Discovering
Attend the membership class
The membership course is run roughly twice a year. Attending this course is a prerequisite for applying for church membership.
The Church that meets at Rosebank Union
We pray that as you explore our church you will find a Christian community where you will grow in your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!
It’s a committed relationship to a local community of believers, who grow in Christ with each other, and represent Christ to the world around them.
Next Membership Class
Prospective members need to attend our Discovering Church Membership course. This course is presented at least twice a year after the Sunday morning service.
Why become a member?
Universal Church Membership
To be a Christian is to be a member of the universal church, the body of Christ. All who believe in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord automatically become part of Christ’s body by the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. The body of Christ transcends race, nationality and all other barriers.
Local Church Membership
The local church is a manifestation of the universal church that has been placed in a local community. The universal church is made visible in local churches. The importance of the local church is seen by the fact that most of the New Testament letters are addressed to local churches.
Despite the fact that many of the instructions given in the New Testament would be superfluous if Christians were not part of a local church, some have questioned the importance of being a member of a local church. While there is no ‘verse’ that urges Christians to join, we believe that it makes sense for the following reasons:
- a spiritual family to support and encourage
- a place to discover and develop and use your spiritual gifts
- accountability that is necessary to grow and develop spiritually
- a sense of belonging
Requirements for Church Membership
In order to become a member of RUC, a person must:
- Have a vital personal relationship with Jesus Christ
- Be in agreement with RUC’s statement of faith
- Have a commitment to fulfill the responsibilities of membership
Steps to become a member
What are the responsibilities of Church Members?
Full identification with the church
Jesus often spoke of the importance of being identified with him as his disciple. Church membership can be part of that process. Membership is a public statement of allegiance to a church, signifying agreement with what the church believes and values.
Accountability to the church
Being a member means being willing to live by the beliefs and standards of the church. It means abiding by the church’s constitution and rules. Membership makes accountability possible, and accountability is essential for maintaining purity within the church. Without membership it is very difficult to have church discipline, or to hold people accountable to the standards of the church.
Accountability and care within the church
Membership clarifies the primary group for whom the church is most responsible when it comes to care and concern. Those who are members are also more accountable to care for each other.
Responsibility for the church
A member not only enjoys the blessings and benefits of being part of the church ministries, but also accepts the responsibilities for the church. When a person fulfills the requirements and is publicly accepted into membership, that new member assumes some responsibility for the ministries of the church, such as helping set direction, financial support, active attendance, prayer, involvement in the programmes, and making oneself available for leadership.
Selection of leadership
Because members have publicly declared their allegiance to the church, it is from this membership that elders, deacons and other key leaders are chosen.
Fulfillment of legal requirements
To be a legally recognized organization, there must be officially elected officers and trustees who are responsible for the property and operations of the organization. It is the formal members who elect people to these recognized leadership roles.
How to Leave a Church
We sincerely hope that you will be fulfilled and blessed at RUC and that you will grow in your journey with Christ, make some good friends and experience the wonderful satisfaction of sharing with others through your involvement in the variety of ministries available at RUC. As in our physical families, sometimes there will be hurts, offences, and misunderstandings in our church family. We encourage you to talk about it with one of the leaders. Please don’t leave RUC with unresolved issues. Should you choose to leave the church for whatever reason, please submit a letter of resignation. We strongly urge you to find another Bible teaching church.
Bank Details
Giving
- Every Christian has both the privilege and responsibility of giving to support the work of God.
- Faithfulness in giving is one of the most accurate indicators of Christian maturity and commitment.
- Failure to give is to rob God.
- Christians should support the work of the local church of which they are a part and the wider work of the kingdom of God. The latter may be done through the local church and its social concern and missions outreach programmes.
Some Helpful Scriptures on Giving
Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying,
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth.
And praise be to God Most High,
who delivered your enemies into your hand.”
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
Genesis 14:20
Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”
Genesis 28:20-22
“I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty.
“But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’
“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.
“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’
“In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty.
Malachi 3:6-12
“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:1-4
On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.
1 Corinthians 16:2
Also read 2 Corinthians 8:1–9:15