One of the most counter-cultural things you can do is become an engaged member of a faithful local church
How can I become a member of Engage?
Becoming a member at Engage is currently a two-step process (although we anticipate this changing slightly once we have internal elders):
Attend “Engaging With Engage” Workshop – In which we go over the distinctive beliefs about the church and being a member within it in order to have all of the information necessary to make an informed decision about joining.
Membership Interview – The prospective member would later meet with pastor Sean or another leader and ask any questions they might have to make an informed decision about joining the church. The prospective member would then sign the statement of faith and church covenant.
What does membership entail?
- The members of a church should be Christians. In Acts those who believed the gospel were added to the church (Acts 2:41, 47). Paul’s letters to churches are letters to Christians (Rom. 1:7, 1 Cor. 1:2). While no church will be able to perfectly discern who is and is not a Christian, every church should open its membership only to those who credibly profess faith in Christ.
- The members of a church should be regular attenders. Church membership helps the church to oversee the lives of her members. If someone doesn’t regularly attend it becomes difficult to consider them a part of the church community.
- Members view the church as their primary context for fellowship and ministry. The New Testament is full of “one anothers” that were written to the members of local churches. That is to say that it is impossible to live out the Bible’s commands for Christian ministry to other believers without regularly gathering together with them. That’s not to say that Christians shouldn’t fulfill those commands among Christians in other churches as occasion arises. But the New Testament envisions Christians fulfilling those commands primarily among a concrete group to whom they are accountable (e.g. 1 Cor. 12).
- The members of a church should have certain biblical privileges and responsibilities. The members of a local church should have the privilege of being admitted to the Lord’s Supper. They also have the responsibility to:
- Pray for the church.
- Be in transparent relationships with other church members in which they care for, encourage, teach, and learn from each other (Eph. 4:15-16).
- Submit to the church’s leadership and teaching (Heb. 13:17).
- Promote unity in the body (Eph. 4:3).
- Financially support the church’s ministry (Gal. 6:6).
- Use the spiritual gifts God has given them to build up the body however they can (1 Cor. 12:7).
Additional Resources:
Church Covenant
Engaging with Engage (Handout)
Membership Application
2022 Proposed Budget