Becoming a Member

Membership in a local church is an essential part of being a disciple of Christ. Here are three reasons why we think every Christian regularly worshipping with us should be a member of True Way.

1. For Pastoral Care

Christ instituted the church as a means of pastoral care. As a member of a local church, you’ll receive the care and oversight of a pastor. Hebrews 13:17 says, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”

Two groups of people are being addressed:

Christians – to obey and submit to the leaders of their church
Church leaders – to be accountable to God for how they have guarded the souls of their flock

How can these leaders guard their flock if they don’t know who the members of their flock are, or if the flock does not submit to their leadership? We encourage you to come under the care of our pastors by becoming a member of True Way. It communicates to the congregation and to the leaders, “I want to be shepherded.”

2. As a Commitment to Love

Again and again, the New Testament stresses the importance of loving one another (John 13:34). We read of various ways to express Christian love, such as “forgive each other” (Ephesians 4:32), “bear with one another” (Colossians 3:13), “encourage one another” (1 Thessalonians 5:11), “exhort one another” (Hebrews 3:13).

At True Way we think that loving our fellow Christians involves committing to love a local Christian community. We need to love others in the context of commitment so that we can reduce the risk of loving only when we want to and moving on when we start getting sick of the people around us.

It’s like marriage. For love to flourish in a church, commitment must come first. Not only is committed love expressed in showing up regularly (Hebrews 10:24–25), it’s also expressed in the covenant of formal membership, when candidates pledge commitment to their community. Within this context of commitment, relationships have the confidence to flourish and love the room to blossom.

3. To Follow the New Testament Believers

Consider two New Testament passages that assume church membership:

Jesus said,
If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. (Matthew 18:15-17)
Here the process assumes that there is a definable group that constitutes the church, and that the members of this group are responsible for holding one another accountable.

The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church,
What have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” (1 Corinthians 5:12-13)
This instruction suggests that a formal entity exists from which a member may be removed.

These passages indicate that church membership was a precedent set by the earliest Christians even at the time of the New Testament’s writing.

Membership in True Way

Types of Membership

Members of True Way fall under two categories.

1. Baptised in infancy

True Way baptises children on the condition that at least one of their parents is a communicant member. Such children are regarded as members but may not receive Holy Communion until they profess their faith at confirmation.

2. Communicant members

Members who were baptised as adults or confirmed subsequent to infant baptism are regarded as communicant members, subject to the session’s recognition. The minimum age for adult baptism or confirmation in True Way is 13. Communicant members may receive communion, but they must reach the age of 21 before they can vote in congregational meetings, and stand for office in the church.

Transfer of Membership

Baptised believers who wish to transfer their membership to True Way must request a letter of transfer from the congregation of which they were a member and attend our membership classes. They may then be received as communicant members, subject to the session’s recognition.

Obligations

Communicant members must

Regularly and sincerely pray and study the Bible
Attend the church’s services and congregational meetings
Support the church’s work and do good in society
Spread the gospel, edify their family, and bring their children for baptism
Exercise mutual love and refrain from forming factions and creating strife
Abide by the constitution of the church and accept the church’s decisions

Church Discipline

The church’s leaders are required to visit members who have disregarded their membership vows without adequate reason, and who have, for a year, failed to attend corporate worship or undertake their other responsibilities. If the situation persists, such members will be placed on the inactive list.

If a member deliberately disobeys the teachings of the faith, the church is required to warn the member and suspend him or her from receiving communion.

If exhortation proves fruitless and there appears to be no hope of restoration, the session must request the permission of the presbytery to excommunicate the member.

Inactive members who return to church or excommunicated members who are repentant may have their rights as communicant members restored by the session.

Now What?

Become a Member

If you’re interested in becoming a member,
contact us and we’ll be glad to talk!