As announced on Sunday, we will hold baptism and membership classes together on the next two Sundays (March 22 & 29), following the worship service. Lunch will be provided.

Up until this time we have delayed doing membership as we were hoping to do it once we got our official status from the CRA. However, given the ongoing delays, the Elders decided to move forward and start welcoming new members. All former members of Crescent Heights Baptist Church and GoodTree Christian Fellowship are currently members of GoodTree Church, but we know there are a number of people who would like to become members. Despite the short notice, with an upcoming vote on a new slate of Elders (April 12), we thought we would do what we could to give more people a chance to participate by becoming members. We will do another round of membership classes later in the Spring (with more notice) before our budget meeting. Thank you for your grace through all of this.

Below is the process for church membership from our bylaws. Attached to this email are the documents outlined below as the “Foundational Documents” (the Statement of Faith is in the Constitution). Also attached is the list of current members. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to pastors Tyler and Nahri, or any of our current Elders: Joe Kim, Weyers Du Plessis, Crystal Kha, Elaine Bolt, and Tim Lai.

Sincerely,
Pastor Tyler

Qualifications

1. A Member must agree with these Bylaws, the Statement of Faith, the Church Constitution, and the Church Membership Covenant (the “Foundational Documents”).
2. A Member must be a baptized Christian. We recognize believer’s baptism and believer’s confirmation from other denominations; however, we practice full immersion baptism of new believers when physically possible.
3. A Member must have attended the Church consistently for at least the previous six months prior to becoming a member.
4. A member must be at least 16 years of age.

Process

1. A prospective Member must participate in a membership class as determined by the Board of Elders.
2. Once approved, all prospective Members are required to sign the Church Membership Covenant (the “Membership Covenant”), affirming their commitment to uphold the beliefs, values, and responsibilities of the Church as outlined in the Membership Covenant (a “Member” or plural “Members”).
3. The Church may, at the request of a Member, grant a Member a letter of transfer to enter membership with another church (the “Letter of Transfer”). Upon issuance the Letter of Transfer, the Member shall no longer be registered as a Member of the Church. The Letter of Transfer may be endorsed and signed by any member of the Board of Elders.
4. Any Member who desires to withdraw from membership shall notify the Board of Elders in writing and on receipt of such notice by the Board of Elders, the Member shall cease to be a Member.
5. By way of Special Resolution, the Board of Elders may remove a Member for conduct found to be in violation of the Membership Covenant and unresolved disciplinary process.
6. Inactive Members shall be defined as individuals who, not for reasons of health or incapacity, have not attended a worship service of the Church for 12 consecutive months. Additionally, those who have breached the Membership Covenant or habitually display a significant lack of interest in the Church shall also fall under this designation. The discretion to place a Member on the inactive list rests solely with the Board of Elders. Members labelled 'inactive' are ineligible to vote at Church Business Meetings.

Role of Members

1. Actively pursue a relationship with Jesus.
2. Uphold and adhere to the terms of the Foundational Documents. 
3. Actively be involved in the life of worship and the mission of the Church.
4. Attend and vote at any meeting of the Membership. 

Please reach out to our pastors or elders or reply to this e-mail if you have any questions at all.

See | Surrender | Serve

Sincerely,

Angela Graftaas,

On behalf of GoodTree Church