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CONSTITUTION AND
BY-LAWS OF
FELLOWSHIP
SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCH OF OLATHE, INC.
OLATHE, KANSAS
CONSTITUTION
PREAMBLE
The purpose of
this constitution is to serve as a formal statement
of the identity, purposes, objectives and basic
doctrinal beliefs of this body. Believing the Bible
to be the inerrant and complete written Word of God,
we declare the sixty-six books of the Old and New
Testaments to be the basis of our constitution and
the final authority for our faith and practice. This
document, and any other issued by this church, is
only authoritative in so far as it agrees with the
precepts [direct commands] and principles [properly
derived] from the Bible. We are a Bible-centered
church.
ARTICLE I. NAME
The corporate name of this
church shall be Fellowship Southern Baptist Church
of Olathe, Inc. Hereafter in the document the church
is referred to as Fellowship.
ARTICLE II.
DENOMINATIONAL AFFILIATION AND POLITY
Fellowship is voluntarily and
actively affiliated with the Kansas City Kansas
Baptist Association, the Kansas-Nebraska Convention
of Southern Baptists and the national Southern
Baptist Convention for the purposes of following and
fulfilling the Great Commission of Jesus Christ
(Matt. 28:18-20). This church body reserves the
right to voluntarily associate with any
organization, temporarily or permanently, for the
advancement of God's Kingdom. Under Christ, this
congregation is governed by its members.
ARTICLE III.
PURPOSES AND OBJECTIVES
The purposes of a
Bible-centered church are summarized in the Great
Commandment and the Great Commission of the Lord
Jesus Christ. We exist to glorify God by loving him
passionately and loving one another sacrificially
(Mk. 12:28-31). We exist to glorify God by making
disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:18-20).
By the grace of God and through
the power of the Holy Spirit, we desire to be a
church that takes the bible seriously, both in our
faith (theology) and practice (daily lives). We
desire to live out the “feeding” and “tending” of
God's flock in Christian community. We desire to
give God pleasure through praise and adoration in
our worship. We desire to be a church devoted to
prayer, in our private and in our corporate lives.
We desire to raise up a godly generation to change
the world by passionately following Jesus. We
desire to cultivate a missions lifestyle in Olathe,
the United States and around the world.
ARTICLE IV.
DOCTRINE
The members and leaders of
Fellowship are in general agreement with The Baptist
Faith and Message, adopted by the Southern Baptist
Convention on June 14, 2000, as a statement of our
basic doctrinal beliefs. The Baptist Faith and
Message is broad enough to be inclusive and narrow
enough to be orthodox Christian doctrine. A copy of
The Baptist Faith and Message may be read or
downloaded at
http://www.sbc.net/bfm/bfm2000.asp.
In specific, a somewhat consolidated statement of
our basic beliefs follows:
I. The Word of God
We believe that the Bible is
the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in
the original manuscripts, written under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has
supreme authority in all matters of faith and
conduct.
II Timothy 3:16; II Peter
1:20,21; Mark 13:31; John 8:31,32; John 20:31; Acts
20:32
II. The Trinity
We believe that there is one
living and true God, eternally existing in three
persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit;
that these are equal in every divine perfection, and
that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in
the work of creation, providence and redemption.
They are without division in nature, essence or
being.
Genesis 1:1,26; John 1:1,3;
Matthew 28:19; John 4:24; Romans 1:19,20; Ephesians
4:5,6
III. God the Father
We believe in God the Father,
an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness,
wisdom, power and love. We believe that He
infallibly foreknows all that shall come to pass,
working all things according to His own will. He
concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men,
He hears and answers prayer, and He saves from sin
and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
Luke 10:21,22; Matthew 23:9;
John 3:16; 6:27; Romans 1:7; I Timothy 1:1,2; 2:5,6;
I Peter 1:3; Revelation 1:6; Ephesians 1:11
IV. Jesus Christ
We believe in Jesus Christ,
the eternal Son, God's only begotten, not made,
co-equal and co-eternal with the Father, fully God
and fully man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life,
miracles, and teachings. We believe in His
substitutionary, atoning death, bodily resurrection,
ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for
His people, and personal, visible return to earth.
Matthew 1:18-25; Luke
1:26-38; John 1:1; 20:28; Romans 9:5; 8:46; II
Corinthians 5:21; I Peter 2:21-23; John 20:30, 31;
Matthew 20:28; Ephesians 1:4; Acts 1:11; Romans
5:6-8; 6:9,10; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 9:28; I Timothy
3:16
V. The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy
Spirit, who is fully divine, proceeded from the
Father and Son. He convicts the world of sin,
righteousness, and judgment, and regenerates,
sanctifies, and empowers all who belong to Jesus
Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells
every believer in Christ, and that He is the abiding
helper, teacher and guide.
John 14:16,17,26; 15:26,27;
John 16:9-14; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 3:16; 6:19;
Galatians 5:22-26; John 17:2,6,9,11,12,20,24
VI. Regeneration
We believe that man was
created by God in His own image; that he sinned and
thereby incurred physical, spiritual and eternal
death. As a consequence, all human beings are
conceived in sin, born with a sinful nature and
become sinners by choice and therefore are under
condemnation. We believe that those who are
regenerated by the Holy Spirit repent and forsake
sin, trust Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and
become new creatures delivered from condemnation and
receive eternal life.
Genesis. 1:26; 5:2; Genesis
3; Genesis 2:17; 3:19; Eccl. 2:11; John 3:14; 5:24;
John 5:30; 7:13; 8:12; 10:26; Romans 9:22; II
Thessalonians 1:9; Rev. 19:3,20; 20:10;14,15; 21:18;
Psalm 51:7; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:19; 5:19;
Proverbs 28:13; I John 1:9; John 3:16; John 1:13; II
Corinthians 5:17; Romans 8:1; John 3:1-8; Titus 3:5;
1Peter 1:3,23; James 1:18
VII. The Church
We believe in the universal
church, a living, spiritual body of which Christ is
the head and all regenerated persons are members. We
believe in the local church, consisting of a company
of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible
profession of faith. We believe that the
responsibilities of the members of each local church
include the ministries of the Word, worship, prayer,
spiritual maturity and evangelism giving the gospel
of Jesus Christ to a lost world.
Ephesians 2:19-22; Acts 1:8;
Ephesians 5:19-21; Acts 2:42-47; Hebrews 10:23-25;
Matthew 28:18-20
VIII. Baptism and the
Lord's Supper
We believe that the Lord
Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the
local church, baptism and the Lord's Supper. We
believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of
the believer in water into the name of the triune
God. We believe the Lord's Supper was instituted by
Christ for all believers to remember and meditate on
His death. We believe that the Church should
practice baptism and the Lord's Supper until the
return of Christ.
Matthew 26:26-28; 28:18-20;
Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:14-20; Acts 2:38; 10:48;
19:5; Romans 6:3-5; I Corinthians 11:23-26
IX. The Last Things
We believe in the glorious,
personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ
and the fulfillment of His kingdom. We believe in
the resurrection of all mankind, the righteous and
the unrighteous, to face final judgment. The
righteous will enter eternal joy in the new heavens
and new earth; the wicked will be condemned to
eternal punishment in hell.
Matthew 16:27; 25:31-46;
Mark 14:62; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; Phil. 3:20; I
Thessalonians 4:15; II Timothy 4:1; Titus 2:13; I
Corinthians 4:5; I Corinthians 15; II Thessalonians
1:7-10; II Peter 3:10-13; Revelation 20:4-6,11-15;
21:1-8
ARTICLE V.
CHURCH COVENANT
As a statement of faith tells
what a church generally believes, a covenant
describes how they agree to relate to one another in
their personal and corporate lives.
The Heart Attitudes of Fellowship
We confess that we have been
born again by the Spirit of God and have received
Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We have been
baptized as believers in the name of the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit.
We ask followers of Jesus
Christ who join Fellowship to maintain godly
attitudes in their hearts as we follow Christ
together. To be a member of Fellowship includes a
joyful commitment to live out our faith with these
Christ-like attitudes.
1
A Selfless Heart: Seek God's
best for others.
Philippians 2:3 – 4
3Do nothing from
selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of
mind regard one another as more important than
yourselves;
4do not merely
look out for your own personal interests, but also
for the interests of others.
Romans 12:10 10Be devoted
to one another in brotherly love; give preference to
one another in honor;
2
A Loving Heart: Live an honest
life before others; keeping relationship clear in
the church.
1
Corinthians 13:4 - 8a
4Love is patient,
love is kind and is not jealous; love does
not brag and is not arrogant,
5does not act
unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not
provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,
6does not rejoice
in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
7bears all things,
believes all things, hopes all things, endures all
things.
8Love never
fails;
Matthew 5:23 - 24
23“Therefore if
you are presenting your offering at the altar, and
there remember that your brother has something
against you,
24leave
your offering there before the altar and go; first
be reconciled to your brother, and then come and
present your offering.
(Cf.
Col. 3:8-17).
3
A Servant's Heart: Be invested
in the life of the church.
Hebrews 10:24 - 25
24and let us
consider how to stimulate one another to love and
good deeds,
25not forsaking
our own assembling together, as is the habit of
some, but encouraging one another; and all
the more as you see the day drawing near.
1 Corinthians 12:7
7But to each one
is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the
common good.
4
An Obedient Heart: Follow
spiritual leaders as they follow Christ.
Hebrews 13:17
17Obey your
leaders and submit to them, for they keep
watch over your souls as those who will give an
account. Let them do this with joy and not with
grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.
Matthew 20:26 - 28
26“It is not this
way among you, but whoever wishes to become great
among you shall be your servant,
27and
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your
slave;
28just
as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but
to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
5
A Humble Heart: Be open to
receive and give scriptural correction.
Proverbs 10:17
17 He is on
the path of life who heeds instruction,
But he who ignores
reproof goes astray. (Cf. Heb. 3:13)
2 Timothy 3:16
16All Scripture is
inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for
reproof, for correction, for training in
righteousness; (cf. 2Tim. 4:2; Col. 1:28)
6
A Generous Heart: Cheerfully
give our tithes and offerings to support the
ministries of Fellowship.
Proverbs 3:9 - 10
9 Honor the LORD
from your wealth,
And from the first of all your produce;
10 So your barns
will be filled with plenty,
And your vats will
overflow with new wine.
2 Corinthians 9:6 - 8
6Now this I
say, he who sows sparingly will also reap
sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also
reap bountifully.
7Each one must
do just as he has purposed in his heart, not
grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a
cheerful giver.
8And God is able
to make all grace abound to you, so that always
having all sufficiency in everything, you may have
an abundance for every good deed;
7
A Disciple's Heart: Be a fully
devoted follower of Jesus.
Deuteronomy 6:4 - 7
4“Hear, O Israel!
The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!
5“You shall love
the LORD your God with all your heart and with all
your soul and with all your might.
6“These words,
which I am commanding you today, shall be on your
heart.
7You shall teach
them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them
when you sit in your house and when you walk by the
way and when you lie down and when you rise up.
Matthew 28:18 - 20
18And Jesus came
up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has
been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19“Go
therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son
and the Holy Spirit,
20teaching
them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I
am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
VI: PROVISION
FOR BY-LAWS AND POLICY MANUAL
A supplement to this constitution known as the
By-Laws is found on the following pages. These
By-Laws
are the practical guidelines and procedures by which
Fellowship carries out it's internal matters and its
dealing with others.
A separate Policy Manual shall
cover such items as the functions and job
descriptions for all positions
in the church, etc.
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