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The Bylaws

Since it pleased Almighty God, by His Holy Spirit, to call certain of His servants to unite here in 2021 under the name Twin Falls Community Church or Twin Falls, Idaho, for the worship of God and the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and since He has sustained and prospered this work to the present day; and

 

Whereas we, having searched the Scriptures under the guidance of His Spirit, have recognized the need to constitute ourselves to conform more closely to His will for the Church in this age and to prepare ourselves for greater efforts in His name;

 

Now therefore, we do hereby organize ourselves in accord with the Idaho Nonprofit Corporation Act and adopt this Constitution as our articles of governance, to be interpreted at all times to reflect the character of and bring glory to Jesus Christ, as revealed in the Holy Bible and articulated in the Statement of Faith and Covenant of this church.

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Article 1. Membership
Section 1.

  • Clause 1. Members of this church shall be believers in Jesus Christ Who display evidence of regeneration; Clause 2. Who have been baptized as believers in obedience to Christ;

  • Clause 3. Who affirm without settled conviction against the doctrines of our church as expressed in the Statement of Faith; and Clause 4. Who promise to keep the commitments expressed in the Church Covenant.

 

Section 2.

  • Clause 1. An Applicant shall be received as a Member of the church upon the recommendation of the Elders and the subsequent agreement of at least three-quarters of the Members present and voting on the question at any Members’ Meeting.

  • Clause 2. No Member of this church shall retain membership in any other church. Therefore, any previous church memberships will be dissolved upon the individual in question being received into membership of Twin Falls Community Church.

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Section 3.

  • Clause 1. Members shall be expected to participate actively in the life of the church By regularly attending its Lord’s Day meetings;

  • Clause 2. By faithfully observing its ordinances, namely Baptism and the Lord’s Supper;

  • Clause 3. By submitting to the church’s discipline and instruction; and

  • Clause 4. By attending, as frequently as possible, its Members’ Meetings.

  • Clause 5. No Person who is not a Member or Church Associate shall lead any ministry or hold any office of the church.

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Section 4.

  • Clause 1. The church shall recognize the termination of an individual’s Membership following his or her death and may do so following his or her joining with another church.

  • Clause 2. The church shall have authority to exercise discipline over its Members, which may involve excluding from its Membership any Member consistently neglectful of the duties enumerated in Article 1, Sections 1 and 3, or guilty of scandalous conduct by which the reputation of Christ or His church is dishonored. Any such action shall be done in accordance with the instructions of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 18:15-17 and those of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 and 2 Corinthians 2:6-8.

  • Clause 3. The church shall have authority to refuse a Member’s transfer of membership to another church, either for the purpose of proceeding with a process of church discipline or for any other reason the church deems necessary or prudent.

  • Clause 4. A Member shall be removed from Membership as a matter of church discipline upon the recommendation of the Elders and the subsequent agreement of at least three-quarters of the Members present and voting on the question at any Members’ Meeting.

 

Section 5.

  • Clause 1. Students and others temporarily residing in the Twin Falls area may be received as Associates of the church, provided they are members in good standing of another evangelical Baptist church.

  • Clause 2. An Applicant shall be received as an Associate upon the recommendation of the Elders and the subsequent agreement of at least three-quarters of the Members present and voting on the question at any Members’ Meeting.

  • Clause 3. Associates shall retain membership in one other evangelical and baptistic church.

  • Clause 4. Associates shall be expected to participate actively in the life of the church in the same way as Members, except that they shall not be eligible either to stand for any office or to vote.

  • Clause 5. A Person’s associate membership shall terminate immediately upon the ending of residence in the Twin Falls area. The church shall have authority to terminate the associate membership of any associate member consistently neglectful of his or her commitments outlined in Article 1, Sections 1 and 3, or guilty of scandalous conduct by which the reputation of Christ or His church is dishonored. In such an event, the Elders shall refer disciplinary action to the pastor or elders of the excluded person’s home church.

 

 

Article 2. Meetings
Section 1.

The church shall meet together for public worship each Lord’s Day and at other times throughout the week as the church may determine.

 

Section 2.

  • Clause 1. The church shall hold a regular Members’ Meeting at least once every three months, which shall not be held in place of the regular Lord’s Day meeting, but at some other time.

  • Clause 2. The Elders, whenever they deem it necessary, or within thirty days of receiving a written request signed by ten percent of the voting Membership, shall call a special Members’ Meeting.

  • Clause 3. No Members’ Meeting shall be held until the date, time, and place of such meeting shall be announced at every public meeting of the church for one week immediately prior to the Members’ Meeting in question, except as described in section 4.2.3 of this Constitution.

  • Clause 4. One of the Elders shall preside as Moderator at all Members’ Meetings, but shall have no vote, unless the vote in question is inconclusive and requires one final vote to decide the conclusion. In such case, he shall cast the deciding vote.

  • Clause 5. Members’ Meetings shall proceed according to a reasonable order, and the Members present shall constitute a quorum to do business. Motions shall be adopted upon the agreement of a majority of the Members present and voting on the question, except on matters otherwise provided for in this constitution.

  • Clause 6. Members must be physically present in order to vote. For the purposes of this Constitution, "present" shall be defined as physically present.

  • Clause 7. In the event that legal orders by local, state, or federal officials would prevent the Church from holding a Members' Meetings once every three months as required by this Constitution, and the Elders agree to abide by those orders, the Moderator shall declare duly called meetings to be "virtual." In that case, all requirements in this Constitution for physical presence at Members' Meetings shall be waived, and the Church shall gather and conduct business by any technological means available to the majority of the Church. No other rule shall be affected by a virtual meeting.

 

Section 3.

  • Clause 1. The church, duly assembled in a Members’ Meeting, shall be responsible To elect officers;

  • Clause 2. To receive Applicants into church Membership;

  • Clause 3. To recognize termination of Membership due to death or transfer of Membership;

  • Clause 4. To exercise church discipline;

  • Clause 5. To approve, once in every year, a church budget;

  • Clause 6. To hear reports from the Elders and, from time to time, the various Deacons/Deaconesses; and Clause 7. To take any other action they deem necessary or desirable.

 

Article 3. Government
Section 1.

The biblical offices in the church shall be Elders and Deacons, but final earthly authority is vested in the assembled congregation.

 

Section 2.

  • Clause 1. Oversight of the ministry, resources, and facilities of the church shall be vested in a Council of Elders, which shall be comprised of not fewer than two men who satisfy the qualifications set forth in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9.

  • Clause 2. With the exception of the founding Pastors/Elders, Elders shall be selected as follows: The Council of Elders shall at any regular gathering of the church present to the church a list of nominees to the office of Elder. For a period of at least one month, the church shall consider whether such nominees are qualified for the office. If any Member believes one or more of the nominees to be unqualified, that Member shall express such concern to the Elders, who may on the basis of that advice remove names from the list of nominees. No name shall be added to the list of nominees which was not included on the initial list. When a period of one month has elapsed, the Elders shall at the next regular Members’ Meeting present a final list of nominees to the church, who shall vote Yea or Nay on each of the nominees in turn. The Moderator or his delegates shall count the votes, and any nominee having the approval of at least three-quarters of the Members present and voting on his nomination shall be an Elder, which men the church shall in due haste publicly recognize and set apart as such.

  • Clause 3. At least once in every year, the Elders shall at any regular Members’ Meeting solicit from the congregation recommendations for the office of Elder, which recommendations shall be given to the Elders in private, and not publicly. The Elders shall give due consideration to any recommendation received.

  • Clause 4. In accordance with 1 Timothy 2:12 and 3:2, women shall not serve as Elders.

  • Clause 5. With the exceptions of the staff pastors, as defined in sections 3.3 and 3.4 of this Constitution, Elders shall be reaffirmed by the church triennially, in accordance with the process described in section 3.2.2 of this Constitution, and having

  • served two consecutive three-year terms, shall not be eligible for re-election for one year. The staff pastors shall not be subject to a reaffirmation vote, nor to any term limit.

  • Clause 6. No Elder shall hold the office of Deacon during his tenure.

  • Clause 7. The Council of Elders shall choose their Chairman and other Officers. In compliance with the nonprofit corporation laws of Idaho, the Council of Elders shall serve as the Board of Directors of the Corporation, and the Chairman of the Elders shall serve as the president of the corporation.

  • Clause 8. The Elders shall, in keeping with the principles set forth in the Scriptures, especially Acts 6:1-6; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; 5:17; Titus 1:5-9; James 5:14; and 1 Peter 5:1-4, undertake the responsibility of shepherding God’s flock by devoting themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word. They shall have particular authority To plan and oversee worship services;

  • Clause 9. To faithfully preach and teach the Scriptures;

  • Clause 10. To oversee the ordinances, namely Baptism and the Lord’s Supper;

  • Clause 11. To examine and instruct prospective members;

  • Clause 12. To oversee the process of church discipline;

  • Clause 13. To examine and recommend candidates for all offices and positions;

  • Clause 14. To oversee the work of the Deacons/Deaconesses and all other agents of the church; Clause 15. To shepherd the flock of God;

  • Clause 16. To oversee the care of the sick, the sorrowing, the aged, the widow, the fatherless, and the infirm so that they receive spiritual and physical comfort through the ministry of the church as served and organized by the deacons/deaconesses;

  • Clause 17. To hire, oversee, evaluate the performance of, and when necessary terminate paid church staff; and

  • Clause 18. To take any other action which shall be necessary and proper for faithfully overseeing and shepherding the church.

  • Clause 19. An Elder shall be removed from office upon the vote of two-thirds of the Members present and voting on the question at any Members’ Meeting. Any such action shall be done in accordance with the instructions of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 18:15-17 and those of the Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 5:17-21.

  • Clause 20. In the event that the Church has no Elders, the Church shall at the next Regular Members’ Meeting elect an Interim Moderator, who shall at each subsequent Regular Members’ Meeting nominate one or more men to serve as Elders, pursuant to section 3.2.2 of this Constitution, until an Elder is elected. The office of Interim Moderator shall dissolve immediately upon the election of an Elder.

 

Section 3.

  • Clause 1. Primary responsibility for preaching and teaching the Scriptures in public meetings of the church may be vested in a Preaching and Teaching Elder/Pastor. While other Pastors/Elders may periodically teach or preach, only one Preaching and Teaching Elder/Pastor may be recognized at a time.

  • Clause 2. With the exception of the founding staff Pastors/Elders, any staff Pastor/Elder shall be selected as follows: The Elders shall at any regular Members’ Meeting present to the church the name of one nominee to the particular Staff Pastor/Elder position in question. For a period of at least two weeks, the church shall consider the nominee’s gifts in pastoral ministry with particular care in examining his giftings in preaching and teaching, as well as, his commitment to minister personally to the members of this church. If any Member believes the nominee to be unqualified, that Member shall express such concern to the Elders. When a period of two weeks has elapsed, the Elders shall at the next Members’ Meeting present the nominee for that position of Staff Pastor/Elder to the church, who shall vote Yea or Nay on his selection as such. The Moderator or his delegates shall count the votes, and if the nominee receives the approval of at least three-quarters of the Members present and voting on the question, he shall be a Member of the church, an Elder, and a Staff Pastor/Elder for the designated position in question, whom the church shall in due haste publicly recognize as such.

  • Clause 3. A staff elder/pastor shall meet all the qualifications and hold all the rights and responsibilities of a Member of the church. He shall satisfy all the qualifications and hold all the duties and responsibilities of an Elder. In terms of formal authority, there shall be no distinction between a lay elder and a staff elder.

  • Clause 4. A staff elder/pastor shall not be subject to a reaffirmation vote, nor to any term limit.

  • Clause 5. A staff elder/pastor shall be removed from office and his employment terminated upon the vote of two-thirds of the Members present and voting on the question at any Members’ Meeting. Any such action shall be done in accordance with Scripture’s instructions in Matthew 18:15-17 and in 1 Timothy 5:17-21.

 

Section 4.

  • Clause 1. Particular service to the church shall be provided by Deacons/Deaconesses, the number of which shall vary as the church has need, and who shall satisfy the qualifications set forth in 1 Timothy 3:8-13.

  • Clause 2. The Deacons/Deaconesses shall not meet together regularly as a body.

  • Clause 3. Each diaconate position shall serve a particular need of the church and shall be created or dissolved upon the recommendation of the Elders and the subsequent agreement of a majority of the Members present and voting on the question at any Members’ Meeting.

  • Clause 4. Deacons/Deaconesses shall be selected as follows: The Council of Elders shall at any regular Members’ Meeting present to the church a list of nominees to the office of deacon/deaconess. For a period of at least one month, the church shall consider whether such nominees are qualified for the office. If any Member believes one or more of the nominees to be unqualified, that Member shall express such concern to the Elders, who may on the basis of that advice remove names from the list of nominees. No name shall be added to the list of nominees which was not included on the initial list. When a period of one month has elapsed, the Elders shall at the next regular Members’ Meeting present a final list of nominees to the church, who shall vote Yea or Nay on each of the nominees in turn. The Moderator or his delegates shall count the votes, and any nominee having the approval of two-thirds of the Members present and voting on his nomination shall be a Deacon/Deaconess, which men or women the church shall in due haste publicly recognize and set apart as such.

  • Clause 5. At least once in every year, the Elders shall at any regular Members’ Meeting solicit from the congregation recommendations for new diaconate positions and for qualified persons to fill new or vacant positions, which recommendations shall be given to the Elders in private, and not publicly. The Elders shall give due consideration to any recommendation received.

  • Clause 6. No Deacon shall hold the office of Elder during his or her term, nor more than one Diaconate.

  • Clause 7. Deacons/Deaconesses shall be reaffirmed by the church triennially, in accordance with the process described in section 3.4.3 of this Constitution.

  • Clause 8. In keeping with the principles set forth in Acts 6:1-6, Deacons/Deaconesses shall not exercise a ministry of spiritual authority, but shall support the Elders’ ministry of the Word, work to maintain the unity of the church, and care for the physical needs of the church.

  • Clause 9. The church may recognize Deacons/Deaconesses to serve and organize the care and support of the physical and spiritual needs of the sick, the sorrowing, the aged, the widows, the fatherless, and the infirm;

  • Clause 10. For organizing and leading the hospitality ministries of the church under the oversight of the elders;

  • Clause 11. For attending to the normal care and maintenance of church properties;

  • Clause 12. For receiving, holding, and disbursing a fund for benevolence, and for reporting from time to time on the use of such funds to both the Elders and the church;

  • Clause 13. For attending to the accommodations for public worship;

  • Clause 14. For assisting in distributing the elements during the Lord’s Supper; and

  • Clause 15. For serving in other specific capacities as the church has need.

  • Clause 16. No person or group shall solicit money on behalf of the church or any of its ministries without the approval of the Elders and the Deacon/Deaconess of Finance.

  • Clause 17. A Deacon/Deaconess may be removed from office upon the recommendation of the Elders and the subsequent agreement of a majority of the Members present and voting on the question at any Members’ Meeting, except as otherwise specified by this Constitution.

  • Clause 18. In the event a diaconate position becomes vacant, the Elders may appoint a person to fill that position and assume its responsibilities, until such time as some person can be duly recognized by the church as a Deacon/Deaconess, but not longer than two consecutive Members’ Meetings.

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Article 4. Administration
Section 1.

The church shall select a Deacon/Deaconess of Records, who shall record the minutes of all regular and special Members’ Meetings of the church, keep an accurate roll of the membership, and give reports as requested by the Elders, particular Deacons/Deaconesses, or the church. In compliance with the nonprofit corporation laws of Idaho, the Deacon/Deaconess of Records shall serve as the secretary of the corporation.

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Section 2.

  • Clause 1. The church shall select a Deacon/Deaconess of Finance, who shall, with the advice and approval of the Elders, make a motion to the church at the penultimate regular Members’ Meeting of every fiscal year a budget, which shall be considered and voted upon by the church at the final regular Members’ Meeting of every fiscal year.

  • Clause 2. The budget shall be adopted upon the motion of the Deacon/Deaconess of Finance and the subsequent agreement of a majority of the Members present and voting on the question.

  • Clause 3. In the event of a failure by the Church to approve a new Budget by the beginning of the new Fiscal Year, the most recent adopted Budget, with its amendments, shall serve as the temporary budget until such time as a new Budget is adopted at any Members’ Meeting. In such an event, the Elders may call Special Members’ Meetings, their sole order of business being the consideration of a Budget, with one day’s notice by Correspondence to the Members of the Church.

  • Clause 4. Once adopted, the total amount budgeted shall not be overspent. The Elders shall have responsibility to oversee and faithfully disburse the budget. Amendments to the budget shall be adopted upon the motion of the Deacon/Deaconess of Finance and the subsequent agreement of a majority of the Members present and voting on the question at any Members’ Meeting.

  • Clause 5. Oversight of and authority over all other resources of the church shall be vested in the assembled

  • congregation. Upon the recommendation of the elders and the subsequent agreement of a majority of the Members present and voting on the question at any Members’ Meeting, the congregation may fund certain designated accounts, distinct from the operating budget, which shall be under the oversight and authority of the Elders.

 

Section 3.

  • Clause 1. The church shall select a Deacon/Deaconess of the Treasury, who shall ensure that all funds and securities of the church are properly secured in such banks, financial institutions, or depositories as designated by the church. The Deacon/Deaconess of the Treasury shall also ensure that full and accurate accounts of receipts and disbursements are kept in books belonging to the church, and that adequate controls are implemented to guarantee that all funds belonging to the church are appropriately handled by any officer, employee, or agent of the church. The Deacon/Deaconess of the Treasury shall render to the Elders at least once in every year, or whenever they may require it, an account of all financial transactions and of thefinancial condition of the church. The Deacon/Deaconess of the Treasury shall also be responsible for presenting regular reports of the account balances, revenues, and expenses of the church at regular Members' Meetings.

  • Clause 2. No Person shall serve more than one consecutive three-year term as Deacon/Deaconess of the Treasury.

  • Clause 3. No paid staff member of the church shall be eligible for the office of Deacon/Deaconess of the Treasury.

  • Clause 4. The Deacon/Deaconess of the Treasury shall be removed from office only upon the recommendation of the Elders and the subsequent agreement of a majority of the Members present and voting on the question at any Members’ Meeting.

 

Article 5. Ratification

  • Clause 1. This Constitution shall be ratified upon the approval of two-thirds of the Members present and voting at the constitutional service of the church and shall take effect upon the recognition of Aaron Scott and Joshua Reichard as the founding elders of Twin Falls Community Church.

  • Clause 2. Upon the ratification of this constitution, all formerly recognized boards, councils, committees and officers of the church will be dissolved.

  • Clause 3. The offices of deacon/deaconess aforementioned in articles 3, section 4 and article 4, sections 1-3, shall not be required until the members of the church grow to 50 in number, but each deaconate can be created before that number as recommended by the elders and affirmed by a three-quarters vote of the Members present and voting on the question at any Members’ Meeting.

  • Clause 4. The order of service designated for the founding of Twin Falls Community Church and election of the Founding Elders shall occur as follows: The church shall recognize itself, under God’s authority, to be a church and sign the Church Covenant together. Once the church covenant has been signed by all recognized members, the church will observe together the ordinance of Communion, therefore, becoming a local church. After observing the ordinance of Communion, Aaron Scott, serving as the moderator of the members meeting, will call a member’s meeting to order with the new members and present a basic agenda for the meeting, which will include 1) the motion to elect elders, followed by a vote, 2) upon an affirmative vote, the elders will recommend the adoption of the Statement of Faith, followed by a vote, 3) the elders will recommend the adoption of the Bylaws, followed by a vote. The meeting will conclude with a motion of adjournment by one of the members, followed by a second.

 

Article 6. Amendments
Section 1.

The Statement of Faith or Church Covenant shall be amended upon the recommendation of the Elders and the subsequent agreement of three-quarters of the Members voting on the question at any regular Members' Meeting, provided the Amendment shall have been offered in writing at any previous regular Members' Meeting, and shall have been announced at every public meeting of the church for two weeks immediately prior to final consideration. Any Member serving under the commission of this church on an international mission field shall also be eligible to vote by correspondence on this question.

 

Section 2.

This Constitution shall be amended by a vote of three-quarters of the Members voting on the question at any regular Members' Meeting, provided the Amendment shall have been offered in writing at any previous regular Members' Meeting, and shall have been announced at every public meeting of the church for two weeks immediately prior to final consideration. Any Member serving under the commission of this church on an international mission field shall also be eligible to vote by correspondence on this question.

 

Section 3. 

In the event of a dissolution of Twin Falls Community Church, all properties and assets owned by Twin Falls Community Church shall be distributed to the ownership of the Utah Idaho Southern Baptist Convention within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for public purposes. 

 

Section 4. 

Twin Falls Community Church is organized exclusively for charitable and religious purposes, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal 

Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax codes by the United States of America.

 

Section 5. 

For the purpose of foundational financial organization and accountability, the Deacon of Finance (Article 2, Section 5) will also share the responsibilities as the Deacon of Treasury (Article 2, Section 6) in the capacity he is able, until a Deacon of Treasury is required per Article 5, Section 3. 

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