WORTHINGTON
CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH
church membership
Becoming a member of Worthington Christian Reformed church is a privilege, and is an important step in identifying yourself as being part of Christ's Church and demonstrating your commitment to this particular congregation of believers.
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Worthington Christian Reformed Church bases our membership requirements on the Bible. Becoming a member of our church involves understanding of these Biblical requirements and formally committing yourself to them.
STEP ONE
REACH OUT
If you haven't already, reach out to Pastor Chad and let him know you are interested in becoming a member. He will gladly walk you through these steps.
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If you are transferring membership from another church, the first thing you'll need to do is contact your previous church and ask them to send your membership papers to our office.
Alignment With Our Beliefs
Confessing members believe that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone and that the Bible is God's inerrant, infallible Word.
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To help you understand what this means, we offer a course called
This course has six short sessions which can either be taught in person or online.
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These sessions are required for those who are becoming a church member for the first time. It is optional for those who are transferring their membership from an evangelical church.
Alignment With Our Values
The sad fact is that many of the churches that exist today in Southwest Minnesota will not exist in ten years. Our goal, by God's grace, is that WCRC will not just still exist in 10 years, but that we will continue to be thriving.
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We have ten values that will be critical to achieving this goal. Under each of these values, are responsibilities required of both our Elders and members.
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It's important for our new members to read and understand these values.
STEP TWO
ALIGNMENT
STEP THREE
COMMITMENT
Becoming a member of Worthington Christian Reformed Church means that you are making a substantial commitment to participation in the life of this church.
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Members commit to:
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Regularly attend Lord's Day worship services and participate in the sacraments. To learn more about why we do what we do in our worship services, watch our 30 Second 'Splainers videos.
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Praying for WCRC and her members
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Be in transparent relationships with other church members in which they care for, encourage, rebuke, teach, and learn from each other (Ephesians 4:15-16).
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Submitting to the church’s leadership and teaching (Hebrews 13:17).
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Promoting unity in the body (Ephesians 4:3).
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Financially supporting the church’s ministry (Galatians 6:6)
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Using your spiritual gifts to build up the body however you can (1 Corinthians 12:7). Review this overview of Spiritual Gifts to see if you can identify how God has gifted you.
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Reflect the love they’ve been God has shown them by caring enough to share Christ’s love with the lost in our community.
After completing the first three steps, we may invite you to be interviewed by our Elders. This may seem intimidating, but it's not as scary as it sounds!
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Listening to the stories of those who seek to join our church and hearing of your love for Christ is one of the best parts of being an elder, and the interview is a very enjoyable process for both the elders and new members.
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Pastor Chad will help you prepare for the questions you may be asked and coordinate a time to meet. Generally our Elder meetings are on the last Tuesday of each month at 7 PM, but we will be flexible to meet your scheduling needs.
STEP FOUR
INTERVIEW
STEP FIVE
WELCOME
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The final step in becoming a member is to be welcomed by the congregation. For those becoming a church member for the first time, we will ask you to stand up in front of the congregation and profess your faith in Jesus. Those transferring your membership will be acknowledged with an announcement during the service.
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Whether your publicly professing your faith for the first time, or joining from another church, welcoming new members is a time of joy and celebration for the entire congregation!