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Constitution
ARTICLE I– NAME
The name of this church shall be Bay Area Baptist Church – An Independent Baptist Church – of Largo, Florida, Incorporated under the laws of the State of Florida.
ARTICLE II – PURPOSE
Section A – This congregation is organized as a church exclusively for charitable,
religious, and educational purposes within the meaning of Section 501 (c) (3) of
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or the corresponding provision of any future United
States Revenue Law), including, but not limited to, for such purposes, the establishing
and maintaining of religious worship, the building, maintaining and operating of
churches, parsonages, schools, chapels, radio stations, cemeteries, and any other
ministries that the Church may be led of God to establish. It is further intended
that any such activities or any others which may evolve under the sponsorship of
the church shall be under the direction of the Pastor and Board of Deacons in accordance
with the provisions of the By-
Section B – The purpose of this Church shall be to carry out the command of our Lord Jesus Christ Who has made the Church to be His earthly body. We shall do this by:
- Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together – Hebrews 10:25.
- Observing His ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper – Matthew 28:18-
20; I Corinthians 11:23- 26. - Edifying His people in all spiritual grace – Ephesians 4:11-
16. - Witnessing for Him in our community and to the fullest possible extent throughout
the whole world. Matthew 28:18-
20. - Spreading the Gospel through means of public worship, literature, radio, television, and any other means suitable and appropriate for this purpose – Acts. 1:8.
- Training Children and families in Bible Doctrine, philosophy, and practice. Proverbs 22:6.
Section C – The Church shall also ordain and license men to the Gospel ministry; evangelize the unsaved by the proclaiming of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ; educate believers in a manner consistent with the requirements of Holy Scripture, both in Sunday and weekday schools of Christian education; and engage in any other ministry that the Church may decide, from time to time, to pursue in obedience to the will of God.
ARTICLE III – STATEMENT OF FAITH
SECTION 1 – Doctrine of the Bible
We believe in the Bible as the verbally (every word) and plenary (completely) inspired
Word of God as contained in the original manuscripts; that all portions of Scripture
are equally inspired and contain no contradictions; that the Scriptures are to be
the only rule of faith and practice for the believer in Jesus Christ; and that the
Canon, the sixty-
SECTION 2 – Doctrine of God
We believe that there is one and only one, living and true God, an infinite, intelligent Spirit Whose name is Jehovah, the Maker and Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth; that He is inexpressively glorious in holiness and worthy of all possible honor, confidence, and love. We believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three Persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and that these three are one God, having precisely the same nature, attributes, and perfections; and are worthy of precisely the same homage, confidence, and obedience; they are equal in every divine perfection and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. We believe that Allah is not a name for God but that he is a demon or Satan Himself impersonating God but not the God of the Bible. Genesis 1:1; Exodus 15:11; Psalm 83:18; Matthew 28:19; Mark 12:29, 30; John 1:1; 10:30; 14:16, 17; I Timothy 3:16; Ephesians 2:18.
SECTION 3 – Doctrine of Jesus Christ
We believe in the essential deity and virgin birth of our Lord Jesus Christ; that
He was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, not having human father,
and is true God and true man; that He is man’s only hope of salvation from sin, being
the only mediator between God and man; that he died, and was buried, and rose again
the third day for our sins according to the Scriptures; that His return for His Church,
the Body of Christ, which He will take with Himself into heaven is imminent; and
that He will come to this earth to set up His millennial reign. Isaiah 7:14; Luke
1:35; Matthew 1:18; John 1:1-
SECTION 4 – Doctrine of the Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit to be coequal with the Father and with the Son. He is
a person. He came to this earth as the fulfillment of Christ’s promise. He convicts,
regenerates, indwells, seals, fills, empowers, and guides the believer. John 16:7-
SECTION 5 – Doctrine of Man
We believe that God created man in His own image and that man sinned and thereby
incurred not only physical death, but also spiritual death, which is a conscious
and eternal separation from God. We believe that all men are born with a sinful
nature, evidenced by sinful acts; that man is totally depraved; and that if he is
not born again, he is eternally lost. Genesis 1:26-
SECTION 6 – Doctrine of Salvation
We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace through the mediatory
offices of the Son of God, Who, by the appointment of the Father, freely took upon
Him our nature; that being conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary,
yet without sin, He honored the divine law by His personal obedience and by His death
made full atonement for our sins; that, having risen from the dead, He is now enthroned
in heaven and uniting in His wonderful person the tenderest sympathies with the divine
perfections, He is in every way qualified to be the suitable, and compassionate and
all-
We believe that a person is saved when he, in the simultaneous act of repentance
and faith, accepts Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and Lord in all that He is
without exception. The believer is kept by the power of God and is eternally secure
in Christ. The basis of our salvation is the precious blood of Christ according
to I Peter 1:18-
We believe that the scope of Salvation included forgiveness of all our sins, past, present, and future; a perfect standing before God as in Jesus Christ; and the changing of our earthly body to be conformed like unto the body of our Lord at His return for His own.
We believe that the attitude either of reconciliation or enmity toward God is eternally
fixed at death. We further believe that there is an appointed day for the judgment
of the wicked when they will be cast into the lake of fire, there to remain in everlasting
conscious punishment and torment. John 1:12; 5:24; 10:28,29; Romans 6:23; I John
3:2; II Thessalonians 1:7-
SECTION 7 – Doctrine of Justification
We believe that the great Gospel blessing, which Christ secures to such as believe in Him, is justification; that justification included the pardon of sin and the promise of eternal life in Heaven; that it is bestowed not in consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done, but solely through faith in the Redeemer’s blood, by virtue of which faith His perfect righteousness is freely imputed to us of God; that justifications brings us into the state of most blessed peace and favor with God and secures every other blessing needful for time and eternity. John 1:16; Acts 13:39; 4:4,5; 5:1,2; Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 5:1; Galatians 3:6; Philippians 3:9; Genesis 15:6; Galatians 3:24.
SECTION 8 -
We believe that the blessings of Salvation are made free to all by the Gospel; that it is the immediate duty of all to accept them by the cordial, penitent, and obedient faith; and that nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner on earth but his own inherent depravity and voluntary rejection of the Gospel, which rejection involves him in an aggravated condemnation. Isaiah 55:1; Romans 16:25,26; John 5:40; 3:19; II Peter 3:9; Ephesians 2:8,9; John 1:12.
SECTION 9 – Doctrine of Grace in Regeneration
We believe that, in order to be saved, sinners must be regenerated or born again;
that regeneration consists in giving a holy disposition to the mind; that it is affected
in a manner above our comprehension by the power of the Holy Spirit, in connection
with divine truth, so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the Gospel; that it’s
proper evidence appears in the holy fruits of repentance, faith and newness of life.
John 3:3; 3:8; II Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 5:9; Galatians 5:16-
SECTION 10 – Doctrine of Repentance and Faith
We believe that repentance and faith are sacred duties and also inseparable graces,
wrought in our souls by the regenerating Spirit of God, whereby being deeply convinced
of our guilt, danger, and helplessness and of the way of Salvation by Christ; we
turn to God with unfeigned contrition, confession, and supplication for mercy; and
at the same time we heartily receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our prophet, Priest,
and King, and rely on Him alone as the only and all sufficient Savior. Mark 1:5;
Acts 11:18; Ephesians 2:8; Acts 2:37-
SECTION 11 – Doctrine of God’s Purpose of Grace
We believe that election is the eternal purpose of God according to which He graciously
regenerates, sanctified, and saves sinners; that being perfectly consistent with
the free agency of man, God’s purpose comprehends all the means in connection with
the end; that grace is a most glorious display of God’s sovereign goodness, being
infinitely free, wise, holy and unchangeable; that grace utterly excludes boasting
and promotes humility, love, prayer, praise, highest degree; that it may be ascertained
by its effects in all who truly believe the Gospel; that it is the foundation of
Christian assurance; that to ascertain it with regard to ourselves demands and deserves
the utmost diligence. II Timothy 1:8,9; II Thessalonians 2:13,14; Exodus 33:18,19;
II Timothy 2:10; II Peter 1:10,11; Romans 8:28-
SECTION 12 – Doctrine of Sanctification
We believe that sanctification is the process by which, according to the will of
God, we are made partakers of His Holiness; that it is a progressive work; that
it is begun in regeneration; and that it is carried on in the hearts of believers
by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit – the Sealer and Comforter, self-
SECTION 13 – Doctrine of Perseverance of Saints
We believe that such only are real believers as endure unto the end; that their perseverance
attachment to Christ is the grand mark which distinguishes them from superficial
professors; that a special Providence watches over their welfare; and that they are
kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. John 3:21; I John 2:19; Romans
8:28; Philippians 1:6; Ephesians 1:13,14; I Peter 1:7; Jude 24; II Peter 2:20-
SECTION 14 – Doctrine of law and the Gospel
We believe that the law of God is the eternal and unchangeable rule of His moral government; that it is holy, just, and good; that the inability which the Scriptures ascribe to fallen men to fulfill its precepts arises entirely from their ability and to restore them through the mediator, to unfeigned obedience to the Holy Law and of the means of grace connected with the establishment of the visible church. Romans 3:21; 7:21; 8:7,8; 8:2,4.
SECTION 15 – Doctrine of the Church
We believe that the local Church is composed of:
- A local group of believers who are autonomous and self-
governing with no ecclesiastical organization in authority over them. - Believers who are baptized by immersion;
- Believers who are organized; they have for their officers – pastors, deacons, and such other leaders as God has given special gifts to render as a ministry to the church;
- Believers who meet regularly for fellowship, worship, and Bible study.
- Believers who observe the ordinances of baptism and the Lord ’s Supper.
- Believers who carry out the great commission.
I Corinthians 12:13; Acts 2: I Thessalonians 4:13-
SECTION 16 – Doctrine of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion in water of a believer, in the
name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to show forth in a solemn and beautiful
emblem our faith in the crucified, buried and risen Savior with its effect in our
death to sin and resurrection to a new life. We believe that the Lord ’s Supper,
in which the members of the Church by the sacred use of the bread and wine (grape
juice) are to commemorate together the dying love of Christ, is to be preceded always
with solemn self-
SECTION 17 – Doctrine of the Lord’s Day
We believe that the first day of the week is the Lord’s Day and is to be kept sacred
to religious purposes by abstaining from all secular labor, except works of mercy
and necessity; by the devout observance of all means of grace, both private and public;
and by preparation for that rest which remains for all the people of God. Acts 20:7;
Psalm 118:24; Isaiah 58:13,14; Hebrews 4:3-
SECTION 18 – Doctrine of Civil Government
We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and good
order of human society; and that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously
honored, and obeyed, except only in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who is the only Lord of the kings of the earth. Romans 13:1-
SECTION 19 – Doctrine of the Righteousness and the Wicked
We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous
and the wicked; that such only as through faith are justified in the name of the
Lord Jesus and sanctified by the
Spirit of our God are truly righteous in His esteem
while all such as continue in impenitence and unbelief are in His sight wicked and
under the curse; and that this distinction holds among men both in and after death.
Malachi 3:18; I John 5:19; Luke 16: 25,26.
SECTION 20 – Doctrine of Satan and Fallen Angels
We believe that Satan is a person. He is a created being who sinned and became the
arch enemy of God and His creation. He is the chief adversary of God’s children.
He seeks to keep man from the Lord; and when he cannot succeed in this, he seeks
to weaken the testimony of Christians. He has at his command a great host of fallen
angels and demons to carry out his purposes. He is not omnipotent and can be overcome
by the power of God. His doom is sealed in the lake of fire forever and ever. Ezekiel
28: 12-
SECTION 21 – Doctrine of Last Things
We believe that there will be a resurrection of all, first the just at the coming
of Jesus Christ, and finally the unjust after the millennium. The saints are raised
to be forever with the Lord, and the unsaved will be confined for eternity in the
Lake of Fire. We believe in the Blessed Hope, which is the personal bodily pre-
SECTION 22 – Doctrine of the World to Come
We believe that the end of this age is approaching (I Peter 4:7). We believe that
God will create a new heaven and a new earth; that we will dwell in heaven with Jesus
forever, and will have access to the new heaven and earth; that we will never again
see death or tears or crying, or pain or evil or sin; that all these will be passed
away, that we will be united with loved ones and saints of all ages in heaven to
live with our Savior forever and ever. John 8:51; 11:25, 26; I Thessalonians 4:13-
SECTION 23 – Doctrine of Separation
We believe that God commands Christians to be separated people according to II Corinthians
6:17-
Bay Area Baptist Church will be separated from all forms of apostasy and religious inclusivism. We reject ecumenical movements which join all churches into one body regardless of doctrine or practice and the charismatic renewal movement with its unscriptural emphasis on tongues and healing. Bay Area Baptist Church will enjoy fellowship with churches of like faith and order, but will have no part in any council of churches that is ecumenical in nature and thrust.
We believe that Christians are to be personally separated from all worldly practices
that hinder spiritual growth and stability. We believe that God’s people should
not love the world or the things that are in the world (I John 2:15-
SECTION 24 – Doctrine of Christian Practice
Bay Area Baptist Church believes that a Christian should live a holy life, and be
separated from the world, and maintain a testimony consistent with the New Testament.
We also believe that by the power of the Holy Spirit, we all should walk together
in Christian love, strive for the advancement of this Church in knowledge, holiness
and godliness; hold a conviction that Christianity is a way of life and therefore
should be propagated through Bible centered and Christ-
Bay Area Baptist Church encourages all of our members to maintain family and private devotions, to rear the children with Christian schooling from kindergarten through twelfth grade and then encourage the attending of a Christian college; to seek the salvation of kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; and be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment; to be zealous in our effort to win souls to Christ; to avoid all tattling, backbiting, and excessive anger; and to abstain from the sale and use of intoxicating drink as a beverage, and from the improper sale and use of narcotics. We believe that this use of narcotics extends to the almost drug like craving for Rock & Roll and any form of CCM music that has so permeated homes and churches in our time. We believe that only music which has the “melody” that is referred to in Ephesians 5:19 can be truly spiritual music and that all music based on either harmony or more particularly rhythm are classified as worldly and unholy music.
We further encourage each member to show brotherly love toward one another; to remember each other in prayer; to aid each other in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation and mindful of the rules of our Savior, to secure it without delay.
Should the will of God direct any to move from this area, we encourage each, as soon
as possible to unite with some other church of like faith and practice and thereby
continue living a testimony for Christ and living the principles of God’s Word. I
Thessalonians 5:8-
SECTION 25 – Doctrine of Christian Education
Bay Area Baptist Church believes that the children of our families need an education that trains children not to walk in the counsel of the ungodly (Psalm 1:1). The families need to obey Colossians 2:8, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”
Therefore Bay Area Baptist Church believes that it must provide a Christian School to train the young people and it must encourage all member families to enroll their children in a Christian School. We believe that we must see that our children are protected according to Proverbs 19:17, “Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge.”
SECTION 26 – Doctrine of Human Sexuality
We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity should be engaged
in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of
homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery,
and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. Genesis 2:24; 19:5:
13: 26:8-
SECTION 27 – Doctrine of The Beginning of Human Life
We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living
human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human
life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions or pregnancies
due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control,
or the mental well-
SECTION 28 – Doctrine of Lawsuits Between Believers
We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other
Christians or Bay Area Baptist Church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the
Church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between
members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries
from another Christian’s Insurance Company as long as the claim is pursued without
malice or slander. I Corinthians 6:1-
SECTION 29 – Doctrine of Giving
We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted
to him, is obligated to support his local church financially. We believe that God
has established the tithe as a basis for giving but that every Christian should also
give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the spread of the Gospel. We
believe that a Christian relinquished all rights to direct the use of the tithe or
offering once the gift has been made. Genesis 14:20; Proverbs 3:9-
The Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself is the sole and final source of all that we believe. We do believe, however, that the foregoing Statement of Faith accurately represents the teaching of the Bible, and therefore, is binding upon all members.
ARTICLE IV – COVENANT
Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and on profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of our Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, we do now, in the presence of God, angels, and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into the covenant with one another, as one body in Christ.
We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian
love; to strive for the advancement of Bay Area Baptist Church in knowledge, holiness
and comfort; to promote its prosperity, and spirituality; to sustain its worship,
ordinances, discipline and doctrines; to give it a sacred preeminence over all institutions
of human origin; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry,
the spread of the Gospel through all nations. We also engage to maintain family
and private devotions; to religiously educate our children; to seek the salvation
of our kindred, acquaintances, and all others; to walk circumspectly in the world;
to be just in our dealings, faithful to our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment;
to avoid all tattling, backbiting, and excessive anger; to abstain from worldly amusements
such as movie attendance, gambling, rock & roll music, CCM music, and dancing; to
be free from all oath-
We further engage to watch over one another in brother love; to remember each other in prayer; to aid each other in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy of speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation, and mindful of the rules of our Savior to secure reconciliation without delay.
We moreover engage, that when we remove from this place, we will as soon as possible, unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word.
ARTICLE V – MEMBERSHIP
SECTION 1 – Qualifications for Membership
Upon a majority vote of the members present at any Bay Area Baptist Church service or meeting, membership shall be extended to all who have had and whose lives evidence a genuine experience of regeneration through faith in and acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Savior; who renounce sin; who endeavor to live a consecrated life wholly unto the Lord; who fully subscribe to the Statement of Faith contained herein; and who enter into the Bay Area Baptist Church covenant contained herein; and upon compliance with any one of the following conditions:
- By baptism (immersion) as a true believer in Christ Jesus as personal Savior and Lord.
- By letter of transfer from another Bible-
believing church of like faith and practice, or other written statement of good standing from the prior church if the applicant has been baptized by immersion subsequent to a profession of faith; - By testimony of faith, having been baptized by immersion; or
- By restoration, if having been removed from membership, upon a majority vote of the congregation after confession is made publicly before the Bay Area Baptist Church membership of the sin or sins involved, and satisfactorily evidencing repentance to the Pastor (or the Board of Deacons if the office of Pastor is vacant).
SECTION 2 – Duties of a Member
On becoming a member of Bay Area Baptist Church, in addition to the covenant contained
in Article IV, each one further covenants to love, honor, and esteem the pastor;
pray for him; and to recognize his authority in the spiritual affairs of Bay Area
Baptist Church; to cherish a brotherly love for all members of Bay Area Baptist Church;
to support Bay Area Baptist Church in prayer, tithes, offerings and with other financial
support as the Lord enables; and in accordance with Biblical commands to support
through a life-
SECTION 3 – Privileges of Membership
This congregation functions, not as a pure democracy, but as a body under the headship
of the Lord Jesus Christ and the direction of the Pastor as the under-
SECTION 4 – Discipline of a Member
- There shall be a Discipline Committee consisting of the Pastor and the Board of Deacons. These men shall have sole authority in determining heretical deviations from the Statement of Faith and violations of the Church Covenant. If the Pastor or a deacon is the subject of a disciplinary matter, he shall not sit as a member of the Discipline Committee. He shall be entitled to the same steps as other Church members and be subject to the same discipline.
- Members are expected to demonstrate special loyalty and concern for one another. When a member becomes aware of an offense of such magnitude that it hinders spiritual growth and testimony, he is to go alone to the offending party and seek to restore his brother. Before he goes, he should first examine himself. When he goes, he should go with a spirit of humility and have the goal of restoration.
- If reconciliation is not reached, a second member, either a deacon or the Pastor
is to accompany the one seeking to resolve the matter. This second step should also
be preceded by self-
examination, and exercised in a spirit of humility and with the goal of restoration. - If the matter is still unresolved after the steps outlines in the subsections “B”
and “C” have been taken, the Discipline Committee, as the Church representatives
Biblically responsible for putting down murmuring, shall hear the matter. If the
matter is not resolved during the hearing before the Discipline Committee, the Committee
shall recommend to the Members of Bay Area Baptist Church that they, after self-
examination, make an effort personally to go to the offending member and seek that member’s restoration. - If the matter is still unresolved after the steps outlined in subsections “B”, “C”, and “D” have been taken, such members who refuse to repent and be restored are to be removed from the membership of Bay Area Baptist Church upon a majority vote of the membership present at a meeting called for the purpose of considering disciplinary action.
- No matter may be heard by the Discipline Committee or Bay Area Baptist Church unless the steps outlined in subsections “B” and “C” have been taken, except in the case of a public office.
- If an unrepentant offending party is removed from Bay Area Baptist Church’s membership, all contact with him from that point forward must be for the sake of restoration (except family members).
SECTION 5 – Transfer of Membership
- The membership of any individual member shall be automatically terminated without notice if the member in question has not attended a regular service of Bay Area Baptist Church in the preceding months. Upon good cause being shown to the Pastor, this provision for termination may be waived in the case of any individual member at the discretion of the Pastor.
- No member of Bay Area Baptist Church may hold a membership in another church. If any member unites in membership with another church, that person is automatically terminated without notice from membership in Bay Area Baptist Church.
- A member may resign at any time, but no letter of transfer or written statement of good standing will be issued upon such resignation, except at the discretion of the Pastor.
ARTICLE V – OFFICERS
SECTION 1 – Church Officers
The Church officers of Bay Area Baptist Church are the Pastor (see Article VI Section 1), Deacon (see Article VI, Section 2), Minister of Records (see Article VI, Section 3), and Minister of Finance (see Article VI, Section 6). One person may hold two or more offices except that of Pastor. The Pastor, from time to time as he deems appropriate, may appoint other Church Officers, subject to a confirmation vote of Bay Area Baptist Church’s membership.
SECTION 2 – Designation of Corporate Officers
As an accommodation to legal relationships outside of Bay Area Baptist Church, the
Pastor shall serve as President of the Corporation; The Minister of Records shall
serve as Secretary of the Corporation; the Minister of Finances shall serve as the
Treasure of the Corporation; and the Chairman of the Board of Deacons shall serve
as Vice-
SECTION 3 – Eligibility for continuance in Office
- All Bay Area Baptist Church officers shall affirm their agreement with the Statement of Faith (As set forth in Article III) annually in the presence of each other.
- All Bay Area Baptist Church officers must be approved initially and thereafter annually by the Pastor in order for them to commence or continue in their offices.
- Only Bay Area Baptist Church members are eligible for election or appointment to any Church office or position.
SECTION 4 – Terms of Office
The length of terms of office shall be as follows:
- The relationship between the Pastor and Bay Area Baptist Church shall be permanent
unless dissolved at the option of either party by the giving of a month’s notice,
or less by mutual consent. The severance of the relationship between the Pastor
and Grace Baptist Church may be considered at any regular Church Administration meeting,
provided notice to that effect shall have been given from the pulpit to the church
two Sundays prior to said regular Church Administration meeting. A three-
fourths majority of the members present and voting shall be required to decide the matter. Disciplinary removal of the Pastor from office automatically terminates his membership. A restoration to membership after disciplinary removal will be subject to the requirements of Article IV, Section 1 “D.” - The term of service for all offices and positions in Bay Area Baptist Church, except
the Pastor, shall be one year, at the expiration of which they may be re-
elected or re- appointed. - A vacancy occurring in any office or board, except in the case of the Pastor, may be filled at any regular Church Administration meeting.
- All elected and appointed officers shall serve in their respective offices until their successors are duly elected or appointed.
SECTION 5 – Election of Officers
The annual election of Officers by the Church membership shall occur during the Month of January on the third Wednesday of the month.
SECTION 6 – Pastoral Oversight of Officers and Staff
- Subject to the approval of Bay Area Baptist Church’s membership and on the condition
that they become a member of the Church upon assuming their duties, the Pastor may
hire associates and assistants, to assist the Pastor in carrying out his God-
given responsibilities. - All Bay Area Baptist Church Staff, whether paid or volunteer, shall be under the supervision of the Pastor who has the sole authority to hire, appoint, or dismiss the same.
ARTICLE VI – DUTIES OF OFFICERS
SECTION 1 – The Pastor
- The Pastor shall preach the Gospel regularly and shall be at liberty to preach the whole counsel of the Word of God as the Lord leads him. He shall administer the ordinances of the Church, act as moderator at all Bay Area Baptist Church meetings for the transaction of Church matters, supervise the teaching ministries of Bay Area Baptist Church, and tenderly watch over the spiritual interests of the membership.
- The Pastor shall appoint the members of the various committees at the annual Church
Administration meeting in January. He shall serve as the President of the corporation.
He shall publicly inform all newly-
elected officers of the particular function and the responsibilities of their respective offices. He shall extend the right hand of fellowship to all new members on behalf of Bay Area Baptist Church and perform such other duties as generally appertain to such a position. The Pastor shall be free to choose the means and methods by which he exercises the ministry that God has given him.
SECTION 2 – The Board of Deacons
A. The Board of Deacons shall assist the Pastor, in such a manner as he shall request,
in promoting the spiritual welfare of Bay Area Baptist Church, in conducting the
religious services, and in performing all other work of Bay Area Baptist Church.
They shall make provision for the observance of the ordinances of the Church. They
shall, if requested by the Pastor, consider applications for Church membership. They
shall, in cooperation with the pastor, disburse the benevolence fund. They shall
provide the pulpit supply and act as leaders for Church meetings if the office of
Pastor is vacant. The Board of Deacons should be leaders in all spiritual areas,
teaching, bus ministry, soul-
B. Immediately following the annual Church Administration meeting, the Board of Deacons
shall assemble and elect, from their own number, a Chairman, who shall be Vice-
C. The Board of Deacons shall constitute the Board of Trustees of the corporation. The Board of Trustees shall exercise only the following specific powers:
1) To purchase, hold, lease, or otherwise acquire real and personal property on behalf of Bay Area Baptist Church, and to take real and personal property by will, gift, or bequest on behalf of the Church;
2) To sell, convey, alienate, transfer, lease, assign, exchange, or otherwise dispose of, and to mortgage, pledge, or other wise encumber the real and personal property of Bay Area Baptist Church, to borrow money and incur indebtedness for the purpose and the use of the Church; and cause to be executed, issued, and delivered for the indebtedness, in the name of the Church, promissory notes, bonds, debentures, or other evidence of indebtedness; and to secure repayment by deeds of trust, mortgages, or pledges;
3) To exercise all powers necessary for the dissolution of the Church corporation, if such action is mandated by a vote of the Bay Area Baptist Church membership.
SECTION 3 – The Minister of Records
The Minister of Records shall keep record of Church proceedings, of the membership roll, of all baptisms, of certificates of ordination, licenses and commissions as directed by Bay Area Baptist Church, and preserve all documents, papers, and letters coming into his hands during his term of office. All records are to be kept in the Church office, and delivered to any successor upon leaving office. He shall keep an account of any special events in the life of Bay Area Baptist Church which are of historical interest and shall give a report at the annual Church Administration meeting of the status of Bay Area Baptist Church’s membership roll in the past year. The Minister of Records shall also serve as the Secretary of the Corporation.
SECTION 4 – The minister of Finance
The Minister of Finance shall account for all funds contributed to Bay Area Baptist Church and shall disburse the same as ordered by the Church. He shall present a written report of itemized disbursements at the regular quarterly Church Administration meetings and make a general report for the year at the annual Church Administration meeting. All expenditures of Bay Area Baptist Church except miscellaneous petty cash disbursements shall be paid by check. The Minister of Finances shall also serve as Treasurer of the Corporation.
SECTION 5 – The Minister of the Sunday School
The minister of the Sunday School shall supervise the Sunday School of Bay Area Baptist Church. IN consultation with the Pastor he shall recommend the appointment of the teachers of the Sunday School. He shall preside at the teacher’s meetings, and report on the condition of the Sunday School at the annual Church Administration meeting.
SECTION 6 -
The Minister of Hospitality, in cooperation with the Pastor, shall appoint sufficient number of assistants to care for the work of ushering and extending the official hospitality of Bay Area Baptist Church to its members and visitors.
SECTION 7 – Associate Pastors
Under the direction and guidance of the Pastor, the Associate pastors of Bay Area Baptist Church shall assist the Pastor in carrying out the ministries of the Church.
SECTION 8 – Duties of all Officers
- All officers of Bay Area Baptist Church shall prepare a written report of their work for the annual Church Administration meeting and shall surrender any records in their possession to the Minister of Records at the close of their term of office to be filed as a permanent record of the work of Bay Area Baptist Church. All records are the property of Bay Area Baptist Church and must be kept in the Church Office.
- Any officer who neglects his duties as outlined in the constitution for a period of three months may be removed from his office at the discretion of the Pastor and another may be appointed by the Pastor to serve the unexpired term.
SECTION 9 – Installation of Officers
A public installation service in which all newly-
ARTICLE VII – MEETINGS
SECTION 1 – Meetings for Worship
Unless otherwise determined by the Pastor, Bay Area Baptist Church shall meet each Sunday for public worship both morning and evening and at least once during the week for Bible study and prayer. Except when circumstances forbid it, the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper shall be observed on the first Sunday morning of each month, and on the fifth Sunday evening in months that have five Sundays.
SECTION 2 – Meetings for Church Administration
A quarterly Church Administration meeting of Bay Area Baptist Church shall be held on the first Sunday evening of each quarter, at which time the regular Church Administration shall be considered. A quorum shall consist of the members present. In the September meeting, Bay Area Baptist Church shall set a date for the annual election of Church Officers in January.
SECTION 3 – Special Meetings
- The Pastor (or deacons if the office of Pastor is vacant or the Pastor is the subject of possible disciplinary action) may call a special meeting by giving notice of such a meeting and the purpose for which it is called to the Church from the pulpit at least one Sunday and not less than one week prior to said meeting. A meeting for election of a Pastor may be called by the Pulpit Committee at any regular Church meeting of the Church at least two weeks in advance.
- Bible conferences, missionary conferences, and revivals may be held as the Pastor deems beneficial.
SECTION 4 – Fiscal Year
The Fiscal Year of Bay Area Baptist Church shall begin February 1st and end January 31st.
ARTICLE VIII – MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
SECTION 1 -
Bay Area Baptist Church believes that it is to provide the members’ children with an education which is based upon and consistent with Biblical teachings. Bay Area Baptist Church believes that the home and Church are responsible before God for providing a Christian Education. To this end, Bay Area Baptist Church shall engage in ministries in education in keeping with the following dictates:
SECTION 2 – Church Participation
All educational programs or courses of instruction formulated and offered by Bay
Area Baptist Church shall be primarily for the benefit of the members of the Church;
however, the Pastor may permit non-
SECTION 3 – Staff Membership
All instructors, teachers, and administrators shall be members of Bay Area Baptist Church. This provision shall not apply to visiting missionaries, evangelists, or preachers, engaged for the purpose of delivering sermons, conducting revivals, or other special meetings on a temporary basis.
SECTION 4 – Statement of Faith Accord
All educational programs or courses of instruction shall be taught and presented in full accord with the Statement of Faith of Bay Area Baptist Church.
SECTION 5 -
All educational programs or courses of instruction shall be conducted as an integral and inseparable ministry of Bay Area Baptist Church.
SECTION 6 – Teaching
All educational programs or courses of instruction shall be consistent with the teaching of the inerrant Word of God. Any assertion or belief which conflicts with or questions a Bible truth is a pagan deception and distortion of the truth which will be disclaimed as false. It is the responsibility of every instructor or teacher to present the inerrant Word of God as the sole infallible source of knowledge and wisdom.
SECTION 7 – Christian Walk
All administrators, instructors, and teachers shall continue or adopt a life-
ARTICLE IX – UNAUTHORIZED EXPENDITURES
Any expenditures in excess of $200 and not authorized in the regular annual budget must be authorized by the Pastor (or the Board of Deacons if the office of the Pastor if vacant).
ARTICLE X – ORDINATION
SECTION 1 – Ordination Qualifications
Any member of Bay Area Baptist Church or its mission churches, who gives evidence
of a genuine call of God into the work of the ministry and possesses the qualifications
stated in I Timothy 3:1-
SECTION 2 – Ordination Procedure
- Upon a conference with the Pastor and after the Pastor has approved the candidate for ordination, the Pastor shall call a council to examine and pass on the qualification of the candidate. The ordination council shall consist of ordained ministers of like faith invited to participate in the examination of the candidate.
- If the candidate is found worthy of the ordination by the council, the ordination council may ordain the candidate on behalf of the Church.
- The Pastor and the Chairman of the Board of Deacons shall arrange for the ordination service.
ARTICLE XI – TAX EXAMPT PROVISIONS
SECTION 1 – Private Inurnment
No part of the net earnings of Bay Area Baptist Church shall inure to the benefit of or be distributable to its members, trustees, officers, or other private persons, except that the Church shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for the services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of all the purposes set forth in Article II.
SECTION 2 – Political Involvement
No substantial part of the activities of Bay Area Baptist Church shall be the carrying on of propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation. Bay Area Baptist Church shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.
SECTION 3 – Dissolution
Upon the dissolution of Bay Area Baptist Church, the Trustees shall after paying or making provision for payment of all the liabilities of the Church, dispose of all the assets of Bay Area Baptist Church to such organizations or to those organizations that are organized and operated exclusively for religious purposes as shall at the time qualify as an exempt organization or organizations under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law), as the Trustees shall determine. Assets may be distributed only to organizations which agree with Bay Area Baptist Church’s Statement of Faith.
SECTION 4 – Racial Nondiscrimination
Bay Area Baptist Church – An Independent Baptist Church shall have a racially nondiscriminatory policy and therefore shall not discriminate against members, applicants, students, and others on the basis of race, color, or national or ethnic origin.
ARTICLE XII – DESIGNATED CONTRIBUTIONS
From time to time Bay Area Baptist Church – An Independent Baptist Church, in the exercise of its religious, educational, and charitable purposes, may establish various funds to accomplish specific goals. Contributors may suggest uses for their contributions but all suggestions shall be deemed advisory rather than mandatory in nature. All contributions made to specific funds of otherwise designations shall remain subject to the exclusive control and discretion of the Pastor and the Board of Deacons. No fiduciary obligation shall be created by any designated contribution made to the Church other than to use the contribution for the general furtherance of any of the purposes stated in Article II
ARTICLE XIII – AMENDMENTS
This constitution may be revised or amended by a majority vote of the members present and voting, at any regular Church Administration meeting, provided that said revision or amendment has been submitted in writing and announced from the pulpit fourteen (14) days before the vote is taken.
ADOPTION
This constitution was adopted by a two-
This Constitution and By-
Date: Minister of Records:
__February 03, 2003________ _______________________________________
Addendum 1.1 – Qualifications of a Pastor
Qualifications Of A Pastor
by David Williams
Text: I Timothy 3 -
2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil."
The purpose of this study is to show what the qualifications of a pastor are. In our modern day religious circles we have become, seemingly, absorbed with some of the qualifications of a minister, while others are completely left out. It may be that many people that are now preachers of the Gospel should resign and it may also be that there are people that some feel are not qualified that God would certainly find acceptable to be in the ministry. This illustration shows just how far off we are in deciding who is qualified for the ministry:
The Minister
One of the toughest tasks a church faces is choosing a good minister. A member of
an official board undergoing this painful process finally lost patience. He'd just
witnessed the Pastoral Relations Committee reject applicant after applicant for some
minor fault -
"Gentlemen: Understanding your pulpit is vacant, I should like to apply for the position. I have many qualifications. I've been a preacher with much success and also had some success as a writer. Some say I'm a good organizer. I've been a leader most places I've been.
"I'm over 50 years of age and have never preached in one place for more than three years. In some places, I have left town after my work caused riots and disturbances. I must admit I have been in jail three or four times, but not because of any real wrongdoing.
"My health is not too good, though I still accomplish a great deal. The churches I have preached in have been small, though located in several large cities.
"I've not gotten along well with religious leaders in the towns where I have preached. In fact, some have threatened me, and even attacked me physically. I am not too good at keeping records. I have been known to forget whom I have baptized.
"However, if you can use me, I promise to do my best for you."
The board member turned to the committee and said, "Well, what do you think? Shall we call him?"
The good church folks were appalled! Consider a sickly, trouble-
The board member eyed them all keenly before he replied, "It's signed, 'The Apostle Paul.'"
Let's look at the qualifications of a preacher and I think that we may find some surprising things that we did not know were there:
1. Blameless -
It means not a criminal and not in trouble with the law. We would have to admit that there are circumstances in our generation where preachers have had to stand against the illegal restrictions of local officials and it has resulted in them being imprisoned. A good example is that of Lester Roloff and others that have been defended by the Christian Law Association because of things that the local authorities have said were wrong, actually had constitutional issues along with scriptural issues that prevented them from complying with the law.
A person could, however, make a sticking point out of this and say that any person who did something like many of these contenders for the faith and legal rights of churches did, are not qualified to be a pastor or minister of the gospel. We could say, "He was thrown in jail" and because of that think the man is disqualified from being a pastor no matter if it was a constitutional issue or not. I would never take that view, but there are situations that make a preacher look bad though he would technically be within the law. Let me sight some examples:
a. The practice of having untrained teachers to be monitors in ACE schools. I have seen this in the worst possible sense. I have seen children who have wasted their way through an ACE school with mothers that could neither read, write, nor do math and they were REQUIRED to go to preaching conferences one after another, but when some of the students had to transfer to a public school, they were so far behind that they could not graduate but had to be placed one or two years behind their piers. Their pastors were really guilty of breaking the law but hid under the guise of separation of church and state.
b. Another example of this type of crime is the busses that some churches use that should be classified as nothing short of worthless rust buckets. They can get by with using horrible worthless transportation to bring innocent children to church and only because they are operating under the separation of church and state or some other technicality they can get by with what would be a horrible case of breaking the law in any ordinary situation.
c. Another example is having buildings that are not up to code because we think that for some reason that if it is a church we can cut corners, do cheaper construction and refuse to pay the contractors what they are worth even though the Bible says that a laborer is worthy of his hire.
d. One serious situation is the way that money is handled in many churches. They are constantly "Robbing Peter to Pay Paul" so to speak and they never give a financial statement to the people as they mishandle money and misappropriate church expenses in a way that is not only questionable but highly criminal. I know personally of one situation where the money that parents spent to pay for books was used for a building payment or some other use so that the students did not get the books that they needed to finish their school year. This is nothing short of criminal.
In just this first example, the person who is supposedly a qualified pastor because he has never been divorced or some other qualification, according to the Bible he is just as unqualified as someone who many would reject from the ministry for other less meaningful reasons, because of his criminal ways in handling God's money. Certainly anyone noted for being the type that will stretch the rules any time he thinks he can get away with it would not be qualified to have the position of a pastor. Yet there are hundreds and even thousands of them that fill pulpits all across the country.
2. Husband of one wife -
and is an attributive word meaning, "a husband who pays attention only to his wife
and not to others." It does not mean that he, the pastor (or deacon) was never married
before, nor does it mean that in order to be a pastor one must be married. That would
make Paul the Apostle unqualified because though he was both a deacon and a pastor,
he was never married. If it meant, as some have taught, that one must be married
only to their "first" wife, then the Apostle Paul was wrong in Romans 7:1-
When it comes to the divorced person, neither Jesus nor the Apostle Paul puts a restriction
on the divorced person who was innocent to remarry. It is true that God hates divorce
and from the beginning it was not so as the Scriptures say, but man's sinfulness
has resulted in situations that many times cannot avoid the unfortunate divorce.
The Bible definition of divorce was to let go free, to put away, dismiss, with the
presupposition that the dismissed party was innocent and, according to Deuteronomy
24:1-
One of the meanings, though not the only one, is that a pastor should not be married
to more than one woman simultaneously which would have been part of the culture when
the Bible was written but not so much today. In those days many people had more than
one wife and God wanted pastors to have only one wife. The expression mias gunaikos
is known in Greek grammar as an attributive genitive, which is equivalent to an adjective,
and would have been better translated as "a one-
We have a problem and we won't admit it. We have pastors that have never been divorced, but are they ever ladies men. They will hug all the women. They will counsel with a woman alone in their office. They are flirts and they are supposedly qualified for the ministry because they have never been divorced. There are preacher's wives that are just as bad. I have been in churches where the pastor's wife was so forward with speaking to men that she did now know that it was embarrassing
I know a missionary that has never been divorced, but he has girls that compete in swimming meets in front of thousands of people but he would not take support from a man who was the innocent party in a marriage break up where he was the pastor when his wife ran off with another man. The man is now a successful pastor of 30 years with a church running over one thousand in attendance. Yet, this missionary would not accept support from this innocent pastor because the pastor was divorced and yet the missionary was just as unqualified because of the way his children behaved in public as we will see later on.
In fact, one reason that I am writing this is that someone that I know very well who many years ago had a wife that left after having at least 7 affairs and then gave up her illegitimate child for the husband and his new wife to raise when the child was only five years old, was told recently that his father's pastor could not support his ministry because of the divorce which happened many years ago. This man is now an ordained minister and a Bible college graduate. He has raised his illegitimate child and he and his own wife have never had children while they have served God faithfully for many years. I just thought that is was a terrible injustice for a man that loves God and has the call of God on his life and is an avid soul winner to be branded with the SCARLET LETTER "D" because of a wife that left him with an illegitimate son to raise and it is a proven fact that he cannot have children with his present wife and the child he raised was not his. Surely there are other qualifications that should be considered that are much more important than this.
3. Vigilant -
It means to watch or to refrain from sleep, more in the spiritual sense here in the Bible. It means paying close attention to God's revelation or to the knowledge of what Salvation is all about. It means watching for threatening dangers which a good pastor who has an alert mind and walks with the Holy Spirit of God can see creeping into his church and thus he can be used by God to keep people from walking in a lack of spiritual energy or conduct that is not fitting of a Christian. It means being discerning enough to know that there are some who though they may claim to be saved are really only false professors and the pastor needs to be constantly on guard lest they get comfortable in their false belief and corrupt the spiritual purity of the Gospel and of the standards and convictions of the members.
This may be one area in which pastors all across the world are unqualified more than in any other area. Many have little or no knowledge of what it means to be saved. Many could not give the plan of salvation nor could they instruct a sinner that was begging them to know how that they could make sure of heaven. Most pastors cannot tell the difference between the wheat and the tares in their congregation. A good example is the fact that CCM is being let into the majority of churches simply because most pastor's don't know that if the people that want that type of music were really saved they would want a new song. In the same way churches have let down on standards of dress and other standards to the point that one can hardly tell the saved from the lost if someone were to see them from a distance or listen to their conversations, music or actions. I would say that every church that has allowed the wrong type of music into their services does so because a pastor is not qualified to be in the pulpit. He is not vigilant in the scriptural sense and he needs to get out and let someone else into the pulpit that can take a stand and protect his people from the onslaught of evil from the world the flesh and the devil.
4. Sober -
It means self-
What we have discovered in this generation is that people have become confused as to what it means to walk in the Spirit and they have substituted the soul in place of the spirit. These preachers think that emotions are evidence of the power of the Holy Spirit and they think that having people jump up & down and roll in the aisles is a true mark of spirituality. This is part of what has led to the rise in Rock & Roll in the services of most churches. For some reason it has been thought that the more that people clap their hands, jump up and down, shout and go into fits of tongues or other types of emotional outbursts, it only shows that the Spirit of God is moving in the service.
I will never forget a man that I worked with many years ago that told me about a meeting where the preacher ministered in tongues for over two hours. When I asked the man how many souls were saved, he said none. This idea that emotion is spirit is totally wrong. We have become drunk with excesses in music and false doctrines that have been geared to show how spiritual the church is when it is nothing more than a group of emotional misfits that are drunk with the music and the emotion of the services. One example is a pastor that I know that has such an emotional music service that sometimes people begin to cry and get emotional in the singing and they cut out the preaching all together.
This emotion and the lust of the exotic goes farther than just the way services are
conducted in many churches. It also goes to the reasons that some are called to the
mission field. I know right now about a church that has been a bingo hall for 15
years because the pastor got this "mid-
There are missionaries that have abandoned their children and grand-
I know of one situation where the missionary had a small group of people that loved them dearly and had begun to grow in the Lord in England. This dear group of people was praying fervently for the missionary while they had gone on furlough to the states to visit their supporting churches. The people could hardly wait until the missionaries returned. They kept their home clean and prayed fervently every service and could hardly wait until that missionary came back to the church so they could once again see God work in a wonderful way in their lives. Little did they know that this missionary had already gotten the "wander lust" to go to yet another field and in fact were on their trip in order to let the churches in America know of the change in fields while the people in England were left completely helpless and totally without direction when they found out that their beloved missionaries were only back to pack their things and move out of town. This church has since closed down and the members have gone elsewhere all because the missionary did not act sober.
5. Good behavior -
It means an inner life uttering and expressing itself outwardly in the way that people
present themselves in public, especially in church which we lovingly refer to as
"God's House." When we were at Hyles-
Today that has changed mostly because of pastors that don't know the meaning of "good
behavior" as it is outlined in the Bible. I know of one church that is a KJV Baptist
church where they dress up on Sunday Morning but on Sunday evening the pastor wears
flowered Hawaii shirts and all the teenagers wear jeans and t-
Another example is a church that my son and I attended while visiting out in California. We were in the morning service of a very prominent Baptist Church and we felt very uncomfortable because besides us, the pastor was the only one that had a suit and tie on in the whole building. Well, there was one exception. The pianist that was visiting from the state of New York who put on a classical/religious concert also had on a shirt and tie. This church obviously had a pastor that was not qualified for the ministry because he had failed to teach his people how to behave themselves in the house of God.
Oh, but it goes farther than that. We now have churches that are having mixed swimming parties where the young men and young women all go swimming together and we think nothing of it. I know of a missionary that came to church in shorts because he was in the hot climate of Africa and the native pastor had to tell him to go back and change into something more appropriate because it was not fitting in the house of God. What a shame that a native pastor is more qualified than most pastors here in America. Oh, by the way, that same missionary would not take money from a divorced pastor in America.
I will never forget a certain music director that my wife and I noticed one day as
we were walking around near a harbor area in Florida. This music director was hooked
on borderline CCM music and the church was leaning further and further away from
the standards and convictions that would tell their members how to discern between
the holy and the profane. The whole reason was that the pastor was weak in the area
of music because his own children loved to listen to "rap." While walking around,
we walked by this cruise boat that was one of those “wine and dine and dance” boats.
To our utter amazement as we walked along, we saw the music director and his wife
on the main floor of the boat right where they have the dance band and the dance
floor. Later at church they tried to explain things as that they would go upstairs
and stay away from the worldly crowd, but we knew different because a few nights
later the children's choir sang "Oh be Careful Little Hands What You Do" to a tape
that had so strong of a rock beat the little children could not help but gyrate to
the music. We quit attending the church immediately afterwards because of the lack
of standards and the fact that the pastor would not listen to sound counsel in the
matter of Christian music. This is a KJV Independent Baptist church with a pastor
that does not know the meaning of "good behavior." I will also never forget what
we heard later from some people who had also quit attending there because of the
music that a certain teen that was a vital part of the youth group had only lasted
one semester of Bible college in a place that is far less strict than Hyles-
6. Hospitality -
It means going out of the way to be a friend and loving people, especially loving
strangers. It means being especially kind to others as Christ would if he were walking
the earth. I won't dwell on this too much, but far too many pastors will cater to
the rich and look down on the poor and the stranger, the fatherless and the widow.
One of the pastors mentioned in an earlier illustration, who had a lack of discernment
in the area of music was also against the bus ministry. He would not want that type
of low class people dirtying up his church and Sunday School departments. He would
not want to pick up the widows and shut-
The bible is very clear when it says that we should not forget to entertain strangers because by that many have entertained angels unawares. I will never forget an illustration that I read in preparing for a sermon one day where a poorly dressed man was asked not to come into a certain church so he sat down on the concrete step outside. A man came and sat down next to him and struck up a conversation. When the poor man explained his plight, the other man said that his name was Jesus and that he had not been allowed in that particular church for years. Of course this is just a story used as an illustration of fact, but it shows just how far we have missed the truths of the Bible. I know pastors that are so rigid because they are trying so hard to copy Dr. Hyles' ministry that they will not greet anyone after the service but require all people to have appointments with them. Now I realize that in a busy situation that people should not waste a pastor's time, but I also think that a pastor really needs to show hospitality and that can easily be done after the service if done in a controlled manner. The pastor that does not learn the meaning of hospitality has no business being a pastor.
7. Apt to teach -
It means one that is taught by the Holy Spirit and after he has learned from God, he teaches it to his people. It means not being a clone of any of our favorite preachers, but following the leading of God in our own lives as pastors so that we can teach as God leads and we don't have to rely on the teachings and doctrines that we learn from others but that the Holy Spirit will teach each pastor and if it is of God, it will not conflict with the Bible or what another Spirit filled man of God has taught.
There is a danger here in following great men, even Dr. Hyles, John Rice, Lester Roloff and many others that pastors have many times gotten to the point that they will preach someone else's sermon every Sunday but they have never gotten alone with God and had God show them something from the Word of God that is straight from God to their congregation. Far too many pastors are so big at copying what another preacher says and does that they will even go so far as to clear their throat just like their favorite man of God or gesture like their favorite man of God. Invariably these unqualified pastors will get into some debate with another brother and in trying to support their argument they will quote from the writings of this man as if it were scripture when the plain teaching of the Bible may be saying something completely different.
Just because a person can shout like their idol or clear their throat like their idol or illustrate sermons like their idol does not make them qualified for the ministry. What makes them more qualified than any other thing is what kind of walk they have with God where the Holy Spirit teaches them and they need not that any man teach them because the Holy Spirit is all that they need and they don't need Dr. Sounding Brass or Dr. Tinkling Symbol to get their truth from because when they read the Bible the Holy Spirit and that pastor just have a college course that will not quit and on Sunday morning they will give to their people what God has showed them in their study or their closet.
One of the evidences of a pastor that is "Apt to teach" is what he does in his daily devotion at home. A true man of God will be constantly learning new things from God and he will share it with his wife and if he has children, he shares it with them as well. So many times the things that a true pastor preaches are principles or truths that have been shared in Family Altar and time with the children. A true pastor is constantly teaching in every area of ministry.
One that is qualified for being a pastor should know how to run a bus route, how to teach a class in every department of the church, how to have a junior church, how to operate any of the departments of the church so that not only could the pastor do the job himself, but he could teach someone else to do that job so that it is done according to the standards and convictions of the pastor and of the church.
This is one area that Hyles-
8. Not given to wine -
There is another teaching on this so I will not go into it here, but in our forum
we have much written on the reasons that no Christian, much less a minister of the
Gospel should touch even one drop of alcoholic wine. For one thing, fermentation
in wine as yeast in bread is a representative of sin in the Bible. When Christ gave
the last supper he called it the "fruit of the vine" which is grape juice. Even the
Jewish Passover is conducted with boiled grapes where the juice from the grapes is
mixed with water for a very weak mixture of grape juice since fermentation and yeast
represent sin and there was no sin in the body of Christ. If a pastor does not know
this most fundamental of all truths of the Bible he needs to resign today. Unfortunately
wine is creeping into churches. When I visited England one time there was a debate
raging regarding a Christian was prohibited from drinking a little wine since the
Bible says of deacons that they are not to drink "much" wine. I wrote a thesis showing
that the "much" was the "majority" of wine and even on wine charts the majority is
alcoholic. There is, however, a small portion that is non-
9. No striker -
It especially means one that will not by reproachful and upbraiding language wound the conscience of his brethren. It means a person that is not contentious or not a quarreler. I am sorry to say that maybe fifty percent or more of Independent Baptist Preachers have disqualified themselves in this area because they are always "contending for the faith." Too many times a well meaning pastor begins to beat his drum in taking a stand and while doing so he begins to strike out at others that he feels he can criticize or belittle. It gets to the place that when preachers get together they begin to gossip about other pastors and churches that they consider less spiritual or successful than themselves. When they begin to behave in this manner they disqualify themselves from being pastors.
Let me give some examples. A very prominent church in our area that has had Dr. Hyles
speak regularly for a number of years had gotten into this "striker" frame of mind.
They had begun to call themselves "right-
We have had other experiences with such "strikers" who are pastors that imagine they are contenders for the faith as it were. This one group of "gossips" visited our forum and begin to trash it by claiming to be Dr. Hyles or members of his staff. They posted some very disturbing things which were supposedly in jest. I found out that one was in a certain Bible College and I copied his posts in our forum and sent them to his college. I believe that he was expelled for his behavior. I have had others come in just to argue doctrine and try to trumpet their pet theories while the whole world looks on and wonders why Christians cannot get along. There are at least five pastors that I have had to lock out of the forum because they could not refrain from being contentious and quarrelsome. These are men with churches and congregations who have web sites that are constantly trashing other works of God. They are not qualified to be pastors. They are strikers. They need to get out of the ministry.
10. Not greedy of filthy lucre -
Profit by questionable means. How unfortunate that the world is filled with these types of pastors who should all be driven from the ministry. These are men that will do whatever it takes to make a buck on the side or even to use the church to pad their own pocket book. What a shame. And they can talk of a divorced pastor.
I know of a pastor that is in the business of buying and remodeling repossessed homes. He and the head deacon are in business together. He is seldom at th