CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS OF GRACE UNITED
CONSTITUTION
I.
II.
Name
a. Referred to as Grace United, the name of this church is Grace United Church, Inc.
Business Location
a. The address of this church shall be: P.O. Box 8 Northampton, MA 01060
III.
Purpose Statement
a. The purpose of Grace United is to bring glory to God by making disciples that love
Jesus, relate together in grace, and proclaim the gospel.
IV.
Mission Statement
a. We help people to soar in their relationship with Jesus Christ.
V.
VI.
Vision Statement
a. We will be a church that knows Jesus and relates to God out of the truth and grace
we receive in Him; a church that helps one another to heal, to experience freedom
from sin’s power, and to mature in faith and love; and a church that impacts the
Northampton area with the message of Jesus Christ.
Articles of Faith
a. We believe God eternally exists in three Persons yet is one God: the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit.
b. We believe Jesus Christ, God the Son, entered human history through a virgin birth:
He is fully divine and perfectly human. He lived a sinless life and died in our place as
the only acceptable sacrifice to God the Father for man’s sin. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead; He ascended to the Father in glory, and is seated at His right
hand.
c. We believe the Holy Spirit, the third Person in the Trinity, convicts unbelievers of
sin. He also regenerates believers, baptizes them in Christ, and He indwells, gifts,
seals, and empowers believers.
d. We believe eternal salvation (forgiveness of sins, right standing with God, new
identity in Christ, freedom in Christ, and eternal security in Christ, plus every
blessing in Christ) is received by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ
alone. No sinner is saved by good works or good intentions and no Christian can
maintain salvation by good works or good intentions. It is God’s free gift. e. We believe the Bible exists by God’s design and at His pleasure, and is precisely what He intended for His people to have, and is therefore the only infallible rule of
faith and practice.
f.
We believe the Church is the Body of Jesus Christ on earth. It is a worshiping and
missional community of Christian believers. The church exists to glorify God, to
minister and care for one another, to proclaim the gospel, and to make disciples of
Jesus Christ.
g. We believe the Christian life is meant to be a radical life of faith and love, grace and
obedience, and truth and power: it is concerned more with the heart than with
behavior, the fruit of the Spirit rather than the works of man. We understand that
spiritual fruit is relational from start to finish: it is borne through intimate
fellowship with Jesus Christ and it ushers forth love, patience, kindness, and
gentleness. Spiritual growth is nurtured in a community of truth and grace. As such,
the Christian life is devotional, communal, and missional.
h. We believe the return of Jesus Christ will be pre-millennial. After the Great
Tribulation, Jesus Christ will establish His righteous reign as King over the earth. At
the final Judgment, He will judge all who rejected Him and shall unveil the Holy City,
the New Heaven, and the New Earth. Glory to God the Father, to the Son, and to the
Holy Spirit!
BYLAWS
Preamble
Grace United shall organize around the purpose of bringing glory to God by making
disciples that love Jesus, relate together in grace, and proclaim the gospel.
VII.
Church Government
a. Statement of Principle
i. The leadership of Grace United submits to Jesus Christ as this church’s ultimate Leader. The Bible, particularly the New Testament, is the basis for
all decisions, guidelines, and practices. Since we realize there are many ways
of falling short of a full discovery of God’s truth, if the Bible is ever discovered to be at odds with this document or any other church decision,
practice, or tradition, we will submit to the revealed understanding of the
Bible rather than our own conceptions.
b. Type of Church Government
i. The government of the church is comprised of a plurality of elders, wherein
the Lead Pastor occupies the position of “first among equals.”
ii. The Lead Pastor and the elders are the only voting members of the church.
c. Affiliation
i. Although this church is autonomous and maintains the right to govern its
own affairs independent of any denominational control, the pastor and
elders may choose to partner with an affiliation of like-minded, Christexalting, Bible-believing churches.
d. Nonprofit Status and Liquidation
i. This church is not organized for profit. In the event of liquidation or
dissolution of the church, all of its assets and properties shall be paid over
and transferred to a Christian charity at the Lead Pastor and elders’ discretion.
VIII.
IX.
Church Membership
a. Church membership is open to those believers who participate with Grace United in
an active way.
b. Core members are those members who are tangibly committed to the mission and
ministry of this church in their service and financial support.
Church Officers
a. Statement of Principle
i. Church officers must express faith in Jesus Christ, model exemplary
character, and endorse Grace United’s mission, purpose, vision, and essential beliefs.
b. Lead Pastor
i. The Lead Pastor is the primary leader of Grace United. He is the first among
equals on the Elder Team, oversees the staff, and is an ex-officio member of
all teams and committees. He shall lead the church in the ministries of
worship, discipleship, fostering grace in our community, and evangelism.
ii. The Lead Pastor’s responsibilities are preaching, leading, discipling, and
equipping the church. He is to equip the members of this church family to be
disciples that worship Jesus Christ, that relate to one another in truth and
grace, that serve God in ministry to one another and in witness to the world.
c. Call
i. A new Lead Pastor shall be called after a vacancy occurs.
ii. The qualifications for Lead Pastor shall be consistent with those listed in 1
Timothy 3:1-7 and suitable to carry out the purpose of Grace United.
iii. He must have godly character, God’s calling, God-given competence, and
good chemistry with Grace United.
iv. The elders shall appoint a search team to recommend a suitable candidate
for the office of Lead Pastor.
v. Unanimous approval by the elders is required along with a presentation of
the candidate for the church to meet, hear, and converse with the candidate;
plus a follow-up meeting for the church to hear from and to discuss the
candidate with the elders. The Lead Pastor shall be appointed by the Elder
Team and affirmed by the core members.
d. Term of Service
i. The Lead Pastor shall serve until the relationship is terminated by his
request or by unanimous vote of the elders and affirmed by 2/3rds of the
core members. At least sixty (60) days’ notice shall be given unless otherwise mutually agreed.
e. Elders
i. The Elder team exists to oversee (lead and protect), shepherd (feed and
care), and disciple the members of Grace United. They are ultimately
responsible for the goals, plans, ministries, missions, finances, health,
reputation, and all other matters of this church.
f.
Appointment
i. The qualifications for elders shall be consistent with those listed in 1
Timothy 3:1-7 and suitable to carry out the purpose of Grace United.
ii. Elders shall be appointed by the Lead Pastor and affirmed by the core
members.
iii. A man that aspires to be an elder may submit himself to the Lead Pastor for
consideration provided he has shown the qualifications listed above.
iv. Members may also recommend to the pastor qualified men for
consideration.
g. Term of Service
i. An elder will serve a term of two years without mandatory term limits.
ii. Long term elder commitments are ideal; however, an elder may relinquish
his office after the completion of his current term.
iii. The Lead Pastor and elders, situated within a New Testament understanding
of the responsibility of one’s calling to the church, may deem it necessary to require an elder to resign at the end of his current term.
X.
Church Staff
a. The Lead Pastor is directly responsible for hiring, leading, and removing all staff.
b. Pastoral staff must be approved by two-thirds of the Elder Team.
XI.
Dismissal of Pastoral Staff
a. If the Lead Pastor and elders deem it necessary, after exhausting all other options, to
release additional pastoral staff, they shall explain their reasoning to the
membership and carry this out in a manner that brings glory to Christ and good will
to the removed staff.
XII.
Ministry Team Leaders
a. Ministry team leaders assist the pastor and elders in carrying out the mission of this
church.
b. Each leader must believe in Jesus Christ and exhibit godly character plus a Godgiven capacity and responsibility to lead believers into God’s purposes for them. c. Each leader must embrace this church’s vision, mission, purpose, values, and essential beliefs.
XIII.
Additional Organization within the Church
a. All ministries and teams formed and operating within the church must have the
approval of and be responsible to the Elder Team.
b. Each ministry and team must serve the specific mission, vision, purpose, values, and
essential doctrines of this church.
c. The elders seek to empower effective ministry yet hold each ministry accountable
d. The elders will give each group the freedom and support which they need to help
accomplish the mission, purpose, and vision of this church.
XIV.
Amending the Constitution and Bylaws
a. This Constitution and Bylaws may be amended provided the amendment conforms
to biblical guidelines, meets the Lead Pastor’s approval, and gains two-thirds
(2/3rds) elder approval. The church’s affirmation shall be sought after the
amendment is explained and the matter discussed.
Originally Adopted, May 17, 2013
Amended by Grace United’s Elder Team, October 17, 2014
Steve Behlke
John Clark
Eric (Jay) Ehle
Mike Laprade
Tom Rosazza