ARTICLE V: MEMBERSHIP
SECTION 1: APPLICATION AND REQUIREMENTS
Any person who claims Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord is invited to consider uniting with the membership of The Church. Prerequisites for membership are:
1) The person must have accepted Jesus Christ as his/her personal Saviour.
2) The person must be or have been baptized by immersion.
3) The person must accept and agree to abide by the Statement of Faith, Constitution, Covenant and Policies of the Church.
SECTION 2: REMOVAL
Members are removed from The Church by:
1) Letter of full fellowship, when in good and regular standing, to unite with a Church of like faith and order.
2) Being received into membership of another Church or group of a dissimilar order.
3) Erasure after a period of 12 months without any report or information given to the Church (See CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH Policy Manual "PROCEDURE FOR ERASURE")
4) Exclusion when there is persistent conduct unbecoming to professing Christians and in all cases involving gross immorality. (See CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH Policy Manual "PROCEDURE FOR DISCIPLINE")
5) Death.
6) The member's written request.
*All removals by erasure or exclusion shall be by three-fourths (3/4) vote of the Church members present and voting. All removed members shall be notified in writing.
SECTION 3: DISCIPLINE IN THE CHURCH
The Bible reveals that God's people, whether in the Old or New Testament, are to discipline themselves individually and corporately. A Bible-believing Church must practice discipline as taught by the Scriptures Or else it will be robbed of the power of the Holy Spirit, lose its enablement to discern and resist sin, and will by lack of discipline promote the worldly philosophy of unrepressed self-expression so prevalent today. (This has led to the defiance of and/or inadequate authority and discipline in homes, schools, governments and Churches.)
In Matthew 18:15-17 we find that Christ has given to His local Church the solemn responsibility and authority to exercise discipline over its members. The purpose of this discipline is to restore erring members in their walk with the Lord and fellowship with other members, and to maintain the purity of the Church and its testimony.
SECTION 4: GENERAL DUTIES OF MEMBERS
The duties of members to themselves are: the acquisition of Scriptural knowledge; constant progress in spirituality; consistency of external conduct; and the control and eradication of every unholy temper.
It is the duty of members to support the Church in all of its various fields of Christian endeavor; to attend the services and meetings of the Church in order to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to support by tithes and free-will offerings the ministry of the Church; to abide by the Church's Constitution and By-Laws; to strive to exercise their gift or gifts in the ministry of the Church.
It should be the desire of members to respect and love their Pastor, to pray for him, to encourage and support him, and to manifest a tender regard for his reputation.
Any person who claims Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord is invited to consider uniting with the membership of The Church. Prerequisites for membership are:
1) The person must have accepted Jesus Christ as his/her personal Saviour.
2) The person must be or have been baptized by immersion.
3) The person must accept and agree to abide by the Statement of Faith, Constitution, Covenant and Policies of the Church.
SECTION 2: REMOVAL
Members are removed from The Church by:
1) Letter of full fellowship, when in good and regular standing, to unite with a Church of like faith and order.
2) Being received into membership of another Church or group of a dissimilar order.
3) Erasure after a period of 12 months without any report or information given to the Church (See CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH Policy Manual "PROCEDURE FOR ERASURE")
4) Exclusion when there is persistent conduct unbecoming to professing Christians and in all cases involving gross immorality. (See CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH Policy Manual "PROCEDURE FOR DISCIPLINE")
5) Death.
6) The member's written request.
*All removals by erasure or exclusion shall be by three-fourths (3/4) vote of the Church members present and voting. All removed members shall be notified in writing.
SECTION 3: DISCIPLINE IN THE CHURCH
The Bible reveals that God's people, whether in the Old or New Testament, are to discipline themselves individually and corporately. A Bible-believing Church must practice discipline as taught by the Scriptures Or else it will be robbed of the power of the Holy Spirit, lose its enablement to discern and resist sin, and will by lack of discipline promote the worldly philosophy of unrepressed self-expression so prevalent today. (This has led to the defiance of and/or inadequate authority and discipline in homes, schools, governments and Churches.)
In Matthew 18:15-17 we find that Christ has given to His local Church the solemn responsibility and authority to exercise discipline over its members. The purpose of this discipline is to restore erring members in their walk with the Lord and fellowship with other members, and to maintain the purity of the Church and its testimony.
SECTION 4: GENERAL DUTIES OF MEMBERS
The duties of members to themselves are: the acquisition of Scriptural knowledge; constant progress in spirituality; consistency of external conduct; and the control and eradication of every unholy temper.
It is the duty of members to support the Church in all of its various fields of Christian endeavor; to attend the services and meetings of the Church in order to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to support by tithes and free-will offerings the ministry of the Church; to abide by the Church's Constitution and By-Laws; to strive to exercise their gift or gifts in the ministry of the Church.
It should be the desire of members to respect and love their Pastor, to pray for him, to encourage and support him, and to manifest a tender regard for his reputation.
