PREAMBLE

We declare and establish this constitution to preserve and secure the principles of our faith and to govern the body in a properly manner. This constitution will preserve the liberties of each individual church member and the freedom of action of this body in relation to other churches.

ARTICLE I: NAME

This body shall be known as the Clayridge Baptist Church, Incorporated, of Clay, Alabama, located in Jefferson County, Alabama.

ARTICLE II: PURPOSE

We voluntarily band ourselves together as a body of baptized believers in Jesus Christ for the purpose of growing a great church through total commitment to the Great Commandment (Matt. 22:36-40) and the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20).

ARTICLE III: OBJECTIVES

Our objectives are:

To celebrate God’s presence and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ through worship which acknowledges the sovereignty of God and responds with obedience to His commandments and leadership.

To demonstrate God’s love through unselfish ministry to persons in the community and the world through total commitment of life, personality and possessions to the lordship of Christ.

To communicate God’s word throughout our community and world through evangelism empowered by the Holy Spirit.

To educate God’s people in order to help them experience a growing knowledge of Him and an increasingly meaningful fellowship with Him and fellow believers.

ARTICLE IV: STATEMENT OF BASIC BELIEFS

We affirm the Holy Bible as the infallible word of God and the basis for our beliefs. We concur with the doctrinal statement of the Baptist Faith and Message as adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention in 1963.

ARTICLE V: POLITY AND RELATIONSHIPS

The government of our church is vested in the membership as defined in Article I of the Bylaws.

All groups created and empowered by the church shall report to and be accountable only to the church, unless otherwise specified by church action.

Clayridge is subject to the control of no other ecclesiastical body, but it recognizes and sustains the obligations of mutual counsel and cooperation which are common among Southern Baptist Churches. Our church will strive to cooperate with and support the Birmingham Baptist Association, the Alabama Baptist State Convention and the Southern Baptist Convention.

ARTICLE VI: MEMBERSHIP COVENANT

We who have received Christ as Lord and Savior and have been baptized, and are in agreement with Clayridge’s purpose and polity, now feel led by the Holy Spirit to unite as a church family. In doing so, we commit ourselves to God and to each other to do the following:

We will protect the unity of our church by acting in love toward each other, by refusing to gossip, and by following the leaders as they follow Christ.

We will share the responsibility of our church by praying for its growth, by inviting the unchurched to attend, and by warmly welcoming all those who visit.

We will serve the ministry of our church by discovering our gifts and talents, by being willing to be equipped for service, and by developing a servant’s heart.

We will support the testimony of our church by attending faithfully, by living a godly life, and by giving regularly.

ARTICLE VII: CHURCH OFFICERS

The officers of this church shall be the pastor, the ministerial staff, the deacons, a moderator, a clerk, a treasurer, and trustees. (See Article II of the Bylaws.)

ARTICLE VIII: CONSTITUTION AMENDMENTS

The constitution may be amended by furnishing a written copy of the amendment(s) to each active church member present at the regular monthly business meeting for three consecutive months. The amendment(s) will be read and discussed at each of the three monthly business meetings. At the next regular business meeting the amendment(s) will be presented for adoption. This adoption will be by two-thirds vote of the qualified church members present.