What are the requirements for membership at Community Bible?

The first requirement for membership—according to our 1982 by-laws—is that you “Trust in the death of Christ as payment for your sins and thereby receive eternal life as a gift from God.” In other words, you must be trusting in Christ and Christ alone to give you eternal life and get you to heaven when you die.

The second requirement for membership at CBC is to be “…in full agreement with the Articles of Faith and are willing to be governed by a Board of Elders.”
“The Articles of Faith” are 5 basic doctrines of the Christian faith (click here to read the Articles of Faith). If you are willing to be governed by the Board of Elders of CBC, you will want to know the full statement of faith. You don’t have to “be in full agreement with” every jot and title of the full doctrinal statement, but you need to be educated about what will be taught at Community Bible Church. This will help you determine whether you are willing to be governed by the CBC elders.

The Third Requirement for Membership is to be “…endeavoring to live a life free from any sin which would disgrace the name of Christ or discredit the testimony of this church.”
Notice the word “endeavoring”! We don’t expect perfection, but we do expect that all members of CBC will be cooperating with the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives and working hard at growing up in Christ. This is a church of grace - we don’t expect anyone to be perfect and sinless. But real Christians can get way off track and we have a responsibility to help each other. This is why we practice practice church discipline according to Matthew 18. Not to get rid of a problem, but for the purpose of restoring a brother or sister who is caught up in destructive sin - to win them back!

Why is formal membership necessary?

The By-laws of CBC state this for the purpose of membership at CBC: “According to the Scriptures, personal faith in Jesus Christ baptizes the believing individual into the universal Body of Christ.” This is a description of the universal church of Christ. All believers are “members” of this universal church.

The By-laws go on to explain the purpose of membership in a local body of believers: “The purpose of membership at Community Bible Church is to identify those individuals who have chosen to worship, know and serve God together in this mutually supportive local body of believers.” Two key words here: Identify and chosen. The leadership of a church must be able to identify those who are choosing to be a part of that church body. How can shepherds lead a flock when they’re not sure which sheep are in their flock?

A common question when discussing church membership is “Why have formal membership at all?” While it is true that the Bible does not command formal church membership, that silence means we have liberty to do what is wise. We believe formal membership is wise. The New Testament knows nothing of a “lone ranger” Christian. Instead, it places a major emphasis on the need for Christians to be accountable to each other and in relationships with others where spiritual growth can be fostered. You cannot be accountable when you’re not committed to any specific church family. This is exactly what is described for us in Hebrews 10: “…Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” In other words, according to the New Testament, membership in a local church requires us to be functionally and relationally involved.

“Functionally involved” means participating in the essential growing ministries of the church. In other words, a functionally involved member is one who is 1) faithfully worshipping on Sunday morning, 2) faithfully participating in a Community Group, and 3) faithfully serving somehow somewhere. These are not requirements for membership, but a guide for members to understand what healthy membership entails. These are concrete answers to the question, “According to the leadership of CBC, what activity do I need to be participating in in order to grow in my faith?” There are other good activities, of course, but these three are essential growing ministries.

“Relationally involved” means establishing relationships with other church members with whom you will share ministry. You need to feel that this is your church family.
This is where small groups—Community Groups—are most effective. Why do we ask each member to be part of a Community Group? So that you will be relationally involved. You cannot develop relational involvement on Sunday morning. Small groups—in each other’s homes, discussing God’s Word over a meal or a cup of coffee, a couple hours of unrushed time together—that’s where we become relationally involved with each other. Many people want a church where they can be anonymous. Where they can slip into a seat on Sunday morning, listen to a sermon and go. For whatever reasons, they don’t want to be relationally involved. If that describes you, you won’t be comfortable at CBC for long. There are lots of churches where you can go and never become involved in other people’s lives, but we do not believe this is biblical Christianity. Healthy Christians are relationally involved with their brothers and sisters in Christ in a local church.

There are cultural reasons for formal church membership as well. This is where that wisdom comes in. In our culture, it just makes sense to have formal membership. There are many churches to choose from in our culture and this makes it difficult for church leaders to know who is committed to their particular body. Many churches have opened themselves up to false teaching because they did not require membership and therefore did not know what a new “member” really believed until he or she was teaching that false doctrine to others. The leadership of CBC - the elder board - is committed to protecting this flock (Read Acts 20:17-35) and that requires knowledge of who is committed to being a part of this particular local body.

What is the procedure for becoming a member at Community Bible?

Here’s the procedure for becoming a member of CBC—according to our by-laws:

1. Attend “Discovery One”. This is a 45-minute presentation about our purpose, our beliefs, our core-values and our membership. Contact Pastor LePage for information about the next Discovery One class.

2. Communicate to an elder that you want to join. Do that by filling out Member Information and My Story sheets, then handing these to our pastor or another member of the elder board.

3. Be publicly recognized as a member of CBC. After you’ve attended Discovery One and we receive your Member Information and My Story sheets we will simply ask you to stand in a future service and be recognized as a new member.

Can I be a member if I’m not able to be in a Community Group right now?

Yes, but remember that the purpose of Community Groups is to help you become relationally involved. You cannot develop relational involvement on Sunday morning alone. Small groups are where we become relationally involved with each other. In other words, we believe you’re cheating yourself by not plugging into a Community Group. Of course, there will be times when it will be more difficult to be involved and you may be unable to participate for a short time. But, the leadership of CBC highly recommends you get into or back into a Community Group as soon as possible. Also, please let your pastor or elder know why you’re unable to participate and perhaps we can help.

What must a person believe in order to become a member of Community Bible?

A person must be in full agreement with the following five basic doctrines of the Christian faith in order to become a member of Community Bible Church:

The Trinity. God exists in three eternal, co-equal persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

The Person of Christ. Full deity and full humanity are forever united in one sinless, virgin-born person, the Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God.

The Work of Christ. The death of Christ served as a perfect, God-satisfying, substitutionary payment of the penalty for the sins of the world. His bodily resurrection guaranteed the hope of life eternal for all who believe in Him.

Personal Salvation. One receives God’s forgiveness, deliverance from eternal separation from God and the free gift of eternal life when one places complete, personal trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as the only and sufficient Savior from sin.

Revelation. God has revealed Himself and His will through the inerrant, divinely-inspired Old and New Testaments alone.

Again, these are the basics which a new member must believe. We encourage you to also read our full statement of faith.

How can I get more information?

Please feel free to contact our pastor, Shaun LePage, if you have any questions or comments. The church office number is (785) 843-3239 or click here to send him an email.