ORDERS and ADVICE

of the

 SARDIS ASSOCIATION

 OF OLD REGULAR

                            BAPTIST                               

THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST

 

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1893 to 1989

 

 

HISTORY

OF

OLD REGULAR BAPTIST

 

THIS IS THE ASSOCIATION I BELONG TO ELDER BOBBY SCOTT SR

AND IT IS ACCURATE FOR IT CAME DIRECTLY FROM OUR MINUTES

We have six Associations we correspond with and they consist of approximately Two Hundred and Fifty Churches that reach from Michigan all the way to Flordia with most of the churches located in the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky, West Viginia and Virginia. There is approximately  Five Thousand members. There is another approximately Five Thousand that we dropped correspondence with over the years.

 

ORDERS AND ADVICE

of the

SARDIS ASSOCIATION OF OLD REGULAR BAPTIST

THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST

1893 to 1989

 

            In humble obedience to an Order of the Sardis Association, Saturday's session, Article 20, in the year of 1989, and with all humility to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who makes be able, I set forth hereinafter all of the Orders that are still in effect of our beloved Sardis Association from its organization in the year of 1893 to the year of 1989, as found in the Annual Minutes thereof.

 

 

            The word "Advice" was added by me for the sake of complete­ness because, in my opinion, all of the Items set forth in the Minutes may not properly be classified as an "Order". Whenever possible, exact quotations are shown.

 

 

            Amendments to the Constitution, Articles of Faith and Rules of Decorum are not shown. Orders that have been reprinted are shown in the year first printed. Orders that have been amended or changed are shown in the year of latest change.

 

 

                                  Your Clerk,

                                  Ralph W. E. Varney, Jr.

 

 

 August 5, 1893

Brushy Fork Church                                                     W.W. Fields, Moderator

                                                                                    P.D. Bevins, Clerk

 

RECORD OF THE SARDIS ASSOCIATION

 

 

Organized in the year 1893 upon the following Faith, to wit:

                                                           

 

We, the Churches of Jesus Christ of Regular Baptist, are consti­tuted on the following Faith:

               

 

1st: We believe in only one true and living God, the Creator of the heavens and earth and all things that are therein contained.

 

 

2nd: We believe in Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of God, who is Head and King of His Church.

                       

 

3rd: We believe in the Holy Ghost, the sealer and applier of the redemption purchased by Christ.

                       

 

4th: We believe in the Father; Son and Holy Ghost and these three are One.

                       

 

5th: We believe the Scripture of the Old and New Testaments to be the infallible Word of God and take it for our only rule of faith and practice and nothing is to be added to it or taken from it.

 

6th: We believe in the free atonement of Jesus Christ and that He tasted death for every man and that salvation is offered to all men and women upon the terms of the Gospel.

 

 

7th: We believe that repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are necessary previous to baptism, and that by immersion is the only right way of administering the ordinance.

           

 

8th: We believe that Christ has but one true Gospel Church and that it will finally persevere through grace to eternal glory.

 

 

9th: We believe in the Communion of the Lord's Supper, that is, taking of the bread and wine, by the Church of Jesus Christ in commemoration of the death and suffering of the Son of God until His Second Coming.

                                                                                   

 

10th: We believe that feet washing is an ordinance of Jesus Christ and ought to be observed and kept up by His Church until His Second Coming.

                                   

 

11th: We believe that Jesus Christ is the first resurrection from the dead and that He lives forever.

 

 

12th: We believe in the resurrection of the just and unjust.

 

 

13th: We believe in the final punishment of the wicked and in the eternal happiness of the righteous.

 

            We, the Regular Baptist Churches of Jesus Christ, composed of duly authorized delegates and members from the Brushy Fork, Sardis and Big Branch Churches, convened with the Brushy Fork Church on August 5, 1893 and organized by electing W.W. Fields, Moderator; and P.D. Bevins, Clerk.

 

            Upon motion, the Moderator appointed Brothers G.W. May­nard and W.L. Smith as Committee to report the order of business for this day. The report of said Committee was read, approved and the Committee discharged.

 

            Upon motion and second, the Association declared the follow­ing to be the reasons for founding a new Association and they, in like manner, adopted the annexed Constitution and Articles of Faith.

 

            We, the Regular Baptist Church of Jesus Christ, convened with the Brushy Fork Church and composed as a working body for the transaction of business of duly authorized delegates from the Big Branch, Sardis and Brushy Fork Churches, deeming it necessary on account of a material difference of opinion existing between our­selves and other Brethren of the Mates Creek Churches to organize an Association separate and apart from our differing and yet highly esteemed Brethren in which we may live in harmony and perfect unison with each other. 

 

            NOW, BE IT KNOWN, in the presence of these witnesses and before Almighty God, the Supreme Judge of the World and all our actions:

 

 

First: That we do not object to the outline of Doctrine as we understand it to have been written in the different Constitutions of the Churches composing the Mates Creek Association.

 

 

Second: That while we believe no one independent of God's Almighty Power can be instrumental in the salvation of his soul, we do believe that man is responsible for his deeds, which thing we understand our Mates Creek Brethren to deny.

           

 

Third: That we object to the Doctrine held by our Mates Creek Brethren that man as a created being is compelled by God Eternal in all things to do just as he does, whether it be good or evil.

 

Fourth: We believe that man in the Creation was given limited power and that good and evil were set before him with the possibility of his choosing either. Therefore, we believe that when Adam par­took of evil he did so not by compulsion but by choice, which thing we also understand our Mates Creek Brethren to deny.

 

            Therefore, these things being essential in regard to the prosper­ity of the Church, and as members holding these different views cannot possibly live in true Brotherly love within the same Associa­tion, we thought it better both for our Absolute Predestination Brethren and ourselves that we organize a separate Association. Not that we object to the original Doctrine of the Mates Creek Associa­tion but that we believe that our Predestination Brethren have departed from these same Doctrines.

 

            But to them and all others be it understood, with God as our Judge, that it is with malice toward none that we withdraw from the Mates Creek Association and adopt the following Constitution for our Church government, together with the foregoing Articles of Faith for each of the Churches composing our Body:

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONSTITUTION

 

            From a long series of experience we, the Churches of Jesus Christ, being regularly baptized upon our profession of Faith in Jesus Christ, are convinced of the necessity of the combination of Churches in order to perpetuate a Union and Communion among us and to preserve, maintain and keep the Rules and Orders of an Association according to the following plan or form of Government:

 

 

Article 1: The Association shall be composed of members chosen by the different Churches and duly sent to represent them in the Association who shall be members whom they shall think best qualified for that purpose and, producing Letters from their respec­tive Churches certifying this appointment, shall be entitled to a seat.

 

 

Article 2: The Letters from the different Churches shall express their number in full fellowship, their baptized, received by Letter, restored, dismissed, excommunicated and dead since the last Association.

 

 

Article 3: The members thus chosen and convened shall have no power to Lord it over God's heritage; nor shall they have any Clerical Power over the Churches; nor shall they infringe on the internal rights of any Church in the Union.

 

 

Article 4: The Association, when convened, shall be governed by a regular and proper Decorum.

 

Article 5: The Association shall have a Moderator and a Clerk who shall be chosen by the suffrage of the members present.

 

 

 Article 6: New Churches shall be admitted into our Union who shall petition by Letter and Delegates and, if found upon examina­tion to be orthodox and orderly, shall be received by the Association and manifested by the Moderator giving the right hand of fellowship.

 

 

Article 7: Every Church in the Union shall be entitled to a representation in the Association.

 

 

Article 8: Every Query presented by any Church to the Association, being first debated in their own Church, shall be taken up by the Association.

 

 

Article 9: Every motion made and seconded shall be taken up by the Association except it be withdrawn by the member who made it.

 

 

Article 10: The Association shall endeavor to furnish the Churches with Minutes of the Association.

 

 

Article 11: The Churches shall send money by the Delegates of each Church for printing the Minutes of the Association.

 

 

Article 12: There shall be a record book kept wherein the proceedings of each Association shall be regularly recorded by a Secretary approved for that purpose.

 

            Article 13: The Minutes of the Association shall be read and corrected, if need be, and signed by the Moderator and Clerk before the Association arises.

 

 

Article 14: Amendments to this Plan and Form may be made at anytime by a majority of the Union when they deem it necessary.

 

 

Article 15: All matters coming before the Association shall be decided by the will of the majority; and receiving new Churches and correspondence with other Associations shall be done by a majority.

 

 

Article 16: The Association shall have power: (1) to provide for the general Union of the Churches; (2) to preserve inviolable a chain of communication among the Churches; (3) to give the Churches all necessary advice in matters of difficulty; (4) to inquire into the cause why the Churches fail to represent themselves in the Association; (5) to appoint any member or members, by and with their consent, to transact any business which they may think neces­sary; (6) the Association shall have power to withdraw from any Church in this Union which shall violate the Rules of this Associa­tion or deviate from the orthodox principles of religion; (7) to admit any orderly Minister of our order to a seat with us in the Associa­tion; (8) the Association shall have power to adjourn themselves to any future time or place most convenient to the Churches in our Union; and, (9) no Minister shall be ordained unless forwarded by a Church, and it shall require two or more Ordained Ministers to compose a Presbytery for that purpose.

 

 

 

 

RULES OF DECORUM

 

Memo:  The original, handwritten Minutes do not list a Rules of Decorum but the reconstructed Minutes as approved by the Associ­ation in the year of 1930 shows the following:

 

 

Article 1: The Association to be opened and closed by prayer.

 

 

Article 2: A Moderator and Clerk shall be chosen by the suffrage of the members present.

 

 

Article 3: Only one member shall speak at a time and he shall rise from his seat and address the Moderator when he is about to make a speech.

 

 

Article 4: The person thus speaking shall not be interrupted in his speech, except by the Moderator; until he is done speaking and shall strictly adhere to the subject and in no wise reflect on the person who spoke before or make remarks on mishaps, failures or imperfections but shall fairly state the case and matter as nearly as he can so as to convey his light and idea.

 

 

Article 5: No person shall rise and speak more than three times on one subject without consent of the Association.

 

 

 Article 6: No person shall abruptly break off or absent himself from the Association without liberty obtained from it.

 

 

Article 7: No member of this Association shall have the liberty of laughing during the sittings nor whispering in time of public speech.

 

 

Article 8: No member of this Association shall address another by any other term or appellation but the title of Brother.

 

 

Article 9: The Moderator shall not interrupt a member or prohibit him from speaking until he gives his light upon the subject, except when he breaks the Rules of Decorum.

 

 

Article 10: The names of the several members of the Association shall be enrolled by the Clerk and called over as often as the Moderator requires.

 

 

Article 11: The Moderator shall be entitled to the same privileges as another member; provided the Chair be filled, but shall have no vote unless the Association be equally divided.

 

 Any member who shall willingly and knowingly break any of the Rules shall be reproved by the Association as they think proper.

 

Article 13: But three members shall take a seat in this Association from each Church.

 

Article 14: These Rules of Decorum shall be read by the Clerk at the commencement of every Association.

 

Article 15: No person shall speak more than five minutes at the same time without liberty obtained from the Association.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2nd HISTORY OF OLD REGULAR BAPTIST

I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE THE FOLLOWING HISTORY CAME FROM BUT THINK IT WAS A HISTORY DID BY A PERSON NAMED  PERRIGAN

 

 

TRACING BACK THE OLD REGULAR BAPTIST CHURCH

1.      The Apostle John was with Christ on the Mount where the church was established.

2.      Polycarp was baptized by John on the 25th of December, 95 A.D.

3.      Polycarp organized the Partus Church at the foot of the Iiber, 150 A.U. and Tortullon was a member of that body.

4.      Tortullon from the Puttee Church organized the Turan Church at Turan, Italy, 237 A.D.

5.      Telesman, a member of the Partus Church organized the Pontifossi Church at the foot of the Alps in France, 398 A.D.

6.      Adromicus came from the Pontifossi Church and organized the Sarethea Church in Asia Minor, 671 A.D.

7.      Archer Flavin from the Daretnea Church organizes the Timeo Church, 738 A.D.

8.      Balcola, from the Timto Church in Asia Minor, organized the Lima Piedmont Church. 812 A.D.

9.      Aaron Arlington was ordained in 940 A.D. by the Lima Piedmont Church.

10.     Aaron Arlington organized the Hillcliff Church, 987 A.D.

11.     The Hillcliff Church, located in Wales, shows in its records that members of the Church

came to America and later became members of the Philadelphia Association.

12.     Dr. John Clark, from the Church of Wales, came to America with four others and organized the

 first Baptist Church in this country at Newport, Rhode Island, 1638 A.D.

13.     The Church of Rhode Island helped organize the first Baptist Association, the

 Philadelphia Association in 1707.

14.     The Philadelphia Association organized the Katockton Association in Virginia in 1766.

15.     The Katockton Association organized the Hosten Association in North Carolina in 1783.

16.     The Hosten Association organized the South Elkhorn Association in Kentucky in 1784.

17.     The South Elkhorn Association organized the South Kentucky Association in 1787, which

 became the South District and North District of United Baptist in 1801.

18.     The North District organized the Burning Springs Association in 1813.

19.     The Burning Springs Association organized the New Salem Association in 1825 and the

 Paint Union in 1837. These too were called United Baptist.

20.     The New Salem Association, mother church of The Old Regular Baptists, organized the Mate's

 Creek Association in 1849 and the Union Association in 1859. The Union Association played a

 crucial role in the final evolution of the Old Regular Baptist Church.

21.     The Old Regular Churches today trace their development from the New Salem and Union

 Associations. The Doctrine that was established in 1894 is relatively intact today with very

few changes in the "old style" of worship.