There are three
ways to join St. Luke Cumberland Presbyterian Church .....
I. By Profession
of Faith & Baptism -- A person who is just beginning the Christian
life does so through publicly professing Jesus Christ as their Savior and
receiving the sacrament of baptism which is a symbol of God's grace through
Jesus Christ. Profession of your faith is accomplished by answering
the following five questions of covenant from our Confession of Faith:
1. Do you
repent of your sin and believe Jesus Christ to be your
Savior and the Lord of your life?
I Do.
2. Do you
believe the scriptures of the Old and New testaments
to be the inspired word of God, the source of authority for
faith and practice, and will you read and study them for
guidance in living the Christian life?
I do so believe and I do so promise.
3. Do you promise
to be a faithful member of this church by
participating in worship, sharing in its ministry of witness and
service, supporting the government of the Cumberland
Presbyterian Church / Cumberland Presbyterian Church in
America, and loving your brothers and sisters in Christ?
I do so promise.
4. Will you strive
to overcome temptation and weakness, grow in
knowledge and grace, and practice love in all relationships,
being strengthened in your personal discipleship by your life
in the community of faith?
I will so strive.
5. Do you
promise to be a good steward of the life, talents, time,
and money which God has entrusted to you, giving of these
gifts to the church?
I do so promise.
Baptism is administered by
the pouring / sprinkling of water over the head of the new believer.
II. By Transfer
of Membership or Letter -- We are able to recognize your previous baptism
and transfer your membership from another church or denomination.
It is not necessary to be rebaptized. We will be happy to contact
your previous church and ask them to forward your letter of membership
to us or remove your name from their roll if they do not grant letters.
You will be asked to answer the following question in the affirmative:
Do you reaffirm your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior, and
do you transfer your membership and loyalty to this congregation?
III. By Reaffirmation
of Faith -- If persons who have previously made a profession of faith
desire to unite with our congregation, they will be received on reaffirming
their faith in Christ and expressing their desire to become a member of
the St. Luke family. They will be asked to answer the same question
as those who are coming by transfer of membership or letter.