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Are you wondering about membership at Central Wesleyan? Maybe you're not sure what it means, or you're wondering what we believe, or you want to take the next step to becoming a member at Central, but you're not sure how. This page will explain all of that, so read on!
How to Become a Member
All you need to do is sign up for our next Participating Membership class! To do so, please contact Joey by email or at 395.3127. Or you can sign up online. In this class (which goes approximately two hours), you'll learn specifically about Central's unique mission, vision and values. We'll talk about what it means to be a Christian with the Holy Spirit actively involved in guiding your life. And we'll discuss the three vital covenants for becoming a Participating Member at Central Wesleyan Church.
Next Membership Class: Sunday, July 29. Sign up!
What Membership Means at Central Wesleyan
So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Romans 12:5 Central Wesleyan Church is known as a safe place for people to hear the "dangerous" message of Jesus Christ. But proclaiming the Gospel alone doesn't make us a church. What makes us a church-not just an evangelistic organization-is that we are a community. We have attenders and visitors, but we also have members. People can belong to our fellowship and they can know they're connected. One might assume that as long as you profess Christ, what is the need for further identification with a local church? Isn't it enough to simply call yourself a Christian and attend services somewhere regularly? What is the point of formal membership?
Three Reasons for Church Membership
We believe there are at least three reasons for having formal membership. First, we believe the concept of membership is biblical. While the term "church member" is never used, the concept is implicit throughout the New Testament. Believers clearly identified themselves with a specific local body and were challenged to become devoted participants. Second, formal membership is valuable to the leaders of the church as they seek to fulfill their God-given task of shepherding. Central Wesleyan attracts a variety of people: those with church backgrounds and those with none, those who are seekers, observers, and guests. We hope that will always be the case. But at some point it is important to identify those who truly comprise the "flock" of Central Wesleyan-the core that can be counted on to build and sustain the ministries of the church. Those are also the committed "family members" who should receive priority in the allocation of finite church resources (as commanded in Galatians 6:10). Finally, and perhaps most importantly, experience shows that membership benefits the individual. In a culture where commitment is no longer highly valued, recognizable membership is an important step that moves each of us out of the vague clouds of our good intentions and into the clear light of committed participation. It presents a challenge to "step out of the stands" and publicly affirm a commitment to Christ and to a specific local body. In this sense, membership can be a significant "defining moment" in one's lifelong discipleship journey.
"Positional" and "Participating"
But how exactly do you define a "member"? This is a legitimate question and it needs some clarification, since the Bible actually describes two kinds of "membership." Scripture is full of references to being in union with Christ and His body, which happens at the instant of your conversion (1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 2:13-22, 4:3-6; Colossians 1:13-22). At that moment, you become a "Positional Member" in the universal church of Jesus Christ, based solely on His merit and grace. But then the Bible also urges Positional Members to continue growing by becoming a Participating Member in a specific local assembly (Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12:25-31, 14:12, 26; Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 Timothy 3:14-15). Obviously, you may be a Participating Member of several different local bodies during the course of your lifetime while maintaining a permanent Positional Membership in Christ's universal church. Though we cannot see the invisible bond of Positional Member, we can identify those who are Participating Members here at Central Wesleyan Church.
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