Constitution of the First Baptist Church of Bastrop

Revised June 2006

Preamble

We declare and establish this Constitution to preserve and secure the principles of our faith, and to govern the body in an orderly manner. This Constitution will preserve the liberties of each individual church member and the freedom of action of this body in its relation to other churches.

I. Name

This Church shall be known as THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF BASTROP.

II. Mission Statement

To be a dynamic spiritual organism empowered by the Holy Spirit to share Jesus Christ with as many people as possible in our church, community, and throughout the world.

To be a worshipping fellowship, experiencing an awareness of God, recognizing His person, and responding in obedience to His leadership.

To experience an increasingly meaningful fellowship with God and fellow believers.

To be a church that ministers unselfishly to persons in the community and world in Jesus Christ's name.

To be a church that equips its members by understanding, applying and sharing the Word of God.

To be a church whose purpose is to be Christ-like in our daily living by emphasizing total commitment of life, personality, and possessions to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

III. Statement of Faith

The Holy Bible is the inspired word of God and is the basis for any statement of faith. The church agrees entirely with the doctrinal statement of the "Baptist Faith and Message" as adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention of 2000. We band ourselves together as a body of baptized believers in Jesus Christ, personally committed to sharing the good news of salvation to lost mankind. The two ordinances of the church are believer's baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper.

IV. Polity and Relationships

Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church. The Bible is the sole authority of faith and practice in this Church. The government of this Church is vested in the body of believers who compose it. It is subject to the control of no other ecclesiastical body, but it recognizes and sustains the obligations of mutual counsel and cooperation, which are common among Baptist churches. All internal groups created and empowered by the Church shall report to and be accountable only to the Church, unless otherwise specified by church action. Recognizing the autonomy of the individual church body, and in so far as is both practical and spiritually acceptable, this Church will strive to cooperate with and support the association and state convention affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.

V. Church Covenant

Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, and upon the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we do now in the presence of God and this assembly most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another as one body in Christ.

We commit, therefore, by the enabling of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this Church in evangelizing lost people everywhere, educating all people with the Word of God, exalting the Lord in congregational worship, edifying the people of God through fellowship and love, and equipping disciples to use their time, talents and treasure in ministry; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, doctrines, and discipline; to contribute cheerfully and regularly, as God has prospered us, toward its purposes, for the support of a faithful and evangelistic ministry among us, the relief of the poor and the spread of the gospel through the world (Genesis 14:20, Malachi 3:8-10, Luke 6:38). In case of difference of opinion in the Church, we will strive to avoid a contentious spirit, and if we cannot unanimously agree, we will cheerfully recognize the right of the majority to govern, in accordance with this constitution.

We commit to maintain family and personal devotions; to study diligently the Word of God; to disciple our children; to seek the salvation of our family and friends; to live above reproach in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our behavior; to endeavor in purity of heart and good will toward all men to exemplify and commend our holy faith. We pledge, as a Church and to each other, to take a stand against the deeds of the flesh, to abstain from the use or sale of illicit drugs, and to live according to the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:19-26). Furthermore, being warned by scripture about the dangers of the misuse of alcohol as a beverage and clearly seeing the consequences of its use in our society, this church will continue to encourage its membership to abstain from the sale and use of alcohol so as not to be a stumbling block to others (I Corinthians 8: 9-10).

We further commit to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember one another in prayer; to exhort and encourage each other unto every good work; to guard each other's reputation, not needlessly exposing the infirmities of others; to participate in each other's joys; to aid one another in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and Christian courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation and mindful of the teachings of our Savior to secure it without delay; to seek to live to the glory of God, who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.

When we move to another city, we commit to unite with some other Church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God's Word.

VI. Amendments to the Constitution

The constitution may be amended only in accordance with the following procedures:

1). An amendment may be proposed at a regularly called business meeting, at which point it will be referred to the Constitution Committee.

2). The Constitution Committee will meet to consider the language of the proposed amendment, and will reword the proposed amendment in order to ensure its clarity, consulting with the party who proposed it, if necessary.

3). At the next regularly called business meeting, the Constitution Committee will present the proposed amendment in its reworded version.

4). On the following Sunday, the proposed amendment will be read aloud during service and distributed in printed form, in each case in its reworded version.

5). At the next regular called business meeting, the members present will vote on the amendment, whose approval will require at least two-thirds of the votes cast.