"We, the members of the THE SOVEREIGN GRACE BIBLE CHURCH OF CEBU, INC., a non-profit organization, do ordain and establish the following articles, to which we voluntarily submit ourselves."

ARTICLE 2:    MEMBERSHIP

CONTENTS:  1  Institution  2  Membership  3  Leadership  4  Commission  5  Order  6  Congregational Meetings  7  Affiliation

SECTION 1.    THE WARRANT FOR MEMBERSHIP

       The New Testament demands from all Christians a formal, open, solemn, voluntary, and enduring commitment to Jesus Christ, to His truth and to His people. A true Christian's commitment to Jesus Christ must include, and is inseparable from His commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ's truth and to Christ's people. Such commitment to Christ, His truth and His people ordinarily requires a formal, open, solemn, voluntary, and enduring commitment of church membership in a local church for the following reasons:

1. Fulfillment of Christ's Great Commission requires church membership. According to the Great Commission of Christ (Mt. 28:18-20) there is an inseparable connection between making disciples, baptizing them and teaching them. The apostles implemented this commission by gathering baptized disciples into local churches. It was therefore in local church where disciples were taught all that Christ commanded (Acts 2:38-42; 1 Cor. 4:17). With the uncertain exception of the Ethiopian eunuch, the New Testament knows nothing of believing men and women who were not members of local churches.

2. Obedience to Christ's directives to observe the Lord's Table requires church membership. Since all believing men and women are required by Christ to observe the Lord's Table (Lk. 22:19; 1 Cor. 11:17, 18, 33, 34 with 1 Cor. 1:12), it follows that all Christians must belong to a local New Testament church in order to partake biblically.

3. The New Testament presents the local church as a district group of individuals which could a) be counted (Acts 2:41, 42; 4:4), b) be added to (Acts 2:47; 15:14), c) be called upon to select leaders and representatives form among itself (Acts 6:1-6; 2 Cor 8:12, 23; Acts 15:22), e) carry out church discipline by congregational suffrage (Mt. 18:17; 1 Cor. 5:4,13; 2 Cor. 2:6), (1 Cor. 11:17-20, 33-34). There is therefore clear biblical warrant for the existence and careful maintenance of local church membership involving formal, open, solemn, voluntary, and enduring commitment. This biblical warrant compels us to use great care in maintaining biblically ordered church membership.

SECTION 2.    THE REQUIREMENTS FOR MEMBERSHIP

       Any man and woman (Acts 5:14; 8:3, 12) shall be eligible for membership in this church, who profess repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 2:37-42; 5:14; 8:12; 16:30; 20:21), who manifest a life transformed by the power of the power of Christ (1 Cor. 1:1,2 with 6:11; Gal 1:1,2 with 4:8,9; 1 Thes. 1:1-9), who have been baptised upon profession of faith (Mt. 20:18-20; Jn. 4:1,2; Acts 2:41; 8:12; 16:31-34; 18:8), who express substantial agreement with the Confession and Constitution of this church (1 Cor. 1:10; 14:40; Eph. 4:3), who intends to give wholehearted support to its ministry (1 Cor. 14:40; 2 Cor. 8:5; 1 Thess. 5:12-14; Acts 15:39), and who are willing to submit to its government (1 Cor. 14:40; Acts 2s:42; 1 Cor. 1:10; Heb 13:17) and discipline (Mt. 18:15-18; Acts 5:13,14).

       Mastery of the church's Confession or Constitution is not required of any new disciple before he is admitted to church membership. Such requirement would violate the order of Mt. 28:19,20, which instructs us to discipline, to baptize, and then to teach the baptised disciple to observe all things whatsoever Christ has commanded. It is necessary, however, that any disciple applying for membership manifest a willingness to be taught and be in substantial agreement with what he already knows concerning the church's doctrinal commitment and polity.

       If one who is already a member of the church at any time concludes that he is under obligation to inform the elders of that fact.

SECTION 3.    TYPES OF MEMBERSHIP

       Paragraph A.  General Statement.

       Each member of a local church is to acknowledge to form a vital part of the body and to have a special function in the life of that body (1 Cor. 12:14-27). Practical considerations, however, require that certain distinctions be recognized in the membership of this church (1 Cor. 1:2).

       Paragraph B.  Regular Members.

       All who are received into the membership of this church according to the procedures set forth in Section 4 of this article, whose membership, has not been terminated in any of the ways specified in Section 6 of this article, and who do not come under the corrective discipline of the church as set forth in Article IV Section 5, shall be considered regular members in good standing and entitled to all the rights and priviledges of membership in the church (Acts 2:37-47).

       Paragraph C.  Associate Members.

1. The membersship status of any whose relatioship to the church involves special or abnormal circumstances shall be determined in each case by the action of the elders.

2. Such special circumstances are as follows:
   
          a. Regular members who move away from (the) area and who cannot find another church with which they can - in good conscience unite - will, at their request, be retained as associate associate members of this church. Such persons must maintain regular communication with the church in order to retain their associate membership. However, they are urged to deligently seek a church with which they can unite elsewhere.
   
          b. Likewise, members out of the area for a limited time due to work assigments or studies shall, at their request, be retained as associate members while they temporarily unite with a church like faith in that locality.
   
          c. Christians who cannot attend regularly the stated meetings of the church either because of physical disabilities or unusual Sunday work that does not violate the Sabbath may be received received into the church as an associate member.
   
          d. Christians who in unusual circumstances are living in places where there are no local churches or they cannot in good conscience unite with existing local churches may also be received into the church as an associate member.

3. An associate member shall not be allowed to vote in any business meeting of of the church. Upon termination of the special circumstances which are the reason for associate membership, an associate member may become a regular member status at the discretion of the elders, after regular attendance for period of one (1) month.

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