This June we’re hosting a New Members Gatherings at Westminster. This usually happens a few times a year and is a meaningful experience.

So we thought we’d use this post to let everyone know two things. First, what membership means. And second, what members promise when they formally join the congregation.

The Meaning of Membership

At Westminster, we articulate the meaning of membership in three basic ways.

1. Membership means standing up in worship and confirming (a) your faith in Jesus Christ and (b) your loyalty to the Christian faith as expressed in the Apostles’ Creed.
2. Membership means you want to grow as a follower of Jesus.
3. Membership is like saying ‘You can count on me’ as a part of this church.

At the New Members Gathering, we explore the meaning of those three things more specifically and what they mean in practical terms.

The Membership Promises

In light of that, during a Sunday morning, people who join the church answer these two questions:

1. Do you desire, in dependence on the Holy Spirit, to mature as a Christian in the church, to seek the guidance of Christ as you listen for his Word, to celebrate his death and life at the table he provides, and to engage in his mission to the world?
2. Do you affirm the historic Christian faith as it has been handed on to us in the words of the Apostles’ Creed?

When a person answers yes to these questions, these are their promises.

Although we live in a highly individualistic society, and although it can be tempting to approach the church casually like consumers looking for a spiritual product, Christ calls us to be a community together. Churches are founded on and by him (See Matthew 16:13-20). And in 1 Corinthians 12:12 Paul writes, “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all it’s parts form one body, so it is with Christ.”

If you’re already a member at Westminster, reflect on how you are or aren’t living out your promises to Christ’s church.

And if you’re considering membership, pray about how God might be inviting you into this meaningful experience.

To link to our event page for the June 10 New Members Gathering click here.