New Members

We are so glad you are here. Whether you're exploring the Christian faith for the first time, considering whether Chestnut Mountain Presbyterian Church should become your church home, or simply want to understand more deeply what we believe, this is for you.

CMPC has a great history and, we believe, by God's guidance and blessing, a great future. Started in 1874, the church has known God's faithful, guiding hand. Now in our third building, CMPC exists to glorify and enjoy God through equipping people to delightfully obey the Great Commandment and the Great Commission in Chestnut Mountain and around the world — a mission that works itself out in a passion for God and a compassion for His world.

The New Testament doesn't picture the Christian life as a solo journey. It pictures a body, with members who belong to one another (Romans 12:5), who watch over one another's souls (Hebrews 13:17), and who are formally recognized and shepherded by elders (Acts 20:28). Membership is simply the church's way of saying: we know who you are, we're committed to you, and you're committed to us.

Before joining, every prospective member is invited into our Inquirers' Class, a five-session walk through what we believe and who we are:

1. The Gospel & What It Means to Be a Christian
2. What We Believe — the Word, the Triune God, and the Sacraments
3. What Does It Mean to Be Presbyterian?
4. What Is a Church? & Why Church Membership Matters
5. Living as a Member of CMPC
   
   

The class has two simple aims: to introduce you to the beliefs and life of CMPC, and to prepare you for membership. Our hope is simply that you'd come to know Christ and His church more clearly, and then prayerfully decide if God would have you join us.

Every member of CMPC answers these five questions, set out in the PCA's Book of Church Order (57-5):

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?

If you're convinced of believer's baptism, you can still join here with a clear conscience. The better question isn't whether a church matches you on every point, it's whether it's a faithful church: one that preaches the gospel, treasures the Word, rightly guards the Lord's Table, and will genuinely shepherd your soul. Our vows ask you to confess your sin, rest in Christ, live as His follower, support the church's work, and submit to its government and peace, they don't ask you to affirm infant baptism or Presbyterian government. You'd simply want to be candid with the elders about your convictions and hold them without being divisive.

At CMPC, our shared life runs on a simple rhythm:

• Exalt — Christ-centered worship, gathered by God and enabled by His Spirit
• Equip — ongoing growth through Sunday School, Wednesday Night Alive, and Bible studies
• Engage — using your gifts to serve the church, the community, and the nations
• Embrace — deep, gospel-rooted friendships through Community Groups