CBM Membership Covenant

As a covenant member of Congregation Beth Messiah, I commit to:

I. PROTECT THE UNITY OF MY CONGREGATION

– By acting in love toward other members

- By only giving a good report (not gossiping)

(When this is not possible, I purpose to remain silent or to privately go to the person following the guidelines expressed in Matt. 18.)

-By submitting myself to the government and discipline of the congregation and its leaders

-By not propagating doctrine contrary to that expressed in the CBM Doctrinal Statement.

II. SHARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF MY CONGREGATION

-By being involved in:

1) Worship

2) Outreach

3) Discipleship

4) Fellowship

5) Service

-By being of our part of our havurot

-By praying regularly for CBM

III. PURPOSE TO SERVE  MY CONGREGATION

-By seeking God’s direction in how He chooses to use me

-By being equipped as opportunities arise

-By choosing to have a servant’s heart

IV. SUPPORT THE TESTIMONY OF MY CONGREGATION

-By attending faithfully

-By living a godly life

-By giving regularly under the Spirit’s direction

Termination of Membership

Persons shall be removed from membership because of:

1. Death
2. Transfer of membership upon joining another congregation
3. Erasure upon request of the member or upon joining another congregation
4. Exclusion by the Elders, following the process of discipline outlined in Matthew 18.

It shall be the responsibility of all covenant members to care for those who are noticeably absent from the congregation.  Attention should be given to them in a spirit of loving concern and attempts made to determine the reason for their absence and restore them into the active ministry and service of the congregation.

Discipline of Covenant Members

All members of this congregation are expected to conduct their lives according to the standards set forth in the Scriptures.  Such conduct includes moral purity, personal honesty, and Biblical fidelity.  Our lives are to be consistent examples of authentic faith in Yeshua manifesting the fruit of the Holy Spirit as we walk in the light of God’s Word.

Should any covenant member willfully depart from these Scriptural standards and engage in a continuing, unrepentant lifestyle of sin in regard to doctrine or conduct, they shall be dealt with according to the Biblical process of congregational discipline.  This is always to be done for the ultimate goals of glorifying God, maintaining the purity of the congregation, and for the purpose of leading the individual to repentance and restoration.

This shall be done following a season of prayer, in a spirit of humility and gentleness as well as loving honesty.  The actual process is to be based on the principles found in Matt. 18:15-18, Gal. 6:1, Eph. 4:25, I Cor. 5:11, II Thess. 3:14-15, I Tim. 5:19-22, and to be overseen by the Elders and any other appointed leaders in the congregation.

Should the Elders determine that there is no evidence of repentance, the person shall be removed from the covenant membership of CBM.

Responsibilities of Membership

In addition to the responsibilities already noted in the Membership Covenant, it is crucial that each covenant member of CBM acknowledges that they are “ministers” and as such, should seek to be faithful Ambassadors for Messiah in all their relationships.

Covenant members are responsible to abide by the consensus of the congregation as regarding all matters taken under consideration of the Elders.

The members have the privilege and responsibility to inquire concerning a decision of the Elders where they have a conviction or information which leads them to believe that the action is not in the best interest of the congregation.  The process of inquiry is open to any covenant member and should be pursued only with an attitude of humility and brotherly love.  The inquiry process includes the following steps:

1.   The inquiring covenant member shall make the issue and grounds for inquiry known in writing to the Elders.

2.   Upon receiving the inquiry, the Elders shall seek God concerning His wisdom and direction in relation to the matter.  After a consensus of the Elders is reached, it will be communicated to the concerned covenant member who made the inquiry.

3.   The member making inquiry has the responsibility to submit to the final decision of the Elders.

Consensus

Congregation Beth Messiah has chosen the Biblical method of consensus as the standard to use in discerning God’s will as a body.

The covenant members are expected to follow the leadership of the Elders who will remain in regular communication with the body.  If there are matters which are of such importance because:

• the Elders have not reached consensus, or
• it would impact the whole body in a dramatic way,

then those matters will be brought to the body of covenant members to reach consensus.

The process of consensus will take place as follows:

1)      The Elders will call a meeting of the covenant members.

2)      The issue will be communicated clearly and everyone will be asked to take time to pray and fast as God directs for a period of time decided by the Elders.

3)      The next meeting time will be announced.

4)      At this time, the question will be asked concerning what people are sensing God is saying regarding the issue.  If there is a general consensus regarding direction, then the affirmation of consensus has been reached.

5)      If there are significant disagreements, the body will be asked to repeat step “2”, “3” and “4” above.

6)      If after two meetings of discussion there are still a few who have issues regarding a matter, they will be invited to meet privately with the Elders to express their concerns.  At that meeting their concerns will either be used to bring the whole body back together for a repetition of steps “2, 3, and 4” or they will be asked to defer to the larger body of believers.

7)      The Elders have the final authority to discern when consensus has been reached and the responsibility to announce the decision of the matter to the covenant membership.

Membership requirements for positions of responsibility

Covenant membership shall be required for all Elders, leaders, teachers, and paid mininsterial staff.  Attenders may participate in ministry under the authority and oversight of covenant members.