We recognize that the local church is the organization through which the work of Christ is accomplished in this age. Position, titles, or prominence do not lift one believer above another. We are on level ground before God and our brethren. We are not only a Fellowship of pastors, but church members as well.
All members have voting privilege.
We have no approval system of any kind. Mission boards, educational institutions and social agencies remain in the hands of churches. We do not encroach on the sovereignty of the local churches by attempting to take from them decisions that belong to them nor do we intend to develop tests of loyalty based upon who churches support. Such encroachments tend to weaken local churches rather than to strengthen them. Associations are valuable only as long as they serve to strengthen the churches.