Zion Lutheran Church, Hiawatha, iowa

Our Lord Jesus Christ commanded: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20) "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

That Christ's mission for his Church might be carried out according to his will, he has commanded that Christians unite in worship (Hebrews 10:24-25), practice fellowship with one another, and serve the needs of all men in Christian love (Ephesians 4:7-16; Mark 10:42-44; John 13:35; Galatians 6:10). Since Christians are also to administer the Office of the Keys and his church (John 20:21-23; Matthew 18:15-20), and to maintain decency and order (I Corinthians 14:40) in the church:

Therefore, we, Lutheran Christians living in and near Hiawatha, Iowa, accept and subscribe to the following Constitution and By-Laws, in accordance with which all affairs of our Congregation, both spiritual and material, shall be governed.

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ARTICLE I - NAME

The name of this congregation and corporation shall be Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church located in Hiawatha, Linn County, Iowa.

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ARTICLE II - PURPOSE (MISSION)

We at Zion Lutheran Church are believers in Christ, using his gifts to nurture and show God's love for all people by reaching out with faith in Christ, teaching and sharing all that Christ commands.

APPROACH TO ACHIEVING THIS PURPOSE

Our approach to achieving this purpose shall be:

A.To conduct worship services in which God's Word and the Gospel are proclaimed and the Sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion are rightly administered as set forth in the Holy Scriptures.

B.To pray, preach, teach, counsel, witness and fellowship in the power of the Holy Spirit in order to bring all those within the membership, and all those desiring membership, to a total commitment to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, and to living a Christian lifestyle following his example.

C.To provide a Christian education program that meets the needs and abilities of all age groups to the end that:

1.The Gospel is proclaimed to all children, youth and adults.
2.All members know the basic doctrines of the Christian faith and daily strive to live them.
3.All members have the correct understanding of the Sacraments, the efficacy of same in their lives, the importance of frequent participation in Holy Communion.
4.All members learn to pray, establish a prayer relationship with God and become intercessors for their fellow men.
5.All members are continually growing spiritually through Bible study and prayer and are involved in applying what they know in their daily living.
6.The spiritual gifts of all members are discovered, developed and used to the glory of God.

D.Through its membership and outreach ministries to take the Gospel beyond the congregation into the community and throughout the world in order that men may come to Christ as the Holy Spirit creates true faith through the sharing of God's word.

E.To minister man's spiritual, physical, social and emotional needs as they are related to the primary purpose of showing forth Christ's love, his compassion for all men, and his desire that all men be saved. (I John 4:21; Galatians 6:10; I Timothy 2:4; II Peter 3:9; Matthew 25:31-40).

F.To foster Christian fellowship (Galatians 6:10) through those social actions, ministries and events that are in keeping with God's word.

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ARTICLE III - DOCTRINAL CONFESSION

This Congregation accepts and acknowledges all the canonical books of the Old Testament and New Testament as the inspired and revealed Word of God, and all the Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church contained in the Book of Concord of the year 1580 as a true and correct exposition of Christian Doctrine taken from and in full agreement with the Holy Scriptures via:

The Three Ecumenical Creeds, namely: The Apostolic, the Nicene, the Athanasian
The Unaltered Augsburg Confession
The Apology of the Augsburg Confession
The Smalcald Articles
Luther's Large Catechism
Luther's Small Catechism
The Formula of Concord

All doctrinal controversies, which may arise in Zion Congregation, shall be decided and adjudicated according to the doctrines set forth in the documents listed.

No doctrine or practice in conflict, or inconsistent, with the above norms of our faith and practice (or life) shall be taught or tolerated in this Congregation.

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ARTICLE IV - SYNODICAL AFFILIATION

This congregation shall be affiliated with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod as long as the confessions and constitution of said Synod are in accord with confessions and constitution of this Congregation as written in ARTICLE III.

This Congregation shall, to the best of its ability, collaborate with said Synod and assist in effecting all sound measures intended for the building up of the Church and extending the Kingdom of God. It shall send its Pastor(s) and Lay Delegate to the District Convention of the Synod.

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ARTICLE V - MEMBERSHIP

The membership of this Congregation shall include the following:

A. Baptized Membership

Baptized members are all persons on the membership rolls who have been baptized in the name of the Triune God, including children who have not yet received the rite of public confirmation.

B. Communicant Membership

Communicant members are those who:

1. Are baptized in the name of the Triune God.

2. Have declared their acceptance of the confessions and this Congregation as contained in ARTICLE III of this Constitution.

3. Have been accepted into communicant membership in accordance with the By-laws of the Congregation and remain faithful to the responsibilities of membership as contained in these By-laws.

4. Do not live in manifest works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21), but lead a Christian life.

5. Are not members, affiliated or supporters of anti-Christian societies (lodges) or organizations conflicting with the Word of God and the conduct of a Christian (II Corinthians 6:14-18).

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ARTICLE VI - OFFICES OF PASTOR AND CALLED WORKERS

The pastoral office of the Congregation as well as that of a called worker shall be conferred upon such pastor(s) and called workers who profess acceptance of and pledge faithful adherence to the confessions of this Congregation as set forth in ARTICLE III of this Constitution.

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ARTICLE VII - POWERS OF THE CONGREGATION

A. General

The Congregation, subject to the limiting and regulations of this Constitution and its By-laws, shall have supreme power in the administration of its affairs. The Congregation, however, shall not be empowered to decide anything contrary to the Word of God and confessions of the Lutheran Church (ARTICLE III), and any such decision shall be null and void.

B. Right of Calling

The right of calling pastors or workers shall be vested in the Congregation and shall never be delegated to a smaller body or to an individual.

C. Decisions

Matters of doctrine and conscience shall be decided by the Word of God; other matters shall be decided by the Voters' Assembly by a majority vote unless otherwise specified by the Constitution or By-laws.

D. Powers of Officers, Boards and Committees

Congregational officers, boards or committees, whether elected or appointed by the voters, shall have no authority beyond that which has been conferred upon by the By-laws, and whatever power may have been delegated to them may at any time be altered or revoked by the voters.

E. Removal From Office

Any pastor, called worker or officer may be removed from office by the Congregation, by ballot, in Christian and lawful order, for one of the following causes: persistent adherence to false doctrines, scandalous life, and incapacity to perform his official duties or willful neglect of them.

F. Termination of Communicant Membership

The Congregation shall have the right to excommunicate members for sufficient Scriptural cause and to terminate membership for other reasons as described in the By-laws.

G. Organizations

Organizations may be formed within the Congregation only with the expressed approval of the Council, and all such organizations shall be under the supervision of the appropriate Administrative Board under whose jurisdiction they function, as designated by the Council. Only communicant members of the Congregation shall be officers of such organizations or groups. The Pastor(s) by virtue of his office may be the advisor for such organizations or groups within the Congregation.

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ARTICLE VIII - PROPERTY RIGHTS

The Congregation may acquire, hold title to, sell, transfer, convey and otherwise dispose of property, real, personal and mixed.

If, at any time, a separation should take place within this Congregation, the property of the Congregation and all benefits connected therewith shall remain with those members who continue to adhere in confession and practice to ARTICLE III of this Constitution. In the event the Congregation should totally disband, the property and all rights connected therewith shall be transferred to the Iowa District East of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

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ARTICLE IX - MANAGEMENT

A. Voting Membership

This Congregation shall be represented by and administer all its affairs through its Voting Membership.

Only communicant members, who have qualified according to the membership provisions of the By-laws, shall be received as Voting Members of this Congregation.

B. Officers

The corporate officers of this Congregation shall be: Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and Chairman of the Board of Trustees. The remaining officers of this Congregation shall be such officers, boards or committees as the By-laws of this Constitution may provide.

C. Council

The Council, elected by the Voters' Assembly, shall be structured as specified in the By-laws of this Constitution. It is empowered to carry out the normal and necessary functions of the Congregation delegated to it by the Voters' Assembly.

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ARTICLE X - DOCTRINAL LITERATURE

Only such hymns, prayers, and liturgies shall be used in the public services of the Congregation and in all ministerial acts as conform to the confessional standard of ARTICLE III. Likewise, in all classes for instruction in Christian doctrine, only such books shall be used as conform to this standard.

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ARTICLE XI - BY-LAWS

The Congregation may adopt such By-laws as may be required for the accomplishment of its purpose provided they are in accord with the Constitution.

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ARTICLE XII - AMENDMENTS

A.Unalterable Articles

ARTICLE III and ARTICLE XII, Paragraph A, of this Constitution or sections thereof shall be unaltered and irrepealable.

B.Amendments

Amendments to this Constitution and the By-Laws may be adopted at a Voters' Assembly, provided:

1.That they do not conflict with the provisions laid down in ARTICLE III and V, or with any section of any other article that pertains to Scriptural doctrine and practice; and

2.That the proposed amendment has been submitted in writing to the congregation at least three weeks prior to the Voters' Meeting. The intent to change the constitution and/or by-laws to be announced on two different Sundays prior to the date upon which the amendment is presented for action, and

3.That an affirmative vote of two-thirds majority of the voting membership present at the Voters' Assembly is attained for the adoption of an amendment.

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It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13 (NIV)

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