We, the members of the First Baptist Church of Hondo, do hereby declare and establish this Constitution to preserve and secure the principles of our faith, govern the body in an orderly manner, and maintain the autonomy of this church in freedom of action in relation to other churches and organizations.

Section 1.01. This body shall be known as the First Baptist Church of Hondo, located at 2400 Avenue P, Hondo, Texas 78861.

Section 1.02. The church is a non-profit corporation under the laws of the State of Texas so long as such ruling remains valid and applicable to the church.

Section 2.01. Mission Statement. The mission of the First Baptist Church of Hondo is to be used of God in reaching the lost and teaching the saved to be followers of Christ.
                               
Section 2.02. Objectives. The objectives of the First Baptist Church of Hondo are:
          (a) To be a dynamic spiritual organism empowered by the Holy Spirit to communicate the Good News of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ with as many people as possible in our church, community, and throughout the world.
          (b) To be a worshiping fellowship, experiencing an awareness of God, recognizing His person, and responding in obedience to His leadership.
          (c) To experience an increasingly meaningful fellowship with God and fellow believers, to help people experience a growing knowledge of God and man.
To be a church that ministers unselfishly to persons in the community and the world in Jesus’ name.
          (e) To be a church whose purpose is to be Christ-like in our daily living by emphasizing total commitment of life, personality, and possessions to the lordship of Christ.
          (f) In obedience to God, as a Christ-centered body of believers, we commit to disciple, enable, and encourage one another to love, worship and serve our Savior, Jesus Christ. Furthermore, we commit to share the Good News and ourselves with our neighbors in the First Baptist Church of Hondo, in the surrounding communities, and throughout the world.

Section 3.01. We affirm the Holy Bible is God’s revelation to mankind; it is inspired by God; it is without error; it is an accurate record of the history and future of mankind; it depicts the birth, life, death, and resurrection of the Savior of all mankind, our Lord Jesus Christ; and it is therefore the sole basis for our faith.

Section 3.02. The following represent the core beliefs of the church from a biblical and historical perspective. While members are not required to fully understand or articulate all aspects of these beliefs, these are tenets underlying our faith:
          (a) The Scriptures are true, authoritative, and sufficient. See 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
          (b) There is only one God. See Isaiah 45:5-6; John 17:3; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 1 Timothy 2:5.
          (c) God exists co-eternally and co-equally in three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. See Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17; John 1:1-2; 10:30.
          (d) I am, along with all humanity, Christ excluded, by nature and action a sinner. See Romans 3:23; 5:12, 12-21; 7:18; Ephesians 2:1-3; 2 Corinthians 5:21.
          (e) The deserved penalty for sin is death, both physical and spiritual. See Genesis 2:15-17; 3:19; Romans 5:12; 6:23; James 1:14-15.
           (f) Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, was born of a virgin, and is both fully God and fully man. See Matthew 1:20; John 1:14; Hebrews 1:2-3.
          (g) Christ died as my substitute to pay the penalty for my sin. See John 1:29; 10:14-18; Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 1:4; 1 Peter 3:18.
          (h) Jesus Christ physically rose from the dead. See Matthew 28:1-20; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-53; John 20:1-25; 1 Corinthians 15:12-34.
          (i) Jesus Christ physically ascended into heaven and will one day physically return. See John 14:3; Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Hebrews 9:28; 1 John 3:2; Revelation 1:7.
          (j) There will be a resurrection of the dead. Those who trust in Jesus Christ alone will be raised to eternal reward. Those who have not trusted in Jesus Christ will be raised to eternal punishment. See Matthew 25:31-46; John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15.
          (k) Only through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone can I be reconciled to God and experience true life and joy. See John 3:18; 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 3:21-26; 1 Timothy 2:5-6.

Section 3.03. We regard the scriptures of the Holy Bible as authoritative in all matters of faith, practice, and principle. This church affirms as our doctrinal statement The Baptist Faith and Message as adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention in 1963.

Section 3.04. The ordinances of the church are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

Section 3.05 Amended September 13, 2015. See Appendix I.

Section 4.01. The First Baptist Church of Hondo exists to:
           (a) Worship God. To participate in public worship services together and to maintain personal daily devotions. See Matthew 18:20; John 4:24; Hebrews 10:24-25.                        
           (b) Evangelize the lost. To share the good news of Jesus Christ with as many people as possible in our community and throughout the world. See Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 2 Peter 3:9.
           (c) Minister to those in need. To serve unselfishly in Jesus’ name, meeting the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of those in our church, community, and in the world. See Matthew 25:34-40; 1 Peter 4:10-11; Galatians 5:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:11.
           (d) Develop disciples. To help members develop toward full Christian maturity and train them for effective ministry. To promote individual spiritual growth and discipleship through Bible teaching. See 2 Timothy 2:1-2; Ephesians 4:11-13; Proverbs 22:6.
           (e) Fellowship with one another. To encourage, support, and pray for each other as members of the family of God and to share our lives together. See John 13:34-35; Romans 15:5-7; 1 John 1:7; Acts 2:46-47; Hebrews 10:23-25.

Section 5.01. The government of the First Baptist Church of Hondo is vested in the body of believers who comprise its membership, owing allegiance only to its head and founder, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Section 5.02. Persons duly received by the members shall constitute the membership. These members shall be individuals who have in common with the members their spiritual union with the Lord Jesus Christ and their agreement on the principles of faith contained in this document. These members, so bound together, regard one another as equal in privilege, responsibility, and obligation in fulfilling the purpose of this church. See Galatians 3:26-28.

Section 5.03. All internal or external groups created and empowered by the church shall report to and be accountable only to the church, unless otherwise specified by church action under authority of this Constitution and/or outlined in the Bylaws.

Section 5.04. In accordance with scripture, this body recognizes the rightful place of the federal, state, and local governments. See Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2:13-17.

Section 6.01. 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 by immersion 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.

Section 6.02. We endeavor, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this Church in knowledge, holiness, and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, and the relief of the poor, and to the spreading of the gospel through all nations.

Section 6.03. We strive to maintain family and private devotions; to religiously educate our children; to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment; and to be zealous in our efforts to advance the kingdom of our Savior.

Section 6.04. We also endeavor to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember one another in prayer; to aid one another in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and Christian courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation and mindful of the rules of our Savior to secure it without delay.

Section 6.05. We further commit, that when we remove from this place, we will, as soon as possible, unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word.

Section 7.01. This Church is subject to to the control of no other civil or ecclesiastical body. The First Baptist Church of Hondo is autonomous and maintains the right to govern its own affairs, independent of any denominational control.

Section 7.02. Recognizing the benefits of cooperation with other churches in the fulfillment of its purposes, the church may voluntarily affiliate with other churches and conventions upon a vote of the membership consistent with the Bylaws. Any such association with other churches is purely voluntary and in no way involves the surrender of the First Baptist Church of Hondo’s freedom or dependence on God.

Section 7.03. Insofar as practical, this body agrees to cooperate with and support the Del Rio/Uvalde Baptist Association, the Baptist General Convention of Texas, and the Southern Baptist Convention.

Section 8.01. The conduct of the affairs of the First Baptist Church of Hondo not addressed in the Articles of Incorporation (and any amendments thereto and/or restatements thereof) or this Constitution will be outlined in the Bylaws of the First Baptist Church of Hondo. These Bylaws define the church’s organizational structure, the rights of members in the structure, and the process by which such rights may be exercised.

Section 8.02. There shall be no worship, education, service by members or fellowship conducted which is in conflict with this Constitution. The church shall not conduct any business transaction contrary to this Constitution.

Section 8.03. All rules, regulations, Bylaws and policies previously approved, if any, by this Church, in conflict with this Constitution are each and all hereby repealed, set aside and superseded.

Section 8.04. This Constitution shall be and is, hereby established as the sole “Constitution” for this Church. No rules, regulations, Bylaws or policies may be established which conflict with this Constitution.

Section 9.01. This Constitution may be amended, modified and/or repealed under the circumstances and pursuant to the process established within this Constitution.

Section 9.02. Process for Constitutional Amendment, Modification and/or Repeal.
          (a) The subject matter of the proposed constitutional amendment, modification or repeal shall be presented for discussion at a regularly scheduled business meeting.
          (b) Upon majority vote in favor of the proposal to amend, modify, or repeal this Constitution, a constitutional review committee shall be formed and convened consistent with the Bylaws to review the Constitution and/or draft the text of any proposed amendment, modification or repeal of the Constitution.
          (c) Before any vote to amend, modify, or repeal the Constitution, the draft of the proposed amendment, modification and/or repeal must be presented by the constitutional review committee at a regular business meeting for discussion. The verbiage of the proposed amendment, modification and/or repeal must be affirmed by a majority vote.
          (d) The proposed amendment, modification, and/or repeal shall then be put to vote at a specially called business meeting. The church membership shall be given two weeks advance notice of the specially called business meeting. A copy of the proposed changes shall be either made available to members at two consecutive weeks of Sunday morning worship services in advance of the specially called business meeting and/or mailed to the church membership at least ten (10) days before the specially called business meeting.
          (e) A new constitution may be adopted or this Constitution may be amended or repealed by the affirmative vote of a two-thirds (2/3) majority of votes cast at the meeting called for such purpose.

This constitution is hereby ordained and established for the First Baptist Church of Hondo by vote of the membership on the 13th day of July, 2014.

Pastor:___________________________________
Printed Name: _______________________
Deacon Chairman::___________________________________
Printed Name: _______________________

Amended September 13, 2015. Section 3.05. Marriage is a biblical institution established by God as described by Scripture. We believe biblical marriage can occur only between one biologically born and presenting male and one biologically born and presenting female. This church recognizes that marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment. Accordingly, this church’s pastors and staff will not officiate in same-sex unions or same-sex marriages, not will its property or resources be used for such purposes.