What these documents cover
The written constitution and bylaws are not published here yet. What follows is how this church is actually governed, in plain language, so that nobody has to wait for a document to find out.
The short version is seven words: Christ rules, elders lead, the congregation discerns. The church is moving toward a congregational structure that puts that on paper. Two things it is not. It is not one man, or a small group, deciding without accountability and without submitting to Scripture. Neither is it majority rule, because that is a different thing from a congregation trying to work out together what the Spirit of God is saying to one small part of the body of Christ.
Leadership is deliberately plural rather than singular. Elder, overseer, presbyter and pastor all name the same office here, and there is more than one person in it. When the church is considering ordaining someone, the proposal goes to the whole congregation first, to be prayed over and asked questions about, and if nobody has serious concerns the church hopes to go ahead. Deacons hold particular responsibilities alongside the elders, including keeping our end of the arrangement with Anchor Baptist Church, whose building we meet in.
Correction and discipline belong to the whole congregation rather than to the leaders alone, and so does restoring somebody afterwards. Everyone carries a share of that, from an elder to the youngest member. Excluding a person from the fellowship is the last resort and the church calls it that in as many words.
Nothing here is settled behind a closed door with no appeal. If something cannot be resolved inside this congregation it goes to the ordained leadership of the other churches we are joined to. Beyond that there is a group of elders from other Lexington congregations, outside our fellowship altogether, who exist to be the last word if it ever comes to that. It never has.
The documents
{The constitution and the bylaws, in full on the page or as files to download, once they exist.} Somebody should confirm that what is published here is the version currently in force, and the date of it should sit beside each one. A superseded constitution on a website is worse than none, because it will be quoted.