Fellowship Guidelines

“GUIDELINES FOR THE PREACHER’S FELLOWSHIP”

NAME:
The name of this fellowship is the “Tri-State Independent Baptist Preacher’s Fellowship.” It is composed of Independent Baptist Pastors, lay Preachers, Evangelists, and Missionaries.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE:
This Fellowship was organized for the exalting of Christ and the encouraging of preachers through the “Preaching of the Word of God.” It does not serve as a platform for axe-grinding or arguing over non-essential preferences. Promotion of Ministries and or ministerial aids will be left to the discretion of the moderator and the host pastor. The fellowship meets on the first Thursday of each month at 10:00am in a church where it is invited. An invitation to host the meeting may be made by contacting the moderator to check the availability of dates and thereby book the meeting. The meeting date may be moved one week back or one week ahead to accommodate the host pastor or if there is a conflict with a holiday.

DOCTRINAL STATEMENT FOR THE FELLOWSHIP:
1. We believe in the verbal inspiration and authority of the Scriptures. We believe that the King James Bible is the preserved Word of God for the English-speaking world. We believe that the Bible reveals God, the fall of man, the way of salvation, and God’s plan and purpose in all ages.
2. We believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
3. We Believe in the Deity, Virgin Birth, and Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
4. We believe that salvation is “by grace” plus nothing minus nothing. The conditions to salvation are repentance and faith.
5. We believe that men are justified by faith alone and are accounted righteous before God only through merit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
6. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling, and sealing them unto the day of redemption. We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit and that ultimately deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing.
7. We believe the visible, personal, and premillennial return of Jesus Christ.
8. We believe in the everlasting conscious blessedness of the saved and the everlasting conscious punishment of the lost.
9. We believe in the autonomy of the Local church.
10. We believe in the obligation of every church to support missions.
11. We believe there are two church ordinances: Baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper.
12. We believe that every participant should practice Ecclesiastical separation and every believer should practice personal separation from the world
13. We believe in Traditional, Biblical Standards in areas of dress, appearance and church music.

GUIDELINES FOR SELECTION OF PREACHERS:
The moderator of the fellowship and the host pastor will select the Preachers for each meeting. Usually this will consist of the host pastor selecting one preacher and the Moderator selecting the other preacher. However, in special circumstances this process may be varied with the approval of the Moderator. Those individuals who are selected to preach should be men who maintain the same doctrinal stance of the other participants of the fellowship (Independent Baptist Preachers) and who meet the qualifications of I Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS:
1. The officers of the fellowship shall consist of Moderator, Vice Moderator and Secretary/Treasurer.
2. These officers will be elected for a term of one year.
3. The Moderator may serve no more than two consecutive terms.
4. Officers nominated should be active, Independent
Baptist participants of the fellowship.
5. The officers shall be nominated in the October meeting, afterwards a committee of former moderators will count the nominations and interview the top nomination or nominations to see if they are willing, able and qualify to serve.
6. In the November’s meeting the committee will make a recommendation or recommendations for each office for approval or vote.
7. The new officers shall assume their offices in January of the New Year.