MEMBERS ONLY
So those who received [Peter’s] word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. (Acts 2.41)
This passage describes the first day that Peter preached the good news of the risen Christ. He called upon the people who had called for Jesus to be crucified to repent of their sins and recognize that same Jesus as the risen Lord and the appointed King of heaven.
Three thousand people that day “received” – or welcomed – Peter’s word. They accepted his message as the truth.
Three thousand people that day were baptized “in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2.38). They abandoned their previous beliefs and publicly professed their faith in Christ and their connection to Him by the symbol of baptism.
And those same three thousand people were “added” presumably to the body of followers. They became ‘members’, as it were, and began following the teaching of the apostles (Acts 2.42).
We take this as our model for church membership. We only accept into membership those who have made a conscious profession of faith in Jesus Christ.
Anyone may visit our church. Anyone may attend our church. But when you choose to become a member of our church, you willingly submit to the shepherding oversight of our pastors and elders.
We allow non-members to be helpers. But only members may teach or lead. If something in their teaching or their life goes astray from what is true or right, by becoming a member they have agreed to allow that to be addressed and corrected. If a member refuses to make corrections deemed necessary, they may be removed from whatever ministry they are performing until it is made right. That is the responsibility of elders’ oversight to protect everyone in the church.
Members over the age of 18 may also be called upon to vote. They may be asked to vote on amending the Constitution or the doctrinal statement. They may be called upon to vote on hiring a new pastor. These are important responsibilities, and the elders want to know that the people voting on such important matters profess the same faith and share the same values in Jesus Christ and that they have been unafraid to express that faith and support for those values in public baptism.
Knowing that our members all profess faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins gives us a common ground that serves as the basis for all of our interactions together.
It may seem odd to have to state this principle or the reasoning behind it, but many churches today, in the name of being open and welcoming and affirming, have dispensed with membership altogether and have no formal membership requirements at all. Do you really want to allow just anyone that walks through the door to be able to work in your nursery, teach your children, or lead the church without even the most elementary vetting?
The apostolic guidelines of Acts 2.41 serve as a reasonable minimum requirement! In addition to that, our Constitution requires that members agree with our statement of faith, which can be found on our website.
Our statement of faith puts our belief in membership this way:
We believe that the true Church is composed of all such persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are united together in the body of Christ, of which Christ is the head.
We believe that only those who are thus members of the true Church shall be eligible for membership in the local church.
This passage describes the first day that Peter preached the good news of the risen Christ. He called upon the people who had called for Jesus to be crucified to repent of their sins and recognize that same Jesus as the risen Lord and the appointed King of heaven.
Three thousand people that day “received” – or welcomed – Peter’s word. They accepted his message as the truth.
Three thousand people that day were baptized “in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2.38). They abandoned their previous beliefs and publicly professed their faith in Christ and their connection to Him by the symbol of baptism.
And those same three thousand people were “added” presumably to the body of followers. They became ‘members’, as it were, and began following the teaching of the apostles (Acts 2.42).
We take this as our model for church membership. We only accept into membership those who have made a conscious profession of faith in Jesus Christ.
Anyone may visit our church. Anyone may attend our church. But when you choose to become a member of our church, you willingly submit to the shepherding oversight of our pastors and elders.
We allow non-members to be helpers. But only members may teach or lead. If something in their teaching or their life goes astray from what is true or right, by becoming a member they have agreed to allow that to be addressed and corrected. If a member refuses to make corrections deemed necessary, they may be removed from whatever ministry they are performing until it is made right. That is the responsibility of elders’ oversight to protect everyone in the church.
Members over the age of 18 may also be called upon to vote. They may be asked to vote on amending the Constitution or the doctrinal statement. They may be called upon to vote on hiring a new pastor. These are important responsibilities, and the elders want to know that the people voting on such important matters profess the same faith and share the same values in Jesus Christ and that they have been unafraid to express that faith and support for those values in public baptism.
Knowing that our members all profess faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins gives us a common ground that serves as the basis for all of our interactions together.
It may seem odd to have to state this principle or the reasoning behind it, but many churches today, in the name of being open and welcoming and affirming, have dispensed with membership altogether and have no formal membership requirements at all. Do you really want to allow just anyone that walks through the door to be able to work in your nursery, teach your children, or lead the church without even the most elementary vetting?
The apostolic guidelines of Acts 2.41 serve as a reasonable minimum requirement! In addition to that, our Constitution requires that members agree with our statement of faith, which can be found on our website.
Our statement of faith puts our belief in membership this way:
We believe that the true Church is composed of all such persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are united together in the body of Christ, of which Christ is the head.
We believe that only those who are thus members of the true Church shall be eligible for membership in the local church.