Why this Section is here
A short Section setting out the structural requirement that every Elder, every Deacon, and every Five-Fold minister recognised by the Eldership for ongoing service within the body must be a voting Member of the body. The teaching is set out in Document 6 (Elder & Deacon Identification) Part Eleven and Document 8 (Five-Fold Ministry) Part Eleven; the practical implication for the body life is set out in the Church Decision Allocation document Section 8.6. This Section provides the constitutional language a drafter can use to embed the requirement in the Constitution.
Suggested constitutional clauses
Three suggested clauses, one for each office category, drafted in language compatible with the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012 and equivalent state legislation.
Suggested clause — Eldership Membership requirement — "At the time of nomination for Eldership, at the time of installation, and throughout their service as an Elder of the Association, every Elder shall be a voting Member of the Association. A Saint who is otherwise qualified for Eldership but has not yet taken the step of Membership shall be invited to take that step before the formal identification process commences. Where an Elder ceases to be a Member of the Association for any reason, they shall cease to be an Elder from the same date."
Suggested clause — Diaconate Membership requirement — "At the time of nomination for the Diaconate, at the time of installation, and throughout their service as a Deacon of the Association, every Deacon shall be a voting Member of the Association. A Saint who is otherwise qualified for the Diaconate but has not yet taken the step of Membership shall be invited to take that step before the formal identification process commences. Where a Deacon ceases to be a Member of the Association for any reason, they shall cease to be a Deacon from the same date."
Suggested clause — Five-Fold Membership requirement — "Every Saint formally recognised by the Eldership for ongoing Five-Fold ministry (apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, or teacher in the Ephesians 4:11 sense) within the Association shall be a voting Member of the Association at the time of formal recognition and throughout the period of recognised service. The requirement of this clause does not apply to itinerant Five-Fold ministers whose ministry serves multiple bodies and who are not under the primary spiritual oversight of the Eldership of this Association."
Why these clauses matter
Three reasons, set out at greater length in Document 6 Part Eleven and Document 8 Part Eleven. First, the office is a formal commitment that presupposes Membership — the lesser commitment is the foundation of the greater. Second, those carrying spiritual office must walk under the body’s authority — Membership establishes that relationship; office presupposes it. Third, those carrying spiritual office must carry voice on the body’s legal decisions — an Elder or Deacon or Five-Fold minister who is not a Member cannot vote on matters they are leading the body through.
Closing the loop
These constitutional clauses, taken together with the structural provisions on flat eldership (the earlier Section on Flat Eldership Scaling), provide the legal scaffolding for a framework-aligned local church constitution. The clauses ensure that Membership is the foundation of every formal office in the body, and that the body’s spiritual leadership walks under the body’s constitutional authority rather than alongside or above it.