Church Voting & Business Meetings

The New Testament does not contain a commandment that instructs members of New Testament Church’s to vote. Therefore, Pilgrim Baptist does not take votes or host monthly business meetings.

The focus of a New Testament is to make decisions through prayer meetings that lead men & women to follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Additionally, we have a more sure word of prophecy, the written, holy scriptures that show us how to conduct ourselves with the brethren.

Problems that arise:
Churches that emphasize business meetings and church voting typically end up with one or more of the following problems:

• It takes away from time that could be spent evangelizing, preaching, praying, fellowshipping, singing, and counselling with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
• It fuels three of the biggest enemies of a New Testament church: division, strife, and discord.
• It provides a platform for troublemakers and rebels to launch their attack of creating strife and division, and sowing discord among the brethren.

Instead of the monthly habit of business meetings & voting, ALL church members have the biblical right to approach the pastor and deacons with any matter of concern. The pastor, deacons and the board are required to take input from ALL believers and genuinely take concern for the matter at hand. The pastor and/or deacons are required to pray and seek additional insight from members who could be a help concerning the issue. The pastor must proceed according to Biblical principles.

Regarding the Purchase, Sale or Lease of Land or Property

The pastor, deacon(s), and trustees will, by majority decision, have the right:

            a.     To purchase, lease, or otherwise acquire real and personal property on behalf of the church, and to take real and personal property by will, gift, or bequest on behalf of the church.

            b.     To sell, convey, alienate, transfer, lease, assign, exchange, or otherwise dispose of, and to mortgage, pledge, or otherwise encumber the real and personal property of the church; to borrow money and incur indebtedness for the purpose and use of the church; to cause to be executed, issued, and delivered for the indebtedness, in the name of the church, promissory notes, bonds, debentures, or other evidence of indebtedness; and to secure repayment by deeds of trust, mortgages, or pledges.

            c.     To make renovations to church owned property.

All shall be compatible with the laws of the state of Tennessee.