How to start a chapter of  Heralds of the CrossÔ

Motorcycle Ministry in your area

Option 1 – You are a group of 6 or more people:

                  You may already be a group of people who ride together, maybe there are a bunch of you who ride at your church, or perhaps you are just a bunch of friends who like to ride together.  It really does not matter how you all get together as long as you have at least six people.  If this is the case then the first step is to contact us and let us know that you are interested, let us know where you are located and if we do not already have a chapter near you we can discuss the possibility of opening a new chapter with you.  Appoint one person to be the liaison between your group and our national office.  This is the person that the national office will correspond with. 

The next step is for all of you to read through our by-laws, statements of faith, standing rules and prospecting process.  After you have read through these documents we encourage all of you to discuss them and ask any questions about them or about things that may not be clear to you.  If possible we encourage you to meet with other members in person.  However, we realize this may not be possible if there are no members near you.  After you have read the documents and you agree to operate within the bounds of those documents then the next step is for each person to fill out their own application.  When the applications are all filled out you will need to send them in to the national office.  Once the national office receives and reviews your applications, you will be sent the bottom rocker of your colors and your prospecting process will begin.

Since this option assumes that you already have at least six people, the membership prospecting process can be done simultaneously with applying for your charter.  You will need to elect at least one person to each of the following offices:  chapter president, chapter vice-president, chapter secretary, chapter treasurer, chapter devotional officer, and chapter road captain.  Once these offices are filled you will need to notify the national office who will be holding each office.

The prospecting time for each person may vary.  During this process you will need to continually communicate to the national office what rides or events you are attending and what you are doing as a group to bring the salvation message to bikers and motorcyclists.  At some point during this time each prospect will need to speak to two national officers via telephone.  During this interview the national officers will get to know you and you will need to give a oral testimony of how and when you came to know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.

After the prospecting process is completed, your name and application will be brought before the Board of Directors and they will vote on granting you full-patch status.  Once you are granted full-patch status you will be sent the remaining part of the colors and you will be full members.  As soon as you have at least 6 full-patch members you will be granted a charter and the chapter will be officially opened.

As an official chapter you will be required to continue to communicate with the national office by sending a variety of reports in on a regular basis.  These reports and when they need to sent in can be found in our by-laws.  You will also need to continue to communicate what you are doing to bring the salvation message to bikers and motorcyclists.  We also encourage you to come to the annual national rally to get to meet your other brothers and sisters.

Option 2 – You are only one person, or you are a group of less than 6 people:

                Our by-laws require that there be at least 6 full-patch members before a chapter can officially be opened.  However, if you are only one person or are a group smaller than 6 you can still become a member and work at becoming an official chapter.

                The process is very similar to the one described above except that application for charter cannot be done simultaneously with your membership prospecting process.  The first step is to contact us and let us know that you are interested in becoming a member, let us know where you are located and if we do not have a chapter near you we can discuss the possibility of opening a chapter there.

                The next step is for you to read through our by-laws, statements of faith, standing rules and prospecting process.  After you have read through these documents we encourage you to ask any questions about them or about things that may not be clear to you.  If possible we encourage you to meet with other members in person.  However, we realize this may not be possible if there are no members near you.  After you have read the documents and you agree to operate within the bounds of those documents then the next step is for you to fill out an application.  When the application is filled out you will need to send it to the national office.  Once the national office receives and reviews your application you will be sent the bottom rocker of your colors and your prospecting process will begin.

                As a prospect you can encourage other Christians in your area to join with you.  You can do this almost any way that you want, perhaps by visiting other churches, printing flyers, participating in local rides and events, etc.  As more people show interest they can begin the prospecting process as well.  It is possible that you could become a full-patch member before you get at least 6 people involved with you.

Because the prospecting process is task based, the prospecting time for each person may vary.  During this process you will need to continually communicate to the national office what rides or events you are attending and what you are doing to bring the salvation message to bikers and motorcyclists.  At some point during this time you will need to speak to two national officers via telephone.  During this interview the national officers will get to know you and you will need to give a oral testimony of how and when you came to know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.

At the completion of the prospecting process, your name and application will be brought before the Board of Directors and they will vote on granting  you full-patch status.  Once you are granted full-patch status you will be sent the remaining part of the colors and you will be a full-patch member.  This process will continue with each individual until you have at least 6 full–patch members.  As soon as you have at least 6 full-patch members you can apply to the Board of Directors for a chapter charter.  You will need to inform the national office of who is going to fill each of the following offices: chapter president, chapter vice-president, chapter secretary, chapter treasurer, chapter devotional officer, and chapter road captain.

The Board of Directors will meet and vote on opening the chapter.  As soon as the vote passes you will be informed and the chapter will be officially opened.  As an official chapter you will be required to continue to communicate with the national office by sending a variety of reports in on a regular basis.  These reports and when they need to sent in can be found in our by-laws.  You will also need to continue to communicate what you are doing to bring the salvation message to bikers and motorcyclists.  We also encourage you to come to the annual national rally to get to meet your other brothers and sisters.

If you have any questions or do not understand any part of this process we encourage you to contact our national office, we would love to talk with you.

  Email us at:
heralds@heraldsofthecross.org