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Mission
Government and Bylaws
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Church Government

Calvary Fellowship is committed to the Bible's teaching that men who hold offices of Elder and Deacon are to oversee various functions of the local church.

The Bible's teaching on the subject of two church offices is found in 1 Timothy 3: 1-16 and Titus 1 :5-9. Although there are three terms used for the offices of the church, i.e. bishop, elder and deacon, analysis of these terms indicates that bishop and elder are used interchangeably.

Elder Qualifications- Titus 1 :6-9; 1 Timothy 3: 1-7


Blameless
The husband of one wife
Temperate
Sober Minded
Of good behavior
Hospitable
Able to teach
Not given to wine
Not violent
Not greedy for money
Gentle
Not quarrelsome
Not covetous
One who rules his own house well
Not a novice
A good testimony outside the church

Elder Duties
The Scriptures show that the Elders serve by leading and that their responsibility involves the spiritual oversight of the congregation. All Elders are equal in authority but not necessarily equal in influence.


The Elders' primary responsibilities:

Doctrine
Ensuring that the doctrine of the church is biblical; all doctrinal issues in the church will be settled by the Elders.
Direction
Ensuring that the direction of the church is consistent with the Calvary Fellowship mission statement and core values.

Discipline
Administering in love and humility the process of church discipline as outlined in Matthew 18:15-20; Galatians 6:1-4; Titus 3:10; 2 Thessalonians 3: 14-15; 1 Timothy 5: 17-25; 1 Corinthians 5; 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 and Romans 16:17.

Plurality of Elders
The Scriptures teach that a plurality of elders governed individual New Testament churches- Acts 14:23; Acts 20:28; Titus 1:5; Phil1ipians 1:1. The Scripture does not mention any congregations featuring a stand-alone pastor and leader. A plurality of godly elders, exercising their individual giftedness, squares with the Scripture's teaching that wisdom is found in a multitude of godly counselors- Proverbs 11:4; Proverbs 12:15; Proverbs 15:22; Proverbs 19:20; Proverbs 24:6. This truth does not eliminate the possibility and likelihood that one or more elders will stand out from the others as more public in their ministries or more influential in their workings on the Elder Council.

Pastor
The Calvary Fellowship Pastor automatically serves as an Elder and, because of his public presence and responsibility before the congregation, may be considered first among equals as a member of the Elder Council. The Pastor should be gifted primarily as a preacher/teacher and as a leader.

Deacons
The Bible teaches that Deacons lead by serving- Acts 6. The qualifications for . Elders and Deacons are the same regarding an individual's character, but they differ in aptitude. The elders are able to teach while the deacons are to be able and proved as servants.

Deacon Qualifications: 1 Timothy 3:8-12
Reverent
Not double tongued
Not given to wine
Not greedy for money
Holding the mystery of faith with a pure conscience Tested and proved
Wives must be reverent, temperate, and faithful Husband of one wife
Ruling their children and house well
Willingness to work and serve