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Constitution and By-laws of
Rosalind Hills Baptist Church
Roanoke, Virginia
Organized April 4, 1954
PREAMBLE
As a fellowship of Christians, we celebrate our faith in God, our Creator and Redeemer, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom God revealed Himself for the salvation of mankind. We declare our allegiance to Christ and his commandments, to love one another and to take the good news of God’s love into all the world. We understand that we are to be the presence of Christ wherever we are. As Baptist Christians, we are committed to upholding our historic Baptist principles and practices, believing that they represent a faithful interpretation of the Holy Scriptures.
This document contains the rules and organizational responsibilities by which we conduct, in an orderly manner, our life together as a community of faith.
Article 1
Name
The name of this community of faith is Rosalind Hills Baptist Church.
Article 2
Statement of Beliefs and Principles
The Church of Jesus Christ is an inclusive community, open to all without restriction. We affirm that every person has access to God’s love, and can freely serve God according to his God- given gifts. We believe that faith is the only path to salvation and acknowledge that words and deeds, although essential to a Christian life, will not leave us justified before the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that faith is essentially a personal relationship with a loving God made known in Jesus Christ.
Freedom has been the watchword of the Baptist tradition. The core Baptist freedoms are:
Soul Freedom – We believe in the priesthood of all believers. We affirm the freedom and responsibility of every person to relate directly to God without the imposition of creed or the control of clergy or government.
Bible Freedom – We believe in the authority of Scripture. We believe the Bible, under the Lordship of Christ, is central to the life of the individual and the church. We affirm the freedom and right of every Christian to interpret and apply scripture under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
Church Freedom – We believe in the autonomy of every local church. We believe Baptist churches are free, under the Lordship of Christ, to determine their membership and leadership, to order their worship and work, to ordain whomever they perceive as gifted for ministry, and to participate as they deem appropriate in the larger Body of Christ.
Religious Freedom – We believe in freedom of religion, freedom for religion, and freedom from religion. We support the separation of church and state.
All of us are called to be co-laborers in the task of fulfilling our Lord’s Great Commission. We believe the Bible teaches that...
- God is the one triune God, Creator of all people in God’s own image.
- All people are separated from God by sin.
- Christ is the Savior and Redeemer for all peoples.
- The Holy Spirit convicts and converts all who believe in Christ, teaches the church in the voice of the Living Christ, and empowers the church and all believers for the mission of Christ in the world.
- Christ calls us to minister redemptively to the spiritual, physical, and social needs of individuals and communities.
- Every believer is responsible for sharing the Gospel with all people.
We are affiliated and partner with the Roanoke Valley Association of Baptist Churches, the General Baptist Association of Virginia, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and through the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, the Baptist World Alliance.
Article 3
Covenant
We are God’s family, called by God, led by the Holy Spirit to confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and baptized into His death and resurrection. Therefore, as members of the Body of Christ in this place, we gladly and solemnly enter into covenant with one another. We promise:
- To gather faithfully for corporate worship, Bible study, and equipping ourselves to be responsible disciples in the world.
- To strengthen the fellowship of the Body through loving one another, sharing our sorrows and joys, and praying for and encouraging one another in our pursuit of maturity in Christ.
- To be faithful stewards of our lives and resources, giving generously of our time, our God-given gifts, and our monies to further the Christian mission at home and abroad.
- To guard the moral and spiritual integrity of the Body of Christ by being honest in all our dealings, seeking to maintain a loving atmosphere in our homes, and striving in our life together to maintain our unity in the bond of peace.
- To witness by word and deed the good news of Jesus Christ, calling men and women to become His disciples, teaching them, our children, and ourselves all that He has commanded us to be and do.
- To be advocates for the poor and the needy, for all those discriminated against, and serve them in the name of Christ.
- To allow the fruit of God's Spirit--love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control--to grow in our lives, that we may more clearly reflect the life of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
We freely enter into this covenant. We will abide by its claims and will renew it on a regular basis with one another as God is our witness.
Article 4
Mission Statement
At Rosalind Hills Baptist Church we are:
A place to belong...
A place to become...
Becoming a welcoming community
Sharing the presence of Christ
Wherever we are
Identity
We are a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission of Jesus Christ and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice.
Mission
Our mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.
Vision
Our vision is being the presence of Christ in the world.
Core Values
1. Baptist Principles
- Soul Freedom – We believe in the priesthood of all believers. We affirm the freedom and responsibility of every person to relate directly to God without the imposition of creed or the control of clergy or government.
- Bible Freedom – We believe in the authority of Scripture. We believe the Bible, under the Lordship of Christ, is central to the life of the individual and the church. We affirm the freedom and right of every Christian to interpret and apply scripture under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
- Church Freedom – We believe in the autonomy of every local church. We believe Baptist churches are free, under the Lordship of Christ, to determine their membership and leadership, to order their worship and work, to ordain whomever they perceive as gifted for ministry, and to participate as they deem appropriate in the larger Body of Christ.
- Religious Freedom – We believe in freedom of religion, freedom for religion, and freedom from religion. We support the separation of church and state.
2. Biblically-based Global Missions
All of us are called to be co-laborers in the task of fulfilling our Lord’s Great Commission. We believe the Bible teaches that…
- God is the one triune God, Creator of all people in God’s own image
- All people are separated from God by sin.
- Christ is the Savior and Redeemer for all peoples.
- The Holy Spirit convicts and converts all who believe in Christ, teaches the church in the voice of the Living Christ, and empowers the church and all believers for the mission of Christ in the world.
- Christ calls us to minister redemptively to the spiritual, physical, and social needs of individuals and communities.
- Every believer and every church is responsible for sharing the Gospel with all people.
We want to enable believers and churches to work cooperatively with other Great Commission Christians to activate this global missions calling in their communities and throughout the world.
3. Resource Model
We are committed to discovering and providing resources that will empower churches to fulfill their mission in their particular contexts and will equip individuals to fulfill their calling under the Lordship of Christ. We prefer to cooperate in mutually beneficial ways with other organizations rather than to establish, own, and control our own institutions.
4. Justice and reconciliation
We are committed to a biblical vision of justice and mercy. We believe the call of Christ extends to every area and relationship of life.
5. Lifelong learning and ministry
We believe in lifelong learning for laity and clergy for the ministry of the church. We are committed to Baptist theological education that affords intellectual and spiritual freedom to both students and professors in an atmosphere of reverence for biblical authority and respect for open inquiry and responsible scholarship.
6. Trustworthiness
We will organize, make decisions, and carry out our mission in ways that earn trust. United in our mission and our shared commitments, we will celebrate God’s gift of diversity among the individuals and churches of the Fellowship.
7. Effectiveness
We will organize in ways that encourage flexibility, responsiveness, and accountability. We will monitor our processes and organizational structures in light of our stated mission.
Strategic Initiatives
Building Community and Networking
Nurturing authentic community within and beyond congregations by identifying and responding to the critical needs in the following areas:
- Congregational health: Developing and sustaining healthy congregations.
- Baptist identity and relationships: Understanding and embracing the Baptist values that have shaped our identity and to engage in meaningful Baptist partnerships and dialogue.
- Reconciliation and justice: Bringing wholeness to relationships within and beyond congregations through acts of reconciliation and justice.
- Marriage and family ministries: Developing healthy individuals, marriages and families.
- Ecumenical and interfaith dialogue: Meaningful ecumenical partnerships and interfaith dialogue.
Faith Formation
Encouraging all persons in their journeys toward Christ-likeness by identifying and responding to the critical needs of congregations in the following areas:
- Evangelism and outreach: Biblically wholesome and effective evangelism and outreach.
- Spiritual growth: In areas such as corporate worship, spiritual disciplines, Bible study, Christian ethics, spiritual gifts and discipleship.
Global Missions
Engaging in holistic missions and ministries in a world without borders by identifying and responding to the critical needs of congregations in the following areas:
- Partnership missions with local churches: Engaging in effective missions and ministries in their communities and around the world.
- Most neglected peoples: Establishing an effective Christian witness among the world’s unevangelized and marginalized peoples.
- Church planting
Leadership Development
Developing effective Christian leaders by identifying and responding to the critical needs of congregations in the following areas:
- Congregational leadership development: Developing effective leaders among both laity and clergy.
- Chaplains and pastoral counselors: Ministry in specialized settings.
- Theological education: Building a strong foundation of theological education for church leaders.
- Collegiate ministry: Effective collegiate student ministry, including the nurture and development of future leaders for churches and the larger CBF community.
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