  Mal. 3:10D)   Loyalty to the Pastor and the church. I Tim. 5:17E)    Faithful attendance to  their Sunday school class or study group

     F)    Faithful attendance to special meetings.

Elections of officers will be held on the last Sunday of the month of January. The church officers will serve the following terms:

     A)    Pastor - Elected by the church, indefinite term

     B)    Deacon - Elected by the church, two (2) year term

     C)    Corporate Church Secretary - Elected by the church, two (2) year term

     D)   Church Treasurer – Elected by the church, two (2) year term

     E)   Church Clerk – Elected by the church, two (2) year term

The following offices of the church will be hired, appointed, assigned their duties, and dismissed by the Pastor with Deacon concurrence:

     A)    Pastoral Staff

     B)    Office Staff

     C)    Missions Team Leader

     D)   Finance Team Leader

     E)    Ministry Team Leaders

They will be required to adhere to the same standards as set forth in Article II   “requirements for church officers”.

Section  1    Pastor

The Pastor is responsible for leading the church to function as a New Testament church. The Pastor will lead the congregation, pastoral staff, office staff and the church staff.  His authority as leader of this church, in conjunction with the Deacons, is guaranteed based on his adherence to the requirements found in I and II Timothy and in Titus.

 The Pastor is the leader of pastoral ministries in the church:

     A)   Leads the church to engage in fellowship, worship, witness ministry, and evangelism.

     B)    Proclaims the Word of God without apology, thus spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout this community.

     C)    Cares for the church’s members and other persons in the community.

     D)   As caretaker of the pulpit will review with the Deacons as to who will and will not preach to or lead the assembly or portion thereof.

     E)    As the elected leader of the church, he shall serve as moderator of all business meetings. If the Pastor so chooses, he may ask a Deacon to preside. If there is no Pastor available, the elected Deacons will by majority elect a Spirit-filled man to lead the business meeting.

     F)    Is an exofficio member of all ministry teams.

Review    

A review of the Pastor and pastoral staff shall be conducted by the Deacons on an annual basis as a minimum or more often as deemed appropriate by the Deacons.

Procedure for calling a Pastor

A Pastor shall be chosen and called by the church whenever a vacancy occurs. His election shall take place at a meeting called for this purpose, of which at least one week’s public notice has been given.

The pulpit search team of current active members, full of the Holy Spirit, shall be chosen by  Deacons and affirmed by the church to seek out a suitable man. The team shall by majority vote select a male member to represent them before the church and possible candidates. The team’s recommendations will constitute a nomination. Any member has the privilege of making other nominations. However, he and his family must meet the standards set forth in I and II Timothy and Titus. No nominee will be brought before the church that:

     A)   Has not completed some form of theological training at an institution of Biblical Studies or has had at least three (3) years of successful experience as a Senior Pastor of another Baptist church.

     B)    Is not a male.

     C)    Has been divorced.

     D)   Is under the age of twenty-one (21). 

The search team shall bring to the consideration of the church only one name at a time. Each candidate shall preach/teach for a minimum of two (2) regular services before being voted on by the church. Election shall be by secret ballot. An affirmation vote of  (eighty-five percent (85%) of those active members present and voting will constitute a call. The Pastor thus elected shall serve until his relationship with the church is terminated either by his request or the church’s request.

Termination of the Pastor

When the Pastor’s services are to be terminated at the church’s request, an affirmation ballot vote of sixty percent (60%) of the active members present is necessary.

Resignation of the Pastor

A Pastor must give at least 60 days written notice to the Deacons if he intends to resign. The time limit of a Pastor’s resignation is subject to a lesser time if both the Pastor and Deacons, by mutual agreement, provide otherwise. 

Section  2    Nominating Team

The nominating team shall be made up of the Pastor, at least one (1) Deacon and a team of five (5) representatives from the congregation for the purpose of receiving  recommendations from active church members not less than one (1) month in advance of the business meeting called for the election of the following officers:

     A)   Deacon

     B)    Church Clerk

     C)    Church Treasurer

     D)   Corporate Church Secretary

The nominating team will consult with candidates recommended to review their qualifications and spiritual background before submitting the candidate to the church for a vote. Nominees will be rejected who do not meet the qualifications for each office.

Section  3    Deacon  

The number of Deacons needed may be adjusted as deemed necessary by the current Deacons however the Biblical standard of seven (7) will be the minimum goal.

Any member has the privilege of making recommendations for the office of Deacon to the nominating team. Being found to be “faithful” (II Tim.2:2) and doctrinally sound, they shall be presented to the church as candidates.

Deacons shall be elected at a regular business meeting of the church by secret ballot, with an affirmative majority vote of those members present and voting. In case of death, removal or incapacity to serve, the church may elect a Deacon to fill the unexpired term. After serving a term of two (2) years, a Deacon shall be eligible for re-election after one (1) year. The nominating team will present Deacon candidates to the congregation and Deacons as necessary.

Deacons are to be servants of the church, as clearly stated in both Acts 6 and I Timothy 3:8-13. Their primary role is that of spirit-filled problem solving and their secondary role is the application of their own gifts to a specific ministry of NVBC.

Those men to be considered for the office of Deacon will be:

     A)   A male

     B)    The Husband of One Wife...I Tim. 3:12

     C)    At Least Twenty-one (21) Years of Age

     D)   A member of NVBC for one (1) year.

Section  4    Church Clerk 

The Church Clerk shall keep a suitable book or electronic digital media as a record of all actions of the church. The Church Clerk is responsible for keeping a register of the names of members with dates of admission, active/inactive status, dismissal or death. The Church Clerk – will serve for a term of two (2) years. The Church Clerk shall meet the standards listed under Article II “Church Officers”.

Section  5    Corporate Church Treasurer 

The church will follow in all it’s financial dealings executed by officers of this church,  adhering to the commandments found in I Cor. 14:40 “ Let all things be done decently and in order”  and I Timothy 3:7…”Have a good report of them which are without” in all financial dealings. 

The Corporate Church Treasurer will ensure that all financial requirements stated in Section 9 of the Articles of Incorporation are followed by the church.

The Finance Team Leader, who may or may not be the Corporate Church Treasurer, will be responsible for the receipt of all funds, maintaining the appropriate confidential individual giving records, payment of all authorized bills and maintaining all appropriate accounting records.

The Finance Team is responsible for the appropriate payment of all-special and love offerings received. A report of all receipts and expenditures of the church will be presented at the annual business meeting.

The Finance Team will prepare a proposed annual budget, which will be presented to the church membership for approval at the annual business meeting.

The Finance Team will also be responsible for making monthly deposits to the Missions account of donations received and making payments to specific missionaries or mission agencies for special love offerings. 

All long term-financial commitments (more than one (1) year) must be approved by a majority vote of those current members present at any called business meeting.

Upon rendering the annual account at the beginning of each calendar year and its acceptance and approval by the church the records shall be delivered by the Corporate Church Treasurer to the Church Clerk who will keep and preserve the account as a part of the permanent records of the church.

The Corporate Church Treasurer will serve for a term of two (2) years.  The Corporate Church Treasurer shall meet the standards listed under Article II “Church Officers”.

Section   6    Corporate Church Secretary 

It will be the duty of the Corporate Church Secretary to be the custodian of this Constitution and to maintain an organized file of all-important church documents. All records will be stored at the church facility and any active member has the right to be shown by the Corporate Church Secretary or the Pastor’s designees any documents they wish to examine. Only the giving records of individual members are classified. The Corporate Church Secretary will serve for a term of two (2) years.  The Corporate Church Secretary shall meet the standards listed under Article II “Church Officers”.

Article III

Teams 

The Pastor with Deacon concurrence shall appoint such teams as may be deemed necessary to carry on the various programs of the church efficiently and excellently.

Article IV

Sunday School 

There shall be a Sunday school divided into departments and classes for all ages and conducted under the direction of the Pastor for the study of God’s Word.  The first (1st) Sunday in June shall be used for the purpose of promoting Sunday school members from one (1) class to another. Should a teacher wish to ask someone to help them in the teaching of their class, such persons will need to be approved by the Pastor. Any material taught outside of the Pastor’s class, will need to be approved by the Pastor.

Article V

Missions Policy 

Because the command to take the Gospel to all nations is clear and unmistakable, we as a church engage to fulfill that command by financially supporting missionaries who will represent Jesus Christ on our behalf in the rest of the world. The Pastor will appoint a spirit-filled member, to become our Missions Team Leader. The duties of the Missions Team Leader will be to ensure adherence to adopted Missions Guidelines and to oversee all donations given to the church for the work of missions. At the beginning of each month, the Missions Team Leader is responsible for the appropriate payment to all missionaries and or agencies that the church has previously voted to support on a monthly basis. The Missions Team may authorize individual support for short-term mission trips for Napa Valley Baptist Church members on a case-by-case basis. The Missions Team Leader will render an annual report in January of each year to be posted at the church and will deliver all such reports to the Church Clerk so that these may be included with church records.

Article VI

Ordinances 

Section  1    Baptism 

A person who receives Jesus Christ as Savior by personal faith, who professes Him publicly and who indicated a commitment to follow Christ as Lord shall be received as a candidate for baptism. Baptism shall be by immersion in water. Baptism shall be administered by the Pastor or men authorized by the church. Should the need arise, the church may give (by two-thirds vote) a Spirit-filled Deacon or male member of the congregation, authority to baptize those who have requested this ordinance.

Section  2    The Lord’s Supper 

The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby the local church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, commemorates the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and anticipates His return. The elements to be used will be non-alcoholic grape juice and unleavened bread. The Lord’s Supper shall be observed as scheduled. The Pastor and Deacons will be responsible for the administration of the Lord’s Supper to the church. We encourage those who are believers in Jesus Christ to participate in this ordinance.

Article VII

Church Meetings   

Section  1    Worship Services 

The church shall meet regularly each Sunday (at the scheduled times) for preaching, instruction and evangelism with the express objective of bringing honor and glory to God and sharing the Good News of salvation freely offered to all men through Jesus Christ. These meetings will be open to all people and shall be conducted under the direction of the Pastor.

Section  2    Special Services

Any other meetings, which shall be essential to the promotion of the objective of the church or that, the Pastor deems necessary.  

Section  3    Special Business Meetings 

The Pastor and/or Deacons may call a special business meeting when he or they deem it necessary. A specially called business meeting may be held to consider special needs or matters of significant nature. A one (1) week notice of the specially called meeting will be given with the subject, date, time and location.

Section  4    Annual Business Meeting 

The churches Annual Business Meeting will be held on the last Sunday in January in order to approve the new budget, fill vacancies in the offices of the church and conclude any business of the preceding year.

Section  5    Quorum 

The quorum consists of those active members who attend the meeting, provided it is a meeting that has been properly called.

Section  6    Parliamentary Rules 

Robert’s Rules of Order, revised, is the authority for parliamentary rules of procedure for all business meetings of the church.

Article VIII

Amendments 

Section  1    General 

Amendments to the Constitution shall be by a majority two-thirds vote of all members present and voting.

Section  2    Marriage 

Marriage is a sacrament of the Church. This Church defines “marriage” as the exclusive covenantal union of one (1) man and one (1) woman in which such union is a lifetime commitment ordained by God. A civil government’s sanction of a union will be recognized as a legitimate marriage by the church only to the extent that it is consistent with the definition of “marriage” found in this document.

Section  3    Human Sexuality 

Legitimate sexual relations are exercised solely within marriage. Hence, sexual activities outside of marriage (referred in the New Testament as “porneia”) including but not limited to, adultery, premarital sex, homosexuality, and pedophilia are inconsistent with the teachings of the Bible and this Church. Further, lascivious conduct, transgender behavior, and creation and/or distribution and/or viewing of pornography, are incompatible with the biblical witness.

A copy of this Constitution shall at all times be kept by the Corporate Church Secretary among the permanent records of the church. Two (2) copies shall be kept at the permanent church facility and copies will be supplied to any member who requests them from the Corporate Church Secretary.