Reception of New Members:  Sunday, September 22^nd.

Please speak to Pastor Monica if you would like more information about joining the church.

What is membership?

Most of us are familiar with the idea of membership because of our involvement in clubs or teams or even joining a local gym.  At its most basic level, membership means that you belong, that you’re connected, that you’re a part of things.

Most people don’t know that membership is a concept that originates with the Church.  The apostle Paul was the first one to refer to people who put their trust in Jesus as “members of the body”.  He said that the way we relate to one another and are connected to one another in Jesus was just like how the parts of our bodies relate to and are connected to one another.  Like the parts of the body we’re different, but we need each other to be the church that Jesus intends us to be.  Another metaphor the Bible uses to describe the church is “the family of God”.  That implies both connection and relationship as well.  So, on one level, membership is simply about saying “I’m connected.  I belong.”  The basis of that connection though is something much deeper than, for instance, being part of a club.

What connects us in the church is our relationship to Jesus.  When we claim that relationship, we not only bind ourselves to Jesus, but also to Jesus’ people.   Membership in the church therefore also involves a claim of faith – a readiness to say that we belong to Jesus, that He is our Saviour and Lord.