The Church was constituted in 1812 and pulled out of the Northbend Association in 1840, with other churches to form the Salem Predestinarian Baptist Association. This constitution was adopted while they were still with the Northbend Association. jrd
Forks of Gunpowder Baptist Church
Church Constitution
The following is the Constitution of the church at the Forks of Gunpowder as adopted at their church Meeting in August 1829. --
1st We believe there is but one living and true God, who is known to us as three persons or bearing three personal relations, as; Father, Son and Holy Ghost, each of them equal in essence, power, glory and eternity, who is omnicient, omnipresent, the Almighty Creator of all things visible and invisible.
2nd We believe that the Scriptures of the old and new Testament was given by inspiration of God and that they contain the only infallible rule for faith and practice to be governed by.
3rd We believe that man was made upright and placed under a law of obedience to his Creator in which state he represented all of his posterity and possessed power to comply with the requisitions of the law, but not immutable. Therefore he willingly and willfully did transgress the law of God, whereupon he become dead in trespasses and sins and Judgement came upon all men to condemnation. --
4th We believe that God did, according to His fore-knowledge and Electing love in Christ Jesus, predestinate His people to life according as He hath chosen us in Him before the world began. --
5th We believe that Christ did enter into a covenant of grace in eternity to head and represent His people and come forward to the set time and took into union with His divine a body like ours, sin only excepted, and did make an atoning sacrafice to divine Justice, as He said on the cross it is finished. Therefore He is exalted a Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and remission of sins. --
6th We believe that God calls and qualifies men to preach His Godpel and attend to His ordinances in His church on earth, whom He promises to be with to the end of the world.-
7th We believe that God calls His people by His Holy Spirit to life and a true knowledge of their sins and prepares the mind for the reception of a Savior, as is revealed in the Gospel; as the Savior said, "He shall take the things of mine and shew them unto you." The Holy Spirit thus acts as a free and irresistable sovereign to deliver them from the power of darkness and translate them into the kingdom of Christ. --
8th We believe that baptism is an ordinance of the Gospel and that it should be administered by a legally authorized minister of the Gospel who has been baptized himself and believes in the ordinance and the candidates for baptism to be immersed upon their profession of their faith in Christ. --
9th We believe that the Lord's supper is an ordinance of the Gospel and should be attended to by the church of Christ, to shew forth his death until He comes. --
10th We believe that Jesus Christ will act as a mediator until the last subject of His church is brought in. And as it is appointed unto men once to die there shall also be a resurrection of the just and unjust on which awful day Jesus Christ will judge the world in righteousness when the wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment but the righteous into life eternal. --
Addenda
Rules for the government of the Church at the Forks of Gunpowder
1st It is the duty of church members to attend church meetings, especially free male members.
2nd Church meetings shall be opened and closed by prayer. --
3rd All complaints to be received in the church and references touching fellowship to be attended to before a door be opened for the purpose of receiving members. 4th Any member who shall exhibit a complaint against another shall have no voice in the decision. -- 5th All trespasses and offences of a private nature between brethren or sisters to be attended to agreeable to the 18th of Matthew. But public transgressors must make satisfaction to the church and provided such members should not come to the church themselves we enjoin it on some brother or brethren that is acquainted with the fact to use means of recalaiming in a Christian-like manner so far as is practicable before the complaint is brought into the church. -- 6th All questions decided in the church shall be by a majority except in the reception and restoration of members which shall be by unanimity. -- 7th Every motion, proposition or query made and seconded shall come under the consideration of the church, except withdrawn by the member who made it. --
8th No member shall speak more than twice to any matter in debate without leave of the church. --
9th Any member speaking shall strictly adhere to the subject and shall not reflect upon the member who spoke before him. But shall endeavor to give light on the subject. --
10th Only one person to speak at a time who shall first rise and address the moderator and shall not be interrupted by any unless he break the rules of this decorum in which case the moderator shall or any member may call him to order and he shall immediately take his seat. --
11th No member in time of business shall address another in any other appellation than that of brother. --
12th The Moderator shall be entitled to the same privilege of speech as any other member provided his seat be filled but shall not vote unless the church be equally divided. --
13th A the close of business on each church meeting day the Minutes shall be publicly read by the clerk, corrected, if necessary and approved by the church and signed by the Moderator and attested by the clerk. --
Addenda
Letter of Dismission
The Baptist church of Jesus Christ at the Forks of Gunpowder in Boone County Ky. Holding the doctrine of original sin, particular redemption, personal election, effectual calling, justification by the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ, pardon of sins by His atoning blood, believers baptism by immersion, the final perseverance of the saints to glory, the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. Know ye that our brother is a member in full fellowship with us and by request is hereby dismissed from us when joined to any other church of the same faith and order. Done by order of the church. [A four-page copy of the original is available in the Local History Section of the Boone County Public Library, Union, Ky. The original spelling is used. jrd]
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