Membership
At CrossPoint, we long to see Christ’s Church grow and we believe a healthy church is measured by spiritual growth rather than numerical growth. That being the case, we recognize Christ’s Church is not a gathering of sideline spectators; instead we are a corporate body employing our gifts of service for the benefit of one another and the advancement of God’s Kingdom! Our goal is to encourage and exhort God’s people to unite with his Church and allow the gospel to shape us together into his Spiritual House (1 Pet. 2:5). We believe Church membership is very important, and we seek to guard church membership through the requirements and expectations outlined below.
Membership at CrossPoint is not like joining a social organization. Foremost, to be a member of CrossPoint requires that a person confess Christ as their Lord and by His grace be known by Him in a personal way. A second requirement is to have been (or make arrangements to be) immersed in believer’s baptism. This is to follow Christ’s instructions about the new covenant and to externally profess to the world the internal reality of His saving grace.
Before one can be a member of CrossPoint Baptist Church, a two-step process must be completed.
- Attend a CrossPoint 101 class to learn our history, affirm our theological convictions, and discover our biblical expectations of each member. Our theological convictions are outlined through the Baptist Faith & Message as well as the CrossPoint Church Membership Covenant. CrossPoint 101 classes are offered once every other month during the Sunday Morning Bible Study time at 9:00AM (childcare is provided).
- Schedule a pastoral visit. Once a person has completed CrossPoint 101 they can arrange a visit with any of our elders or pastoral staff. The primary purpose of the meeting is for pastors to hear member prospects clearly articulate their conversion experience. The meetings also allow for those seeking membership to ask specific questions and for the pastoral staff to learn more about the person. The pastoral visits are good times of fellowship and prayer.
After a person has completed CrossPoint 101, affirmed the Baptist Faith & Message and the CrossPoint Church Membership Covenant, and met with an elder, then he or she will be presented to the congregation to be affirmed and welcomed by them.
There are several biblical expectations of each member at CrossPoint.
Each member should be connected in a Bible Study or equipping group and pursuing growth in Christ (Col. 19-14; Eph. 4:11-16; Heb. 10:24-25).
Each member is expected to give cheerfully and sacrificially of the Lord’s resources, gifts, talents, and possessions that He has given them to manage (Matthew 25:14-30; 2 Cor. 9:6-15).
Each member is expected to serve both in the church and in local and global missions opportunities (Matt. 28:16-20).
Each member is expected to pursue accountability and regular confession with a small group of other believers in order to keep a close watch on their lives and doctrine (Rom. 8:13; 1 Tim. 4:16).
CrossPoint offers two small group opportunities-Sunday morning Bible Study and mid-week Home Groups-as a way of encouraging believers in the study of God’s Word, accountability, fellowship and prayer.
CROSSPOINT BAPTIST CHURCH MEMBERSHIP COVENANT
Having, as we trust, been brought by divine grace to repent and believe in Jesus Christ and to give up ourselves to Him as the LORD, Savior, and Supreme Treasure of our lives, and having been baptized upon our profession of faith, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, we do now in the presence of God, relying on His gracious aid, solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with each other.
We will work and pray for the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace as we biblically welcome and test instruction from the Scriptures, seeking to grow toward biblical unity in the truth. We will refrain from causing division by not teaching or following doctrine that contradicts God’s Word. We will adhere to the basic tenets of Scripture as outlined in the Baptist Faith and Message, 2000, and will abide by the biblical definition of marriage as stated in CrossPoint’s Statement on Marriage and Sexuality. (Heb 12:14; Eph 4:1–3; Acts 17:11; Matt 19:3–6; Rom 1:26–27; 1 Cor 6:9–11)
We will walk together in brotherly love, as become the members of a Christian Church, exercise an affectionate care and watchfulness over each other and faithfully admonish and entreat one another as occasion may require. (Eph 4:1-3; Gal 6:1-2, 10; Col 3:16; Rom 12:10) We will not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, nor neglect to pray for ourselves and others. We will use our spiritual gifts for the building up of the church. (Heb 10:24–25; Col 4:2; Rom 12:3–8)
We will endeavor to bring up those whom God entrusts to us in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and, by a pure and loving example, seek the salvation of our family and friends. (Deut 6:4–9; Eph 6:4; 1 Thess 4:1–8)
We will rejoice in each other’s happiness and endeavor with tenderness and sympathy to bear each other’s burdens and sorrows. (Gal 6:2; Rom 12:15)
We will seek, by Divine aid, to live carefully in the world, being just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our behavior; to avoid all gossiping, backbiting, and excessive anger; to seek God’s help in abstaining from all practices which bring unwarranted harm to the Body or jeopardize our own or another’s faith; to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and remembering that, as we have been voluntarily buried by baptism and raised again from the symbolic grave, so there is on us a special obligation now to lead a new and holy life. (Rom 6:1–14, 12:1–2; Eph 4:25–32, 5:1–2, 15–21; Phil 2:14–16)
We will work together for the continuance of a faithful evangelical ministry in this church, striving to advance Christ’s kingdom as we sustain CrossPoint’s worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines. We will submit to biblical authority in resolving conflicts within the church according to Matthew 18:15–20. We will contribute cheerfully, sacrificially and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel through all nations. (Acts 2:42–47; 2 Cor 8–9; Matt 28:18–20)
We will, when we move from CrossPoint, as soon as possible unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word. (Heb 10:24–25) May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen.
Adopted by the Congregation
October 25, 2015