RULES OF MEMBERSHIP

1. QUALIFICATIONS. The membership of this church shall consist of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who have been baptized by immersion* upon profession of faith; who have acknowledged agreement with the Declaration of Faith and the Covenant of this church, and who offer evidence by their profession and their conduct, that they are living in accord with their affirmations and this Constitution and Bylaws, and are actively pursuing and continuing in a vital fellowship with the Lord, Jesus Christ, and who have been formally received into the fellowship of the church. Children of members are not automatically members of this church.
* Exception to immersion could be made for persons incapable of this form of baptism; i.e. physical impairment preventing immersion.

2. METHOD OF ADMISSION. All applicants for admission to the membership of this church shall meet with the Board of Deacons for consultation and examination and:

• State their confession of faith in Jesus Christ as Savior
• Submit to the Board a signed Membership/Employment Agreement form, which requires agreement to abide by this Constitution**. (A copy of this Constitution and Membership/Employment Agreement form – found in the AMBC Handbook – shall be provided to each prospective member prior to meeting with the Board of Deacons.)
• They may submit a letter of dismissal from another church of like faith
• They may submit a statement of their previous Christian experience and testimony of baptism by immersion*
  ** Records of all signed Statements shall be kept by the Clerk

3. PRESENTATION OF NEW MEMBERS TO CHURCH. The names of applicants shall be announced and published two Sundays after their interview with the Board of Deacons. Prospective members unanimously approved by the Board of Deacons shall be presented as members to the congregation and given the right hand of fellowship as soon as appropriate.

4. BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP.

• Able to vote on church business, certain leadership positions, Constitution amendments, budget
• Provide support to the Leadership of this church
• Use of church facilities, i.e. weddings, funerals, etc. at the discretion of the Leadership
  (See Article V Deacons, 2h.)
• Ten active members may call a meeting of the church, as specified in MEETINGS FOR BUSINESS (See Article VI, c.)
• Fellowship and accountability
• Ability to hold office

5. ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP. A member shall be classified as active when that member has attended at least half of the worship services held during the church year. The Board of Deacons will be responsible for determining the method of tracking this and shall prepare and present this list to the church at the annual business meeting. At the discretion of the Deacons, they may include on the Active List any members who have given evidence of being active even though they have not attended the necessary number of worship services. Only those on the Active List shall vote on church business.

6. INACTIVE MEMBERSHIP. If any member is absent from the services of this church more than half of the worship services held and fails to contribute to the support of its program for a period of six months, said member shall be placed on the Inactive Membership list. Those members who continue to remain absent will be contacted by the Pastor and Deacons at least once a month for three months; if no further interest in this church is shown by that member, action will be taken to remove this member from the membership entirely.

7. MEDIATION. Members will make every effort to settle disputes between themselves. If they are unable to do so, they are encouraged to seek the assistance of the Deacons. Members of the church are encouraged to submit any legal dispute to the Board of Deacons. Lawsuits between believers, or threats of lawsuits between believers, are a matter of grave concern for the church, and are contrary to biblical and church teaching. Mediation is an effort to resolve disputes in a biblical fashion. (I Corinthians 6: 1-7.)

8. CORRECTIVE DISCIPLINE. The Scriptures require us to implement the Biblical steps in discipline. The primary aim of all steps of discipline is the repentance and restoration of the erring member. Failing that, the aim is to protect the purity of the church and the reputation of Christ.

A. One-on-One Attempt to Restore

Any member of the church having factual knowledge of an erring member’s heresy, sin, or refusal to be reconciled must approach that person in private, loving confrontation, and seek his or her restoration (Matthew 18:15; Galatians 6:1-2).

B. One or Two Witnesses Attempt to Restore.

If, after repeated attempts, the erring member refuses to heed such warnings, then the warning member should return, privately, with one or two witnesses to establish facts. These witnesses, after self-examination and prayer, should adjudicate the matter and seek to reconcile the parties and/or to restore the erring member (Matthew18:16, 19-20).

C. Members Attempt to Restore

a. Stage 1 – Report to the Board of Deacons
If the witnesses determine that the erring member refuses to heed such warnings, they should report the matter to the Deacons, who are responsible to keep watch over the flock (Hebrews 13:17). At this stage, the witnesses, along with the Deacons, after self-examination and prayer, should adjudicate the matter and seek to reconcile the parties and/or to restore the erring member (Matthew 18:16, 19-20).

b. Stage 2 – Report to the Membership
If the erring member continues to refuse to heed such warnings, the Deacons will report the matter to the members of the church, requiring them to associate with the erring member only to warn him or her of their error. During this sobering time, the erring member will be excluded from participation in the Lord’s Table, participating in the congregational meetings of this church and serving in the ministries of this church, according to the guidelines of Scripture (Matthew 18:17; I Corinthians 5:9-11; II Thessalonians 3:6, 14-15). Further, according to I Corinthians 5:1-13, if the sin is public, known to the church, and not repented of, the Deacons may go immediately to this step when they have found it impossible to implement the information and private steps first.

D. Removal from Fellowship

a. Upon Unrepentance
If, after the Deacons and the members of this church have attempted to restore the erring member, and he or she still refuses to repent, he or she shall be publicly dismissed from the church, and the church will be instructed to treat him or her as an unbeliever on the grounds of his or her unrepentance
(Matthew 18:17 and I Corinthians 5:9-11).

b. Upon Resignation
If, during any of the steps of corrective discipline, the erring member seeks to
resign from the membership of this church, the Deacons shall accept the resignation. The Deacons shall in such instances report the reasons for the resignation to the members, publicly disclosing any unresolved issues, and instructing the church to treat the resigning member as an unbeliever on the grounds of his or her unrepentance (Matthew 18:17 and I Corinthians 5:9-11).

E. Restoration of the Erring Member

a. At the Informal and Private Level of Discipline
If the erring member repents at the informal and private level of discipline, or the sin is not known publicly, then repentance, confession, and restoration shall be private (Matthew 18:15-16; Luke 17:3-4; Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13).

b. Formal and Public Level of Discipline
If the discipline proceeds to the formal level of public disclosure before the church, or if the sin of the erring person is public, then the repentance, confession, and restoration must be formal and before the church (II Corinthians
2:5-11).

c. Responsibility of Membership
When whatever level restoration occurs, members must forgive the offender upon his or her confession and repentance (Luke 17:3-4; II Corinthians 2:5-11; Ephesians 4:32).

F. Leadership Restoration

a. If the member was in a Leadership role in the church, removed from their position as a result of disciplinary measures, and has been restored to fellowship, there shall be a waiting period of a minimum of one year – at the discretion of the Board of Deacons – prior to being eligible for Leadership in the future.

 

9. REMOVAL FROM MEMBERSHIP.

• Physical death of a member shall be cause for their removal from membership
• A member may request to be removed from membership by submitting a written request to the Board of Deacons
• Transfer - Any member who desires a letter of dismissal in order to join another church of like faith is entitled to have one forwarded to the clerk of that named assembly upon written request
• Membership in any religious body not in accord with the Declaration of Faith of this church shall be cause for forfeiture of membership here. When such membership is brought to the attention of the Board of Deacons, the church clerk will be directed to notify said member, in writing, of the termination of his membership.
• A member may be removed as a result of the Corrective Discipline procedure (see Article IV, 8)
• A member may be removed due to Inactive Membership (See Article IV, 6)