Membership At UBC

Membership at Union Baptist Church is both a privilege and a responsibility.  By choosing to be a member at UBC, you are professing your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.  You are also committing to love and serve God and this local church.  We consider our congregation a family of faith.  That means that we lovingly support and help one another, while also seeking to bless the world around us.  What a privilege to serve alongside like-minded believers that want to grow in Christ, grow our church family, and grow the kingdom of God.  


Through UBC, we seek serve one another and our community, while reaching out to the world with the gospel of Jesus.  Within this family of faith we find belonging, incredible joy, needed encouragement, shared ministry, and practical and biblical instruction, God richly blesses this sharing of life.  We strive to serve God together while we grow as individuals, as families, and as the body of Christ.

How To Become A Member

at Union Baptist Church

1.    By Salvation

While salvation can happen anywhere, we are scripturally commanded to make a public profession of that faith. 

 

a.    When a person comes to know Jesus, we present them to our church family in one of our public services so that we can celebrate with them, while partnering with them for their growth.

b.    Whenever possible, this new believer will make plans to be baptized (by immersion).

c.    This new believer will also fill out the Membership Questionnaire, as well as be interviewed by a Pastoral Staff member and a Deacon.  This document helps us look for ways to assist you in spiritual growth.

d.    The New believer is then encouraged to attend New Christians class, where they will learn the basics of how to live as a new follower of Jesus.

e.    This new believer is encouraged to attend the Membership Class, which is offered at least twice per year.

f.     This new believer will also be connected to a small group, or a life group, to provide deeper spiritual growth and much needed fellowship.

 

 

2.    By Transfer of Letter (membership)  

This is when a person has already made a profession of faith and been baptized (by immersion) as a testimony of that faith at a church of like faith. Our church will then notify the other church of their new membership.

 

a.    If this is done during a worship service, then we gather basic information at that time, present their interest to our church to affirm their decision.

*If not done during a worship service, we still gather basic information, and later present their interest to the church during a time of public worship.

b.    They will receive the Membership Questionnaire.  Upon its completion, the person(s) will be interviewed by a Pastoral Staff member and a Deacon. This document helps us look for ways to assist you in spiritual growth, as well as encouraging areas of service.

c.    This new member is encouraged to attend the Membership Class, which is offered at least twice per year.

d.    This new member will also be connected to a small group, or a life group, to provide deeper spiritual growth and much needed fellowship.

 

3.    By Statement of Prior Faith &       

        Baptism

This is when a person has become a new believer at another church of like faith and been baptized (by immersion). This is often from a church that does not use official membership, or from a church that is no longer in ministry.

 

a.    If this is done during a worship service, then we gather basic information at that time, present their interest to our church to affirm their decision.

*If not done during a worship service, we still gather basic information, and later present their interest to the church during a time of public worship.

b.    After receiving the Membership Questionnaire and completing it, the person(s) will be interviewed by a Pastoral Staff member and a Deacon. This document helps us look for ways to assist you in spiritual growth, as well as encouraging areas of service.

c.    This new member is encouraged to attend the Membership Class, which is offered at least twice per year.

d.    This new member will also be connected to a small group, or a life group, to provide deeper spiritual growth and much needed fellowship.


*Our Staff would be glad to answer any questions about membership.

Do I Really Need To Be A Church Member?

From an article by author Thom S. Rainer


Church membership, then, is a declaration that you are a part or a member of a greater whole. It is self-sacrificing and not preference-seeking. Here are five reasons why church membership is vital to the health of the church and those who decide to join a church. 


1. Church membership is a formal declaration of your commitment to a local body of believers. 

You are letting other members and church leaders know that you are committing to exercise your God-given gifts and roles within a local congregation. You are more than an attendee who comes and goes without commitment.


2. Church membership identifies you as a person who is under the care and pastoral ministry of the church. 

Ministry leaders cannot care for everyone who is in and out of the church. Their responsibility is to the clearly identified members of the church. Paul told the elders of the church at Ephesus in Acts 20:28: “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock – his church, purchased with his own blood – over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders” (NLT). The leaders cannot shepherd the flock unless they know who the flock is.

 

3. Church membership is a commitment to come under the authority of the leadership of the church. 

A church member is not only under the shepherding ministry of the church, they are also under the authority of the leaders of the church. And though church discipline should be rare, the concept of church discipline by the leadership affirms and complements the concept of church membership. You cannot be disciplined from something unless you have committed to be a part of something.

 

4. Church membership is an affirmation of the church’s beliefs and doctrine. 

It is not unusual for churches to have attendees who don’t fully affirm a church’s doctrine. Church membership, therefore, becomes a statement of affirmation that you identify with both the church and her members in what the church believes. One of the reasons many churches do not let non-members teach is that they have not committed to the church’s beliefs.


5. Church membership is a commitment to serve. 

When you become a part or member of a church, you are affirming the 1 Corinthians 12 metaphor that you will be a functioning member of the body. Read again verses 12-27 for a clear picture that the body of Christ, the church, is to be comprised of functioning or serving members. For sure, many people will attend our churches. But those whom God leads to become members are affirming that they have a functioning role in the church. 

 

Conclusion

Do I really need to be a member of a church? Absolutely. From Acts 2 to Revelation 3, the New Testament is about the

local church in one way or another. The local church is God’s plan A for his ministry on earth, and He did not leave us with

a plan B.

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