What Might Govern Our Relationships After Dec 14.pdf

The Christian life is lived in relationship, or rather—relationships. Last July, Pastor John preached a sermon series on the importance of membership and the desire for an increasingly “relational culture” at Bethlehem. He said,

“We believe that membership is a New Testament expectation for all believers” and he added,

• We should find our place in the organic whole as a body part—a member—of a local body of Christ.
• We should declare ourselves part of a group who expect to be watched over and cared for by a particular group of elders.
• We should take our position under the leadership and authority of a particular group of elders.
• We should take responsibility to discipline those of the body who do not repent from public sin that brings reproach on the name of Christ.
• We should declare ourselves part of the body so that if we are wayward, we ourselves would be liable to such exclusion.

That is God’s plan for us and for this church. That’s what we mean by membership. All of those aspects of membership are rooted in the truth that the local church is an expression of the universal church.

At last summer’s Quarterly Strategy Meeting (7/27/08), the elders presented several proposed changes to Bethlehem’s Constitution and By-Laws which clarify the role of deacon, update wording in our Church Covenant, and incorporate a Bethlehem version of Peacemaker Ministry’s “Relational Commitments” in our governing documents. Members will vote on three motions to amend our constitution and by-laws at our Annuall Meeting on December 14:

1. By-laws changes related to the role of deacon (approved by the elders on July 1, 2008)
2. Constitution changes made to the Church Covenant (approved by the elders on July 22, 2008)
3. Constitution and by-laws changes to include “by reference” a Bethlehem version of Peacemaker’s “Relational Commitments” document (approved by the elders on July 22, 2008), as well as several related changes to support this inclusion.

That third item updates our constitution and by-laws to include a document that helps define and govern important relational issues such as peacemaking and reconciliation, marriage and divorce, counseling and confidentiality, mutual accountability, and protecting children from abuse.

Why do we need the Relational Commitments?

The biggest reason is that the Relational Commitments clearly spell out in one place many of the benefits and expectations of “body life” for covenant members of Bethlehem. It is our hope that, as a   communication tool, these documents adequately convey the weightiness, seriousness, and blessedness of church membership.

Additionally, obtaining the consent of Bethlehem members will more adequately allow the governing documents and practices of the church to be followed together as a body, resorting to other governing authorities—such as the civil litigation system (i.e., the courts)—only as a last resort.

What are the benefits of adopting the Relational Commitments?

• They remind us of our mutual commitment to work together to pursue unity, maintain friendships, preserve marriages, and build relationships that reflect the love of Christ.
• They help to prevent surprises, confusion and conflict, and disappointed expectations by describing how we expect to relate to one another within the church.
• They provide a clear track for us to run on when conflict threatens to divide us, and they remind us how to move quickly toward reconciliation.
• They establish guidelines for how our leaders will counsel others, guard confidential information, and protect our children from abuse.
• They define and limit the spiritual authority of church leaders and insure that all members are treated fairly.
• Finally, they reduce our church's exposure to legal liability by clearly establishing our relational practices and by affirming our mutual commitment to resolve conflict biblically.

Please Vote

In order to effectively utilize these Relational Commitments as governing documents for Bethlehem, they must be formally adopted by the members (10% of whom must be present). If adopted, at a future date (possibly our next Covenant Affirmation Sunday in January), a consent form will be distributed to all current members of Bethlehem to personally affirm these commitments. Prospective new members will learn about our Relational Commitments as a standard portion of future ASK (membership) classes and interviews.

All members are urged to vote at the Downtown Campus at 6:30pm on Sunday, December 14, at our 2008 Annual Meeting where there will be opportunity for discussion prior to the vote. Descriptions of recommended changes are available at hopeinGod.org/CurrentTopics.aspx and at the Info Booths.

Praying for God’s enabling to live lives of love together,

Sam Crabtree, Executive Minister,

Jon Grano, Pastor for Operations,

and Bryan Pickering, Elder