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Constitution
of Yeshua International
1.
The Objects of
Yeshua International
Yeshua
International, which is a Member of The
Yeshua International Network of Churches was formed as an Internet
Church
in March 2002. Yeshua International is Unified and in Full
Communion with
The Old Roman Catholic Church in England.
2.
The Trustees of
Yeshua International shall be responsible for all-:
a)
Finances
b)
The
Website
c)
For
appointing Officers namely:-
i) The Chief Ordaining Officer
The Chief Ordaining Officer in conjunction with the Entitlements
Officer shall
be responsible for Ordaining all Candidates for Ministry. The Chief
Ordaining
Officer will examine the credentials of all Candidates for Membership
namely:-
Lay Members, Ministers, Bishops, Archbishops or Cardinals.
Yeshua
International accepts and believes in the Apostolic Succession by the "Laying
on of Hands". All candidates for the Ordained
Ministry will only
be Ordained on this principle.
The Chief Ordaining Officer will be responsible for appointing all
Bishops and
Archbishops. The Chief Ordaining Officer will be responsible for
renewing the
Appointment of Bishops and Archbishops at the end of their term of
office. The
terms and conditions of appointment of Bishops, Archbishops or
Cardinals shall
be determined by the Chief Ordaining Officer. The Chief Ordaining
Officer has
the sole authority to remove from the Register of Ministers, any
Minister,
Bishop, Archbishop or Cardinals who in the opinion of The Chief
Ordaining
Officer commits an act of indiscipline. Any or such acts of
indiscipline shall
be determined by the Chief Ordaining Officer. There is no appeal from
being
removed from the Register of Ministers, Bishops, Archbishops or
Cardinals.
ii)
The
Entitlements Officer
The Entitlements Officer in conjunction with The Chief Ordaining
Officer will
examine the credentials of all candidates for Membership namely:- Lay
Members,
Ministers, Bishops, Archbishops or Cardinals. The Entitlements Officer
is
responsible for keeping a Register of Lay Members, Ministers, Bishops,
Archbishops or Cardinals.
iii)
The
Secretary
The Secretary is responsible for keeping and taking the minutes of the
meetings
of The Trustees and The Board of Ministry and to perform any other
duties as
from time to time are deemed necessary by the Trustees.
iv)
The
Treasurer
The Treasurer is responsible for maintaining the bank accounts of
Yeshua
International and to make the Trustees aware of any financial needs.
v)
The
Board of Ministry
The Board of Ministry shall be Members of Yeshua International, Lay and
Ordained appointed by the Chief Ordaining Officer. Members of the Board
of
Ministry shall act in a voluntary capacity and act as Advisers to the
Trustees
on any aspect of Ministry or the running Yeshua International. The
terms and
conditions of the Members of the Board of Ministry shall be determined
by The
Chief Ordaining Officer appointed by the Trustees. It shall be
determined by
The Chief Ordaining Officer when Board of Ministry meetings shall be
held.
vi)
The
Website Co-Ordinator
The Website Co-Ordinator shall be responsible for compiling and
uploading of
the Website. The Website Co-Ordinator shall be responsible for
determining the
content of the Website in conjunction with the Chief Ordaining Officer.
vii)
The
Ministry Page Co-Ordinator
The Ministry Page Co-Ordinator shall be responsible for compiling Guest
Sermons
each week and passing the information to the Website Co- Ordinator. The
content
on the Ministry Pages are not necessarily the views of Yeshua Network
of
Churches International but of the contributors.
viii)
The
Prayer & Healing Page Co-Ordinator
The Prayer & Healing Page Co-Ordinator shall be responsible for
compiling
weekly prayers and healing requests and passing the information to the
Website
Co-Ordinator.
ix) The Humour
& Childrens’ Page Co-Ordinator
The Humour and Childrens’ Page Co-Ordinator shall be
responsible for compiling
the pages for inclusion on the Website once per month and passing the
information to the Website Co-Ordinator.
x)
The
Information Technology Co-Ordinator
The Information Technology Co-Ordinator shall be responsible for
assisting the
Website Co-Ordinator in aspects of uploading and compiling the Website.
The
Information Technology Co-Ordinator shall in conjunction with The Chief
Ordaining Officer help and assist Members with any technical
difficulties
concerning Information Technology.
xi) The Principal of The School of Theology
The Principal of the School of Theology
shall be
responsible for compiling and implementing all training courses for and
on
behalf of Yeshua International including vetting Candidates and marking
assignments.
xii)
Appoint
or Reassign
The Trustees of Yeshua International shall appoint or reassign Officers
as and
when the need arises.
3.
Ministry
Yeshua International is a Christian based Ministry and one of the
largest, and
fastest growing Online Internet Churches, having been established for
nearly
two years. We hold dear to the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments,
as
being inspired by God. Members of Yeshua International believe that
Jesus
Christ was both the flesh and bone Son of God, and the deity of God the
Son as
well. In other words, Jesus was 100% human and 100% God the Son while
He walked
earth, and the time before and the time afterward. Although Christian,
we also
recognize that each individual follows his or her own path to spiritual
awakening. Yeshua International respects all paths and honours each
person's
right to seek their own personal truth. We recognize the diversity of
the
world, and as such, we accept all members of the community regardless
of their
Religious background or denomination without prejudice of any kind.
Yeshua
International willingly Ordains, all that come to us after due
examination. However, Ordination or Elevation is only done in
the
Apostolic Succession by the "Laying on of Hands"
and there
will be necessary fees determined by the Chief Ordaining
Officer. No
candidate will be Ordained or Elevated until all the proper fees have
been
met. Our Ministry is made up of Lay Members, Ordained
Ministers, Bishops,
Archbishops or Cardinals.
4.
The Main Aims of Yeshua International are:
i) To
Reach and bring together diverse people and denominations from around
the world
who believe in the basic Christian principle.
ii) To
develop a global prayer and worship community, praying and worshipping
for the
needs of others, comforted in the knowledge that they, in turn, are
being
prayed for by the community.
iii) To
admit Lay Members into the Membership of Yeshua International.
iv) To
Ordain Ministers, Bishops, Archbishops or Cardinals, those who feel
called to
Minister to their Community in the Name of God. Ordinations
&
Consecrations will only take place in the Apostolic
Succession by
the "Laying on of Hands".
v) To
develop the largest and fastest growing Online Internet Church.
vi)
To support people in the
development of their own Ministry with guidance from the main Internet
Church.
vii)
To spread the Word of
God through Prayer, Worship and Bible Reading inconjuction with the
Internet.
5.
Unity in Christ
i) To
express the essential unity in Christ through Yeshua International
throughout
the world.
ii)
To
secure the association of Ministers on the basis of their common
Evangelical
faith, each Member retaining liberty to fulfil his or her own
distinctive
Ministry, witness and mission.
iii) To
foster their continued fellowship in prayer, worship and work, to
co-ordinate
their common aims, activities and resources for the evangelisation of
the
people and the extension of Christ's Kingdom in every sphere of life.
iv) To
maintain the spiritual testimony of Yeshua International, to uphold
full
religious liberty and to take action when authorised to do so by the
Trustees
after taking advice from the Board of Ministry, and the appointed
Bishops,
Archbishops or Cardinals, in matters affecting the responsibilities and
rights
of Members of Yeshua International.
v) To
promote fellowship and united action where possible with all Members of
Yeshua
International throughout the world.
6.
Doctrinal
Statement
This Declaratory Statement of Common Faith and Practice was adopted on
March
2002 as a doctrinal statement, is as follows:-
i)
Yeshua International throughout the world, claim and cherish their
place as
inheritors, along with others, of the historic faith of Christendom,
which
found expression in the ecumenical creeds of the early and undivided
Church:
and this Declaratory Statement does not profess to be a comprehensive
creed,
but is a declaration of such truths as in the circumstances, it seems
proper to
rehearse and emphasise.
ii) It
is an essential element in any proposals for Membership that each
prospective
Member should accept this Constitution Statement as a disciplinary
standard on
any Member or prospective Member, that they agree with the Declaration
of "Faith
and Beliefs" as listed on the Website.
iii)
There is One Living and True God, Who is revealed to us as Father Son
and Holy
Spirit: Him alone we worship and adore.
iv) We
believe that God so loved the world as to give His Son to be the
Revealer of
the Father and the Redeemer of humanity: that the Son of God, for us
and for
our Salvation, became man in Jesus Christ, Who, having lived on earth
the
perfect human life, died for our sins, rose again from the dead, and
now is
exalted Lord over all: and that the Holy Spirit, Who witnesses to us of
Christ,
makes the Salvation which is in Him to be effective in our hearts and
lives-
v) We
acknowledge that all are sinful and unable to deliver themselves from
either guilt
or power of their sin: but we have received and rejoice in the Gospel
of the
grace of the Holy God, wherein all who truly turn from sin are freely
forgiven
through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and are called and enabled,
through the
Spirit dwelling and working within them, to live in fellowship with God
and for
His service: and in this new life, which is to be nurtured by the right
use of
the means of grace, we are to grow daily dying unto sin and living unto
Him Who
in His mercy has redeemed us.
vi) Yeshua
International acknowledges the Statement of Faith and Belief as listed
on the
Website as part of this Constitution.
7.
The Catholic or
Universal
Church
i) We
believe that the Catholic or Universal Church is
the whole company
of the redeemed in Heaven and on earth, and we recognise as belonging
to this
holy fellowship all who are united to God through faith in Christ.
ii) The
Church on earth - which is one through the Apostolic Gospel and through
the
loving union of all its true members with its one Head, even Christ,
and which
is Holy through the indwelling Holy Spirit Who sanctifies the Body and
its
Members - is Ordained to be the visible Body of Christ, to worship God
through
Him, to promote the fellowship of His people, and the ends of His
Kingdom, and
to go into all the world and proclaim His Gospel for the Salvation and
unity of
all. Of this visible Church, and every branch thereof the only Head is
the Lord
Jesus Christ; and in its faith, order, discipline and duty it must be
free to
obey Him alone as it interprets His Holy will.
iii) We
receive, as given by the Lord to His Church on earth, the Holy
Scriptures, the
Sacraments of the Gospel, and the Christian Ministry.
iv) The
Scriptures, delivered through those moved by the Holy Spirit, record
and
interpret the revelation of redemption, and contain the sure Word of
God
concerning our Salvation and all things necessary thereto. Of this we
are
convinced by the witness of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of men and
women to
and with the Word; and this Spirit, thus speaking from the Scriptures
to
believers and to the Church, is the supreme Authority by which all
opinions in
religion are finally to be judged.
v) The
Sacraments, Baptism and the Lord's Supper, are instituted by Christ.
Who is
Himself certainly and really present in His own ordinances (though not
bodily
in the elements thereof), and are signs and seals of His Gospel not to
be
separated therefrom. They confirm the promises and gifts of salvation
and, when
rightly used by believers with faith and prayer are, through the
operation of
the Holy Spirit, true means of grace.
vi) The
Ministry is an office within the Church, not a sacerdotal order,
instituted for
the preaching of the Word, the Ministration of the Sacraments and the
Care of
Souls. It is a vocation from God, upon which therefore no one is
qualified to
enter save through the call of the Holy Spirit in the heart: and this
inward
call is to be authenticated by the call of the Church, which is
followed by
Ordination to the work of the Ministry in the Church. While thus
maintaining
the Ministry as an office, we do not limit the Ministers of the New
Testament
to those who are Ordained, but affirm the priesthood of all believers
and the
obligation resting upon them to fulfil their vocation according to the
gift
bestowed upon them by the Holy Spirit.
8.
Sovereign
Authority
i) We
affirm the sovereign authority of our Lord Jesus Christ over every
department
of human life, and we hold that individuals and peoples are responsible
to Him
in their several spheres and are bound to render Him obedience and seek
always
the furtherance of His Kingdom upon earth, not Him, to promote the
fellowship
of His people, and the ends of His Kingdom, and to go into all the
world and
proclaim His Gospel for the salvation and unity of all. Of this visible
Church,
and every Member thereof the only Head is the Lord Jesus Christ; and in
its
faith, order, discipline and duty it must be free to obey Him alone as
it
interprets His Holy will.
9.
The Trustees
Meeting and The Board of Ministry Meeting
The Trustees Meeting and The Board of Ministry Meeting shall conduct
business
on behalf of the Members through a body hereinafter called "The
Trustees Meeting and The Board of Ministry Meeting", which
shall be
constituted in such a manner as to represent authoritatively the
opinion and
policy of the Members of Yeshua International. The Trustees Meeting and
The
Board of Ministry Meeting shall be constituted as follows:-
i) The
Trustees shall meet at least twice each year to receive recommendations
from
the Board of Ministry and to conduct business on behalf of the Members
of
Yeshua International.
ii) The
Trustees shall appoint Members of Yeshua International to The Board of
Ministry
to advise the Trustees in accordance with principles and methods
determined by
the Trustees from time to time and embodied in the By-laws. The Board
of
Ministry so appointed shall be responsible for ascertaining and
representing
the opinions and judgements of the Members of Yeshua International on
all
matters concerning every aspect of Yeshua International.
iii)
Trustees
These are folk who have financial responsibility for Yeshua
International and
are responsible for its financial continuation. Trustees may be
appointed with
the full approval of the present trustees and provided they make a
substantial
financial contribution to the funds of Yeshua International. The
financial
contribution of new Trustees may be amended by the Trustees from time
to time.
The Trustees will ensure that there are always sufficient funds to
maintain an
efficient Ministry Operation of Yeshua International. Trustees do not
receive any
remuneration for their time and efforts but they are entitled to
re-imbursement
for any expenses incurred in the running of Yeshua International.
iv) Officers
The Trustees of Yeshua International
The Officers of Yeshua International as listed in 2c)
The Trustees may co-opt on to the Board of Ministry, specialists who
may not be
Members of Yeshua International but not exceeding in number more than
one
quarter of the total number on the Board of Ministry. Co-opted Members
of the
Board of Ministry may join debates and discussions but will have no
voting
rights in the event of a vote.
10.
Bylaws
The Trustees may from time to time make or amend Bylaws for the proper
conduct
of its affairs and for the regulation of the work of its Officers, but
no such
Bylaws shall be inconsistent with the general provisions of this
constitution.
11. Amendment To The Constitution
This Constitution can only be amended by the approval of all the
Trustees
present at the Trustees Meeting. Proposals for amendments must be put
in
writing to the Secretary of Yeshua International two weeks prior to the
Trustees Meeting. The Constitution of Yeshua International
was last
amended at a meeting of the Trustees in March 2003.
12.
Observers
The Trustees Meeting and The Board of Ministry Meeting may invite
observers to
attend their meetings. Such observers may join in discussions and
debates but
will have no voting rights in the event of a vote.
