Governing Document order

This Grace Bible Churches - Governing Document order | Page 1 THIS GRACE BIBLE CHURCHES GOVERNING DOCUMENT order AND ORDER OF AUTHORITY PREAMBLE This Grace Bible Churches ("TGBC"), a Pauline Dispensational Assembly and independent, unincorporated religious association, establishes this Governing Document order for the purpose of maintaining doctrinal consistency, orderly ecclesiastical government, continuity of ministry, and a clear order of authority among the governing documents, policies, manuals, declarations, and records of This Grace Bible Churches. This order shall be used whenever two or more TGBC documents address the same subject or whenever a question arises concerning which governing document controls. Nothing contained in this order shall place any human document, ecclesiastical office, Bishop, Deacon, Elder, assembly, committee, policy, tradition, or administrative action above the Word of God. ARTICLE I SUPREME AUTHORITY - THE WORD OF GOD The Holy Scriptures are the supreme written authority of This Grace Bible Churches. TGBC holds, accepts, affirms, and truly believes that: God inspired His Word. God preserved His Word. The official Bible and final written authority of This Grace Bible Churches shall be the King James Bible (KJB), Authorized Version of 1611, received in its standardized 1769 textual tradition and Pure Cambridge Edition text form. No Constitution, Bylaw, Charter, Declaration, Manual, policy, doctrinal position paper, resolution, vote, administrative action, or ecclesiastical decision of TGBC shall possess authority superior to the Word of God. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 KJB "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." 2 Timothy 2:15 KJB "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." ARTICLE II ORDER OF GOVERNING AUTHORITY Subject always to the supreme written authority of the King James Bible, the governing documents of This Grace Bible Churches shall be interpreted and administered according to the following order:

This Grace Bible Churches - Governing Document order | Page 2 LEVEL 1 - KING JAMES BIBLE The King James Bible is the final written authority for faith, doctrine, conduct, assembly order, ecclesiastical government, and ministry. LEVEL 2 - CONSTITUTION AND ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION The Constitution and Articles of Association constitute the principal human organizational instrument of This Grace Bible Churches. All subordinate governing documents shall remain consistent with the Constitution. LEVEL 3 - BYLAWS The Bylaws establish the procedures by which the constitutional government of TGBC is administered. The Bylaws shall not amend, contradict, or supersede the Constitution except through a duly adopted constitutional amendment. LEVEL 4 - STATEMENT OF FAITH AND FOUNDATIONAL DOCTRINE The Statement of Faith and foundational doctrinal declarations establish the official doctrinal position of This Grace Bible Churches. Such doctrine shall be interpreted according to the King James Bible, rightly divided, and the Pauline Dispensational position formally adopted by TGBC. LEVEL 5 - CIRCLE OF THE ELDERS CHARTER The Circle of the Elders Charter establishes the composition, responsibilities, limitations, meetings, voting procedures, records, doctrinal responsibilities, and succession duties of the Circle of the Elders. The Circle remains subordinate to the Constitution, Bylaws, and established foundational doctrine of TGBC. LEVEL 6 - FOUNDING BISHOP AND SUCCESSION DECLARATION The Founding Bishop and Succession Declaration shall govern matters concerning the historical office of Founding Bishop; the lifetime service of the Founding Bishop; the permanent cessation of that office upon the natural death of the Founding Bishop; the transition of ecclesiastical oversight following his death; the selection and recognition of an Overseeing Bishop; and the continuity of TGBC during succession. No provision of this Declaration may create another Founding Bishop or transfer the title of Founding Bishop to another individual. LEVEL 7 - BISHOP AND DEACON QUALIFICATIONS, CREDENTIALING AND ORDINATION DOCUMENTS The Bishop and Deacon Qualifications and Ordination Manual and related credentialing documents shall govern the examination, proving, recognition, ordination, responsibilities, accountability, continuing qualification, and records of Bishops and Deacons. These documents shall remain subordinate to the Constitution, Bylaws, foundational doctrine, and other superior governing instruments. LEVEL 8 - LOCAL ASSEMBLY CHARTERS AND AFFILIATION AGREEMENTS Local Assembly Charters and Affiliation Agreements shall govern the relationship between This Grace Bible Churches and individual assemblies recognized under the TGBC name. Such documents may establish requirements concerning recognition; affiliation; doctrinal agreement; local leadership; ecclesiastical accountability; use of the TGBC name; property; records; withdrawal; and termination of recognition. No Local Assembly Charter shall authorize a local assembly to alter the foundational doctrine or governing identity of TGBC.

This Grace Bible Churches - Governing Document order | Page 3 LEVEL 9 - ECCLESIASTICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE POLICIES TGBC may establish policies necessary for orderly ministry and administration, including Financial Stewardship Policy; Conflict-of-Interest Policy; Records Retention and Document-Control Policy; Benevolence Policy; Child and Vulnerable-Person Safety Policy; Property and Asset Policy; Ministerial Conduct Policy; and other administrative policies consistent with TGBC governing documents. Administrative policies shall never supersede ecclesiastical governing documents of superior authority. LEVEL 10 - OFFICIAL DOCTRINAL POSITION PAPERS TGBC may adopt official doctrinal position papers providing detailed teaching and clarification concerning subjects addressed by Scripture and the foundational doctrine of TGBC. Such position papers shall be consistent with the King James Bible, rightly divided, and shall not independently amend the Constitution, Bylaws, or Statement of Faith. LEVEL 11 - RESOLUTIONS, PROCEDURES, FORMS AND OFFICIAL RECORDS The lowest administrative level shall include official resolutions; meeting procedures; ordination applications; credential forms; certificates; meeting minutes; voting records; financial forms; membership or affiliation records; ecclesiastical determinations; administrative forms; and other official records. Such records document actions taken under TGBC authority but shall not independently amend a superior governing document. ARTICLE III CONFLICT BETWEEN DOCUMENTS Whenever two TGBC documents appear to conflict, the document occupying the higher position in this order shall govern. A subordinate document shall be interpreted, whenever reasonably possible, in harmony with the superior governing document. If reconciliation is impossible, the conflicting provision of the subordinate document shall not control. The remainder of the subordinate document shall continue in effect to the extent that it remains consistent with superior authority. Nothing in this Article shall authorize any TGBC governing document to supersede the final written authority of the King James Bible. ARTICLE IV DOCTRINAL QUESTIONS Questions involving biblical doctrine shall not be determined solely by administrative order. The King James Bible shall remain the final written authority. TGBC doctrine shall be examined according to the principle: RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH. The established Pauline Dispensational doctrinal framework of TGBC - including the distinctive apostleship of Paul, the revelation of the Mystery, the Dispensation of the Grace of God, the distinction between Israel and the Body of Christ, the one new man, and the new creature - shall govern the interpretation of TGBC's subordinate doctrinal documents. ARTICLE V FOUNDING BISHOP

This Grace Bible Churches - Governing Document order | Page 4 Nothing within this Governing Document order shall diminish, transfer, abolish, or contradict the constitutional provisions concerning the Founding Bishop. Wesley Scott Ray is the one and only Founding Bishop of This Grace Bible Churches. The Founding Bishop serves in that capacity for the duration of his natural life. The title and historical office of Founding Bishop shall never be transferred to another individual. No subordinate governing document, policy, resolution, vote, or administrative action may create another Founding Bishop or authorize an action expressly prohibited by the Constitution concerning the Founding Bishop. ARTICLE VI CIRCLE OF THE ELDERS The Circle of the Elders shall exercise only the authority granted to it by the Constitution and duly adopted TGBC governing documents. The Circle may interpret and administer subordinate TGBC documents when necessary to perform its assigned ecclesiastical responsibilities, but it shall not exercise such authority to rewrite the foundational identity or doctrine of This Grace Bible Churches. During the natural life of the Founding Bishop, the Circle shall possess no authority to remove, replace, suspend, vote out, or create a co-Founding Bishop. Following the natural death of the Founding Bishop, the Circle shall exercise its succession responsibilities according to the Constitution, Bylaws, Circle of the Elders Charter, and Founding Bishop and Succession Declaration. ARTICLE VII AMENDMENTS AND DOCUMENT CONTROL Every official TGBC governing document should contain, where appropriate: the official name of This Grace Bible Churches; the title of the document; a version number; an adoption or revision date; its relationship to superior governing documents; an adoption or approval provision; appropriate signatures or certifications; and a revision history when the document has been amended. A subordinate document shall not be used as an indirect method of amending a superior governing document. Where amendment of a superior document is required, the amendment shall be made according to the procedure governing that document. Superseded versions shall be preserved within the permanent ecclesiastical records of This Grace Bible Churches and clearly identified as superseded. ARTICLE VIII MASTER GOVERNING DOCUMENT REGISTER This Grace Bible Churches shall maintain a permanent Master Governing Document Register identifying each official governing document.

This Grace Bible Churches - Governing Document order | Page 5 The Register should identify: Document Title - Authority Level - Current Version - Adoption Date - Amendment Date - Status - Superseded Version, if any. Only documents formally adopted or recognized according to TGBC governing procedures shall be designated as official governing documents. Drafts, study materials, correspondence, preliminary proposals, and personal notes shall not acquire governing authority merely because they are retained among TGBC records. ARTICLE IX INTERPRETIVE PRINCIPLE The governing documents of This Grace Bible Churches shall be read together as a unified ecclesiastical framework whenever reasonably possible. No isolated sentence, section, policy, resolution, or administrative form should be interpreted in a manner that defeats the established doctrine, constitutional structure, or ecclesiastical identity of TGBC. Where clarification is necessary, controlling authority shall be determined according to this Governing Document order. ARTICLE X ADOPTION This Governing Document order and Order of Authority is hereby adopted as an official ecclesiastical governance document of THIS GRACE BIBLE CHURCHES and shall govern the relationship and priority of TGBC governing documents from the date of its adoption. Adopted at: Tyler, Texas Date: ______________________________ FOUNDING BISHOP Wesley Scott Ray Founding Bishop of This Grace Bible Churches Signature: ______________________________________ Date: ___________________________________________ CIRCLE OF THE ELDERS Circle Member: __________________________________ Signature: ______________________________________ Date: ___________________________________________ Circle Member: __________________________________

This Grace Bible Churches - Governing Document order | Page 6 Signature: ______________________________________ Date: ___________________________________________ CERTIFICATION We certify that the foregoing TGBC Governing Document order and Order of Authority has been duly adopted as an official governing document of This Grace Bible Churches and shall be retained among the permanent ecclesiastical records of TGBC.