By Kevin Zemanek, Chairman, Leadership Board

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Serving on the Leadership Board is both challenging and rewarding.  I get the opportunity to work with really great, really godly people who bring a variety of gifts and experiences to serving our Lord as a team.  And as a team we share those challenges and rewards.  One of the great things we get to experience is when someone applies for membership at Calvary.

Membership Criteria

Calvary has two categories of membership – voting and non-voting.  Non-voting members are 14-17 years old, voting members are 18 years old and older.  In addition to a minimum age of 14, the other criteria for membership are (paraphrased from our constitution):

1. Confession of a personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,
2. Their character, conduct, and reputation are maturing in alignment with that confession, and
3. Agreement with the Statement of Faith in Article IV and the Constitution and By-Laws of the church.

The Membership Process

Calvary has a very simple, straightforward process for someone becoming a member, starting with filling out an application for membership, available from the church office.  Next is the Calvary Membership Class, led by one of the adult ministries pastors (Pastor Todd, Pastor Larry, or Pastor Genberg) and scheduled throughout the year.  The four session class covers topics including:

• Exploring Church Membership
• Connecting through Membership
• Understanding Your Identity in Christ, and
• Committing to Growth and Maturity

After the class, an interview is scheduled with a pastor and one or more Board members.  This is one of the great privileges of the Board.  It is a requirement that at the interview applicants share their personal testimony of faith in Jesus Christ and as Board members we get to hear first hand testimonies of faith journeys, trials and tribulations, and God’s faithfulness in the lives of His people.  Every one of these stories reinforces my belief that ours is a truly relational Lord,who desires that we know and depend on Him.  After the interviews, applicant names are published in the Sunday bulletin for two weeks, soliciting input on the applicants. This is an opportunity for anyone to provide feedback, either supportive or potential concerns, prior to the applicant being admitted into the membership of the church.  At the first Board meeting after the required time for feedback has elapsed, the Leadership Board votes on the applicants, taking into consideration the input from the interviews and any other input received.  After the vote, the applicant is contacted to inform them of the results, and assuming all went well, is scheduled for an official welcome with other new members at an upcoming Sunday service.

Expectations of Members

Per our constitution, there are three specific expectations of members (paraphrased from our Constitution):

A. Each member is called upon to follow the Lord, yielding all of life to His Spirit and
Word (1 John 2:14, Rom.2:2).

B. Parents are to provide Christian instruction for their children and the Christian family should embody the ideals of mutual submission and service (Eph. 5:21-6:4).

C. Members should support each other in prayer, service, attending worship, and giving of material and spiritual gifts (Mal. 3:10, 1 Cor. 16:2).

Benefits of Membership

As a member of the Evangelical Free Church of America, Calvary is congregationally led. This means that under the headship of Christ, the ruling body is the congregation.  As a member of Calvary you have the opportunity to help set the direction of the church each year at our annual meeting by discussing and voting on whatever issues are before us.  There are also several leadership positions at Calvary that require church membership – specifically ministry team leaders and serving on the Leadership Board. This is to ensure an additional level of  accountability for the persons serving in those roles. It’s been my joy over the past two-plus years to read the testimonies and approve for membership many new people.  If you call Calvary your church home but are not yet a member, I’d ask that you pray about this and consider if God is leading you to take this step.

Kevin Zemanek, Leadership Board Chairman