THE BY-LAWS OF THE CONSTITUTION
of St. Paul Lutheran Church
Parkersburg, West Virginia

SECTION I. MEMBERSHIP

  1. A. Eligibility and Duties of Membership

    1. Baptized Membership

    1. By Holy Baptism
      Baptized members are received through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism.

    2. By Transfer
      Baptized children coming from a congregation in church fellowship shall be received into membership with their parents or guardians.

    3. By Consent
      Children who have been baptized in another Christian congregation shall be received with the consent of a parent or guardian.

    2. Communicant Membership

    1. Eligibility

      (1) By Holy Baptism
      Unbaptized adults, who have been instructed in the fundamentals of the Christian faith as taught and practiced in the Lutheran church, shall be received into communicant membership through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, and shall publicly confirm their faith.

      (2) By the Rite of Confirmation
      All who complete the instruction course in the fundamentals of the Christian faith as taught and practiced in the Lutheran church, and publicly confess their faith, shall become communicant members.

      (3) By Transfer
      Persons coming to the Pastor with a communicant letter of transfer from a congregation in church fellowship, provided they conform in all respects to the requirements of membership in this congregation, shall be received by the Pastor and Board of Elders and promptly recognized by the congregation in a worship service.

      (4) Profession or Reaffirmation of Faith
      Other persons shall submit their request to the Pastor, and after giving satisfactory evidence of qualifications for membership to the Pastor and the Board of Elders, they shall be received as communicant members by publicly confirming their faith.
       

    2. Privileges and Duties of Communicant Members
      It shall be the privilege and duty of members of this congregation to become disciples of Jesus Christ to:

      Grow in Christian faith and life through regular attendance at worship services, searching the Scriptures at home, in fellowship with other members of the congregation, and partaking of the Lord's Supper.

      Live a morally decent life before God and men, abstaining from open works of the flesh (Galatians 5:18-21), and so conducting themselves at all times as to bring credit, rather than blame, upon the Church of Jesus Christ.

      Share their faith in Christ with those they come in contact with in their daily lives.

      Provide for the proper Christian training of their children by instruction at home and through the agencies of the church.

      Contribute toward the maintenance of the congregation and the extension of the Kingdom of God at home and abroad to the limit of their financial ability.

      Offer their God-given talents and abilities to the Pastor, the officers, and other agencies of the congregation as set forth in its Constitution and By-Laws, so that the purpose of the congregation as stated in Article II of the Constitution may be effectively implemented.

    3. Voting Membership

    1. Eligibility
      Any communicant member of the congregation who is eighteen years of age or over, male or female, shall be eligible to become a voting member. This shall be done at a regular Voters' Meeting of the congregation. They shall be required to sign the official copy of the Constitution and By-Laws of the Congregation before acceptance into Voting Membership.
       

    2. Duties
      It shall be the duty of every voting member to attend the Voters' Assembly and generally participate in the activities of the Voters' Assembly. By failing to attend a meeting, a member waives the right to cast his vote at that meeting. Only voting members shall be eligible to accept nominations for offices, committee appointments, etc.
       

  2. Termination of Membership

    1. By Transfer
    Communicant members, desiring to join a congregation in church fellowship, shall present their requests to the Pastor and the Board of Elders, to whom authorization is granted to issue such transfers.

    2. By Joining Other Churches
    In cases where communicant members have joined another congregation outside our church fellowship, their membership shall be terminated, and their names shall be removed from membership by the Pastor and the Board of Elders.

    3. Whereabouts Unknown
    The names of members whose whereabouts are unknown for a period of one year shall be removed from membership by the Pastor and the Board of Elders.

    4. Inactive After Moving
    Members who move out of the area of the congregation shall be encouraged to transfer their memberships as soon as they establish residence. Every effort shall be made to communicate with them and the nearest congregation in church fellowship. If communication cannot be established during the period of one year concerning their situation or intent, their names shall be removed from membership by the Pastor and Board of Elders.

    5. Excommunication and Self-Exclusion
    Any baptized or communicant member who conducts himself contrary to the Word of God and life in the Holy Spirit shall be admonished in Christian patience and love (Matthew 18:15-22; Galatians 6:1). If he is openly impenitent or refuses to attend the meeting of the Voters' Assembly or with the Board of Elders acting officially for the Voters' Assembly to discuss his case, he has thereby excluded himself. A unanimous ballot vote on each person separately shall be required for every resolution by the Voters' Assembly for excommunication. The person charged with misconduct shall not be allowed to vote on the matter. No vote shall be taken until every effort is made to restore the person to his relationship with Christ Jesus. Excommunication or self-exclusion terminates membership and the privileges of membership, but does not deny the right to attend worship services of the congregation. As soon as evidence of penitence and a desire to be received into fellowship again have been demonstrated, he shall be received as a communicant member once more by the Pastor and the Board of Elders.

    6. Privileges
    A person whose communicant membership has been terminated has forfeited all rights as a member of this congregation  and all claims upon the property of the congregation as such, or upon any part thereof, so long as he is not reinstated into membership.

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