THE CONSTITUTION

of the

RIDGE CREST BAPTIST CHURCH

304 South 161 East Avenue

Tulsa, Oklahoma

PREAMBLE

For the more certain preservation and security of the principles of our faith, and to the end that this body of believers may be governed in an orderly manner consistent with the accepted tenets of the churches affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, and for the purpose of preserving the liberties inherent in each individual member of the church and the freedom of action of this body with respect to its relation to other churches of the same faith, we do declare and establish this constitution.

I. NAME AND AFFILIATON

This church shall be known as the RIDGE CREST BAPTIST CHURCH, INC., Tulsa, Oklahoma, a non-profit corporation, and shall be affiliated with and cooperating with the Tulsa Baptist Association, the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, and The Southern Baptist Convention, and shall support financially the Southern Baptist world-wide mission program through these organizations.

II. ARTICLES OF FAITH

This body accepts and asserts that the Holy Bible, given by our Lord God, is the Sole Rule of Faith and Practice. A further description of the basic doctrines is delineated in the Baptist Faith and Message adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention at Kansas City in 1963.

III. CHURCH COVENANT

A covenant is a solemn and binding pledge of allegiance. Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and on the profession of our faith having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we do now in the presence of God, angels, and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another, as one body in Christ.

(For The Advancement of the Church)

We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love, to strive for the advancement of this church, in knowledge, holiness, and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines.

(As Christian Stewards)

To contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the Gospel through all nations.

(Alone and at Home)

We also engage to maintain family and secret devotions; to educate our children religiously; to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances.

(Before the World)

To walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment; to avoid all tattling, back-biting, and excessive anger; to abstain from the use of or sale of intoxicating drinks as a beverage; and to be zealous in our efforts to advance the Kingdom of our Savior.

(Toward One Another)

We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember each other in prayer, to aid each other in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation and, mindful of the rules of our Savior to secure it without delay.

We moreover engage that when we remove from this place, we will as soon as possible unite with some other church, where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and principles of God's Word.

BY-LAWS TO THE CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE I – MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 1. Members of this church shall be those who have publicly confessed Christ as their Savior and have received New Testament Baptism.

SECTION 2. All members will enter into the Church Covenant.

SECTION 3. Candidacy

1. Members may be received by profession of faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and for baptism by immersion.
2. Members may be received by letter of recommendation from other churches affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.
3. Members may be received by letter of recommendation from other churches of like Faith and Order after meeting with the Membership Committee (composed of the Pastor and the deacon body) and receiving their recommendation.
4. Members may be received by statement of their conversion and baptism by immersion when they do not have and cannot obtain a letter of recommendation for some reason, but do qualify under paragraphs 2 and 3 above.

SECTION 4. All new members may be voted into the fellowship of the church during the worship service when they are presented for membership.

SECTION 5. Membership shall be subject to the principles and usages of the Baptist churches, and especially as follows:

1. Any member in good standing who desires a letter of dismission and recommendation to any other Baptist church is entitled to receive it upon his request.
2. If a member of good standing requests to be released from his covenant obligations to this church for reason which the church may finally deem satisfactory, after it shall have patiently and kindly endeavored to secure his continuance in its fellowship, such requests may be granted, and his membership terminated.
3. Should a member become an offense to the church and to its good name by reasons of immoral or unchristian conduct, or by persistent breach of his covenant vows, the church may terminate his membership, but only after due notice and hearing, and after faithful efforts have been made to bring such member to repentance and amendment.
4. The membership of no person shall be terminated (except by letter) at the meeting when the recommendation for such action is made.
5. Any person whose membership has been terminated for any offense may be restored by vote of the church, upon evidence of his repentance and reformation.
6. Any person who does not habitually worship with the church (either in public services or extension departments) or fails to contribute to its support for the space of one year, shall have his name placed on an inactive list.

ARTICLE II - CHURCH OFFICERS

The officers of this church shall be as follows:

PASTOR

A pastor shall be chosen and called by the church whenever a vacancy occurs. His election shall take place at a meeting called for that purpose, of which at least one week's public notice shall be given. A pulpit committee shall be elected by the church to seek out a suitable pastor, and their recommendation shall constitute a nomination, though any member has the privilege of making other nominations. The pulpit committee shall bring to the consideration of the church only one man at a time and only one man at a time shall be considered by the church. Election shall be by the affirmative vote of three fourths (3/4) of the necessary quorum present and voting. The pastor, thus elected, shall serve until the relationship is terminated by mutual consent. The pastor shall be ex-officio member of all church committees.

DEACONS

SECTION 1. There may be eight deacons for the first one-hundred fifty (150) members whose names are on the active church roll, and one (1) additional deacon for each additional twenty-five (25) active members, providing qualified members are available for this office

SECTION 2. Election: At the first regularly constituted business meeting, secret ballots shall be cast for three (3) qualified deacons who shall be elected to serve for a term of three (3) years; three (3) shall be elected to serve for a term of two (2) years; the remaining deacons shall serve for a period of one (1) year. Thereafter, the church shall elect annually, the deacons to fill all vacancies and unexpired terms.

SECTION 3. After serving a FULL term of three (3) years, no deacon shall be eligible for re-election until the lapse of at least one (1) year.

SECTION 4. Provision for ordaining deacons: As the need arises, additional deacons may be ordained by the church. At a regularly constituted business meeting, members of the church may submit the names of any male

member, twenty-one (21) years of age or older. A list of those prospective deacons shall be submitted to the pastor and Fellowship of Deacons, who in turn will determine their scriptural qualifications according to Acts 6:3 and 1 Timothy 3:10-13. Those men scripturally qualified shall be presented to the church and the number previously determined shall be duly elected and ordained, provided qualified men are available for this office.

SECTION 5. Duties: The Fellowship of Deacons shall meet regularly as their wisdom may direct for efficiency in service. In addition to serving the church at large, they shall serve as a council of advice and conference with the pastor in matters pertaining to the welfare and work of the church. By proper organization and method among themselves, they are to establish and maintain personal, fraternal relations with the church membership. They are to seek to know the physical needs and the moral and spiritual condition of the brethren and sisters, and to serve the whole church in the promotion of its material and spiritual welfare. In counsel with the pastor, and by such means as the Holy Spirit may direct in accordance with the New Testament teachings, they are to have oversight of the discipline of the church. All action of the Fellowship of Deacons is subject to the will of the Church.

TRUSTEES

SECTION 1. The Committee of Trustees shall be composed of three (3) members. Trustees shall be elected by the church at the annual meeting. They shall be elected to serve for a term of three (3) years and may be elected to succeed themselves.

SECTION 2. Duties: The Committee of Trustees shall be the officers of the corporation and will hold in trust the property of the church. They shall be vested with the authority to sell, buy, mortgage, lease or transfer property only at the direction of the church. The signature of all three trustees shall be necessary on official documents. The trustees shall also be responsible for the filing of insurance claims in the event of property damage and/or accidents.

OTHER STAFF MEMBERS

Other officers which may be called to serve the church as the need arises, such as Minister of Music, Education, Youth, etc., shall be called by the church and their responsibilities shall be determined at that time.

MODERATOR

The moderator shall be the pastor. In the absence of the pastor, the chairman of the deacons shall preside; and in his absence, the assistant chairman shall preside. In the absence of all, the clerk shall call the church to order and a moderator pro-tem shall be elected. In the event an assistant pastor should be called, he shall be presiding moderator following the pastor.

CLERK

The clerk of the church shall keep in a suitable book a record of all the action of the church, except as otherwise herein provided. The clerk shall be elected annually.

TREASURER

The church shall elect annually a church treasurer. It shall be the duty of the treasurer to receive, preserve, and payout all money, or things of value paid or given to the church, keeping at all times an itemized account of all receipts and disbursements. All books, records and accounts kept by the treasurer shall be considered the property of the church. The books shall be open for inspection at all times by any member of the church.

FINANCIAL SECRETARY

The financial secretary shall be elected annually and will record in a suitable book all totals received through any channel of the church offering. The financial secretary will keep a confidential record of all individual giving and mail out the appropriate statements to all contributing members.

CHAIRMAN OF USHERS

The chairman of ushers shall on the approval of the church, associate with himself a sufficient number of aids to care for the seating and comfort of the congregation, the greeting of visitors, the prevention of any interruption or distraction, the overseeing of the taking of the offering and offertory prayer, and similar needed services.

All other officers and committees shall be elected by the church as the church shall deem necessary. All organizations of the church shall be under the church control, all officers being elected by the church and reporting regularly to the church. It is understood that the pastor is ex-officio head of all the organizations and his leadership is to be recognized in them all.

ARTICLE III - MEETINGS

SECTION 1. Worship: Public worship services shall be held statedly on the Lord's Day and on some regular evening or evenings of each week.

SECTION 2. The Lord's Supper shall be observed at such times as the pastor and/or church shall so determine.

SECTION 3. Occasional religious meets, such as revivals, may be appointed by the pastor at his discretion or by vote of the church.

SECTION 4. The regular business meeting shall be held on the Wednesday following the first Sunday of each month. The annual business meeting shall be held on the date as determined by the church and shall be properly publicized in advance.

SECTION 5. The Roberts Rules of Order shall be the guide to parliamentary procedure in all our meetings. A quorum of 10% of the resident members shall be required to transact business. This number shall be based on the resident membership as reported to the association in the last annual letter.

SECTION 6. The pastor may, and shall, when requested by the deacons, trustees or a standing committee, call from the pulpit special meetings for business. The particular object of the meeting shall be clearly stated in the notice. The meeting will not be held earlier than three days after the announcement.

ARTICLE IV - DISCIPLINE

SECTION 1. Should any unhappy differences arise between members, the aggrieved member shall follow, in tender spirit, the rules given by our Lord in the 18^th Chapter of Matthew, in 1 Cor. 5, and in I Thes. 5.

SECTION 2. Should any case of gross breach of covenant, or of public scandal occur, the deacons shall endeavor to remove the offense; and if such effort fail, shall report the case to the church.

SECTION 3. If the church votes to entertain a complaint, which must be mode in it shall appoint a reasonable time and place of hearing and notify the person in question thereof, furnishing him with a copy of the charges.

SECTION 4. At such hearing, the accused member may call to his aid any member of the church as counselor. If he shall not present himself at the time appointed, or give satisfactory reasons for his neglect to do so, the church may proceed in his absence.

SECTION 5. All such proceedings shall be prevaded by a spirit of Christian kindness and forbearance, but should an adverse decision be reached, the church may then proceed to admonish the offender or declare him to be no longer in the membership of the church.

SECTION 6. In case of grave difficulty, the church will be ready, if requested, to ask the advice of an acceptable council from neighboring churches of like faith and affiliation.

ARTICLE V - AMENDMENTS

This Constitution and By-Laws may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present and voting at any annual meeting of the church, or a meeting especially called for that purpose, provided the proposed amendment be inserted in the call, and provided the proposed amendment shall have been presented in writing to the resident membership at least thirty (30) days previous; but NO CHANGE shall be made in the "Articles of Faith" and the "Church Covenant".

ARTICLE VI - STATEMENT ON MARRIAGE

Amended on October 1, 2014 Business Meeting

Our statement of faith, the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 (Southern Baptist Conference), expresses our fundamental biblical conviction that Christian marriage is, by definition, the spiritual and physical uniting of one man and one woman in an exclusive covenant commitment for their joint lifetime. Christian marriage is God's unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His Church. As such, this local church believes that wedding ceremonies on church property are spiritual observances of worship of God, Who created this divine institution. As worship services, weddings on church property shall be officiated by one or more ordained ministers of the Gospel. The church may decline to make its facilities or minster available for any wedding if it is determined that one or both parties are not biblically and/or legally qualified to marry. Such determinations may be made by the pastor, church council, the wedding committee etc., subject to the direction of the church.

No minister (or employee) of the church shall officiate at any marriage ceremony unless such marriage is consistent with this policy.