Constitution

Constitution

CONSTITUTION

GRAND MESA SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCH

Cedaredge, Colorado

Established May 27, 1979

Revised April 15, 2018

PREAMBLE

We declare and establish this constitution for the preservation and security of the principles of our faith and in accordance with the historic Baptist position of the autonomy of the local church, which means full freedom of deliberation, decision and deportment under God’s leadership, without restriction, supervision, or domination from any outside individual, organization or institution. This constitution will also preserve the liberties of each individual member of this church.

ARTICLE I. NAME

This body shall be known as the Grand Mesa Southern Baptist Church of Cedaredge, Colorado.

 ARTICLE II. MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Church is to glorify God by fulfilling the Great Commandment and The Great Commission. Matthew 22:36-40; 28:18-20.

ARTICLE III. FUNCTIONS OF THE CHURCH

  1. Worship – To love the Lord with all your heart, to participate in public worship together and to maintain personal daily devotions. John 4:24, Psalm 34:3
  2. Ministry / Service – To serve unselfishly in Jesus’ name, meeting the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of those in our Church, community, and in the world. Matthew 25:34-40; 1 Thessalonians 5:11, Galatians 5:13; 1 Peter 4:10-11
  3. Discipleship / Education – To help members develop toward full Christian maturity and train them for effective ministry. To promote personal, spiritual growth and discipleship through Bible teaching. Ephesians 4:11-13; Matthew 18:20; 2 Timothy 2:2
  4. Evangelism / Missions – To communicate God’s Word and share the Good News of Jesus Christ with as many people as possible in our community and throughout the world. Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 2 Peter 3:9
  5. Fellowship – To encourage, support, and pray for each other as members of the family of God. To identify with the body of Christ and share our lives together. John 1:7; 13:35; Acts 2:44-47; Romans 15:5, 7; Hebrews 10:23-25
  6. Cooperation – To fulfill our mission, this church chooses to cooperate with the Uncompahgre Baptist Association, the Colorado Baptist General Convention, and the Southern Baptist Convention. Acts 11:29-30; Romans 12:13; Philippians 2:4

 ARTICLE IV. ARTICLES OF FAITH

  1. Our primary guide for doctrine and practice is the Holy Bible which we affirm to be inerrant and totally reliable for instruction in life and godliness.
  2. We further affirm the Baptist Faith and Message statement adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention on June 14, 2000 as our doctrinal statement with the following additions:
  3. Church Leadership

We affirm Article VI – The Church with the modification that elders and deacons are leaders of the church.

  1. 2. Marriage and Human Sexuality

We affirm Article XVIII – The Family with the following additions:

We believe marriage is a biblical institution established by God. GMSBC defines marriage as the permanent, exclusive, comprehensive, and conjugal “one flesh” union of one man and one woman, intrinsically ordered to procreations and biological family, and in furtherance of the moral, spiritual and public good of binding father, mother, and child. Therefore only such marriages which fit the description above may be conducted on our church property and/or be officiated by the pastoral staff of our congregation. Genesis 1:27-28; 2:18-24; 19:4-7; Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Proverbs 5:18-19; 18:22; Matthew 19:4-9; Mark 10:5-9; Romans 1:26-32; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Ephesians 5:31-33; Hebrews 13:4; 2 Peter 2:6-8; Jude 1:7

ARTICLE V. CHURCH COVENANT

As members of this church it is our common goal to grow to maturity in our relationship with Jesus Christ and to represent Him well in our community. To this end, we make the following commitments to each other and agree to work towards:

  1. Supporting one another through prayer, encouragement, and practical ministry.
  2. Putting the success of others above our own.
  3. Living an honest life before each other.
  4. Clearing up broken relationships with each other as soon as possible.
  5. Giving and receiving scriptural correction in a spirit of humility.
  6. Following spiritual authority of the church leadership within scriptural limits.
  7. Participating in the ministries of the church as we are led and gifted by God.
  8. Supporting the ministry of the church financially through regular giving.
  9. Living with our families and in our community in a manner that acknowledges Christ as Lord.

ARTICLE VI. CHURCH PROPERTY

  1. The property of this church, both real and personal, is vested in Grand Mesa Southern Baptist Church and shall be administered by the church trustees.
  2. In the event that division among the members of this church causes the church to dissolve, title to church property, real or personal, shall automatically revert to the Colorado Baptist General Convention. This Article is hereby declared irrevocable by future generations. This stipulation is included in the property deed.

ARTICLE VII. AMENDMENTS

Amendments to this Constitution except as specified in Article VI, Section B, may be made at any regular or special business meeting called for that purpose. The amendment(s) shall be published at least one month prior to a congregational vote. Adoption of the amendment(s) requires a three-fourths majority (75%) of a required quorum of forty percent (40%) of the current membership of the church.

ARTICLE VIII. PROVISION FOR BYLAWS

This Constitution authorizes the adoption of bylaws for the orderly administration of church affairs. These bylaws may not be in conflict with either the Word of God nor this Constitution.

This amended constitution was approved at a business meeting of the congregation of Grand Mesa Southern Baptist Church on Sunday, April 15, 2018.