Why Church Membership?
To be a member of a church is to make a public promise to live according to biblical teachings and to support the mission and ministry of that local church. In the Bible, this is called a covenant. Biblically speaking, such covenants are the basis for all of society. Marriage and citizenship, for example, are all relationships of accountability.
Even though we don’t see the word ‘church membership’ in the New Testament, we certainly do see an explicit sense of belonging to a local community of believers who were seeking together to follow Christ.
Membership is important because it is God’s pattern. The New Testament is clear that believers did not just confess their faith but regularly joined together with other believers. Acts 2:41 tells us that the new believers at Pentecost not only were baptized but “were added.” In Acts 5:12-13, we see that the believing community, which was held in high regard, was viewed as a distinct group that met together.
The book of Hebrews is one such place where we see such language of ‘belonging’: “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV).
How do I become a member?
There are two basic requirements for membership at Faith. The first is a credible profession of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The second is baptism (if you have not yet been baptized). The membership process at Faith consists of the following steps:
- Attend an Inquirer's Seminar - we usually host these biannually.
- Sign-up for a membership interview and be interviewed by an elder.
- Be introduced to the congregation as a member.
Baptism
Baptism is a sign and seal of our union with Jesus Christ. It is a sacrament instituted by Jesus that should be administered once in life. We believe that both those who decide to follow Jesus as adults and the children of believers should be baptized. For adults baptism is like a marriage ceremony - signifying the person's decision to be united to Jesus. For the children of believers baptism is a sign of their membership in the community of salvation in hopeful expectation that they too will respond to Jesus with faith. In both instances it is a sign to all believers of what Christ has done for us and a reminder of our salvation.
If you are interested in learning more about baptism please contact Pastor Matt or
let us know here.
Communicant Class and Membership
We offer communicants classes once a year for our children and student ministries and publicize these with much advance notice. Communicants class is a time of teaching and review in order to prepare children for church membership and taking the Lord’s Supper. We encourage parents to discuss with their kids their readiness for taking the classes and committing to the process. You may contact Drew Hood, Director of Student Ministries, directly at dhood@faithpcs.org if you have any questions.