MEMBERSHIP AT CHRIST REFORMED DC
We take membership very seriously at Christ Reformed DC. We view it as our leadership affirming that you belong to Christ and accepting shepherding responsibility for you. Membership is a biblical concept that appears in passages like Acts 2:42-47 where the Church is “numbered”. In 1 Cor. 5 and 1 Tim. 1:19-20, we also see church discipline as the removal of membership from the impenitent that they may be reconciled.
Our consistory meet in a series of membership classes to catechize and counsel prospective members on the basics of the faith and the distinctives of our Reformed tradition. After the classes are complete, prospective members meet with the consistory (elders and pastors) for an interview.
Finally, members take the following vows before the church:
Do you wholeheartedly believe the doctrine contained in the Old and the New Testament, and in the articles of the Christian faith, and taught in this Christian church, to be the true and complete doctrine of salvation, and do you promise by the grace of God to continue steadfastly in this profession?
Do you openly accept God’s covenant promise, which has been signified and sealed to you in your baptism, and do you confess that you despise and humble yourself before God because of your sins and that you seek your life, not in yourself, but only in Jesus Christ your Savior?
Do you declare that you love the Lord and that it is your heartfelt desire to serve Him according to His Word, to forsake the world, to put to death your old nature, and to lead a godly life?
Do you promise to submit to the government of the church, and also, if you should become wayward, either in doctrine or in life, to submit to its admonition and discipline?
Before taking the vows, all prospective members are led through our membership class.
Contact our consistory if you are interested in becoming a member or if you would like to transfer your membership to Christ Reformed!