Church Membership
The church is not a place to attend or even a program to participate in, but actually a community to belong to.
Church membership serves two purposes:
Affirm one another’s salvation in Jesus Christ alone.
Affirm our commitment to walk together on our journey of following Jesus.
Covenant membership is a tangible way that we come together as God’s people. We were made to be both needy and needed, be known and know others, serve and be served, love and be loved.
Membership is made up of two elements:
What we believe - Statement of Faith
How we will live together - Membership Covenant
Statement of Faith
We believe in the authority of Scripture as God’s revelation. The Apostles’ Creed is a faithful summary of the core teachings of Scripture.
We believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth.
We believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day, he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
The holy universal church,
The communion of saints,
The forgiveness of sins,
The resurrection of the dead,
And the life everlasting.
Amen.
Membership Covenant
As members of Shallowford we commit to:
Pursue my own personal spiritual growth in my daily walk with God, and seek to live out of my new identity in Christ. (Matt. 4:19; 2 Cor. 5:17; Col. 3:1-3; Gal. 2:20; Heb. 12:1-2)
Submit to the authority of Scripture in all things and seek to align my life with God’s word. (Matt. 5:17; Luke 24:44; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Heb. 4:12)
Worship God in my daily relationship with Him and together with our church family. (John 4:24; Heb. 13:15)
Walk with others in disciple-making relationships because I need the church family and they need me. These relationships are centered on Jesus Christ and committed to speaking the truth in love to one another so that we grow into the likeness of Jesus. (Acts 2:42-47; Eph. 4:13-16; Heb. 3:13)
Give my time, talents, and treasures to serve others, and thankfully receive when the church family serves me. (1 Cor. 12:1-13; 1 Pet. 4:10)
Live on mission where God has sent me every day, and with our church family among neighbors and nations. (Matt. 28:18-20; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 1 Pet. 3:15)
Becoming a member
Our membership process has 3 simple steps:
Fill out our membership form, which you can find below.
Have a meeting with one of our elders. We want to make sure we know you as we welcome you into the family, so this is a time to get to know each other, ask any questions, and let us share our heart for members at Shallowford.
Congregational Affirmation - The congregation of members are the ones with the authority to receive new members, so finally the elders will recommend that the church receive you as members and the church will vote to affirm.