The church community is made manifest through the body of all members worldwide under lifelong vows. To this body each member and each local community is accountable. In all it does it must act in deepest reverence for the Holy Spirit and for the mystery of Christ’s church. The convening of this body is referred to as a “worldwide membership meeting.”

The membership of a local community (referred to as a “Bruderhof”) is only a constituent part of the worldwide body of members. Following the example of the itinerant early Christians, members must be ready to live at any Bruderhof or any other place, as the needs of the church community as a whole may require.

As part of this greater whole, each individual Bruderhof forms a distinct household, having a unique name, character, and expression. Each Bruderhof orders its own life as an individual fellowship of believers, yet in connection with its sister communities.

The worldwide body of members bears the final responsibility before God for the spiritual and temporal life of the church community: its faith, unity, mission, work, church order, daily life, deeds of charity, and the education and health in body and soul of everyone in the communal household.

To carry out these responsibilities, the membership appoints individual members to various tasks of leadership, giving them its trust and authorizing them to represent it inside and outside the church community. They are accountable to the body of members in the fear of God for the tasks entrusted to them.

In keeping with the biblical teaching of the priesthood of all believers, the collective responsibility for the spiritual life of church community rests on each member individually, as a matter of conscience. Our common life belongs to Christ; each member must ensure that nothing but Christ’s love fills and guides us.

No excuse relieves any member of this responsibility. If anything is wrong in the church community, every member without exception has the responsibility before God to work tirelessly to reestablish the rule of Christ among us. This means persevering in humility, without fear of man, sparing no effort or sacrifice, until the matter is set right. The church community thus depends on the faith of each member.

There are times when a member estranges himself or herself from the church community, for example by leaving its fellowship or by willfully violating his or her vows. Any member so estranged ceases to be a member in good standing.

Only members in good standing are to be regarded as members in the sense described in these pages; in particular, only they may participate in the life of the church community, remain on the grounds of a Bruderhof, serve in positions of spiritual or temporal responsibility, or represent the church community publicly.

In case of doubt, it is for the body of members, spoken for by its appointed leadership, to declare whether or not a person is a member in good standing. We will go to great lengths to reconcile with any member not in good standing, in the hope that he or she may be restored to full fellowship.

* This online version of Foundations is for reference only. For the authoritative version, see the print edition.