Church Membership

Reception of Members

Any person professing faith and that has been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, can qualify to be members. Members are required to adhere to the spiritual direction of the elders of Christ’s Community Church in Sunderland, hold to the confession of faith, and maintain proper standards of living in accordance with that confession.

All attendees seeking to become members will be lead through the membership agreement of Christ’s Community Church and will regularly meet with the elder(s) of the church to discern whether or not it is appropriate for the person to become a member of the church at that time. Upon the elder(s) approval, nominees will be brought forward to the congregation where they will testify the truth concerning Christ and the affirmation of the membership requirements.

Upon approval they will officially be recognized as members and will be eligible to becomes officers within the church so long as they meet the requirements for the desired office and are approved by the eldership.

Rights and Responsibilities

Our church is a group of covenantal members whose privileges and responsibilities are shared by its members according to the measure of faith given to them. We bear one another’s burdens and blessings, victories and defeats, joys and sorrows. As members of the covenantal body, we affect one another either favourably or adversely.

Therefore, we are to live, work, commune, and witness with and too one another for the glory of God. Our mutual blessing; living with one another in an understanding way in unity, spurring each other forward in the faith through maintaining brotherly love, and restoring brothers gone astray. Thus, through the aid of the Holy Ghost, members are encouraged to grow in grace and knowledge through prayer, meditation of the Holy Scriptures, pursue broader education studies beneficial to the life and faith of the believer, and regular attendance of the meetings of the church.

Members are encouraged to contribute tithes, alms, and freewill offerings according to the portion the Lord has given them, lest we become lovers of money which is the root of many evils. Tithes, alms, and offerings are for maintaining what has been deemed as good and already established, for fostering new growth within and outside of the church, and to reach others with the truth concerning spiritual and material matters.

Members Attendance

In order to maintain covenantal membership it is important to note the Apostle’s words “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:23-25)

Therefore, in order to maintain membership, members are expected to be in attendance at minimum of 26 Sundays a year. Exceptions can be made for those who travel out of area for work, parents with young children, those who are chronically ill or have family members that are chronically ill, those who are unjustly incarcerated and other reasonable exceptions according to the discernment of the elder(s).

Members who maintain faithful attendance will be able to hold office so long as they meet the other requirements and are able to conduct the duties of the office faithfully within a timely manner.

A member who wavers in attendance will be visited by a church elder or deacon for the sake of restoring them to the body, ensuring that the member has all they need in terms of spiritual and material matters. If the member is not restored after one year of being habitually absent from services without reasonable excuse, and after the elder(s) and deacon(s) assigned to their restoration have failed to reason with said member, that member will be removed from membership and further prayer, discipline and attempt for restoration will commence according to the discretion of the elder(s).

Termination of Membership

Membership in this church shall be terminated by death; by a letter of transfer to any church of similar confession of faith; by resignation; or by disciplinary action.