The Constitution
of Christ the Victor Lutheran Church
of Florence, AZ
A church of Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ
THE CONSTITUTION
OF
CHRIST THE VICTOR LUTHERAN CHURCH
Florence, AZ.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
PREAMBLE
It is the will of our Lord Jesus Christ that His disciples should preach the Gospel to the whole world (Mark 16:16, Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8) in order that Christ's mission for His Church might be carried out according to His will. He has commanded that Christians:
Therefore, we, as members of Christ the Victor Lutheran Church, Inc., located in Florence, AZ adopt this Constitution (hereinafter the "Constitution"), in accordance with which all spiritual and material affairs of our Congregation shall be conducted.
ARTICLE I
NAME
The name of this Congregation shall be Christ the Victor Lutheran Church, Inc. (hereinafter the "Congregation")
ARTICLE II
PURPOSE
The purpose of this Congregation shall be to strive to fulfill the "Great Commission" of our Lord Jesus Christ as is specified in Matthew 28:18-20, by preaching the Gospel to people of all ages, races, cultures, and backgrounds; making disciples of all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Triune God; teaching them to observe all that He has commanded; and ministering and witnessing to persons in all kinds of needs.
ARTICLE III
CONFESSION OF FAITH
This Congregation accepts in all its parts the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired, revealed and inerrant Word of God, and the only rule and norm of faith and all the synodical books contained in the Book of Concord of the year 1580, as the correct presentation and true exposition of Christian Doctrine drawn from the Holy Scriptures, namely:
No doctrine or practice in conflict, or inconsistent with the above norms of our faith and life shall be taught or tolerated in this Congregation.
ARTICLE IV
DENOMINATIONAL AFFILIATION
This Congregation shall be affiliated with Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC), as long as the confessions and constitution of said Association are in accord with the confession and the Constitution of this Congregation as set forth in Article III.
This Congregation is autonomous and maintains the right to govern its own affairs.
ARTICLE V
MEMBERSHIP
This Congregation exists as a community of baptized Christians who subscribe to
Articles II and III of this Constitution. Specific classifications of membership
shall be defined in the By-Laws.
ARTICLE VI
MEETINGS
The annual meeting of the Congregation shall be held as defined in the By-Laws.
ARTICLE VII
ORGANIZATION
A. Scriptural Authority. All activities of the Congregation shall be regulated and all controversies, doctrinal or otherwise, which may arise within the Congregation, shall be resolved on the basis of Holy Scripture and the Book of Concord of the year 1580. Any decision made to the contrary shall be null and void.
B. The Congregation. The voter’s assembly shall be the governing body of this congregation and shall be empowered to administer and manage all its affairs. The Congregation is organized as a religious non-profit corporation. The Congregation shall have power to manage and administer its internal and external affairs. The Congregation, however, shall not be empowered to decide anything contrary to the Word of God and the Confessions of the Lutheran Church (Article III) and any such decision shall be null and void.
The Congregation hereby delegates its power to the Church Council, except in the following designated areas:
Any right or power delegated to the Church Council shall be subject to review, revision or revocation by the Congregation.
C. The Church Council. The Church Council shall exercise all authority delegated to it by the Congregation. The Church Council may delegate certain authorities to such officers, committees, task forces and ministry teams, in such manner as it shall deem fit and proper. Such officers, committees and ministry teams, however, shall have no authority beyond that which has been conferred upon them, and such conferred authority may be altered or revoked by the Church Council.
D. Officers. The officers of the Church Council shall consist of the President, the Vice-President, the Treasurer, and the Secretary. Other members of the Church Council are designated as Members At Large. All members of the Church Council shall be elected in accordance with the By-Laws.
ARTICLE VIII
PASTORS
The Office of Pastor of this Congregation shall be conferred only upon such qualified Pastors who profess and adhere to the confessional standard set forth in Article III of this Constitution. Pastors shall, in the Divine Call extended to and accepted by them, be pledged to this confessional standard and hold membership in Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC).
ARTICLE IX
PROPERTY RIGHTS
A. Individual or Group Termination of Membership
If at any time a separation should take place, the property of this Congregation and all rights connected therewith shall remain with those members who continue to adhere to Article II and Article III of this Constitution. If more than one of the splitting factions remains faithful to these Articles, all rights of property shall be decided by the majority of all members eligible to vote.
B. Congregation Dissolution
Upon the dissolution of the Congregation, all unobligated net assets and real property will be distributed to the LCMC Church Planting Fund in accordance with the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
C. Irrevocable Dedication
The property of this Congregation is irrevocably dedicated to religious and charitable purposes and no part of the net income or assets of this Congregation shall ever inure to the benefit of any officer or member thereof or to the benefit of any private individual.
ARTICLE X
BY-LAWS
The Congregation shall adopt such By-Laws as may be required for the accomplishment of its Christian mission as stated in the Preamble. The By-Laws may be amended as provided therein.
ARTICLE XI
AMENDMENTS
This Constitution may be amended by the members of the Congregation at a special meeting at which a quorum is present, by three-fourths of the votes cast provided that the intention to amend the Constitution, and the wording of the amendments proposed, shall be submitted in writing and announced to the congregation verbally and by public posting at the meeting at which the proposed amendment will be acted upon as well as to the Congregation assembled for worship for four (4) consecutive weeks prior to said meeting.
Articles III, IV, and VIII may be amended by a three-fourths vote of the Voters Assembly provided that the proposed amendment has been included in the call of and discussed at two meetings before the meeting at which the proposed amendment is to receive action. Six week’s notice that a vote will be taken shall be given to all voting members of the congregation. Any changes to these articles shall not change their essential meaning. If there is a dispute as to whether this has occurred or not, the matter shall be decided by the LCMC Board of Trustees.
This Constitution was approved by the Church Council of Christ the Victor Lutheran Church of Florence, AZ on the 24th day of October, 2024 and ratified by the Voters Assembly on the 9th day of February and the 9th day of March, 2025.