While the society membership was exclusively male, the Church consisted of fervently Christian adults, both male and female. They had passed rigorous questioning by the Membership Committee, or else came to Mount Vernon with a letter of dismission from another Congregational Church, declaring them to be members in good standing. The Church was concerned with worship and Christian education, and it was under its aegis that the voluntary societies flourished. The Church records for the earliest period were unfortunately destroyed in a fire in 1879. The records of the annual meetings and of the Church Committee for all of Mr. Kirk's pastorate burned. The Church had its own treasurer, who applied the money collected each Sunday in the plate to the maintenance of worship and to charitable causes. Most of the Church records are concerned with membership.