Membership in this local church shall be open to anyone who professes a personal faith in Christ for his or her eternal salvation and follows Him in water baptism (by immersion). Membership shall be granted after conversion and after completion of the Discovering Memorial Baptist Church Membership Class (101). The elders of the church will address any concerns related to membership.

    Meeting of the membership shall be called by the General Council of Elders (GCE) for:

A. Affirming or changing the constitution and bylaws.

B. Calling or dismissing the senior pastor.

C. Calling additional staff members.

D. Acquisition or disposition of church property / major building program. E. Affirmation of deacons or elders. F. Approval of annual budget.

G. Any item(s) costing more than ten percent (10%) of the amount of the church's current annual operating budget for tithes and offerings.

H. Congregation vote requires a quorum of at least 10% of the active membership role.

    A congregational vote is taken to bear witness to and affirm what God is saying to the congregation on the particular matter. Members shall be asked to vote either in favor of (affirm) or against (not affirm) the course of action presented.

    If the congregational vote for any item presented is less than 90%, the elders shall reconsider their decision before proceeding. The elders shall not be required to present the item to the congregation for another vote, but shall report the action taken. During every such meeting, a period of discussion and an opportunity for amendments shall be offered before a vote is cast.

    A three week verbal notice from the pulpit is required for affirming or changing the constitution and bylaws, calling or dismissing the senior pastor or staff, acquisition or disposition of church property (major building program), or affirmation of deacons or elders. This announcement will be made from the pulpit, posted on the church bulletin board, and printed in the weekly bulletin.

A. Expressing suggestions or concerns. It is the nature of the Body of Christ to be a caring body. Therefore, any member may share with an elder or elders any suggestions or concerns for the betterment of the church body in light of pertinent Scripture.

B. Attitude toward local church leaders. A congregation must have the proper positive attitude toward its elders (Hebrews 13:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13).

C. Ministry within the body. Each member has at least one God-given spiritual gift to be used within the body for the common good (1 Corinthians 12:7), and the building up of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12; 1 Peter 4:10). Each member is expected to serve in some capacity for the expansion of the kingdom and the edification of the body.

D. Responsibilities of members toward one another. Each member of Memorial Baptist Church is responsible to:

    1. Love one another (John 13:34, 15:12, 17; Romans 12:10; 1 Peter 1:22, 4:8; 1 John 4:7).

    2. Give preference to one another in honor (Romans 12:10).

    3. Forgive one another (Ephesians 4:32).

    4. Encourage one another to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24).

    5. Bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2).

    6. Practice hospitality (Romans 12:13; 1 Peter 4:9).

    7. Serve one another (Galatians 5:13).

    8. Pray for one another (James 5:16).

    9. Lovingly and scripturally confront sin within the body (Galatians 6:1; Matthew 18:15-17).

E. Responsibilities of members to the church. Members will share the responsibility for our church by praying for its growth, financially supporting the ministries with tithes and offerings, inviting the unchurched to attend, and by warmly welcoming those who visit.

F. Attendance in Bible study. Members will strive to regularly participate in small group Bible studies to grow in their faith and knowledge of the truth. At MBC, all members will be enrolled in a Sunday school class and are expected to faithfully attend (Deuteronomy 31:12-13; Nehemiah 8:3; Hebrews 10:23-25).

Section 4: Removal from Active Membership. Membership may be terminated by one of the following:

A. Death of the member.

B. Letter of transfer to another church of like faith.

C. By written or verbal request of member desiring termination (provided the member is not under church discipline). This request must be made to an appropriate church leader, i.e.: pastor, elder or Sunday school teacher.

D. Exclusion as an act of church discipline (Matthew 18:15-22). An example of this would be the failure to attend church services for 4 years (Luke 13:6-9) when not providentially hindered. The following steps would be taken:

    1. Twice a year the Sunday school Department will call a meeting to confirm to the best of their ability the church members who have not attended either Sunday school or a worship service at least once in the last six (6) months.

    2. The elders will begin to schedule ministry visits for those families to try to find out why they have missed church for an extended period of time.

    3. If there is no response over a period of 4 years, a letter will be sent to the individual informing him or her that he or she will be removed from church membership.