IS CHURCH MEMBERSHIP IMPORTANT?

Absolutely! Church membership is vitally important to the life of every believer and to accomplishing Jesus’ mission to make disciples.

The church is a family. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, God expects you to be a member of a church family. A believer without a church family is an orphan. 

SCRIPTURE SAYS THE BODY OF CHRIST IS...

Part of who you are:

• It is a part of what identifies individuals as genuine followers of Christ. (Eph. 2:19; Rom. 12:5)

God’s provision for you:

• It provides you a spiritual family that can support, encourage and care for you in your walk with Christ. (Gal. 6:1-2; Heb. 10:24-25; 1 Cor. 12:26-27)
• It provides you the community and accountability necessary to grow and live in obedience with God’s design for His people. (2 Thes. 3:14-15; Eph. 5:21)

Part of His protection:

• It places you under the spiritual protection of Godly leaders. (Heb. 13:17; Acts 20:28-29; 1 Peter 5:5) 

A place for ministry:

• It provides a means for believers to exercise their individual spiritual gifts, which results in the building up of the body of Christ (Eph. 4:7-16; 1 Cor. 12; Rom. 12).

THE CHURCH EXISTS AS A COVENANT COMMUNITY

When you join a church, you are entering into a covenant with the church. You are making a commitment to love and serve the church body. Belonging is not just about you. It’s about the body of people you belong to and how you will mutually support them, and they will support you. 

In covenanting with its members, you agree to serve, minister to, and care for other members. In addition, you allow the church to care for you both physically and spiritually. In covenanting with the leadership, you allow godly leaders to care for you by looking after both your physical and spiritual needs. The scriptural picture is shepherds (leaders) caring for a flock.

HOW DO I BECOME A MEMBER?

Those desiring to become a member of Eastridge Baptist Church may present themselves in any of the following ways:

• By receiving Jesus Christ as a Savior and Lord and following Jesus in believers’ baptism.
• On promise of a letter of good standing from another church of like faith and order
• By their statement of having been converted and scripturally baptized by immersion
• By proxy, when, for valid reasons, they are unable to present themselves as candidates for membership

All candidates are to be presented to the church at a public worship service where their intent to join the church will be recognized and welcomed. Their names then will be presented to the church at a subsequent church conference¹for a formal vote of the body.

Should a member of the church raise a question concerning the candidate’s desire for membership, the issue will be referred privately to the leadership for consideration and review. The leaderships’ recommendation will be brought before the church at a subsequent church conference.

A three-fourths vote of the church members present at the church conference is required for membership in the church.

¹Church conference: The church will be considered to meet in “conference” in any meeting that has been publicly announced for such purpose. Further, the church may be “called into conference” at any regularly scheduled meeting in which a “quorum”² of members is present.

²Quorum: Ideally, a majority of the membership will be present at regularly scheduled meetings or at a “called church conference.” However, if a majority is not present, the leadership present may declare a “quorum” if a representative portion of the church body is present.

WHAT DO I DO AFTER I BECOME A MEMBER?

It is our expectation that you would contribute to the mission and vision of the church in several ways.

• Give — Our giving is connected to the mission of God. While God can accomplish His mission apart from our monetary resources, He has not chosen to do so. In fact, when we give, we actually participating in God’s mission (Mal 3:6-12; Ga. 6:6, 1 Cor. 9:14, 1 Ti 5:17; Jas 1:27; 3 Jn. 5-8). It is our expectation, then, that you support the church financially.
  How much should you give? A set percentage is not outlined in Scripture for those under the New Covenant. Instead, several guidelines are given. In Scripture, we learn that we should give cheerfully (2 Cor. 9:7), proportionally (1 Cor. 16:1-2), regularly (1 Cor. 16:2), and sacrificially (2 Cor. 8:1-5).
• Serve — To be an effective church, we need every member to be actively involved in one or more areas of ministry (1 Cor. 12; Rom. 12:3-8). It is our expectation, then, that you use your spiritual gifts to serve the church.
• Connect — As a body of believers who exists in a covenant relationship with one another, we must gather together on a regular basis to encourage one another in our faith (Heb. 10:23-25). It is our expectation that you regularly attend worship services and participate in the small group ministries of the church.