Next Steps
Where do things go from here? What should I do?
A spiritual walk is important. Here’s what the normal steps in our Christian walk look like. Look through these different steps to see what you should be expecting.
+ Salvation
+ BAPTISM
What will I have to do to official join?
You’ll go through a 13 week membership / orientation course to explain everything in detail. This is an important part in your discipleship. Before you join the church you’ll get to know a whole bunch about it. What we believe and why we believe it.
Have you been baptized before? No - then it is with great joy that you get to be washed in the waters of baptism. Yes - you will most likely not be rebaptized. (There are some rare circumstances we can talk about).
If you’re an adult who hasn’t been baptized before - baptism and membership happen at the same time. If you have been baptized then you’ll take vows of covenant church membership. If you want to read more about what our church believes about Baptism you can read a little more here.
The Covenant of Baptism
HERE’S THE COVENANT PROMISES PARENTS MAKE WHEN BAPTIZING THEIR CHILDREN.
Do you believe this child is a possession of God entrusted to your care?
In this light, do you promise to provide for their temporal well-being, to teach them to love God and His Word, the Bible, and to provide them with a God-centered education?
Do you promise to teach them of their sinful nature, of the plan of salvation which centers in Jesus Christ, and their own personal need of a relationship with Christ?
To the end that they may grow in the Christian life, do you promise to pray for him/her, and to train him/her to read the Bible, to pray, to keep the Lord’s Day and to understand the nature of the Church, the value of its worship and fellowship, and their need to seek communicant membership in the church?
Do you promise to lead them, by your example and parental discipline exercised in love, to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness in all the relationships of life?
Do you make these promises in the presence of God, in humble reliance upon His grace, as you desire to give your account with joy at the Last Great Day?
+ Membership
Official Vows
Covenant of Communicant Membership
Do you believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God, the only infallible rule for faith and life?
Do you believe in the one living and true God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as revealed in the Scriptures?
Do you repent of your sin; confess your guilt and helplessness as a sinner against God; profess Jesus Christ, Son of God, as your Savior and Lord; and dedicate yourself to His service: Do you promise that you will endeavor to forsake all sin, and to conform your life to His teaching and example?
Do you promise to submit in the Lord to the teaching and government of this church as being based upon the Scriptures and described in substance in the Constitution of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America? Do you recognize your responsibility to work with others in the church and do you promise to support and encourage them in their service to the Lord? In case you should need correction in doctrine or life, do you promise to respect the authority and discipline of the church?
To the end that you may grow in the Christian life, do you promise that you will diligently read the Bible, engage in private prayer, keep the Lord’s Day, regularly attend the worship services, observe the appointed sacraments, and give to the Lord’s work as He shall prosper you?
Do you purpose to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness in all the relationships of life, faithfully to perform your whole duty as a true servant of Jesus Christ, and seek to win others to Him?
Do you make this profession of faith and purpose in the presence of God, in humble reliance upon His grace, as you desire to give your account with joy at the Last Great Day?