At our QGM last Sunday, we presented a plan to bring our constitution in line with our Biblical aspirations and current practice. This is an important process, and we want to keep you informed every step of the way.
How the process will work
- Drafting and review: The constitution committee will carefully revise each section.
- Executive approval: The revised sections will be presented to the executive (comprised of the elders and the deacons) for discussion and approval.
- Church engagement: Once approved by the executive, each section will be presented to the church for a three-month period of review and discussion. During this time, there will be teaching from the pulpit, distributed literature, and opportunities for engagement.
- Final approval: After due consideration, the sections will be tabled and voted on at a later general meeting.
- Baptist Union submission: We will inform the Baptist Union of Southern Africa of any changes we make to our constitution.
Teaching and engagement
As we go through this process, we want to equip and engage our members. We’ll begin with teaching on Biblical church structure. We’ll do this through:
- A short preaching series on the topic over the next quarter.
- We’ll be distributing a book on the topic.
- There will be opportunities for discussion and mechanisms to ask questions before any changes are proposed.
Understanding church leadership
To help us reflect on Biblical leadership, we’ll be distributing Understanding Church Leadership by Mark Dever. This book covers:
- Who Are the Deacons?
- What Do They Do?
- Who Are the Elders?
- What Do They Do?
- How Do Elders Relate to Staff, Deacons, and “the pastor”?
- How Do Elders Relate to the Congregation?
- Who Are the Members?
Starting towards the end of March, anyone who’d like to discuss the book is invited to Mark and Liezl’s home on Thursday evenings for coffee and a chat.
Thanks to a kind donation from Imprint (https://www.imprinton.org), we have copies available:
- 14 have been distributed to our elders, deacons, and constitution committee.
- 6 copies have been checked into our church library.
- 10 copies are available to our members. Apply for a copy here: https://benonibaptistchurch.churchcenter.com/people/forms/915500.
- If you’d like to purchase a copy, you can order off the Imprint website: https://www.imprinton.org/product/understand-church-leadership/.
Frequently asked questions
We want this process to be clear, open, and unifying. We are keeping a register of frequently asked questions and answers. You can ask questions about the proposed changes here: https://www.benonibaptistchurch.com/our-constitution/.