At GracePointe we practice membership as an essential part of discipleship, care and church health. Membership defines the relationship between a Christian and GracePointe Church, identifying who the leaders are responsible for and to, and who accepts responsibility for the church. This relationship is rooted in the gospel, a shared conviction of essential truths and a commitment to mutual care, support, and accountability to accomplish the church’s mission.

Our church’s mission is to bring glory to God by making disciples who love God and love people. We seek to accomplish that as a team by gathering together for biblically rich and Christ-centered worship. Growing together as disciples of Jesus in smaller groups. Building up the body of Christ by serving together with our talents, time, and resources. And going into our community and world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The form that membership takes varies from church to church, but the function should be the same. In 1 Peter 5, the apostle Peter instructs the leaders of the church to shepherd the flock of God among them. In this instruction, we see that the leaders have a group of people that they are responsible for shepherding or caring for. To do that well, the leaders need to know who is a member of the church. Our membership process enables us to know who considers themself a member of this church. In Ephesians 4, the apostle Paul explains that the leaders of the church are to equip the “saints” for the work of the church. Our membership process enables us to know who the ones are that we should be equipping and empowering to serve in the church. Our membership process enables us to know how to implement the principles of church discipline found in Matthew 18 and 1 Corinthians 5. Our membership process helps the leaders know who they will answer to God for, as described in Hebrews 13, and whom the leaders are to dedicate their time to praying for, as described in James 5.

We don’t believe someone needs to be super spiritual to be a member. Rather, they simply need to profess their faith in Jesus, be baptized by immersion, and agree with our church’s statement of faith. The “form” our membership process takes is that we ask that a membership application be filled out and the individual meet with a pastor or elder to formalize the membership. The reality is that in the church today people struggle with commitment, they move from church to church, they get busy and fade away from the church, they move out of town and the result of all of this is confusion about who the church “family members” are, who the church leadership is responsible for and to, and who is accepting responsibility for the health of the church.