BECOMING A MEMBER
The governing documents of The Episcopal Church, the Constitution and Canons, define membership this way:
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All persons who have received the Sacrament of Holy Baptism with water in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, whether in this Church or in another Christian Church, and whose Baptisms have been duly recorded in this Church, are members thereof. (Title III Canon 1.17 Sec 1a)
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The Episcopal Church therefore understands membership as having two components. The first, and overwhelmingly most important, is membership in the universal church, understood as the mystical body of Christ and the family of God, that transcends barriers of denomination, location, and history. Membership in this first and primary sense comes through being baptized. The second component is belonging to a particular parish or congregation. This second part is a matter of having one’s baptism on file in the records of a particular Episcopal parish or congregation.
Because it is primarily a matter of baptism, we understand membership differently than most secular organizations and even some other religious ones. While we believe that following through on the promises made in baptism involves supporting the church financially and attending regularly, membership in The Episcopal Church is not contingent on “paying dues” or coming a minimum number of times each year. The Book of Common Prayer affirms that “the bond which God establishes in Baptism is indissoluble,” meaning that a baptized person can never lose their status as baptized or the membership in the church that comes with it. If you are not baptized and would like to become a member of Trinity, the process of becoming a member is the same as preparing for and being baptized. You can learn more about the steps toward baptism, as well as how to set up your initial conversation with Fr. Chris, here.
If you have already been baptized and would like to become a member at Trinity, your next step is to attend an upcoming Sunday afternoon new member class. These classes are your chance to learn how The Episcopal Church understands the implications of baptism for how we live our lives. This is also the time to learn more about next steps in membership in The Episcopal Church like confirmation or reception. As well as the various ways you can serve and build deeper relations with other Trinity members. Because the new member class is when we gather information necessary to initiate a record transfer from another church and explain the aspects of church life specific to Trinity, everyone who wants to establish their membership at a Trinity, even those transferring from other Episcopal churches, needs to attend a new member class.
If you decide you do indeed want to be a member at Trinity after this class, we will transfer or simply log your baptismal information in our records, at which point you will technically be a member of Trinity. Roughly a month after your new member class, there will be a time set aside in a Sunday service where you can formally affirm your membership at Trinity and the congregation can affirm its commitment to support and uphold you in this.
If you are already baptized and are interested in pursuing membership at Trinity further, you can sign up for the next new member class by contacting Kristin at [email protected] and letting her know about your interest. Our next class will be Sunday, October 20th, 2024 from 1-4pm. The next new member Sunday will be during the service on November 3rd, 2024.
Because it is primarily a matter of baptism, we understand membership differently than most secular organizations and even some other religious ones. While we believe that following through on the promises made in baptism involves supporting the church financially and attending regularly, membership in The Episcopal Church is not contingent on “paying dues” or coming a minimum number of times each year. The Book of Common Prayer affirms that “the bond which God establishes in Baptism is indissoluble,” meaning that a baptized person can never lose their status as baptized or the membership in the church that comes with it. If you are not baptized and would like to become a member of Trinity, the process of becoming a member is the same as preparing for and being baptized. You can learn more about the steps toward baptism, as well as how to set up your initial conversation with Fr. Chris, here.
If you have already been baptized and would like to become a member at Trinity, your next step is to attend an upcoming Sunday afternoon new member class. These classes are your chance to learn how The Episcopal Church understands the implications of baptism for how we live our lives. This is also the time to learn more about next steps in membership in The Episcopal Church like confirmation or reception. As well as the various ways you can serve and build deeper relations with other Trinity members. Because the new member class is when we gather information necessary to initiate a record transfer from another church and explain the aspects of church life specific to Trinity, everyone who wants to establish their membership at a Trinity, even those transferring from other Episcopal churches, needs to attend a new member class.
If you decide you do indeed want to be a member at Trinity after this class, we will transfer or simply log your baptismal information in our records, at which point you will technically be a member of Trinity. Roughly a month after your new member class, there will be a time set aside in a Sunday service where you can formally affirm your membership at Trinity and the congregation can affirm its commitment to support and uphold you in this.
If you are already baptized and are interested in pursuing membership at Trinity further, you can sign up for the next new member class by contacting Kristin at [email protected] and letting her know about your interest. Our next class will be Sunday, October 20th, 2024 from 1-4pm. The next new member Sunday will be during the service on November 3rd, 2024.