How can you become a member? Well, first of all, welcome to the community and we’re glad you asked! Please contact Fr. James and he will be happy walk with you through the process of membership. Below are the sequential steps and concepts of membership at St. Christopher’s.
Belonging. We want you to experience belonging here at St. Christopher’s, to feel that this is a community where your spirit is at home, where the presence God draws you deeply in and unites you in communion with others in Christ (Acts 4:32).
In many ways, you can belong at St. Christopher’s without being a member, but we enjoy the mutuality, love, trust, and commitment that comes from being members together. So, for our part in creating a place of belonging, we are committed to be open, inviting and welcoming in heart, mind, and practice to newcomers (Rom. 15:7, Jn 13:34-35, I Jn 3:18, ). For your part of belonging, we ask you to ‘show up’ and be a part of the community. The biggest part of belonging is being present – physically, mentally, emotionally, frequently, and regularly. We ask this not only of you but of our entire community (Heb. 10:24-25).
Baptism. Baptism is the “outward and visible sign of the inward and spiritual grace” of membership in Christ’s Church. Baptism marks us as fully official followers of Jesus Christ and following his Way. It is the basic common denominator of Christians. In Baptism we make sacred vows of belief and obedience to God. And in Baptism God imparts to us by Word, Water, and Spirit, the grace of salvation and adopts us into God’s household, the Church. Once we are Baptized we focus on learning and living Christ’s teachings. ( I Pet. 3:21, Mk. 16:16, Acts 2:37-39 )
If you have not been Baptized and wish to be, please fill out this form and speak with Fr. James. That is an exciting and wonderful desire! If you have been Baptized with water “in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” let us know the date (or approximate date) and place for our records.
Certifiable Membership. By default we consider you a member of the congregation you were baptized in. If you were baptized here and have not ‘changed churches,’ your membership is at St. Christopher’s. If you are coming from a different Lutheran or Episcopal congregation (or a denomination in communion with them) we can transfer your membership from that congregation to St. Christopher’s. And if you were a member of another Christian denomination, there may be other steps necessary to establish certified membership here. Please see Fr. James. Having your membership certified does two things: First, it makes certain you can vote and take part in our democratic and representative decision making processes on the local, regional, and national levels. Second, it allows your participation to be traced by posterity. It is part of your Christian witness down through the years.
Fill out this form (as completely as you’re able) to begin the process. And don’t forget to schedule a meeting with Fr. James.
Confirmation
We expect that in the course of their Christian discipleship all our members will go through Confirmation. Confirmation has had many differing definitions. Here we understand Confirmation as…
1) a public reaffirmation of one’s Baptismal vows.
2) a commitment to live an earnest and mature faith in Christ.
3) training in the basics of Holy Scripture, theology, and the Church’s traditions and worship. Training is offered in Confirmation Classes but learning continues throughout one’s whole life.
4) receiving a special spiritual strengthening of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands by a Bishop
5) confirmation of living within the “one, holy, catholic*, and apostolic” Church. (*meaning universal/entire/whole/ancient)
6) receiving the promise of this community and of the Universal Church to support, encourage, and uphold you in your faith.
Other Expectations of Members
It is impossible to lay out here all the necessities of living in Christ-like community and faith, but we will enumerate the most important for our life together.
1) Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.
We mean it. Give your all to loving God. Strive to hold nothing back in this love. (Matt. 22:36-40)
2) Love your neighbor as yourself.
This includes loving strangers, Christians, non-Christians, the un-lovely, and even your enemies. It also means you must love yourself no more and no less than others. (Matt. 22:36-40, 5:44, Jn 13:34 ).
3) What we mean by love and loving others.
You know Love when you see it or when you feel it. We see and feel God’s love most in Jesus Christ. He is the supreme example and evidence of God’s love for everyone. Christian love is to act as Christ did. St. Paul describes Christian love this way, “Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.” (I Cor. 13).
And in Romans 12 St. Paul describes how Christians are to act towards each other and the world. He says, “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all… Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Rom. 12)
These are just some of the things we mean by love.
4) Give, Tithe, Sacrifice.
Jesus teaches that your heart will be wherever your treasure is (Lk. 12:33, 34). And he says that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35-36). The Older Testament teaches that giving the first 10% of what we earn is the beginning standard for faith-full giving.
We expect that our members are giving (or striving towards giving) at least a Tithe (10%) of their time, of their talent, and of their treasure (including money) to the mission, ministry, and well-being of the Gospel through the Church (of which this congregation is a part). We know this can be difficult to accept and to do. We also know that Jesus didn’t ask for 10% – he called for 100%. (See Lk. 18:18-30, Acts 2:43-47). That’s why, in addition to tithing Christians also give to other worthy causes outside the Church in line with Christ’s teachings (Gen. 28:20-22, Neh. 10:35-37, Mal. 3:10-12).
The challenge of tithing and giving is a spiritual one. Jesus calls us to give up ownership and selfishness, replacing them with faith and generosity. As Christians we grow away from “I earned it. It’s mine.” towards “It was given me so that I may give and become generous.” This fulfills what Jesus said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)
We want you to know this congregation has no other regular source of income outside of its members and donors. We know that Christian giving is a sacrifice. We also know that such sacrifices are pleasing to God. (Heb. 13:16)
Please see our Stewardship and Serving tabs on our website for more details on how we make a difference together and how to give.
5) Celebrate, Be Grateful, and Receive God’s Blessings.
God is bountiful, generous, and kind (Lam. 3:22-23, I Chr. 16:34) . Every Sunday we celebrate the ‘Eucharist,’ a word that means ‘Thanksgiving’ in Greek. It is also known as ‘Holy Communion,’ the Sacrament where we are given unity with God and God’s People through Christ. This celebration of thanksgiving and unity is the central act of worship in the Christian Community. It is also a central attitude. We find that our life together, when lived with the love of Christ, is a source of joy, contentment, gratitude, and richness. Our members attend the Eucharist regularly and frequently unless, for good reason they are unable. (Acts 2:42)
6) Serve others as though they were Jesus.
Jesus says being the servant of all, rather than being served, is the mark of greatness (Mk. 9:34-37). He also said we should serve others as if we were actually serving Jesus himself, in person (Matt. 25:34-40). Furthermore, we are to especially watch out for and care for those who are rejected by others and by society (Isa. 1:17). Every member at St. Christopher’s is expected to be engaged in this kind of service using the gifts, resources, and talents that they have been given by God.
7) Pray, Worship, Rest, & Learn
Being a Christian is an ever-ongoing process. Christianity is a way of life. And so as Christians it is normative to pray throughout each and every day, to read the Bible daily, to worship together, to rest weekly, and to take time to learn throughout the year (Acts 2:42). These are things that empower us all to live together in Christ and under the expectations listed above. They are also building blocks of a fulfilling and joyful life in community.
In conclusion…
None of us here is perfect. That’s the point in saying we need God’s rescuing. If we were perfect, we wouldn’t need God’s help. So if you feel like it will be challenging to meet these expectations but you’ll give it your best shot, then “welcome to the club” as they say! You’ll fit right in! We all know we won’t do these perfectly, but we think they are worth our very best efforts.
Keep pursuing God. We’ll join right alongside you in that pursuit. And be encouraged: God always gives the power and strength to do the things God has asked us to do.
Colossians 3:12-17
As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.
Bear with one another and,
if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other;
just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Above all,
clothe yourselves with love,
which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body.
And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly;
teach and admonish one another in all wisdom;
and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.
And whatever you do, in word or deed,
do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.