We recommend Thom Rainer’s book I am a Church Member for an introduction to church membership. This is a summary of the values and commitments involved in being a member of The Cross Fellowship. Each value and commitment has a corresponding Leaders’ Value and Commitment of the same number.

Having received the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, and so become a member of the body of Christ, I view my church membership as a gift from God and an opportunity to serve others. As a member of The Cross Fellowship, by God’s grace and enabling, I commit to the biblical values of the Fellowship by:

1. Listening

As the preaching of the Word is God’s most effective means of grace, I will come prepared and willing to listen submissively and believingly to God’s Word.

2. Worshipping

I will be a regular attender at worship services, where I will worship God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, participating in all the means of grace, including the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

3. Fellowshipping

1n addition to being open to offers of friendship, I will initiate and build loving open relationships with members and visitors.

4. Following

I will submit to the spiritual leadership of the elders as far as they follow the Bible.

5. Discipling

As a disciple of Christ, I will profess my faith, and learn how to grow in grace, godliness, and the exercise of my gifts in serving and discipling others. I will dedicate myself to bringing the Gospel to the lost by personal evangelism, by supporting missionaries, and by participating in local and global missions as opportunity arises.

6. Educating

I will do all I can to ensure the provision of a Christian education for my children in the home, in the church, and in school.

7. Reconciling

With the aim of reconciliation, I will follow Matthew 18:15-17 in all issues of conflict, except when crime is involved, in which case, civil authorities should be informed.

8. Giving

I will financially support The Cross Fellowship, its ministries and its charity, through both tithes and offerings as the Lord has prospered me.

9. Caring

I will care for all in need, for “the least of these” and Christ’s “little ones,” by showing practical compassion, especially for those with mental illness and those with special needs, as well as those who care for them.

10. Praying

As all of the above depends on God alone, we commit to pray regularly for our members, for the wider community, and for faithfulness to all these commitments.