STATEMENT OF FAITH AND PRACTICE

 STATEMENT OF BASIC BELIEFS:

The Scriptures - The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is the record of God's revelation of Himself to man.  It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction.  It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter.  It is inerrant and infallible in its original manuscript which is to be taken as verbally inspired.  It reveals the principles by which God judges us and, therefore, is and will remain to the end of the world the true center of Christian union and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried.  The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ.  

 Ex. 24:4; Deut. 4:1-2; Josh. 8:34; Psalm 19:7-10, 119:11,89,105,104; Isa. 34:16, 40:8; Jer. 15:16,36; Matt. 5:17-18, 22:29; Luke 21:33, 24:44-46; John 5:39, 16:13-15, 17:17; Acts 2:16ff., 17:11; Rom. 15:4, 16:25-26; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; Heb. 1:1-2, 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 1:19-21.

God - There is one and only one living and true God.  He is the supreme intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe.  God is infinite in holiness and other perfections.  To Him, we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience.  The eternal God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.

a.   God the Father -  God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace.  He is all-powerful, all-loving, and all-wise.  God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.  He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men.

Gen. 1:1, 2:7; Ex. 3:14, 6:2-3, 15:11ff; Lev. 22:2; Deut. 6:4, 32:6; 1 Chron. 29:10; Psalm 19:1-3; Isa. 43:3-15, 64:8; Jer. 10:10, 17:13; Matt. 6:9ff, 7:11, 23:9, 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24, 5:26, 14:6-13, 17:1-8; Acts 1:7; Rom. 8:14-15; 1 Cor. 8:6; Gal. 4:6; Eph. 4:6; Col. 1:15; 1 Tim. 1:17; Heb. 11:6, 12:9; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:7.

b.   God the Son -             Christ is the eternal Son of God.  In His incarnation as Jesus Christ, He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.  Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself the demands and necessities of human nature and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin.  He honored the divine law by His personal obedience; and, in His death on the cross, He made provision for the redemption of men from sin.  He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion.  He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, partaking of the nature of God and of man, and in whose person is effected the reconciliation between God and man.  He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission.  He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever-present Lord.

Gen. 18:1ff; Psalm 2:7ff, 110:1ff; Isa. 7:14-53; Matt. 1:18-23, 3:17, 8:29, 11:27, 14:33, 16:16,27, 17:5,27, 28:1-6, 19; Mark 1:2, 3:11; Luke 1:35, 4:41, 22:70, 24:46; John 1:1-18,29, 10:30,38, 11:25-27, 12:44-50, 14:7-11, 16:15-16,28, 17:1-5,21-22, 20:1-20, 28; Acts 1:9, 2:22-24, 7:55-56, 9:4-5,20; Rom. 1:3-4, 3:23-26, 5:6-21, 8:1-3,34, 10:4; 1 Cor. 1:30, 2:2, 8:6, 15:1-8,24-28; 2 Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5; Eph. 1:20, 3:11, 4:7-10; Phil. 2:5-11; Col. 1:13-22; 1 Thess. 4:14-18; 1 Tim. 2:5-6, 3:16; Titus 2:13-14; Heb. 1:1-3, 4:14-15, 7:14-28, 9:12-15,24-28, 12:2, 13:8; 1 Peter 2:21-25, 3:22; 1 John 1:7-9, 3:2, 4:14-15, 5:9; 2 John 7:9; Rev. 1:15-16, 5:9-14, 12:10-11, 13:8, 19:16.

c.   God the Holy Spirit -   The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God.  He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth.  He exalts Christ.  He convicts of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.  He calls men to the Savior and effects regeneration.  He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church.  He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption.  His presence in the Christian is the assurance of God to bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ.  He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.

Gen. 1:2; Judg. 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalm 51:11, 139:7ff; Isa. 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-32; Matt. 1:18, 3:16, 4:1, 12:28-32, 28:19; Mark 1:10-12; Luke 1:35, 4:1,18-19, 11:13, 12:12, 24:29; John 4:24, 14:16-17,26, 16:7-14; Acts 1:8, 2:1-4,38, 4:31, 5:3, 6:3, 7:55, 8:17-39, 10:44, 13:2, 15:28, 16:6, 19:1-6; Rom. 8:9-11,14,16,26-27; 2 Cor. 2:10-14, 3:16, 12:3-11; Gal. 4:6; Eph. 1:13-14, 4:30, 5:18; 1 Thess. 5:19; 1 Tim. 3:16, 4:1; 2 Tim. 1:14, 3:16; Heb. 9:8,14; 2 Peter 1:21; 1 John 4:13, 5:6-7; Rev. 1:10, 22:17.

Man - Man was created by the special act of God, in His own image, and is the crowning work of His creation.  In the beginning, man was innocent of sin and was endowed by his Creator with freedom of choice.  By his free choice, man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race.  Through the temptation of Satan, man transgressed the command of God and fell from his original innocence; whereby, his posterity inherits a nature and an environment inclined toward sin and, as soon as they are capable of moral action, become transgressors and are under condemnation.  Only the grace of God  can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God.  The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every man possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.

Gen. 1:26-30, 2:5-7,18-22, 3, 9:6; Psalm 1, 8:3-6, 32:1-5, 51:5; Isa. 6:5; Jer. 17:5; Matt. 16:26; Acts 17:26-31; Rom. 1:19-31, 3:10-18,23, 5:6,12,19, 6:6, 7:14-25, 8:14-18,29; 1 Cor. 1:21-31, 15:19,21-22; Eph. 2:1-22; Col. 1:21, 3:9-11.

Salvation -  Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by His blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer.  In its broadest sense, salvation included regeneration, sanctification, and glorification.

a.   Regeneration - Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God's grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus.  It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

b.   Sanctification -  Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration by which the believer is set apart to God's purposes and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual perfection through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him.  Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person's life.

 c.   Glorification -   Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.

 Gen. 3:15; Ex. 3:14-17, 6:2-8; Matt. 1:21, 4:17, 16:21-26, 27:22 to 28:6; Luke 1:68-69, 2:28-32; John 1:11-14, 3:3-21, 36:5-24, 10:9,28-29, 15:1-16, 17:17; Acts 2:21, 4:12, 15:11, 16:30-31, 17:30-31, 20:32; Rom. 1:16-18, 2:4, 3:23-25, 4:3ff, 5:8-10, 6:1-23, 8:1-18,29-39, 10:9-10,13, 13:11-14; 1 Cor. 1:18,30, 6:19-20, 15:10; 2 Cor. 5:17-20; Gal. 2:20, 3:13, 5:22-25, 6:15; Eph. 1:17, 2:8-22, 4:11-16; Phil. 2:12-13; Col. 1:9-22, 3:1ff; 1 Thess. 5:23-24; 2 Tim. 1:12; Titus 2:11-14; Heb. 2:1-3, 5:8-9, 9:24-28, 11:1-12,8,14; James 2:14-26; 1 Peter 1:2-23; 1 John 1:6 to 2:11; Rev. 3:20, 21:1 to 22:5.

God's Purpose of Grace -  Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners.  It is consistent with the free agency of man and comprehends all the means in connection with the end.  It is a glorious display of God's sovereign goodness and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable.  It excludes boasting and promotes humility.

Those whom God has accepted in Christ and sanctified by His spirit can never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end.  Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, bring reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yet, they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

Gen. 12:1-3; Ex.. 19:5-8; 1 Sam. 8:4-7,19-22; Isa. 5:1-7; Jer. 31:31ff; Matt. 16:18-19, 21:28-45, 24:22,31; 25:34; Luke 1:68-79, 2:29-32, 19:41-44; John 1:12-14, 3:16, 5:24, 6:44-45,65, 10:27-29, 15:16, 17:6,12,17-18; Acts 20:32; Rom. 5:9-10, 8:28-39, 10:12-15, 11:5-7,26-36; 1 Cor. 1:1-2, 15:24-28; Eph. 1:4-23, 2:1-10, 3:1-11; Col. 1:12-14; 2 Thess. 2:13-14; 2 Tim. 1;12, 2:10-19; Heb. 11:39 to 12:2; 1 Peter 1:2-5,13, 2:4-10; 1 John 1:7-9, 2:19, 3:2.

The Church - A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is a local body of baptized believers who are associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel, observing the two ordinances of Christ, committed to His teachings, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth.

This church is an autonomous body, operating through democratic processes under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  In such a congregation, members are equally responsible.  Its Scriptural officers are pastors and deacons.

The New Testament speaks also of the church as the body of Christ which includes all of the redeemed of all the ages.

Matt. 16:15-19, 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-42,47, 5:11-14, 6:3-6, 13:1-3, 14:23-27, 15:1-30, 16:5, 20:28; Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:2, 3:16, 5:4-5, 7:17, 9:13-14, 12; Eph. 1:22-23, 2:19-20, 3:8-11,21, 5:22-32; Phill. 1; Col. 1:18; 1 Tim. 3:1-15, 4;14; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Rev. 2 - 3, 21:2-3.

Baptism and the Lord's Supper - Christian baptism is the immersion of the believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.  It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus.  It is a testimony to his faith in the resurrection of the dead.  Being a church ordinance, it is a prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord's Supper.

The Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the unleavened bread and the unfermented fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.

Matt. 3:13-17, 26:26-30, 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11, 14:22-26; Luke 3:21-22, 22:19-20; John 3:23; Acts 2:41-42, 8:35-39, 16:30-33, 20:7; Rom. 6:3-5; 1 Cor. 10:16,21, 11:23-29; Col. 2:12.

The Lord's Day -  The first day of the week is the Lord's Day.  It is a Christian institution for regular observance.  It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should be employed in exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private, and by resting from secular employments, work of necessity and mercy only being excepted.

Ex. 20:8-11; Matt. 12:1-12, 28:1ff; Mark 2:27-28, 16:1-7; Luke 24-103,33-36; John 4:21-24, 20:1,19-28; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:1-2; Col. 2:16, 3:16; Rev. 1:10.

The Kingdom - The Kingdom of God includes both His general sovereignty over the universe and His particular Kingship over men who willfully acknowledge Him as King.  Particularly, the Kingdom is the realm of salvation into which men enter by trustful, child-like commitment to Jesus Christ.  Christians ought to pray and to labor that the Kingdom may come and God's will be done on earth.  The full consummation of the Kingdom awaits the return of Jesus Christ, the end of this age, and the establishment of His literal Kingdom.

Gen. 1:1; Isa. 9:6-7; Jer. 23:5-6; Matt. 3:2, 4:8-10,23, 12:25-28, 13:1-52, 25:31-46, 26:29; Mark 1:14-15, 9:1; Luke 4:43, 8:1, 9:2, 12:31-32, 17:20-21, 23:42; John 3:3, 18:36; Acts 1:6-7, 17:22-31; Rom. 5:17, 8:19; 1 Cor. 15:24-28; Col. 1:13; Heb. 11:10,16, 12:28; 1 Peter 2:4-10, 4:13; Rev. 1:16, 9:5-10, 11:15,21-22.

The Last Things -  According to His promise, Jesus Christ will one day come again!  In the first phase of His coming, He will come in the air, and the dead in Christ will rise first to meet Him.  Then, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  This is called the pre-tribulation rapture of the church.  Following the rule of the antichrist and judgments of God upon this sinful world in the Great Tribulation, Jesus, our Lord, will come with his saints to establish His millennial kingdom.  This second phase is called the Revelation.

During the time of the tribulation period on earth, all the raptured saints will appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ in the heavens to give an account of their works.  These redeemed of Christ in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their rewards and will ultimately dwell in heaven forever with their Savior.

At the conclusion of the millennial reign of Christ, all the lost of all ages will appear before the Great White Throne Judgment to receive merited punishment for their sins, and then be cast in the lake of fire where they will remain forever with the Devil and his angels.

Isa. 2:4, 11:9; Matt. 16:27, 18:8-9, 19:28, 24:27,30,36,44, 25:31-46, 26:64; Mark 8:38, 9:43-48; Luke 12:40,48, 16:19-26, 17:22-37, 21:27-28; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11, 17:31; Rom. 14:10, 1 Cor. 4:5, 15:24-28,38-58; 2 Cor. 5:10; Phil. 3:20-21; Col. 1:5, 3:4; 1 Thess. 4:14-18, 5:1ff,2; 1 Tim. 6:14; 2 Tim. 4:1,8; Titus 2:13; Heb. 9:27-28; James 5:8; 2 peter 3:7ff; 1 John 2:28, 3:2; Jude 14; Rev. 1:18, 3:11, 20:1 to 22:13.

Evangelism and Missions - It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and of every church of the Lord Jesus Christ to endeavor to make disciples of all nations.  The new birth of man's spirit by God's Holy Spirit means the birth of love for others.  Missionary effort on the part of all rests thus upon a spiritual, necessity of the regenerate life, and is expressly and repeatedly commanded in the teachings of Christ.  It is the duty of every child of God to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by personal effort and by all other methods in harmony with the gospel of Christ.

Gen. 12:1-3; Ex. 19:5-6; Isa. 6:1-8; Matt. 9:37-38, 10:5-15, 13:18-30,37-43, 16, 19, 22:9-10, 24:14, 28:18-20; Luke 10:1-18, 24:46-53; John 14:11-12, 15:7-8, 16, 17:15, 20:21; Acts 1:8, 2:8,26-40, 10:42-48, 13:2-3; Rom. 10:13-15; Eph. 3:1-11; 1 Thess. 1:3; 2 Tim. 4:5; Heb. 2:1-3, 11:39 to 12:2; 1 Peter 2:4-10; Rev. 22:17.

Education - The cause of education in the Kingdom of Christ is coordinate with the causes of missions and general benevolence and should receive, along with these, the liberal support of the church.  An adequate system of Christian schools is necessary to a complete spiritual program for Christ's people.

In Christian education, there should be a proper balance between academic freedom and academic responsibility.  Freedom in any orderly relationship of human life is always limited and never absolute.  The freedom of a teacher in a Christian school, college, or seminary is limited by the preeminence of Jesus Christ, by the authoritative and inerrant nature of the Scriptures, and by the distinct purpose for which the school exists.

Deut. 4:1,5,9,14, 6:1-10, 31:12-13; Neh. 8:1-8; Job 28:28; Isa. 19:7ff, 119:11; Prov. 3:13ff, 4:1-10, 8:1-7,11, 15:14; Eccl. 7:19; Matt. 5:2, 7:24ff, 28:19-20; Luke 2:40; 1 Cor. 1:18-31; Eph. 4:11-16; Phil. 4:8; Col. 2:3,8-9; 1 Tim. 1:3-7; 2 Tim. 2:15, 3:14-17; Heb. 5:12 to 6:3; James 1:5, 3:17.

Stewardship - God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him.  Christians have a spiritual debtorship to the whole world, a holy trusteeship in the gospel, and a binding stewardship in their possessions.  They are, therefore, under obligation to serve Him with their time, talents, and material possessions; and should recognize all these as entrusted to them to use for the glory of God and for helping others.  According to the Scriptures, Christians should contribute of their means cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally for the advancement of the Redeemer's cause on earth.  The tithe is the starting place of Christian stewardship.

Gen. 14:20; Lev.. 27:30-32 Deut. 8:18; Mal. 3:8-12; Matt. 6:1-4,19-21, 23:23, 25:14-29; Luke 12:16-21,42, 16:1-13; Acts 2:44-47, 5:1-11, 17:24-25, 20:35; Rom. 6:6-20, 12:1-2; 1 Cor. 4:1-2, 6:19-20, 12, 16:1-4; 2 Cor. 8, 9, 12:15; Phil. 4:10-19; 1 Peter 1:18-19.

Cooperation - Christ's people should, as occasion requires, organize such associations and conventions as may best secure cooperation for the great objectives of the Kingdom of God .  Such organizations have no authority over one another or over the churches.  They are voluntary and advisory bodies designed to elicit, combine, and direct the energies of our people in the most effective manner.  Members of New Testament churches should cooperate with one another in carrying forward the missionary, educational, and benevolent ministries for the extension of Christ's Kingdom.  Christian unity in the New Testament sense is spiritual harmony and voluntary cooperation for common ends by various groups of Christ's people.  Cooperation is desirable between the various Christian denominations, when the end to be attained is itself justified and when such cooperation involves no violation of conscience or compromise of loyalty to Christ and His Word as revealed in the New Testament.

The Christian and the Social Order - Every Christian is under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in his own life and in human society.  Means and methods used for the improvement of society and the establishment of righteousness among men can be truly and permanently helpful only when they are rooted in the regeneration of the individual by the saving grace of God in Christ Jesus.  The Christian should oppose, in the Spirit of Christ, every form of greed, selfishness, and vice.  He should work to provide for the orphaned, the widowed, the needy, the aged, the helpless, and the sick.  Every Christian should seek to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love.  In order to promote these ends, Christians should be ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth.  It should be realized that social change must be the result of changed hearts.  Therefore, the greatest contribution the Church can make to social betterment is to bring individual men to a heart-changing encounter with Jesus Christ.

Ex. 17:12, 18:17ff; Judg. 7:21; Ezra 1:3-4, 2:63-69, 5:14-15; Neh. 4, 8:1-5; Matt. 10:5-15, 10:1-16, 22:1-10, 28:19-20; Mark 2:3; Luke 10:1ff; Acts 1:13-14, 2:1ff, 4:31-37, 12:2-3, 15:1-35; 1 Cor. 1:10-17, 3:5-15, 12; 2 Cor. 8 - 9; Gal. 1:6-10; Eph. 4:1-16; Phil 1:15-18.

War and Peace - It is the duty of Christians to seek peace with all men on principles of righteousness.  In accordance with the spirit and teachings of Christ, they should do all in their power to put an end to war.  The true remedy for the war spirit is the gospel of our Lord.  The supreme need of the world is the acceptance of His teachings in all the affairs of men and nations and practical application of His law of love.

Isa. 2:4; Matt. 5:9,38-48, 6:33, 25:52; Luke 22:36,38; Rom. 12:18-19, 13:1-7, 14:19; Heb. 12:14; James 4:1-2.

Religious Liberty - God alone is Lord of the conscience, and He has left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are contrary to His Word or not contained in it.  The state owes to every church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual ends.  In providing for such freedom no ecclesiastical group or denomination should be favored by the state more than others.  Civil government being ordained of God, it is the duty of Christians to render loyal obedience thereto in all things not contrary to the revealed will of God.  The church should not resort to the civil power to carry on its work.  The gospel of Christ contemplates spiritual means alone for the pursuit of its ends.  The state has no right to impose penalties for religious opinions of any kind.  The state has no right to impose taxes for the support of any form of religion.  A free church in a free state is the Christian ideal, and this implies the right of free and unhindered access to God on the part of all men and the right to form and propagate opinions in the sphere of religion without interference by the civil power.  Every Christian church member should be a good citizen by being informed of the political issues and by exercising the right to vote his individual convictions.

Gen. 1:27, 2:7; Matt. 6:6-7,24, 16:26, 22:21; John 3:36; Acts 4:19-20; Rom. 6:1-2, 13:1-7; Gal. 5:1, 13; Phil. 3:20; 1 Tim. 1:1-2; James 4:12; 1 Peter 2:12-17, 3:11-17, 4:12-19.

CHURCH COVENANT:

Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the presence of God, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another, as one body of Christ.

We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this church in knowledge, holiness, and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines.    To contribute cheerfully and regularly to the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the Gospel throughout the nations.

We also engage to maintain family and personal devotions; to religiously educate our children; to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment; to avoid all tattling, backbiting, and excessive anger; to abstain from the use of intoxicating drinks as a beverage; to use our influence to combat the use of drugs and the spread of pornography; to be zealous in our efforts to advance the Kingdom of our Savior.

We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember one another in prayer; to aid one another in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christ, sympathy in feeling, and Christian courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation and mindful of the rules of our Savior to secure it without delay.

We moreover engage that, when we remove from this place, we will, as soon as possible, unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God's Word.

 POLITY AND RELATIONSHIPS:

The government of this church is vested in the body of believers who compose it.  Persons duly received by the members shall constitute the membership.