Statement of Mission Policy

SECTION I

We hold, as Churches composing the Missionary Baptist Association of Texas, that the authority for execution of the Great Commission was given to the New Testa- ment Church, and the authority must remain forever with the churches. Therefore the right and privilege of every church of this Association to endorse, set apart, or send out missionaries is wholly within the rights of each church regardless of the opinions or vote of the messengers.

SECTION II

The Messengers of churches of the Missionary Baptist Association of Texas will not consider requests for mission support unless it is a church associated with, and sub- scribing to, the principles and practices of the churches of the Missionary Baptist Association of Texas.

SECTION III

I. State Mission work shall be defined as that which is used to assist churches to fulfill the Great Commission:
1. Reach the Lost,
2. Baptize the saved,
3. Teach the baptized church member.
A. These works may consist of:
Work to establish a new church.
Work with existing church to prevent its demise.
II. Special mission projects that do not include all three points of the Great Commission may be considered for designated funds. (E.G. = missionary helpers, church or mission ministries)

SECTION IV

We recommend that churches seek fields in sections of the state where we have no churches.

SECTION V

Each church requesting support for a missionary or mission project must submit to the office of the Secretary Treasurer of Missions, by September 15th, a detailed report of the plan of the church for its establishment of a new church or its plans for aiding in the turnaround of an existing church., or in special mission endeavors. We request a detailed report of the missionary including his age, his family living at home, his education and experience in mission work. The report must provide how the church plans to use the requested support and their financial involvement in all areas of mission work.

SECTION VI

We recognize that a missionary elected by his local church, if it be a scriptural church, is a scriptural missionary.

SECTION VII

Each request will be considered individually for the requested amount of support. lf the MBA of Texas funds decline to $20,000, the Secretary] Treasurer will be permitted to use his discretion to prorate the funds or offering proportionately for all request and all salaries, (with the exception of the Secretary] Treasurer because they have no direct church sponsorship). Reimbursements will not be implemented until the balance of the MBA of Texas reaches $25,000. If a missionary is incapacitated either by an accident or illness and has to resign the mission field, his salary may continue up to six months upon request by the spon- soring church. In the event of the death of a missionary, his salary request will be given to his widow or dependent children for the ensuing six months upon request by the sponsoring church.

SECTION VIII

Each church receiving support for their mission work shall provide the Secretary/ Treasurer a monthly progress report. Support for the month will not be mailed by the Secretary/Treasurer if a report has not been received.

SECTION IX

In the event the messengers are not able to meet in the annual meeting, no new recommended missionaries will be added and the current missionaries per their church recommendations, will continue to receive their support for one additional year. The current salaries will be paid with no raises added, pursuant to the terms of Section VII.

Articles of Agreement

ARTICLE I -- Name

This association shall be known as the Missionary Baptist Association of Texas.

ARTICLE II -- Object

The object of this Association shall be to awaken a deeper interest in the welfare of the churches, to cultivate a closer fellowship among the churches, and to encourage and perpetuate the very greatest possible activity in missionary, educational and benevolent enterprises.

ARTICLE III -- How Composed

Section 1. This Association shall be composed of such regular independent Missionary Baptist Churches as may voluntarily choose to cooperate in carrying out the object of this Association.
Section 2. The Messenger Assemblies of this Association shall be composed of mes- sengers elected by the churches composing it.
Section 3. Each church choosing to represent in this Association shall be entitled to three messengers.
Section 4. Each church shall be the sole judge of the qualification of her messengers.

ARTICLE IV -- Nature

The Messenger Assembly of this Association shall be, in nature, formed as a council in matters pertaining to missionary, education and benevolent work.

ARTICLE V -- Principles

The Messenger Assembly of this Association shall recognize the freedom of speech as essential to the highest achievement in its work. It shall stand or fall on its own conformity to the truth. It shall exercise no ecclesiastical authority, but it shall, by every precaution recognize the independence and sovereignty of every individual church. It shall also encourage on the part of the church and the messengers the greatest possible freedom of expression in discussing matters pertaining to its work.

ARTICLE VI -- Powers

The action of the Messenger Assembly shall be limited to the work of awakening enthusiasm in missionary, educational and benevolent enterprises and receiving and distributing funds for the same.

ARTICLE VII -- Funds

Section 1. All funds of this Association shall be raised by voluntary donations se- cured solely upon the merits of the cause in the interest of which appeals are made for gifts: provided, this is not to prevent the use of any income or any property that may be acquired by donation or by purchase.
Section 2. Distribution of funds shall be authorized by an act of this Messenger As- sembly, or by an act of properly authorized committees of this assembly hereinafter provided for; but in no instance shall the assembly or any committee of it use means in violation of the expressed preference of the donor.

ARTICLE VIII -- Officers

Section 1. The officers of this Messenger Assembly shall be a moderator, and assistant moderator, two (2) recording secretaries and a corresponding secretary-treasurer.
Section 2. All officers of this assembly shall be chosen annually, and shall hold their offices until their successors are elected and the same shall be true of all members of standing committees. All officers shall be elected by a majority of the messengers voting. No moderator shall succeed himself more than one year.
Section 3. The duties of all officers shall be as directed by the Messenger Assembly, unless otherwise directed by the churches.
Section 4. It shall be the duty of the corresponding secretary treasurer to take charge of money and valuables not specifically entrusted to someone else and to dispose of same as he may be directed by this Messenger Assembly. He shall make an annual report to this assembly of all monies received and disbursed.
Section 5. The recording secretaries, in addition to keeping the records of this As- sociation, will superintend the printing and distribution of minutes of such regular meetings as the messengers may direct.
Section 6. In the event a host church or churches would not be able to fulfill an invitation for any circumstance, the trustees of the Association shall be authorized to seek out an alternate meeting place. The trustees shall follow the rule of ARTICLE IX -- Committees, Section 1 in selecting a new meeting place. In the event that a cancellation occurs within three months of the next scheduled meeting, the trustees may be empowered with the responsibility to act in an emergency to secure another meeting location. In the event of but not limited to a national emergency, pandemic or other unforeseen event that places the messengers in danger for assembling, the trustees in counsel with the host church, by means of telephone or video conference, may have authority to cancel an annual meeting if there is a majority vote.

ARTICLE IX -- Committees

Section 1. The missionary committee shall be composed of one representative of each church choosing to be represented. The duty of the committee shall be to meet quarterly, or as directed by the Messenger Assembly, in the interest of all the work. It shall be empowered to fill vacancies of regular offices between sessions of the Messenger Assembly and to call a special meeting of a Messenger Assembly when needed.
Section 2. The following officers of the Assembly shall be the trustees of the association: Namely, the moderator, assistant moderator, two recording secretaries and secretary-treasurer, subject to the direction of the Messenger Assembly, and they are empowered to act in legal capacity as trustees of the Association.

ARTICLE X -- Missionaries

We hold that the authority for execution of the Great Commission was given to the New Testament Church and the authority must remain forever with the churches. Therefore, the right and privilege of every church of this Association to endorse, set apart and send out missionaries of its own choosing and the act of one church in sending out missionaries can in no way bind or obligate any other church. The churches shall be free and their support of missionaries shall be voluntary on their part.

ARTICLE XI --Meetings

The regular meetings of the Church Messengers shall be at such time and place as the assembled messengers may appoint.

ARTICLE XII -- Amendments

The Messenger Assembly shall have no power to change the Articles of Agreement. Any church desiring a change shall send to the annual meeting a copy of the pro- posed change; the Messenger Assembly will then submit the proposed change to each cooperating church; if two-thirds of the cooperating churches vote for the change, then the Article of Agreement shall be amended to conform to the proposed change. Two-thirds of the churches representing in assembly in the previous year shall be the number determining the results.

1. We believe in the plenary verbal inspiration and inerrancy of the whole Bible as originally written, and that the Bible is the all-sufficient rule of faith and practice, (Psalm 119-160; 2 Tim. 3:16-17).
2. We believe in the personal triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, equal in divine perfection, (Matt. 28:19).
3. We believe in the Genesis account of creation, (Gen. 1, 2).
4. We believe that Satan is a fallen angel, the archenemy of God and man, the unholy god of this world and that his destiny is the eternal lake of fire, (Isa. 14:12-15; Ezek. 28:11-19; Matt. 25:41; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 6:10-17; Rev. 20:10).
5. We believe in the virgin birth and sinless humanity of Jesus Christ, (Matt. 1:18-20; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22).
6. We believe in the Deity of Jesus Christ, (John 1:1, 14; 10:30; 14:9; 2 Cor. 5:19).
7. We believe that the Divine Administrator for Jesus Christ in His churches is the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; John 14:16, 17; 16:13; Act 1:4, 5, 8), whose work as such began on the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus Christ with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, which event occurred only once and is not repeated, (Acts 2).
8. We believe that the miraculous gifts of the Spirit listed in 1 Cor. 12:8-10 were done away when the Bible was completed (1 Cor. 13:8-10), that the gift of apostle- ship ceased with the death of the last chosen directly by the Lord Jesus (Eph. 2:20), and that the abiding gifts adequately equip the churches for service to God, (Rom. 12:13; 1 Cor. 13:1-3; Eph. 4:7-16; 1 Peter 4:10, 11; 2 Tim. 3:16, 17). The apostles and prophets were the inspired agents through whom the New Testament revelation was given. When that revelation was complete, there was no further need for the office of apostle and prophet; thus, the apostleship ceased with the death of the last apostle chosen directly by the Lord Jesus.
9. We believe that man was created in the image of God and lived in innocency until he fell by voluntary transgression from his sinless state, the result being that all mankind are now sinners, (Gen. 1:26; 3:6-24; Rom. 5:12, 19).
10. We believe the substitutionary suffering and death of Jesus Christ was sufficient to propitiate for the sins of all humanity, thus making salvation available for all mankind, (Isa. 53:6; Heb. 2:9; 1 Peter. 2:24; 3:18; 2 Peter. 3:9; 1 John 2:2).
11. We believe in the bodily resurrection and ascension of Christ and the bodily res- urrection of His saints, (Matt. 28:1-7; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Cor. 15:42-58; 1 Thess. 4:13-18).
12. We believe in the pre-millennial, personal, bodily return of Christ as the crown- ing event of the Gentile Age. We further believe at His coming the righteous dead shall be raised, the living saints shall be changed and both shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. We also believe after the Millennial Reign of Christ on earth the unrighteous shall be resurrected unto eternal punishment in the lake of fire, ( John 14:1-6; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 2 Thess. 2:8; Rev. 20: 4-6, 11-15; 21:8).
13. We believe the depraved alien sinner is saved wholly by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and the requisites to regeneration are repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 13:3, 5; John 3:16, 18; Acts 20:21; Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:8, 9), and the Holy Spirit convicts sinners and regenerates, seals, secures, and indwells every believer, (John 3:6; 16:8, 9; Rom. 8:9-11; 1 Cor. 6:19, 20; Eph. 4:30; Titus 3:5).
14. We believe all who trust in Jesus Christ for salvation are eternally secure and shall persevere in Him and shall not perish, (John 3:36; 5:24; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:35-39; Heb. 10:39; 1 Peter 1:5).
15. We believe God deals with believers as His children, chastises the disobedient, blesses the obedient in this life and reserves rewards for the future, (Matt. 16:27; 58; 25:14-23; John 1:12; Heb. 12:5-11; 2 John 8; Rev. 22:12).
16. We believe Jesus Christ, during His personal ministry, established His Church, which is a local, visible assembly of scripturally baptized believers in covenant rela- tionship, to carry out the Commission of the Lord Jesus Christ. We further believe each church is an independent, self-governing body over which no other ecclesiastical body may exercise authority. We believe Jesus Christ gave the Great Commission to New Testament churches only, and promised the perpetuity (Matt. 4:18-22; 16:18; 18:15-18; 28:19-20; Mark 1:14-20; John 1:35-51; Eph. 3:21).
17. We believe there are two pictorial ordinances in the Lords churches: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Scriptural baptism is the immersion of penitent believers in water, administered by the authority of a New Testament church in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We further believe the Lord’s Supper is a memorial ordinance, restricted to the members of the church observing the ordinance, (Matt. 28:19, 20; Acts. 8:12, 38: Rom. 6:4; 1 Cor. 5:11-13; 11:1, 2, 17-20, 26).
18. We believe there are two divinely appointed offices in a church, pastor and deacon, to be filled by men whose qualifications are set forth in 1 Tim. 3:1-16; Titus 1:5-9.
19. We believe all associations, fellowships, conventions, boards, and their committees are servants of the churches, (Matt. 20:25-28).
20. We believe in the complete separation of churches and state (Matt. 22:21) and affirm our belief in civil obedience unless the laws and regulations of civil govern- ment run contrary to the Holy Scriptures (Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-15; Acts. 5: 29).