Membership Policy:

We appreciate that you are considering becoming a member of our church.  To learn more about becoming a member please contact our Pastor at (910) 868-5686 or by email.

There are high expectations placed on those who commit to membership in Cornerstone United Methodist Church. Participation in congregational worship and events by any and all (regardless of lifestyle or sin) is welcomed.

Church staff and leadership uphold the highest ideals of Christian life and practice. Members make a commitment to a Congregational Covenant. The Covenant is based on the seven  vows of membership delineated in The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church.

If a person has been confirmed, then they are members of the church and have made their profession of faith. Certainly a pastor and church can urge that anyone coming to the local church to become a member participates in an orientation to the new local church. However, when anyone becomes a professing member of a local church, he or she is a professing member of The United Methodist Church and of the universal church of Jesus Christ. No further ritual action is required, except for reception in the local church pledging to support it with their prayers, presence, gifts and service.

In keeping with the Wesleyan tradition the membership covenant is to be renewed annually.  Members agree that failure to renew the Covenant is considered their request for withdrawal from the membership of Cornerstone UMC.

Our ultimate aim is to faithfully serve Christ and count the fulfillment of this goal as the measure of our success as a congregation, regardless of membership size or attendance.

	By Profession of Faith and Baptism If you are not now a baptized Christian, our pastor will be happy to discuss the meaning of the Sacrament with you in your home or at the church at your convenience.
	By Reaffirmation of Faith If you once were a member of a Christian Church, but who have not been active for a long period of time you will be received by Reaffirmation of Faith in which you renew your baptismal and church membership vows.
	By Transfer From Another United Methodist Church You may request that we write for your letter of transfer — it is not necessary for you to write your former church, we can handle the details of transfer for you!
	By Transfer From Another Christian Denomination The process is very much like the one above. Since you are already baptized and confirmed, these steps will not be repeated. You will be asked to take the one vow taken by all members of the United Methodist Church: “Will you be loyal to the United Methodist Church and uphold it by your prayers, your presence, your gifts and your service?”
	Transfer of Your Membership From a Denomination That Will Not Accept Your Transferring Across Denominational Lines Your baptism is accepted. You will be received in a process called Renewal of Vows, similar to the Reaffirmation of Faith.
	Membership Classes We encourage all people interested in joining Cornerstone UMC to attend our Membership Classes which are held periodically. More information on these classes may be obtained from our Pastor.
	Any Questions If you have any questions, please contact our at 910-868-5686.

Prayers
Our commitment to uphold the Church through intercessory prayer is based upon the fundamental reality that we are not simply a human agency seeking to meet human needs: we pray because we require God’s guidance in order to be the church. When we pray for our pastor, for our teachers, for one another, and for those who may never even enter our doors, we express our dependence on God so that we might in turn express the will and compassion of Christ.

Presence
Our commitment to uphold the Church by our presence is a visible witness of our faith, both in the pew and in the world. Our relationship to Christ is nurtured by our presence in worship where we find spiritual guidance, comfort and strength. But our relationship to Christ is not confined to Sunday morning alone. We also uphold the Church by our presence at home, at work, at school, and in the community. Wherever we are, our presence should be an expression of our commitment to Christ.

Gifts
Our commitment to uphold the Church by our gifts is a thankful response from the heart for all God has given us. Such a commitment serves to remind us of our role as stewards over what God has entrusted to us. The systematic giving of our money also helps to establish and maintain ministries that no individual or single congregation could fund alone. These worthy causes include hospitals, colleges, rehabilitation centers, food and clothing distribution, evangelistic and educational work, and emergency relief.

Service
Our commitment to be loyal to the Church and uphold it by our service further reflects our commitment to follow the example of Christ, who came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28). God has entrusted all of us with certain talents and abilities, and sharing these gifts is a means of sharing ourselves out of love and gratitude toward God and love for one another.

Regarding church membership  

¶ 4. Article IV. Inclusiveness of the Church

The United Methodist Church is a part of the church universal, which is one Body in Christ. The United Methodist Church acknowledges that all persons are of sacred worth. All persons without regard to race, color, national origin, status,4 or economic condition, shall be eligible to attend its worship services, participate in its programs, receive the sacraments, upon baptism be admitted as baptized members, and upon taking vows declaring the Christian faith, become professing members in any local church in the connection.5 In The United Methodist Church no conference or other organizational unit of the Church shall be structured so as to exclude any member or any constituent body of the Church because of race, color, national origin, status or economic condition.6
4. Amended 1992.
5. Amended 2000.
6. See Judicial Council Decisions 242, 246, 340, 351, 362, 377, 398, 594, 601, and Decisions 4 and 5, Interim Judicial Council.

Section V. Church Membership

¶ 214. Eligibility

The United Methodist Church is a part of the holy catholic (universal) church, as we confess in the Apostles' Creed. In the church, Jesus Christ is proclaimed and professed as Lord and Savior. All people may attend its worship services, participate in its programs, receive the sacraments and become members in any local church in the connection (¶ 4). In the case of persons whose disabilities prevent them from reciting the vows, their legal guardian[s], themselves members in full covenant relationship with God and the Church, the community of faith, may recite the appropriate vows on their behalf.

¶ 215. Definition of Membership

The membership of a local United Methodist church shall include those who have been baptized and those who have professed their faith.

1. The baptized membership of a local United Methodist church shall include all baptized people who have received Christian baptism in the local congregation or elsewhere, or whose membership has been transferred to the local United Methodist church subsequent to baptism in some other congregation.

2. The professing membership of a local United Methodist church shall include all baptized people who have come into membership by profession of faith through appropriate services of the baptismal covenant in the ritual or by transfer from other churches.

3. For statistical purposes, church membership is equated to the number of people listed on the roll of professing members.

4. A baptized or professing member of any local United Methodist church is a member of the global United Methodist connection and a member of the church universal.

The Meaning of Membership

¶ 216.

1. Christ constitutes the church as his body by the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13, 27). The church draws new people into itself as it seeks to remain faithful to its commission to proclaim and exemplify the gospel. Baptism is the sacrament of initiation and incorporation into the body of Christ. After baptism, the church provides the nurture that makes possible a comprehensive and lifelong process of growing in grace. Becoming a professing member requires the answer of faith of the baptized person made visible in a service of profession of Christian faith and confirmation using the vows of the Baptismal Covenant.

a) Baptized infants and children are to be instructed and nurtured in the meaning of the faith, the rights and responsibilities of their baptism, and spiritual and moral formation using materials approved by The United Methodist Church. Using the services of the Baptismal Covenant, youth will profess their faith, commit themselves to a life of discipleship, and be confirmed. Confirmation is both a human act of commitment and the gracious action of the Holy Spirit strengthening and empowering discipleship.

b) Youth and adults who have not been baptized and who are seeking to be saved from their sins and profess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior are proper candidates for baptism in The United Methodist Church. It shall be the duty of the congregation, led by the pastor, to instruct them in the meaning of baptism, in the meaning of the Christian faith, and in the history, organization, and teachings of The United Methodist Church, using materials approved by The United Methodist Church for that purpose. After the completion of the period of nurture and instruction, the sponsor(s) and pastor shall bring the candidates before the congregation and administer the services of Baptismal Covenant, in which people are baptized, confirmed, and received into the Church.

2. a) Formation in the Baptismal Covenant and in the call to ministry in daily life is a lifelong process and is carried on through all the activities that have educational value. The pastor gives specific leadership that prepares youth for their profession of faith and commitment to discipleship and for the Holy Spirit's action confirming them in their faith and empowering their discipleship. This preparation focuses attention upon the meaning of discipleship and the need for members to be in mission in all of life's relationships.

b) There are many occasions as people mature in the faith when the Holy Spirit's confirming action may be celebrated, such as in the reaffirmation of the Baptismal Covenant or other services related to life passages. Unlike baptism, which is a once-made covenant and can only be reaffirmed and not repeated, confirmation is a dynamic action of the Holy Spirit that can be repeated.

3. Preparation for the experience of profession of faith and confirmation shall be provided for all people, including adults. Youth who are completing the sixth grade shall normally be the youngest people recruited for such preparation. When younger people, of their own volition, seek enrollment in preparation for profession of faith and confirmation, such preparation shall be at the discretion of the pastor.

¶ 217.

When persons unite as professing members with a local United Methodist church, they profess their faith in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth; in Jesus Christ his only Son, and in the Holy Spirit. Thus, they make known their desire to live their daily lives as disciples of Jesus Christ. They covenant together with God and with the members of the local church to keep the vows which are a part of the order of confirmation and reception into the Church:

1. To renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of the world, and repent of their sin;

2. To accept the freedom and power God gives them to resist evil, injustice, and oppression;

3. To confess Jesus Christ as Savior, put their whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as their Lord;

4. To remain faithful members of Christ's holy church and serve as Christ's representatives in the world;

5. To be loyal to The United Methodist Church and do all in their power to strengthen its ministries;

6. To faithfully participate in its ministries by their prayers, their presence, their gifts, and their service;

7. To receive and profess the Christian faith as contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.

¶ 218. Growth in Faithful Discipleship

Faithful membership in the local church is essential for personal growth and for developing a deeper commitment to the will and grace of God. As members involve themselves in private and public prayer, worship, the sacraments, study, Christian action, systematic giving, and holy discipline, they grow in their appreciation of Christ, understanding of God at work in history and the natural order, and an understanding of themselves.

¶ 219. Mutual Responsibility

Faithful discipleship includes the obligation to participate in the corporate life of the congregation with fellow members of the body of Christ. A member is bound in sacred covenant to shoulder the burdens, share the risks, and celebrate the joys of fellow members. A Christian is called to speak the truth in love, always ready to confront conflict in the spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation.

¶ 220. The Call to Ministry of All the Baptized

All members of Christ's universal church are called to share in the ministry which is committed to the whole church of Jesus Christ. Therefore, each member of The United Methodist Church is to be a servant of Christ on mission in the local and worldwide community. This servanthood is performed in family life, daily work, recreation and social activities, responsible citizenship, the stewardship of property and accumulated resources, the issues of corporate life, and all attitudes toward other persons. Participation in disciplined groups is an expected part of personal mission involvement. Each member is called upon to be a witness for Christ in the world, a light and leaven in society, and a reconciler in a culture of conflict. Each member is to identify with the agony and suffering of the world and to radiate and exemplify the Christ of hope. The standards of attitude and conduct set forth in the Social Principles (Part IV) shall be considered as an essential resource for guiding each member of the Church in being a servant of Christ on mission.

¶ 221. Accountability

1. All members are to be held accountable for faithfulness to their covenant of baptism.

2. If a baptized member neglects faithfulness and discipline in terms of the Baptismal Covenant, every means of encouraging that member to return and of nurturing him or her to assume the vows of professing membership should be made.

3. If a professing member should be accused of violating the covenant and failing to keep the vows as stated in ¶ 217, then it shall be the responsibility of the local church, working through its pastor and its agencies, to minister to that member in compliance with the provisions of ¶ 228 in an effort to enable the member to faithfully perform the vows and covenant of membership.

4. In the event that those efforts fail, then the professing member and the local church may agree to voluntary mediation in which the parties are assisted by a trained, neutral third-party mediator, mediation team, and/or their district superintendent in reaching a settlement or agreement satisfactory to all parties.

5. In the further event that those efforts fail to effect reconciliation and reaffirmation of the vows and covenant of ¶ 217 by the professing member, then the professing members of the church may pursue the procedures set forth in ¶¶ 2702.3, 2706.5, and 2714.

(From The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church — 2004. Copyright © 2004 by The United Methodist Publishing House. Used by permission.)

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