We are delighted to welcome new members to our church. Becoming a member involves a commitment both from the member and from the church leaders. The church member commits to the core of Christian belief and life, and the leaders commit to shepherd the member in love.
Here are the vows that members make:
- Do you believe the Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments, to be the Word of God, and its doctrine of salvation to be the perfect and only true doctrine of salvation?
- Do you believe in one living and true God, in whom eternally there are three distinct persons—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—who are the same in being and equal in power and glory?
- Do you believe that Jesus Christ is God the Son, who came in the flesh, lived the life God requires, died the death we deserve, and then rose again from the dead?
- Do you confess that because of your sinfulness you abhor and humble yourself before God, that you repent of your sin, and that you trust for salvation not in yourself but in Jesus Christ alone?
- Do you acknowledge Jesus Christ as your sovereign Lord, and do you promise that, in reliance on the grace of God, you will serve him with all that is in you, forsake the world, resist the devil, put to death your sinful deeds and desires, and lead a godly life?
- Do you promise to participate faithfully in this church’s worship and service, to submit in the Lord to its government, and to heed its discipline, even in case you should be found delinquent in doctrine or life?
Here is the vow that church leaders make:
- Do we, the elders and pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church, commit to undertake the spiritual oversight of these members who have placed themselves under our care? Will we pray for them, shepherd them, and come alongside them in the worship, work, and witness of Christ’s kingdom?
Membership Process
We use the following process to prepare people for membership:
- Initial get-to-know-you meeting with one of the pastors.
- Watch the following orientation videos:
- Review the membership interview questions (available here).
- Second meeting with one of the pastors to go over questions you have and to review the interview questions. Sometimes additional meetings are needed to prepare the new member. There is no rush.
- Meeting with the elders and pastors to hear about your faith in Christ. Not intended to be intimidating! You will simply share your story of coming to follow Christ, and answer some basic questions to show that you understand the vows you are about to make (the questions and answers are given ahead of time; see #3 above).
- Public receiving of the new members in a worship service. You will be baptized if you are not yet baptized. You will affirm the six vows above, and your leaders will affirm their vow.