Excerpts from New Life Fellowship’s Congregational Bylaws

ARTICLE II. PREROGATIVES AND PURPOSES
The prerogatives and purposes of a General Council affiliated assembly shall be: 

A. To Govern
This assembly shall have the right to govern itself and to conduct its own affairs according to the standard of the New Testament Scriptures and of the District Council and the General Council. This right shall specifically include such matters as the calling of a pastor, the election of the Church Leadership Council, the discipline of its members and the conducting of its own services and church ministry.

B. To Acquire and Dispose
In connection therewith, or incidental thereto, this assembly shall have the right to purchase or acquire by gift, bequest or otherwise, either directly or as trustee, and to own, hold in trust, use, sell, convey, mortgage, lease, or otherwise dispose of any real estate or chattels as may be necessary for the furtherance of its purposes, and to exercise all other powers conferred upon it by its charter or by the applicable nonprofit corporation law of this.

C. To Worship, Fellowship, and Propagate
The purpose of this assembly shall be to establish and maintain a place for the worship of Almighty God, our Heavenly Father; to provide for Christian fellowship for those of like precious faith, where the Holy Spirit may be honored according to our distinctive testimony; and to assume our share of responsibility and the privilege of propagating the gospel of Jesus Christ by all available means, both at home and in foreign lands. A part of this focus will be to establish new churches in keeping with the scriptural model given by the apostles.

D. To Cooperate
This assembly shall cooperate with the District Council and the General Council to extend the work and kingdom of God throughout the world. It shall support the missionary program as agreed upon. It shall participate in District Council and General Council sessions through its chosen delegates and share in the support of the ministries of these bodies.

E. To Recognize
This assembly shall recognize that the District Council and the General Council have the authority and right to approve scriptural doctrine and conduct; also to disapprove un-scriptural doctrine and conduct and to withdraw their certificates of membership if deemed necessary.

ARTICLE III. AFFILIATION
While maintaining its inherent rights to sovereignty in the conduct of its own affairs as herein set forth, this assembly shall voluntarily enter into full cooperative fellowship with assemblies of like precious faith, associated in the Illinois District Council of the Assemblies of God, with headquarters in Carlinville, Illinois, and the General Council of the Assemblies of God, with headquarters in Springfield, Missouri; and shall share in the privileges and assume the responsibilities enjoined by that affiliation. Officers of the District Council and General Council shall be recognized and respected by the Pastor and members of this assembly.[*]As a member of the General Council, this assembly has the right to request the assistance of both the District Council and the General Council in dealing with any of its problems, upon the request of the Pastor, a majority of the Church Leadership Council, or a petition signed by at least twenty percent (20%) of the active voting members of the assembly. 
Only those members who have regularly attended services of, and supported, this assembly for a period of at least three consecutive months prior to signing the petition shall be counted. It is understood and agreed that this assembly shall conform its standards of membership, qualifications for Elders and Deacons, and requirements for a pastor to those standards set by the District Council and the General Council. By its affiliation, the assembly-directors, officers, and members-agree to submit to the authority of and be governed by the Constitution and Bylaws of both the Illinois District Council of the Assemblies of God and the General Council of the Assemblies of God as now in effect or hereafter amended.

ARTICLE IV. TENETS OF FAITH
The Bible is our all-sufficient rule for faith and practice. This Statement of Fundamental Truths is intended simply as a basis of fellowship among us (i.e., that we all speak the same thing, 1 Corinthians 1:10; Acts 2:42). The phraseology employed in this statement is not inspired or contended for, but the truth set forth is held to be essential to a full-gospel ministry. No claim is made that it contains all biblical truth, only that it covers our need as to these fundamental doctrines.

A. The Scriptures Inspired
The Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are verbally inspired of God and are the revelation of God to mankind, the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct (1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:21)

B. The One True God
The one true God has revealed himself as the eternally self-existent “I AM,” the Creator of heaven and earth and the Redeemer of mankind. He has further revealed himself as embodying the principles of relationship and association as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 43:10,11; Matthew 28:19; Luke 3:22).

1. THE ADORABLE GODHEAD
(a) Terms Defined
The terms “trinity” and ”persons,” as related to the Godhead, while not found in the Scriptures, are words in harmony with Scripture, whereby we may convey to others our immediate understanding of the doctrine of Christ respecting the Being of God, as distinguished from “gods many and lords many.” We therefore may speak with propriety of the Lord our God, who is One Lord, as a Trinity or as one Being of three persons, and still be absolutely scriptural (see, for example, Matthew 28:19; John 14:16, 17; 2 Corinthians 13:14)

(b) Distinction and Relationship in the Godhead
Christ taught a distinction of persons in the Godhead which He expressed in specific terms of relationship, as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, but that this distinction and relationship, as to its mode is inscrutable and incomprehensible, because unexplained (Matthew 11:25-27; 28:19; Luke 1:35; 1 Corinthians 1:24; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 John 1:3,4).

(c) Unity of the One Being of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Accordingly, therefore, there is that in the Son which constitutes Him the Son and not the Father; and there is that in the Holy Ghost which constitutes Him the Holy Ghost and not either the Father or the Son. Wherefore the Father is the Begetter; the Son is the Begotten; and the Holy Ghost is the One proceeding from the Father and the Son. Therefore, because these three persons in the Godhead are in a state of unity, there is but one Lord God Almighty and His name one (Zechariah 14:9; John 1:18; 15:2; 17:11, 21).

(d) Identity and Cooperation in the Godhead
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are never identical as to person; nor confused as to relation; nor divided in respect to the Godhead; nor opposed as to cooperation. The Son is in the Father and the Father is in the Son as to relationship. The Son is with the Father and the Father is with the Son, as to fellowship. The Father is not from the Son, but the Son is from the Father, as to authority. The Holy Ghost is from the Father and the Son proceeding, as to nature, relationship, cooperation and authority. Therefore, no person in the Godhead either exists or works separately or independently of the others (John 5:17-30, 32, 37; 8:17, 18).

(e) The Title, Lord Jesus Christ
The appellation “Lord Jesus Christ” is a proper name. It is never applied in the New Testament either to the Father or to the Holy Ghost. It therefore, belongs exclusively to the Son of God (Romans 1:1-3, 7; 2 John 3).

(f) The Lord Jesus Christ, God With Us
The Lord Jesus Christ, as to His divine and eternal nature, is the proper and only Begotten of the Father, but as to His human nature, He is the proper Son of Man. He is, therefore, acknowledged to be both God and man; who because He is divine and human, is “Immanuel,” God with us (Matthew 1:23; 1 John 4:2, 10, 14; Revelation 1:13, 17).

(g) The Title, Son of God
Since the name “Immanuel” embraces both God and man, in one Person, our Lord Jesus Christ, it follows that the title “Son of God” describes His proper deity, and the title “Son of Man,” His proper humanity. Therefore, the title “Son of God” belongs to the order of eternity, and the title “Son of Man” to the order (Matthew 1:21-23; Hebrews 1:1-13; 7:3; 1 John 3:8; 2 John 3).

(h) Transgression of the Doctrine of Christ
Wherefore, it is a transgression of the doctrine of Christ to say that Jesus Christ derived the title “Son of God” solely from the fact of the Incarnation, or because of His relation to the economy of redemption. Therefore, to deny that the Father is a real and eternal Father, and that the Son is a real and eternal Son, is a denial of the distinction and relationship in the Being of God; a denial of the Father and the Son; and a displacement of the truth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh (John 1:1, 2, 14, 18, 29, 49; Hebrews 12:2; 1 John 2:22, 23; 4:1-5; 2 John 9).

(i) Exaltation of Jesus Christ as Lord
The Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, having by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high, angels and principalities and powers having been made subject unto Him. And having been made both Lord and Christ, He sent the Holy Ghost that we, in the name of Jesus, might bow our knees and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father until the end, when the Son shall become subject to the Father that God may be all in all (Acts 2:32-36; Romans 14:11; 1 Corinthians 15:24-28; Hebrews 1:3; 1 Peter 3:22).

(j)Equal Honor to the Father and to the Son
Wherefore, since the Father has delivered all judgment unto the Son, it is not only the express duty of all in heaven and on earth to bow the knee, but is an unspeakable joy in the Holy Ghost to ascribe unto the Son all the attributes of deity, and to give Him all the honor and the glory contained in all the names and titles of the Godhead except those which express relationship (see paragraphs [b], [c], and [d]), and thus honor the Son even as we honor the Father (John 5:22, 23; Philippians 2:8, 9; 1 Peter 1:8; Revelation 4:8-11; 5:6-14; 7:9, 10).

C. The Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ
The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. The Scriptures declare:
1. His virgin birth (Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:31, 35).
2. His sinless life (Hebrews 7:26; 1 Peter 2:22).
3. His miracles (Acts 2:22; 10:38).
4. His substitutionary work on the Cross ( 1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
5. His bodily resurrection from the dead (Matthew 28:6; Luke 24-39; 1 Corinthians 15:4).
6. His exaltation to the right hand of God (Acts 1:9, 11; 2:33; Philippians 2:9-11; Hebrews 1:3). 

D. The Fall of Mankind
The human race was created good and upright; for God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” However, man by voluntary transgression fell and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation from God (Genesis 1:26, 27; 2:17; 3:6; Romans 5:12-19).

E. The Salvation of Mankind
Mankind’s only hope of redemption is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God.

1. CONDITIONS TO SALVATION
Salvation is received through repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. By the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, being justified by grace through faith, a person becomes an heir of God according to the hope of eternal life (Luke 24:47; John 3:3; Romans 10:13-15; Ephesians 2:8; Titus 2:11; 3:5-7)

2. THE EVIDENCES OF SALVATION
The inward evidence of salvation is the direct witness of the Spirit (Romans 8:16). The outward evidence to all people is a life of righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians 4:24; Titus 2:12).

F. The Ordinances of the Church
1. BAPTISM IN WATER
The ordinance of baptism by immersion is commanded in the Scriptures. All who repent and believe on Christ as Savior and Lord are to be baptized. Thus they declare to the world that they have died with Christ and that they also have been raised with Him to walk in newness of life (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:16; Acts 10:47, 48; Romans 6:4).

2. HOLY COMMUNION
The Lord’s Supper, consisting of the elements-bread and the fruit of the vine-is the symbol expressing our sharing the divine nature of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:4); a memorial of His suffering and death (1 Corinthians 11:26); and a prophecy of His second coming (1 Corinthians 11:26); and is enjoined on all believers “till He comes.”

G. The Baptism in the Holy Ghost
All believers are entitled to and should ardently expect and earnestly seek the promise of the Father, the baptism in the Holy Ghost and fire, according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the normal experience of all in the early Christian church. With it comes the endowment of power for life and service, the bestowment of the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry (Luke 24:29; Acts 1:4, 8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31). This experience is distinct from and subsequent to the experience of the new birth (Acts 8:12-17; 10:44-46; 11:14-16; 15:7-9). With the baptism in the Holy Ghost come such experiences as an overflowing fullness of the Spirit (John 7:37-39; Acts 4:8), a deepened reverence for God (Acts 2:43; Hebrews 12:28), an intensified consecration to God and dedication to His work (Acts 2:42), and a more active love for Christ, for his Word, and for the lost (Mark 16:20).

H. The Initial Physical Evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit
The baptism of believers in the Holy Ghost is witnessed by the initial physical sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit of God gives them utterance (Acts 2:4). The speaking in tongues in this instance is the same in essence as the gift of tongues (1 Corinthians 12:4-10, 28), but different in purpose and use.

I. Sanctification
Sanctification is an act of separation from that which is evil, and of dedication unto God (Romans 12:1, 2; Hebrews 13:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:23), Scriptures teach a life of “holiness without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). By the power of the Holy Ghost we are able to obey the command: ”Be ye holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15, 16).

Sanctification is realized in the believer by recognizing his identification with Christ in His death and resurrection, and by faith reckoning daily upon the fact of that union, and by offering every faculty continually to the dominion of the Holy Spirit (Romans 6:1-11, 13; 8:1, 2, 13; Galatians 2:20; Philippians 2:12, 13; 1 Peter 1:5).

J. The Church and Its Mission
The Church is the body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of her Great Commission. Each believer, born of the Spirit, is an integral part of the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven (Ephesians 1:22, 23; 2:22; Hebrews 12:23). Since God’s purpose concerning humanity is to seek and to save that which is lost, to be worshipped by people, and to build a body of believers in the image of His Son, the priority reason-for-being of the Assemblies of God as part of the Church is:

1. To be an agency of God for evangelizing the world (Matthew 28:19, 20; Mark 16:15, 16; Acts 1:8).

2. To be a corporate body in which people may worship God (1 Corinthians 12:13).

3. To be a channel of God’s purpose to build a body of saints being perfected in the image of His Son. (1 Corinthians 12:28; 14:12; Ephesians 4:11-16). More specifically, the stated vision of New Life Fellowship Church is:“People Helping People Discover God and Realize Their Full Potential, One Step at a Time.”The Assemblies of God exists expressly to give continuing emphasis to this reason-for-being in the New Testament apostolic pattern by teaching and encouraging believers to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. 

This experience:
1. Enables them to evangelize in the power of the Spirit with accompanying supernatural signs (Mark 16:15-20; Acts 4:29-31; Hebrews 2:3, 4).

2. Adds a necessary dimension to a worshipful relationship with God (1 Corinthians 2:10-16; 12 through 14).

3. Enables them to respond to the full working of the Holy Spirit in expression of fruit and gifts and ministries as in New Testament times for the edifying of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:28; 14:12; Galatians 5:22-26; Ephesians 4:11, 12; Colossians 1:29).

K. The Ministry
A divinely called and scriptural ordained ministry has been provided by our Lord for the threefold purpose of leading the Church in (1) evangelization of the world (Mark 16:15-20), (2) worship of God (John 4:23, 24), and (3) building a body of saints being perfected in the image of His Son (Ephesians 4:11, 16).L. Divine Healing
Divine healing is an integral part of the gospel. Deliverance from sickness is provided for in the Atonement, and is the privilege of all believers (Isaiah 53:4, 5; Matthew 8:16, 17; James 5:14-16).

M. The Blessed Hope
The resurrection of those who have fallen asleep in Christ and their translation together with those who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord is the imminent and blessed hope of the Church (Romans 8:23; 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17; Titus 2:13).

N. The Millennial Reign of Christ
The second coming of Christ includes the rapture of the saints, which is our blessed hope, followed by the visible return of Christ with His saints to reign on the earth for one thousand years (Zechariah 14:5; Matthew 24:27, 30; Revelation 1:7; 19:11-14; 20:1-6). This millennial reign will bring the salvation of national Israel (Ezekiel 37:21, 22; Zephaniah 3:19, 20; Romans 11:26, 27) and the establishment of universal peace (Psalms 72:3-8; Isaiah 11:6-9; Micah 4:3, 4).

O. The Final Judgment
There will be a final judgment in which the wicked dead will be raised and judged according to their works. Whosoever is not found written in the Book of Life, together with the devil and his angels, the beast and the false prophet, will be consigned to everlasting punishment in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death (Matthew 25:46; Mark 9:43-48; Revelation 19:20; 20:11-15, 21:8).P. The New Heavens and the New Earth
“We, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13; see also Revelation 21 and 22).