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Calvary Church Constitution, September 2014
2. Call. The Senior Pastor of the Church will be called by
a two-thirds majority vote of the ballots cast at a congregational meeting, providing his name has been presented
to the active membership by a two-thirds majority vote
of the Elders. Church membership will be automatic for
the Senior Pastor and his wife on acceptance of the call to
minister at Calvary Church.
3. Termination. The Senior Pastor's term of office shall be
indefinite. Normally, a notice of 60 days will be given to
terminate, with remuneration and services continuing
through this period, unless otherwise mutually agreed. A
vote may be taken by the active membership at any time
to terminate the Senior Pastor's services subject to the following:
a. A special congregational meeting may be called for
that purpose in accordance with ARTICLE V, Section
A.
b. It shall be placed on the agenda of a regular or special
congregational meeting, provided that it is presented
by a two-thirds majority vote of the Elders, or after a
petition of 25 percent of the active membership has
been presented to the Elders.
c. A majority vote of ballots cast shall be required to
terminate the Senior Pastor's services.
d. In the event of doctrinal and/or moral defection, the
Senior Pastor's services may be terminated immediately by action of the Elders, to be ratified within 30 days
by a majority vote of the ballots cast at the congregational meeting called for that purpose.
Section B. Other Pastoral Staff.
1. Call. The pastoral staff of the Church, as defined by the
Elders, will be called upon the recommendation of the
Senior Pastor, by a two-thirds majority vote of the Elders.
If the Church is without a Senior Pastor, pastoral staff
may be called by a two-thirds majority vote of the Elders.
The length of time of service will be at the will of the
Elders. Church membership for the pastoral staff member
and spouse, assuming they are both interviewed, will be
automatic on their accepting the call. These staff members
will be required annually to sign a statement of agreement
with this Constitution.
2. Duties. The duties of the other pastoral staff will be those
as formulated by the Elders. In ministry areas where the
Elders have established a committee, the staff and committee will work together to provide direction, leadership,
and program formulation.
Section C. Other Individuals.
All persons approved for financial support by the appropriate committee, including short-term missionaries, will be
required to sign a statement indicating that they accept in its
entirety the statement of doctrine in this Constitution. They
may also be required to submit a statement of total income
upon request.
The requirements in this section do not apply to individuals whose only financial support from the Church consists of
compensation as employees of the Church.
ARTICLE VII
Discipline of Members
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of all discipline shall be to strengthen the local
Church by promoting consistent Christian living. Every effort
shall be made to restore erring members to fellowship and active membership of the Church.
Section A. Reasons, Purpose, and Procedures.
1. The Reasons for Discipline. There are two reasons for
discipline:
a. Doctrinal deviation or heresy
b. Immoral conduct, lying tongue, sowing discord
among the congregation, unrepentant sinful behavior,
unbiblical divorce or remarriage, physical or significant emotional abuse, abandonment, or the violation
of a Calvary Church policy as determined by the
Elders.
2. The Purpose of and Procedure for Church Discipline.
The purpose of church discipline is to effect the return
to a biblical standard of conduct and doctrine, to restore a member who errs, to maintain purity in the local
church, and to deter sin (Galatians 6: 1; 1 Corinthians
5:6; 1 Timothy 5:20). Members of this Church who err in
doctrine or conduct will be subject to dismissal based on
the principles of Matthew 18:12-18. Before such dismissal,
however, the following steps ought to be taken:
a. It is the duty of any member of this Church who has
knowledge of the erring member's heresy or misconduct to warn and to correct such erring member in
private, seeking his or her repentance and restoration.
b. If said erring member does not heed this warning, the
warning member will again go to the erring member