Membership

We like to say that the church is its members. What does that mean? It means that when we say Grace Church, we aren’t talking about the building, we aren’t talking about just the staff or just the pastors, and we aren’t talking about a Sunday morning worship service. When we say Grace Church, we are referring to a group of specific people. Membership is the way we define who those people are. In other words, not everyone who comes to Grace Church is Grace Church. Grace Church is its members.

Also, members are those who have signed the church membership covenant and have made a commitment to be members of the church.

Church membership, at its most basic level, has two primary purposes.

First, church membership is how one identifies with a particular local body of Christ. It is important for all who belong in faith to Jesus Christ to identify themselves with his church. And the best way to do this is to become a member of a local church. Just as a family member has certain benefits that a guest to your house wouldn’t necessarily have, being a member of the church means that you are more deeply connected to the rest of the church. And the more connected you are to the body of Christ the more connected you are to Christ.    

Secondly, membership is how elders/pastors know who it is that has been entrusted to their oversight by the Spirit himself. The church’s elders are the pastoral leaders of the people. Without identifying who belongs to the church, there is no way to care for the church. A shepherd has to know their specific sheep so that they can tend to them. Membership therefore defines eldership.

First and foremost, you need to have put your faith in Jesus and have committed your life to following him. Second, you need to have demonstrated that through baptism, which is basically a way of publicly saying that you trust and follow Christ. If you’ve not been baptized don’t worry – still come to the membership class and we’ll talk about how to be baptized. Beyond that, the only other requirement is that you’re committed to the vision, direction, and leadership of our church and can affirm our statement of faith and church covenant.

The first step of church membership is to attend the church membership class. In this three hour class, Pastor Mike will talk through the distinctives of Grace Church, what we believe, how we are organized, what our values are, etc. You’ll be able to ask questions and learn more about what it means to be a member. The second step is to schedule an interview with one of the elders of Grace Church. In this interview you will share your testimony of faith and the elder will help you discern if Grace Church is a good fit for you. Then after the interview, your membership will be discussed and approved by the elders. Once approved, you are a member of Grace Church.