The 15th Edition November 2016

TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................................................... 0

STATEMENT OF FAITH ......................................................................................................................... 1

MISSION STATEMENT .......................................................................................................................... 1

CORE VALUES ....................................................................................................................................... 1

CONSTITUTION .................................................................................................................................... 2

1 Name ......................................................................................................................................... 2

2 Purpose ...................................................................................................................................... 2

BY-LAWS ............................................................................................................................................... 2

1 Denominational Affiliation .......................................................................................................... 2

2 Operation .................................................................................................................................. 2

3 Baptism ...................................................................................................................................... 2

4 Method Of Support ................................................................................................................... 2

5 Non-Profit Clause ....................................................................................................................... 2

6 Dissolution ................................................................................................................................. 3

7 Membership ............................................................................................................................... 3

8 Articles Of Ministry And Purpose ............................................................................................... 4

9 Devotional Meetings .................................................................................................................. 4

10 Business Meetings ..................................................................................................................... 4

11 Membership Roll ........................................................................................................................ 5

12 Officers ...................................................................................................................................... 6

13 The Deacon Board ..................................................................................................................... 7

14 Committees ............................................................................................................................... 8

15 Other Committees ..................................................................................................................... 9

16 Other Structures ......................................................................................................................... 9

17 Property ..................................................................................................................................... 9

18 Delegates .................................................................................................................................. 9

19 Amendments ............................................................................................................................10

20 Church Records .........................................................................................................................10

BRIEF HISTORY ....................................................................................................................................11

WESTSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH Member’s Handbook (The 15th Edition) November 2016

STATEMENT OF FAITH We believe the Scripture is the inspired

Word of God. It is inerrant and is the authority for our faith and everyday living.

We believe that there is only one true God in the universe. He is the creator of the whole universe.

We believe Jesus Christ as the only Savior of humankind. He is born of the virgin Mary and is sinless. Thus His shedding blood on the cross can save us from sin. He rose from the dead after three days and ascended to heaven and is now sitting on the right hand side of God.

We believe that humans are sinners and cannot save themselves. But through repentance and acceptance of Jesus, sin can be forgiven and humankind shall receive eternal life.

We believe in the Holy Spirit who dwells in the heart of all believers enabling each believer’s everyday living.

We believe that the church is ordained by God and is consisted of born-again believers. Through their lives God can be glorified and His mission on earth fulfilled.

We believe that Jesus Christ will come again in glory and in power. He will judge all the living and the dead

MISSION STATEMENT Building a community of God, fulfilling

God's commissioned ministries.

CORE VALUES W Worshipping God in a culturally relevant

context (Rev. 4:11)

E Evangelizing through one’s lifestyle and the whole Christian community (Romans 1:16)

S Sharing our love through small groups (Heb. 10:24)

T Teaching the word of God as the authority of Life (II Tim. 3:16-17)

S Sending people into the world to fulfill the greatest commission (Acts 1:8)

I Integrating faith into everyday life and being His witness (Col. 1:28)

D Developing new models of ministries strategically for the furtherance of His Kingdom (Matt. 28:19-20)

E Equipping the laity to do the work of the ministries for the functioning of the whole body (Eph. 4:11-12)

CONSTITUTION 1 Name

The name of this local church is WESTSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH.

2 Purpose

Our main purpose for existing is to glorify God. We believe this will happen as our members live consistent Christian lives, and as we, as a congregation, maintain a balanced ministry of corporate worship, evangelism, discipleship, education, and Christian ministries of compassion and service using the gifted individuals which God has sent to our church. We further exist to engage in Christian ministry in our community, our country and around the world through the missionary and relief agencies of our denomination and other charitable works that, from time to time, we agree to support. This congregation may hold property and other assets for the purpose of facilitating the main purpose for which it has been constituted.

BY-LAWS

1 Denominational Affiliation

This Church is in association and agrees to cooperate with the Canadian Baptists Of Western Canada or their missionary and service agencies. This provision was previously unalterable.

2 Operation

The operations of this Church are to be chiefly carried on in Vancouver, BC.

3 Baptism

This Church practises believer’s baptism by immersion as taught in the New Testament and practised in New Testament times. Through believer’s baptism, individuals take their place in our congregation that we believe under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, is governed according to democratic principles.

4 Method Of Support

The expenses of this Church are defrayed by the voluntary tithes and offerings of its members and adherents. Offering will be received during worship services, for both regular current expenditures and missionary purposes. Special offerings may be taken for charitable purposes any time upon approval of the Deacon Board.

5 Non-Profit Clause

The organization called Westside Baptist Church shall be carried on without purpose of gain for its members and any profits or other gains to the organization called Westside Baptist Church shall be used in promoting its objectives.

6 Dissolution

In the event of winding up and dissolution, the assets remaining after the retirement of all debts, shall be transferred and delivered to the Baptist Union of Western Canada, a charitable organization under Federal Charter in Calgary, or to its successors or assigns. The Church shall be considered dissolved, however, if so decided by the membership, or when the Church has not held an annual business meeting for three years, or when fewer than ten members remain. This provision was previously unalterable.

7 Membership

7.1 In order to clearly maintain and commend believer’s baptism, membership shall be restricted to those who have been baptized upon a credible profession of faith.

7.2 A believer, regardless of age, after a review of this Constitution and By-Laws, after approval of the Pastoral Team and the Deacon Board, and after election to membership at a congregational meeting, shall be admitted to the membership of the congregation in one of the following ways:

7.2.1 By confession of faith in Jesus Christ as personal Saviour and Lord upon baptism by immersion; he or she then becomes a member of the Church simultaneously with baptism. Ordinarily, baptism is the initiation into church membership.

7.2.2 The congregation may approve baptism by another mode, and accept into membership a person who may not be baptized by immersion for medical reasons. In such a situation, however, there shall

be a clear presentation of the circumstances, and the applicant shall give a public testimony to their salvation through Jesus Christ.

7.2.3 By letter of transfer from another church that is in association with the Baptist World Alliance, when, after giving a public testimony of their faith, he or she becomes a member of the Church through being received at the Lord’s Supper.

7.2.4 After public testimony of salvation and Christian experience if previously baptized as a believer whether by immersion or not, he or she becomes a member of the Church through being received at the Lord’s Supper.

7.3 A copy of the Constitution and By-Laws shall be given to each member before admission to membership.

7.4 Active members have full rights of participating in the decisions of the Church, and of serving in elected offices, and each member shall have one vote.

7.5 The Deacon Board, as defined in Article 13 of these By-Laws, may immediately terminate a person’s membership in the Church, providing this act is ratified by the congregation at any business meeting.

7.6 Membership may also be terminated in one of the following ways:

7.6.1 On his or her death.

7.6.2 When the Deacon Board receives a letter of resignation, a request for transfer of membership to a sister church, or on receiving evidence that the member has already joined another church.

7.6.3 By the Deacon Board after faithful efforts made to bring an errant to

repentance and/or amendment has been unsuccessful.

7.6.4 By the Deacon Board if an inactive member is known to be serving actively in another church, or has not been a resident of Vancouver and has been inactive for a period of 3 years or more.

7.7 Should the congregation, by a simple majority vote, not ratify the Deacon Board’s action to terminate a person’s membership, that individual shall be restored as a member in good standing.

7.8 The opportunity of joining in worship, witness, instruction and fellowship is offered to all that confess Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord regardless of whether they formally join the Church; however, only those baptized are invited to participate in the Lord’s Supper.

8 Articles Of Ministry And Purpose

From time to time the congregation will review, modify or affirm all Articles of Ministry and Purpose that have been prepared and approved by the congregation at a regular business meeting.

9 Devotional Meetings

The congregation shall meet regularly for worship, prayer, Bible study and fellowship purposes. They shall observe the Lord’s Supper at least once each month or more frequently at the discretion of the Pastoral Team, and they shall gather at other times as the Church may decide.

10 Business Meetings

10.1 Recognizing Christ as the head of the Church, the membership will, in carrying out the business of the Church, prayerfully determine His will through the democratic process.

10.2 The word “member” as used in these By-Laws in reference to voting on any form of church business or the election to office, shall be interpreted as any active member currently on the Membership Roll.

10.3 The Church year shall end on the thirty-first day of December in each calendar year, and the Annual Meeting of the Church shall be held no later than the fourth week of January for the purpose of recognizing those involved in the growth and life of the Church; for receiving the budget, annual reports, projected goals and planning of committees; and for the transacting of appropriate business.

10.4 At the Annual Meeting, there shall be a full report and financial statement from each of the various organizations that operate within the Church or that operate in the community in the name of the Church.

10.5 In addition to the Annual Meeting, other congregational business meetings shall be held as often as required.

10.6 Special meetings for the transaction of business dealing with specific issues, including the election of members and of delegates, may be called at any time by the Deacon Board, or on written request signed by not fewer than 10 percent of the active members and given to the Church Clerk. Notice of any such meeting, and its purpose, shall be given from the pulpit at least two weeks preceding the meeting, by the Pastoral Team or one of the officers of the Church, specifying the date and object of such meeting; and by means of

written notice, published in the bulletin of the Church, at least two weeks before the date of the meeting.

10.7 Twenty percent of the active members shall constitute a quorum at any Annual Meeting or special meetings of the Church. This number shall never be less than 10 members. A member must be physically present at the meeting in order for his/her vote to be valid. Proxy voting, delegate voting, and voting by mail, email or other means of communication are not permitted.

10.8 Roberts Rules of Order shall be the authority for the conduct of all business meetings of the congregation.

10.9 The goal of the church body shall be to strive for unanimity in all decisions; however, a simple majority of those present shall be sufficient to carry any motion except in the following situations:

10.9.1 Calling or dismissing a licensed pastor (excluding contractual staff) when 75 percent majority of those present and voting shall be required.

10.9.2 Amending the By-Laws when 75 percent majority of those present and voting shall be required.

10.9.3 Purchasing, acquiring, selling, leasing, borrowing, conveying, mortgaging or otherwise affecting the property of the Church, when two-thirds majority of those present and voting shall be required. However, debentures may not be issued without sanctions of Special Resolution.

10.10 It shall be within the rights of any member of the Church, when a resolution is about to be put to the vote,

to ask that the vote on the question be taken by ballot.

10.11 The Chair of the Deacon Board shall ordinarily preside at all business meetings of the Church; if that is not possible, the Deacon Board shall appoint another person to chair the meetings.

10.12 Committee members (refer to Article 14) shall be elected as herein provided at a congregational meeting. The Church could also appoint auditor(s) for the ensuing year.

10.13 The Church will review the By-Laws each year in order to make appropriate changes to keep them applicable to the ministry of this Church.

11 Membership Roll

11.1 The Deacon Board shall annually review the attendance and support by members of the congregation so that the Membership Roll consists of those who are deemed active.

11.2 The Church may establish a roll of adherents, being believers who regularly attend the Church and who support it, and may determine their rights and privileges that may not extend to holding office on the Deacon Board.

11.3 The Pastoral Team shall seek to maintain contact with non-resident members and encourage them to join a congregation of like faith and practice in their community.

11.4 The Deacon Board has the right to deactivate the membership status of a member, should he/she not attend worship services for four consecutive months. Inactive members cannot be nominated as Deacon Board candidates or vote during business meetings.

11.5 With the consent of the Deacon Board, an inactive member’s status can be reactivated if he/she attends 50 percent or more of worship services within three consecutive months.

12 Officers

All Church Officers shall be members of the Church in good standing. The Officers of the Church shall be as follows:

12.1 Pastor:

12.1.1 Each Pastor is to be the Under- Shepherd of the congregation, under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Each Pastor’s major task is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to minister to the spiritual needs of the congregation (II Timothy 4:1-5 and Titus 1:5-9), and to assist in training and sponsoring them to use the spiritual gifts God has given them ”for the work of ministry” in the world (Ephesians 4:11-12).

12.1.2 The Church may call and appoint one or more Pastors, who shall share in the ministerial duties as agreed under the Deacon Board’s guidance (the Pastoral Team).

12.1.3 Each Pastor shall be an ex-officio, non-voting member with veto power (except in matters pertaining to the pastors themselves) of all church bodies and committees where appropriate to their job description.

12.1.4 Each Pastor appointed by the congregation shall meet the requirements for a qualified

Minister as laid down by the Canadian Baptists Of Western Canada.

12.1.5 Each Pastor on appointment shall have a written contract agreed to which includes the conditions of employment, the salary and benefits, and other stipulations of mutual interest to each Pastor and the congregation.

12.1.6 It is expected that a Pastor resigning from the pastoral position will give at least three months’ notice of intention, and that a congregation wishing to discharge the Pastor will also give at least three months’ notice of that action.

12.2 Elected Officers:

12.2.1 The Chair:

The Chair shall be elected among the elected members of the Deacon Board or the Senior Pastor may act as the Chair if so agreed to by the members of the Deacon Board. The Chair will preside at all meetings of the Church and of the Deacon Board, though in the absence of the Chair at a properly called meeting, those present shall elect a chairperson to preside over that specific meeting.

12.2.2 The Church Clerk:

The Church Clerk may be appointed from the Membership Roll for an indefinite term, subject to a review every three years, and will be responsible for the keeping of the official copy of the Constitution and By-Laws, minutes of the Deacon Board, minutes of

all regular and special meetings of the Church, correspondence involving the business of the Church, and Membership Roll, the preservation of church records, and the filing of annual reports as required under the Society Act. The Church Clerk shall also be responsible for providing a copy of the Constitution and By-Laws to each member.

12.2.3 The Treasurer:

The Treasurer may be appointed from the Membership Roll for an indefinite term, subject to a review every three years, and will be responsible to the Church for keeping accurate and adequate accounts of the church’s financial business, including banking. The Treasurer shall report thereon regularly to business meetings of the Church. Under the direction of the Deacon Board he/she will regularly arrange for payment of authorized accounts rendered to the Church within its budget, or beyond budget, but only if sanctioned by the Church or the Deacon Board.

The Treasurer will complete the required information requested from Canada Revenue Agency and other information pertinent to the operations of a charitable organization, and shall prepare the tax forms for employed staff. The Treasurer shall also keep records of every asset and liability of the Church, and annually prepare a balance sheet.

13 The Deacon Board

13.1 The Deacon Board shall be composed of the Pastor(s), a Chair and, in addition, no less than three spiritually mature members of the Church, elected by the Church for a three-year term, with not more than 50% to retire annually on a rotation basis.

13.1.1 Each member of the Deacon Board shall generally fulfill the Biblical qualifications for a leader as given in 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:5-9.

13.1.2 Each member so elected may be eligible for re-election once, and then shall retire for at least one year before being eligible for re-election to the Deacon Board. A member elected to replace one who retires in mid-term will serve only until the end of that calendar year, and then may be eligible for election to serve the balance of the unexpired term.

13.2 The elected members of the Deacon Board shall serve in the legal capacity as the Trustees for the congregation and Directors of the society.

13.3 Members of the Deacon Board may serve in a leadership capacity in the Church as teachers and counsellors to prepare God’s people for works of service so the Body of Christ may be built up (Ephesians 4:12). They shall also serve to facilitate, where possible, the ministries conducted by members of the congregation that are done in the name of the Lord.

13.4 Their duties shall include examining and recommending candidates for baptism and church membership; annual review of the Membership Roll; overseeing the worship services; the conduct of the ordinances of the Church; visitations of the congregation; personnel; problems

that may affect the personal and corporate life of the Church; and the spiritual concerns and personal needs of the community.

13.5 The Deacon Board shall be responsible for arranging pulpit supply during the absence of all pastoral staff.

13.6 The Deacon Board shall be responsible for the examination and discipline of members, including pastoral staff, officers and members of the Deacon Board, where it is alleged that the individual has been involved in conduct inconsistent with Biblical standards for a believer. After the individual in question has been given the opportunity to be heard, the Deacon Board may remove the individual from office for cause, or remove the member from the Membership Roll for cause, but shall subsequently report this to the congregation for their ratification at a general or special business meeting.

13.7 The Deacon Board shall annually at its first meeting of each year, appoint the signing officers for the Church.

13.8 The Deacon Board shall also be responsible for the use of church property, and shall be required to maintain it for the use of the members with the funds that have been allocated in the annual budget.

13.9 The Deacon Board shall be responsible for providing a budget for each Annual Meeting.

13.10 At least one Deacon shall be named by the Deacon Board to represent it on each committee of the Church for the purpose of liaison. They shall be voting members of the committee to which they are appointed.

13.11 Meetings of the Deacon Board shall be held regularly - at least eight times a year - to conduct church business, and

the minutes of all meetings shall be open to church members.

13.12 The Deacon Board shall have the power to grant letters of transfer for the purpose of allowing members to be speedily able to unite with another church that is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance, or a letter of Christian character if the Church is not so affiliated; the Deacon Board shall, however, report on these actions at each regular meeting of the congregation.

13.13 The Deacon Board is encouraged to establish a manual of policies and procedures to assist in the conduct of the routine business of the congregation and the use of the church building. The Church is a living organism that must be flexible in dealing with change, and with the gifts that the Lord sends through those who enter into membership.

13.14 The Deacon Board shall report on its stewardship of the affairs of the Church through an annual report that shall also contain financial statements. A review engagement will be performed on the financial statements at a minimum of every three years and at the discretion of the board.

14 Committees

14.1 A Nominations Committee shall be formed annually:

14.1.1 At each Annual Meeting, the Church shall name a Nomination Committee consisting of not more than seven nor less than five members, including the Senior Pastor and with a minimum of three representatives from the

Deacon Board. The Nomination Committee shall elect one member as Chairperson through majority vote.

14.1.2 The Nominations Committee shall be responsible for the preparation of a slate of nominations for all officers to be published in the church bulletin two weeks before a congregational meeting. In addition, the Nominations Committee shall prepare nominations for any positions vacated or created during the year and again see that these names are published in the church bulletin two weeks before the meeting at which the election will take place.

14.1.3 Should a mid-term election be required, it shall be done at a congregational meeting of the Church.

14.2 The Pastoral Discernment Committee:

14.2.1 When the need arises for the calling of a Pastor, a Pastoral Discernment Committee, not to exceed five members, shall be elected by the Church on recommendation from the Deacon Board.

14.2.2 Before approaching possible candidates for any pastoral position, the Pastoral Discernment Committee will first consult with the Area Minister of the Canadian Baptists Of Western Canada as to the process, and follow the guidelines recommended by the denomination.

15 Other Committees

The Church may establish other committees to undertake specific functions. These should be kept to a minimum and named only in situations where the volume of work restricts the Deacon Board.

16 Other Structures

The Deacon Board and the congregation may, in addition to appointing committees, create a variety of subcommittees, task forces and working groups to undertake specific tasks for a limited time period, and empower them by writing the terms of reference, and the method of reporting back.

17 Property

17.1 This Church shall have the power to receive, either by gift or purchase, and to hold real property as is deemed necessary to fulfill the purpose and to carry out the business of the Church. It shall have the power to dispose of such property by mortgage, deed or otherwise.

17.2 The Deacons shall have the power to receive, purchase, acquire, sell, lease, convey, mortgage, deed, or otherwise transfer property of the Church, but only after having been duly authorized by the Church at a regularly-called business meeting at which the matter is approved by two-thirds of the members present and voting.

18 Delegates

Each year, delegates shall be appointed by the Deacon Board to

represent the Church at Area and Union Assemblies of the Canadian Baptists Of Western Canada. Delegates shall report back to the Church on all matters transacted at each assembly.

19 Amendments

19.1 Amendments to the Constitution shall be made at a regular business meeting of the Church by a Special Resolution as follows:

19.1.1 Notice of motion shall be given in writing to the Church at least one month in advance, at a regular meeting of the Church, specifying such amendment(s). Such notice of motion shall be printed in at least two weekly bulletins of the Church.

19.1.2 Amendments require a 75 percent majority of those members present for passage.

19.2 Amendments to the By-Laws may be made at an Annual Meeting of the Church or, in pressing occasions, at a special business meeting called for the purpose. In both instances, notice of motion shall be given in writing to the Church at least two weeks in advance, specifying the character of such amendments, and such notice of motion to be printed in the weekly bulletin of the Church. All recommended changes and amendments shall be presented to the Deacon Board for prior discussion.

20 Church Records

20.1 Access to Church records are limited to members of the Church.

20.2 Requests for access to Church accounting records and records of Deacon Board

proceedings must be made in writing and approved by the Deacon Board.

BRIEF HISTORY Westside Baptist Church was a direct church plant project that the Canadian Baptists of Western Canada started in September 1990 among the Chinese community in west side of Vancouver. At first, the size of the congregation was only 5 people, including the pastor and her husband, but we witnessed how God miraculously led people from different backgrounds to our church. First, a group of young students from UBC started attending, and then some new immigrant families joined. Through their network, their family members, relatives and friends were attracted to Westside by the love from God we shared. On May 3, 1992, Westside Baptist Church was officially chartered, and by that time, membership had grown from 5 to 42 within a short 20 months.

At first, we rented a space at Fairview Baptist Church on West 16th Avenue for our gatherings, but very soon that small 500-square-foot room could no longer house our congregation of over 70. In 1994, after a long searching process, we moved our Sunday Service to Columbus Centre at Granville and 66th, while our office and fellowship gatherings remained at Fairview. We did not fully leave Fairview until 2000 when we rented a commercial unit near Columbus Centre to launch our Education Centre ministry and house our office.

In 2002, the space at Columbus Centre became insufficient to accommodate our growing congregation. Therefore, as a temporary measure, we decided to offer 2 worship services on Sunday morning to distribute the crowd. In addition, we began to proactively look for a space suitable for our long-term development. Finally in 2003, after a lengthy process of applying for the change of building use with the City of Vancouver, and with the generous support of the

congregation, we successfully purchased our current building on Ash Street, and started worshipping there in July 2004.

In the early days, Westside employed the traditional fellowship group ministry model. We grew from the original Orchard Fellowship to the later Timothy, Barnabas, Moses, Joshua, Mark and Daniel age-based fellowship groups. In 2001, we made a courageous move to switch to the Small Group model, hoping to develop deeper relationships between members for more effective outreach. Our youth ministry also kept exploring newer ministry models and evolved from XSeed, to GZone and dLite.

In 2000, we had a ministry breakthrough with our first short-term mission trip. Our destination was Victoria. We handed out Gospel tracks on the University of Victoria campus and in Chinatown, and we hosted an evangelistic rally. In 2008, we had our first international mission trip to Mexico City for 10 days. In 2010, with the assistance of Lifestyle Ministries, our members went on 2 mission trips to Sichuan, China. These trips gave us memorable experiences and deepened our understanding for missions.

As for our pastoral team, from the beginning, the denomination called Pastor Gladys Tsang to lead Westside, and she was ordained in 1992 on the same day that Westside was chartered. In 2001, Gladys' husband Anders finished his studies at Regent College, and was called by Westside as an Associate Pastor. He was later ordained in 2004. In 2009, due to Pastor Anders’ health issues, long-time member Alan Yu, who was working in a parachurch organization at the time, assumed the position of part-time Pastoral Intern to assist in the pastoral work. Then because of the growing needs of the ministry, Pastor Alan was called to become Westside's third full-time pastor in 2011.

In 2012, as we are celebrating our 20th Anniversary, we are also faced with a new

challenge. The Canada Line has brought many new residential development projects to our neighbourhood, and a population boom in the thousands is expected within the next 10 years. This is a golden opportunity for outreach. Furthermore, with the growth of our second generation, we saw the need to give birth to an English congregation in May 2012. The new congregation serves people from all ethnicities and backgrounds for the advancement of God's Kingdom.

Looking back on our 20+ years of history, we are most thankful for the many fruits of the Gospel. The power of the Gospel has not only changed individuals, but entire families. Many of our members who used to come to worship alone now come every Sunday with their families. Many of our once youths are now married and have families and children of their own. Many of the "spiritual babies" who were born again at Westside have now become mature leaders in our church.

In the days ahead, we pray that the Lord continue to pour out blessings to our neighbours through Westside, and may we become a blessing to even more people.

WESTSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH

8506 Ash Street Vancouver BC

Canada V6P 3M2

Phone: 604-266-5602 Fax: 604-266-5603

Email: info@westsidebaptist.ca Website : www.westsidebaptist.ca