Articles of Faith

Church Covenant

Forasmuch as Almighty God, by His grace, has been pleased to call us, whose names are hereunto subscribed, out of darkness into His marvelous light, and all of us have been regularly baptized upon a profession of our faith in Christ Jesus, and have given up ourselves to the Lord and to one another, in a gospel church way, to be governed and guided by a proper discipline, agreeable to the word of God: We do therefore in the name of our Lord Jesus, and by His assistance, covenant and agree to keep up the discipline of the church we are members of, in the most brotherly affection toward each other, while we endeavor particularly to observe the following regulations:

In brotherly love to pray for each other, to watch over one another and if need be, in the most tenderly and affectionate manner, to reprove one another according to the direction given by our Lord in the 18th Chapter of Matthew, and not to be whispering and backbiting.

Furthermore, we agree to attend out church meetings, to pray for one another, to to absent ourselves from the Lord's Supper and washing of the Saint's feet, to communicate to the defraying of the expenses of the church and to the support of ministry, not to move membership from one church to another without an agreeable dismission and that our donation for church expenses as above mentioned shall be, according as God has prospered us, to lay up on the first day of the week what we feel that God has impressed us to contribute to the cause of the church for that week, and to deliver all contributions over to the deacons.

These things we do covenant and agree to observe and keep sacred in the name of, and by the assistance of God. AMEN

Hebrews 10:23-27
Mathew 6:33
Colossians 3:1-10

Reference Scriptures for the Church Covenant

Called out of darkness into His marvelous light: I Pet. 2:9

They gave themselves to the Lord: II Cor 8:5

They gave themselves to one another: II Cor 8:5

Continued in the Apostles' Doctrine: Acts 2:42

Governed by a proper discipline: I Cor. 5:11-13: I Cor. 6:9,10; II Cor. 6:14; II Thess 3:16

Brotherly affection: Eph. 4:1,2; Rom. 12:10

Pray for one another: I Tim 2:3; Eph. 6:18

Watching over one another: Heb. 10:24,25; Rom. 15:1,2; Gal. 6:1

Exhorting and reproving one another: Heb. 3:13; Gal. 6:1

Trespasses between brethren: Matt. 18:15-17

Whispering and backbiting: Ps. 101:5; Prov. 16:28; Prov. 26:20; Ps. 15:1-5

Family Prayer: I Pet. 3:7; Gen. 18:19; Eph. 6:4; Prov. 22:6

Church attendance: Heb. 10:25; Acts 20:7; I Cor. 16:2; Matt. 6:33

Contributing to the church: II Cor. 9:11-14; I Cor 16:2; Heb. 13:16

Support of the Ministry: I Cor. 9:11-14; Gal. 6:6; Luke 10:7; I Tim. 5:17,18

Departing from the fellowship: Acts 2:42-46; Heb. 3:13; Ps. 119:63

Rules of Decorum

PREAMBLE... From a long series of experiences we, who meekly trust we are the Church of Christ at Big Spring, Texas, desire to hold conference once a month.

1. The conference shall be composed of members of this church together with the members of Sister Churches, who are present and in fellowship and of the same faith and order, thereby having liberty to seats with us. (Acts 4:23; 15:6)

2. Conference shall be opened and closed with prayer to Almighty God. (I Timothy 2:1; I Thessalonians 5:17,18)

3. One shall be chosen to preside who shall be addressed under the appellation of Brother Moderator, and to him every speech shall be directed. (I Corinthians 14:26-40)

4. Omitted 11-14-53

5. A door shall be opened, when thought necessary, for the admission of new members into the church; but none shall be admitted except by unanimous consent, and who shall first verbally relate an experience of grace or give account of the work of God in the Soul. A persistent objector shall state the ground or reasons of his objections when called on, and if the Church considers the objection invalid, he shall be required to remove his objections. (I Peter 3:15)

6. No complaint of a private nature shall be brought into conference until the aggrieved party has complied with the directions in Matthew 18.

7. Every motion and seconded shall come under the consideration of conference unless withdrawn by the member who made it. (I Cor 14:40)

8. The majority shall rule in all matters coming before conference, except those touching fellowship; when an agreement seems impossible, the church shall call on adjacent Churches to send messengers and Elders to assist her in making an agreement.

9. All the proceedings of conference shall be recorded by the Clerk, and before conference adjourns the same shall be read and corrected if need be.

10. It shall be disorder to refuse to attend conference, to leave without permission from the moderator, for several to speak at the same time, to speak more that three times on one subject, for a member to go grieved in conference and does not speak of his grievance until afterwards, to speak in wrath, for the moderator to fail or refuse in maintaining order to hold the body in Sacred reverence to God.

11. Amendments may be made to these rules when desired by the majority present.

AMENDMENTS

1. Any member who absents himself from the assembly of the Church for a period of one year without lawful reason or providential hindrance will be subject to dismissal of their names from the membership roll. Should the dismissed member repent and become regular in their attendance again, his name will be replaced on the membership roll. (Hebrews 10:25) April 10, 1988.

2. Any deacon brother coming to this church by letter will not be recognized as a deacon in this local body for the period of one year, giving him time to prove his talent as a deacon amongst us, and then only if there is a majority vote in conference that a need exists for another deacon. (Acts 6:1-4) August 20, 1995.