HOW WE OPERATE

Fairhope Avenue Baptist Church belongs to Christ and is built by him. Jesus told the apostle Peter in Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church.” Since Jesus built it, he owns it, and he is the head of it. That means we put aside selfish ambition and personal preferences and put his will and desire for the church first. As best we can, we do and believe like Christ would. Our highest honor is to submit to his authority and be obedient to him.

That is not to say that members do not have a role in the operation and decision-making at Fairhope Avenue Baptist Church. On the contrary, as an independent and autonomous church body under the authority of Christ, Fairhope Avenue Baptist Church employs a congregational style of government. That means final human authority resides in the congregation, not in a denomination, a board, a committee, or a pastor. 

We govern ourselves in all affairs. We choose our own pastor, our own buildings, determine our own programs, and set our own budget. We hold monthly business meetings to update church members on the financial, business, and ministry status of the church and to vote on matters of importance to the church. Church members vote annually to elect committee members who oversee the daily operations of the church, implement the will of the congregation between monthly business meetings, make recommendations for congregational consideration, and present a report of their activities at each monthly business meeting. 

We also honor, respect, and support the God-appointed leaders of the church: the pastor and the deacons. Beyond his ministerial duties, the pastor also serves in an advisory capacity as a non-voting member of all committees and serves as moderator of all church business meetings. Our deacons are elected by the church according to the biblical qualifications found in 1 Timothy 3:8-13. The deacon body exists to assist the pastor in ministering to the congregation, so the pastor has adequate time to devote “to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4). Though not required, we have found that God’s will for this church is usually best identified by seeking the counsel and approval of our deacon leadership. In the absence of the pastor, the Chairman of the Deacons also serves as the moderator at all church business meetings until the pastor has returned or the vacant pastoral position has been filled.