BY-LAWS

1. General. This is a sovereign church under the lordship of Jesus Christ. The Executive Committee retains unto itself the exclusive right of self-governance in all phases of the spiritual and temporal life of this church.

2. Candidacy. Any person may offer himself/herself as a candidate for membership in any of the following ways:
a. By public profession of faith in Jesus Christ and for baptism by immersion according to the policies of this church.
b. By promise of a letter of recommendation from a church of like faith, order, and doctrine, as per the accepted “Statement of Faith and Doctrine.”
c. By statement of prior conversion experience and baptism by immersion by a church of like faith, order and doctrine, as per the accepted “Statement of Faith and Doctrine” when a letter is unobtainable.

3. New Member Orientation. All candidates for church membership shall participate in the church's new member orientation plan conducted periodically as needed.

4. Termination of Membership. Membership shall be terminated by death; transfer to a church of like faith and order; moving from the area; or upon written request of the departing member.

5. Parliamentary Procedure. Robert's Rules of Order, Revised, shall be the authority for parliamentary rules of procedure for all business meetings of the church.

6. Church Finances. The Treasurer, in consultation with the pastor and Executive Committee, shall prepare and submit a budget, indicating by items the amount needed and sought for all expenses.

7. Financial Year. The financial year of the church shall be from January 1 through December 31.

8. Financial Control. Funds for any and all purposes shall pass through the hands of the Treasurer. The Treasurer shall properly record all income and disbursements in the books of the church. The officer(s) shall be bonded when possible.
A system of accounting that will adequately provide for the handling of all funds shall be the responsibility of the Treasurer.

9. Amendments. Changes in these By-Laws may be made at any regular meeting of the Executive Committee. A simple majority of a quorum of the Executive Committee is required to amend these By-Laws. A quorum is defined as a simple majority of the members Executive Committee.
 

CONSTITUTION

Preamble
We declare and establish this Constitution to preserve and secure the principles of our faith, and to govern the body in an orderly manner. This Constitution will preserve the liberties of each individual church member and the freedom of action of this body in its relation to other churches.

ARTICLE I: NAME
This body is henceforth known as Fellowship of the Emirates, of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The church met for the first time and was organized and constituted on January 23, 2006.

ARTICLE II: PURPOSES
The purposes of Fellowship of the Emirates are:
• To share with you the Great Commandment from Matthew 22:37-40 To love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.
• To share with you the Great Commission from Matthew 28:19-20 To go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.
• To share in the work of the Savior as we experience His life, His Values and priorities in our lives through our fellowship with Him.
• To Share our own burdens, joys, concerns and aspirations and be available to hear what others are saying so we may minister to needs according to the scriptures (Acts 2:42)
• To Share and communicate truth together and building up one another through our home groups (Romans 1:11-12)
• To Share with one another not only our talents (spiritual gifts), our temple (our body), our time, and God’s truth, but also the treasures, the material blessings that God gives us (Romans 12:13)
• To Share with you in training our children ...in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it. (Proverbs 22:6)
• To Share in joining our lives to His by allowing the “fruit of the spirit” to grow in us (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control) (Gal. 5:22)
• To Share our true feelings, encourage each other, support each other, forgive each other, speak the truth in love, admit our weaknesses, respect our differences, not gossip and make a group a priority.

ARTICLE III: STATEMENT OF FAITH AND DOCTRINE
The Holy Bible is the inspired word of God and is the basis for any statement of faith and doctrine. The church subscribes to the attached Statement of Faith and Doctrine. We band ourselves together as a body of immersed believers in Jesus Christ personally committed to sharing the good news of salvation to lost mankind.

ARTICLE IV: ORDINANCES
SECTION A. Baptism by Immersion [MATT 28:16-20]
A person who receives Jesus Christ as Savior by personal faith and who indicates a commitment to follow Christ as Lord shall be received as a candidate for baptism by immersion.
SECTION B. The Lord's Supper [I COR 11:17-34]
The Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby believers in Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior, through partaking of the bread and fruit of the vine, commemorating the death of Jesus Christ and anticipating His Second Coming. The Lord's Supper shall be observed during worship services regularly.

ARTICLE V: RELATIONSHIPS
The government of Fellowship of the Emirates is vested in the Executive Committee and the body of believers who compose it. It is subject to the control of no other ecclesiastical body, but it recognizes and sustains the obligations of mutual counsel and cooperation that are common among churches of like faith, order and doctrine. The church may choose to affiliate with the Council of Evangelical Churches of the United Arab Emirates (CEC) or other bodies as the Executive Committee deems appropriate and necessary.

ARTICLE VI: CHURCH COVENANT
Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord and, on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we do now, in the presence of God, and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another as one body in Christ.
We believe in the meaning of the acrostic SHARE:
S – Serve Others
H – Honor God
A – Abide in Christ
R – Reach Out
E – Emulate Christ

ARTICLE VII: OFFICERS
The officers of this church are as follows:
SECTION A. Pastor [I TIM 3:1-7]
The pastor shall be responsible for leading the church to function as a New Testament church. The pastor leads the congregation, the organizations, and the church staff to perform their tasks.
The pastor shall be the leader of pastoral ministries in the church. As such, he works with the Executive Committee and church staff to lead the church in the achievement of its mission; proclaim the gospel to believers and unbelievers; and, care for the church's members and other persons in the community.
A pastor shall be chosen and called by the Executive Committee whenever a vacancy occurs.
The pastor shall serve until the relationship is terminated by (1) his written request, which shall be a thirty-day notice at the time of resignation before terminating his responsibilities as pastor; or (2) the Executive Committee's written request.
SECTION B. Church Staff
This church shall call or employ such staff members as the Executive Committee shall decide. Job descriptions shall be written as the need for staff members is determined.
SECTION C. Executive Committee
The Executive Committee is the governing body of the church. There shall be a minimum of seven members on the Executive Committee and shall be an odd number. New members shall be nominated and approved by members of the Executive Committee.
SECTION D. Clerk
The Executive Committee shall appoint or hire a church clerk. The clerk shall keep a suitable record of all the actions of the church, except as otherwise herein provided. The clerk is responsible for keeping a register of the names of members, with dates of admission, transfer, or death, together with a record of baptisms.
SECTION F. Treasurer
The Executive Committee shall appoint a treasurer. The treasurer shall receive, preserve, and pay out, upon receipt of vouchers approved and signed by authorized personnel, all money, or things of value paid or given to the church, keeping at all times an itemized account of all receipts and disbursements. The treasurer shall render to the Executive Committee an itemized report of the receipts and disbursements of the church.

ARTICLE IX: FORMATION OF THE CHURCH
Fellowship of the Emirates shall be formed by the unanimous adoption of the Constitution by the founding Executive Committee.

ARTICLE X: AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION
Changes in this Constitution may be made at any regular or special meeting of the Executive Committee. A majority of three-quarters of a quorum of the Executive Committee is required to amend this Constitution. A quorum is defined as a simple majority of the members Executive Committee.

ARTICLE XI: BY-LAWS
The Executive Committee may make, alter, supplement and repeal the By-Laws of Fellowship of the Emirates, as long as such actions are properly on the agenda of a regular meeting of the Executive Committee and do not conflict with this Constitution or with the laws of Dubai and the U.A.E. All members will be promptly notified of changes in the By-Laws.

ARTICLE XII: DISSOLUTION
If for any reason the church ceases to exist or changes its identity, the assets shall be disposed of as the Executive Committee decides.

As adopted April 10,  2007