Rules

Rules & Regulations
MANIPUR EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, DELHI

INTRODUCTION

Manipur Evangelical Lutheran Church, Delhi was inaugurated and blessed by the Bishop of MELC Rt. Rev. Dr. T. Ginkhanmung Zou on March 1, 2009 at MP’s Club, North Avenue, New Delhi. This “Rules and Regulations” has been enacted for the proper organization and better coordination of the Church w.e.f. July 6, 2009.

I. NAME

The name of the Association shall be called the Manipur Evangelical Lutheran Church, Delhi (MELCD).

II. OFFICE:

The office of the Church shall be located in Delhi, India.

III. MEMBERSHIP

Any one who is willing to enroll himself/herself and subscribe to the Aims & Objectives as well as the Tenets of Faith of the MELC Delhi (attached as Appendix-I) shall be eligible for membership. A member must get himself/herself enrolled in the membership register maintained by the Executive Committee. The enrolment fee shall be Rs. 10/- (Ten) per head only.

IV. AIMS AND OBJECTIVE:

1. To proclaim God’s message and bear witness to the teachings of Jesus Christ as found in the Holy Bible.
2. To Promote the spiritual/social well being and unity of the Members.

V. GENERAL BODY:

All the registered members shall constitute the General Body of the Church and it shall be the Supreme Body of the Church.

VI. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:

A. There shall be an Executive Committee to organize and coordinate the business of the Church.

B. Qualification of the Executive Members:

(a) Must be an active member of the Church who is 25 years of age and above;
(b) Must have received Jesus Christ as his/her Lord and Saviour;
(c) Willing and committed to serve the Lord and having moral integrity.
(d) Must have been Baptized.
(e) Shall not hold dual membership in any other Church.

C. Executive Committee

1. The Executive Committee shall consist of Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, Joint Secretary, Finance Secretary, Treasurer, Local Pastor, and Women Wing Leader & Youth Leader.
2. The Executive members shall be elected from amongst the members of the Church by means of secret ballot or as otherwise found more convenient by the Election Commissioners.
3. The tenure of the Executive Committee shall be for two calendar years i.e., January to December.

VII. FUNCTIONS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

As servants of the Church in the service of the Lord, the Executive Committee shall hold the following responsibilities and functions:

1. To ensure that the Church keeps and fulfill the Aims & Objectives as enshrined in the Rules and Regulations;
2. To conduct the business concerning the Church and consider suggestions received from Members.
3. To organize regular worship service and such other meetings like prayer meeting, special gatherings, etc. from time to time;
4. To plan and initiate future projects/goals in order to achieve the Aims & Objectives of the Church;
5. To communicate and correspond with other related Organizations/Churches on matters of common interest;
6. To form Sub-Committee group within the Church whenever deemed necessary;
7. To raise and collect funds from appropriate sources like voluntary contributions, tithes, offerings, gifts, donations, aids, grants whether from within India or abroad or from other sources approved by the Executive Committee;
8. To control all financial matters by maintaining proper record of income and expenditure of the Church;
9. To publish journals, magazines, bulletins as means of propagating the gospel;
10. The Executive committee shall also enjoy such other functions and responsibilities to discuss and decide on all matter relating to the Church which are not specified above.

VII (A). RECRUITMENT OF PASTORS

Recruitment of the local Pastor shall be as per the rules and regulation of the Manipur Evangelical Lutheran Church Headquarter.

VIII. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

1. The Treasurer or the Finance cum Treasurer shall maintain all income and expenditure of the Church in a standard cash register. All expenditure relating to the Church below Rs. 1000.00 (Rupees One Thousand only) can be made in consultation with the Chairman/Secretary by the Treasurer.
2. All expenditure above Rs.1000.00 (Rupees One thousand only) has to be approved by the Executive Committee.
3. A joint Bank Account shall be opened in one of the scheduled bank in the name of the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. The account shall be operated by any two names of the Treasurer and Chairman or Secretary.

IX. AUDIT

Two Auditors shall be appointed from the members of the Church, other than the Executive Members, to Audit the accounts of the Church annually, or as and when deemed necessary by the Executive Committee and the audit statement shall be communicated to the General Body of the Church through the Executive Committee.

X. PROPERTIES

1. The Property Secretary or any person appointed by the Executive Committee shall maintain record of all properties belonging to the Church properly.
2. He shall make the record of all properties in the Property Register. He shall make an inventory of the properties from time to time and shall be responsible for the safe custody of such properties.

XI. ELECTION COMMISSIONERS

The Executive Committee may appoint Election Commissioners conducting election in the election year.

XII. QUORUM FOR MEETING

1. Half of the Executive Committee shall constitute the quorum for a meeting and one-third or 20 members of the Church, whichever is less for General Body Meeting.
2. Apart from the Annual General Body Meeting, the General Body Meeting may be convened by the Executive Committee whenever deemed necessary, or on the recommendation of at least 30 Members.

XIII. NOPNI LEH DAHNI

(a) DAHNI (In times of Grievances): In the unlikely and unfortunate event of death of a member, the Church shall condole the grieved family and cover the dead body with a traditional shawl.
(b) On any happy occasion where the Church takes responsibility, the Church shall contribute refreshment.

XIV. AMENDMENTS:

1.    Amendment to the Rules and Regulations may be made in General Body Meeting by a majority of at least two-third of the members present by voting.
2.    In the event of unavoidable circumstances, the Executive Committee may enact an ordinance, which shall be temporarily operative for a period of 6(six) months only by the end of which if the amended ordinance is not be endorsed by the General Body of the Church and shall be considered automatically null and void.

APPENDIX-I

1. We accept the Holy Scripture of the Old Testament and the New Testament as the inspired Word of God and received them as living oracles of God, as containing all things necessary to salvation, and as the supreme and decisive standard of faith.

2. The Church holds the faith that there is but one God, Eternal and Almighty who made heaven and earth, and whom we have come to know as Father through the Lord Jesus Christ. He is a Spirit, self-existent, omnipresent yet distinct from all other spirits and from all material things: infinite, eternal and unchangeable, in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, truth and love.

3. We believe in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, who was born of the virgin Mary and become Man. He revealed in a life of humble service the glory of God and for our sins he died, being crucified in the time of Pontius Pilate. On the third day he rose again from the dead, and he ascended to the right hand of God, where He makes intercession for His people. We acknowledge him as Saviour and Lord and we look for his coming again to raise the dead, to judge the world and to reign.

4. We believe in the Holy Spirit of God, the Lord, the Giver of Life. He is the revealer of all truth and the ‘Comforter’ who dwells in all who trust in Christ. He assures us that we are children of god; He sanctifies us so that we may become like Christ, and unites all believers in Church with one another.

5. The Church accepts that the Sacraments instituted by Christ, Baptism and Lord’s Supper are visible signs of the Grace of God, through which believers confess their faith and which express their union with Christ and their continual dependence on him.

6. The Church recognizes the ‘Royal Priesthood’ of all believers who have direct access to God, and all the members have the rights and duties of the priesthood of believers, offering to God in and with the Son the Sacrifice of themselves and all their powers and showing forth in life and word the glory of the redeeming power of God in Jesus Christ. To the whole Church and to every members of it belong the duty and the privilege of spreading the Good News of the Kingdom of God, and the message of salvation through Jesus Christ.

7. We believe that it is the duty of all believers to unite in Church to observe the sacraments and other ordinances of Christ, to obey His laws, to continue in prayers, to keep holy the Lord’s day, to meet together for His worship, to wait upon the preaching of His word, to give as God may prosper them, to manifest a Christ-like spirit among themselves and towards all men, to labour for the extension of Christ’s Kingdom throughout the world, and to wait for His glorious appearing.

Dated: New Delhi
The July 6, 2009