Proposed Constitution: Voting

Introduction

This post continues our walk through the proposed constitution and bylaws. This series aims to draw attention to specific details in the documents and provide an opportunity for questions and feedback. See the first post in this series for more information.

Today, we are going to address Bylaws Article 2 "Meeting Procedures" and Article 3 Section 2 "Elders." Download the proposed constitution at this link to follow along.

On Meetings & Voting

"Meeting Procedures" does not sound that exciting. And most of this article is pretty standard stuff. We will have an annual meeting once a year and may meet throughout the year through special meetings. We will make sure the congregation is well informed of the time and agenda for the meetings.

The part to pay most attention to is under Section 6 on voting. Voting is new for Sojourners Church. We are an Elder Ruled church, which means: "Under the authority of Jesus Christ and the Word of God, the Council of Elders is the governing authority of this local church. The Council of Elders shall be responsible for the general operation of the affairs of the church in accordance with the constitution and bylaws." (Constitution Article VII). The aim of all of this is to do what Paul calls for over and over in the Pastoral Epistles: "guard the deposit entrusted to you." (1 Tim 6:20).

What is the congregation's role? In Matthew 16, Jesus gives authority to Peter to bind and loose regarding gospel confession: "Who do you say that I am?" (Matt 16:15, 18). In Matthew 18:15–20, Jesus extends that authority to the ekklesia—or church gathered. One way for the congregation to exercise this Christ-given responsibility and authority is through voting on key issues regarding gospel confession.

Therefore, this new constitution introduces the idea of voting on a few such issues: "Church Members shall have the privilege and responsibility to vote on the following matters: the calling of staff pastors; termination of the lead pastor; confirmation of elders; acquiring, selling, or building upon real property; and any amendments to the constitution or bylaws." Not all of these areas are necessary as an implication of Matthew 16 & 18 (buying a church building, for example, is not). But we believe a congregational vote on each of these matters is prudent. Additionally, the Council of Elders may decide other matters are wise to put to a church vote, even though it is not required.

We believe voting on these matters (especially confirming elders and constitution and bylaws) will enable the congregation to exercise appropriate, God-given authority and that the Spirit-led wisdom given to all believers will benefit our church family immensely.

Voting and Elders

The most significant change voting brings is in the process of bringing on new elders (Bylaws Article III Section 2). Previously, new elders were appointed by current elders. Under the new process elders would go through a process of training and public assessment, followed by a confirmation vote by the current Council of Elders and another confirmation vote by the congregation.

We believe this process is wise, therefore this is the process we are using with Thad Rosenberg. Over the last year, Thad began the elder-in-training process. Charlie and I have assessed Thad's fitness for eldership through his participation in elder meetings, personal conversations, written reflection, and other assessments. We've also seen him preach at Sojourners and teach in other contexts.

In the fall, we wrote a letter to the congregation commending him as an official Elder Candidate. The goal of this letter was to put him before you for feedback during his elder-in-training process. Now, near the end of this process, we are confident in commending him to you for eldership at Sojourners. Thad is sound and faithful in his gospel convictions, demonstrates model godliness and humility, loves his family and the church well, and is fit to lead others in following Jesus. We believe Jesus is giving us a gift in Thad and encourage you to recognize that gift with us (Eph 4:11–12).

You will have an opportunity to do just that very soon. On June 6th, after the regular church service, members of Sojourners Church will gather together to vote "yes" or "no" on confirming Thad as an elder at our church. Per the proposed constitution, this will be a written, secret ballot. To be confirmed, a majority "yes" vote will be required. The meeting will not be long—we will vote, count the votes, and announce the results. We encourage all members: plan to attend this important meeting.

Voting and the Constitution

Two weeks after the vote on Thad's eldership, current members will vote on the proposed constitution and bylaws. It seems wise to the leadership team to use the same procedures for amending the proposed constitution to adopt it initially. Therefore, on June 20th, we will vote "yes" or "no" on accepting the proposed constitution and bylaws as the official constitution and bylaws of Sojourners Church.

The procedures for this vote are in Article XI of the constitution. We will require a quorum of 50% of current members present for the vote. Of those voting, 75% "yes" will be required to adopt this new constitution. We hope setting these high standards ensures unity among the congregation as we step into this new chapter in the life of Sojourners Church.

Because of this high standard, it is vitally important that members plan to attend this meeting and ask any questions or express reservations about this process before that weekend. Please reach out to Charlie or Tyler if you would like to talk more about the proposed Constitution and Bylaws or if you have any questions or concerns.

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POSTS IN THIS SERIES:

Proposed Constitution: Church Discipline & Leaving Membership

Introduction

This post continues our walk through the proposed constitution and bylaws. This series aims to draw attention to specific details in the documents and provide an opportunity for questions and feedback. See the first post in this series for more information.

Today, we are going to address Bylaws Article 1, Sections 3–4 titled "On Church Discipline" and "Reaffirmation & Termination of Membership." Download the proposed constitution at this link to follow along.

Maintenance required

Last time, we examined the theme of church membership from the perspective of entering into membership (qualifications, the process for joining, etc.). The aim of these processes is to encourage meaningful membership at Sojourners Church. Because church membership is vital for all followers of Jesus, we must be clear on what it is and how we enter into membership.

But membership does not remain rich and meaningful on its own. Because we live in a fallen world and lead busy lives with many cares, membership unmaintained will degrade into just another mailing list we belong to. How many of us have memberships in things we don't even remember joining? I paid $20 for a lifetime membership to REI five years ago, and I don't even think about it until I get my annual coupon.

Meaningful church membership requires maintenance. And God has given us a means of maintenance in the scriptures: church discipline.

Church Discipline

Church discipline often gets a bad rap, because we view it only as punitive discipline. But we must understand that church discipline is both proactive and reactive. We know that "believers are directed to not 'continue in sin' and sin in the Christian's life is to be confessed and forsaken." This is true for all of us all the time. To sin, confess our sin, and repent and turn from our sin to Jesus is the normal Christian life. A repentant sinner needs proactive church discipline to help them live with godliness. In that case, church discipline is like the road sign that says "SLOW"—be careful, it's icy here. Proactive church discipline is fellow believers helping one another confess and forsake sin and pursue righteousness. So in that sense, church discipline happens constantly.

But church discipline can also be reactive and reformative. We practice reactive church discipline when professing believers are "in persistent, unrepentant sin...." To sin and refuse to recognize or forsake sin that sin calls for more direct and sometimes forceful church discipline. In those cases, church discipline is like the sign at the edge of the cliff that says "STOP!"—the aim is to save someone from utter disaster. It's this more direct and forceful, reactive church discipline that is addressed in Article 1, Section 3.

Reactive church discipline can be both private and public. Normally private admonition proceeds public admonition (Matt 18: 15–17). It can also be formal or informal. It may take the form of private admonition from the elders or public warnings to the person and the congregation. It may even go as far as removal from church membership—the most drastic form of church discipline.

When we welcome someone into membership, one of the things we are saying about them is: "You seem to be bearing fruit in keeping with repentance. You say you are a Christian, and we agree and support your testimony." Conversely, when we remove someone from membership, we are saying: "You are acting in a way that calls into question your claim to belong to Christ. Your sinful actions and refusal to repent mean we are no longer willing to say that we agree with and support your testimony." This is a hard, but necessary thing to do. Thankfully, we have been given a clear warrant from scripture to do such things (Matthew 18:15–17; 2 Thessalonians 3:14–15; 1 Timothy 5:19– 20; 1 Corinthians 5:4–5).

The goal of church discipline is always restoration. Our tenor in church discipline should follow Paul's admonition in 2 Tim 2:24–26: "And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will." In church discipline, we aim for the holiness of the individual, the instruction in godliness of other Christians, the purity and witness of the church, and ultimately the glory of our Holy God.

It is clear from these aims and from experience that church discipline can go rightly but often goes horribly wrong. Much Spirit-given wisdom is needed to practice church discipline in a God-honoring way. Pray with me that God would give such wisdom to Sojourners Church. And pray that we would all be built up and strengthened in the faith, to be able to flee from sin and pursue grace-given righteousness.

Reaffirmation & Termination of Membership

One of the goals of this constitution process is making our Membership Covenant (discussed last time) both more accessible and more meaningful. To encourage us regularly to reflect on our promises to one another as members, we are going to implement yearly membership reaffirmation. The actual process for reaffirming membership is simple and straightforward. This reminder will be helpful in keeping these things at the front of our minds the rest of the year. We also plan to use our membership covenant regularly in corporate worship to remind one another of our promises.

The proposed constitution also has clear language for ending membership at Sojourners. Just as we want to bring people into membership well, we also want to help them leave well. Frequently, transferring to a different church involves slowly fading away from one church and fading into another. That is neither healthy nor helpful for God's people. We recognize that for a variety of reasons God may call us to one church for a season of life and to a different church at a different season. We want to encourage folks to be all-in to the membership and mission wherever God is planting them. Leaving well and clearly helps that transition.

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POSTS IN THIS SERIES:

Proposed Constitution: Membership

Introduction

This post continues our walk through the proposed constitution and bylaws. This series aims to draw attention to specific details in the documents and provide an opportunity for questions and feedback. See the first post in this series for more information.

Today, we will discuss church membership. Download the proposed constitution at this link to follow along.

What is church membership?

Article 5 of the constitution describes our understanding of church membership. We believe that all who confess faith in Jesus and seek to follow him are members of his universal church. This includes saints at different times and in different locations. Yet the Bible teaches that Christ's universal church is made visible at specific places and times by local churches. These local churches are made up of believers sharing a common confession of faith in Jesus and a commitment to following him together.

As early churches gathered together "the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved" (Acts 2:47). And as they sought to follow Jesus together, sometimes it was necessary to remove those who forsook Jesus and pursued sin (1 Corinthians 5:2). Therefore, some way of knowing who is brought into the church and who is removed from the church is necessary.

We believe that formal church membership is a good and godly way to do this. Our process for church membership is therefore not directly prescribed in scripture, but we believe it flows as a good and necessary consequence of scripture's teaching (See, for example, the Second London Baptist Confession chapter 1, paragraph 6).

How do we become members at Sojourners Church?

Bylaws Article 1 describes our qualifications and process for church membership. Five qualifications are necessary for church membership. In brief, members must: (1) confess faith in Jesus, be baptized, and be following Jesus, (2) believe our Doctrinal Essentials, (3) submit to the teaching of the elders, (4) abide by the Constitution and Bylaws, and (5) promise to keep the Membership Covenant. Because our church is an elder-ruled church, the Council of Elders is responsible for determining that an individual has met these criteria for membership. It is also up to the elders to establish a process for meeting these criteria (a membership class, for example).

What does it mean to be a member at Sojourners Church?

Section 2 of Bylaws Article 1 describes the duties and privileges of church members. We believe that members are, in a sense, the church. Therefore church membership is always participatory. Members engage in the life of the church. Members also support and encourage one another. Church membership is a commitment to follow Christ together. The Bible is full of so-called "one another" commands and these commands are primarily obeyed in the context of local church membership.

The members of the church are also the primary recipients of the pastoral care of the elders. Elders, as leaders of Christ's church, will be held accountable for the souls of those they care for (Heb. 13:17). Church membership is one way to identify those for whom the elders will give account. This does not mean the elders ignore people at Sojourners who are not members, but this does mean that member care is our priority.

These duties and privileges highlight the distinctive nature of church membership. Membership in a local church is not like membership in other organizations. We do not merely join and pay our annual dues. This is why the body is used as a metaphor for the local church. As members, we are connected like the parts of a body are connected. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:26: "If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together." All are welcome and invited to attend Sojourners Church. We want everyone to come and hear the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. But church members are distinctly connected and committed to one another.

What is a membership covenant?

One way of expressing our commitments to one another is through a membership covenant. A covenant is a promise and our membership covenant is a promise between our members (which includes our elders, as elders are first and fundamentally church members). Our membership covenant is in Article 4 of the Constitution. This covenant covers four broad promises that characterize the weekly rhythms of the church.

All members at Sojourners promise to do these four things: (1) to the unity of our church, (2) to share the responsibility of our church, (3) to serve the ministry of our church, and (4) to support the testimony of our church. These four promises characterize our life together as we follow Jesus and are meant to be guiding principles for us to walk out our faith together. The membership covenant is intentionally simple so that we can keep these promises in front of us often to be reminded of our commitments to one another. The covenant also begins and ends with the grace of Christ Jesus as we know that—as sinners saved by grace—it is only through divine enabling grace that we can keep these promises.

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POSTS IN THIS SERIES:

Proposed Constitution: Articles 4–11

Introduction

This post continues our walk through the proposed constitution and bylaws. This series aims to draw attention to specific details in the documents and provide an opportunity for questions and feedback. See the first post in this series for more information.

Today, we will discuss the remainder of the articles in the constitution and outline the plan for discussing the bylaws. Download the proposed constitution at this link to follow along.

So far in our series, we've looked mainly at doctrinal and philosophical components of our constitution. Today, we will begin looking at sections of the constitution focused more on the structure and operation of the church.

Articles 4–7

We are going to skip over Articles 4–7 for now. We will return to cover these topics when we discuss their corresponding section of the bylaws. For now, all that is significant to note is that the constitution spells out our underlying position on these issues (for example, that we are an elder-ruled church in Article 7) whereas the bylaws articulate how we will walk those convictions out in the daily life of the church.

Articles 8–11

Article 8 addresses indemnification. This section is legal language to provide liability protection for individuals (such as staff or elders) when fulfilling their duties as a representative of the church. This language is common in church and other non-profit constitutions.

Article 9 affirms our desire to handle disputes within the church in a God-honoring way. This article is also further fleshed out in the disciple section of the church bylaws.

Article 10 addresses issues related to property owned by the church, including how would we go about purchasing a permanent facility and what happens to our church assets in the event the church splits or closes. We are not anticipating any of these things (God preserve us from division!). This is one example of the way this constitution is written with an eye towards the future. We want this document to serve our church well for years to come and part of that process is providing guidance for situations like these.

Article 11 outlines the process for amending the constitution. Note two things. First, the constitution is not easy to amend. It should generally be a very stable and static document. But it is not infallible, therefore there are provisions for amending our constitution. Second, the one part of the constitution that can never change is Article 2, Section 1: "The foundation of this church is the Lord Jesus Christ, and its final arbiter in all its affairs is the Bible—the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments—which we believe is the Word of Almighty God." We believe the future of Sojourners church is best protected by ensuring Jesus' rule of the church through his Word remains at the center of all we do.

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Posts in this series:

Proposed Constitution: Article 3

Introduction

This post continues our walk through the proposed constitution and bylaws. This series aims to draw attention to specific details in the documents and provide an opportunity for questions and feedback. See the first post in this series for more information.

Today, we will discuss Article 3: Doctrine. Download the proposed constitution at this link to follow along.

In the last post, we saw that the foundation of Sojourners Church is and always will be Jesus, who rules his church through his word—the Holy Scriptures. As we read and seek to understand the Scriptures, we often summarize our understanding in statements of doctrine. This section of the constitution outlines those statements and how they relate to one another and the life of the church.

Doctrinal Essentials vs. Distinctives

Notice first, sections 1 and 2 distinguish between Doctrinal Essentials and Doctrinal Distinctives. This distinction is important. Doctrinal essentials are the things most clearly taught in scripture and most central to our faith in the gospel. They are the marks of orthodoxy which distinguish between the True Church and false churches. These are things which every Christian (and therefore every member of Sojourners) must believe.

In contrast, Doctrinal Distinctives are issues of doctrine that Christians can disagree on. At Sojourners, we believe our position on these distinctives best represents the teaching of Scripture. Nevertheless, orthodox Christians can disagree with our position. For example, many who hold to our understanding of Regeneration (Article 3 - Section 1 - #6), would disagree with our stance on Believer's Baptism (Article 3 - Section 2 - #5), because they believe the Scripture teaches differently concerning Baptism.

Notice as well that all Sojourners Members are expected to hold to the positions in our Doctrinal Essentials. But only elders (as the teachers of the church) are required to hold to our Doctrinal Distinctives. Members may disagree with Doctrinal Distinctives as long as they agree to remain non-divisive and to joyfully submit to the teaching of the elders. Such submission does not require adopting a different doctrinal stance, but it should include a willingness to sit under and trust the teaching of the elders week by week without continually opposing the elders' teaching.

Other Statements of Doctrine

Notice second sections 3 and 4. Section 3 is our statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality. These things are under tremendous pressure in our culture today. At the core of this attack is a desire to suppress the truth of God plain in his creation (Rom 1:18–23). By distorting God's design for marriage, gender, and sexuality, our culture is ultimately rejecting God. Because these issues are so pressing, churches must take a clear biblical stand. Therefore, we have included this statement to make our position on the Bible's teaching clear.

Section 4 refers to the Elder Affirmation of Faith. This is the fullest expression of the doctrine of Sojourners Church. For our Elder Affirmation of Faith, we have adopted the Bethlehem College and Seminary Affirmation of Faith. This affirmation faithfully summarizes our understanding of what the Bible teaches. Members are not required to agree with everything in this statement of faith, but elders at Sojourners will teach according to the standards of doctrine found there. We encourage you to read the statement of faith in its entirety by accessing it here.

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Posts in this series:

Proposed Constitution: Preamble & Articles 1–2

Introduction

Last fall, the elders at Sojourners church introduced a proposal for a new church constitution. We asked members at Sojourners to consider the new constitution carefully and we planned to discuss it together during the Sunday School hour. Then, as Covid numbers rose, it seemed prudent to us to postpone our discussions.

Recently, the leadership team met to discuss the best way to move forward with the proposal. We decided highlighting different aspects of the constitution through short posts and videos would be a good strategy. Therefore, that is our plan over the next several months, starting with this post. Please consider these things carefully and prayerfully and ask any questions you may have along the way.

First up for discussion are the Preamble and Articles 1–2. Download the proposed constitution at this link to follow along.

Preamble & Articles 1-2

The first thing I want to draw your attention to is this statement in the Preamble: "[we] have recognized the need to reconstitute ourselves to more closely conform to [God's] will for the Church in this age and prepare ourselves for greater efforts in His name..." This captures our intent with this constitution. We are not starting over, nor denying the efforts and effectiveness of what has come before. Rather, we believe this constitution will help us conform and stay conformed to what scripture calls for the church to be like. Many of the things in this constitution are things we are already doing. We believe it is time to codify those things, especially as a foundation for future ministry.

The second thing I want to draw your attention to is Article II. Article II describes the foundation, purpose, and chief priority of the church. It is staking our claim that as the bride of Christ, we wholly belong to him and are about his work. Our foundation is and always will be Christ, who rules his church through his word, the scriptures. Our purpose as a church, just as individuals, is to glorify Jesus. And we accomplish this aim by making our chief priority to be and make eternally joyful disciples of Christ. Everything we aim to be and do as a church revolves around these things. They are therefore a summary of what we believe it means to be a church. The rest of the constitution explains how we believe God is leading us to keep Christ as our foundation, fulfill our purpose, and walk out our chief priority.

Next week, we will examine the foundation itself in Article III: Doctrine.

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Posts in this series: