Article X - Deacons and
Deaconesses
Section Three: Discipline of
Deacons
If a Deacon of Valley View Baptist Church be found to be acting or
teaching contrary to the Holy Bible, this Constitution, The 1833 New
Hampshire Confession of Faith, The Articles of Declaration, and/or The
Solemn Covenant of Valley View Baptist Church, it shall be the duty of
the Elders of this church to seek to restore such a one in a spirit of
gentleness (Galatians 6:1). If the individual repents and ceases
from his/her behavior and/or teaching, it shall be as if the individual
had never sinned. However, if the individual will not hear the
Elders in the matter at hand, the Elders shall call a special meeting to
remove such an individual from the membership role of this church.
The meeting and its purpose shall be announced from the pulpit by an
Elder on a Sunday morning at a regularly-scheduled worship service and
shall take place no more than three days after the announcement.
If the individual in question does not repent before the congregation,
upon a majority vote of those members present at the meeting, the named
individual(s) shall be removed from the membership of Valley View
Baptist Church. However, if there is a clear and public
repentance, the Deacon in question shall be comforted by all of the
church. Upon his repentance, the church will be asked immediately
if they think that the Deacon’s sin warrants his removal from the office
of Deacon. A majority vote of members present at the special
meeting will suffice to remove the Deacon in question.
