Church membership, in
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
, is the state of belonging to a local church congregation, which in most cases, simultaneously makes one a member of a
Christian denomination and the universal
Christian Church.
Christian theologians have taught that church membership is commanded in the
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...
.
The process of becoming a church member varies based on the Christian denomination. Those preparing to become full members of a church are known variously as
catechumens,
candidate
A candidate, or nominee, is the prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position; for example:
* to be elected to an office — in this case a candidate selection procedure occurs.
* ...
s or probationers depending on the Christian denomination and the sacramental status of the individual.
Theology of church membership
Christian theologians such as Bostwick Hawley teach that church membership is commanded in Sacred Scripture, grounding this in the fact that "apostolic letters are addressed to the Churches", "Apostolic salutations are to Churches", "Jesus Christ is the founder of the Church", "authority and power of discipline are vested in the Church", "Believers on earth are a part of the true spiritual Church", the "general Church is the spiritual kingdom of Christ", "Jesus Christ is Head of the Church, and Christians in an organized capacity are the body", "Ecclesia, meaning assembly...designates a Church, or congregation of Christians, having the ordinances of the Gospel and discipline duly administered", and "To the Church belong the ministry, the Scriptures, and ordinances for the perfecting of the saints".
Hawley states that the duty of church membership is taught:
Reformed theologian
Kevin DeYoung
Kevin DeYoung (born 1977) is an American Reformed theologian and author. He is currently the senior pastor at Christ Covenant Church, in Matthews, North Carolina. The church he previously pastored, University Reformed Church (East Lansing, Mich ...
argues that church membership keeps Christians accountable to God.
Missiologist
Ed Stetzer states that membership in the church exemplifies
covenant theology.
Church membership by Christian denomination
Anabaptist
Those who are interested in becoming an
Anabaptist Christian are known as
Seekers
The Seekers, or Legatine-Arians as they were sometimes known, were an English dissenting group that emerged around the 1620s, probably inspired by the preaching of three brothers – Walter, Thomas, and Bartholomew Legate. Seekers considered all ...
. After a person has
attended an Anabaptist church and wishes to join church membership, he or she enters a six-month proving period in which he/she "is instructed in the church beliefs and practices, which may include review of the church guidance and statements of faith, such as
Dordrecht Confession of Faith
The Dordrecht Confession of Faith is a statement of religious beliefs adopted by Dutch Mennonite leaders at a meeting in Dordrecht, the Netherlands, on 21 April 1632. Its 18 articles emphasize belief in salvation through Jesus Christ, baptism, ...
(1633)".
After the proving period, the probationer is
baptized and is accepted as a member of the congregation.
Baptist
In the
Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...
tradition, individuals join the church through a
profession of faith and receiving
credobaptism.
Those who have received believer's baptism in another congregation can simply transfer their membership to another Baptist church through a letter of transfer.
Catholicism
In the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, church membership includes those who have received the sacrament of
baptism
Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...
.
Individuals who have been baptized in another mainstream Christian denomination who wish to be received as a member of the Catholic Church are known as candidates and their reception into the Catholic Church is done through a
profession of faith, followed by the reception of
Holy Communion and
Confirmation.
Those persons who have never received the sacrament of baptism are canonically considered non-Christians and if they are preparing to become a member of the Catholic Church, they are known as
catechumens.
Such persons join the Catholic Church through a process called the
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults
The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), or ''Ordo Initiationis Christianae Adultorum'', is a process developed by the Catholic Church for its catechumenate for prospective converts to the Catholic faith above the age of infant baptis ...
.
This period typically lasts for one year. Subsequent to joining the Catholic Church is a period of
mystagogy
A mystagogue (from el, μυσταγωγός, mystagogos, "person who initiates into mysteries") is a person who initiates others into mystic beliefs, and an educator or person who has knowledge of the sacred mysteries of a belief system. Another ...
, defined as the "journey of growing closer to God and deepening understanding and practice of the faith."
The
Catechism of the Catholic Church notes that a distinction can be made between those people who are members "in a bodily manner" and those "in the heart" of the church, warning that members of the body of the Church who "
onot persevere in charity" cannot be assured of
salvation
Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its ...
.
The ''
Instrumentum laboris'' of the XIII Ordinary General Assembly of the
Synod of Bishops acknowledged that in some parts of the world, the Catholic Church is "witnessing a decline in sacramental and Christian practice among the faithful to the point that some members can even be called 'non-believers' ( gr, άπιστοι, ''apistoi'').
Lutheranism
In the
Lutheran Churches, those raised in the tradition normatively become church members through receiving
baptism
Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...
,
confirmation, and
first communion.
Individuals who are not raised as Lutheran Christians who seek to join church membership undergo a period of instruction in which they attend a class that teaches
Luther's Small Catechism.
Upon completion, they are received into church membership.
Methodism
Traditionally,
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...
connexions descending from the tradition of the
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...
have a probationary period of six months before an individual is admitted as a full member of a congregation.
Given the wide attendance at Methodist
revival meeting
A revival meeting is a series of Christian religious services held to inspire active members of a church body to gain new converts and to call sinners to repent. Nineteenth-century Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon said, "Many blessings may come t ...
s, many people started to attend Methodist services of worship regularly, though they had not yet committed to membership.
When they made that commitment, becoming a probationer was the first step and during this period, probationers "receive additional instruction and provide evidence of the seriousness of their faith and willingness to abide by church discipline before being accepted into full membership."
In addition to this, to be a probationary member of a Methodist congregation, a person traditionally requires an "earnest desire to be saved from
ne'ssins".
In the historic Methodist system, probationers were eligible to become members of
class meetings, where they could be further discipled in their faith.
Catechisms such as ''
The Probationer's Handbook'', authored by S. Olin Garrison, have been used by probationers to learn the Methodist faith. After six months, probationers were examined before the Leaders and Stewards' Meeting (which consisted of
Class Leaders and
Stewards
Steward may refer to:
Positions or roles
* Steward (office), a representative of a monarch
* Steward (Methodism), a leader in a congregation and/or district
* Steward, a person responsible for supplies of food to a college, club, or other inst ...
) where they were to provide "satisfactory assurance both of the correctness of his faith and of his willingness to observe and keep the rules of the church."
If probationers were able to do this, they were admitted as full members of the congregation by the pastor.
Full members of a Methodist congregation "were obligated to attend worship services on a regular basis" and "were to abide by certain moral precepts, especially as they related to substance use, gambling, divorce, and immoral pastimes."
This practice continues in certain Methodist connexions, such as the Lumber River Conference of the Holiness Methodist Church, in which probationers must be examined by the pastor, class leader, and board for full membership, in addition to being
baptized.
The same structure is found in the
African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, which teaches:
The pastor and class leader are to ensure that "that all persons on probation be instructed in the Rules and Doctrines of The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church before they are admitted to Full Membership" and that "probationers are expected to conform to the rules and usages of the Church, and to show evidence of their desire for fellowship in the Church".
After the six-month probation period, "A probationer may be admitted to full membership, provided he/she has served out his/her probation, has been baptized, recommended at the Leaders' Meeting, and, if none has been held according to law, recommended by the Leader, and, on examination by the Pastor before the Church as required in ¶600 has given satisfactory assurance both of the correctness of his/her faith, and of his/her wilingess to observe and keep the rules of our Church."
The
Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection
The Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection (AWMC), originally the Wesleyan Methodist Church (Allegheny Conference), and also known as the Wesleyan Methodist Church (WMC), is a Methodist denomination within the conservative holiness movement prim ...
admits to associate membership, by vote of the congregation, those who give affirmation to two questions: "1) Does the Lord now forgive your sins? 2) Will you acquaint yourself with the discipline of our connection and earnestly endeavor to govern your life by its rules as God shall give you understanding?"
Probationers who wish to become full members are examined by the Advisory Board before being received as such through four vows (on the
New Birth
Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sep ...
,
Entire Sanctification,
Outward Holiness
Outward holiness, or external holiness, is a Wesleyan–Arminian doctrine emphasizing modest dress and sober speech. It is a testimony of a Christian believer's regeneration, done in obedience to God. The doctrine is prevalent among denominations ...
, and assent to the
Articles of Religion) and a
covenant
Covenant may refer to:
Religion
* Covenant (religion), a formal alliance or agreement made by God with a religious community or with humanity in general
** Covenant (biblical), in the Hebrew Bible
** Covenant in Mormonism, a sacred agreement b ...
.
In the
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelic ...
, the process of becoming a professing member of a congregation is done through the taking membership vows (normatively in the rite of
confirmation) after a period of instruction and receiving the sacrament of baptism.
It is the practice of certain Methodist connexions that when people become members of a congregation, they are offered the
Right Hand of Fellowship.
Methodists traditionally celebrate the
Covenant Renewal Service as the
watchnight service
A watchnight service (also called Watchnight Mass) is a late-night Christian church service
A church service (or a service of worship) is a formalized period of Christian communal worship, often held in a church building. It often but not ex ...
annually on New Year's Eve, in which members renew their
covenant
Covenant may refer to:
Religion
* Covenant (religion), a formal alliance or agreement made by God with a religious community or with humanity in general
** Covenant (biblical), in the Hebrew Bible
** Covenant in Mormonism, a sacred agreement b ...
with God and the Church.
Moravian and Hussite
In the
Moravian Church
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, those seeking to become church members normatively do so through
confirmation (as is the case of those raised in the Church).
Those transferring from other mainstream Christian denominations receive the
Right Hand of Fellowship, while non-Christians receive the sacrament of
baptism
Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...
as they enter the Church.
Pentecostalism
Holiness Pentecostalism
The process of becoming a member in churches of the
Holiness Pentecostal
Christian perfection is the name given to theological concepts within some sects of Christianity that purport to describe a process of achieving spiritual maturity or perfection. The ultimate goal of this process is union with God characterized by ...
tradition is similar to that of the
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...
tradition. In the
Fire Baptized Holiness Church of God of the Americas, those persons who have experienced the
New Birth
Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sep ...
are eligible for membership.
Members are required to assent to and adhere to the Fire Baptized Holiness Church's general standards.
Finished Work Pentecostalism
In the
Assemblies of God, a
Finished Work Pentecostal
The Finished Work is a doctrine that locates sanctification at the time of conversion, afterward the converted Christian progressively grows in grace. This is contrary to the Wesleyan doctrine of entire sanctification that locates complete sanctif ...
denomination, church membership is taught as being "in harmony with the whole of New Testament teaching."
Reformed
Continental Reformed
In the
Reformed Church of America, two tiers of membership include Baptized Members and Confessing Members.
Confessing Members are those who "have been baptized and have professed or reaffirmed their faith before a board of elders."
Presbyterian
Individuals who wish to join the membership of the
Presbyterian Church do so through a
profession of faith and
baptism
Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...
(if they have not received the sacrament).
Congregationalist
Those who wish to join
Congregationalist church membership indicate their interest to the
minister who enrolls them in a membership class.
Upon completing the membership class, a board of
deacon
A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...
s approves the names after which they are "received into membership as part of a regular worship service".
See also
*
Church attendance
Church attendance is a central religious practice for many Christians; some Christian denominations, such as the Catholic Church require church attendance on the Lord's Day (Sunday); the Westminster Confession of Faith is held by the Reformed ...
*
Church visible
Church visible is a term of Christian theology and ecclesiology referring to the visible community of Christian believers on Earth, as opposed to the '' Church invisible'' or ''Church triumphant'', constituted by the fellowship of saints and the c ...
*
Covenant theology
*
Conversion to Christianity
References
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Christianity and society
Sociology of religion
Christian practices
Ecclesiology