Membership & Baptism

Church Membership

Once you have made the decision to become a Christian and follow Christ, active membership in the church matters. It brings us closer to God, to our brothers and sisters in Christ and to our larger community; it is the place where ministry happens and where we are encouraged and sharpened by one another, as it says in Proverbs.

We are a family, and we are one body in Christ. In Romans 12:4-5, the apostle Paul states that: “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”

Official membership is important because it’s the members of Cliftondale Congregational that lead our ministries and elect our leaders. The Bible makes it clear that the church is to be led and run by fully invested members. It describes us as one body, and it describes church life and governance in a way that is only possible in the context of close, devoted relationships.

Membership classes are offered periodically. For information on the next class, please contact office@cliftondalecc.org.

Baptism & Confirmation

In the early church, as described in the book of Acts, people were added to the church by baptism (Acts 2:41). They then devoted themselves to teaching and fellowship (Acts 2:42), committing to learn and grow in their faith in Christ. Almost all of Paul’s letters in the New Testament were written to churches, which he describes as bodies.

Infant Baptism

As a member of the church, your child’s baptism can be the first chapter in an exciting journey of faith! Infant Baptism is…

• a dedication of yourselves as parents to God and publicly confirms your commitment to Christ.

• a special dedication of your child to God, a way of asking Him to bless this miraculous gift you’ve been given. It does not confer salvation on the child.

• a way of introducing your child to our community of faith and of our church family vowing to support you.

• a symbol of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Confirmation

Our church provides Confirmation classes for our young people, a time when they can examine and reaffirm their beliefs in preparation for full church membership. More than a rite-of-passage, Confirmation conveys to teens their responsibility for moral and spiritual development. Our informal sessions cover essential doctrines and practical Christian living.

Adult Baptism

Our church also practices “Believers Baptism” for adults who have made a profession of faith and wish to be baptized.

Next Steps

The church rites of baptism and confirmation require vows, commitments and pastoral care within the context of church membership or the pursuit therefor. Therefore, it is church policy that only currently active members and their children are eligible to receive these rites. If you are interested in information about membership, baptism or confirmation, you may meet with the Pastor to review the basic teachings of Scripture and the Christian life of faith.