Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Categories
- All Categories 13.8K
- General Category 10.9K
- General Announcements 184
- Faith Issues 3.4K
- Coptic Orthodox Church 2.5K
- Personal Issues 1.4K
- Prayer Requests 423
- Random Issues 1.8K
- Introductions 294
- Non-Orthodox Inquiries 232
- Youth Corner 606
- Hymns 2.5K
- Hymns Discussion 2.5K
- Technicial Difficulties 368
- Technical Topics 368
Church Membership
I've been doing some personal research on the Coptic Church but I cannot find anything that talks about the steps or requirements for membership. Can anyone point me in the right direction?
By the way, thanks to all the nice personal messages that have been sent. If I don't learn anything else from my research, I will have learned that your church members are very personable and friendly.
By the way, thanks to all the nice personal messages that have been sent. If I don't learn anything else from my research, I will have learned that your church members are very personable and friendly.
Comments
What do you mean by membership?
Like if someone wanted to join the Coptic Church, what would they have to do?
first step is to actually contact a priest in one of the coptic churches. He then leads you step by step into the faith.
Is there a place online that shows the steps?
I havn't seen any but others may find some.
The reason the first step is to contact the priest is that he will guide through the entire process, if it continues. some may think that this is not the right faith for them and they just abandon it. depending on the person, steps may differ.
u just have to give your whole life to Jesus Christ every day, die to your old nature, join in accepting suffering for the sake of the glory of God and consider everything u ever had to not belong to you.
;)
so as it's not a matter of a single statement of membership, or even an annual subscription but a daily decision to follow God for all our lives, we need help!
this is where the church comes in. of course it is not easy to live in the middle of people who despise spiritual things and who worship money, fame and power and to live differently.
it is very very easy to get caught in wrong ideas or teachings and to loose your way.
so Jesus instituted the church as an organisation to guide people towards Him.
the apostles (the people who knew Jesus while He walked incarnated on earth) floowed His teachings, wrote books (we have them in the new testament of the Bible) and passed on His teachings directly to other leaders who then passed them on to other leaders and so on until today. they didn't just pass on tradition; they passed on love and life and prayer.
those churches which understand that these teachings (that were passed on) were essential to help us understand the Bible are the orthodox and catholic churches. there are a few differences between these churches that i won't go into here, but i have spent 2 years examining both closely (including attending half of the catholic 'rite of initiation of adults' course) and i recommend that anyone who is interested in following God should attend an orthodox church.
the final step of joining an orthodox church is to be welcomed in by a priest, usually by baptism, but there are many things to do before that, so if you can't find a priest to talk to right away, this is ok.
because we believe that the bread and wine we consecrate become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, we don't want to give them to anyone who thinks differently about this. we are warned in the Bible that if someone takes the Body and Blood unworthily, they could suffer terrible consequences.
so firstly, to join the church, you must believe in God and belive that Jesus Christ is the divine Son of God theough whose death and resurrection we can enter into a relationship with God. also you must believe that the Holy Spirit of God is worshipped with the Son and the Father and works today to bring people to God and to show God's love and power to the world.
for more details; see here:
http://nacopts.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=75&Itemid=66
this 'nicene creed' was formulated in the 300s and 400s (AD) and agreed by all the churches that were in existence at that time.
if u are not sure about whether u believe this, it's ok. just go to an orthodox church and chat to people there about their lives and beliefs and investigate to see if what they believe is true. make friends, pray and study the Bible and listen to the church's teachings on the Bible.
once u have studied and decided you agree, then consider if u are ready to change yr life to put into practice what u now believe. are you ready to give up any deceit or fraud? are u ready to be celibate (if u are not married)? then start living as a Christian. this time is called by some churches being a 'catechumen', someone who is joining in with the church's activities and soon to be baptised.
we don't rush people into being baptised because people need to be sure they want to be Christians all their lives, not just get an emotional high and then go back to how they were before.
at this stage, it is good to add into to your daily Bible readings and prayers some fasting, eg. giving up meat during lent, or setting aside one meal time for praying and spending time with God and worshipping Him. at this stage, it is important to discuss your thoughts with a priest, so he can agree with you on a schedule for baptism.
becoming a Christian is becoming part of God's family, so it is not good to be baptised in one church and then wonder around all the other churches never putting down any roots. for spiritual growth to occur, people need to learn to deal with thier issues and not run away from problems. if you run from your problems, you will find they are good at following you! this is why you need to speak to a priest. he will be your guide in this process.
then, when you and your priest are ready, you can be baptised :)
then you are sorted!
all you need to do now is to give your whole life to Jesus Christ every day, die to your old nature, join in accepting suffering for the sake of the glory of God and consider everything u ever had to not belong to you.
;)
Speaking to a priest does seem like a logical first step. I'm still doing research on the COptic Church and I must confess I'm a little drawn to it.
I'd highly recommend this short book you can read online or download: An Introduction to the Coptic Orthodox Church.
It's a short but informative overview of the Church.
Hi Jerry,
I'd highly recommend this short book you can read online or download: An Introduction to the Coptic Orthodox Church.
It's a short but informative overview of the Church.
Short?
Hi Jerry,
I'd highly recommend this short book you can read online or download: An Introduction to the Coptic Orthodox Church.
It's a short but informative overview of the Church.
Thanks for that link. It is very informative. It mentions that Clement identified the true Gnostic as one who knows God, and that the school was dedicated to finding the 'spiritual' layer of scripture. The western church speaks of the Quadriga which has a literal meaning and three other meanings hidden in the spiritual layer.
I am unable to find anyone conversant in either Clement's spiritual layer or the Quadriga. I would hope there would be a whole flock of folks that were accustomed to the spiritual layer.
I am finding Christ everywhere in the scriptures and am hoping to talk with someone about it. Thanks.
Thank you all for patience and gracefully answering my questions.
if there is any way u can get there for easter liturgy (Pascha), don't miss it.
is should start somewhere around 9pm on night of 14th. if u miss it, u have to wait another year to celebrate it!
maybe the church even has rooms for people who need to stay over till morning.
it is a long service (going on till around 1am, depending on the church and depending when it starts) so if chanting and lots of incense is a bit strange for you, it might be best to go to a shorter service 1st. get info from this website on what happens in the service (it's easy to get lost). the scary bit when all the lights are off and there is chanting by 2 voices responding to each other is taken from psalm 24 (23 in the septuagint) when they say 'lift up your heads, oh you gates...'
it always thrills me, especially as i know its the exiting bit next (Christ has risen), followed by the really beautiful bit (the liturgy).
but actually all the sundays in the 50 days after Pascha are special, so don't be too upset if u can't make it for the eve of 14th.
:)