Church Constitution/Bylaws

FORM 3

SOCIETY ACT

Article 1 Name

The name of the Society is “VANCOUVER BIBLE-PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.”

(hereinafter referred to as “the Church”.)

Article 2 Purposes

The purposes of the Church are:

2.1 the salvation of souls;

2.2 the edification of Christians through the teaching of God’s Word;

2.3 the promotion of godly worship;

2.4 the defence of “ the faith which was once delivered unto the saints”;

2.5 the establishment and extension of Christian missions and institutions for

the furtherance of God’s Kingdom on earth;

2.6 the promotion of Christian belief for the poor and needy;

2.7 the strengthening of mutual fellowship, encouragement and unity among

individual Bible-Presbyterian Churches and among other Bible-believing churches of

similar stand ”for the Word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation

1:9).

Article 3 Doctrine

3.1 The doctrine of the Church shall be in accordance with that system commonly called “the Reformed Faith” as expressed in the Confession of Faith as set forth by the historical Westminster Assembly together with the Larger and Shorter Catechisms.

3.2 In abbreviated form the chief tenets of the doctrine of the Church, apart from the Apostles’ Creed, shall be as follows:

3.2.1 We believe in the divine, verbal and plenary inspiration of the Scriptures in the original languages, their consequent inerrancy and infallibility, and, as the Word of God, the Supreme and final authority in faith and life; We believe that the KJV (King James Version or Authorized Version, not the New King James Version) is the most faithful and accurate translation of God’s Word, and is to be used exclusively at all gatherings of the Church.

3.2.2 We believe in one God existing in three co-equal and co-eternal Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit;

3.2.3 We believe that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and is true God and true man;

3.2.4 We believe that man was created in the image of God, but sinned through the fall of Adam, thereby incurring not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation from God and that all human beings are born with a sinful nature and become sinners in thought, word and deed;

3.2.5 We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died a propitiatory and expiatory death as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who repent of their sins and believe in Him are justified before God on the grounds of His shed blood;

3.2.6 We believe in the bodily resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His ascension into Heaven, and in His exaltation at the right hand of God, where He intercedes for us as our High Priest and Advocate;

3.2.7 We believe in the personal, visible and pre-millennial return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to judge this world and bring peace to the nations;

3.2.8 We believe that salvation is by grace through faith, not by works, and that all who repent and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour are born again by the Holy Spirit and thereby become the children of God;

3.2.9 We believe that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and to convict and regenerate the sinner, indwell, guide, instruct and empower the believer for godly living and service;

3.2.10 We believe that Christ instituted the Sacrament of Baptism for believers and their children and the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, which sacraments shall be observed by His Church till He comes;

3.2.11 We believe in the eternal security, bodily resurrection, and eternal blessedness of the saved and in the bodily resurrection and eternal conscious punishment of the lost;

3.2.12 We believe in the real, spiritual unity in Christ of all redeemed by His precious blood and the necessity of faithfully maintaining the purity of the church in doctrine and life according to the Word of God and the principle and practice of biblical separation from the apostasy of the day being spearheaded by the Ecumenical Movement (2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Revelation 18:4).

Article 4 Principles of Government

The Church, in setting forth the form of government which it maintains as being founded upon and agreeable to the Word of God, reiterates, by way of introduction, several cardinal principles which are basic to and regulative of its form of church government.

4.1 “God alone is Lord of the conscience” and “hath left it free from the doctrine and commandments of men, which are in any thing contrary to His Word, or beside it in matters of faith or worship”. Therefore we consider the rights of private judgment, in all matters that respect religion, as universal and inalienable. We do not even wish to see any religious institution aided by the civil power further than may be necessary for protection and security and, at the same time, be equal and common to all others.

4.2 In perfect consistency with the above principle of common right every Christian Church, or union or association of Christian Churches is entitled to declare the terms of admission into its communion and the qualifications of its ministers and members, as well as the whole system of its internal government which Christ has appointed. In the exercise of this right it may, notwithstanding, err in making the terms of communion either too lax or too narrow; yet, even in this case, it does not infringe upon the liberty or the rights of others, but only makes an improper use of its own liberty and rights.

4.3 Our blessed Saviour, for the edification of the visible Church, which is His Body, appointed officers, not only to preach the Gospel and administer the Sacraments but also to exercise discipline for the preservation both of truth and duty, it is incumbent upon these officers and upon the whole Church, in whose name they act, to censure or cast out the erroneous and scandalous, observing in all cases the rules contained in the Word of God.

4.4 Truth leads to goodness; the great touchstone of truth is its tendency to promote holiness; according to our Saviour’s rule, “by their fruits ye shall know them”. No opinion can either more pernicious or more absurd than that which brings truth and falsehood upon a level and represents it as of no consequence what a man’s opinions are. On the contrary, we are persuaded that there is an inseparable connection between faith and practice, truth and duty; otherwise it would be of no consequence either to discover truth or to embrace it.

4.5 Under the conviction of the above principle, we think it necessary to make effectual provision that all who are admitted as teachers be sound in the faith. We also believe that there are truths and forms with respect to which men of good character and principles may differ. And in all these we think it is the duty both of private Christians and societies to exercise mutual forbearance toward each other.

4.6 Though the character, qualifications, and authority of church officers are laid down in the Holy Scriptures, as well as the proper method of their investiture and institution, yet the election of persons to the exercise of this authority, in any particular society, is in that society.

4.7 All church power, whether exercised by the body in general or in the way of representation by delegated authority, is only ministerial and declarative; that is to say, the Holy Scriptures are the only rule of faith and conduct; no church court ought to pretend to make laws to bind the conscience in virtue of its own authority; all its decisions should be founded upon the revealed will of God. Now though it will be easily admitted, that all synods and councils may err through the frailty inseparable from humanity, yet, there is much greater danger from the usurped claim of making laws than from the right of judging upon laws already made and common to all who profess the Gospel, although this right, as necessity requires in the present state, be lodged with fallible men.

4.8 If the preceding Scriptural and rational principles are steadfastly adhered to, the vigour and strictness of its discipline will contribute to the glory and happiness of any church. Since ecclesiastical discipline must be purely moral or spiritual in its object and not accompanied by any civil effects, it can derive no force whatever but from its own justice, the approbation of an impartial public, and the countenance and blessing of the great Head of the Church universal.

Article 5 Principle and Practice of Biblical Separation

5.1 The doctrine of separation from sin unto God is a fundamental principle of the Bible, one grievously ignored in the church today.

5.2 This doctrine arises out of the holiness of God. Both the purity and righteousness of God (Luke1:75) are involved. “Be ye holy; for I am Holy.” (1 Peter 1:16, also 3:11, Exodus 15:11, Isaiah 6:3, 2 Corinthians 7:1).

5.3 The Bible does speak of cooperation (“be of one mind,” “that they may all be one,” “labourers together,” “keep the unity of the Spirit,” “follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord,” also 1 Corinthians 12:25). However, biblical cooperation is based upon TRUTH. It involves the united effort of God’s people. This is not a cooperation born of a spirit of undiscerning pluralism, or that of seeking “truth” in all religions.

5.4 We maintain that Scripture teaches a separation that is based on the holiness of God, producing purity in all of life, personal and ecclesiastical.

5.5 It is the duty of all true churches of the Lord Jesus Christ to make a clear testimony to their faith in Him, especially in these darkening days of apostasy in many professing churches, by which apostasy whole denominations in their official capacity, as well as individual churches, have been swept into a paganising stream of modernism under various names and in varying degrees.

5.6 There has been a notable growth of autocratic domination on the part especially of modernistic leaders by whom the rightful powers of true churches are often usurped and are now being usurped.

5.7 The commands of God to His people to be separate from all unbelief and corruption are clear and positive; “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 6:14; see also Matthew 6:24, Romans 16:17, Galatians 1, Ephesians 5:11, 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14, 2 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 3:10, 2 Peter 2:1-3, 1 John 4:1-3, 2 John 7-11, Jude 3:20-24, and Revelation 18:4). We reach out to those who are part of any human system which involves compromise with error, and who thus ought to “come out from among them” (2 Corinthians 6:17), separate themselves unto the “Father… the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:18), thus “cleansing themselves” and perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2 Corinthians 7:1).

5.8 In loyalty to the revealed Word we, as an organized portion of the people of God, are obliged to oppose all forms of modernism, cultism, Romanism, and false religions. Dialogue for the purpose of reaching a compromise between all true Bible believers and representatives of such beliefs is impious, unbiblical, treasonous and unfaithful to the Holy God, as he has revealed Himself to us in His infallible, inerrant Word.

5.9 We are opposed to all efforts to obscure or wipe out the clear line of separation between these absolutes: truth and error, light and darkness. (See Jeremiah 5:20, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18). We refer to such efforts by New Evangelicals, Charismatic Christians, promoters of ecumenical cooperative evangelism and of the social gospel, and all churches and other movements and organizations that are aligned with or sympathetic to the Ecumenical Movement.

Article 6 Main Practices of the Church

The main practices of the Church are as follows:

6.1 BAPTISM: The observance of the Baptism of believers is by sprinkling on personal confession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Infants of one or both the believing parents are to be baptised (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:38-42, 8:35-38, 10:44-48; 1 Corinthians 7:14).

6.2 REAFFIRMATION OF FAITH: Baptised infants upon coming of age in that they can satisfy the Board of Elders as to their faith shall be received into communicant membership by reaffirmation of faith.

6.3 THE LORD’S SUPPER: The remembrance of the Lord’s death through the Lord’s Supper shall be observed regularly, and normally all baptised believers (except baptised children of constituent members who have not reaffirmed their faith) whose conduct is consistent with their confession of their faith shall be received at the Lord’s Table (Luke 22:14-29; Acts 2:42, 46, 20:7; Romans 14:19, 15:7, 1 Corinthians 5:6-8, 11, 23-26).

6.4 FELLOWSHIP AND DISCIPLINE: Every member shall participate in fellowship, prayer and instruction with other believers and exercise of spiritual gifts for the edification of the Church (Roman 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4:1-16; Hebrew 10:23-25; 1 Peter 4:7-11).

6.5 EVANGELISM AND MISSIONS: The local Church in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ, both as individual and collective witnesses shall proclaim the Gospel to their families, neighbours, colleagues, friends, the nation as well as the regions beyond (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:44-48; Acts 1:8; 1 Peter 2:9, 3:15).

6.6 STEWARDSHIP: Every member shall have the responsibility and privilege to contribute his gifts, talents, time and resources to the work of God and the extension of His Kingdom. It shall also be the responsibility and privilege of each member to tithe and contribute willingly, regularly and generously according to his ability as God enables (Roman 12:1-13; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 16:1-2; 2 Corinthians 8, 9).

6.7 CHRISTIAN EDUCATION: The Church shall conduct a Christian Education programme to build up the members on the most holy faith (Jude 20) through Sunday School, Bible study classes, Bible study groups, catechism classes, Christian publications, Gospel tracts and such other similar measures as the Church Session and/or Board of Elders may decide.

6.8 WORSHIP: All members shall meet regularly for the public worship of GOD the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and shall maintain family and personal devotions (Psalms 27:4; Hebrew 10:24, 25; Song of Solomon 1:6; Psalms 122:1; Psalms 1:1-3). Believing parents shall endeavour to bring up their children in the fear of the Lord and to lead them into a saving knowledge of the Lord by regular instruction of the Word of God (Proverbs 22:6; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Ephesians 6:4).

6.9 WEDDINGS: The Solemnisation of marriages between born-again believers. The groom must be a baptised believer and the bride a baptised believer or a catechumen (2 Corinthians 6:14; Ephesians 5:21-33).

6.10 FUNERAL: The normal practice of the Bible-Presbyterian Church is to bury the dead. Christian funeral is to be conducted only for born-again believers.

Article 7 Dissolution

In the event of the dissolution of the Church, the funds and assets remaining after

the satisfaction of its debts and liabilities, shall be transferred to such organization or organizations with similar purposes in Canada, as may be determined by the members of the Church at the time of dissolution provided that such organization or organizations shall be a registered charity recognised by Revenue Canada as being qualified as such under the provisions of the Income Tax of Canada from time to time in effect.

Article 8 No gain for members

The purposes of the Church shall be carried out without purpose of gain for its members, and any profits or other accretions to the Church shall be used solely for promoting its purposes.

Article 9 Inalterablility

Article 7 and 8 of this Constitution and this article are unalterable in accordance with the Society Act.

Article 10 Alterability

Articles 3, 4, 5 and 6 of this Constitution and this article are alterable in accordance with the Society Act.

8. Membership

8.1 Standards for membership
In view of the need for Christian churches to maintain Biblical standards in a secular
society, the following Christian standards for membership must be affirmed by all
members:

8.1.1 affirm that the Bible clearly reveals God’s will for the behaviour and
conduct of His redeemed people and deny that Biblical standards in such areas as the family and sexuality are outmoded in the present days. Deuteronomy 4:2, Psalm 119:89, Matthew 5:17-19, Mark 13:31, Romans 15:4; and 1 Corinthians 10:6-11;

8.1.2 affirm that human sexuality is a good gift from God to be received with
thanksgiving and deny that sexual activity outside of marriage is
necessary for the full development of human personhood. Genesis 1:27-
28, Genesis 2:18-25, Proverbs 5:18-19 and Hebrews 13:4;

8.1.3 affirm that in the Bible God defines marriage as a life-long, exclusive
covenant between one man and one woman and deny that same-sex
relationships constitute marriage in the Biblical sense. Genesis 2:24,
Matthew 19:3-9 and Romans 7:2-3;

8.1.4 affirm that only within marriage as defined in Bylaw 8.1.3 is sexual
activity pleasing to God and deny that homosexuality, lesbianism, incest,
bestiality, adultery, premarital sex or pornography are acceptable conduct for Bible-taught Christians nor can such practices ever be pleasing to God. Exodus 20: 14 and 17, Leviticus 18, Matthew 5:27-30, Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 5:1-2, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 13-20, 1 Corinthians 7:3-5, 8-9, Ephesians 5:3-5 and 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8;

8.1.5 affirm that the four guidelines in Bylaws 8.1.1, 8.1.2, 8.1.3 and 8.1.4 are
clearly based on the Holy Scriptures and constitute the Revealed and
therefore final Will of God for the members of the Church, further affirm
that the four guidelines shall serve as the basis for pastoral care and
church discipline and deny that the use of the four guidelines is motivated by anything other than a reverent fear of Almighty God, our Maker, Redeemer and final Judge. The members’ sincere desire is to obey His Commandments as revealed in the Holy Scriptures.

8.2 Membership of the Church shall be of three categories:

8.2.1 Communicant Members – Persons who can satisfy the Board of Elders
as to their Christian faith, knowledge, and manner of life and who have
been baptised or have reaffirmed their Christian faith or transferred from
another Bible-Presbyterian church or another Bible-believing Church
shall be Communicant members. They shall be eligible to vote at
congregational meetings provided that they are 16 years and above. No
member under the age of 21 shall be eligible to stand for election to the
Session. No communicant member shall be a member of another church.

8.2.2 Non-Communicant Members – Baptised children of Communicant
Members or of Christians who have not yet acquired communicant
membership in the Church shall be Non-Communicant members. A Non-Communicant member shall not be eligible to vote at congregational
meetings or stand for election to the Session.

8.2.3 Absent Members – A Communicant Member who has been absent from
active and regular participation/attendance of worship for a period of six
months prior to a congregational meeting will be deemed to be an Absent Member. An Absent Member shall not be counted as a Communicant member for purposes of determining the congregational meeting quorum. An Absent Member shall not be eligible to vote at congregational meetings or submit nominations for or stand for election to Session. A “Fifty percent” attendance shall be the guideline for defining “regular” attendance, unless reasons for absences are provided to and accepted by church Session prior to the Congregational meeting.

8.3 If any member shall be found by the Board of Elders to have acted in a manner
unbecoming of a member or by his act or omission be likely to hinder the witness of
the Church or render it of ill repute, the Board of Elders shall request him to appear
before the Board. The Board shall have the power to admonish, rebuke, suspend,
depose or ex-communicate the member in accordance with the procedure laid down
in the Bible-Presbyterian Book of Discipline.

8.4 A person ceases to be a member of the Church

(a) by delivering his or her resignation in writing to the Clerk of Session of
the Church or by mailing or delivering it to the address of the Church;

(b) on his or her death;

(d) on having been a member not in good standing.

8.5 Members are expected to strive conscientiously to live according to the light given
to them by the Holy Spirit through God’s Word, and to support wholeheartedly the
services and activities of the Church.

8.6 Those below twenty-one years of age shall not be accepted as members without the
parent’s written consent.

8.7 All members are in good standing except a member who does not comply with the
standards for membership in Bylaw 8.1.

9. Branches

9.1 The Church may establish branches subject to the approval of the relevant
Government Authorities.

9.2 Such branches shall be under the control of the Church and bear the same name
and shall function in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and the
Bylaws and rules made thereunder.

10. Membership in the Presbytery

10.1 The Church, being a Bible-Presbyterian congregational having purposes similar to
those of the Bible-Presbyterian Church of Singapore, shall seek affiliation with any
similar body for the strengthening of mutual fellowship, encouragement and unity
and, in particular, for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ (Revelation
1:9).

10.2 The Church may resign from membership in the Bible-Presbytery provided that such
a decision is adopted by a two-thirds majority vote at an Extraordinary
Congregational Meeting. The quorum for this Meeting shall be two-thirds of the
resident voting members in good standing. At such Meeting the Presbytery or Synod
of the Bible-Presbyterian Church shall have the right to present its views or case. In
the event of a lack of quorum, the Chairman shall re-schedule the meeting to another day and should the quorum be still lacking, the matter shall be held in abeyance.

11. The Church Government

11.1 The government, administration, and discipline of the Church shall be in accordance
with the provisions of the Constitution and Bylaws and with the Form of Government
and the Book of Discipline of the Bible-Presbyterian Church, except in those
instances where specific statements in the Constitution and Bylaws supersede them.

11.2 The spiritual oversight of the Church in matters of doctrine, principles of government, church elections, admission and discipline of members and the administrative oversight of the Church shall be the specific responsibilities of the Board of Elders.

11.3 The general spiritual and administrative oversight of the Church may be delegated
by the Board of Elders to the Deacons and Deaconesses.

12. The Church Session

12.1 The Church Session shall consist of the Pastor who shall also be the Chairman,
Associate Pastor, if any, and/or Advisory Pastor or Supervisory Pastor when
necessary, Elders, Deacons, and Deaconesses if any.

12.2 The Church which has no Pastor and/or Elder of its own, may co-opt a Pastor and/or
Elder from another Bible-Presbyterian Church who shall have all the rights and
powers in the affairs of the Church.

12.3 The Church Session shall appoint a Clerk-of-Session who shall be the Secretary
from among its members and define his duties and may appoint such other office
bearers as it may think fit.

12.4 The Church Session may delegate specific powers to any one of its members and
appoint such committee as it deems fit and to make such rules and standing orders
to regulate the duties and powers of such persons or committees.

12.5 The Church Session may co-opt members of the Church or such other persons as
it deems fit to serve on any committee.

12.6 The Church Session shall meet once a month or once in two months at such place
and time as the Pastor or Board of Elders may determine. Emergency meetings
may be convened by the Pastor/Associate Pastor/Assistant Pastor, or in his
absence, by the Elder appointed to act for the Pastor. Such a meeting shall be also
convened at the joint request of any two elders.

12.7 A simple majority of the Church members present in Canada shall constitute a
quorum for the Session meeting.

12.8 The Church Session shall act by consensus or by a simple majority vote when
necessary. The Moderator or Chairman shall have only the casting vote.

12.9 The Church Session shall at the Annual Congregational Meeting of the Church
present a budget for the next fiscal year or period, and the previous financial year’s
accounts duly audited either internally or externally.

12.10 The Clerk of Session shall:

12.10.1 Keep an up-to-date Register of Members with full particulars of name,
address, date and place of birth, baptism, reaffirmation of faith, transfer,
marriage, death or dismissal;

12.10.2 a Minute Book to record the minutes of the Session, Board of Elders
and of the Congregational Meetings;

12.10.3 conduct the correspondence of the Church;

12.10.4 issue notices of meetings of the Church, Session, Board of Elders and
of the Congregational Meetings;

12.10.5 have custody of all records and documents of the Church except those
required to be kept by the Treasurer and

12.10.6 have custody of the common seal of the Church.

13. Election to the Church Session

13.1 Candidates shall satisfy the requirements listed in 1 Timothy 3, Titus 1 and 1 Peter
5. Additionally, and to ensure better objectively in selection, they shall fulfill the
following conditions:

13.1.1 Demonstrate beyond reasonable doubt, and over a sufficient length of
time, that they are faithful and mature members of the Body of Christ and faithfully devote themselves to personal prayer and study of the Word.

13.1.2 Attend public worship and prayer meetings of the Church regularly unless prevented from doing so for valid reasons.

13.1.3 Make a careful study of the Constitution, in particular the Principle and
Practice of Biblical Separation and fully accept it.

13.1.4 Be willing to participate wholeheartedly in the ministry of the Church, with the Pastor, and to devote time, talents and resources in such ministry which shall include serving in the various departments of the Church.

13.2 The Board of Elders shall nominate candidates for election to the Church Session.
Nominations may also be submitted by any member of the congregation to the
Board of Elders.

13.3 Proposals for election to the Church Session shall be carefully screened by the
Board of Elders to ensure that only those with the essential qualifications and who
are in full agreement with the doctrinal stand of the Bible-Presbyterian Church, in
particular with its Principle and Practice of Biblical Separation, are considered for
nomination and election of the Church Session.

13.4 Elected Elders/Deacons/Deaconesses shall be formally installed into office at a
Service of consecration to be held on an appropriate Lord’s Day soon after election.

14. Pastors

14.1 The Pastor and/or Associate Pastor/Assistant Pastor shall be elected by the
members of the Church at the Annual Congregational Meeting by a majority of the
votes cast and shall hold office for a term of three years but shall be eligible for re-election. The Pastor shall be the Chairman of the Session.

14.2 No Minister shall receive the call to the Pastor of the Church save through the hands
of the Presbytery or Synod of the Bible-Presbyterian Church at the instance of the
Board of Elders (1 Timothy 4:14) or in the absence of such bodies by the Church
Board of Elders.

14.3 The Pastor shall possess the spiritual, educational and other qualifications as set
forth in the Bible-Presbyterian form of government or such other qualifications as
the Board of elders or Church Session may determine.

14.4 The Pastor and Associate Pastor/Assistant Pastor, Supervisory Pastor and
Advisory Pastor shall be subject, through the Board of Elders, to the discipline of
the particular Presbytery of the Bible-Presbyterian Church of Canada, of which they
are members. They may appeal to the Synod against the Presbytery’s decision.

14.5 The Pastor shall have the general oversight of the spiritual life, regular service, and
ministration of the Sacraments of the Church and the ordination of Elders.

14.6 The Pastor shall be the ex-officio member and advisor of all committees connected
with the Church.

14.7 The Pastor shall be the Moderator of the Church Session, except for prudential
reasons, when the Board of Elders shall appoint one of its Elders as Chairman of a
particular meeting.

14.8 A Pastor or retired Pastor of a Bible-Presbyterian Church may be requested to
serve in another Bible-Presbyterian Church as Supervisory Pastor where a
particular Church is without a Pastor, or as an Advisory Pastor where a particular
Church having a Pastor still wishes to have the services of an additional Pastor as
advisor. Both positions are honorary.

14.9 The members of the Church may, on the recommendation of the Board of Elders,
by special resolution, remove a Pastor, Associate Pastor or Assistant Pastor before
the expiration of his or her term of office, and may elect a successor to complete
the term of office.

15. Elders

15.1 A candidate for election to the office of an Elder shall be a Deacon of not less than
six years’ standing, duly nominated by the Board of Elders and elected by a majority
vote of the members of the Church at the Annual Congregational Meeting, save
that the Board of Elders may in its absolute discretion shorten the qualifying period.

15.2 Upon election, an Elder shall hold office for a term of 3 years and may be eligible
for re-election.

15.3 An Elder may be elected in absentia, with his written consent.

15.4 An Elder, once elected and ordained, shall not be divested of his status as Elder
when he is not re-elected or when he declines re-election except when he is
removed as an Elder under Bylaw 15.8. In case he is not re-elected or when he
declines re-election, he shall not be a member of the Church Session or Board of
Elders. He may attend meetings of the Presbytery or Synod when so appointed by
the Presbytery or Synod.

15.5 An Elder, with the approval of his Board of Elders, may serve in another Bible-Presbyterian church for such duration of time as may be determined.
15.6 An Elder shall endeavour by God’s grace to serve in full conformity with the
standards set forth in the Word of God (1 Timothy 6:2-3 and Titus 1:6-10), joining
with the Pastor in the government, administration and discipline of the Church,
visiting the sick and sorrowing members, investigating delinquents and
endeavouring to remedy any spiritual weakness in the lives of members.

15.7 Elders shall be subject, through the Board of Elders, to the discipline of the
Particular Presbytery of the Bible-Presbyterian Church of Canada, of which they
are members. They may appeal to the Synod against the Presbytery’s decision.

15.8 The members of the Church may, on the recommendation of the Board of Elders,
by special resolution, remove an Elder before the expiration of his or her term of
office, and may elect a successor to complete the term of office.

16. Deacons and Deaconesses

16.1 A Deacon or Deaconess shall be elected by a majority vote of the members of the
Church at the Annual congregational Meeting, providing the candidate shall have
attained 21 years of age at the time of nomination.

16.2 Upon election, a Deacon or Deaconess shall hold office for a term of three years
and may be eligible for election.

16.3 They may be elected in absentia, with their written consent.

16.4 They shall endeavour by God’s grace to serve in full conformity with the standards
set forth in the Word of God. (1Timothy 3:8-13)

16.5 Deacons but not Deaconesses may be requested by the Pastor or Elder to assist
in the ministration of the Holy Communion.

16.6 Deacons and Deaconesses shall be subject to the discipline of the Board of Elders.
They may appeal to the particular Presbytery of the Bible-Presbyterian Church to
which their Church is affiliated against the decision of the Board of Elders.

16.7 The members of the Church may, on the recommendation of the Board of Elders,
by special resolution, remove a Deacon or Deaconess before the expiration of his
or her term of office, and may elect a successor to complete the term of office.

17. Board of Elders

17.1 The Board of Elders shall consist of the Pastor and Elders and, if any, the Associate
Pastor, Assistant Pastor, Supervisory Pastor and Advisory Pastor.

17.2 The Pastor shall be the Chairman of the Board of Elders. In his absence or when
deemed prudent, one of the Elders shall act as Chairman.

17.3 The Board of Elders may appoint or invite Deacons/Deaconesses to take part in
any meeting of the Board of Elders without voting right.

17.4 The Board of Elders shall meet when necessary. The quorum shall be a simple
majority of the members resident in Canada.

17.5 The Board of Elders shall act by consensus.

18. Power and Responsibilities of the Board of Elders

18.1 Be responsible for the spiritual welfare and ministry of the Church.

18.2 Supervise all public worship and preaching services, the ministration of the Lord’s
Supper, Bible Classes, Prayer Meetings, Special Meetings, and all similar efforts
aimed at reaching the lost for Christ and at building up Christians in the Faith.

18.3 Receive members into the Church by confession and reaffirmation of faith and by
transfer from other churches.

18.4 Appoint Staff Workers and other office staff as it deems necessary.

18.5 Exercise discipline in the Church according to the Word of God and the Bible-Presbyterian Book of Discipline.

18.6 Enquire into the knowledge and Christian conduct of the members of the Church.

18.7 Call before them offenders with witness or witnesses from within or without their
congregation.

18.8 Admonish and rebuke those who are found to deserve censure, suspend or exclude
offenders from Lord’s Supper.

18.9 Determine by itself or when it deems necessary, in consultation with the Deacons
and Deaconesses all matters concerning the religious services and spiritual life of
the Church and the suitability of candidates for election to the Church Session.

19. Congregational Meetings

19.1 The management of the Church is vested in a general meeting of the members
presided over by the Chairman. Any Congregational Meeting of the Church may be
constituted as a general meeting for the transaction of business provided not less
than 14 days’ written notice is given to the members but the members may waive or
reduce the period of notice for a particular meeting by unanimous consent in writing.

19.2 Congregational Meetings shall be opened with Scripture reading and prayer and
closed with prayer.

19.3 Congregational Meetings shall be of two kinds; namely, Annual Congregational
Meeting and Extraordinary Congregational Meeting.

19.3.1 The Annual Congregational Meeting for the transaction of business
pertaining to the Church shall be held in the first quarter of the year.

19.3.2 At such Meetings the Church Session shall report on the spiritual and
temporal conditions of the congregation and announce plans for the
coming year.

19.3.3 Items of business shall include the Clerk-of-Session’s Report, the
Treasurer’s Report, the Budget, election of internal auditors, and any other matters on the agenda.

19.3.4 An Extraordinary Meeting for the transaction of particular business
pertaining to the Church may be held at any time upon due notice being
given.

19.3.5 Only such business as is specifically mentioned in the notice may be
considered at such a meeting.

19.3.6 The Session shall call an Extraordinary Meeting when so requested by
one-tenth of the Communicant members.

19.4 The quorum of the Congregational Meetings in the election of the Pastor, Associate
Pastor, Assistant Pastor, Elders, Deacons and Deaconesses and in the
amendments of the constitution shall be a simple majority of all resident voting
communicant members in good standing but shall never be less than 3 persons
present.

19.5 The quorum of the Congregational Meeting for all other businesses shall be one-third of all such resident voting communicant members in the transaction of other
businesses but shall never be less than 3 persons present.

19.6 In the event of a lack of quorum for the Congregational Meeting, the Chairman shall
adjourn the meeting for an hour and should the number then present be insufficient
to form a quorum, those present shall constitute the quorum, but they shall have no
power to alter, amend or make additions to any of the existing rules.

19.7 The election of the Pastor, Associate Pastor, Assistant Pastor, Elders, Deacons and
Deaconesses shall be by secret ballot.

19.8 The election of the Church Session Members, and decisions on all other businesses
of the Church shall only be adopted by a majority vote of those present except the
amendments to the Constitution which shall not be adopted without a three-quarters
majority vote of those present.

19.9 The Pastor shall be the Chairman of the Meeting except for prudential reasons, when the Board of Elders shall appoint from among them as Chairman of the Meeting.

20. Power to acquire property

The Church shall have the power to acquire immovable property and such other property as the relevant authorities shall permit in its name.

21. Finance and Audit

21.1 The work and programme of the Church shall be supported by the freewill offerings
and tithes of its members and gifts, donations from friends and by such other
income as may be derived by the Church according to the Holy Scriptures.
21.2 The funds of the Church shall be used in accordance with the provisions of the
Constitution and Bylaws.
21.3 The Church Session shall elect one of its members as Treasurer and another
member as Assistant Treasurer, if necessary. The Treasurer and/or the Assistant
Treasurer shall not hold Office for the same or related post for another consecutive
term. The Church Session may appoint a Finance Committee from among its
members to take charge of the financial affairs of the Church. The Treasurer shall
keep a cash balance of not more than $1,000.00 at any one time. All monies
exceeding this amount shall be deposited with a bank designated by the Church
Session. All cheques shall be signed by the Treasurer or in his absence the
Assistant Treasurer, and one other Church Session member appointed by the
Church Session.

21.4 The Church Session may appoint an auditing firm as external auditor to audit the
accounts of the Church.

21.5 In addition to the external auditors, the Church may elect one or two internal
auditors who are not members of the Church Session, at an Annual/Extraordinary
Congregational Meeting of the Church.

21.6 The internal auditors shall hold office for up to three years and shall not be eligible
for re-election.

21.7 The internal auditors and/or the auditing firm shall certify the correctness of the
accounts for presentation to the Annual Congregational Meeting at the end of each
financial year which shall end on 31 December.

22. Borrowing

22.1 In order to carry out the purposes of the Church the Church may raise or secure
the payment or repayment of money in the manner they decide and in particular,
but without limiting the foregoing, by the issue of debentures.
22.1 A debenture must not be issued without the authorization of the resident voting
communicant members by a special resolution.

23. Bylaws

The Board of Elders or the Church Session may make rules not inconsistent with the
Constitution and the Bylaws for giving effect to their provisions for, but not limited to, the following matters:

23.1 The way and manner the activities of the Church business shall be administered;

23.2 The appointment of staff workers, paid secretaries, clerks and other personnel for
the proper functioning of the Church;

24. Amendments

24.1 Subject to Bylaw 6, no amendments to the Constitution and the Bylaws shall be
made except at a Congregational Meeting of the Church.

24.2 Subject to Bylaw 6, no amendments to the Constitution and the Bylaws shall be
adopted without at least three-quarters majority votes cast by those present.

24.3 Subject to Bylaw 6, no amendments to the Constitution and the Bylaws shall come
into force until filed and registered by the Registrar of Companies.

25. Interpretation

In the event of any question or matter arising out of any point which is not expressly provided
for in the Constitution and the Bylaws, the Board of Elders and the Church Session shall decide
on the matter or the necessary steps to be taken.

26. Prohibitions

26.1 Gambling of any kind, whether for stakes or not, is forbidden on the Church’s
premises. The introduction of materials for gambling or drug taking and of bad
characters into the premises is prohibited.
26.2 The funds of the Church shall not be used to pay the fines of members who have
been convicted in Court.
26.3 The Church shall not engage in Trade Union activity as defined in any written law
relating to trade unions for the time being in force in Canada.
26.4 The Church shall not attempt to restrict or interfere with trade or make directly or
indirectly any recommendation to, or any arrangement with its members which has
the purpose or is likely to have the effect of fixing or controlling the price or any
discount, allowance or rebate relating to any goods or services to be supplied by
them.
26.5 The Church shall not hold any lottery, whether confined to its members or not, in
the name of the Church or its office-bearers, Church Sessions or members.
26.6 The Church shall not indulge in any political activity or allow its funds and/or
premises to be used for political purposes.
26.7 The Church shall not raise funds from the public for whatever purposes without prior
approval in writing or relevant authorities.

27. Dissolution

27.1 The Church shall not be dissolved, except with the consent of not less than three-fourths of the members of the Church for the time being resident in Canada
expressed in person at a Congregational Meeting convened for the purpose.

27.2 In the event of the dissolution of the Church, the funds and assets remaining after
the satisfaction of its debts and liabilities, shall be transferred to such organization
or organizations with similar purposes in Canada, as may be determined by the
members of the Church at the time of dissolution provided that such organization
or organizations shall be a registered charity recognised by Revenue Canada as
being qualified as such under the provisions of the Income Tax of Canada from time
to time in effect.

27.3 Notice of dissolution shall be given to the relevant Government Authorities within
seven (7) days of the dissolution.