Membership
Why Become a Member?
1. Membership is one way for a church to ensure that those who are ministering in the name of Jesus are truly His followers and part of the Body of Christ.
2. Membership is a formal declaration by someone desiring to serve that they are part of the church.
3. The church is the creation of God for the purpose of reaching this world with the Gospel and encouraging one another as we carry out this task. As a result, all of Jesus’ followers are part of the church and should seek to identify themselves with the church through a statement of personal belief and evidence of God’s transforming work in their lives.
How Do I Become a Member?
1. We believe it is important to know what the Okotoks Evangelical Free Church believes and seeks to accomplish. Every applicant for membership is encouraged to attend “Discovering the OEFC” Seminar taught at regular intervals throughout the calendar year.
2. The next step is to fill out the application form in the membership brochure. The brochure can be found in the church office and at the Nook. On a seperate piece of paper write out your personal journey to faith in Jesus Christ.
3. Once you have completed the form and have written out your testimony, just hand them in to one of the pastors or the church office. One of the elders will contact you to set up a meeting where you can read your testimony (or tell it) to a couple of the church elders. The elder may ask you to clarify various things about your journey to faith and this is also a time when you may ask questions of the elders about the life, doctrine, and practices of the church.
4. The names of those approved by the elders for membership will then be announced in the church bulletin. At the same time, a summary of your written testimony will be distributed to the mebers of the church.
5. At the beginning of the next congregational meeting (three Sundays after the applicant names are announced), the congregation votes on recieving these applicants into membership. All successful applicants have full rights and responsibilities as members at that meeting so you are welcome to attend.
What Are a Member’s Responsibilites?
Membership is an individual’s personal commitment to be a full participant with a local body of believers. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews warns us not to “give up meeting together” but to “encourage one another” (Heb.10:25). This encouragment takes place in the areas of Prayer (vs. 23), and Living In Such a Way that Your Life Demonstrates the Transforming Presence of Christ (vs. 24). Therefore, the choice of membership is a commitment to:
1. Pray For One Another Regularily
2. Read God’s Word & Obey Its Teachings
3. Live a Life That Demonstrates God’s Transforming Power
4. Use the Holf Spirit’s Gifts to Encourage and Strengthen One Another
5. Participate in the Congregational Meetings. This is where we seek to find the mind of Christ for our local body. We need your input and your participation. Our by-laws require one third of our members to be present before we can even meet officially.