A COVENANT OF MEMBERSHIP
Fifth Reformed Church, Muskegon, MI
As a member of Fifth Reformed Church, I have made a covenant with God and with the other members of this congregation to do the following:
1. To confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and pledge allegiance to His kingdom.
2. To accept the Gospel of God's grace in Jesus Christ, as revealed in the Old and New
Testaments, as the only way to eternal life.
3. To acknowledge that I am a sinner, sinful by nature, yet by the grace of God my sins
have been forgiven.
4. To pray for myself and for others, seeking God's guidance as together we seek to grow
in our knowledge and understanding of the Christian faith.
5. To show in and through my life the joy of new life in Christ by actively participating
in the life of the Church, by faithfully attending worship, and by offering my prayers
and gifts to the glory of God.
6. To accept the spiritual guidance of the Church, obeying its doctrines and teaching, and
to walk in a spirit of Christian love with the congregation, seeking those things that
make for unity, purity, and peace.
I understand that in order to fulfill these membership vows, all members of Fifth Reformed Church are to meet the following expectations:
1. I will put God, as revealed in Jesus Christ, at the center of my life, rather than seeking the fulfillment of my own desires.
2. I will study and learn more of what it means to be a Christian, applying what I have learned to my life and way of living.
3. I will desire and strive to discover my spiritual gifts and use them in and through the ministry of the Church, thereby being fruitful and personally fulfilled.
4. I will persist in true affirmation of the Christian faith as found in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, and as proclaimed in the Apostles' Creed.
5. I will seek, following the example of Jesus, to make serving and giving the major principles of my life, rather than being served and receiving.
6. I will regularly attend the worship services of Fifth Reformed Church, to express with others the wonder of God's greatness and love. I will regularly participate in the sacramental life of the congregation as I join with others in the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper.
7. I will support the church financially through proportionate giving. I will make it my goal to tithe of my income (give one tenth) for the work of this church, so that the claims of Christ may be effectively presented both in the community and throughout the world.
8. I will be loyal to the work and witness of the greater Church of Jesus Christ in the world, and uphold her by my presence, my prayers, my gifts, and my service.
I also understand this to be my responsibility in the event of a change in my relationship to this congregation: If, for whatever reason, I discontinue my regular association with this church, I will ask to have my membership transferred to another congregation, where I will be actively involved.
I understand that faithful participation in the corporate life of the congregation is an obligation of the Christian to fellow members of the Body of Christ. A member is bound in sacred covenant to shoulder the burdens, share the risks, and celebrate the joys of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. A Christian is called to speak the truth in love, always ready to confront conflict in a spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation.
This is my covenant of membership with Fifth Reformed Church of Muskegon
Signed ______Date: ______
(member)
Witnessed ______
(Pastor or Elder)