Following the Word of God {1 Cor. 14:40}

A. Christian congregation should establish itself in an orderly fashion, as such our ancestors established Christian congregational-constitutions, so we too, a number of German Lutherans, residing in this city and region, have decided to create a Congregation and now establish through those present this signed document, by which we stand together and enumerate the inner and outer affairs of the congregation.

Our Congregation shall use the name: "The First German Evangelical-Lutheran Zion" Congregation Unaltered Augsburg Confession of Manning, Carroll County, Iowa.

This Congregation accepts the canonical books of the Holy Scriptures Old and New testaments as the revealed Word of God and the only rule and guide for belief and life, and the congregation recognizes the collective symbolic Books of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church contained in the Book of Concord of 1580 as a correct exposition of Christian doctrine drawn from the Word of God. Not only to direct the teaching in our Congregation, but also to establish the means by which all teaching and religious strife will be judged and decided. These are: the three Ecumenical Creeds (the Apostolic, Nicene and Athanasian), the Unaltered Augsburg Confession and its Apology, the Articles of Schmalkalden, the Small and Large Catechisms of Dr. Luther, and the Formula of Concord.

This congregation's ministerial office may only be held by one who believes in the Triune God without reservation and who will suitably conduct his office in this belief. This also applies to the school teacher.

5. Membership

Those who wish to join this congregation must notify the Pastor and a board member and will be accepted in public meeting and must sign the Constitution as a symbol of concurrence. This also applied to those who come from other Evangelical Lutheran congregations who produce a release-of-membership document.

A member of this Congregation is one who 1) is baptized; 2) recognizes all canonical books of Old and New Testaments as the revealed Word of God and the only rule and guide for belief and life; 3) is familiar with and acknowledges the Small Catechism of Luther; 4) does not live in public works of the flesh {Gal. 5:19-21} rather leads a Christian life; 5) frequently partakes in Holy Communion; 6) is not a member of a secret society; 7) pledges to assist with the debts of the congregation to the best of one's ability and to regularly attend the congregational meetings; 8) pledges to, as God gives children to them, baptize their children in a timely manner; 9) follows the bylaws as established by the congregation which do not oppose the Word of God, and who lives in brotherly love.

Male members who are 21 years old are eligible to vote. Members who have belonged to the congregation for a minimum of one year and who have faithfully fulfilled their duties are eligible for office.

The congregation as a whole has the right to select and call Pastors, teachers, and other officers, and may not surrender this right. The Pastor must belong to an orthodox synod or may be examined by the officers about his convictions and understandings.

All officers may be removed from office through Christian means when evidence is produced. Evidence for removal of a minister or teacher are: persistence in false teaching, willful abuse or neglect of official duties or a scandalous life.

Regarding those who live in open sin, the congregation shall exercise excommunication according to the Word of God {Matthew 18:15-18}. One who is excommunicated following fruitless warnings looses all rights of a congregational member until he is penitent and is taken back into the congregation. Thus, when a member has removed himself from the congregation through sinful ways, he has shut himself out and looses the rights of a member.

The congregation shall elect in the first meeting after new year three board members, or as many as are necessary. The board members will assist the pastor in church services and in the performance of his office, and in their office they will conduct themselves in a Christian way, and in particular will embrace the poor and sick, widows and orphans.

The board shall serve as trustees and as such will have the responsibility to represent the congregation in the following: conclude contracts, collect and disperse funds and provide receipts, sign documents, to appear before the courts and complete all transactions which the congregation, as owner, will be held liable.

They are not empowered to handle the assets of the congregation by opinion rather with due consideration and consent of the congregation. Thus, what the trustees resolve and charge for the congregation shall be supported and adhered to with its assets and the trustees shall not be liable. If the trustees endanger the assets of the congregation, then they will be held personally responsible. When the board and trustees commit wanton faithlessness, false teachings or godless lives they can be released from office by the congregation.

The congregation will hold regular quarterly meetings announced by the board during church services. Extra meetings may be held as needed either at request of the whole congregation or the board, or in pressing cases by the pastor alone. The congregational meetings will be opened by the pastor with a prayer. Resolutions may be passed by members.

Should, God forbid, a schism arise in the congregation regarding doctrine, then the property of the congregation and all benefits connected to it shall remain with the members who remain steadfast to the Confessions of the Congregation {Paragraph 3}. Accordingly the minister and the school teacher are committed to the collective symbolic books of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church and will be judged accordingly.

In principal, the traditional Ecclesiastical devotional customs and methods of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church will be retained, and only unerring Evangelical-Lutheran liturgy, hymnals and school books will be used.

The following paragraphs will remain unalterable: paragraphs 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 12, and 14. Altering the remaining paragraphs is allowed, if the motion to change comes in a regular congregational meeting in which the motion comes to a vote, is accepted by the majority of those present, and does not violate the Word of God and the confessional writings of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church as declared in paragraph 3.

This congregational constitution was accepted on Thanksgiving Day the 29th of November 1900 by the undersigned.

Edward Hagemann, Boj Sonksen, Emil Borkowski, Carl Rott,
H. Hagemann, Ed. F. Schultz, Wilhelm Schultz, August Braun