Why join us?

The Biblical basis for membership: “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit... But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body....
If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”

— ST. PAUL, 1 CORINTHIANS 12 

Joining us...

We are thrilled that you are considering becoming a parishioner of Church of the Risen Christ! God never wants us to make our way to the kingdom alone or in isolation. We invite you to join our parish family today!

Membership takes on three forms as one fellowship at Church of the Risen Christ. We call them covenant, confirmed, media membership. We want to describe how membership works here at this church.  

Three Forms of Membership…

  • Covenant Membership

    Covenant members are those who deeply identify with this local church community, but not necessarily with historic Anglicanism and many of the “ins-and-outs” of our tradition. We know and accept that the Church has many expressions, sometimes within each local body. In other words, we are ecumenical.  

  • Confirmed Membership

    Confirmed members are those who identify with the Anglican tradition, want to be confirmed by our Bishop and intentionally join our church. This doesn’t mean you must fully understand all things Anglican. That’s an ongoing process. In being confirmed, you are building a direct connection with other churches of our mission society.

  • Media Membership

    Media members are those who identify with our faith tradition but not able to attend the parish in person because of distance or other hinderances but faithfully watch online and support the ministry. Media members do not have voting privileges in the parish and cannot serve any offices, including the vestry or teach any classes.

So, what is the difference?

 Just this: A member must be confirmed to serve on our vestry and, in some cases, to teach.

 However, essentially, a member is a member. We simply want you to be a part of us!

Requirements for Membership

Be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit with water.

Give a credible testimony of your faith in Jesus Christ

 You must affirm the authority of Scripture, the sacraments of Communion and Baptism, the Triunity of God as expressed in the historic Creeds of the Church, and the deity and humanity of Christ as expressed in the Councils of the early Church.

Make 2 local commitments:

    • Worship together regularly and serve the community needs of this parish with your time and talents, including our endeavors to care for our neighbors and the broader community.

    • Give generously to help meet the financial needs of this parish. Parish members are encouraged to make prayerful commitments of the first fruits of their income (Proverbs 3:9). 

Steps to Membership

 For both covenant and confirmed membership, the following steps are necessary. 

  1. An informal conversation with our priest, expressing your interest.

  2. The completion of the membership form 

  3. Attend Parish Story, a one-evening introduction to the story of the Church of the Risen Christ — who we are now, and where we have come from.

  4. Attend Free Anglicans 101, our five-week membership class.

Additional steps for those seeking confirmation…

  • Attend Confirmation class, the final week of our Membership class.

  • Affirm all 7 of the Fundamental Beliefs of the Church of the Risen Christ, which include affirmation of our polity, the Book of Common Prayer, and the 39 Articles of Religion. (See below)

  • Receive the sacramental rite of Confirmation by the Bishop when he visits.

 If you have already been confirmed in another apostolic church tradition (Anglican/Episcopal, Catholic or Orthodox), you will be "received" into this parish instead of confirmed.

7 Fundamental Beliefs

 Covenant members affirm, at minimum 1, 2, 4 and 5 below, while Confirmed Anglican members affirm all 7.   

1. We confess the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments to be the inspired Word of God, containing all things necessary for salvation, and to be the final authority and unchangeable standard for Christian faith and life. 

AFFIRM: The Authority of Scripture

2. We confess Baptism and the Supper of the Lord to be Sacraments ordained by Christ Himself in the Gospel, and thus to be ministered with unfailing use of His words of institution and of the elements ordained by Him.  

AFFIRM: Two sacraments

3. We confess the godly historic Episcopate as an inherent part of the apostolic faith and practice, and therefore as integral to the fullness and unity of the Body of Christ. 

AFFIRM: The role of bishops as chief pastors

4. We confess as proved by most certain warrants of Holy Scripture the historic faith of the undivided church as declared in the three Catholic Creeds: the Apostles', the Nicene, and the Athanasian.  

AFFIRM: The Trinity - one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

5. Concerning the seven Councils of the undivided Church, we affirm the teaching of the first four Councils and the Christological clarifications of the fifth, sixth and seventh Councils, in so far as they are agreeable to the Holy Scriptures.  

AFFIRM: Jesus Christ as fully God and fully human.

6. We receive the Book of Common Prayer as set forth by the Anglican Free Communion as a standard for Anglican doctrine and discipline, and, with the Books which preceded it, as the standard for the Anglican tradition of worship.  

AFFIRM: The Book of Common Prayer as a guideline for worship.

7. We receive the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion as expressing fundamental principles of authentic Anglican belief.  

AFFIRM: The 39 Articles as a guideline for belief.