NEW HOPE BAPTIST CHURCH

ORIGINAL CONSTITUTION - 1874

Articles of Faith

  1. We believe in one living and true God, acting under three characters, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, equal in power and glory, who is the only Creator and preserver of all things visible and invisible, sin only excepted.

  2. We believe that Jesus Christ is the only Savior of lost sinners, and that there is no other means of salvation but by Him as he is held forth in the gospel.

  3. We believe in the final perseverance of Saints, in the resurrection of the dead, in the final judgement, and everlasting reward and punishment.

Church Government

A particular church is a company of Saints assembled together, by a special covenant, into one distinct body, to be fitly ordered to enjoy constant fellowship with Christ, through the Spirit in all His ways and ordinances, to their mutual edification, and to the glory of God.

Covenant

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we the members of the Baptist Church of Christ at New Hope in Cleveland County, North Carolina both male and female, having given ourselves unto the Lord, and to one another, and esteeming ourselves a member of a scriptural body, accountable to it, and subject to its control, and not to be separated therefrom, except by consent, first had or unreasonably refused, do engage through divine assistance to comply with all the requisitions of the gospel, submit to each other in love as brethren in the Lord, by strictly observing all rules presented in the Word of God, for church government. In testimony and ratification thereof we sign our names.

(The above transcribed from original church book (B) to this book (C) by Sallie L. Bettis September 27, 1911.)

Church Rules

  1. Church members are to be received, first by repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and second by immersion and right hand of fellowship.

  2. We profess a subjection to the goodly laws and rules of the State, as well as church so far as it does not infringe on our conscientious privileges.

  3. We consider ourselves bound by the Gospel to assemble together at all convenient times or stated meetings, and any male member not attending such stated meetings is requested to send the cause thereof if convenient and if not, to attend the next meeting and show the cause himself.

  4. No church member is to take any strange thing in hand, to act therewith or therein without consulting the church or eldership.

  5. All the members of the church shall bear their part of all expenses according to their several abilities, especially in the supporting the Lord's table, the minister's table and the table of the poor of the church.

  6. The minister is to be subservient to the church, her gospel calls and orders.

  7. All public controversies existing between church members, touching their temporal concerns, are to be brought regularly into the church, and then transmitted to the judges, appointed for such matters; and they are to adjudge the same, and return their judgement to the church and with the church's approval, it shall stand, thus stand decided, that church members may not go to law one with another.

  8. Any member, privately aggrieved is not to declare it to any, so as to make the public, but only the offender, except the matter be difficult in such case an elder must be consulted for advice, as to how to proceed, but offenses that are public require public confession and public dealing.

  9. All matters of church government which are not public are not to be spoken of before the world, on pain of being brought under the censure of the church for the same.

  10. No member of the church shall make, buy, or sell ardent spirits, or use them as a beverage.

  11. Members that have an impression to preach the gospel, shall first be under the hearing of the church and await her common suffrage before they shall go forth in a public way to preach and, if the church forbids, they must desist.

  12. If church members withdraw themselves from the Lord's table at the times of communion, they shall show to the church the cause thereof and, if they show not the cause, they are to abide by the councils of the church.

This church possess an opinion and a privilege of reconsidering causes that are adjudged by the majority of the church to be improperly decided, provided it appears manifest that the church lacked such testimony as they consider would have been necessary to an administration of justice and equity and which testimony they have means of obtaining.

R. K. Porter
L. M. Logan C. C.

(The above was this day transcribed by Sallie L. Bettis September 27, 1911 from original church book (B).)

In testimony and ratification of the foregoing constitution, rules, and by-laws, we here unto subscribe our names as members of New Hope Baptist Church, Cleveland County, North Carolina.

(Constitution as it appears in Record Book 1, 1911-1915.)

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Last Revised: September 1, 2003