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Questions about selected texts
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Profession of Faith - page 41, 42
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"There are four circumstances in which individuals who have accepted the Seventh-day Adventist message may be accepted into the local church by profession of faith.
1. A committed Christian coming from another Christian community who has already been baptized by immersion . . . 2. A member of the Seventh-day Adventist church who, because of world conditions, is unable to secure a letter of transfer from his/her home church. 3. A member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church whose request for membership transfer has received no response of any kind from the church where he/she is a member . . . 4. An individual who has been a member, but whose membership has been misplaced or has been withdrawn because he/she was a missing member, yet who in reality has remained faithful to his/her Christian commitment. . . When an individual who membership has been removed seeks readmission to church membership, such readmission is normally preceeded by rebaptism." Church Manual, page 41, 42 (17th Edition)
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The section titled “Receiving Members on Profession of Faith” pages 41, 42. This section gives four circumstances where a member can be accepted into membership of the local church but does not mention how the member is approved.
The procedure for transfers and adding names to the ‘church roll’ is discussed on page 39 of the church manual, it says:
“A Church board does not have authority to vote letters of transfer or to receive members from other churches by letter. Their powers in this matter are limited to making recommendations to the church. Action on all transfers of membership, favorable or otherwise, should be taken by the church (See p. 36) The clerk has no authority to remove or add names to the church roll except following a vote of the church. . .”
Now here are two interesting questions.
Question 1: Can a member of the church who was accepted by ‘profession of faith’ but not voted into the church by the congregation, hold a position in that church?
Question 2: What is the difference between a member by ‘profession of faith’ and a member on the church roll?
This is an easy question if you are a church clerk - - but there are some church leaders who may have a hard time because the instructions about how to receive members into the church by Profession of Faith is not covered in the section with this title. You have to go to the next section to find . . .
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"Each church should have but one membership list. . . Names should be added to this list only on the vote of the church after the individual concerned has requested membership by profession of faith or baptism or letter."
Church Manual, page 42
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The way to revieve a member into the church is by a vote of the church. Do you think the section "Receiving members by Profession of Faith" should say this?
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