PREAMBLE
Believing that God has called us to have a fellowship of believers in the Sutherlin area, we as
members of the Sutherlin Family Church establish the following constitution.
ARTICLE I - NAME
The name by which this organization shall be known is SUTHERLIN FAMILY CHURCH of
Sutherlin, Oregon.
This church is established as an independent fellowship in connection with no organized
denomination, but open to all genuine believers that will subscribe to our doctrinal statement.
ARTICLE II – PURPOSE
The ultimate purpose of Sutherlin Family Church is to bring glory to Jesus Christ. As the church
brings honor to Christ, it also fulfills two specific purposes related to God's plan: (1) evangelism
of non-believers and (2) edification of fellow members of the church. These purposes are
expressed in more detail in the following Mission, Values, and Vision of Sutherlin Family
Church.
ARTICLE III- MISSION
The mission of Sutherlin Family Church is to build a strong body of believers so that we can
reach the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
ARTICLE IV - VALUES
We are committed to building a culture focused on the following values:
A. Biblically Faithful – “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly
equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16, 17)
B. Life Change – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old is gone, the
new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17) “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18)
C. Healthy Relationships – “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love
one another.” (John 13:35)
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D. Spirit-Led Serving – “To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so
powerfully works in me.” (Colossians 1:29)
E. Servant Leadership – “And whoever wants to be first must be your slave - just as the Son of
Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
(Matthew 20:27 - 28)
F. Evangelism Focus – “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:19-20)
ARTICLE V- VISION
Based on the values stated in Article IV, the vision for the future of Sutherlin Family Church is
to accomplish the following:
A. Every Disciple (Christ follower) Devoted: To have every disciple devoted to Christ by
surrendering fully to God, seeking deeper relationships with fellow believers, growing to be
more like Jesus, serving others using our spiritual gifts, and sharing Jesus. (Luke 14:27)
B. Every Home Healthy: To develop healthy, Christ centered homes by encouraging fathers,
mothers and children to fulfill their appropriate, biblical roles in the family. (Ephesians 5:2228, 6:1-4)
C. Every Ministry Team Maturing & Mobilizing Believers: To develop leaders and ministry
teams that lovingly serve those in need. (Mark 10:43-45)
D. Reaching Every Neighborhood in Every Nation: To encourage ministries that are
designed to reach the community and the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. (Acts 13:47)
ARTICLE VI - DOCTRINAL STATEMENT
A. The Bible - We believe the Holy Bible is inspired by God and is therefore without error.
(2 Timothy 3:15-17) The whole scripture is the product of men writing as they were “carried
along” by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:19-21) We accept it as the blueprint and standard for our
daily lives. The Bible that we have today is highly accurate and is the primary tool that the
Holy Spirit uses to teach, rebuke, correct, and train us in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16)
B. The Nature of God:
1. The Father - We believe that God the Father is fully God (Matthew 28:19;
John 15:26; 1 Corinthians 8:6). He is the creator, sustainer, and sovereign
ruler of all things through his son, Jesus Christ. His fatherhood involves both
his designation within the Trinity and initiating a relationship with the
redeemed. He adopts, through Jesus Christ, all those he calls to himself.
(John 6:44; Ephesians 1:3-6; Colossians 1:12, 13)
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2. Jesus Christ - We believe Jesus Christ is fully God and through the virgin
birth he became fully man as well. (Colossians 1:15; I Timothy 2:5) Jesus
lived a life without sin and gave his life as a complete payment for our sins.
His sacrifice satisfied the wrath of God, and is the sole means by which the
believer stands justified before God. He rose again from the grave and is now
our High Priest in heaven, interceding for us. (I Corinthians 15; Hebrews
4:14,15)
3. The Holy Spirit - We believe the Holy Spirit is fully God (Romans 8:9-11; 2
Corinthians 3:17) and is the agent of the new birth, convicting and calling men
and dwelling in them. At salvation believers are irrevocably sealed by the
Spirit until the day of redemption. (Ephesians 1:13-14). Believers are baptized
by the Spirit into the body of Christ at salvation. (1 Corinthians 12:13).
C. Satan - We believe Satan is a real adversary of the believer and must be battled with spiritual
weapons. (Ephesians 6:11,12) He is called the god of this present age, but his final
destruction in the lake of fire is assured. (Revelation 20:10,14)
D. Man - We believe man was created in the image of God, but through the sin of Adam and
Eve, everyone is born with a sinful self will. Men are completely unable to become righteous
on their own and are spiritually dead until the Holy Spirit gives spiritual life through Jesus
Christ at salvation. (Ephesians 2:4-9; John 14:6)
E. Salvation - God extends an offer of salvation to all. Those who believe this message become
His children. Believe means to place Christ in your life as Lord and Master. (Romans 10:910) Jesus has given eternal life to those who are genuinely saved and no one can remove
them from His hand. (John 10:28-29)
F. Baptism - We believe baptism by immersion is a very important step for the believer. It
comes after salvation and is a public testimony of Christ’s saving work in their life. (Romans
6:3-5)
G. The Church - We believe the Church consists of all those who have truly experienced new
birth in Jesus Christ. The Church is a key instrument of God for reaching all of the people
groups of the world with the light of the gospel and for bringing the believer to Christian
maturity. (II Corinthians 5:20) God intentionally places people in the local church body who
have diverse spiritual gifts. Members shall use these gifts to build up the body in love, unity,
and biblical truth. Membership in the local body does not ensure salvation, but a believer’s
desire to be united in fellowship with other believers is a natural result of genuine salvation.
(Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 John 2:9-10; I Corinthians 12:4-11)
H. Christ’s Return - We believe that Jesus will come again for the believer (often called the
rapture) before the one thousand year reign of Christ on earth. The coming of Christ, at a
time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and motivates the believer to godly
living, sacrificial service and energetic commitment to win the lost. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
& 5:9; Matthew 24:36-42; Matthew 28:19-20)
I. The Judgment - We believe that after each person dies they will be judged. (Hebrews 9:27;
II Corinthians 5:6-10) If their names are found in the Book of Life, they will spend eternity
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with God. If their names are not in the Book, they will be thrown into the Lake of Fire.
(Revelation 20:15)
ARTICLE VII – GOVERNMENT
Sutherlin Family Church is a self-governing body, independent of all other churches. The
Sutherlin Family Church government combines the two biblical principles of ruling elders and
congregational authority. The church’s authority is delegated to a plurality of spiritually mature
men, called elders. The elders are accountable to Christ as head of the church and are invested
by the people with the responsibility of leading the congregation at large in following God’s
Word in a manner that preserves the unity of the Spirit. The congregation’s primary authority
rests in its power to change the constitution, hire pastors, approve the yearly financial plan, incur
debt, and in the initial affirmation of the elders. The congregation invests in the elders both the
authority and responsibility for implementing the mission of the church as described in Article
III. The elders will be assisted in this capacity by the pastors, the church staff, the
administration, and committees as set forth in the bylaws. Other servant-leaders in the church
may be appointed as deemed appropriate. The elders, including designated pastors, shall
constitute the leadership board. The leadership board is ultimately responsible for shepherding
the congregation and for the theology of ministry that guides the church. They are also
responsible for oversight in all areas of church business and all ministry departments. The
spiritual leadership and daily operation of the church are delegated to the Lead Pastor. He shall
be assisted in his role by other pastors and office staff. The leadership board’s authority and
responsibilities are described in detail in the Sutherlin Family Church bylaws.
ARTICLE VIII – MEMBERSHIP
Members of the Sutherlin Family Church shall consist of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who
have followed the process for becoming a member and who agree with the doctrinal statement.
The process for becoming a member and maintaining active membership is explained in the
church bylaws.
ARTICLE IX – AMENDMENTS
Amendments to this Constitution must be submitted to the leadership board at least six
weeks prior to an all church meeting. If the leadership board determines that the proposed
amendment does not alter or conflict in any way with the Sutherlin Family Church’s Doctrinal
Statement, the amendment will be submitted to the members at the next all church meeting for a
first reading. At the following all church meeting it will be voted on. The amendment must
receive an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the membership present and voting to be adopted.
Additionally, amending the constitution requires a 25 percent quorum when the vote is taken.
ARTICLE IX – DISSOLUTION
If Sutherlin Family Church is no longer able to function as a church and chooses to dissolve, it
shall do so in an all church meeting announced at least six weeks in advance in which at least 25
percent of the active members are present. Dissolutions requires a two-thirds affirmative vote of
the members present. Upon passage, plans shall be made at the same meeting to give all assets
and real estate to a mission organization, incorporated church, or ministry as deemed best
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suited to the situation. No member of the board or congregation shall personally profit from the
disposal of the property or assets.
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