Soviet Evangelicals Since World War II, Walter Sawatsky, 1981

nnected with the manage- ment and use of the church property, and also for the external representa- tion of the church, there is the executive organ; 486 Soviet Evangelicals Since World War Il (c) For supervising incoming!? and outgoing funds, and also for the maintenance of the congregation’s property, there is an auditing com- mission of three members;}8 (d) The presbyter, the executive organ, the auditing commission, and other workers report to the church not less than once a year. § 28. (a) Choristers, their leaders, and also those playing musical instruments are believers. (b) The spiritual guardian of the choir is the presbyter of the church, and also the choir leader. 4 (a) The local church’s means consist of the freewill offerings of believ- ers, which have been paid into the treasury of the church (2 Cor. 9:7). - (b) The churchs funds are spent: On the upkeep of the church premises, on the maintenance of church workers, for transfer to the AU- CECB treasurer, to the treasury of the oblast and to the republican senior presbyter, and for other church needs. (c) Each church maintains a book for recording income and expendi- ture. (d) Each church has an inventory book in which the property of the church is entered—both what is received from the state by contract and what is bought and donated. An audit of the finances and material means is carried out by the auditing commission. § 30. The church has its own seal and stamp. Explanatory Footnotes 1. The order “confession of faith” and “the principles of’ were reversed, the 1966 statute putting the principles first. 2. The 1979 revision omitted “and other denominations.” 3. Slightly shortened in 1979 to make less definite the distinction between que and unions close to them in faith and other organizations and unions abroad. 4, Replacing “congregations” with “churches,” 5. Changed from three members to five in 1974 to seven in 1979. 6. “Workers” replacing “presbyters,” the former being more inclusive. 7. This paragraph was reworded and expanded in order to distinguish between senior presbyters at the republican and inter-republican level from those senior presbyters responsible for smaller areas who are subordinate to republican senior presbyters, having been recommended or nominated by the latter. 8. “Church workers” replaces “presbyters.” Constitution of the ECB Church in the USSR 487 9, The order of the latter two conditions is reversed, thereby. permitting bap- tism before the age of 18, but making age of maturity a condition for Shack membership. 10. Omits phrase “‘to join the local church,” hereby making clear the new dis- tinction between baptism and church membership. 11. This commentary has entirely new content; the earlier commentary stated: “Church ordinances may be performed, upon recommendation of the presbyter and gun council, by deacons, members of