Membership Matters
What is Membership?
Membership is the covenant relationship a believer enters into with the local church and vice versa. Membership is a public commitment to Jesus’ flock which allows you to invest in a local church that will teach biblical truth, proclaim the gospel, and spur you on toward Christ and His word.
Why Should I Become a Member?
There are several reasons why a person should become a covenant member in a local church.
Membership allows the church to affirm the validity of a person’s faith. Covenant membership doesn’t make someone a Christian but it does allow for other Christians to watch over the life of a member and the member to watch over the life of other Christians in their church (Gal. 6:1; Heb. 10:24-25).
Membership allows for greater edification of the body of Christ. Members pray for the church, attend regularly, give faithfully, and serve sacrificially so the church may be built up (Eph. 4:11-16).
Membership protects the doctrinal purity of the church, unites Christians in love, and holds believers accountable to live a life pleasing to Christ (Matt. 18:15-20; Heb. 13:17).
By committing to one another as members of the same church, we display the glory of God’s love—a committed, persevering, transforming love—as we imagine it in our lives together, and so bring Him glory.
What Does the Membership Process Look Like?
The first requirement to becoming a member of the Church at Martinsburg is to attend our Membership Matters Workshop. In Membership Matters, we explore the foundational doctrine, core values, and missional philosophy of the church. The class is taught by elders which gives you an opportunity to connect with the pastoral team. Not everyone who attends the workshop moves forward with membership so don't feel as if you are formally committing to the church as soon as you attend. You can attend the workshop to simply learn more about the church and what we believe.
Once you’ve completed Membership Matters, you will decide if you are ready to move forward with the membership process. If so, you will need to meet with an Elder so we are able to hear your individual conversion and baptism stories. Every membership process is unique because each person is unique - sometimes people need further discipleship to understand the gospel, sometimes people need to be baptized, and sometimes people are ready to move forward with membership right away.
