Grace Gospel Chapel

Of Seattle, Washington

Constitution and Bylaws

Written on 6 February 2004

As heirs of the Kingdom of God and partakers of the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we hereby covenant to work together as Grace Gospel Chapel to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and encourage one another in worship, evangelism, education, discipleship, fellowship, charity and community. We further covenant with God to encourage one another in our individual and corporate walk with our Lord Jesus Christ. We will abide by Grace Gospel Chapel’s Constitution and Bylaws as they are written to fulfill the Ministries of Grace Gospel Chapel, for the glory of God and the building up of the Body of Christ.

The following shall be adopted as the Doctrinal Statement of Grace Gospel Chapel:

1. We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

    

2. We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, His earthly ministry and miracles, His death on the cross, His bodily resurrection, and ascension to the Right Hand of God the Father, and in His soon coming return in power and glory.

    

3. We believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God, infallible and authoritative.

    

4. We believe in salvation for all lost mankind through regeneration by the Holy Spirit.

    

5. We believe in water baptism by immersion, as Jesus did. We are buried in water for repentance and raised to walk in newness of life.

    

6. We believe in observing the Lord’s Supper as instructed in God’s Word.

    

7. We believe in the commandment of tithing as recorded in God’s Word.

    

8. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, whose indwelling enables all Believers to live a Godly life.

    

9. We believe in the resurrection of the just and unjust. The just unto eternal life and the unjust to eternal damnation.

    

Grace Gospel Chapel shall be governed as outlined below:

1. The head of Grace Gospel Chapel is Jesus Christ, and the Pastor/Shepherd shall serve as the Lords’ under-shepherd. The job of the pastor/shepherd is to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the Body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, becoming mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ, (Eph. 4:12-13). Further, this person must have God’s calling and anointing on his/her life to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We at Grace Gospel Chapel believe that a servant is worthy of his/her hire, thus, the congregation may offer remuneration as it sees fit for services rendered. The Pastor/Shepherd shall be held accountable for his stewardship first to Jesus Christ and secondly to the Body of Christ, which are all the members of Grace Gospel Chapel, Matthew 18:15-17.

    

1. The Associate Pastor shall posses the same qualifications as listed above, as those of the Pastor. He/she shall serve directly under the Pastor/Shepherd and shall assist in all areas of ministry as outlined in the Doctrinal Statement of Grace Gospel Chapel. Remuneration shall be at the discretion of the congregation. The accountability of the Associate Pastor for his/her stewardship shall be first being to Jesus Christ, secondly to the Pastor/Shepherd of the Body of Christ, which are all the members of Grace Gospel Chapel, Matthew 18:15-17.

    

1. According to the Word of God, a Board of Elders shall be established to address the spiritual welfare of Grace Gospel Chapel. An elder must possess the following qualifications as recorded in Titus 1:6-9, blameless, the husband of one wife, a man whose children believe and are not opened to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he/she must be blameless-not overbearing, not quick tempered, not given to drunkenness, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather he/she must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, and who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He/she must hold firmly to the trust worthy message as it has been taught, so that he/she can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. They are to number 3, and the Pastor/Shepherd shall serve as the fourth elder, having input, but no voting voice. Further the Board of Elders is to be held accountable to the Pastor/Shepherd and all members of Grace Gospel Chapel, Matthew 18:15-17.

    

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   1. A lead Elder shall be chosen from among the Board of Elder’s, excluding the Pastor/Shepherd to preside at all Elder’s Meetings and Congregational Meeting of matters of his/her jurisdiction, following Robert’s Rules of Order.

       

   2. A record shall b e kept of all meetings during the Board of Elder’s meetings. These minutes are to be kept and locked in the Pastor’s office. The keys for this lock will be held by each member of the Board of Elders and the president of Board of Deacons.

       

   3. A motion before the Board of Elder’s must be a passed with a majority vote.

       

1. Further a Board of Deacons shall be established to attend to the physical and financial responsibilities of Grace Gospel Chapel. Formerly referred to as the Board of Trustees. The qualifications of each deacon shall be the same as those listed for the Board of Elders, found in Titus 1:6-9. In addition, 1 Timothy 3:8-13 shall be added to the list of qualifications for the office of deacon. The deacons shall number a minimum of 3 and maximum of 5. The offices to be filled are president, secretary, and treasurer. The office of president, secretary and treasurer, must be occupied by one deacon per term. The stewardship of the Board of Deacons shall be accountable to the Pastor/Shepherd, the Board of Elders and all members of Grace Gospel Chapel, Matthew 18:15-17.

    

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   1. The responsibilities of the President of the Board of Deacons shall be as follows: shall oversee all the physical and financial needs of Grace Gospel Chapel. He/she shall preside at each meeting of the Board of Deacons and shall also preside at the Congregational Meeting in matters of his/her jurisdiction.

       

   2. The responsibilities of the Secretary of the Board of Deacons shall be as follows, to maintain all records of meetings of the Board of
      Deacons and the Congregational Meetings, membership records, and church correspondence. Prepare and distribute all minutes from either meetings to the appropriate individuals. This is information to be available no less than 14 days after the close of the meeting(s).

       

   3. The responsibilities of the Treasurer of the Board of Deacons shall be to receive, record, deposit, and disperse funds. The Treasurer is to be accountable for all funds belonging to Grace Gospel Chapel and yearly submit a budget to the Pastor and Board of Elders. Further, when receiving, recording and the dispersing of funds, a second witness must be present. They are to either be a member of the Board of Deacons or Elders. They must not be in relations. Each disbursement of funds via check, over the sum of $150.00 shall be signed by the treasurer and the president of the Board of Deacon’s. The treasurer shall abide by the State of Washington laws and federal laws regarding Grace Gospel Chapel non-profit status.

       

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   1. The Board of Deacon’s shall not authorize any expenditure for church repairs that are in access of $250.00. All major expenditures must be presented to and approved through a majority vote by the members of Grace Gospel Chapel.