We, the members of the First Christian Church of Belle, Missouri, an undenominational body of Christians, congregationally governed by the Word of God, in order to promote the work of the church in the Spirit of Christ and thus advance His kingdom, do hereby adopt these by-laws

ARTICLE I – Name

Section 1 – The congregation shall have the name “First Christian Church of Belle, Missouri, Inc.”

ARTICLE II – Location

Section 1 – The location of the church shall be Belle, Missouri.

ARTICLE III – Purpose

Section 1 – The purpose of this body shall be to establish and maintain a church patterned after the plan set forth in the New Testament, to provide a place of worship for the same, to establish and conduct schools of religious instruction, to carry out the program of evangelism as found in the New Testament, and to do benevolent work.

Section 2 – This congregation is locally autonomous and independent of any and all other churches and of religious organizations which carry the same or similar names that might be registered. It shall govern its own internal affairs in accordance with the New Testament.

Section 3 – The First Christian Church of Belle, Missouri, acknowledging the deity and absolute authority of Jesus Christ and the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, is committed to preach the Word and to advance the general growth of Christians at home and away from home.

Section 4 – This congregation adheres to and recognizes the writings of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God, and as such the only unerring guide and standard of Christian faith and practice.

Section 5 – The right to take, manage, hold, and dispense of property – real or personal –  shall be held by the board of directors as allowed by the non– profit corporation laws of the State of Missouri. Upon liquidation or dissolution of this congregation or the abandonment of its corporate purposes, none of the corporate property shall inure to the benefit on any private person, but shall be irrevocably dedicated to religious or charitable purposes of some other non– profit organization or organizations that have the same New Testament doctrinal position as this corporation. Exact recipient of such liquidated property shall be determined by those members present at a duly authorized meeting called for said purpose.

ARTICLE IV – Membership

Section 1 – Membership requirements shall be identical with what Christ requires for salvation:

1. Hearing God’s Word (Romans 10:17)
2. Believing God’s Word (John 20:31)
3. Repenting, fully surrendering to God’s will (Acts 17:30)
4. Confessing Christ’s name before men (Matthew 10:32; Romans 10:9)
5. Being immersed into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:3– 4; Acts 2:38)
6. Living a righteous and faithful life (Revelation 2: 10)

Section 2 – Any person who complies with this plan of salvation is considered a member, and any person who has previously complied with these requirements and states his desire to be a member of the congregation may unite with this congregation by transfer of membership.

Section 3 – Voting members shall be those who are sixteen years of age or older, and who are actively engaged in the worship and program of the church.

ARTICLE V – Officers

Section 1 – Elders and deacons shall be chosen by the congregation, if such candidates for both offices meet the Scriptural qualifications.

Section 2 – Any member of the general board who fails to attend regularly scheduled board meetings without stated cause or reason over a period of three months, forfeits his office automatically. His office shall then be declared vacant by the chairman of the general board and the officer shall be notified. This section shall be understood as a resignation upon the part of the delinquent officer.

ARTICLE VI – Regulations of Officers and Meetings

Section 1 – A general board shall consist of elders and deacons for the purpose of conducting the business of the First Christian Church of Belle, Missouri.

Section 2 – A quorum shall be considered as (50%) fifty percent of the members of the board.

Section 3 – The following officers shall be elected by the general board of elders and deacons following the election in January:

1. Chairman —for a term of one year. The chairman must be an elder.
2. Vice– Chairman —for a term of one year. The vice– chairman must be an elder.
3. Secretary —for a term of one year.
4. Treasurer– for a term of one year.
5. The general board shall automatically be the board of directors of the corporation.

Section 4 – It shall be the duty of the general board to:

1. Hold at least one business meeting each month.
2. Call special meetings at the request of the chairman or by five or more members of the congregation.
3. Consider and recommend general policies to the congregation.
4. Transact business.
5. Every elder and deacon shall have one vote. The chairman may not vote on a motion except on a tie vote.

Section 5 – Any member of the congregation may sit in on any regular meeting of the general board.

ARTICLE VII – Adoption(s)

Statement on Marriage and Sexuality: We believe the term “marriage” has only one meaning and that is marriage sanctioned by God which joins one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to only occur between a man and a woman who are married to each other. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity to be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.

Section 1 – We believe that any form of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography or any attempt to change one’s sex, or disagreement with one’s biological sex, is sinful and offensive to God.

Section 2 – We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of the church as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the church members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by the church in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, should abide by and agree to this Statement on Marriage and Sexuality and conduct themselves accordingly.

Section 3 – We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

Section 4 – We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with scripture nor the doctrines of the church.