Bylaws & Constitution

Article l: Name

1.1 Solutions Chapel Ministries of Edmonton

1.2 Mission statement: To spread the Gospel by reaching out in love and respect to people from every nation

1.3 Vision: We believe all people matter to God and that Christ’s message and ministry through the local church is the hope of the world.

1.4 Whereas we, being an incorporate body of people of like precious faith:

1.4.1 We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life through His death and the power of His resurrection.

1.4.2 We believe the Bible to be God’s word and the revelation of His will to man and accept it as our rule for faith and conduct.

1.4.3 We believe Christian fellowship, mutual edification and evangelical effort, in the form of local churches, is God’s ordained order for His people.

1.4.4 We believe each church is to assemble together for worship, fellowship, counsel, and instruction in the Word of God, and the work of the ministry

1.4.5 We believe each church should exercise the gifts and offices provided for in the New Testament to obtain the Christian goal, “Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

1.4.6 We believe God has called and anointed us to emphasize the fullness of the Gospel through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

1.4.7 We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman (Gen. 2:24; Rom. 7:2; 1 Cor. 7:10; Eph. 5:22-23).

Therefore, we have accepted and adopted the following Statement of Fundamental Truths and Constitution. We shall seek, by the grace of God, to be governed by the Constitution as set forth, and will also seek to teach and propagate the doctrines contained in the Statement of Fundamental Truths.

Article 2: STATEMENT OF FUNDAMENTAL TRUTHS

2.1 The scriptures inspired. The Bible is the inspired Word of God, a revelation from God to man, the infallible rule of faith and conduct, and is superior to conscience and reason, but not contrary to reason (2 Timothy 3:15, 2 Timothy 3:16, 1 Peter 2:2).

2.2 The one true God. The one true God has revealed himself as the eternally self-existent, self-revealed “I AM” and has further revealed Himself as embodying the principles of relationship and association, i.e., Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Deuteronomy 6:4, Mark 12:29, Isaiah 43:10, Isaiah 11, Matthew 28:19).

2.3 Man, his fall and redemption. Man was created good and upright for God said, “Let Us make man in our image, after our likeness.” But man, by voluntary transgression, fell and his only hope of redemption is in Jesus Christ the Son of God (Genesis 1:26-31, Genesis 3:1-7, Romans 5:12-21).

2.4 The salvation of man.

2.5 Conditions of Salvation. The grace of God, which brings salvation, has appeared to all men, through the preaching of repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ; the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, and being justified by hope of eternal life (Titus 2:11, Romans 10:13-15, Luke 24:47, Titus 3:5-7).

2.6 Evidence of salvation. The inward evidence to the believer of his salvation is the direct witness of the spirit (Romans 8:16). The outward evidence to all men is a life of righteousness and true holiness.

2.7 Baptism in water. The ordinance of baptism by a burial with Christ should be observed as commanded in the scriptures by all who have repented and believed in Christ as Saviour and Lord. In so doing, they have the body washed in pure water as an outward symbol of cleansing, while their heart has already been sprinkled with the blood of Christ as in inner cleansing. They declare to the world that they have died with Jesus and been raised with Him to walk in newness of life (Matthew 28:19, Acts 10:47, Acts 48, Romans 6:4, Acts 20:21, Hebrews 10:22).

2.8 The Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s supper, consisting of the elements, bread and the fruit of the vine, is the symbol expressing our sharing the divine nature of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:4), a memorial of His suffering and death (1 Corinthians 11:26), a prophecy of His second coming (1 Corinthians 11:26), and is enjoined on all believers until He comes.

2.9 Regeneration. All people who turn from their sins and put their faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ receive a new birth by which their life is regenerated by the power of God’s Holy Spirit (John 3:3-6, Titus 3:5). From that time forth the regenerated person has God’s Holy Spirit dwelling within them enabling them to live a holy life (1 Corinthians 3:16, 2 Peter 1:3-4). Also giving them power to be witnesses for Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8).

2.10 The promise of the Father. All believers are entitled to the promise of the Father and the baptism in the Holy Spirit according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the normal experience in the early Christian Church. With it comes a deeper spiritual life and service, the bestowment of the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4, 1 Corinthians 12:1-31). This wonderful experience is distinct from and subsequent to the experience of the new birth (Acts 10:44-46, Acts 11:14-16, Acts 15:7-9).

2.11 Sanctification. The scriptures teach a life of holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. By the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to obey the command, “Be holy, for I am holy.” Sanctification is the will of God for all believers, and should be pursued by walking in obedience to God’s Holy Spirit. Sanctification is experienced in basically three ways:

2.12 Instant or positional sanctification. This is what happens to every person who puts their trust in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. When we are saved through faith in Jesus, we are sanctified in the eyes of God through the blood of the cross. As God the Father looks at us, He sees the holiness of Jesus, which is imputed to us, and does not see our sin (Hebrews 10:10, Hebrews 14).

2.13 Progressive or practical sanctification. This is the process by which we strive to live on a day to day basis by considering ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in holy living through the power of God’s divine nature within our lives (Romans 6; Philippians 2:12, Philippians 2:13, 2 Peter 1:3, 2 Peter 1:4).

2.14 Final sanctification. This is when we are totally set free from the presence of sin within our life after seeing Jesus our Lord and being made like Him because of seeing Him as He really is in all His glory (1 John 3:2).

2.15 The church. The church is the body of Christ, the habitation of God through the spirit with divine appointments for the fulfillment of her great commission. Each believer, born of the spirit, is an integral part of the church, which is written in heaven (Ephesians 1:22, Ephesians 1:23, Ephesians 2:22, Hebrews 12:23).

2.16 The ministry and evangelism. A divinely called and scripturally ordained ministry has been provided by our Lord for the evangelization of the world and the edifying of the body of Christ (Mark 16:15-20, Ephesians 4:11-13).

2.17 Divine healing. Deliverance from sickness is provided for us in the atonement, and is the privilege of all believers (Isaiah 53:4, Isaiah 53:5, Matthew 8:16, Matthew 8:17).

2.18 The blessed hope. The resurrection of those who have fallen asleep in Christ and their translation, together with those who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, is the imminent and blessed hope of the Church (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 1 Thessalonians 4:17, Titus 2:12, 1 Corinthians 15:51, Romans 8:23).

2.19 The millennial reign of Jesus. The revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ from heaven, the salvation of national Israel, and the millennial reign of Christ on earth are the scriptural promise and the world’s hope (2 Thessalonians 1:17, Revelation 19:11-14, Romans 11:26, Romans 11:27, Revelation 20:1-7).

2.20 The lake of fire. The devil and his angels, the beast and the false prophet, and whoever not found written in the Book of Life, shall be consigned to everlasting punishment in the lake, which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death (Revelation 19:20, Revelation 20:10-15).

2.21 The new heavens and the new earth. We, “according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwells righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21, Revelation 22).

Article 3

For the purpose of establishing and maintaining a place for the worship of the one true God; to provide for Christian fellowship for those of like precious faith, irrespective of race, social position or worldly possessions; for the propagation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ both in home and foreign lands, this Ministry shall be governed by the following Constitution:

3.1 KNOW TO ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENT: That, we, the undersigned have this day voluntarily associated ourselves together for the purpose of forming a corporation under the Laws of the Province of Alberta and we hereby certify: Solutions Chapel Ministries of Edmonton As stated in the Articles of Incorporation, the name of the corporate Ministry shall be Solutions Chapel Ministries of Edmonton.

ARTICLE 4: A NON-PROFIT RELIGIOUS CORPORATION

4.1 This corporation is organized pursuant to the General Non-Profit Corporation Law of the Province of Alberta, the property of this corporation is irrevocably dedicated to religious and charitable purposes, and upon liquidation, dissolution, or abandonment, shall not inure to the benefit of any private person except a fund, foundation, or corporation organized and operated for religious or charitable purposes.

ARTICLE 5: ORDINANCES AND PRIVILEGES

5.1 The ordinance of Baptism by immersion in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost as commanded in the Scriptures, shall be administered to all those who have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ to the saving of their souls and who give clear evidence of their fruit (Matthew 28:19, Colossians 2:12).

5.2 The ordinance of the Lord’s Supper shall be observed regularly as a part of public worship, as commanded by the Lord (Luke 22:19, 20; I Corinthians 11:23-26).

5.3 Infants and small children may be dedicated to the Lord in the church upon the request of the parents or guardians (Mark 10:13-16; Luke 18:15, 16).

5.4 The ministration of laying on of hands accompanied with the anointing with oil, for the healing of the sick, shall be granted as a request is made and the need may require (Mark 16:18; James 5:14).

ARTICLE 6: MEMBERSHIP

6.1 Membership in the Agape Evangelism Ministry shall be eligible to all who give evidence to their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and who voluntarily hold to the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith. When a person chooses to be a part of Agape Evangelism Ministry and involve themselves they are automatically considered a member (Ephesians 4:16).

A member is one who attends regularly, serves at and contributes financially to Solutions Chapel Ministries of Edmonton.

6.2 The Ministry with not loan or give extra financial assistance to non-tithe paying Members. In case of death or critical illness of any Apapians, financial assistance will be determined by the Ministry on a case by case basis.

ARTICLE 7: GOVERNMENT

7.1 EXECUTIVE Board OF THE MINISTRY SHALL CONSIST OF THE FOLLOWING:

CHAIRMAN, CO-CHAIRMAN, Secretary, Treasurer and one member.

ARTICLE 8: TERMS OF REFERENCE

8.1 The Executive Board members of The Ministry shall be: Chairman, Co- Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and a member. These officers shall serve as the Executive Board of Directors of the Ministry.

8.2 The General Overseer and founder shall serve as Chairman of the Executive Board. Co-Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer shall be nominated by the chairman and be elected by other Executive Board members present at an Executive Business Meeting. Executive Board members shall serve as long as they are in good standing. The Executive board shall appoint and dismiss all pastors and approved local churches operational budgets.

Vacancy occurs in the office of the Chairman/Founder, through disability, or death, the Co-Chairman shall assume the office.

8.3 The Chairman shall be the official representative of The Ministry. He shall preside over all sessions of the Executive Board. He shall preside as chairman over the deliberations of the Annual congregational meeting. In his absence at any officially called meeting, the Co-Chairman shall preside. In the absence of both, at any officially called meeting, the Secretary shall preside.

8.4 The duties of the Co-Chairman shall be those that are specifically delegated to them by the Chairman and the Executive Board.

8.5 The duties of the Secretary shall be to see that accurate records of the proceedings of The Ministry are kept.

8.6 The duties of the Treasurer shall be to oversee the finances of The Ministry. The Ministry fiscal year shall coincide with the calendar year beginning on January 1st, and running through December 31st.

8.7 Qualifications. The Executive Board of Directors shall be members in good standing with the Ministry. They shall also in their private and public lives conform to the principles set forth in I Timothy 3:2–7. Prior to the appointment of a pastor he/she shall conform to the principle set forth of the above mentioned scripture.

8.8 Annual conferences. All meeting locations, dates and time of the Annual conferences will be under the discretion of the Executive Board. At the annual conference The Executive board and the board of director of each local church shall meet to set the agenda for the next fiscal year.

Article 9: BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE LOCAL CHURCH

9.1 The Board of Directors shall support the pastors in all aspects of the local church .The Board of Directors is responsible to the Executive Board and the local church congregation. As such, its decisions are subject to review and modification at any duly convened business meeting of the Executive Board/congregation.

9.2 The Board Of Directors shall comprise of Chairman, Co-chairman , Secretary and two members, They shall be appointed by the senior Pastor and ratified by the members and shall be in good standing of the church and serve for two years. The Board of Directors has responsibility for the general oversight of all moneys belonging to the local church, for assuring that these moneys are used for the purposes designated.

9.3 Qualifications. The Board of Directors shall be members in good standing of the local church. They shall also in their private and public lives conform to the principles set forth in I Timothy 3:2–7. The Board shall elect its chair from within.

Article 10: SENIOR PASTOR

10.1 Duties of the senior Pastor: The senior Pastor shall be considered the spiritual overseer of the local church and shall direct all the church activities. He shall preside over all business meetings of the church and shall be a member of all committees and departments.

10.2 Support of Pastor: The Pastor shall be supported according to his needs, either by free-will offerings or by stated allowance as shall be decided upon by the Executive Board.

10.3 When the position of Senior Pastor becomes vacant, the assistant pastor will serve as senior pastor until said position be filled by the Executive Board.

10.4 Members of the Ministerial Staff: The Senior Pastor may appoint or discharge one or more ministerial and non ministerial staff as required to assist him in the work of the church, the senior pastor shall appoint department heads. Before commencing non ministerial staff or department heads so appointed shall be an active member of the local church and in good standing.

Article 11: BOARD OF ELDERS

11.1 The Board of Elders shall be appointed by the Pastor. There shall not be less than three (3). They are to be called upon to fill the pulpit, to pray for the sick, visit newcomers, shut-ins, absentees, and hospital visitation. They shall also, along with the Pastor, seek God’s direction for the church. Elders shall remain so until they resign or are deemed unfit.

11.2 Qualification: According to 1 Timothy 3:8-13

Article 12: DEACONS

12.1 The Pastor and/or Board of Elders shall appoint the Board of Deacons. There shall never be less than four members on the Board of Deacons. The Board of Deacons shall act in conjunction with and to aid the Pastor in all matters of Local church. They shall act in the determination of the meeting of material needs (i.e., food, clothing, financial, etc.) of anyone who might seem to be in need whether they are a part of the Church or not. They may also aid the Pastor in any of the ordinances.

12.2 Qualification: According to 1 Timothy 3:8-13

12.3 In case of a lack of qualified persons to fill the Board of Deacons, the Elders shall act as the Deacons until the Board of Deacons is established.

Article 13: VACANCY OF OFFICES

The Executive Chairman and senior Pastors of local churches shall have the authority to declare any office vacant. Grounds for such action shall be:

13.1 Failure to cooperate with the church’s program and ministry.

13.2 Unscriptural conduct.

13.3 Doctrinal departure from the tenets of faith.

13.4 For any good and sufficient cause. Any incumbent under charges shall have opportunity for a fair and impartial hearing before the joint meeting of the local Board and the board of elders. Said meeting shall be considered final and the incumbent may have no further recourse.

ARTICLE 14: MEETINGS

14.1 Meetings for Worship. Meetings for public worship shall be held on each Lord’s Day and during the week as may be provided for under the direction of the Pastor.

14.2 Annual business meeting. There shall be an Annual Business Meeting of The Agape Evangelism Ministry. This business meeting shall be held at the end of the fiscal year. New officers, elders and deacons shall be installed and all reports shall be read at the Annual Business Meeting.

14.3 Special business meetings. Special business meetings of the local church shall be called by the pastor or by written petition of three-fourths (3/4) of the local Church membership.

14.4 Quorum. No record of any special or regular business meeting of the local church shall be made unless one-half (1/2) or more legal members are present to constitute a quorum.

ARTICLE 15: FINANCES

All funds needed for the maintenance of The Agape Ministry shall be provided by voluntary contributions, tithes and offerings. Every member shall decide before God what he or she can cheerfully give to the support of the Lord’s work at home and in the foreign field (Malachi 3:10, I Corinthians 16:1-2; Romans 12:8).

15.1 All offerings shall be counted by at least two members.

15.2 Deposits must be made every Monday in a local bank.

15.3 Annual reports will be furnished to the officers and made available to the Membership

15.4 Three signature checks are to be used.

15.5 Financial records, without exception, are to be kept in the church office.

15.6 The Pastor shall act as overseer of all financial activities of the local church.

ARTICLE 16: PROPERTY

The Officers of the Agape Ministry shall have power to carry out all of the purposes and powers set forth in Article II. The President and the Secretary-Treasurer’s signature shall be sufficient certificate for negotiating any and all of the provided powers in said Articles.

ARTICLE 17: AMENDMENT

This Constitution may be amended or changed by a two thirds (2/3) vote of the officers (directors) at any regular or special meeting called for that purpose, provided due notice of such proposed change shall have been made.

ARTICLE 18: ORGANIZATION

Said organization is organized exclusively for charitable, religious and educational purposes.

ARTICLE 19: CONDUCT OF ORGANIZATION

No part of the net earnings of the organization shall inert to the benefit of, or be distributable to its members, trustees, officers, or other private persons, except that the organization shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in the purpose clause hereof. No substantial part of the activities of the organization shall be the carrying of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the organization shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.

ARTICLE 20: DISSOLUTION

Upon the dissolution of the organization, assets shall be distributed and given to organization which are organized and operated exclusively for the same purpose.