Church Constitution

 

 

The church shall be known as Newtown Evangelical Church or Eglwys Efengylaidd y Drenewydd and meetings shall be held in English and/or Welsh as required by the Members and arranged by the Elders.

 

 

The aim of the church is to glorify God and to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Head of the Church and which is his Body. This objective will be pursued in the following ways:

a.) By corporate worship, prayer and praise.

b.) By seeking to proclaim to the whole world salvation through faith in Christ alone.

c.) By teaching children the Word of God.

d.) By building up the Members in holiness of life.

e.) By giving instruction to new converts so that they will understand as soon as possible the meaning, importance and implication of the whole counsel of God.

f.) By observing the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper.

g.) By showing in deed and word the compassion of Christ.

h.) By bringing all teaching and practice under the judgement of Scripture, endeavouring to preserve itself from error.

i.) By promoting co-coperation in fellowship and witness with all Churches and Fellowships who embrace the evangelical faith.

j.) By supporting and fostering an interest in missionary work overseas.

 

 

The doctrinal basis shall be the Bible which we believe to be the inspired and infallible Word of God and is God's special revelation to mankind and the only rule for faith and conduct. Although we believe in all the Bible, its major doctrines are summarised in the following paragraphs.

 

 

God is eternal, unchangeable and unchanging, all-present, all-knowing and all-powerful, perfect in his attributes*. There are three person in the one Godhead, known as God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, who are co-equal and co-eternal.

 

 

God created the world in six days and created man and woman perfect. Their disobedience brought upon them and upon humanity the wrath of God and the penalty of his law.

 

 

This disobedience was prompted by Satan who tempted Adam and Eve to disobey God. Satan, who is known in the Bible by other names such as the Devil, is himself an angel of God who was cast out of heaven because of his pride and rebellion against God. He now works to hinder, destroy and damage the Kingdom of God in this world.

 

*For the attributes of God it would be difficult to better the long summary in the Westminster confession which refers to many verses, and a copy may be obtained from the Elders.

 

 

The disobedience of Adam and Eve brought about a fall into sin and human nature is now corrupt in all its faculties. All are guilty because they are descendants of Adam and because they express in thier own nature mans continuing rebellion towards God.

 

 

All that happens in the world is within and because of the eternal plan of God yet without doing away with second causes. God is not the author of sin but even sin comes within his eternal plan and purpose whereby he works everything according to his sovereign will.

 

 

God's providence is the agency which brings all things to pass and although difficult and mysterious at times to understand it exercises a special care of God's church and people.

 

 

The Lord Jesus Christ is in every respect God and man. He is the eternal God and is also the Word made flesh who was sent by the father into the world, was born of the Virgin Mary being conceived in her womb by the power of the Holy Ghost. Jesus was Prophet, Priest and King. As a Prophet he declared and interpreted the revelation of God to the people. As a Priest he represented mankind to God, presented himself as a sacrifice for sin and ever lives to intercede for the Church. As King he at present rules the spiritual kingdom in the hearts and lives of people. His kingdom will be fully revealed at his triumphant return.

He was made under the law and fulfilled it, endured suffering in his body, was crucified and died, was buried and remained under the power of death, yet his body did not decay. On the third day he rose from the dead. With that body he ascended into heaven and there he sits at the right hand of his Father making intercession. He shall return to judge men and angels. By his perfect obedience and sacrifice he has fully satisfied the justice of his Father and has purchased not only reconciliation and forgiveness but an everlasting and glorious inheritance in heaven for all those who the Father has given him.

 

 

God predestined some men to eternal life whilst ordaining others to dishonour and wrath for their sin. Thus the salvation of sinners is not dependent on their own efforts but is due to the unmerited favour of God and the unsearchable counsel of his will. It is equally true that God desires that all be saved and commands the gospel to be offered to all.

 

 

Those whom God predestines to eternal life are at some point in time actually called by his Word and Spirit out of the state of sin and death in which they are by nature. This involves the process or act by which their minds are enlightened spiritually and savingly to understand God's Word. He renews their wills and by his almighty power draws them to Jesus Christ yet in such a way that they come most freely being made willing by his grace.

 

 

Those whom God calls he also freely justifies. He pardons their sins and accepts them as righteous not for anything done by them but because he imputes the obedience and satisfaction by Christ of the law to them.

 

 

Faith is a gift from God and it is receiving and resting on Christ and his Righteousness. It is not merely believing with the mind but trusting with a whole heart and inspires works of love. Faith can be both weak and strong, can be attacked often and weakened but is always victorious. Faith involves receiving Christ for justification, sanctification and eternal life. This faith is always and only in the Lord Jesus Christ who is both its author and finisher.

 

 

Faith is invariably accompanied by another gift of God, namely repentance, which should be preached and pressed upon men at the same time as they are exhorted to have faith. If a person freely repents of sin and believes in, or has faith in, the Lord Jesus Christ he will be saved.

 

 

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity and as God is sovereign in his actions. The Holy Spirit was given to the Church of Christ on the day of Pentecost as a result of the finished work of Christ and his ascension to heaven. He is the author or inspirer of the scriptures and is also its interpreter. He makes plain the meaning already in the Word. He mediates Christ to the Church and to the individual. He energises the Church and convicts men of sin, righteousness and judgement to come. He controls the exercise of gifts in the church. He is the Divine Agent in regeneration, calling and the granting of faith. He is the one who grants power in prayer and enables the believer to pray. He is the agent of sanctification in the Christian's life and the believer should always seek to be filled with the Spirit.

 

 

For a fallen sinner to accept the Gospel and repent and believe in God's way of salvation through Christ requires such a complete change of heart and will that is necessary for that person to be born again of the Spirit of God. This new birth, as it is called, is the implanting of the life of God in the soul of man and is the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit.

 

 

Although a man is not, nor ever can be, saved by good works or any efforts on his part, due to the imperfections of his ways, yet it is vitally important that every Christian should strive to live a life well pleasing to God and should be a light to the world and a shining example, and he or she should do these good works ordained by God.

 

 

The ultimate aim of redemption and salvation is to restore the individual to a position of communion with God and conformity to his image. He should be holy or set apart. There is a separation from sin by identifying with the death of Christ and union with him in resurrection life.

 

 

Sanctification is both complete positionally, as Christ is sanctification to the believer, and also gradual, or progressive, as the Christian fights against sin and is always striving to be like the Lord Jesus Christ and conformed to his image. This will only be perfected in heaven or at his coming.

 

 

As there is no failure with God and the Christian is his work so God will persevere with him and perfect and glorify him. If he is a true believer he can never be lost or lose his salvation, but yet he should always be watchful and careful and follow God's warnings about neglecting his soul and spiritual privileges, lest he find that he has been deluded about his state and profession.

 

 

The church is the fellowship of Christians, reedemed men and women who are called together to worship and serve the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the head, the Bridegroom, the Cornerstone, all of which symbols serve to show the intimacy of his relationship with the Church. The word "Church" is used in two different ways in the Bible.

i.) It refers to the Church universal, i.e., the whole number of believers throughout all the world, including those who have died and gone to heaven.

ii.) It is also used in the local sense, e.g. "And to the Church of God which is at Corinth" and refers to the local body of professing believers who hold fast the true doctrines of the faith, meet together for worship, witness, mutual encouragement, and who endeavour to obey the teachings of the Lord. The Lord has provided gifts for the Church and people to guide, rule and foster its spiritual life. Although certain words are used in the New Testament interchangeably there are two basic divisions: Firstly there are Elders who are the spiritual leaders (whether they be ruling Elders or ruling and preaching Elders); and secondly Deacons who are those spiritual and godly people who have more practical gifts.

 

Elders who are also called Bishops, Ministers or Pastors, are to care for the Church as shepherds for their flocks and are not to rule in an autocratic way. Yet they must please God and not men and must answer to Him. They should not be afraid of exercising discipline by warning, encouraging, rebuking or even the ultimate sanction of removing membership.

 

All who are admitted to the privileges of Church membership also become subject to the discipline of government of the Church in accordance with the rule of Christ. In particular a requirement of such membership is regular attendance on all the corporate means of grace. This includes services on the Lord's day and Bible Study and Prayer Meetings of the Church. Any member who is wilfully irregular in such attendance or fails to take the Lord's Supper for three consecutive months without good reason will lose their membership after due consideration by the Eldership.

 

Gifts of the spirit should be exercised in order and under control of the Holy Spirit. The Elders should test, acknowledge and ultimately determine the authenticity of these gifts. The Church has a very special duty to preach the Gospel to every living person.

 

 

The life of the Church involves prayer and praise to God, reading the Bible, interpretation and exposition of the Bible and worship. The Church should observe the Lord's Supper and Baptism, which are the symbols of spiritual truths. They are outward signs of an inward grace. Neither of these ordinances make a person a Christian, but require the participant to have already trusted in Christ as Saviour and require faith and worthy reception for them to be of benefit.

 

 

The Lord Jesus Christ has promised to return and the Christian should pray and look to His coming. This will affect both the dead and the living. He will come to glorify and complete the Church's triumph and His coming will be when least expected.

 

It will be to the delight of His people and to the sorrow and horror of those who have rejected and spurned Him and who will be judged according to their knowledge of right and wrong. Whilst no date is given in the counsel of the Father the time is fixed. Yet the Church is called upon to hasten His coming, for example, by taking the Gospel to all nations.

 

 

The spiritual pilgrimage of Christians will finally end in the presence of God in Heaven, there to live and reign eternally as part of the glorified body of Christ. But unbelievers and all who reject salvation will find themselves in the eternal sorrow and torment of hell, where all the bliss, love, joy, hope, peace and eternal comfort which stems from the presence of God himself will be absent. There hope will be extinguished in the righteous judgement of God.

 

 

 

Baptism is the command of the Lord Jesus Christ as an outward sign for those who believe and the practice of the Church shall be baptism by immersion of believers. However the Church will not exclude from membership those believers who regard themselves as having been validly baptised and have discussed the matter thoroughly with the Elders.

 

 

The Church is commanded to observe the Lord's Supper as a commemoration of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ until his return. The bread and wine symbolise His body and blood while remaining unchanged in substance. As the Lord's Supper represent the unity of believers with the Lord and each other, only believers should participate after examining themselves to ensure they are partaking worthily.

 

 

 

An Elder may be appointed by Resolution at a Business Meeting but must be supported by all the existing Elders and recognised as satisfying the Scriptural conditions.

 

 

A Deacon may be appointed by the Church by Resolution at a Business Meeting but he must satisfy the conditions laid down in Scripture and must be subject to the spiritual authority of the Elders.

 

 

Trustees may be appointed by the Church by Resolution at a Business Meeting. The number of Trustees must not be less than two nor more than four. Every Trustee must uphold the complete doctrinal basis. A Trustee may be removed by procedure laid down in the Trust Declaration date the thirty first day of December 1980.

 

 

The Elders or at least six members of the Church may call a Business Meeting of the Church at any time provided that the notice of the meeting has been given during the Services on any two Lord's Days preceding the Meeting and that the subject of any Resolution to be sought has been stated on these occasions. The Elders are to ensure that a Church Meeting is held at least once in any calender year and the Meeting shall be chaired by any one of the Elders.

 

 

A Resolution must be passed by two-thirds majority of members present and voting. Only members who are present can vote with the exception that a member who is ill and unable to attend and is otherwise a regular attendee may vote by proxy. A simple procedural motion may be passed by a simple majority.