What is Church Membership?

At Glory of Christ, we believe wholeheartedly in the concept of church membership. However, we don’t think about it like membership in a health club or a civic club, but rather like being a “member” of a physical body.

Consider 1 Corinthians 12:12-14: “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many.”

Therefore, we believe that membership in a local church makes visible the fact that a person is a member of Christ and of his body.

Thank you for taking the time to read the information on this page. If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact the church office or to call me personally.

For the glory of Christ,
Pastor Charlie
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Reasons for Pursuing Membership

1. Becoming a member of Glory of Christ will help you make visible your commitment to Christ by identifying with a particular portion of the body of Christ. It will help keep you from being an “independent Christian.”
2. Becoming a member of Glory of Christ will increase your effectiveness in service because you will be able to do with others what you cannot do on your own. Logs congregated in a fire burn more brightly than when they’re alone.
3. Becoming a member of Glory of Christ will help you accept responsibility for the part you play in the body of Christ. It will tend to help you shift from being a spectator into being a starting player.
4. Becoming a member of Glory of Christ will help you live in submission to God by living in submission to his design for the church (see Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Peter 1:1-5; Hebrews 13:17).
5. Becoming a member of Glory of Christ will help the church fulfill its legal obligations. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, we are required by law to have some sort of membership that helps conduct the affairs of the church.

The Path to Membership at Glory of Christ

If you are interested in pursuing membership at Glory of Christ, you will need to take the following steps:

1. Complete the membership course which is offered several times per year. Please contact Pastor Charlie ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) to find out when the next course is scheduled.
2. Complete an in-home interview with one or two of the elders of the church. From the elders’ perspective, the purpose of this interview is to get to know you a little better and to ensure that you meet the criteria for membership. From your perspective, the purpose of this interview is to provide a context in which you can ask any questions you may have and get to know the elders a little better.
3. If your interviewing elder(s) recommend you for church membership, you will be presented to the church at a Sunday morning worship service and the current members of the church will vote “yes” or “no.” If you receive a simple majority of votes, you will become a member of the church.

Requirements for Membership

1. We require members to trust in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation, and to submit themselves to Jesus Christ alone as the Lord and leader of their lives.
2. We require members to be baptized by immersion after they have believed in Jesus Christ.
3. We require members to affirm our Member Affirmation of Faith.
4. We require members to affirm and sign a document entitled Our Relational Commitments which spells out our passion for preserving relationships, and our commitment to biblical church discipline.
5. We require members to affirm the mission, vision, values, and general direction of our church.

About Baptism: Why Should I Be Baptized?

1. To follow the example set by Jesus: “In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan” (Mark 1:9).
2. Because Jesus commanded it: “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age’” (Matthew 28:18-20).
3. Because it demonstrates that I am a believer: “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his command-ments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected” (1 John 2:3-5).

What is the Meaning of Baptism?

1. Baptism illustrates our union with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…” (1 Cor. 15:3-4; see Col. 2:11-15).
2. Baptism illustrates my new life as a Christian: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:3-4; see 2 Cor. 5:17).
3. Baptism doesn’t make you a Christian; only faith in Jesus Christ can do that. But baptism is like a wedding ring—it is an outward sign of the inward reality that Christ has become the Lord and Savior of your life (see Eph. 2:1-10).

Why Baptism by Immersion?

1. Because Jesus was baptized by being immersed in the water of the Jordan River (Matt. 3:16-17).
2. Because every baptism recorded in the Bible was by immersion (e.g., Acts 8:36-39).
3. Because the Greek word for “baptize” (baptizo) means “to immerse” or “to dip under water.”
4. Because baptism by immersion best symbolizes our union with Christ in burial and resurrection (Rom. 6:3-4).

“It is certain that immersion was the practice of the ancient church” (John Calvin).

“I would have those who are to be baptized to be entirely immersed, as the imports and the mystery signifies” (Martin Luther).

“‘Buried with Him,’ alludes to baptizing by immersion according to the teachings of the first church” (John Wesley).

What Should I Do?

If you would like to be baptized at Glory of Christ, here’s what you should do:

1. Call the church office to schedule a meeting with one of our elders. In that meeting the elder will…
   
   1. Seek to ensure that you’re trusting in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation and that you’re submitting to him alone as the Lord and leader of your life.
   2. Seek to ensure that you understand what baptism is by walking you through a booklet entitled “Preparing for Baptism”.
   3. If the elder feels you are ready for baptism, he will work with you to schedule a date on which to do so.
2. Once your baptism is scheduled, an elder will guide you through the process of writing out your testimony which will then be read at your baptismal service.
3. We encourage you to invite all your family and friends to your baptismal service, especially those who do not know Jesus Christ.