Constitution

Book of Order

Preface

The three elements of the Book of Order of the Olivet Assembly of South Africa shall be the “Book of Government”, the “Book of Worship”, and the “Book of Discipline”.

Book of Government

I. Introduction
Jesus Christ is the sole head of the church. Authority is exercised vicariously by officials appointed to the task by the prayerful choosing of members in this body of believers.

II. Mission Statement

The Olivet Assembly of South Africa exists to:
Serve and glorify God. Prepare the way for God’s Kingdom on earth. Serve in the ministry of reconciliation, making true peace through Christ. Act as a spiritual and administrative center for churches worldwide. Develop resources for improving Biblical education and Christian service. Provide support and counseling to Ministers and missionaries. Carry out the Great Commission of Jesus Christ, preaching the Gospel to all nations and peoples.

III. Church

The Church broadly refers to the entire body of believers who profess faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, regardless of denomination and location of worship. There are many denominations that exist within the Church.
The particular church refers to a smaller body of believers gathered in a single location to worship together. The particular church may have a set meeting location and name, and belong to a denomination.
Each particular church belonging to the Olivet Assembly of South Africa is to operate according to the rules set forth in this Constitution.

IV. Membership

A believer shall be known as a Baptized Member after receiving the Sacrament of Baptism.
An Active Member shall have been baptized, and shall continuously participate in all church services and meetings.
An Inactive Member is a previously Baptized or Active member who does not continue to participate regularly in church services and meetings.

V. Officers

The New Testament instructs the church in establishing three offices, Episcopos (“overseer”), Presbyturos (“elders”), and Diakonos (“servants”). We carry these forth to the modern day in the following particular church offices:
A Minister of the Word and Sacrament should have proper theological and biblical training, and be able to minister the Word and Sacraments to church members.
An Elder should be a church member in good standing, able to assist the Minister in performing all duties related to teaching and to ministering of Sacraments.
A Deacon should be a church member in good standing, able to assist in all capacities for better functioning of the particular church.

VI. Congregation

A congregation consists of all persons on the baptized and active rolls of the church. All persons listed on the active rolls of each particular church may vote in the congregational meetings.

VII. Church Property

The property held by each particular church, presbytery, or by the General Assembly, is held in trust, for the use of and to benefit the Olivet Assembly of South Africa.

VIII. The Church Session

The Session is a meeting of a particular church, composed of the minister, co-pastors, associate pastors, and elders of that church.

IX. The Presbytery

The Presbytery is a meeting of churches within a defined area, composed of ministers from each church, and of two elders elected from each church.

X. The General Assembly

The General Assembly is a meeting of all Presbyteries in the Olivet Assembly of South Africa, composed of representatives elected from among the ministers and elders of each presbytery.

XI. Ordination, Certification and Commissioning

Ministers of the Word and Sacrament, Elders, and Deacons shall be ordained following their commissioning or election. Ministers shall be ordained through ceremony performed by the appropriate Presbytery, while Elders and Deacons shall be ordained by ceremony performed by their respective particular churches.

XII. Amendments

Amendments to this Constitution may be made by a two-thirds majority vote of all Presbyteries.

Book of Discipline

I. Introduction

Discipline is an exercise of the authority given to the church by the Lord Jesus Christ, in order to instruct and guide its members. We set forth the procedures that shall order the ecclesiastical judicial system of the Olivet Assembly of South Africa.

II. Jurisdiction

The judicial system of the church shall have authority only over its members.

III. Trial

The trial shall proceed according to the standards set forth in the Book of Discipline.

IV. Disciplinary Sanctions

Disciplinary Sanctions will be made in accordance with the standards set forth in the Book of Discipline.

Book of Confessions

The Book of Confessions is made up of four smaller parts: the Westminster Confession of Faith, which is the basic confession of Presbyterian faith, the Westminster Shorter Catechism, the Westminster Larger Catechism, and our own Olivet Assembly Statement of Faith. Click the links below to open the full text of each document.
Download These forms may be downloaded to your computer for viewing and printing. You must have Adobe Reader or another PDF viewer, such as Preview (included with Mac OSX Tiger) installed.
Westminster Confession of Faith
Westminster Shorter Catechism
Westminster Larger Catechism
Statement of Faith