How We Do Church Membership
We’ve talked about why church membership is important, and why it should mean more than just a letter on file or a census number to report.
But how do you make membership matter at your church? What are the nuts and bolts of having a meaningful membership process?
There are probably many different good ways you can do it. But, if you are looking for some ideas, here is how the membership process is handled at Watermark Community Church. We’re not going to guarantee that these are literally the “best” practices possible, but they are the best we’ve come up with over 20 years of trial and error.
Discover
Before people become members, we want them to know what they are signing up for. We want them to understand the heart of our church body and what being a member means.
To explain all of that, we have a one-hour class (which people can listen to online) called Discover Watermark. Attending or listening to the class is the first step of the membership process. It lets people know what the rest of the membership process is like, and gives them the information they need to decide whether they want to become a member. We provide time to answer any questions they may have (including virtual Q&A sessions when needed).
Commit
When someone does decide to become a member, they can do so by agreeing to Watermark’s membership covenant.
Through our membership covenant, members commit to pursue what we call (for ease of remembering) the 4Bs:
1. Belong to His body.
2. Helping others Believe in Christ.
3. Be trained in God’s truth.
4. Be strong in a life of ministry and worship.
Part of that (specifically, the “Be trained” part) includes agreeing with our core beliefs. Also, the membership covenant starts with affirming that the person has “trusted in Christ alone as my Lord and Savior.” You have to be a Christ-follower to live as part of the body of Christ. To make sure people know what that means and have actually trusted Christ, we ask people to share their testimony (both verbally and written) before becoming a member. Having them share their testimony like this gives us a chance to share the gospel with people who are not sure. Understanding their story can also sometimes help us recommend next steps, such as encouraging someone to go through re:generation or suggesting a place for them to serve.
Serve
We believe that members should be on mission with us. They are the church; the church does ministry through them, not to them. We are a battleship, not a cruise ship; members are here to serve, not to be served (Mark 10:45).
To put that into practice, we ask all members to serve either within the church or with one of our partner ministries. There are many different ways to serve, from leading in re|engage to teaching toddlers to praying for our ministries at home. We strive to help people find a place to serve that fits their skills, interests, maturity level, and schedule. For new members, that often means first-serve opportunities that just about any believer can do with little experience or training. Examples of first-serve opportunities include greeting people at the doors or directing cars as part of the parking team. Members who prove themselves faithful and capable in these first-serve opportunities can then be entrusted with leadership roles (1 Timothy 3:10).
Connect
We also ask every member to be in a community group (and every person in a Watermark community group must be a member). There are a couple of reasons for this.
First, it allows all members to shepherd other members. Believers are called to a number of “one anothers” in Scripture (“love one another” (John 13:34), “serve one another” (1 Peter 4:10), “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2), “stir up one another to love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24), etc.). It is hard to do that without knowing each other well and intentionally, regularly spending time together. And if your church has more than a dozen or two members, it becomes difficult to have close relationships with everyone—and easier for someone to intentionally “hide” or accidentally get lost in the crowd. Community groups provide a smaller setting where people can be fully known and cared for.
Community groups are also part of how our Elders shepherd a large church. Much like in Exodus 18, they have appointed trustworthy leaders to oversee a handful of community groups each (Exodus 18:21). These community group shepherds can handle small issues that arise, while sending the bigger questions to the Elders (Exodus 18:22). That is also why people must be members to be in a community group: it puts them under the Elders’ shepherding authority.
Church members are allowed some time to find and form a community group (and we actively help them do so). So, someone can temporarily be a member without being in a community group. But it should be a temporary phase; someone cannot claim to be a member while refusing to be connected to the church body.
Confirm
At the beginning of every year, our membership numbers drop to zero. (Sort of.) We ask all members to confirm that they still want to be on mission with us and are still committed to everything that entails.
So, in January, we send out a 4B assessment to every member. The main point of the 4B form is that it asks people to reaffirm their commitment to being a member of the church. It also allows them to self-assess how they are doing at living out the 4Bs (listed above) and see if there is anywhere they would like to take ground in the new year.
The 4B form itself is not a big ask; it takes 10 minutes or less to fill out. It consists of a couple dozen statements that people can either agree or disagree with. Some have simple yes/no/unsure answer options, while most have a four-point scale (rarely, sometimes, often, almost always). The questions include things like:
- I submit willingly to the leadership God has placed over me at Watermark.
- I pray for the salvation of my non-believing family and friends.
- I read the Bible to understand and apply it to my life.
- I serve in ways that use my God-given gifts and talents.
And the key final yes/no statement:
- I reaffirm my commitment to being a Member of the body of Christ at Watermark Community Church. This includes a recommitment to Watermark's Membership Covenant, to our local ministry and mission, and to being shepherded by this local community of faith.
If a member does not fill out the 4B form (and does not contact us to let us know that they are no longer a member), we reach out to them and try to clarify whether or not they still want to be a member. We try to answer any questions they may have, and see if there are any ways we can still serve and care for them.
Essentials
Again, we’re not saying this is a perfect process. As we tell people at the very beginning of our membership process, we are not a perfect church—but, in Christ, we are on a perfect mission. And the intent of membership is to help us live out our mission to love and care for each other as the body of Christ.
However you handle membership, the essential thing is that it allows your church to do the essential things: living out the “one anothers” of Scripture, giving an account for the people under your care (Hebrews 13:17), and making disciples. If you need to take ground in those areas, updating your membership process can be a good place to start.