The purpose of these Bylaws is to aid Indian Trail Church in pursuing the glory of God and the good of people through the gospel of Jesus Christ. The ultimate guidance for the church rests in the word of God, and therefore, any of the following Bylaws is subject to the final authority of the scriptures.

Elders and Deacons
Indian Trail Church (ITC) is governed by a board of overseers, also known as elders (from hence forth referred to as the team of elders, or elders). The team of elders is comprised of men who are recognized as biblically qualified to serve in this capacity. Officers of ITC shall be selected by and from the team of elders. Officers shall be identified as the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. The doctrinal guidance, spiritual encouragement and direction of the church shall be overseen by this team. A consensus is necessary for decision-making among the elders. A selected member of the elders or staff shall make a reasonable effort to notify the team of elders of any special meetings. The team of elders shall keep a record of its proceedings.

Elder Process
Any man in membership at ITC who has an earnest desire for the work of overseeing and shepherding the church, and believes that God has sovereignly called him to this work, may approach the team of elders and request to be part of the qualification process. These men will be put through personal evaluations which will find their primary source material in the biblical qualifications for elder/overseers listed in 1 Timothy 3, Titus 1 and 1 Peter 5. The potential elder will also undergo an evaluation of his biblical and theological understanding, as well as demonstrate an ability to rightly handle and communicate the scriptures to others. Upon completion of this process to the satisfaction of the current team of elders, a man may be put forth for the affirmation of the members and commissioned as an ITC elder. A man may be removed from this position if his life no longer reflects the character and competencies laid out in the above mentioned biblical texts, or he is found to be in unrepentant sin according to 1 Timothy 5:19-20.

Elder Commitment
The elders at ITC desire to carry out their calling from the Lord in a faithful way. As a result, they will be committed by the grace of God to do what he has instructed them to as His under-shepherds. Therefore, the team of elders at ITC commit to:

  • Submit to the final authority of the scriptures in all matters (Psalm 119:1-176; 2 Timothy 3:16-4:2; 2 Peter 1:19-21)
  • Keep watch over the souls of the church (Hebrews 13:17)
  • Pray for the church and those who are sick when called upon (Acts 6:4; James 5:14)
  • Protect the church from false doctrine (Acts 20:28-31; Titus 1:9)
  • Lead the church to the glory of God through Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 3:5, 5:17; Titus 1:7; 1 Peter 5:2)
  • Instruct, instruct and encourage the church with sound doctrine (Ephesians 4:11-14, 1 Thessalonians 5:12; Titus 1:9)
  • Preach and teach the Bible (1 Timothy 4:13, 5:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-4:2)
  • Protect the church from divisiveness (Titus 3:10)
  • Handle and distribute money to the glory of God (Acts 11:29-30)
  • Test, affirm and appoint Godly leadership in the church where needed (Acts 14:23; 1 Timothy 3:10, 4:14, 5:22; Titus 1:5)
  • Lovingly discipline members who persist in sin, with the goal of restoration to full fellowship (Matthew 18:15-20; Galatians 6:1; Titus 3:10)
  • Work for the maturity and joy in Christ of the church (Ephesians 4:11-16; Colossians 1:28-29)
  • Be Christian examples to the flock in fulfilling the obligations of church membership (1 Peter 5:3)
  • Free up, as needed, certain elders financially to do the work of teaching and leading (1 Timothy 5:17)

Deacon Process
Any member at ITC may be called upon to serve as a deacon. Deacon positions are service ministries, and will be identified by the elders as needed. These strategic ministry areas are given to deacons in order to free up the pastor/elders to do the work of shepherding and teaching. Any person who is called on to serve in the deacon role will go through a process of evaluation based on the deacon qualifications listed in 1 Timothy 3. Upon approval from the team of elders, the potential deacon will begin serving in a testing phase, at the positive completion of which he or she will be commissioned as a deacon. A person may serve as a deacon as long as they wish, provided the ministry need persists and their life continues to reflect the qualifications listed in the biblical texts. If the ministry need for which a deacon was originally commissioned ends, this person will still be considered a qualified deacon and eligible to serve in any future deacon role without repeating the qualification process.