Canon 10 Of the Laity
Section 1.
A baptized member of this Church is a person who has received the Sacrament of Holy Baptism with water in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and is enrolled in a parish of a diocese of this Church.
Section 2.
A communicant is a person who has been confirmed by a bishop of this Church, by a bishop in communion with this Church. or by a bishop in apostolic succession and such person having been received by a bishop of this Church, and is enrolled in a parish of a diocese of this Church.
Section 3.
A member or communicant is in good standing if he or she is in full compliance with these canons and not under any form of ecclesiastical discipline.
Section 4.
A member or communicant desiring to transfer from one parish to another shall be entitled to a Letter of Transfer.
Section 5.
It shall be the duty of a communicant of this Church:
(a) to worship God every Sunday in his Church unless reasonably hindered, and, in the event of such hindrance, to read privately the office of Morning Prayer or Evening Prayer;
(b) to observe his or her baptismal vows, and so to live as not to give scandal to the Church of God;
(c) to observe all applicable canons of this Church;
(d) to give regular support to the Church. the biblical tithe being the duty of every Christian, as evidenced by the books of the Treasurer of the Parish;
(e) to receive the Sacrament of the Holy Communion as often as possible; and
(f) to observe the feasts and fasts of the Christian year as they are set forth in the Book of Common Prayer.
Section 6.
A baptized or communicant member may be stricken from the rolls of the parish:
(1) by the Rector if such person abandons the Church by joining another religious body,
(2) with the consent of the Bishop if said person gives offense to the Church by reason of his manner of life; provided that he or she may be restored to the rolls of the parish when, and if, the causes for removal no longer exist.
Section 7.
A baptized member or communicant may be censured by the Rector with the consent of the Bishop and thereby removed from and made ineligible for any office in the Church for any of the causes specified in Section 8, or refusal to obey the godly admonitions of the Bishop. Such admonition and censure shall be given or confirmed in writing by the Bishop and state the specific cause or causes and the evidence which constitutes the cause. A member so censured shall have the right of appeal to the Ecclesiastical Court and/or to the Council of Bishops of the Church. and, upon favorable adjudication. shall be entitled to reinstatement to the office from which he or she was removed if the term thereof has not expired. Such censure shall be lifted by the Bishop when the cause therefor no longer exists.
Section 8.
Excommunication of communicants shall be by the Bishop after consultation with the Council of Advice for:
(a) abandoning the catholic faith;
(b) failure to repent of grievous sins and to amend ones life in accordance with the Christian Gospel;
(c) openly and knowingly denying any doctrine of the Church, or teaching or proclaiming any contrary doctrine; provided that in all cases the said communicant shall be entitled, if he demands it, to a trial before the Ecclesiastical Court of the Diocese as to the facts alleged by the Bishop. Where applicable, the rubrics of the Book of Common Prayer shall also be followed.
Section 9.
Whenever the cause of excommunication ceases to exist, a person who has been excommunicated may be restored to communicant status by the Bishop with the advice and consent of the Rector of the parish of which said person was formerly a communicant.