Read Ebook: The Standard Manual for Baptist Churches by Hiscox Edward T Edward Thurston

Font size: 10 px 15 px 20 px 25 px 30 px 35 px

Background color: BlackWhiteGrayLight GrayDark GrayDim Gray

Text color: BlackWhiteGrayLight GrayDark GrayDim Gray

Apply/Save settings

Ebook has 317 lines and 35695 words, and 7 pages

PRIVATE OFFENSES

NOTE 1.--While this Divine rule makes it obligatory on the offended member to go to the offender and seek a reconciliation, yet much more is it obligatory on the offender who knows that a brother is grieved with him, to seek such an one, and try to remove the difficulty.

NOTE 2.--The matter is not to be made public until these three steps have been fully taken, and have failed; and then to be made public only by telling the church, and no others.

NOTE 3.--When the case comes before the church, it must not be neglected nor dropped, but judiciously pursued until the difficulty be adjusted, the offense removed, or else the offender be disfellowshipped, and put away.

PUBLIC OFFENSES

The more common causes of this class of offenses are the following: False doctrine , disregard of authority , contention and strife , immoral conduct , disorderly walk , covetous spirit , arrogant conduct , going to law .

The following constitutes a proper and Scriptural course of treatment for such cases:

The church's good name and the honor of religion demand this testimony against evil. He may be subsequently restored, if suitably penitent.

NOTE 1.--All discipline should be conducted in the spirit of Christian meekness and love, with a desire to remove offenses and win offenders. It must also be done under a deep sense of responsibility to maintain the honor of Christ's name, the purity of His church, and the integrity of His truth.

NOTE 2.--If any member shall persist in bringing a private grievance before the church, or otherwise make it public before he has pursued the course prescribed in the eighteenth chapter of Matthew, he becomes himself an offender, and subject to the discipline of the body.

NOTE 3.--When private difficulties exist among members which they cannot, or will not settle, the church should consider them as public offenses, and as such dispose of them, rather than suffer the perpetual injury which they inflict.

Note 4.--When a member refers to the church any private difficulty, which he has been unable to settle, he must submit it wholly to the disposition of the body, and abide by its decision. If he attempts to revive and prosecute it beyond the decision of the church, he becomes an offender, and subject to discipline.

NOTE 5.--Any member tried by the church has the right to receive copies of all charges against him, the names of his accusers, and the witnesses, both of whom he shall have the privilege of meeting face to face, hearing their statements, bringing witnesses on his side, and answering for himself before the body.

NOTE 6.--Every member on trial or excluded, shall have furnished at his request, authentic copies of all proceedings had by the church in his case, officially certified.

NOTE 7.--No member under discipline can have the right to bring any person, not a member, before the church as his advocate, except by consent of the body.

NOTE 8.--In every case of exclusion, the charges against the member, and the reasons for his exclusion, should be accurately entered on the records of the church.

NOTE 9.--If at any time it shall become apparent, or seem probable to the church that it has for any reason dealt unjustly with a member, or excluded him without sufficient cause, it should at once, and without request by concession and restoration, so far as possible, repair the injury it has done him.

NOTE 10.--The church should hold itself bound to restore to its fellowship an excluded member when, ever he gives satisfactory evidence of repentance and reformation consistent with godliness.

NOTE 11.--The church will exercise is legitimate authority, and vindicate its honor and rectitude in the administration of discipline, even though the member should regard such discipline as unjust or oppressive.

NOTE 12.--Nothing can be considered a just and reasonable cause for discipline, except what is forbidden by the letter of the spirit of Scripture. And nothing can be considered a sufficient cause for disfellowship and exclusion, except what is clearly contrary to Scripture, and what would have prevented the reception of the person into the church, had it been known to exist at the time of his reception.

CASES OF APPEAL

What can be done in such a case?

NOTE 1.--On the New Testament theory of church government, the action of this individual local church is final. There is no power either civil or ecclesiastical, that can reverse its decision or punish it for wrong-doing. It may make mistakes, but no human tribunal has authority to compel it to confess or correct them.

NOTE 3.--Any person who believes himself wronged by church action has the inalienable right to appeal to the church for a new hearing, and, failing in this, to ask the counsel and advice of brethren, should he see fit to do so.

NOTE 5.--Any church can well afford to grant a rehearing to an excluded member. It would be in the interest of peace, justice, and reconciliation. If the church be right, it can afford to be generous.

NOTE 6.--Any church has the right to receive a member excluded, from another church, since each church is sole judge of the qualification of persons received to its fellowship. But any church so appealed to would use great caution, and with due regard to its own peace and purity, ascertain all the facts in the case before taking such action.

NOTE 8.--A church excluding a member has no just cause of complaint against another church for receiving such an excluded member, since the one church is just as independent to receive one whom it judges worthy of fellowship, as the other is to exclude one whom it judged unworthy of fellowship.

+FOOTNOTES:+

For a more comprehensive discussion of councils--what they can, and what they cannot do, how to call, and how to use them--see the "Star Book on Baptist Councils."

CHURCH BUSINESS

The business meetings of a church should be conducted as much as possible in the spirit of devotion, and under a sense of the propriety and sanctity which attaches to all the interests of the kingdom of Christ. Meetings for business should not be needlessly multiplied, nor should they be unwisely neglected. It may not be wise to insist too rigidly on the observance of parliamentary rules, yet it is still worse to drift into a loose unbusinesslike way, which wastes time, accomplishes little, and does wrongly much that is done.

ORDER OF BUSINESS

NOTE 1.--The pastor is, by virtue of his office, moderator of all church business meetings. If he be not present, or do not wish to serve, any one may be elected to take the place.

NOTE 2.--All business meetings, both regular and special, should be announced from the pulpit one Sunday, at least, before they are held.

NOTE 3.--Special meetings for business may be called at any time, by consent of the pastor and deacons, or by such other methods as the church itself may direct.

NOTE 4.--Though a majority usually decides questions, yet in all matters of special importance a unanimous, or nearly unanimous, vote should be secured.

NOTE 5.--Members may be received, and letters of dismission granted, either at the business church meeting, the covenant meeting, or the regular weekly prayer meeting, the church so directing. Some fixed method should be observed.

NOTE 6.--Candidates for admission to membership will be expected to retire from the meeting when action is taken on their reception.

NOTE 7.--No persons, except members, will be present during the transaction of church business. If present, they may be asked to retire.

NOTE 8.--Although the church should endeavor to do nothing which its members will be ashamed or afraid to have known by others, yet every member is bound, by the honor of a Christian, not to publish abroad, nor disclose to those without, the private affairs and business transactions of the body.

RULES OF ORDER

The following constitute the generally accepted rules of order for churches and other deliberative bodies in business proceedings:

A body is, however, competent, by a vote, to allow debate on all motions.

If the body votes to reconsider, then the motion or resolution being reconsidered, stands before them as previous to its passage, and may be discussed, adopted, or rejected.

A vote to reconsider should be taken at the same session at which the vote reconsidered was passed, and when there are as many members present.

CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE

All evangelical churches profess to take the Holy Scriptures as their only and sufficient guide in matters of religious faith and practice. Baptists, especially, claim to have no authoritative creed except the New Testament. It is common, however, for the churches to have formulated statements of what are understood to be the leading Christian doctrines, printed and circulated among their members. These are not uniform among the churches, but are in substantial agreement as to the doctrines taught. Indeed, each church is at liberty to prepare its own confession, or have none at all; no one form being held as binding and obligatory on the churches to adopt. Members, on being received to fellowship, are not required to subscribe or pledge conformity to any creed-form, but are expected to yield substantial agreement to that which the church with which they unite has adopted.

There are two Confessions which have gained more general acceptance than any others, and are now being widely adopted by the churches over the country. As to substance of doctrine, they do not essentially differ. That known as the New Hampshire Confession is commonly used by the churches North, East, and West; while that known as the Philadelphia Confession, is very generally in use in the South and Southwest. The former is much more brief and for that reason preferred by many. The other is substantially the London Confession of Faith, published by English Baptists in 1689. It is much more full in statement than the other, and is higher in its tone as to the doctrines of grace.

American Baptists are decidedly Calvinistic as to substance of doctrine, but moderately so, being midway between the extremes of Arminianism and Antinomianism. Though diversities of opinion may incline to either extreme, the "general atonement" view is for the most part held, while the "particular atonement" theory is maintained by not a few. The freedom of the human will is declared, while the sovereignty of Divine grace, and the absolute necessity of the Spirit's work in faith and salvation are maintained. They practice "strict communion," as do their mission churches in foreign lands. In Great Britain, Baptists are sharply divided between "strict and free communion," and between the particular and the general atonement theories.

The New Hampshire Confession, with a few verbal changes, is here inserted. But some of the proof-texts usually accompanying these articles are, for want of space, omitted.

ARTICLES OF FAITH

Share on: WhatsApp @Hash Facebook Tweet