Church Rules
1) Pastor and deacons
No minister shall be the settled pastor of this church who does not receive, believe, and preach the Faith according to the articles of this church, and no Pastor shall at any time be appointed unless three-fourths, and no Deacons unless two-thirds, of the members present at any Church Meeting, properly held for the appointment of such Pastor or Deacons, be in favour of such appointment.
2) Church Meetings
All Church Meetings shall be presided over by the Pastor, or in his absence the church shall appoint a Deacon to preside. Any debate or difference that may arise in the meeting shall be settled by the majority, and should any member seek to set aside such decision within six months, such member shall be accounted as acting disorderly.
3) New Members
No person shall be admitted as a member of the Church until he or she has been seen and approved by the Pastor and Deacons, and proposed to the Church, and then accepted by a majority of the Church after he or she has given some relation of the dealings of the Lord with them, at a properly constituted Church meeting, and has also been baptised. Members of other Churches to be approved and relate their experience before the Church as in the case of new members.
If the husband or wife or near relation of any member come before the Church to give his or her experience, the husband or wife or near relation shall not be present when the decision of the Church is given.
4) Communion with other Churches
Any member of this Church receiving the Ordinance of the Lord's Supper with any other Church not of the same Faith and Order with ourselves, will be considered as acting disorderly, and if persisted in, such member will be dealt with as the Church may think fit.
5) Members of other Churches
Members of other Churches of the same Faith and Order, may commune with this Church by the consent of the Pastor and Deacons, but if such member has communed with us for twelve months, it shall be considered expedient to recommend them to join this Church.
6) Members acting disorderly
Any member knowing another to act disorderly shall go to the offending brother or sister, and tell him or her his or her fault alone, or acquaint Pastor or Deacons with the same; and if any member neglect to do so, and be found reporting it to others, such member shall be visited as acting contrary to the rule laid down in the Scriptures. And any member suspended for immoral conduct, or for bringing in any manner an open reproach on the cause, or for any other reason, shall make a public acknowledgment of the same to the church before again being admitted to enjoy its ordinances and privileges.
7) Revealing Church business
Any member found relating to any other person not a member private or personal matters attended to at any Church Meeting, shall be liable to be brought before the Church, according to the judgment of the Pastor and Deacons, and to be dealt with according to the decision of the Church.
8) Marriage
That if any members of this Church shall unite in marriage to a person that evidently fears not God, but a person of the world, they shall expose themselves to the severest censure of the Church, it being positively forbidden in the Sacred Scriptures.
9) Neglecting the Ordinances
If any member neglect to attend the Lord's Supper, prayer meetings, and preaching of the Word, a reason will be required for his or her absence, and if no satisfactory reason can be given, and such conduct persisted in, he or she will be liable to be excluded from this Church.
10) Quarterly Church Meetings
That a quarterly Church Meeting be held to transact the general affairs of the Church, such meetings being previously announced in the Chapel on a Lord's Day, and that every member present be eligible to vote on all questions; the female members preserving silence except they are requested either by Minister or Deacons to speak, and no motion shall be brought forward by a member at such meetings unless notice has been given to the Pastor and Deacons previous to the day of the meeting.
11) The Lord's Supper
In the absence of the Pastor, the Ordinance of the Lord's Supper shall be regularly attended to, the Minister supplying officiating; or the Church may appoint a Deacon to officiate if there be no Minister.
12) A Member called to the ministry
In the event of the Lord raising up any from our midst to preach the gospel, the matter shall receive the early attention of the Church. The person concerned shall relate his leadings respecting his call to the solemn office, and a fair hearing shall be given him of his abilities. The Church shall then decide whether he is to be sent with their consent or not; but should such member continue to preach without the consent of the Church, if his conduct be otherwise consistent, his position as a member shall not be interfered with.
13) Rules, etc.
That a copy of Articles of Faith and Doctrine, and the Rules of this Church, shall be given to every person desiring to become a member of the Church, and a profession of his or her faith in, and assent to the same be obtained; and on their admission as members, according to Rule 3, they shall sign the same in the Church book.
14) The Minister
That we will esteem and acknowledge our Minister as having the pastoral rule over us, in the name and authority of our Sovereign Lord, Jesus Christ: and will, to the utmost of our ability and opportunity, constantly attend on his ministry; pray for him, as the Lord the Spirit shall enable us, and endeavour, by all means in our power, to strengthen his hands in the due discharge of his highly important office amongst us, by the continuance of our prayers, the regularity of our attendance to his ministry, and a free contribution of our temporal substance to the support of the cause of our God and Saviour according as the Lord shall be pleased in His good providence to bless us.
Now, all and each of these doctrines and ordinances we look upon ourselves under the greatest obligation to embrace, maintain and defend; while we desire to be found in the performance of all the duties through gracious assistance of the Holy Spirit, admiring and adoring the grace which has given us a place and a name in God's House, believing it to be our duty to stand in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the Gospel. To all which we have cheerfully subscribed, pledging ourselves in the fear of God not to disturb the harmony of this Church by departing from the same; but in the event of our embracing contrary sentiments, we will quietly withdraw, considering our membership to be forfeited.