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Church By-Laws

New Life Ministry By-Laws

New Life Ministry (NLM) is a self-governed church, taking the Bible as its sole and ultimate guide and authority in settling all matters. NLM must never be controlled by one person, family, or clique. All financial, moral, or legal matters must be decided on by the whole assembly. The church must be given a full-week notice before any changes are voted on concerning the by-laws.

OFFICES OF THE CHURCH

PASTOR: A man must receive ¾ majority vote to serve as the Pastor of NLM. If the Pastor elects to resign or if the church elects to ask him to resign, then a minimum of 30 days notice is to be given by both parties. If NLM has a vacant pulpit, then it will be the responsibility of the deacons to search out a new man to present to the church for Pastor.

The Authority of the Pastor

The Pastor has the biblical authority to oversee all matters concerning the church. His authority will be dictated by the principles and spirit of 1 Peter 5:2-3. The Pastor should be informed about any matter within the church that would affect the whole assembly. The Pastor will be an ex-officio member of all committees. We believe, according to the Scriptures, that the Lord speaks primarily to His appointed man about matters that concern His church; therefore, the Pastor should always have a closeness and openness to what the Spirit is saying to the church (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:1, 13, 22).

The Responsibility of the Pastor

The role of the Pastor is to Lead, Feed, and Protect God's sheep:

  1. As a shepherd, the Pastor should Lead the church by the Good Word of God in the pulpit and a Good Walk for God out of the pulpit. He will have the burden of making crucial decisions for the church, keeping in mind that in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

  2. As a shepherd, the Pastor should Feed the church with the milk and meat of God's Word (1 Peter 5:1). He should be faithful in teaching and preaching God's Word. The doctrines that he teaches must align with the church's "Declaration of Faith" which is based solely on the Divine Scriptures.

  3. As a soldier, the Pastor should Protect the church by being a diligent watchman over the flock. He should deal wisely and quickly with any member or person that is attempting to harm the whole body; using the Matthew Principle (Matthew 18:15-17). He should consult with the deacons on these matters.

DEACON: A man must receive ¾ majority vote to serve as a deacon of NLM. A deacon may serve a three-year term and then rotate off for at least two years before he may serve actively again. All deacons will be appointed by the Pastor and presented to the church for a vote. In the choosing of the deacons, NLM will always keep in mind that one of its purposes is to "Pass the Baton" to the next generation; therefore, it should always appoint the younger to serve with the elder.

The Responsibility of the Deacon

The role of the Deacon is to:

  1. Assist the Pastor that he may always be free to fulfill his role as the Pastor (Acts 6:2).

  2. Attend a monthly meeting to pray for the church and oversee its status.

  3. Deal with crucial issues within the church and bring before the church any matters that the full church's attention. What comes before the church will be left to the discretion of the Pastor and Deacons. However, full transparency will be required by the leadership; especially in matters that affect the whole church body.

  4. Prepare and serve Communion which will be held on the first Sunday of every quarter.

  5. Sustain good healthy communications with the Trustees and Treasurer for accountability purposes and a good healthy progress of the church.

  6. Protect the church from politically driven motives of any member. Issues brought to the attention of any one deacon must be shared with the Pastor and other Deacons.

TRUSTEE:

The Responsibility of the Trustee

The role of the Trustee(s) is to oversee the grounds of the church. Their sole responsibility is the up-keep of the building and maintenance. They will have the liberty to spend up to $500.00 as needed; and any need that exceeds that amount must be voted on by the church. They will work closely with the Pastor, Deacon, and Treasurer.

TREASURER: A man/woman must receive ¾ majority vote to serve as treasurer of NLM. After a person serves as treasurer for five years, the Pastor will appoint a person to be voted on by the church, to serve with and under the present treasurer for a full year; and after that full year the appointed person will become the main treasurer.

The Responsibility of the Treasurer

The role of the treasurer is to:

  1. Pay all bills of the church accurately and timely.

  2. Have a financial report available at all times for any or all members.

  3. Never count the offering monies without the assistance of a deacon.

  4. Never move any monies without the authority of the church.

  5. Present to the church an annual budget for the church.

  6. Never write a check for any financial matter outside the church budget or other-than-necessary items required by the church.

CHURCH MEMBERSHIP

Anyone that desires to unite with NLM will be accepted by a simple majority vote.

  • If a person desires to unite with NLM, then they must have had a sound salvation experience and a biblical baptism (See XIII in our "Declaration of Faith").

  • If a person desires to unite with NLM and that person has had a sound experience of salvation but has not been baptized, then NLM requires that person to be baptized before they can become a member of NLM.

GUIDELINES OF THE CHURCH

  1. Adhering to our conviction that the Bible is the sole authority in all matters, we at New Life Ministry believe that marriage is between a biological male and biological female only; therefore, NLM forbids our facilities to be used for any marriage ceremonies that go against the biblical pattern stated clearly in the Divine Scriptures.

  2. NLM forbids any alcoholic beverages to be used in a wedding reception or any other event that is held at our facilities.

  3. If any persons desire to use the NLM fellowship hall, they need to make the request to a Deacon or Pastor a month in advance. Anyone using the fellowship hall must clean up afterwards and everything should be put back in its place.

  4. No child is to be on the playset unless a parent or guardian is with them.

Revision history:

Original rules presented 2021-10-10. Accepted 2021-10-17. Typographical errors corrected 2021-11-20.