While formal church membership isn’t detailed in the New Testament, the early church was marked by deep, committed community. Christian believers devoted themselves to one another in love, accountability, and shared mission. In today’s context, membership serves as a covenantal expression of that same biblical commitment. It’s how we say, I belong here, and I’m committed to this body of Christ.
Here’s why we believe membership matters, and what it looks like at Christ Fellowship Church.
Why Membership?
We never see membership being discussed in the New Testament. However, in the 1st century, options were sparse, and most communities had a church community to participate in. People who wanted to worship God were stuck worshiping together and forced to face challenges together.
Today, church attendance is a more fickle thing. People pop in and pop out, and when people are bothered they can drive down the street to another church. Some people desire to be deeply committed while others want to be invisible.
Membership is a means by which we covenant ourselves to one another. Membership is the means by which we build a trustworthy relationship, agreeing to certain terms of what we’re seeking as members of the same church body. Non-members can certainly be part of our fellowship, but membership communicates a sense of being “all in.”
Additionally and practically, the EPC requires someone to be a “member” in order to vote in matters of church life. This lines up with the above sentiment. We want to empower members with a voice in the church, but we also want to entrust people with a vote only if they’ve committed themselves to the body.
How Do We Do This at Christ Fellowship Church?
We invite all types of people to attend our church as participants, but we invite those who desire to be fully committed to become a member. They can then attend our membership class which instructs them on what it means to be a member at CFC and what life as a member will look like.
This membership training ensures that members are all on the same page, are bought into CFC’s mission, and are held to the same standards. It ensures that we are all paddling the canoe in the same direction and in basic agreement on how this is to be done.
Membership classes may include:
- Information on the history of CFC
- Information on the EPC denomination
- Theological beliefs and unique distinctives
- Explicit benefits, requirements, and agreements in becoming a member
- Other introductory resources (e.g. giftings test)
Interested in learning more about membership at Christ Fellowship Church? Let us know!
