Question of the Week #11: What is our approach to Membership?
This is another one of those big questions, with lots to unpack. I know that many of us will have all sorts of baggage when it comes to the subject of membership. Maybe you’ve experienced overly legalistic membership processes or seen the whole concept abused in the past. I get it. I’ve see it too.
It actually took me a long time to come around to the idea that actually, membership can be really helpful. So let’s unpack that a bit.
Firstly, let me say this: membership at Centre Church isn’t about rules, pressure, or religious hoops. It’s a statement of intent. It’s saying, “Yes” to Jesus, “Yes” to walking in community with this expression of the body of Christ, and it’s a way of saying, “hey, I’m IN.”
It’s really helpful for a few reasons: first, it’s really helpful for us as leaders to know who we’re caring for pastorally, and it helps us to make sure we’re all on the same page practically and theologically as we press forward into all God has for us together.
The two questions most people want to know are this: What’s does it involve, and what’s in it for me? The first question sort of answers the second to a certain extent.
So membership involves three simple things:
1) A commitment to Jesus. We want you to be a follower of Jesus before you can be a member here at Centre Church.
2) We want you to AGREE with core doctrines, and SUBMIT to secondary doctrines.
In other words, there are some things, like who Jesus is, that are non-negotiables for us. But there are other areas, like, say, our views of creation or the end times or a whole host of other issues, that we’re happy to disagree on, as long as you aren’t ACTIVELY PREACHING AGAINST our position as a church. So agreement with primary doctrines, submission to secondary doctrines. We deliberately don't have a list of what we'd call primary and secondary doctrines, because we’d much rather than with you in person about it.
And the THIRD thing we’re looking for is a desire to be a part of a CULTURE of discipleship. In other words, you’re saying, “hey, yeah, I trust the elders to shepherd me, and I give them permission to speak into my life if I’m off track.” At the same time, you’re also saying, “I agree to help lead others in this church family to Jesus, too.” It’s a CULTURE of discipleship – we’re all discipling each other.
That’s it. Commitment to Jesus, submission to doctrine, and agreeing to a culture of discipleship.
There’s no course to complete. No test to pass. No long list of expectations or giant contract or covenant to sign. Just one tiny page.
WHY would you want to be a member? What’s in it for you?
Well, our desire is that any key leadership positions are filled by people that are members. We want our leaders to be on the same page. Second, only our members can be a part of our annual meeting, which probably makes sense, right? Those meetings aren’t for newcomers who are just checking out the church; they’re for the people who are deeply engaged in church life. And honestly, that’s pretty much it. I want to remind you: Membership isn’t about joining a club. It’s about committing to a family. And it’s essentially a statement of family. Now, don’t get me wrong – we’ll still love you just the same regardless of whether you’re a member or not, but it is a massive blessing to know that you’re invested on this journey with us!
If you’re interested in finding out more about membership, come chat to me on a Sunday. We’ve got a little membership booklet ready to give you – honestly, it’s very short and it looks more like a magazine than a formal document, so don’t worry. It’s pretty chilled!
See you for next week’s question of the week! If you have any questions you’d love for us to cover, contact us as info@wearecentrechurch.ca
