Thread: PCA Membership Requirements

I am wondering if there are any specific requirements to become a member of a PCA church? Is it up to the individual congregation? After months of study of the bible, WCF and lots of prayer, my wife and I feel we should "officially" become members instead of simply attending.

Different congregations will handle the process a bit differently, but essentially you have to give a credible profession of faith, be already baptized (or submit to baptism if you are unbaptized), and answer in the affirmative to the following questions:

1. Do you acknowledge yourselves to be sinners in the sight of
God, justly deserving His displeasure, and without hope save
in His sovereign mercy?

2. Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God,
and Savior of sinners, and do you receive and rest upon Him
alone for salvation as He is offered in the Gospel?

3. Do you now resolve and promise, in humble reliance upon
the grace of the Holy Spirit, that you will endeavor to live as
becomes the followers of Christ?

4. Do you promise to support the Church in its worship and
work to the best of your ability?

5. Do you submit yourselves to the government and discipline
of the Church, and promise to study its purity and peace?

Originally Posted by jbergsing

I am wondering if there are any specific requirements to become a member of a PCA church? Is it up to the individual congregation? After months of study of the bible, WCF and lots of prayer, my wife and I feel we should "officially" become members instead of simply attending.

It depends on what you mean by "requirements". Upon receiving you into membership you will be asked by the Session about your faith and living. Then before the congregation, usually on the Lord's Day, you'll answer membership questions.

From the PCA Book of Church Order 57-5, pg.80:

The minister may then address those making a profession in the
following terms:

(All of) you being here present to make a public
profession of faith, are to assent to the following declarations and
promises, by which you enter into a solemn covenant with God
and His Church.

1. Do you acknowledge yourselves to be sinners in the sight of
God, justly deserving His displeasure, and without hope save
in His sovereign mercy?
2. Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God,
and Savior of sinners, and do you receive and rest upon Him
alone for salvation as He is offered in the Gospel?
3. Do you now resolve and promise, in humble reliance upon
the grace of the Holy Spirit, that you will endeavor to live as
becomes the followers of Christ?
4. Do you promise to support the Church in its worship and
work to the best of your ability?
5. Do you submit yourselves to the government and discipline
of the Church, and promise to study its purity and peace?
The minister may now briefly admonish those making a profession
of faith as to the importance of the solemn obligations they have assumed;
then baptism may be administered, if there be present any candidates for the
ordinance, and the whole concluded with prayer.

These are the *requirements* for membership in the PCA.

Originally Posted by mangum

you'll answer membership questions.

Forgive me, but one of my pet peeves has to do with referring to the questions in BCO 57 as "membership questions". They are not.

BCO 57 is about admitting persons to the "sealing ordinances", Baptism and the Lord's Supper.

The procedure and questions are the same for non-communicant members as well as non-members. As 57-1 says of non-communicant members, "When they are able to understand the Gospel, they should be earnestly reminded that they are members of the Church by birthright, and that it is their duty and privilege personally to accept Christ, to confess Him before men, and to seek admission to the Lord’s Supper."

57-3 has to do with the procedure for an unbaptized person coming into the congregation.

I get exercised when I hear ministers (and I have in the PCA) improperly speak of our covenant young people "becoming members" when they answer the "membership questions" from 57-5. I think it betrays a basically baptistic view of the church and the relationship of children to it.

I also seen churches require those coming into their fellowship by way of transfer from other PCA churches to recite the same “membership questions” again, as if the connectionalism of the PCA did not really exist. Again, I think this betrays a basically congregational/baptistic view of the church. See BCO 57-6.

Originally Posted by tcalbrecht

Forgive me, but one of my pet peeves has to do with referring to the questions in BCO 57 as "membership questions". They are not.

BCO 57 is about admitting persons to the "sealing ordinances", Baptism and the Lord's Supper.

The procedure and questions are the same for non-communicant members as well as non-members. As 57-1 says of non-communicant members, "When they are able to understand the Gospel, they should be earnestly reminded that they are members of the Church by birthright, and that it is their duty and privilege personally to accept Christ, to confess Him before men, and to seek admission to the Lord’s Supper."

57-3 has to do with the procedure for an unbaptized person coming into the congregation.

I get exercised when I hear ministers (and I have in the PCA) improperly speak of our covenant young people "becoming members" when they answer the "membership questions" from 57-5. I think it betrays a basically baptistic view of the church and the relationship of children to it.

I also seen churches require those coming into their fellowship by way of transfer from other PCA churches to recite the same “membership questions” again, as if the connectionalism of the PCA did not really exist. Again, I think this betrays a basically congregational/baptistic view of the church. See BCO 57-6.

Are prospective members or are they not asked these questions? If they answer in the negative they will not be received as members. Correct?

For all intents and purposes these questions are membership questions.

Originally Posted by mangum

Are prospective members or are they not asked these questions? If they answer in the negative they will not be received as members. Correct?

For all intents and purposes these questions are membership questions.

Only in that limited case. I would venture that, in the PCA, they are used far more often with non-communicant members making a public profession in order to come to the Lord's Table.

Originally Posted by jbergsing

I am wondering if there are any specific requirements to become a member of a PCA church? Is it up to the individual congregation? After months of study of the bible, WCF and lots of prayer, my wife and I feel we should "officially" become members instead of simply attending.

We had to go through a new member class which lasted a few months. They really just went through the WCOF and catechisms to make sure we understood the doctrines of the church.

Maybe I should have added this in the OP. Maybe this will clarify the situation.

We came from a very armenian-like baptist church. Both of us believe in Christ and have been baptized.