“Emmaus Road Church ... is an ecclesiastical body established by Jesus Christ in the State of South Dakota to preach the gospel, disciple the nations, and establish a community of Christian believers and disciples of Jesus Christ who practically live out the gospel.”
— Bylaws of Emmaus Road Church

The bylaws of Emmaus Road Church spell out our structure and organization as a church. 
Section 9, “Church Members” covers specific details pertaining to membership, such as church discipline and resignation of membership.

Sovereign Grace Churches is a community of congregations. Membership is voluntary and the principles of elder rule and the autonomy of the local church are respected and encouraged. We align ourselves with one another by committing to the principles and practices prescribed by our Book of Church Order (BCO).

Our governmental structure is representative and decentralized. Every pastor is a member of a Regional Assembly of Elders. Every church appoints a delegate to serve on the Council of Elders. In this way, all denominational authority is derived from and certified by our local elderships.

The BCO defines the structure and key values of our gospel partnership together in Sovereign Grace Churches. Subscription to The Book of Church Order requires elders to comply with what it explicitly mandates and refrain from what it explicitly forbids, while operating in biblical wisdom according to Sovereign Grace values in all other matters. The Book of Church Order does not provide detailed direction for every action we take in the normal course of our life together, but it does provide values that guide us and specific direction for some crucial decision points.

“Each local body stands in need of other local bodies in a relationship of interdependence.”
— SGC Book of Church Order

“These Rules are intended to help us engage in a distinctly Christian adjudication as we help people resolve disputes in an orderly and biblically faithful manner.”
— Sovereign Grace Rules for Parties in Adjudications

“Adjudication” refers to a formal dispute between two parties. Because we are committed to resolving conflict in biblical and distinctly Christian ways, we desire to create a fair, just, and biblical process that is clear and helpful for everyone involved.

Most matters are resolved at the local church level, but we have a regional Judicial Review Committee and a national Court of Appeals available to handle special cases.

Adjudication is necessary when a church member desires to appeal an excommunication or bring a charge against an elder.

Adjudication is a serious matter that can have serious consequences in the church and even in the civil courts.

Further, these matters can impact our unity in the church, our Christian testimony, and our integrity before God. For all these reasons the greatest care should be taken in these matters. The Rules for Parties in Adjudications combined with Part IV of our Book of Church order are designed to help all parties achieve these aims.

Click the button below to access “Rules for Parties in Adjudication” and additional resources for individuals seeking adjudication.

If you ever have questions about adjudication, you can talk to one of the elders at Emmaus Road Church. You can also contact Nathan Treguboff. Nate is the senior pastor of Cross of Grace in Chaska, MN and the chair of our regional Judicial Review Committee (JRC).