PART 5 – THE MEMBERS
16 Subject to section 17, the following persons, who, upon examining the
Congregation’s statement of faith and these bylaws and finding themselves in
substantial agreement with them, are eligible to be accepted as Members of the
Congregation:
(a) persons who have been baptized in the
Congregation upon confession of
faith in Christ as Saviour and Lord;
(b) persons who are members of another Mennonite congregation
and who
present to the board of deacons a letter of transfer from
that congregation;
(c) persons who come from another congregation, including one
which
practices infant baptism, and have taken part in the
Congregation’s
catechism or church membership instruction; and
(i) have presented to the board of deacons a
letter of transfer from that
congregation; or
(ii) have confessed their faith.
(d) persons who:
(i) were baptized in infancy but are not members of a
congregation;
(ii) have taken part in the Congregation’s catechism or
church membership
instruction in which the meaning and implication of
believer’s baptism
have been carefully examined;
(iii) expressly do not desire adult baptism; and
(iv) have confessed their faith.
Procedure of admission of Members
17 (1) All applications for membership
shall be placed with a member of the pastoral
staff or with an officer of the Congregation.
(2) All applicants for membership shall receive a copy of the
Congregation’s articles
and bylaws.
(3) After examining applications for membership and making such
applicants known to
the Congregation via the Sunday worship bulletin for the
Congregation’s response,
the board of deacons may declare them to be Members and
they shall be formally
received through an acceptance service.
(4) Individuals who have been baptized in the Congregation upon
confession of their
faith shall be received by the extension of the right hand
of fellowship immediately
following baptism.
Responsibilities of Members
18 Members commit themselves to:
(a) live by the values, principles and priorities
emphasized in the life and
teachings of Jesus Christ;
(b) seek to grow in one’s understanding of the meaning
and implications of the
Jesus way of life; and
(c) support the Congregation’s programs by personal
presence, financial
contributions as the Lord has prospered, and the
sharing of gifts and talents
possessed as is indicated in the Scriptures.
Rights of Members
19 All Members, including Absentee Members,
Inactive Members and Associate Members, have the right to:
(a) participate in the deliberations and to cast a vote
at general meetings of the
Congregation;
(b) submit in the manner as set out in the Act a
proposal he or she wishes to
discuss at a general meeting; and
(c) receive, upon a request to the board of deacons, a
letter of transfer to
another congregation.
Absentee Members
20 (1) Members who:
(a) live in the
Saskatoon area but have chosen to discontinue participating in the
life of the Congregation, or
(b) have moved away from the Saskatoon area and have
chosen to discontinue
participating in the life of the Congregation
shall be considered to be
absentee Members.
(2) Absentee Members shall be:
(a) encouraged to join a congregation of their choice
for their continued
spiritual nurture and growth;
(b) supported and nurtured by the Congregation in
whatever way possible if they
find that joining another congregation is not
feasible for them; and
(c) reminded that the Congregation continues to need
their communication and
support.
(3) The board of deacons shall write to absentee Members who no longer communicate with the Congregation and ask them about their intentions regarding membership.
Inactive Members
21 The board of deacons shall place on the inactive list those absentee Members who:
(a) have declared their intention to be inactive; or
(b) do not respond within a reasonable period of time to a letter from the board of
deacons about their intentions regarding membership.
Associate Members
22 (1) Persons who:
(a) meet the requirements set out in section 16;
(b) are members of another congregation; and
(c) are temporarily residing in the Saskatoon area but
wish to retain
membership in their home congregations;
are eligible to be accepted as associate Members.
(2) The procedure of admission shall be the same as provided in section 17
(3) Associate membership
shall terminate automatically at the end of the period of the
person’s temporary residence in the Saskatoon area.
Termination of membership
23 (1) When a Member ceases to live in
accordance with the responsibilities outlined in
section 18, the board of deacons shall follow the steps
described in section 2 in an
attempt to have the Member return to living in accordance
with section 18.
(2) The board of deacons may terminate a
membership if:
(a) attempts described in subsection (1) are
unsuccessful; or
(b) attempts at reactivation of an inactive Member
described in section 21 are
unsuccessful.
(3) Before terminating a membership, the board of deacons shall offer the Member an
opportunity of a fair hearing.
Reinstatement of membership
24 A person’s membership may be reinstated by
the board of deacons where it is satisfied
that the person has made a genuine commitment to live in accordance
with section 18.