1. NAME
2.
ADDRESS
3.
OBJECTS
4.
DOCTRINE
5.
PRINCIPLES OF GOVERNMENT
6.
PRINCIPLE AND PRACTICE OF
BIBLICAL SEPARATION
7.
MAIN PRACTICES OF THE CHURCH
8.
MEMBERSHIP
9.
BRANCHES
10.
MEMBERSHIP IN THE PRESBYTERY
11.
THE CHURCH GOVERNMENT
12.
THE CHURCH SESSION
13.
ELECTION TO THE CHURCH
SESSION
14.
PASTORS
15.
ELDERS
16.
DEACONS AND DEACONESSES
17.
BOARD OF ELDERS
18.
POWERS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
OF THE BOARD OF ELDERS
19.
CONGREGATIONAL MEETINGS
20.
TRUSTEES
21.
FINANCE AND AUDIT
22.
BY LAWS
23.
AMENDMENTS
24.
INTERPRETATION
25.
PROHIBITIONS
26.
DISSOULTION
**********
Article 1: Name
The
name of the Church shall be
the Calvary
Bible‑Presbyterian Church
(hereinafter referred to as
"the Church").
Article 2: Address
The
address of the Church shall
be at 1 Tao Ching Road,
Singapore 618720, or such
address as may be decided by
the Church and approved by
the Registrar of Societies.
The Church shall carry out
its activities only in
places and venues which have
the prior written approval
from the relevant
authorities.
Article 3: Objects
The
objects for which the Church
is established are:
3.1
The salvation of souls;
3.2
The edification of
Christians through the
teaching of God's Word;
3.3
The promotion of godly
worship;
3.4
The defence of "the faith
which was once delivered
unto the saints";
3.5
The establishment and
extension of Christian
missions and institutions
for the furtherance of God's
Kingdom on earth;
3.6
The promotion of Christian
relief for the poor and
needy;
3.7
The strengthening of mutual
fellowship, encouragement
and unity among individual
Bible‑Presbyterian Churches
affiliated to the
Bible-Presbyterian Church
of Singapore and among other
Bible‑believing churches of
similar stand "for the Word
of God, and for the
testimony of Jesus Christ"
(Rev 1:9).
Article 4: Doctrine
4.1
The doctrine of the Church
shall be in accordance with
that system commonly called
"the Reformed Faith" as
expressed in the Confession
of Faith as set forth by the
historic Westminster
Assembly together with the
Larger and Shorter
Catechisms.
4.2
In abbreviated form the
chief tenets of the doctrine
of the Church, apart from
the Apostles' Creed, shall
be as follows
4.2.1
We believe in the divine,
verbal and plenary
inspiration of the
Scriptures in the original
languages, their consequent
inerrancy and infallibility,
and, as the Word of God, the
Supreme and final authority
in faith and life.
4.2.2
We believe in one God
existing in three co-equal
and co-eternal Persons,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
4.2.3
We believe that Jesus
Christ, the eternal Son of
God, was conceived by the
Holy Spirit, born of the
virgin Mary, and is true God
and true man.
4.2.4
We believe that man was
created in the image of God,
but sinned through the fall
of Adam, thereby incurring
not only physical death but
also spiritual death, which
is separation from God and
that all human beings are
born with a sinful nature
and become sinners in
thought, word and deed.
4.2.5
We believe that the Lord
Jesus Christ died a
propitiatory and expiatory
death as a representative
and substitutionary
sacrifice, and that all who
repent of their sins and
believe in Him are justified
before God on the grounds of
His shed blood.
4.2.6
We believe in the bodily
resurrection of our Lord
Jesus Christ, in His
ascension into Heaven, and
in His exaltation at the
right hand of God, where He
intercedes for us as our
High Priest and Advocate.
4.2.7
We believe in the personal,
visible and premillennial
return of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ to
judge this world and bring
peace to the nations.
4.2.8
We believe that salvation is
by grace through faith, not
by works, and that all who
repent and receive the Lord
Jesus Christ as their
personal Saviour are born
again by the Holy Spirit and
thereby become the children
of God.
4.2.9
We believe that the ministry
of the Holy Spirit is to
glorify the Lord Jesus
Christ and to convict and
regenerate the sinner,
indwell, guide, instruct and
empower the believer for
godly living and service.
4.2.10 We
believe that Christ
instituted the Sacrament of
Baptism for believers and
their children and the
Sacrament of the Lord's
Supper, which sacraments
shall be observed by His
Church till He comes.
4.2.11 We
believe in the eternal
security, bodily
resurrection, and eternal
blessedness of the saved and
in the bodily resurrection
and eternal conscious
punishment of the lost.
4.2.12 We
believe in the real,
spiritual unity in Christ of
all redeemed by His precious
blood and the necessity of
faithfully maintaining the
purity of the Church in
doctrine and life according
to the Word of God and the
principle and practice of
biblical separation from the
apostasy of the day being
spearheaded by the
Ecumenical Movement (2 Cor
6:14‑18; Rev 18:4).
Article 5: Principles of Government
The
Church, in setting forth the
form of government which it
maintains as being founded
upon and agreeable to the
Word of God, reiterates, by
way of introduction, several
cardinal principles which
are basic to and regulative
of its form of church
government.
5.1
"God alone is Lord of the
conscience" and "hash left
it free from the doctrine
and commandments of men,
which are in any thing
contrary to His Word, or
beside it in matters of
faith or worship."
Therefore we consider the
rights of private judgement,
in all matters that respect
religion, as universal and
inalienable. We do not even
wish to see any religious
institution aided by the
civil power further than may
be necessary for protection
and security and, at the
same time, be equal and
common to all others.
5.2
In perfect consistency with
the above principle of
common right, every
Christian Church, or union
or association of Christian
churches is entitled to
declare the terms of
admission into its communion
and the qualifications of
its ministers and members,
as well as the whole system
of its internal government
which Christ has appointed.
In the exercise of this
right it may,
notwithstanding, err in
making the terms of
communion either too lax or
too narrow;
yet, even in this case, it
does not infringe upon the
liberty or the rights of
others, but only makes an
improper use of its own
liberty and rights.
5.3
Our blessed Saviour, for the
edification of the visible
Church, which is His body,
appointed officers, not only
to preach the Gospel and
administer the Sacraments
but also to exercise
discipline for the
preservation both of truth
and duty; it is incumbent
upon these officers and upon
the whole Church, in whose
name they act, to censure or
cast out the erroneous and
scandalous, observing in all
cases the rules contained in
the Word of God
5.4
Truth leads to goodness; the
great touchstone of truth is
its tendency to promote
holiness; according to our
Saviour's rule, "by their
fruits ye shall know them."
No opinion can be either
more pernicious or more
absurd than that which
brings truth and falsehood
upon a level and represents
it as of no consequence what
a man's opinions are. On the
contrary, we are persuaded
that there is an inseparable
connection between faith and
practice, truth and duty;
otherwise it would be of no
consequence either to
discover truth or to embrace
it.
5.5
Under the conviction of the
above principle, we think it
necessary to make effectual
provision that all who are
admitted as teachers be
sound in the faith. We also
believe that there are
truths and forms with
respect to which men of good
character and principles may
differ. And in all these we
think it the duty both of
private Christians and
societies to exercise mutual
forbearance toward each
other.
5.6
Though the character,
qualifications, and
authority of church officers
are laid down in the Holy
Scriptures, as well as the
proper method of their
investiture and institution,
yet the election of persons
to the exercise of this
authority, in any particular
society, is in that
society.
5.7
All church power, whether
exercised by the body in
general or in the way of
representation by delegated
authority, is only
ministerial and declarative;
that is to say, the Holy
Scriptures are the only rule
of faith and conduct; no
church court ought to
pretend to make laws to bind
the conscience in virtue of
its own authority; all its
decisions should be founded
upon the revealed will of
God. Now though it will be
easily admitted, that all
synods and councils may err
through the frailty
inseparable from humanity,
yet, there is much greater
danger from the usurped
claim of making laws than
from the right of judging
upon laws already made and
common to all who profess
the gospel, although this
right, as necessity requires
in the present state, be
lodged with fallible men.
5.8
If the preceding Scriptural
and rational principles are
steadfastly adhered to, the
vigour and strictness of its
discipline will contribute
to the glory and happiness
of any church. Since
ecclesiastical discipline
must be purely moral or
spiritual in its object and
not accompanied by any civil
effects, it can derive no
force whatever but from its
own justice, the approbation
of an impartial public, and
the countenance and blessing
of the great Head of the
Church universal.
Article 6: Principle and Practice of Biblical Separation
6.1
The doctrine of separation
from sin unto God is a
fundamental principle of the
Bible, one grievously
ignored in the church
today.
6.2
This doctrine arises out of
the holiness of God. Both
the purity and righteousness
of God (Luke 1:75) are
involved. "Be ye holy; for I
am holy" (1 Pet 1:16; also
3:11; Exod 15:11; Isa 6:3; 2
Cor 7:1).
6.3
The Bible does speak of
cooperation ("be of one
mind," "that they may all be
one," "labourers together,"
"keep the unity of the
Spirit," "Follow peace with
all men, and holiness,
without which no man shall
see the Lord," also 1 Cor
12:25). However, biblical
cooperation is based upon
TRUTH. It involves the
united effort of God's
people. This is not a
cooperation born of a spirit
of undiscerning pluralism,
or that of seeking "truth"
in all religions.
6.4
We maintain that Scripture
teaches a separation that is
based on the holiness of
God, producing purity in all
of life, personal and
ecclesiastical.
6.5
It is the duty of all true
churches of the Lord Jesus
Christ to make a clear
testimony to their faith in
Him, especially in these
darkening days of apostasy
in many professing churches,
by which apostasy whole
denominations in their
official capacity, as well
as individual churches, have
been swept into a paganising
stream of modernism under
various names and in varying
degrees.
6.6
There has been a notable
growth of autocratic
domination on the part
especially of modernistic
leaders by whom the rightful
powers of true churches are
often usurped and are now
being usurped.
6.7
The commands of God to His
people to be separate from
all unbelief and corruption
are clear and positive: "Be
ye not unequally yoked
together with unbelievers"
(2 Cor 6:14; see also Matt
6:24; Rom 16:17; Gal 1; Eph
5:11; 2 Thess 3:6, 14; 2 Tim
3:1‑7; Titus 3:10; 2 Pet
2:1‑3; 1 John 4:1‑3; 2 John
7‑11; Jude 3, 20‑24; and Rev
18:4). We reach out to
those who are part of any
human system which involves
compromise with error, and
who thus ought to "come out
from among them" (2 Cor
6:17), separate themselves
unto the "Father . . . the
Lord almighty" (2 Cor 6:18),
thus cleansing themselves
and "perfecting holiness in
the fear of God' (2 Cor
7:1).
6.8
In loyalty to the revealed
Word we, as an organised
portion of the people of
God, are obliged to oppose
all forms of modernism,
cultism, Romanism, and false
religions. Dialogue for the
purpose of reaching a
compromise between all true
Bible believers and
representatives of such
beliefs is impious,
unbiblical, treasonous and
unfaithful to the holy God,
as He has revealed Himself
to us in His infallible,
inerrant Word.
6.9
We are opposed to all
efforts to obscure or wipe
out the clear line of
separation between these
absolutes: truth and error,
light and darkness (see Isa
5:20; 2 Cor 6:14‑18). We
refer to such efforts by New
Evangelicals, Charismatic
Christians, promoters of
ecumenical cooperative
evangelism and of the social
gospel, and all churches and
other movements and
organisations that are
aligned with or sympathetic
to the Ecumenical Movement.
6.10
The Church, having been
founded on the principle of
Biblical Separation and
being affiliated with the
Bible‑Presbyterian Church of
Singapore which is a member
of the International Council
of Christian Churches
(ICCC), is likewise
affiliated with the ICCC as
long as the ICCC faithfully
maintains its stand on
Biblical Separation.
Article 7: Main Practices of the Church
The
main practices of the Church
are as follows:
7.1
BAPTISM: The observance of
the Baptism of believers is
by sprinkling on personal
confession of faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ. Infants
of one or both the believing
parents are to be baptised
(Matt 28:19‑20; Acts
2:38‑42; 8:35‑38;10:44‑48;1
Cor 7:14).
7.2
REAFFIRMATION OF FAITH:
Baptised infants upon coming
of age in that they can
satisfy the Board of Elders
as to their faith shall be
received into communicant
membership by reaffirmation
of faith.
7.3
THE LORD'S SUPPER: The
remembrance of the Lord's
death through the Lord's
Supper shall be observed
regularly, and normally all
baptised believers (except
baptised children of
constituent members who have
not reaffirmed their faith)
whose conduct is consistent
with their confession of
their faith shall be
received at the Lord's Table
(Luke 22:14–29; Acts 2:42,
46; 20:7; Rom 14:19; 15:7; 1
Cor 5:6–8; 11:23–26).
7.4
FELLOWSHIP AND DISCIPLESHIP:
Every member shall
participate in fellowship,
prayer and instruction with
other believers and the
exercise of spiritual gifts
for the edification of the
Church (Rom 12:6–8; 1 Cor
12; Eph 4:1 –16; Heb
10:23–25; 1 Pet 4:7–11).
7.5
EVANGELISM & MISSIONS: The
local Church in obedience to
the Lord Jesus Christ, both
as individual and collective
witnesses, shall proclaim
the Gospel to their
families, neighbours,
colleagues, friends, the
nation as well as the
regions beyond (Matt
28:18–20; Mark 16:15; Luke
24:44–48; Acts 1:8; 1 Pet
2:9; 3:15).
7.6
STEWARDSHIP: Every
member shall have the
responsibility and privilege
to contribute his gifts,
talents, time and resources
to the work of God and the
extension of His kingdom. It
shall also be the
responsibility and privilege
of each member to tithe and
contribute willingly,
regularly and generously
according to his ability as
God enables (Rom 12:1–13; 1
Cor 6:19–20; 16:1–2; 2 Cor
8; 9).
7.7
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION: The
Church shall conduct a
Christian Education
programme to build up the
members on the most holy
faith (Jude 20) through
Sunday School, Bible study
classes, Bible study groups,
catechism classes, Christian
publications, Gospel tracts
and such other similar
measures as the Church
Session and / or Board of
Elders may decide.
7.8
WORSHIP: All members shall
meet regularly for the
public worship of God the
Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit and shall maintain
family and personal
devotions (Psa 27:4; Heb
10:24–25; Song of Solomon 1
:6; Psa 122:1; Psa 1 :1–3).
Believing parents shall
endeavour to bring up their
children in the fear of the
Lord and to lead them into a
saving knowledge of the Lord
by regular instruction of
the Word of God (Prov 22:6;
Deut 6:4–9; Eph 6:4).
7.9
WEDDINGS: The solemnisation
of marriages between
born-again believers. The
groom must be a baptised
believer and the bride
either a baptised believer
or a catechumen (2 Cor 6:14;
Eph 5:21–33).
7.10
FUNERALS: The normal
practice of the
Bible-Presbyterian Church is
to bury the dead.
Christian funeral is to be
conducted only for
born-again believers.
Article 8: Membership
8.1
Membership of the Church
shall be of two categories:
8.1.1
Communicant Members—Persons
who can satisfy the Board of
Elders as to their Christian
faith, knowledge, and manner
of life and who have been
baptised or have reaffirmed
their Christian faith or
transferred from another
Bible-Presbyterian Church or
another Bible-believing
Church shall be Communicant
Members. They shall be
eligible to vote at
congregational meetings
provided that they are 16
years and above. No member
under the age of 21 shall be
eligible to stand for
election to the Session. No
communicant member shall be
a member of another church.
8.1.2
Non‑Communicant
Members—Baptised children of
Communicant Members or of
Christians who have not yet
acquired Communicant
Membership in the Church
shall be Non‑Communicant
Members.
8.2
If any member shall be found
by the Board of Elders to
have acted in a manner
unbecoming of a member or by
his act or omission be
likely to hinder the witness
of the Church or render it
of ill repute, the Board of
Elders shall request him to
appear before the Board. The
Board shall have the power
to admonish, rebuke,
suspend, depose or
ex-communicate the member in
accordance with the
procedure laid down in the
Bible-Presbyterian Book of
Discipline.
8.3
A communicant member shall
remain a member of the
Church until he dies or is
transferred to another
church or ex-communicated.
8.4
Members are expected to
strive conscientiously to
live according to the light
given to them by the Holy
Spirit through God's Word,
and to support
wholeheartedly the services
and activities of the
Church.
8.5
Those below twenty-one years
of age shall not be accepted
as members without the
parent's written consent.
Article 9: Branches
9.1
The Church may establish
branches subject to the
approval of the Registrar of
Societies.
9.2
Such branches shall be under
the control of the Church
and bear the same name and
shall function in accordance
with the provisions of this
Constitution and the rules
made thereunder.
Article 10: Membership in the Presbytery
10.1
The Church, being a
Bible-Presbyterian
congregation having objects
similar to those of the
Bible-Presbyterian Church of
Singapore, shall seek
affiliation with that body
for the strengthening of
mutual fellowship,
encouragement and unity
among Bible-Presbyterian
congregations in Singapore
and, in particular, for the
Word of God and the
testimony of Jesus Christ
(Rev 1:9).
10.2
The Church may resign from
membership in the
Bible-Presbyterian Church of
Singapore provided that such
a decision is adopted by a
two‑thirds majority vote at
an Extraordinary
Congregational Meeting. The
quorum for this Meeting
shall be two-thirds of the
resident voting members in
good standing. At such
Meeting the Presbytery or
Synod of the
Bible-Presbyterian Church of
Singapore shall have the
right to present its views
or case. In the event of a
lack of quorum, the Chairman
shall adjourn the meeting
for half an hour and should
the quorum be still lacking,
the matter shall be held in
abeyance.
Article 11: The Church Government
11.1
The government,
administration, and
discipline of the Church
shall be in accordance with
the provisions of this
Constitution and with the
Form of Government and the
Book of Discipline of the
Bible-Presbyterian Church,
except in those instances
where specific statements in
this Constitution supersede
them.
11.2
The spiritual oversight of
the Church in matters of
doctrine, principles of
government, church
elections, admission and
discipline of members and
the administrative oversight
of the Church shall be the
specific responsibilities of
the Board of Elders.
11.3
The general spiritual and
administrative oversight of
the Church may be delegated
by the Board of Elders to
the Deacons and Deaconesses.
Article 12: The Church Session
12.1
The Church Session shall
consist of the Pastor who
shall also be the Chairman,
Associate Pastor, if any,
and / or an Advisory Pastor
or Supervisory Pastor when
necessary, Elders, Deacons,
and Deaconesses if any.
Unless with the prior
approval in writing to the
Registrar or an Assistant
Registrar of Societies, all
the Session members shall be
either Singapore Citizens or
Singapore Permanent
Residents.
12.2
The Church which has no
Pastor and / or Elder of its
own, may co-opt a Pastor and
/ or Elder from another
Bible-Presbyterian church
who shall have all the
rights and powers in the
affairs of the Church.
12.3
The Church Session shall
appoint a Clerk of Session
who shall be the Secretary
from among its members and
define his duties and may
appoint such other office
bearers as it may think
fit.
12.4
The Church Session may
delegate specific powers to
any one of its members and
appoint such committees as
it deems fit and to make
such rules and standing
orders to regulate the
duties and powers of such
persons or committees.
12.5
The Church Session may
co‑opt members of the Church
or such persons as it deems
fit to serve on any
committee.
12.6
The Church Session shall
meet once a month or once in
two months at such place and
time as the Pastor or Board
of Elders may determine.
Emergency meetings may be
convened by the Pastor /
Associate Pastor / Assistant
Pastor, or in his absence,
by the Elder appointed to
act for the Pastor. Such a
meeting shall be also
convened at the joint
request of any two Elders.
12.7
A simple majority of the
Session members present in
Singapore shall constitute a
quorum for the Session
meeting.
12.8
The Church Session shall act
by consensus or by a simple
majority vote when
necessary. The Moderator or
Chairman shall have only the
casting vote.
12.9
The Church Session shall at
the Annual Congregational
Meeting of the Church
present a budget for the
next fiscal year or period,
and the previous financial
year's accounts duly audited
either internally or
externally.
12.10 The
Church Session, through the
Clerk of Session, shall be
responsible for keeping the
following registers:
12.10.1 An up-to-date
Register of Members with
full particulars of name,
address, date and place of
birth, baptism,
reaffirmation of faith,
transfer, marriage, death or
dismissal.
12.10.2 A Minutes Book
to record the minutes of the
Session, Board of Elders and
of the Congregational
Meetings.
Article
13: Election to the Church
Session
13.1
Candidates shall satisfy the
requirements listed in 1
Timothy 3, Titus 1 and 1
Peter 5. Additionally, and
to ensure better objectivity
in selection, they shall
fulfill the following
conditions:
13.1.1
Demonstrate beyond
reasonable doubt, and over a
sufficient length of time,
that they are faithful and
mature members of the Body
of Christ and faithfully
devote themselves to
personal prayer and study of
the Word.
13.1.2
Attend public worship and
prayer meetings of the
Church regularly unless
prevented from doing so for
valid reasons.
13.1.3
Make a careful study of the
Constitution, in particular
the Principle and Practice
of Biblical Separation and
fully accept it.
13.1.4 Be
willing to participate
wholeheartedly in the
ministry of the Church, with
the Pastor, and to devote
time, talents and resources
in such ministry which shall
include serving in the
various departments of the
Church.
13.2
The Board of Elders shall
nominate candidates for
election to the Church
Session. Nominations may
also be submitted by any
member of the congregation
to the Board of Elders.
13.3
Proposals for election to
the Church Session shall be
carefully screened by the
Board of Elders to ensure
that only those with the
essential qualifications and
who are in full agreement
with the doctrinal stand of
the Bible-Presbyterian
Church, in particular with
its Principle and Practice
of Biblical Separation, are
considered for nomination
and election to the Church
Session.
13.4
Elected Elders / Deacons /
Deaconesses shall be
formally installed into
office at a Service of
Consecration to be held on
an appropriate Lord's Day
soon after election.
Article 14: Pastors
14.1
The Pastor and / or
Associate Pastor / Assistant
Pastor shall be elected by
the members of the Church at
the Annual Congregational
Meeting by a majority of the
votes cast and shall hold
office for a term of three
years but shall be eligible
for re-election. The Pastor
shall be the Chairman of the
Session.
14.2
No Minister shall receive
the call to be the Pastor of
the Church save through the
hands of the Presbytery or
Synod of the
Bible-Presbyterian Church at
the instance of the Board of
Elders (1 Tim 4:14).
14.3
The Pastor shall possess the
spiritual, educational and
other qualifications as set
forth in the
Bible-Presbyterian Form of
Government or such other
qualifications as the Board
of Elders or Church Session
may determine.
14.4
The Pastor and Associate
Pastor / Assistant Pastor,
Supervisory Pastor and
Advisory Pastor shall be
subject, through the Board
of Elders, to the discipline
of the particular Presbytery
of the Bible-Presbyterian
Church of Singapore, of
which they are members. They
may appeal to the Synod
against the Presbytery's
decision.
14.5
The Pastor shall have the
general oversight of the
spiritual life, regular
service, and ministration of
the Sacraments of the Church
and the ordination of
Elders.
14.6
The Pastor shall be the
ex-officio member and
advisor of all committees
connected with the Church.
14.7
The Pastor shall be the
Moderator of the Church
Session, except for
prudential reasons, when the
Board of Elders shall
appoint one of its Elders as
Chairman of a particular
meeting.
14.8
A Pastor or retired Pastor
of a Bible-Presbyterian
Church may be requested to
serve in another
Bible-Presbyterian Church as
Supervisory Pastor where a
particular church is without
a Pastor, or as an Advisory
Pastor where a particular
church having a Pastor still
wishes to have the services
of an additional Pastor as
advisor. Both positions are
honorary.
Article 15: Elders
15.1
A candidate for election to
the office of an Elder shall
be a Deacon of not less than
six years' standing, duly
nominated by the Board of
Elders and elected by a
majority vote of the members
of the Church at the Annual
Congregational Meeting, save
that the Board of Elders may
in its absolute discretion,
shorten the qualifying
period.
15.2
Upon election, an Elder
shall hold office for a term
of three years and may be
eligible for re-election.
15.3
An Elder may be elected in
absentia, with his written
consent.
15.4
An Elder, once elected and
ordained, shall not be
divested of his status as
Elder when he is not
re-elected or when he
declines re-election. In
either case, he shall not be
a member of the Church
Session or Board of Elders.
He may attend meetings of
the Presbytery, or Synod
when so appointed by the
Presbytery or Synod.
15.5
An Elder, with the approval
of his Board of Elders, may
serve in another
Bible-Presbyterian Church
for such duration of time as
may be determined.
15.6
An Elder shall endeavour by
God's grace to serve in full
conformity with the
standards set forth in the
Word of God (1 Tim 3:2–7;
Titus 1:6–9), joining with
the Pastor in the
government, administration
and discipline of the
Church, visiting the sick
and sorrowing members,
investigating delinquents
and endeavouring to remedy
any spiritual weakness in
the lives of members.
15.7
Elders shall be subject,
through the Board of Elders,
to the discipline of the
particular Presbytery of the
Bible-Presbyterian Church of
Singapore, of which they are
members. They may appeal to
the Synod against the
Presbytery's decision.
Article 16: Deacons and
Deaconesses
16.1
A Deacon or Deaconess shall
be elected by a majority
vote of the members of the
Church at the Annual
Congregational Meeting,
provided the candidate shall
have attained 21 years of
age at the time of
nomination.
16.2
Upon election, a Deacon or
Deaconess shall hold office
for a term of three years
and may be eligible for
re-election.
16.3
They may be elected in
absentia, with their written
consent.
16.4
They shall endeavour by
God's grace to serve in full
conformity with the
standards set forth in the
Word of God (1 Tim 3:8–13).
16.5
Deacons but not Deaconesses
may be requested by the
Pastor or Elder to assist in
the ministration of the Holy
Communion.
16.6
Deacons and Deaconesses
shall be subject to the
discipline of the Board of
Elders. They may appeal to
the particular Presbytery of
the Bible-Presbyterian
Church of Singapore to which
their Church is affiliated
against the decision of the
Board of Elders.
Article 17: Board of Elders
17.1
The Board of Elders shall
consist of the Pastor and
Elders and, if any, the
Associate Pastor, Assistant
Pastor, Supervisory Pastor,
Advisory Pastor.
17.2
The Pastor shall be the
Chairman of the Board of
Elders. In his absence or
when deemed prudent, one of
the Elders shall act as
Chairman.
17.3
The Board of Elders may
appoint or invite Deacons /
Deaconesses to take part in
any meeting of the Board of
Elders without voting
right.
17.4
The Board of Elders shall
meet when necessary. The
quorum shall be a simple
majority of the members
resident in Singapore.
17.5
The Board of Elders shall
act by consensus.
Article 18: Powers and Responsibilities of the Board of Elders
Subject to Article 11 of
this Constitution, the Board
of Eiders shall:
18.1
be responsible for the
spiritual welfare and
ministry of the Church;
18.2
supervise all public worship
and preaching services, the
ministration of the
Sacraments, Bible Classes,
Prayer Meetings, Special
Meetings, and all similar
efforts aimed at reaching
the lost for Christ and at
building up Christians in
the faith;
18.3
receive members into the
Church by confession and
reaffirmation of faith and
by transfer from other
churches;
18.4
appoint Staff Workers and
other office staff as it
deems necessary;
18.5
exercise discipline in the
Church according to the Word
of God and the
Bible-Presbyterian Book of
Discipline;
18.6
enquire into the knowledge
and Christian conduct of the
members of the Church;
18.7
call before them offenders
with witness or witnesses
from within or without their
congregation;
18.8
admonish and rebuke those
who are found to deserve
censure, suspend or exclude
offenders from the Holy
Sacrament;
18.9
determine by itself or when
it deems necessary, in
consultation with the
Deacons and Deaconesses all
matters concerning the
religious services and
spiritual life of the Church
and the suitability of
candidates for election to
the Church Session.
Article 19: Congregational Meetings
19.1
The management of the Church
is vested in a general
meeting of the members
presided over by the
Chairman. Any Congregational
Meeting of the Church may be
constituted as a general
meeting for the transaction
of business, provided
announcement of the said
Meeting has been given from
the pulpit at two regular
worship services on the two
preceding Lord's Days or by
two weeks' written notice to
members.
19.2
Congregational Meetings
shall be opened with
Scripture reading and prayer
and closed with prayer.
19.3
Congregational Meetings
shall be of two kinds;
namely, Annual
Congregational Meeting and
Extraordinary Congregational
Meeting.
19.3.1 The
Annual Congregational
Meeting for the transaction
of business pertaining to
the Church shall be held in
the month of March.
19.3.2 At such
Meeting, the Church Session
shall report on the
spiritual and temporal
conditions of the
congregation and announce
plans for the coming year.
19.3.3 Items of
business shall include the
Clerk of Session's Report,
the Treasurer's Reports, the
Budget, election of
internal Auditors, and any
other matters on the agenda.
19.3.4 An
Extraordinary Meeting for
the transaction of
particular business
pertaining to the Church may
be held at any time upon due
notice being given.
19.3.5 Only
such business as is
specifically mentioned in
the call may be considered
at such a meeting.
19.3.6 The
Session shall call an
Extraordinary Meeting when
so requested by one-tenth of
the communicant members.
19.4
The quorum of the
Congregational Meetings in
the election of the Pastor,
Associate Pastor, Assistant
Pastor, Elders, Deacons and
Deaconesses and in the
amendments of the
Constitution shall be a
simple majority of all
resident voting communicant
members in good standing.
19.5
The quorum of the
Congregational Meetings for
all other business shall be
one-third of all such
resident voting communicant
members in the transaction
of other business.
19.6
In the event of a lack of
quorum for the
Congregational Meetings, the
Chairman shall adjourn the
meeting for half an hour and
should the number then
present be insufficient to
form a quorum, those present
shall constitute the quorum,
but they shall have no power
to alter, amend or make
addition to any of the
existing rules.
19.7
The election of the Pastor,
Associate Pastor, Assistant
Pastor, Elders, Deacons and
Deaconesses shall be by
secret ballot.
19.8
The election of Session
members, and decisions on
all other businesses of the
Church shall only be adopted
by a majority vote of those
present except the
amendments to the
Constitution which shall not
be adopted without a
two-thirds majority vote of
those present.
19.9
The Pastor shall be the
Chairman of the Meeting
except for prudential
reasons, when the Board of
Elders shall appoint one
from among them as Chairman
of the Meeting.
Article 20: Trustees
20.1
The Church shall have the
power to acquire immovable
property and such other
property as the relevant
authorities shall permit in
its name and vest it in
trustees not less than two
or not exceeding four in
number appointed by the
members at a Congregational
Meeting convened for such a
purpose.
20.2
Any trustee may resign his
trusteeship.
20.3
When a trustee dies or is
found to be of unsound mind,
or becomes a bankrupt or
emigrates from Singapore or
ceases membership of the
Church, or is incapacitated
for any reason, his
trusteeship is deemed to
have ceased.
20.4
When a trustee is guilty of
misconduct of such a kind as
to render it undesirable
that he continues to be a
trustee, the Congregational
Meeting may remove him from
his trusteeship.
20.5
Notice of any proposal to
remove a trustee from his
trusteeship or appoint a new
trustee shall be given in
the Church Bulletin or
announced at the regular
Worship Service two weeks
preceding the Congregational
Meeting convened for the
purpose. The address of
immovable properties, names
of trustees and any
subsequent changes must be
notified to the Registrar of
Societies.
Article 21: Finance and Audit
21.1
The work and programme of
the Church shall be
supported by the freewill
offerings and tithes of its
members and gifts, donations
from friends and by such
other income as may be
derived by the Church
according to the Holy
Scriptures.
21.2
The funds of the Church
shall be used in accordance
with the provisions of this
Constitution.
21.3
The Session shall elect one
of its members as Treasurer
and another member as
Assistant Treasurer, if
necessary. (The Treasurer
and / or the Assistant
Treasurer shall not hold
Office for the same or
related post for another
consecutive term.) The
Session may appoint a
Finance Committee from among
its members to take charge
of the financial affairs of
the Church. The Treasurer
shall keep a cash balance of
not more than $1,000.00 at
any one time. All Monies
exceeding this amount shall
be deposited with a bank
designated by the Church
Session. All cheques shall
be signed by the Treasurer
or in his absence the
Assistant Treasurer, and one
other Church Session member
appointed by the Church
Session.
21.4
The Church Session may
appoint an auditing firm as
external auditor to audit
the accounts of the Church.
21.5
In addition to the external
auditors, the Church shall
elect two internal auditors
who are not members of the
Church Session, at the
Annual Congregational
Meeting of the Church.
21.6
The internal auditors shall
hold office for one year and
shall not be eligible for
re-election.
21.7
The internal auditors and /
or the auditing firm shall
certify the correctness of
the accounts for
presentation to the Annual
Congregational Meeting at
the end of each financial
year which shall end on 31
December.
Article 22: by-laws
The
Board of Elders or the
Church Session may make
rules not inconsistent with
this Constitution for giving
effect to the provisions of
this Constitution for, but
not limited to, the
following matters:
22.1
The way and manner the
activities of the Church
business shall be
administered.
22.2
The appointment of staff
workers, paid secretaries,
clerks and other personnel
for the proper functioning
of the Church.
Article 23: Amendments
23.1
No amendments to this
Constitution shall be made
except at a Congregational
Meeting of the Church.
23.2
No amendments to the
Constitution shall be
adopted without at least a
two‑thirds majority vote
cast by those present.
23.3
No amendments to the
Constitution shall come into
force without the advice of
the Bible‑Presbyterian
Church of Singapore and the
prior approval of the
Registrar of Societies.
Article 24: Interpretation
In
the event of any question or
matter arising out of any
point which is not expressly
provided for in the
Constitution, the Board of
Elders and the Church
Session shall decide on the
matter or the necessary
steps to be taken.
Article 25: Prohibitions
25.1
Gambling of any kind and the
playing of paikow or mahjong,
whether for stakes or not,
is forbidden on the Church's
premises. The introduction
of materials for gambling or
drug taking and of bad
characters into the premises
is prohibited.
25.2
The funds of the Church
shall not be used to pay the
fines of members who have
been convicted in Court.
25.3
The Church shall not engage
in Trade Union activity as
defined in any written law
relating to trade unions for
the time being in force in
Singapore.
The Church shall not attempt
to restrict or interfere
with trade or make directly
or indirectly any
recommendation to, or any
arrangement with its members
which has the purpose or is
likely to have the effect of
fixing or controlling the
price or any discount,
allowance or rebate relating
to any goods or services to
be supplied by them.
25.4
The Church shall not hold
any lottery, whether
confined to its members or
not, in the name of the
Church or its
office-bearers, Church
Session or members.
25.5
The Church shall not indulge
in any political activity or
allow its fund and / or
premises to be used for
political purposes.
25.6
The Church shall not raise
funds from the public for
whatever purpose without the
prior approval in writing of
the Registrar of Societies
and other relevant
authorities.
Article 26: Dissolution
26.1
The Church shall not be
dissolved, except with the
consent of not less than
three‑fourths of the members
of the Church for the time
being resident in Singapore
expressed either in person
or by proxy at a
Congregational Meeting
convened for the purpose.
26.2
In the event of the Church
being dissolved as provided
above, all debts and
liabilities legally incurred
on behalf of the Church
shall be fully discharged.
The remaining funds shall be
given or transferred to the
trustees for carrying out
the objects similar to those
hereinbefore set out, or to
be applied to such
charitable organisations as
the members of the Church
may determine at a
Congregational Meeting.
26.3 Notice of dissolution shall be given to the Registrar of Societies within seven (7) days of the dissolution.
