Constitution
River of Life Church of Volusia
Incorporated 2002

Article 1.

Name This congregation shall be known as the River of Life Church of Volusia. Article 2.

Purpose The purpose of this church is to seek the salvation of all people everywhere to strive for the spiritual and moral development of the members, in the Spirit of Christ to make an impact on the world.

Article 3.

Statement of Beliefs We affirm the Holy Bible as the inspired Word of God and the basis for beliefs. We subscribe to The Baptist Faith and Message as adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention and amended in general session in June, 2000. We voluntarily band ourselves together as a body of baptized believers in Jesus Christ.

Article 4.

Affiliation This church is autonomous and maintains the right to govern its own affairs. Recognizing the benefits of cooperation with other churches in the missions, this church voluntarily affiliates with the Seminole Baptist Association, The Florida Baptist Convention, and the Southern Baptist Convention.

Article 5.

Ordinances This church shall observe two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism shall be by immersion and shall be administered publicly. The Lord’s Supper shall be observed frequently, to remind all that participate of the sacrifices Jesus made to redeem people from sin.

BY LAWS
River of Life Church of Volusia

Article 1.

Membership
Section 1.
Membership in this church shall consist of those who request membership and are approved by the congregation. A list of all those who are members shall be maintained by the Church clerk.

Section 2.
Qualifications for membership:
A. A personal commitment to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
B. Baptism by immersion as a testimony of salvation.
C. Agreement with the Baptist doctrine and statement of faith.

Section 3.
How a person can be received into membership.
A. By Profession of Faith: Any person who publicly professes faith in Jesus Christ shall be accepted as a candidate for baptism, and after baptism shall be accepted as a member.
B. By transfer of Letter: Members from other Baptist churches of like faith and order may be received into this congregation by requesting a letter of transfer from the previous church.
C. By Statement of Faith: A person from another denomination my join this congregation by giving verbal evidence that they have trusted Jesus Christ as their Savior. They must also testify to their baptism being by immersion, or they would need to be baptized. A person who cannot produce a letter of membership from another Baptist church because the church has disbanded may also come by statement of faith.

Section 4.
Duties of Members:
All members of this congregation are expected to be faithful in attendance give regularly to support the work of this church and missions and share their talents and spiritual gifts in serving the Lord.

Section 5.
Termination of Membership may be by the following ways:
A. By death
B. By transfer of membership to another Baptist church.
C. By joining another denomination-membership in this church shall end.
D. By request of the member and approval of the congregation.
E. By vote of the congregation for disciplinary reasons.

Article 2.
Officers
Section 1. Pastor The pastor of this congregation is called to this place of service by vote of the congregation to be the shepherd and spiritual leader of this congregation.
Section 2. Clerk The church clerk shall be responsible for maintaining an accurate roll of members of the church. Minutes of all business meetings of the church shall be taken and safely recorded for church records. Reports to the association and convention shall be made when requested.
Section 3. Treasurer The treasurer shall be responsible for receiving, counting, depositing and disbursing of funds for the congregation. Accurate reports shall be made regularly of funds on hand and how disbursed. This person may have other persons sign checks to pay obligations of the church. The treasure shall follow the budget of the church, and shall not be authorized to spend any funds unless previously approved by the vote of the congregation.
Section 4. Trustees Two people shall be elected by the church to sign legal documents as officers of the congregation. They shall have power to buy, sell, borrow, or transfer property only upon vote of the congregation.

Article 3.
Meetings
Section 1. The church shall meet on Thursday for worship and Bible study and shall begin Sunday worship services as soon as congregation is ready.
Section 2. The church shall have a regular business meeting on the second Thursday night of each month. A quorum of at least ten-percent of the members must be present.
Section 3. Special called business meetings must be announced a week in advance, stating the purpose of that meeting.
Section 4. Robert’s Rules of Order shall be used as a guide for parliamentary procedure.

Article 4.
Amendments These by-laws may be amended at any business meeting, provided that written notice of proposed changes were made available to members of the congregation at least seven days in advance. It will require a two-thirds vote of those present and voting for the amendment for it to pass. Those present must represent a quorum.

June 4th, 2017 Use of Church Facilities Assets and Resources

The Church staff and other appropriate leadership shall oversee implementation of a church policy regarding the use of church facilities, assets and all other resources. Such policy will ensure that all facilities, assets and resources of the church as used in a manner which is consistent with the Holy Scriptures and the Baptist Faith & Message, 2000. The policy shall be drafted to ensure that any use of all or part of the church grounds or facilities (whether by members or by outside interests or entities) will be done in a manner consistent with beliefs as a Church. Drugs and alcohol use is to be forbidden on church property. Moreover, any and all use of church property shall be sufficiently documented and memorialized so as to protect the church from unnecessary exposure to liability.