Membership
SECTION
1 - Reception of Members
Any person professing faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ and holding the views of faith and practice in
conformity with those of this church, may be received into its membership by
baptism, Christian experience, restoration, or by letter.
Baptism
Any person professing faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ, giving evidence of a change in heart and life and
accepting the views of faith and practice as adopted by this church, may upon
baptism by immersion, be received into its membership.
Christian Experience
Any person professing faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ, giving evidence of the same in their life and
accepting the views of faith and practice as adopted by this church, and having
been previously immersed in obedience to the Scriptures, may be received into
the membership of the church.
Restoration
Persons who have been
members of this church from whom the hand of fellowship has been withdrawn, or
whose membership has lapsed, may, upon recommendation of the Pastor and the
Board of Overseers, be received back into the membership of the church.
Letter
Any person presenting a
letter of recommendation from another Baptist church or any other church of like
faith and practice may be received into the membership of the church. All
applicants for membership shall appear before the Pastor and the Board of
Overseers for consultation and examination. Applicants recommended to the church
by the Pastor and the Board of Overseers shall be presented to the church and
received into its membership by a simple majority vote of the members present at
any regular meeting of the church.
SECTION
2 - Duties of Church Members
Members shall subscribe to
this Constitution, support the statement of Faith, keep the Church Covenant
obligations, and assist in carrying out the purpose of the church. It shall be
the responsibility of each member to support the ministry of Northridge Baptist
Church by the use of their respective gifts of the Spirit, attendance, tithes
and offerings, service, and by living a life that points the unsaved toward
Christ. The Holy Spirit gives gifts to the believer for the purpose of building
up the body of Christ (I Corinthians 14:17; Ephesians 4: 11-13), and any gift or
talent claimed to be spiritually endowed must be judged doctrinally (I
Corinthians 12), morally (I Corinthians 13), and practically (I Corinthians 14).
Each member shall support the Pastor(s) and fellow members through prayer and
love.
SECTION 3 - Separation of Members
Members may be removed from
the official church roll under the following circumstances:
By death.
By release to another church of like faith and practice. A letter of transfer
will be issued and signed by the pastor, and sent to the new church upon
request.
By written request of the member that their name be removed from membership.
By disciplinary procedure of the church. Discipline and correction of church
members shall be under the guidance of the pastor(s) and Board of Overseers, who
shall seek the authority of the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit in such matters.
SECTION 4 - Voting Members
Those eligible to vote
consist of all regularly attending members of Northridge who are 15 years of age
and older. They include those who
are away for the purpose of missions, military service, and further education.
The Board of Overseers shall have the responsibility to maintain this
list and can make exceptions as necessary.
A list of all voting members shall be compiled by the office and provided
to the Board of Overseers prior to each annual meeting. This list will serve as
the official quorum list for the following calendar/fiscal year.