Constitution

KENYAN COMMUNITY INTERNATIONAL CHURCH (KCIC)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

PREAMBLE

We declare and establish this constitution to preserve and govern this body in an orderly manner. This constitution shall preserve the liberties of each individual member and the freedom of action of this body in its relationship to other religious bodies.

Article I -NAME

This body shall be known as the KENYAN COMMUNITY INTERNATIONAL  CHURCH with facilities located at 18435 42nd Avenue South Seatac, WA 98188.

Article II -OBJECTIVES

In accordance with our understanding of the Church as the body of Christ, we do solemnly declare the following as being the objectives toward which we believe God would have us move.

1. To be a dynamic spiritual organism empowered by the Holy Spirit to share Christ with as many people as possible in our church, community, and throughout the world.
 
2. To be a worshiping fellowship, experiencing an awareness of God, recognizing his person, and responding in obedience to his leadership.

3. To experience an increasing meaningful fellowship with God and fellow believers.

4. To help people experience a growing knowledge of God and Man.

5. To be a church that ministers unselfishly to persons in the community and world in Jesus' name.

6. To be a church whose purpose is to be Christ-like in our daily living by emphasizing total commitment of life, personality, and possessions to the Lordship of Christ.

Article III— Statement of Faith 

The Holy Bible is the inspired word of God and is the basis of any statement of faith.

 
We band ourselves together as body of baptized believers in Jesus Christ personally committed to sharing the good news of salvation to lost mankind. The ordinances of the church are baptism and the Lord's Supper.


BY-LAWS

Article
1. CHURCH MEMBERSHIP

This is a sovereign and democratic non-denominational church under the lordship of Jesus Christ. The membership retains unto itself the exclusive right of self-government in all phases of the spiritual and temporal life of this Church.

The membership reserves the exclusive right to determine who shall be members of this church and the conditions of such membership.

Section 2. MEMBERSHIP

The membership of the Kenyan Community International Church. Seattle, Washington, shall be composed of that body of persons listed on the church roll in the custody of the church clerk. The membership shall be referred to hereafter as the church.

Any person may offer himself as a candidate for membership in this church at any regular Church service. The candidate becomes a member of the Church by unanimous vote of those members present and voting in one of the following ways

(1) By profession of faith and upon baptism.
(2) By promise of a letter of recommendation from another church member and in anticipation of receipt of that letter.
(3) By restoration upon a statement of prior conversation experience and baptism in a church of like faith and order when no letter is obtainable.
Should there be any dissent as to any candidate, such dissent shall be referred to the deacons for investigation and the making of a recommendation to the church within thirty (30) days. A three-fourths affirmative vote of those church members present and voting shall be required to elect such candidate to membership.

Section 3. NEW MEMBERS

New members of this church are expected to participate in the church's new member orientation at which time they will be made acquainted with the ministry, mission, constitution, and bylaws of this church.

Section 4.RIGHTS OF MEMBERS

(1) Every member of the church is entitled to vote at all elections
and on all questions submitted to the church in conference,
provided the member is present or provision has been made for
absentee balloting.
(2) Every member of the church is eligible for consideration by the
membership as a candidate for an elective office in the church.
Section 5. RESPONSIBILITIES OF MEMBERS


All members are expected to live by the Church Covenant and faithfully cooperate in helping this Church achieve its objectives. All members are expected to be faithful to Christ and this Church in worship, witness, learning, ministry financial support, and participation in Church business meetings.

Section 6. DISCIPLINE

It shall be the practice of this church to emphasize to its members that every reasonable measure will be taken to assist any troubled member. The Pastor, other members of the church staff, and deacons are available for counsel and guidance. The attitude of the members toward one another shall be guided by a concern for redemption rather than punishment.

Should some serious conditions exist which would cause a member to become a liability to the general welfare of the Church, the Pastors and the deacons will take every reasonable measure to resolve the problem. All such proceedings shall be pervaded by a spirit of Christian kindness and forbearance.
If the condition cannot be resolved the church may wish to terminate the membership.

Section 7. TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP

Membership shall be terminated in the following ways:

(1) By death of the member.
(2) By letter of recommendation: Should any member in good standing desire to unite with a church of like faith and order, this church shall grant a letter of recommendation at any regular business meeting of this church to the requesting Church. Letters are issued to Churches, not to individuals.
(3) Removal from the roll.
a. Should any member of this church unite with a church which is
not like faith order, his name shall be removed from the roll by
vote of the church at any regular business meeting.
b. Upon receipt of written request from a member, his or her name
may be removed from the roll by vote of the church.
c. The church may also, after due notice and hearing and kindly
effort to make such action unnecessary, terminate the
membership of persons who for the space of three years or more
show no interest or concern for their church covenant
obligations, and who no interest or concern for their church
covenant obligations, and who make no efforts to provide any
tangible support for the Church's ministry. This does not apply to
members temporarily inactive because of illness, family
problems, military service, or the need for education and
training. Such action can be taken in a regular business meeting
after the names have been submitted in the previous regular
business meeting.

4. By Exclusion
Finding that the welfare of the Body and work of Christ will best
be served by the exclusion of a member, the Church may exclude
a member by a two-thirds vote of the members present and
voting. Such vote cannot be taken at the meeting in which the
recommendation for such action is made

Section 8. RESTORATION

The Church may restore to membership any person previously excluded, upon request of the excluded person, and by vote of the Church upon evidence of the excluded person's repentance and reformation.

Article II: CHURCH OFFICERS

All who serve as officers of the church shall be members of this church.

Section I. PASTOR

(1) The pastor is responsible for leading the church to function as a New Testament Church. The Pastor will lead the congregation, the organizations, and the church staff to perform their tasks.
The pastor is leader of pastoral ministries in the church. As such he works with the deacons and church staffs to: (a) lead the church in the achievement of its mission,

(b) Proclaim the gospel to believers and unbelievers, and (c) care for church's members and other persons in the community.
(2) A pastor shall be chosen and called by the church whenever a vacancy occurs. The elections shall take place at meeting called for that purpose, of which at least one month's public notice has been given.
A pastor selection committee shall be elected by the church to seek out a suitable pastor, and its recommendations will constitute a nomination. Any church member has the privilege of making other nominations according to the policy established by the church only one name at a time. Election shall be by ballot, an affirmative vote of two-thirds of those present being necessary for a choice. The pastor, thus elected, shall serve until the relationship is terminated by his request or the church's request.

(3) The pastor may relinquish the office as pastor by giving at least two weeks notice to the church at the time of resignation.
The Church may declare the office of the pastor to be vacant. Such action shall take place at a meeting called for that purpose, of which at least one week's public notice has been given. The meeting may be called upon the recommendation of a majority of the deacons or by written petition signed by not less than one fourth of the resident church members. The vote to declare the office vacant shall be by ballot, an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members present being necessary to declare the office vacant.


Section 2. CHURCH STAFF

(1) The ministerial staff shall be called and employed as the church determines the need for such offices. A job description shall be written when the need for a staff member is determined. Those staff members of whom the church requires evidence of a
personal call of God to minister shall be recommended to the church by the committee and called by church action. At the time of resignation, at least two weeks' notice shall be given to the church. The church may vote to vacate such positions upon
recommendation of the committee, such termination being immediate and the compensation conditions being the same as for the pastor, except that the amount shall relate to the individual's compensation.
(2) Non-ministerial staff members shall be employed as the church determines the need for their services. These staff members are not church officers and therefore are not required to be church members. The church committee shall have the authority
to employ and to terminate services of non-ministerial staff members. Such employment and termination of services shall be with the recommendation of the supervising staff member and, as appropriate, with the constitution of related committees of the church.

Section 3. DEACONS

(1) In accordance with the meaning of the work and the practice of the New Testament, deacons are to be servants of the church. The task of the deacon is to serve with the pastor and staff in performing pastoral ministries: to proclaim the gospel to
believers and unbelievers; to care for church members and other persons in the community; to lead the church to engage in fellowship of worship, witness, education, ministry, and application; and to lead the church in performing its tasks.
(2) The call to serve as a deacon must be a call of God, confirmed by the church, accepted by the individual. The following are our guidelines for effective deacon selection and services:

(a) choose men and women who can serve well.
(b) choose men and women who will train for service:

(c) choose men and women who will work well with others, and

(d) maintain biblical qualifications.
(3) There may be one active deacon for every 15 resident member families. Deacons shall be elected to serve a three year term beginning October first or in case of death or removal or in a capacity to serve, the church may elect a deacon to fill the
unexpected term. After serving a term of three years. Nominations for office of deacon shall be made by a deacon selection committee presented by the nominating committee
and elected by the church. This committee will:

(a) solicit recommendations for
candidates for deacon from the congregation,

(b) examine candidates

(c) make nominations at a business meeting for election by ballot.
There is no obligation to constitute as active deacon a person who moves his membership from another church where he or has served as a deacon.

Section 4. MODERATOR

The church shall elect annually a moderator as its presiding officer. In the absence of the moderator, the chairman of deacons shall preside; or in the absence of both, the clerk shall the church to order and preside for the election of an acting moderator. The moderator shall serve as trustee of the church.

Section 5. SECRETARY

The church shall elect annually a secretary as its clerical officer. The secretary shall be responsible for keeping a suitable record of all official actions of the church, except as otherwise herein provided. The secretary shall be responsible for keeping a
register of names of members with dates of admission, dismissal, death, or erasure, together with a record of baptisms. The secretary shall issue letters of admission voted by the church, preserve on file all written official reports, and give required notice of all meetings, where notice is necessary, as indicated in these by laws.

The church may delegate some of the clerical responsibilities to a church secretary who will assist the elected clerk. All church record are church property and shall be kept in the church office when an office is maintained. The clerk shall serve as trustee of the church.

Section 6. TREASURER

The church shall elect annually a church treasurer as its financial officer. It shall be the duty of the treasurer to record, preserve, and pay out all money, keeping at all times an itemized account of all receipts and disbursements. The treasurer shall order render to the church at each regular business meeting month. The treasurer's report shall be audited annually by an auditing committee or public accountant. The treasurer shall be bonded.

Upon rendering the annual report at the end of the fiscal year, and its acceptance and approval by the church, the records shall be delivered by the treasurer to the church clerk, who shall keep and preserve the report as part of the permanent records of the
church.

Responsibility for the maintenance of individual giving records may be delegated to a financial secretary.
The treasurer shall serve as trustee of the church.

Section 7, TRUSTEES

The pastors, secretary, and treasurer shall serve as trustees of the church to hold in trust its property. They shall have no power to buy, sell, mortgage, lease, or transfer any property without a specific vote of the church authorizing each action. It shall be
the function of the trustees to affix their signatures to legal documents involving the sale, mortgage, purchase, or rental of property or other legal documents where the signatures of trustees are required.


Article III. CHURCH COMMITTEES

1. The committees for the work of the church, and their duties, shall be approved by the church. Committees shall be added or deleted by vote of the church upon recommendation by the church committee.
2. The church will elect annually at a regular business meeting, after nomination from the nominating committee or from the floor, members of all committees necessary for the functioning of the church in its mission.

Article IV. CHURCH PROGRAM ORGANIZA TIONS

1. The church shall maintain programs of Bible teaching; church member training, church leader training, and new member orientation; mission education, action, and support; and music education, training, and performance. All organizations
related to the church programs shall be under church control, all officers being elected annually by the church and reporting regularly to the church, and all program activities subject to church coordination and approval.
2. The church shall provide the human resources, the physical resources, and the financial resources for the appropriate advancement of the following programs.
(a) The Sunday school shall be the basic organization for the Bible teaching program. Its tasks shall be to teach the biblical revelation, reach persons for Christ and church membership, perform the functions of the church within its constituency, provide and interpret information regarding the work of the church and denomination.
The Sunday school shall be organized by departments and/or classes, as appropriate for all ages, and shall be conducted under the direction of Sunday school Director elected by the church.
(b) The church training organization shall serve as the training unit of church. Its shall train church members to perform the functions of the church; train church leaders; orient new church members; teach Christian theology, Christian ethics, Christian History, and church polity and organization; and provide and interpret information regarding the work of the church and denomination.
Church training shall be organized by departments for all ages and
conducted under the direction of a general director.
(c) Women ministry shall be the mission education, mission action, and mission support organization of the church for women, young women, girls, and preschool children. Its tasks shall be to teach missions, engage in mission action, support world missions through praying and giving and provide and interpret information regarding the work of the church and denomination Women ministry shall have such officers and organizations as the
program requires.

(d) The brotherhood shall be the church's organization for mission
education, mission action, and mission support for men. young men, and boys. Its tasks shall be to teach missions, engage in mission action, support world mission through praying and giving, and provide and interpret information regarding the work of the church and denomination.

The brotherhood shall have such officers and organization as the program requires.

(e) The church music organization, under the direction of the church elected Music Director, shall be the music education, training, and performance organization of the church. Its tasks shall be to teach music; train persons to lead, sing, and play music; provide music in the church and community; and provide and interpret information regarding the work of the church and denomination.
The church music program shall have such officers and organization as the programs requires.

Article V. CHURCH PROGRAM SERVICES

(1) The church shall maintain media center services and recreation services for the purpose of enriching and extending the ministries and programs of the church.
(2) These program services shall be under church control, all personnel being elected annually and reporting regularly to the church.
(a) The media center service will be the resource center for the
church its personnel will seek to provide and promote the use of
printed and audiovisual resources. They also will provide
consultation to church leaders and members in the use of printed
and audiovisual resources.
(b) The church recreation service will seek to meet the recreational
needs of members and groups. Its personnel will provide
recreation activities, consultation, leadership assistance, and
resources.

ARTICLE VI. CHURCH COUNCIL

1. The church council shall serve the church by leafing in planning
coordinating, and evaluating the ministries and programs of the church and its organizations.
2. The primary functions of the church council shall be to recommend to the church suggested objectives and church goals; to review and
coordinate ministry and program plans recommended by the church officers, organizations, and committees; to recommend to the church the use of leadership, calendar time, and other resources according to program priorities; and to evaluate achievements in terms of church objectives and goals.

3. Regular members of the church council shall be: the pastor, other ministerial staff, directors of church program organizations, directors of program services, chairman of deacons, treasurer, and church secretary.
4. All matters agreed upon by the council which call for action not already approved shall be referred to the church for approval or disapproval.

ARTICLE VII. CHURCH ORDINANCES

Section 1. Baptism

This church shall receive for baptism any person who has received Jesus Christ as Savior by personal faith, who professes him publicly at any worship service, and who indicated a commitment to follow Christ as Lord.

(1) Baptism shall be by sprinkling, pouring or immersion in water.
(2) The pastor, or whomever the church authorize shall administer baptism. The deacons shall assist the preparation for, and the observance of, baptism
(3) Baptism shall be administered as act of worship during any worship service of the church.
(4) A person who professes Christ and is not baptized after a reasonable length of time shall be counseled by the pastor and/or staffer deacons. If negative interest is ascertained on the part of the candidate, he/she shall be deleted from those awaiting baptism.

Section 2. The Lord's Supper

The church shall observe the Lord's supper every month on the first Sunday of month, unless otherwise scheduled by the church. The pastor and deacons shall administer the Lord's supper, the deacons being responsible for physical preparations.

Article VIII. CHURCH MEETINGS

Section 1. WORSHIP SERVICES

The church shall meet regularly each Sunday morning, Sunday evening, for the worship of almighty God. Prayer, praise, preaching, instruction, and evangelism shall be among the ingredients of these services.

The pastor shall direct the services for all the church members and for others who may choose not to attend.

Section 2. SPECIAL SERVICES

Fellowship services and any other church meeting essential to the advancement of the church's objectives shall be placed on the church calendar.

Section 3 REGULAR BUSINESS

The church shall hold regular business meetings monthly on a designated Wednesday night.

Section 4. SPECIAL BUSINESS MEETINGS

The church may conduct called business meetings to consider matters of special nature and significance. A one-week notice must be given for the specially called business meeting unless extreme urgency renders such notice impractical. The notice shall include the subject, the date, and time and place; and it must be given in such a manner that all resident members have opportunity to know of the meeting.

ARTICLE IX. CHURCH FINANCES

Section 1. BUDGET.

The finance committee, in consultation with the church council, shall prepare and submit to the church for approval an inclusive budget, indicating by items the amount needed and sought for all local and worldwide expenses.

It is understood that membership in this church involves financial obligation to support the church and its causes with regular, proportionate gifts.

Section 2. ACCOUNTING PROCEDURES.

All funds for any and all purpose shall be deposited by the money counting committee and properly recorded on the books of the church by the treasurer. Those who have responsibility that involves handling of funds shall be bonded.

A system of accounting that will adequately provide for the handling of all funds shall be the responsibility of the finance committee.

Article X. CHURCH OPERATIONS MANUAL.

The church committee shall develop a church operations manual to include church policies and procedures and organizations charts depicting lines of responsibility in the administration of the church. The manual shall be kept in the church office and made available for use there by any member of the church. The church secretary shall maintain the manual. The church committee or a special
committee shall review the manual annually, with authority to recommend changes for the church to consider. Any church member or church organization may initiate suggested changes in the manual.

Policies may be added, revised, or deleted by:

(1) recommendation of the church officer or organization to whose areas of assignment the policy relates,

(2) discussion by the church committee, and (3) approval by the church.

Procedures may be added, revised, or deleted by:

(1) recommendation of the church officer or organization to whose areas of assignment the procedure relates,

(2) approval by the church committee, and

(3) approval of the church, if the church committee deems it necessary.


Article IV—RELATIONSHIPS

The Government of this church is vested in the body of believers who compose it. It is subject to the control of no other ecclesiastical body, but it recognizes and sustains the obligation of mutual co-operation which is common among Christian churches.

Article V-CHURCH COVENANT

Having been led, as we believe by the spirit of God. to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and, on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we do now. in the presence of God, and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one
another as one body in Christ.

We engage, therefore, by the aid of the holy spirit to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this church, in knowledge, holiness, and comfort: to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline,
and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel through all nations.

We also engage to maintain family and secret devotionals; to religiously educate our children; to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealing, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment; to avoid all tatting, backbiting, and excessive anger; to abstain from the from the sale of, and use of, destructive drugs or intoxicating drinks as beverage; to shun pornography; to be zealous in our efforts to advance the kingdom of our savior.

We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember one another in prayer; to aid one another in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and Christian courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but
always ready for reconciliation and mindful of the rules of our savior to secure it without delay.

We more-over engage that .when we remove from this place we will, as so as possible, unite with some church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God's word.

Article VI-AMENDMENT

Changes in this constitution may be made at any regular business meeting of the church, provided each amendment shall have been presented in writing at two

(2) previous regular business meeting, when copies of the proposed amendment will have been furnished to each member present. Amendment to the constitution shall be by two-thirds vote of all members of the church present and voting.

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Article VII-AMENDMENTS

Changes in these by-laws may be made at any regular business meeting of the church, provided each amendment shall have been presented in writing at a previous meeting and copies of the amendment have been furnished to each member present.
Amendments to the by-laws shall be by majority vote of all members in the church present.

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