ARTICLE I                NAME

This district of churches shall be called the Western Pennsylvania District of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches.

ARTICLE II               COVENANT

Section 1.       The covenant by which this Fellowship exists as a distinct body, and which each congregation uniting therein accepts, is as follows:

Acknowledging Jesus Christ to be our Savior and Lord, and accepting the Holy Scriptures as our sole guide and authority in all matters pertaining to faith and practice, and recognizing the privilege and duty of unifying ourselves for Christian Fellowship and the advancement of His Church on earth, we do now, in the sight of God and invoking His blessing solemnly covenant and agree with each other to associate ourselves as a Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, to perpetuate “the faith once delivered unto the saints”.

We agree to maintain a whole Gospel with all its institutions, to submit ourselves to the affairs of the Church, and to walk in brotherly love. This we do, depending on the aid of our Heavenly Father, of Jesus Christ our Savior, and of the Holy Spirit, and our Guide and Comforter.

Section  2.      The message which the Western Pennsylvania Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches accepts as a Divine Entrustment to be heralded to a lost world, finds its sole source and authority in the Bible. This message is one of hope for a lost world and speaks with finality and authority. Fidelity to the apostolic injunction to preach the Word demands our utmost endeavor and constituent elements of our Message shall continue to be the following declarations:

Statement of Faith

of the

Fellowship of Grace Brethren Church

We of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, in harmony with our historic position, believing the Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible to be our infallible rule of faith and of practice, and feeling our responsibility to make known the divine message of the Bible, present the following articles as a statement of those basic truths taught in the Bible which are common to our Christian faith and practice:

1. THE BIBLE: the Word of God, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, verbally inspired in all parts, and therefore wholly without error as originally given of God (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:21).

2. THE ONE TRUE GOD: existing eternally as three persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:22; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14

3. THE LORD JESUS CHRIST: His preexistence and deity (John 1:1-3), incarnation by virgin birth ((John 1:14; Matt. 1:118-23), sinless life (Heb. 4:15), substitutionary death (2 Cor. 5:21), bodily resurrection (Luke 24:36-43), ascension into heaven and present ministry (Heb. 4:14-16, and coming again (Acts 1:11).

4. THE HOLY SPIRIT: His personality (John 16:7-15); and deity (Acts 5:3-4); and His work in each believer: baptism and indwelling at the moment of regeneration (1 Cor. 12:13; Rom. 8:9); and filling (Eph. 5:18) to empower for Christian life and service (Eph. 3:16; Acts 1:8; Gal. 5:22-23).

5. MAN: his direct creation in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-28), his subsequent fall into sin resulting in spiritual death (Gen. 3:1-24; Rom. 5:12), and the necessity of the new birth for his salvation (John 3:3-5).

6. SALVATION: a complete and eternal salvation by God’s grace alone, received as the gift of God through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work (Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-7; 1 Pet. 1:18-19).

7. THE CHURCH: one true Church, the body and bride of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-32), composed of all true believers of the present age (1 Cor. 12:12-13); and the organization of its members in local churches for worship, for edification of believers, and for world-wide gospel witness, each local church being autonomous but cooperating in fellowship and work (Eph. 4:11-16).

8. CHRISTIAN LIFE: a life or righteous, good works, and separation unto God from the evil ways of the world (Rom. 12:1-2), manifested by speaking the truth (James 5:12),maintaining the sanctity of the home (Eph. 5:22-6:4), settling difference between Christians in accordance with the Word of God (1 Cor. 6:1-8), not engaging in carnal strife but showing a Christ-like attitude toward all men (Rom. 12:17-21), exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23), and maintaining a life of prayer (Eph. 6;18; Phil. 4:6) including the privilege,  when sick, of calling for the elders of the church to pray and to anoint with oil in the name of the Lord (James 5:13-18).

9. ORDINANCES: the Christian should observe the ordinances of our Lord Jesus Christ, which are (1) baptism of believers by triune immersion (Matt. 18:19) and (2) the threefold communion service, consisting of the washing of the saint’s feet (John 13:1-17), the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:20-22, 33-34; Jude 12), and the communion of the bread and cup (1 Cor. 11:23-26).

10.  SATAN: his existence and personality as the great adversary of god and His people (Rev. 12:1-10), his judgment (John 12:31), and final doom (Rev. 20:10).

11.  SECOND COMING: the personal, visible, and imminent return of Christ to remove His Church from the earth (1 Thess. 4:16-170 before the tribulation (1 Thess. 1:10); Rev. 3:10), and afterward to descend with the Church to establish His millennial kingdom upon the earth (Rev. 19:11-20:6).

12.  FUTURE LIFE: the conscious existence of the dead (Phil. 1:21-23; Luke 16:19-31), the resurrection of the body (John 5:28-29), the judgment and reward of believers (Rom. 14:10-12, 2 Cor. 5:10), the judgment and condemnation of unbelievers (Rev. 20:11-15), the eternal life of the saved (John 3:16), and the eternal punishment of the lost (Matt. 25:46; Rev. 20:15).

ARTICLE III               MEMBERSHIP

Section 1.       Membership in the District

a.                  Each congregation shall be a unit in itself and shall never be subject to any outside ecclesiastical hierarchy.

b.                  New congregations will be admitted to the Western Pennsylvania Fellowship Churches upon recommendation of the Western Pennsylvania District Mission Board, with properly certified credentials.

c.                  In the performance of the ordinance it shall practice baptism by trine immersion and the three-fold communion service only.

d.                  Requirements and responsibilities for membership by the several local churches shall be established by each church and shall not determine the church’s membership in the District.

Section 2.       Representation at the Annual Business Session

1. Any regularly ordained elder who is a member of a church in the Western Pennsylvania Fellowship of Grace Brethren Church who shall present properly signed credentials authorized by his congregation, and is an approved member of District Ministerium, shall be enrolled as a delegate ex-officio to the business session with power to vote.

2. Any regularly licensed minister who is a member of a church in the Western Pennsylvania District of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Church, and shall present properly signed credentials authorized by his congregation, and is an approved member of District Ministerium, shall be enrolled as a delegate ex-officio to the business session with power to vote.

3. Each congregation which is a member of this District shall be entitled to one delegate for each twenty-five members or major fractions thereof. Delegate fees shall be paid in full by each congregation in order to continue as a member of the West Penn District of churches, whether present or not, and the Conference Treasurer to collect same.

4. Upon being duly elected by the congregation of which he is a member, each lay delegate shall present to the credential committee, credentials properly signed by the pastor, secretary, and two members of the leadership team from the congregation which he represents.

5. In case the credentials of any delegate, ministerial or lay, be called in question, the Rules and Organization Committee shall be instructed to consider the same, and make a recommendation. The seated delegates at the business session shall finally determine such delegate’s standing.

Section 3.       The delegates at a properly convened business session at all times shall be the final arbiter as to whether any church or individual shall be entitled to membership in it’s body, provided, however, that no church or individual shall be refused admittance to membership, except for walking contrary to the teachings of the New Testament and commonly accepted and established doctrines of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Church. Nothing in this Constitution shall be construed to conflict with this Article and Section.

ARTICLE IV              OFFICERS, COMMITTEES AND BOARDS

Section 1.       The officers of the District of churches shall consist of a moderator, vice-moderator, secretary, assistant secretary, treasurer, assistant treasurer, statistician, and two members-at-large. These officers will comprise the District Executive Committee.

Section 2.       The vice moderator shall be elected at the annual business session and will become the moderator for the following year. All other officers shall be confirmed at the annual business session and shall be inducted at the closing of the business session. No individual shall serve as moderator more than once in three years.

Section 3.       At each annual business session the following committees shall be confirmed to serve for the following year or until their successors are elected and inducted into office: Credentials Committee, Auditing Committee, Rules and Organization Committee, Nominating Committee. The chairman will be elected at the annual business session, in a manner chosen by the nominating committee and/or the executive committee.

Section 4.       The delegates at a business session or the executive committee may create more committees or disband any committee as the need arises.

Section 5.       The following boards and organizations shall be required to operate in a manner outlined by the district Manual of Procedures and be responsible to the district and/or executive committee) : The District Ministerium, the District Examining Board, The District Mission Board,  The District Youth Board the District Men and the District Women of Grace.

ARTICLE V               SESSIONS AND LOCATION 

Section 1.       The district shall conduct an annual business session and an annual district celebration at such time as shall be determined by the Executive Committee.

Section 2.       The annual district business session and annual district celebration shall meet according to the decision of the Executive Committee considering the invitation of host churches.

Section 3.       Special business sessions of the district may be called by the Executive Committee or at the written request of three or more churches of the West Penn District.

Section 4.       By a majority vote, the delegates at the annual business session will extend the courtesies of the meetings to any non-delegates.

Section 5.       All questions coming before the delegates at the annual business session for decision shall be decided by a majority vote, unless otherwise provided in this Constitution.

Section 6.       All the delegates properly registered and seated shall constitute a quorum.

ARTICLE VI              AMENDMENTS

This Constitution may be amended at any business session of the District called according to Article V above, by a two-thirds vote of the properly seated delegates at that business session; provided however, that 1) the proposed amendment has been presented for study to the Executive Committee and Rules and Organization Committee and 2) the proposed changes shall be distributed and announced to the churches at least 90 days prior to the business session

 (The constitution is current with all revisions made in 2005.)

BYLAWS OF THE WEST PENN DISTRICT

ARTICLE I                OFFICERS

Section 1.       Moderator      He will lead the annual business session and the annual celebration as planned and coordinated with the District Executive Committee. He also handles business affairs relating to the district as a whole, and is ex-officio member of all district committees. He is the one who provides vision and direction to the yearly celebration time and makes sure that the annual business is conducted.

Section 2.       Vice Moderator         His job is to assist the Moderator with coordinating and planning of the annual business session and the annual district celebration, with primary responsibility being in the area of publicity. He of course takes over in the absence of the Moderator in business affairs and automatically becomes the Moderator in the next year.

Section 3.       Secretary       This individual keeps records of all minutes in business sessions and Executive Committee meetings. He also cares for all of the correspondence for the district. In addition, this person is to notify all district and national organizations of the time for the district business session and should invite the same to provide a written report if the organization so desires or is required. The secretary also notifies the district treasurers to provide their books to the auditors for review and will remind the auditors of their responsibility to audit the books on a yearly basis. The secretary will provide a report from the auditing committee and should file this report with the official minutes. A confirmed assistant will take over in the secretary’s absence.

Section 4.       Treasurer       This person collects all membership fees, offerings and other monies relating to the district business; cares for receipts and expenditures as authorized by the executive Committee. This person is responsible to have the auditors review the financial records each year prior to the annual business session. The treasurer also has an assistant to take over in case these duties cannot be fulfilled by the treasurer.

Section 5.       Statistician     The individual who compiles and reports research gathered from member church. The main aspect of this position will be the collection of numerical statistics of our district. A written report will be presented at the annual business session.

Section 6.       Members at Large    Two persons to serve on the Executive Committee for discussion and assistance.

ARTICLE II               DISTRICT COMMITTEES

Section 1.       The Auditing Committee shall audit the books of all organizations affiliated with this District on a yearly basis. These organizations include:

The District Mission Board, District Women of Grace, S.M.M. (Serving My Master), District Men’s Organization, Camp Mantowagan Board, District Youth Board, District Ministerium, and District/Executive Committee Treasurer. This audit is mandatory upon such organizations. The financial records of each organization shall be presented annually to the committee upon request.

Section 2.       The Credential Committee shall provide proper credential forms to each church prior to the annual business session, certify the delegates present at the business session, and report the seating of all delegates to the business session.

Section 3.       The Rules and Organization Committee shall settle all questions of procedure and constitution interpretation. All procedures shall be according to Robert’s Rule of Order.

Section 4.       The Nominating Committee shall consist of three to five (3-5) members and shall nominate candidates for offices and committees for the ensuing year and present a ballot, with reasonable choices, to the annual business session for their election.

Section 5.       The District Executive Committee is empowered to fill all vacancies of offices and committees between annual business sessions.

ARTICLE III               DISTRICT BOARDS

Section 1.       The District Ministerial Examining Board shall consist of all the active ordained pastors recognized by the Western Pennsylvania District whose duties shall be:

1. To examine all candidates for the office of a licensed or ordained elder requested by) any church in this District with the view of determining the fitness or unfitness, according to the Scriptural qualifications, and to make faithful reports as their findings to the church in which said candidate holds membership. All churches associated with this District are requested to recommend any candidate to the Board for the Board’s examination.

2. It shall further be the duty of this Board to sit as an advisory board for settlement of any trouble existing between churches of this District or between members of said churches.

3. It shall also be the duty of this Board to faithfully fulfill any obligation that may be placed upon it by this District.

4. It is distinctly understood that the Ministerial Examining Board of this District shall possess no arbitrary power, but is intended only to act as an advisory capacity to the District of churches and the members of this District.

Section 2.       The District Mission Board shall be constituted and its duties determined as follows.

1. Every active pastor of the Western Pennsylvania District of Grace Brethren Churches may be a member of the District Mission Board.

2. Each church shall select up to 2 lay representatives and shall report to the Mission Board Chairman the names of those individuals.

3. The duties of the District Mission Board will help local churches identify, stimulate and plant additional churches.
4. Any pastor involved in a church plant must abstain from voting on issues relating to his ministry.

Section 3.       The District Youth Board membership shall be constituted and its duties determined as follows:

1. Every active pastor of the Western Pennsylvania District of Grace Brethren Churches may be a member of the District Youth Board.

2. Each church shall select up to 2 lay representatives and shall report to the Youth Board Chairman the names of those individuals.

3. This board shall be responsible for the coordination and direction of all youth programs in the district, including district camp at Camp Mantowagan and rallies.

Section 4.       The Camp Mantowagan Board shall be constituted and its duties determined as follows:

a.      The Camp Mantowagan Board shall be responsible to the District Men’s organization.

b.      Every active pastor in the West Penn District may be a member of the Camp Mantowagan Board.

c.      Each church may select up to 2 lay representatives and shall report to the Camp Mantowagan Board Chairman the name of those representatives.

d.      The duties of the Camp Mantowagan Board shall be to handle all that pertains to the ministry of Camp Mantowagan.

ARTICLE IV      DISTRICT COOPERATING ORGANIZATIONS

Section 1.       The District Men’s organization shall be constituted and its duties determined as follows:

1. Every man in good standing of a district Grace Brethren Church is qualified to be a member of the district men.

2.  Every active pastor in the West Penn District is a member of the District men.

3. The district men provide oversight for the Camp Mantowagan board.

Section 2.       The District Women of Grace shall be constituted and its duties determined as follows:

1. Every woman in good standing of a district Grace Brethren church is qualified to be a member of the District Women of Grace.

2. The Purpose of Women of Grace is 1) to promote the cause of home and international missionary work; 2) To deepen the spiritual life of the women by Bible Study, prayer and witnessing.

3. The President and officers will be elected according to the district procedures and policies manual. The president will preside over the sessions of the Women of Grace when they meet during the year.

ARTICLE V               AMENDMENTS

Section 1.       These Bylaws can be amended at any annual or properly called business session of the District by a two-thirds vote of the properly seated delegates at the business session. Such amendment must be distributed to the churches at least 90 days prior to the business session. Such amendment must be distributed to the delegates in writing at that business session.

(This printing of the Bylaws is in accordance with the revisions made in 2005)