Membership
Membership: A Relational Commitment
Many people associate the term “membership” with paying dues, access to voting privileges, rituals and rules, and having your name on some dusty role. The Bible, however, portrays a very different image of membership in Christ’s Body. Becoming a member of the church does not refer to induction into an institution, but rather it means a commitment to becoming a vital organ of a living body (Rom. 12:4-5; 1 Cor. 6:15; 1 Cor. 12:12-27). Thus, membership is not primarily an institutional commitment, but a relational commitment to love and be loved, to serve and be served as a part of the Body of Christ at ECC.
Anyone shall be eligible for membership at ECC who:
1) Has been born again through saving faith in Jesus Christ;
2) Shares the concerns of the church described in Article II of the ECC Constitution (found below)
3) Subscribes to the Statement of Faith in Article V of the ECC Constitution (found below); and
4) Accepts the responsibilities of membership.
The responsibilities of membership include the following:
SPIRITUAL GROWTH: Diligence in continued personal growth in Christ;
LOVE: Commitment to love and to help other members;
WITNESS: Concern for maintaining an effective witness in the world;
FELLOWSHIP: Regularity in corporate worship and fellowship;
STEWARDSHIP: Faithful stewardship of finances, time, and abilities;
SERVICE: Willingness to serve in elective, appointive, or other capacities in the church consistent with God-given gifts and the leading of the Holy Spirit;
PRAYERFUL SUPPORT: Prayerful support of the leadership and programs of the church;
GODLY LIVING: Consistency in living and serving in the community in a way that is honoring to the Lord and to the church.
All members shall have the right to vote at any scheduled meeting called under the authority of Article VI, Section 2 of the ECC Constitution except an associate member and any other member who has not attained his or her eighteenth birthday.
Membership Process
1) Instruction: A Saturday class will be presented for all prospective members and those interested in learning about ECC’s history and beliefs. A spiritual gifts inventory will also be given. A representative from the Networking Committee will present an explanation of ECC ministries and how to become involved.
2) Interview: Prospective members will meet with two Elders for an interview. This is a time for prospective members to ask questions about ECC and for the Elders to get to know the prospective members.
3) Introduction: Each new member will attend both morning services for an introduction to the congregation.
4) Invitation: New members will be invited into the homes of church members for a meal.
ECC Constitution Article II: Purpose
The purpose of this church is to glorify God through strengthening the commitment of its members to God, to the Body of Christ, and to the world by:
1) Teaching the Word of God to the edification, instruction, and discipline of its members and other believers;
2) Winning the unsaved to Christ;
3) Promoting Godly worship;
4) Encouraging fellowship, mutual commitment, and prayer among believers;
5) Training believers for the work of the ministry;
6) Proclaiming the gospel worldwide through the recruitment and support of workers for the ministry;
7) Training children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; and
8) Encouraging members to exhibit Christian love in the community through service and acts of kindness.
ECC Statement of Faith
Scripture
We believe the Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments in their entirety, to be the verbally inspired Word of God, inerrant in the original writing, the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of the world, and preserved by God throughout the ages to be the Divine and final authority for all faith and life.
God
We believe in one God, Creator of all things, infinite, perfect, and eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate. We believe that He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the cross as a sacrifice sufficient for the sins of the world, rose bodily from the dead, and ascended into heaven where He serves as our Mediator and Intercessor with the Father until He returns at the end of this age.
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the present ministry of the Holy Spirit is to reveal the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ; to convict individuals of sin; to regenerate the sinner who believes; and to indwell, guide, instruct, and empower the believer for Godly living and service.
Human Nature
We believe that man was created in the image of God and that his subsequent willful sin resulted in physical and spiritual death and in the necessity of a new birth for salvation.
Salvation
We believe that the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His Resurrection provide the only ground for salvation; that salvation is by God's grace alone, complete and eternal; and that only as one receives this gift of God through personal faith in Christ is one born of the Holy Spirit and made a child of God.
Ordinances
We believe that water baptism and communion are ordinances to be observed by the Church during the present age.
The Church
We believe that the Church Universal is composed of all persons who have been born again through saving faith in Jesus Christ and have therefore become members of the Body of Christ of which He is the Head. Furthermore, we believe that the local church should be the visible expression and should fulfill the purpose of the Church Universal in the world.
Christ’s Return
We believe in the imminent, bodily return of our Lord Jesus Christ and that this expectation should encourage the believer to lead a godly and fruitful life.
Eternal life / Judgment
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all the dead: of the believer to everlasting blessedness and eternal life in the presence of God, and of the unbeliever to judgment and everlasting punishment apart from God.
ECC Contact:
503 South High Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47401 (directions)
phone: (812) 332-0502
email: ecc@eccbloomington.org