Becoming a Member of Covenant Presbyterian Church
“Each member is the church in the world endowed by the Spirit with some gift of ministry.” – Confession of 1967
Why join a church? One doesn’t have to join a bowling team to go bowling! One doesn’t have to formally become a member of a church to feel a sense of belonging and participate in its life and worship. Joining a church is like dating and marriage. We date people until we find a person with whom we fall in love, and want to be our partner. Often people worship at different churches until they find the “right fit.” Joining a church means you’ve stopped looking, and are ready to make a commitment to worship at and support one particular church with your time, talent and money.
What does membership mean? It means to accept Christ’s call to be involved responsibly in the ministry of Christ’s Church and to make such a commitment to a particular church. Think of membership as: Worship +2. Worship is at the center of what we do. Worship empowers us to live the values of the Kingdom of God that Christ taught. The +2 means that we find a place to serve in the ministries of the church and community and we find a place to nurture our spiritual growth. Members are encouraged to make an annual pledge of financial support based upon their private decision. These pledges are confidential and non-binding, and known only to the few who do the bookkeeping. Pledging is not required, but it helps us to project a yearly budget.
The operation of the church: worship, administration, education, finances, mission….all of the things we do are done by members as acts of service along with paid staff who support the work of the members.
Do I have to be a member to participate in ministries and activities of Covenant? No. All are welcome to participate in the life of Covenant. However only members may vote in congregational meetings and serve as elected officers.
Who is eligible to become a member? Membership is open to all persons who profess faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. No person shall be denied membership because of race, ethnic origin, worldly condition, sexual orientation, or any other reason not related to profession of faith. To join the church, please make an appointment to meet with the pastor.
There are three methods by which a person joins Covenant Presbyterian Church:
1. Receive the Sacrament of Baptism (meaning you have never been baptized)Baptisms take place during a service of worship. To baptize a child both parents must attend a baptism class.
2. Letter of Transfer (meaning that you are on the rolls as an active member of another church, you wish to transfer your membership by letter)Covenant will write to your current church requesting a letter of transfer of membership.
3. Reaffirmation of Faith (meaning that you have been baptized, but are not currently an active member of another church)
If you have been baptized as a child or adult, and you are not an active member of another church, you will be asked to reaffirm your faith in Jesus Christ.
If you’re interested in membership, please make an appointment to speak with our pastor by visiting our contact page.