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Church Membership
Why is church membership so important?
Jesus created the Church. It was his idea. Matthew 16:18 says, “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” (NLT) The Church has survived for nearly 2,000 years facing incredible odds and persecution, even to this day, because the Church was created and empowered by Jesus. This is why the “powers of hell will not conquer it.”
There is one Church, referred to with a capital “C” that is worldwide and composed of all the followers of Jesus Christ. When you place your faith in Jesus you become part of the Church (capital “C”). 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 uses the human body as an analogy to describe our insertion into the Church. It says, “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.” (NLT)
But once we place our faith in Christ we must become part of a local church (small “c”). Philemon 1:1-2 says, “This letter is from Paul, a prisoner for preaching the Good News about Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy. I am writing to Philemon, our beloved co-worker,2 and to our sister Apphia, and to our fellow soldier Archippus, and to the church that meets in your house.” (NLT) Notice the last part of verse 2: “and to the church that meets in your house.” That’s a local church. The early Christians met regularly in local churches. In fact, the Bible places great importance on regular church attendance. Hebrews 10:25 says, “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” (NLT)
God never meant for us to go it alone in following Jesus. His plan is for us to join a local Church so that we can find the encouragement, accountability and support we need to grow in our relationship with Jesus and to fulfill the Great Commission of making disciples of all the nations (Matthew 28:18-20). God’s plan is that our Christian character be shaped and our spiritual gifts be used within the context of a local church.
God has given us a spiritual family to help us grow. Ephesians 2:19 says, “So now you non-Jewish people are not visitors or strangers, but you are citizens together with God’s holy people. You belong to God’s family.” (ERV) And 1Peter 2:17 says, “Love your spiritual family.” (HCSB) Every time we attend church and church functions we are gathering with our spiritual siblings.
Here are some things we can do within the context of a local congregation:
Worship. Acts 2:36-47: “They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity —47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.” (NLT)
Get spiritually fed. Acts 20:28: “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood —over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as elders.” (NLT)
Fellowship with other believers. Acts 2:42: “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.” (NLT)
Get discipled. Matthew 28:20: “Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (NLT)
Be ministered to. James 5:14-15: “Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord.15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.” (NLT)
Do ministry together. 1 Corinthians 12:7: “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.” (NLT)
Do outreach together. Acts 2:46-47: “They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity —47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.” (NLT)
Practice corporate prayer (pray together). Acts 2:42: “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.” (NLT)
Hold each other accountable. Hebrews 3:13: “You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.” (NLT)
Show compassion to the needy. Acts 2:45: “They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need.” (NLT)
Encourage and build each other up. 1 Thessalonians 5:11: “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” (ESV)
Bear one another’s burdens. Galatians 6:2: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (ESV)
What does membership entail?
Membership entails three things:
Commitment: We have a commitment to Jesus Christ, to love him and bring him glory and honor. We have a commitment to one another, to love one another and be there for each other. And we have a commitment to advance the mission and the vision of our church in its fulfillment of the Great Commission.
Membership means commitment. We are members of the body of Christ and membership doesn’t mean that we can sit on the sidelines. We all have a function. Romans 12:4 says, “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” (ESV)
Responsibility: We have a responsibility to serve, support and contribute to our church so that our church can continue to carry out God’s plan.
Rights and privileges: Members have a voice and vote in the church business meetings and they may be eligible to serve in various positions and ministries within the church.
What is the process of becoming a member?
You first take a membership class. The duration of this class is about two hours. The class covers our beliefs, organization and constitution and bylaws. The membership class is given when a small group of people are ready to take the class.
You then fill out a membership application.
The church board will review the application and verify that you meet the requirements for membership, as stipulated in our constitution and bylaws.
If approved by the church board, you will be welcomed as a new member of our church.
To request to take the membership class, please fill in the form at the bottom of this page and submit it
Small Groups
Why join a small group?
Small groups help us connect with God and others. You see, Christians are not called to go it alone, but to walk this journey of faith in community where we can encourage each other, build each other up and hold each other accountable. Small groups are ideal for spiritual formation because they allow a group of 3 to as many as 15 people to grow together in their relationship with Christ as they learn to apply God’s word to daily living. Look at it this way: Jesus had twelve disciples that were part of his small group. He formed them spiritually within this context. Not to mention that joining a small group is a great way to make new friends with people that are on a similar journey.
Within small groups we learn the spiritual disciplines of prayer and Bible study. These disciplines are necessary for our spiritual formation. Spiritual growth happens when prayer and the reading of God’s word are a daily part of our life.
Within small groups we also learn about Jesus and how to apply his teachings to our life. The small group context facilitates the asking of questions and the sharing insights. It also makes it an ideal place to pray with others.
The model the Bible provides us with is that of believers gathering together on Sunday at church and during the week in homes (small groups). Acts 2:46 says, “They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity.” (NLT)
To learn more about small groups click here.
