Membership

In a culture that's largely allergic to commitment, we love to see people deeply committed to a local church. Jesus is drawing more people to encounter, worship, and serve Him through the local church. We've seen people move from sporadic Sunday attenders into committed community through covenant membership.

Next Membership Class:

July 7th-28th | 9:15-10:15am | 10:02 Room

This summer we’ll be doing a four-week class series on Sundays, during our 9:15am gathering. We did this last year and it was so much fun! Real relationships were formed, great questions were asked, and people had a fuller picture of our mission & vision and how they can be a part of it! This allows us not to have to shorten it or compromise on the content while making it more accessible to everyone! It'll be taught by our elders & pastors, so it's a sweet space to get to know them better and for them to get to know you better! We'll be walking through our core values at Citylight & what membership means!

What's the purpose of membership?

Commitment to a Local Church

Throughout the New Testament, we see those who put their faith in Christ joining themselves to a local body of believers. These bodies are overseen by a group of elders whose roles of shepherding care (1 Timothy 3 & Titus 1)  The Apostle Paul inextricably links faith in Christ to being joined as members to Christ’s body in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31. Each one of us is uniquely gifted and designed to be a part of a larger body of believers. The way we see this practically play out in the lives of Christians is through their covenantal commitment to a local church family.

Body of Believers

Real fellowship is hard work, because most people are a lot like us - selfish, petty, and proud. But that’s the body God calls us to. There's hurt & healing. There's redemption & reconciliation. And it takes commitment. Membership states in a formal way, “I am part of something bigger than myself. I am not just one of five hundred individuals. I am part of a body.” Believers belong to churches.

Accountability

When we join a church we are offering ourselves to one another to be encouraged, rebuked, corrected, and served. We are placing ourselves under leaders and submitting to their authority (Heb. 13:7). We are saying, “I am here to stay. I want to help you grow in godliness. Will you help me to do the same?”

Deep Personal Statement

Church membership is a way of identifying oneself with a local body of believers and of making oneself accountable to proper spiritual leadership. By committing yourself to a church, you have creative initiative and ownership of serving and being an active disciple among others.