Church membership, in the broadest sense, is belonging to Christ through faith and repentance. All Christians, in all times and places, who have been redeemed by Christ are members of His church. Theologians refer to this as the “Universal Church”.
In order to become a member of God’s church, you must be born again by the Spirit of God (John 3) and converted to Christ. Only those who have been born again are truly a part of God’s people and have begun to walk as disciples of Christ.
Yet, this process of discipleship is never described as a solely individual task. The pattern of the New Testament is for Christians to gather together in partnership as they walk out their discipleship (see Acts/Epistles). These congregations made up of local believers were united together in a common pursuit of God, community, and the mission of the gospel (Acts 2:42-47). They were under godly leadership as they worked together for the greater good of the gospel, both as they gathered and as they scattered (1 Timothy 3, Titus 1).
As Christians, we are called to function, participate, and minister in a particular place within the body of Christ as well. A healthy body requires that each member do its part well. A healthy church requires the same (Romans 12:3-21, 1 Corinthians 12-14): members who are sacrificially committed and well-equipped to do the works of service that God has prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).
At Grace Church, therefore, we believe there are many benefits to clearly identifying those who are members of the fellowship. Those who are interested in exploring whether our fellowship is the one that God would have them to join are invited to register for a short online class. Here, we explain more about our church, what we believe and how we seek to serve the Lord and one another. There is no obligation to proceed to membership if you register and take the class (though we hope you will!), but it will give you a clearer understanding of whether we may be the right fellowship for you!