There are three kinds of membership with Eighth Day, community membership, intern membership, and covenant membership.
Community Membership
The process for becoming a community member is as follows:
You contact Kent Beduhn or Marcia Harrington who are co-moderators of the community (of, if you already have a relationship with a covenant member contact that person). Together with one of them, you choose a covenant member to guide you through the process of becoming a community member.
In consultation with the person you’ve chosen to be your guide, you decide which spiritual disciplines are right for in order to deepen your relationship with God and with our community, either from the disciplines of the covenant members or other disciplines that seem right to you. With your guide you decide to whom you will be accountable for your disciplines and contact that person or group.
When you are ready, you notify one of the co-moderators, who will schedule a time during worship for you to read the membership commitment and be accepted as a community member in the Eighth Day Faith Community.
Community members are welcome to attend certain members’ meetings (held four times a year) at which we make most of the important decisions concerning the community, including the budget. (There will still be decisions that are reserved to the covenant membership, but we’re still working out what they will be.) A community member doesn’t have to attend members’ meetings if they don’t want to, but if they do want to they have to commit themselves to attend regularly. So, if a person wants to attend those members’ meetings, the meetings become one of their disciplines, for which they’re accountable.
On a case-by-case basis community members may sometimes participate in regular mission groups or other spiritual support groups.
Core Courses
In order to become a covenant member, one must take five core classes: Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament); New Testament; Ethics; Discipleship and Growth; History of the Christian Church. In order to better acquaint members with faith and community at Eighth Day, at least two of these courses should be through our Eighth Day School of Christian Living adult education classes, which are usually scheduled for Sunday morning before the church service. (Contact Marcia Harrington for information and schedules). In consultation with the Leadership Team, eaither or both of these two courses may be through study within a mission group Any of the remaining three courses can be taken at any Church-of-the-Saviour-related venue, for example, the Servant Leadership School, the School of Christian Living in any other church, or special retreat.
Intern Membership
The process for moving into intern membership begins by taking at least two of the core courses. You move into a sponsorship relationship with one of the covenant members. During that time, you become accountable for the disciplines of the covenant members, although the tithe is 5% rather than 10% and the period of daily quiet time is set individually.
During the period of sponsorship, you write a spiritual autobiography in consultation with your sponsor and join a mission group.
Covenant Membership
During your intern membership, you take the remaining three courses to bring the total to five., maintain your membership in a mission group, maintain your disciplines, and continue your relationship of spiritual accountability (usually with the spiritual director in your mission group).
When you have finished the five core courses, and you are ready to accept the disciplines of the community, you are ready to become a covenant member. With the recommendation of your sponsor, you read that spiritual autobiography to the entire covenant membership and are accepted into the covenant membership. (Actually, there’s a vote, but to my knowledge, no one has ever not been accepted.) Following acceptance, you read your membership commitment at a Sunday morning worship.