F I R E membership is open to churches and individuals who are Reformed (or Reforming) and agree with the FIRE doctrinal Statement of Faith. Here are the steps in applying for membership:
1. Review Membership Requirements. Applicants should review Article 4 of the FIRE Constitution (Membership in the Association) prior to making application.
2. Attend a Regional or National Conference. An applicant must either personally attend or send representatives (in the case of a church) to a national or regional FIRE conference prior to or in conjunction with making an application.
3. Secure a Sponsoring FIRE Church. Applicants must be recommended by a FIRE member church (a sponsoring church). Secure a sponsoring church willing to recommend you before making application.
4. Fully Complete Application Form. Applicants for membership should fill out the application form fully. Select a format and click to download application form: PDF | MSWord.
5. Send Application to Sponsoring Church. After completing the application, email or mail the form to your sponsoring church for its certification. After certifying the application, the sponsoring church will forward the application to the membership committee for processing via membership@firefellowship.org. In the event the applicant does not have a sponsor, please submit completed application to membership@firefellowship.org.
6. Application Reviewed and Voted On. The membership committee will review and evaluate the submitted application. If any more information is needed, the applicant will be notified by the committee. If the application is approved, the applicant will be presented to the membership for vote, either by email or at the next national conference. The application will be circulated by email among the member churches. In the case of unanimous approval, with no objections, the applicant will be received into the FIRE membership. If an email vote is less than unanimous, or a member church raises an objection, the executive committee shall seek to resolve the objection. If the objection cannot be resolved, the matter will be taken up at the national meeting. The application of an applicant in which there is less than unanimous approval or an objection is raised will be considered at the next national conference.
7. Approval Notification and Listing. Upon a favorable vote, newly approved members will be notified of their approval and listed as FIRE members.
8. Formal Introduction. New members will be formally introduced at the national conference after their entrance into membership or at the national conference at which their membership is approved.
