For the purpose of preserving and making secure the principles of our faith, and to the end that this body be governed in an orderly manner, we do declare and establish this charter. This charter will preserve the liberties of each family associated with this church and the freedom of action of this church in relation to other churches of like faith.
Article I
Name
The name of this congregation shall be Texas House of Prayer International, a non-denominational Church. For the purpose of this charter, Texas House of Prayer International shall be referred to as “this Church”. The Church’s buildings are located in Johnson County, in the State of Texas.
The address of the principal office of this Church shall be: 4000 CR 401B, Alvarado Tx, 76009.
Article II
Purpose
The purpose of this Church is to be obedient to God in fellowship with other Christians, to build one another up in love of God, love of fellow man, and to go and make disciples of all people, baptizing them and teaching them to obey all that Jesus Christ has commanded.
Article III
Statement of Faith
A. The one true God who lives eternally in three persons – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
B. The love, grace and sovereignty of God in creating, sustaining, ruling, redeeming and judging the world.
C. The divine inspiration and supreme authority of the Old and New Testament Scriptures, which are the written Word of God – fully trustworthy for faith and conduct.
D. The dignity of all people, made male and female in God’s image to love, be holy, and care for creation, yet corrupted by sin, which incurs divine wrath and judgment.
E. The incarnation of God’s eternal Son, the Lord Jesus Christ – born of the Virgin Mary; truly divine and truly human, yet without sin.
F. The atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross: dying in our place, paying the price of sin and defeating evil, so reconciling us with God.
G. The bodily resurrection of Christ, the first fruits of our resurrection; His ascension to the Father, and His reign and mediation as the only Savior of the world.
H. The justification of sinners solely by the grace of God through faith in Christ.
I. The ministry of God the Holy Spirit, who leads us to repentance, unites us with Christ through new birth, empowers our discipleship and enables our witness.
J. The Church, the body of Christ both local and universal, the priesthood of all believers – given life by the Spirit and endowed with the Spirit’s gifts to worship God and proclaim the gospel, promoting justice and love.
K. The personal and visible return of Jesus Christ to fulfill the purposes of God, who will raise all people to judgment, bring eternal life to the redeemed and eternal condemnation to the lost, and establish a new heaven and new earth.
(The Evangelical Alliance Basis of Faith, 2005 revision)
Article IV
Church Government
A. Foundational Principles
This Church recognizes Jesus Christ alone as the Head of the church.
Jesus governs His church through the office of elders, whom He appoints and His spirit endows with the gifts and graces needed to accomplish their work. Because Jesus appoints the elders, they have authority, and their authority is limited by Him in the Scriptures. Elders are called “bishops” (meaning “overseers”) because they are charged with the oversight of the assembly. Elders are to shepherd the flock of God and to govern and care for the house of God.
Christ, the Head of the church, has instituted the office of deacon as an aid to the people of God in general and to the elders of the church in particular. While the office of a deacon is a serving rather than a ruling office, God has promised a special blessing to those who serve well as deacons. Deacons are responsible to administer the ordinary business, secular affairs and benevolent concerns of the church so that the elders may devote themselves without distraction to the Biblical priorities of their office. Deacons must fulfill their duties of their office in cooperation with and under the oversight of the elders.
B. Elders
Authority of Elders
God has given the Scriptures to His church as an infallible and unchanging rule of practice, to which the elders are always bound in discharging the duties of their office. Insofar as the instruction of the elders is in accord with the Scriptures, that instruction carries with it the authority of Christ Himself. Where the Scriptures give explicit or implicit direction to the church on any issue, this direction is always to be obeyed. Where no regulative word from Christ is given, elders must exercise their authority in subjection to the general principles of Scripture and to the light of nature and Christian prudence.
Sphere and Limits of Authority
The word of God defines the sphere and limits of the authority of elders. The eldership, as a body, is authorized and responsible to give comprehensive oversight to the church, including the preaching and teaching of the whole counsel of God, the watching out for the welfare of the soul of every member of the church, and the directing of the church in all it tasks.
Nonetheless, the elders must exercise this authority with sensitivity to the congregation and in the posture of servants and examples to them. Therefore, the elders should seek the support of the congregation respecting any major endeavor. They should also carefully consider member’s input when to do so would serve the interest of the church and would not involve the elders in a sinful relinquishment of their God-given responsibilities or authority.
The team of elders will determine all financial undertakings, annual budget, etc., of the congregation by way of majority agreement on expenditures and shall also appoint a treasurer.
The elders shall be responsible for the appointment and supervision of the salaried staff and lay workers of the congregation.
The elders shall oversee and appoint any and all staff for the mutual benefit of the congregation and community.
Number of Elders and Length of Term
The Scriptures teach that normally there should be a plurality of elders in each local church. Therefore, the church should endeavor to discover and then formally to recognize all the men whom the Holy Spirit has endowed with the requisite graces and gifts- but only such men. In addition, the men of the Church should seek to cultivate the graces and gifts required for the eldership, since godly desire for this office is highly commended.
This Church will seek to have a plurality of elders befitting the number of members. In the case that there were only one elder, the elder would seek out accountability and oversight from a sister church, until such a time as another elder was supplied of God to this Church. There is no limit to the number of elders.
An elder may continue in office as long as they remain qualified, able, and willing to serve and as long as they hold the qualifications as outlined in the Scriptures.
Qualifications of Elders
The general qualifications for an elder are clearly set forth in Scripture, particularly in I Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. Any man called to this office must be able to affirm conscientiously his agreement with our Statement of Faith. Should he at any time change his convictions respecting these standards, he is under moral obligation to make this known to the rest of the elders, in order to determine the best course of action.
C. Deacons
Number of Deacons and Length of Term
The number of deacons shall not be fixed. The elders shall choose as many as are needed for the work to be performed from among the men who give evidence of having the Scriptural qualifications for the office. Should a need arise that the elders have not yet recognized and it be brought forth by the congregation, it is acceptable for the congregation to choose from among them those whom they believe are suited to the task of deacon, but it will ultimately fall upon the elders to select from among those chosen whom it shall be.
These may all continue in office as long as they remain qualified, able, and willing to serve.
Qualifications of Deacons
The qualifications for a man chosen to fulfill the office of deacon are particularly set forth in Acts 6:3-5 and 1 Timothy 3:8-13. Any man called to this office must be able to conscientiously to affirm him agreement with our Statement of Faith. . Should he at any time change his convictions respecting these standards, he is under moral obligation to make this known to the rest of the elders, in order to determine the best course of action.
D. Nomination, Recognition, and Installation of Officers Nominations
At any time during the year, the elders may nominate men to either office and call a special meeting (a meeting of elders first, and then of the congregation) for their consideration.
Likewise, members are free at any time to communicate to the elders the names of men whom they consider to be potential officers.
Recognition
It is desired that there be unanimity amongst the elders in regard to a potential officers, but a three- fourths majority vote shall be acceptable.
Installation
Following the recognition of an officer, the officer will be publicly installed in his office at a regular worship service by prayer and the laying on of hands of the existing elders on behalf of the congregation.
E. Membership
The Bible likens the church to the human body with its many members. Each differs in its place and purpose and yet each is essential to the other for full growth and maturity of the whole.
See I Corinthians 12:18 & 27 and Ephesians 5:30.
See Eph 4:13-16. All are positioned under the headship of our Lord Jesus Christ (Eph 1:22-23) and all should be placed under the designated leadership of a local church (Eph 4:9-12).
The Importance of Membership
Membership is not about having a membership card. The church is not a club or organization. The church is a living organism involving two aspects:
a) Spiritual Membership – ‘added to the Lord’ Acts 5:14, Acts 11:24.
Membership of the body of Christ is realized at the moment of repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and followed by water baptism and seeking the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.
John 3:3, Romans 10:9 and Acts 2:38.
As these things were an integral part of membership in the early church, so are they in the membership of this Church today. The early church had members added to them. Greek – ‘prostithemi’ means‘to put to, to add or be placed alongside’ to the Lord and His people.
b) Practical Membership
‘Added to them’ Acts 2:41, 46. Besides the spiritual there must also be a visible and practical expression of membership – a public acknowledgement and acceptance of those who believe that God has placed them in a local expression of the universal church. The 120 disciples were both numbered and named – see Acts 1; 15. ‘There were added 3.000’, Acts 2:41, 47 and then 5,000 Acts 4:4. Acts 6:7 says the number of disciples ‘multiplied’.
It is almost impossible for leaders/pastors to rightly fulfill their office unless they know those who reckon themselves to be their sheep and those who do not. Church discipline is impossible without a membership. Notice at Corinth (1 Cor. 5:13) they were able to ‘put away from among themselves’. This clearly implies a recognized membership. In the operation of the gifts of the spirit the same recognized group is acknowledged. We are called to be members one of another. (Romans 12:5)
The Involvement of Membership
If we want to receive all the blessings and benefits of the Lord’s church we must be committed to the responsibilities of membership.
What are these?
a) Learning
The early church member was desirous and dedicated to listen and learn. To learn to live according to the systematic teaching of God’s word given by the local church leaders. See Acts 2; 41-42. This enabled them to be brought to a place where as a body of believers they were ‘perfectly joined together in the same mind’ and so spoke the ‘same thing’. 1 Cor 1:10, Acts 1:14, 2:1 & 46, 5:12. With one accord literally means with one ‘mindedness’.
b) Assembling
The early church gathered for systematic teaching of God’s word along with worship. This was an absolute essential. See Acts 2:42-46. They met in temple courts and in homes at every opportunity. Regular weekly fellowship distinguishes true members from others.
c) Giving
Integrated into their meeting together on the first day of the week was the giving of monies to support and strengthen the work of God. 1 Cor. 16:2. Membership should involve us laying aside each week our tithes (a tenth) and offerings and so bringing them into the“storehouse”. (Malachi 3:10) Our tithes are what He demands; our offerings are what He deserves.
d) Caring
Another aspect of our commitment to a local Christian community is that we love and care one for another. See 1 John 2:3-5, 3:10-24 and John 13:34-35. Such love and practical care for each other is always an antidote to division and shows the world what Jesus is like. See 1 Cor 12:25-26.
e) Laboring
Membership also means involvement. ‘For we are laborers together with God’. See 1 Cor. 3:9, cp with Eph. 2:10 and 1 Cor. 12:14-31. Here it is easy to see a picture emerging of each member, part of a body, finding the role God has given.
f) Covering
The bible instructs us to honor those who are over us in the Lord. Hebrews 13:17 “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you”. The pastors and elders of this Church are available to give godly direction and oversight and encourage the members to seek their counsel when they are taking major decisions in their lives. See Proverbs 11:14. This enables members to find God’s will and blessing in whatever direction they may feel God is leading them.
We all have a setting in which we alone can fit and function. See 1 Cor. 12:18, 27-31 and Romans 12:4 Leaders will help pray and counsel each member to find their role. There are things we can all do and there are things we have been gifted by God to do. Texas House of Prayer International wants each members God given potential to be released for Him.
The Integrity of Membership
The church should by its definition (Greek is Eklesia – called out) be separate from the world. The church is called to be light in a dark world – Eph. 5:8. Our loyalty and lifestyles should display our calling. We are Christians. That is “followers of Christ”. Loyalty, love, honesty and integrity should always be seen in our lives. Gossip and evil actions and conversation against others in and outside the church will affect the whole testimony of the church.
Let us follow the encouragement of God’s word. Phil. 2:4, James 4:11 and Col. 4:5.
We believe it is important that each Christian knows where their spiritual home is so they can put down their roots and grow.
*Membership – used from KLCF.
F. Church Discipline (For both officers and members)
In the case of Church discipline whether towards an officer or a member, the matter shall be held in the utmost fear of God and respect to order.
Any time any person in good membership in the Church has a matter against another member it is that members duty, be they officer or not, to go to the offending party directly and privately. In the instance where members are of opposite sex, it may be required to involve another member at initial meeting.
It will be the goal of the first meeting to resolve, in a spirit of respect, the issue between the two parties involved. If the issue is not resolved the elders will be called to meet with both parties.
If the issue is still not resolved, having met with the elders of the congregation, the matter will go before the entire congregation, and if warranted possible dis-fellowship will ensue, with hopes of being able in the spirit of love to bring back into fellowship the offending party when repentance has occurred.
G. Meetings
Worship Service
The Church shall meet regularly each Sunday morning for preaching, instruction, edification, and for the worship of Almighty God. These meetings will be open for the entire body of the congregation and for all people and shall be conducted under the direction of the Elders. The Elders are authorized to cancel a worship service when need arises.
Additional meetings will be approved and scheduled by the Elders for purposes of evangelism, discipleship, and as needs are identified and led by the Holy Spirit.
Elder Meetings
The Elders and those in training shall meet as often as required.
Special Business Meetings
Specially called business meetings may be held to consider matters of significant nature such as budgets and calendars.
Use of Church Buildings or Other Resources
Members of the Church are to be the primary users of all church property and resources. Members are to co-ordinate private use of the church sanctuary or fellowship hall with the Elders for church calendar time of event. Members are required after each use for private event or meeting to return the church facilities to a neat, clean, and ready for use state as was found before their event. Members who use church resources must co-ordinate their use with the Elders.
Non-members have no rights to use the church sanctuary, fellowship hall, or other resources; however, on a case by case basis, non-members may, upon approval by the Elders, be allowed use of church facilities and/or equipment. Upon such conditional approval, the Elders shall denote the amount of time that they may be allowed for requested use.
Deposits of cleaning fees for Non-members use, shall be charged, and shall be determined by the Elders. Collected deposits for cleaning etc. will be deposited to the congregation’s general fund.
H. Nonprofit Status and Liquidation
The property of this Church is irrevocably dedicated to religious purposes, and no part of the net income or assets of this organization shall ever inure to the benefit of any private individual.
This Church is not organized for profit. In the event of liquidation or dissolution of the Church, all of its assets and property of every nature and description whatsoever shall be donated to another Body of Christ as directed by the Church Elders.
