"…to the praise of the glory of His grace…" Ephesians 1:6

Becoming a Member

Membership is an important component of the kind of community built by God. It is a sense of family – a togetherness and commitment we experience that transcends all natural bonds. It is not based on common backgrounds, socio-economic status or hobbies but is experienced because of our commonality in Jesus Christ. We believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ and His work of bringing people together into His family produces relationships that would never exist apart from the truth and power of the gospel – either because of the depth of care and love for each other or because two people in relationship have little in common except Jesus.  The community of the church makes the gospel visible and while the community is never the central thing – God always is! – the church is one of the primary ways we are given to perceive His glory. Ephesians 1:23  and Ephesians 3:10 tell us that the body of Christ is the fullness of God and the most visible manifestation of God’s glory in this present age.

While the Bible doesn’t specifically use the term church membership, we believe it is implied in the teaching on church discipline and church leadership in places like (Matthew 18, 1 Corinthians 5, Hebrews 13, etc.). There may be different ways to express this commitment to one another but at least one significant way is through church membership.

If you are interested in learning about becoming a member of Springs of Grace Bible Church there are two options. You may fill out the church membership application on this website, or you can request a paper copy from one of our elders.  The elders will review the application for membership by reading through your application and praying together for you. At least one of the elders will then set up a meeting with you to discuss and answer any questions you might have and to make sure we are in agreement as to what is meant by membership at Springs of Grace. Then we present you to the church body (usually at a communion service) where you will be given the opportunity to publicly express your commitment to the giving and receiving of the “one anothers” of Scripture with this church family and express your commitment to submit to the leadership of the church as they are subject to the Word of God. Submission to leaders at Springs of Grace reflects those areas where the Bible speaks clearly and where counsel and leadership lines up with the teaching of the Bible. Following your public affirmation, the church family will be given the opportunity to express to you their desire to give and receive the “one anothers” of Scripture with you and welcome you into this church family. Another option for someone considering membership at Springs of Grace is to attend a new member class. These are held periodically and provide additional information about the history, doctrine, mission and vision of the church. Following attending the class you would go through the other steps outlined above.

Note, the “One Anothers of Scripture” referenced in the application is found on the next page. If you have any questions, please speak with one of the staff or elders about church membership.

X