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THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH IN LIMINGTON
Limington, Maine
PREAMBLE - DECLARATION AND COVENANT
Limington, October 11, 1789
We, whose names are hereunto subscribed, apprehending ourselves
called of God into the Church State of the gospel; under an humble
sense of our unworthiness of so great a mercy and with an humble
reliance on the aids of Divine Grace, we now thankfully and heartily
lay hold on His Covenant.
We seriously profess our firm belief of the Christian Doctrine
as contained in the Holy Scriptures and generally embraced by
the faithful people of God, resolving by Divine help to conform
ourselves to the rules of the gospel as long as we live in the
world.
We give up ourselves to the Lord Jehovah, who is the Father,
the Son and the Holy Ghost, and then we avouch Him this day to
be our God, our Father, our Savior, and our Sanctifier and Leader,
and receive Him as our portion forever.
We give ourselves up to the blessed Jesus who is the Lord Jehovah
and adhere to Him as the head of His people in the Covenant of
Grace, and rely upon Him as our Prophet, Priest and King, to
bring us to eternal blessedness.
We desire and design, and with dependence on His promised and
powerful grace, we engage to walk together as a church of our
Lord Jesus Christ in the faith and order of the gospel, so far
as the same shall be revealed to us; conscientiously attending
the public worship of God; the sacrament of His New Testament;
the discipline of His Kingdom according to the *Platform of the
Congregational Churches, with all His holy institutions; in communion
with one another; and watchfully avoiding all sinful stumbling-blocks
and contentions as becomes a people whom God has bound up together
in a bundle of life.
We present our offspring with ourselves unto the Lord.
All this we do, flying to the blood of the everlasting covenant
for the pardon of our many errors, and praying that the Lord
Jesus Christ, who is the great Shepherd of the sheep, would prepare
and strengthen us to every good work to do His will, working
in us that which is well pleasing to Him; to whom be glory forever.
Amen”
Signed by:
Francis Small
Isaac Robinson
Amos Chase
Johnathan Boothby
Daniel Dyer
Asa Edmunds
ARTICLE I - CHURCH
Section 1 - Name - This church shall be called
the Congregational Church in Limington, hereinafter referred
to as “this church”.
Section 2 - Purpose - The purpose of this church
shall be to glorify God through the ministry of reconciliation
as set forth in 2 Corinthians 5:11-21, to spread, teach and to
defend the historic orthodox faith of which we are inheritors.
(Matthew 28:16-20) ( 1 Timothy 3:15)
This church shall seek to minister to the flock through the
preached word; through reverent, biblical, and holy worship to
God; through the administration of the sacraments; through Christian
education for all ages; and through fellowship whereby love,
friendship, seasonal encouragement, compassion, and admonition
may be given and received. All these things shall be done so
that the various gifts of the flock may be discovered and developed
to the end that the body of Christ may be built up and that it
may reach unity and maturity in the faith. (Ephesians 4:11-16)
We believe that the reformed faith to which we hold is the most
accurate and consistent interpretation of Scripture. This, coupled
with the historic position of the congregational churches for
appealing to a broad segment of the community, makes us especially
responsible to provide outreach to the local community and to
seek to minister to their physical and spiritual needs. By this
we reflect our Lord’s compassion and seek to bring them
into the visible church.
Of equal importance is the necessity to support missions, both
foreign and domestic, so that we may fulfill our corporate and
individual responsibility as members of Christ’s Universal
Church, that is His body, of which He is the head forever and
ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:14-15; Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians
1: 15-20)
ARTICLE II - DOCTRINE
May 7, 2005
Section 1 - This church has for a foundation
of Christian faith, upon which its work shall be based and to
which its public teaching shall be conformed, the Holy Bible,
consisting of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments.
We believe that it is inspired of God and is totally inerrant,
infallible, and authoritative in its original manuscripts. We
further accept and believe that the system of doctrine taught
by the Apostles Creed, statement of faith of this church, and
the Confessions and Catechisms adopted by the Assembly at Westminster
in England in 1643 accurately set forth this faith with the exception
of Chapters 25, 30, and 31; also Chapter 23, Paragraph 3 regarding
the role of the civil magistrates; and Chapter 27, Paragraph
4 regarding who may dispense the sacraments.
Section 2 - Statement of Faith
- WE BELIEVE in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments,
as verbally inspired by God and inerrant in the original text,
that they are of supreme and final authority in faith and practice.
II Timothy 3: 16-17; II Peter 1: 20-21
- WE BELIEVE in one God eternally existing in three persons:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Matthew 3: 16-17; 28:19; John
10:30; 14:9-10; Acts 5:3-4
- WE BELIEVE that Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary, and is God and man. Luke 1:30-33;
John 1:14; Philippians 2:5-11
- WE BELIEVE that man was created in the image of God; that
he sinned, and thereby incurred physical and spiritual death,
which is separation from God; and that all men are born with
a sinful nature. Genesis 1:26-28; 3:1-19; Psalm
51:5; Romans 3:23; 5:12
- WE BELIEVE that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins as
a representative and substitutionary sacrifice; and that those
who believe in Him are justified on the ground of his sacrifice. Isaiah
53:4-6; Romans 3:21-26; II Corinthians 5:21
- WE BELIEVE in the resurrection of the crucified body of Christ,
in His Ascension into Heaven, and in His life there for us
as our great High Priest. Luke 24:1-9, 36-42, 50-53; Acts 1:9-11;
Romans 8:34; Hebrews 9: 11-15
- WE BELIEVE in the personal and imminent return of our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ. Matthew 24:44; Mark 13:32;
Acts 1:11; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 22:7, 12, 20
- WE BELIEVE in the bodily resurrection and judgment of the
just and the unjust, the everlasting blessedness of the redeemed,
and the everlasting punishment of the unregenerate. Matthew
25:31-46; Revelation 20:11-15
- WE BELIEVE that all who are saved by grace through faith
in our Lord Jesus Christ are born into newness of life and
become children of God. Romans 10:9-13; Ephesians 2:8-9
- WE BELIEVE that the Holy Spirit indwells the believer and
is the Comforter and Guide of all who are saved by grace through
faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. John 14:16-18; Romans
8:9
- WE BELIEVE the Church of Christ to be an elect company of
believers united by the Holy Spirit; it mission is to preach
the Gospel of Christ among all nations and to edify the saints
of God. Matthew 28:19-20; Ephesians 4:11-16
Section 3 - This church does not adhere to
every detail of the Cambridge Platform of 1648. Nevertheless,
the substance and principles of the Platform is our guide in
matters of church government, especially where the Platform is
specifically cited in this constitution and by-laws.
* Note: This refers to the “Cambridge Platform” approved
in 1648 by “the elders and messengers of the churches assembled
in the Synod at Cambridge in New England.” An authoritative
text of the Platform may be found in “The Creeds
and Platforms of Congregationalism” by Williston Walker,
pp. 194-237.
ARTICLE III - GOVERNMENT
November 22, 1985
Section 1 - This church seeks to conform its
faith to the Scriptures and to base its polity on the principles
of apostolic practice as presented in the Holy Bible.
Section 2 - The Head and King of the Church
(both Universal and local) is the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore
this church recognized all churches which can give assent to
the statement of faith of this church.
Section 3 - This church claims the right to
direct its own affairs without being subject to the authority
or control of any other ecclesiastical organization. It
also holds and will conform to the principle of the fellowship
of churches, by seeking and giving sympathy, counsel, and aid
in its fraternal relations with other churches.
Section 4 - The authority and responsibility
to govern this church rests solely with the congregation under
the supreme authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. Congregational
authority must be exercised prudently and within the context
of civil law and the constitution and by-laws of this church,
so long as each conforms to Holy Scripture as determined by the
congregation. Authority (though not ultimate responsibility)
to conduct specified affairs may be delegated to the church officers.
Section 5 - The government of this church shall
be divided into two branches to be known as the congregation
and the corporation.
The congregation consists of all voting members of this church.
The corporation consists of all members of this church 18 years
and older.
The powers of the congregation shall be subordinate to the will
of the congregation. Specifically, the corporation shall
concern itself with the financial and real estate business of
this church.
The affairs of the corporation shall be administered by a board
of trustees, but this board shall have no authority other than
that delegated to it by the corporation.
Section 6 - All the decisions of this congregation pertaining
to the government and affairs of this church, made in accordance
with this constitution and by-laws, are binding on all members
of this church.
ARTICLE IV - MEMBERSHIP
November 22, 1985
Section 1 - Composition
- The membership of this church is composed of those baptized
believers, and their baptized children who have associated
themselves in this church, for the maintenance of Gospel ordinances,
the promotion of personal holiness, and the extension of the
Redeemer’s Kingdom.
Section 2 - Categories
- The categories of membership in this church are:
- Non-communicant
- Communicant
- Voting
- Non-communicant members are baptized children who have not
yet made a credible profession of faith in Christ as Lord and
Savior, have not attained the age of 18 years, and are children
of a member of this church.
- Communicant members are those who have made a credible profession
of faith in Christ as Lord and Savior, have given an informed
affirmation of their desire to join in the fellowship of this
church, and have not attained the age of 18 years.
- Voting members are those who have made a credible profession
of faith in Christ as Lord and savior, have given an informed
affirmation of their desire to join in the fellowship of this
church, possess a basic understanding of the doctrine and government
of this church, and have attained the age of 18 years.
- All members of this church, being equal in the sight of God,
are to share equally in the privileges and responsibilities
of membership according to the structure of this church and
their individual abilities.
ARTICLE V - OFFICERS
November 22, 1985
Section 1 - The ordained officers of this church
shall be pastor or pastors, elders, and deacons. The congregation
may elect other officers as it sees fit to serve at the direction
of the congregation and under the supervision of the elders and
appropriate officers.
All officers shall be voting members of this congregation.
Section 2 - The Pastors - The pastor of this
church shall be a man who:
- Is called by the congregation
- Accepts the call of the congregation
- Is ordained and installed by the congregation in accordance
with the Cambridge Platform, 1648.
The pastor, a teaching elder, while equal in authority with
the ruling elders, is called to a position as first among equals,
due to his conspicuous position before this church and the community.
The pastor must be willing and able to serve God’s flock
as a shepherd; feeding them, leading them, and guarding them.
The pastor shall be responsible for overseeing the spiritual
life, the regular services, and the meetings of this church;
preaching the Word of God and administering the sacraments.
Section 3 - The Elders - Elders shall be men
recognized by the congregation as godly and mature (1 Timothy
3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9) and willing to humbly serve this church (Matthew
20:25-28) as shepherds (1 Peter 5:1-4); and are elected, ordained,
and installed by the congregation.
The elders are to live among God’s people as models of
his grace in the lives of sinners. They are to lead and
teach, exhort and rebuke, comfort and encourage the flock, all
with the tender love of Christ.
The board of elders shall take spiritual oversight of this church
by:
Administration, guarding the flock (Acts 20:28) and the pulpit,
shepherding, teaching, disciplining the flock (Matthew 18:15-27
and 1 Corinthians 5; Hebrews 12:17), administering the sacraments,
and encouraging each other.
The board of elders shall administer the policies and programs
approved by the congregation.
Section 4 - The Deacons - The deacons shall
be men recognized by the congregation as godly (1 Timothy 3:8-13)
and full of wisdom and of the Spirit (Acts 6:3): elected, ordained,
and installed by the congregation.
The deacons, overseen by the elders, shall be responsible for
the material ministry of this church, including its real property,
fiscal matters, and the material aspects of its outreach and
service.
ARTICLE VI - AMENDMENTS
November 22, 1985
Section 1 - This constitution can be amended
by a three-fourths majority vote of the quorum present. The
quorum present must represent sixty-seven percent of the voting
members as defined in Article IV, Membership, Section 2
The proposed amendment must be put in writing and endorsed by
at least ten percent of those who are voting members on the date
of the first announcement. The pastor or elders or deacons
shall be required to announce the amendment from the pulpit during
the worship services on the second and third Sundays following
receipt of the proposed amendment and shall cause the proposed
amendment to be sent in writing by hand-receipted delivery or
by registered mail to each voting member of the congregation
not less than five days prior to the first meeting. The
first meeting must be called not less than seven days nor more
than twenty-two days after the second announcement from the pulpit.
Section 3 - The amendment must be discussed at the first congregational
meeting but may not be brought to a vote. At that same
meeting, a date and time for a second meeting must be set at
which time the proposed amendment may be discussed and must be
brought to a vote. That second meeting must follow the
first by not less than twenty days but not more than sixty days. Meetings
considering amendments to this constitution must be conducted
according to Roberts Rules of Order, Section 4
Amendments that are passed shall be immediately in effect even
though not published.
Amendments that do not pass cannot be brought before the congregation
until after one calendar year from the date the proposed amendment
was defeated.
