Membership Covenant

Below is our Membership Covenant. We do not take belonging to God and the Stafford Crossing family lightly. Jesus paid a great cost for us and for the church. Therefore, we take seriously His call to love God and love others. A call to Christ and His church should be the most serious commitment we ever make. Below you will see the preamble to our membership covenant followed by the expectations for members of our family.

Having received Christ as my Lord and Savior and having been baptized, and being supportive of Stafford Crossing's statements, purpose, process and plan, I now feel led by the Holy Spirit to unite with the Stafford Crossing church family. In doing so, I commit myself to God and to other members to do the following:

1.  I will protect the unity of my church...
  • by acting in love toward other members;
  • by refusing to gossip;
  • by supporting and following the leaders as they follow God.

Scriptural support:
So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up (Romans 14:19, NLT).

Now that by your obedience to the truth you have purified yourselves and have come to have a sincere love for other believers, love one another earnestly with all your heart (1 Peter 1:22, TEV).

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen (Ephesians 4:29, NIV).

Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you (Hebrews 13:17, NIV).

2.  I will share the responsibility of my church...
  • by praying for its growth;
  • by inviting the unchurched to attend;
  • by warmly welcoming those who visit.

Scriptural support:
This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy. It is written to the church in Thessalonica, you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May his grace and peace be yours. We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly (1 Thessalonians 1:1-2, NLT).

"Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full'" (Luke 14:23, NIV).

So warmly welcome each other into the church, just as Christ has warmly welcomed you; then God will be glorified (Romans 15:7, LB).

3.  I will serve the ministry of my church...
  • by discovering and using my gifts and talents;
  • by being equipped to serve;
  • by developing a servant's heart.

Scriptural support:
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms (1 Peter 4:10, NIV).

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up (Ephesians 4:11-12, NIV).

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: [He] made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness (Philippians 2:3-5, 7, NIV).

4.  I will support the testimony of my church...
  • by attending faithfully;
  • by living a good life;
  • by giving regularly and generously.

Scriptural support:
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:25, NIV).

But whatever happens to me, you must live in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ, as citizens of heaven. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing side by side, fighting together for the Good News (Philippians 1:27, NLT).

On every Lord's Day, each of you should put aside some amount of money in relation to what you have earned and save it for this offering... (1 Corinthians 16:2, NLT).
 
Ten percent of everything you harvest is holy and belongs to me, whether it grows in your fields or on your fruit trees (Leviticus 27:30, CEV).