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Membership Expectations
Official “membership” in the church is a very
personal thing at CUMC. We encourage people to consider membership as an important step on their spiritual journey, but it needs to come at a time when it “seems right” and people are “ready.” In our
week-to-week life together as a church family, we don’t make much of a distinction between those who have officially become “members” and those who actively participate in the life of the community but are not
yet members. (There are a few occasions when legally only members can vote, but these occur infrequently.)
Becoming a “member” of the church is publicly declaring one’s own personal faith in the grace
of God, revealed in Christ, as the central and final truth of all Life. It is pledging one’s allegiance to the purposes of God for our world. It is taking one’s place in the family of God and affirming that one
can be counted on by this local community of faith.
Whenever we talk about church membership, people frequently ask about expectations. "What 's expected of members of the church?" Or, "If
I become a member, what am I getting myself into?"
The vows of membership — that is, the questions that are asked when people are received into membership — ask people to promise to
support the church by their prayers, their presence, their gifts, and their service. But not everyone finds this an adequate response.
So, I have share here my own expectations of
members of the church. These are my expectations. They are what I expect. Everyone in the church does not expect these same things, and my expectations are not always met. These are not "rules" or
legalistic requirements. But, for what they are worth, they are my expectations, and they may be a helpful amplification of membership vows.
--Larry Thomas, Pastor
1. Worship
The central act of the Christian community is the worship of God. Worship is what makes us a church. Worship is also a community activity, and it's hard for us to be a
real community together unless we are face-to-face present to one another. And Sunday worship is primarily where we come together as the community of faith. This doesn't mean that we can't ever
miss. But is my expectation that consistently we will worship together.
2. Spiritual Journey
The first time we experience the love of God flooding our hearts it is often an awesome and
sometimes an overwhelming experience. But soon we realize that the life of faith is a life-long process — and that God’s hope for us is not just a spiritual experience but growing up into full spiritual
maturity. … I expect that we will be engaged in our own spiritual journeys in some intentional way, formally or informally. The ways we do it are different for different people. But I think we all need to be
growing spiritually.
3. Ministry (Direct Service)
To be a faithful disciple means that we are actively serving others in some direct way. This can take all kinds of forms, both inside and outside the church. The form is not important. But I think Jesus is very
clear that discipleship means service, making a real difference in the lives of other people.
4. Organizational Support
The church is a volunteer organization. We have a few staff
persons, but their jobs are really to help organize the work of the rest of us. The church only works when all of us chip in and help make the church organization work. This may be serving on a committee
or helping out on workdays or teaching Sunday school or working on some special project.
5. Financial Support
Each of us is asked to support the church financially, in proportion to our
financial resources. This is both an expression of our gratitude for the love of God and an empowering of God’s mission in the world. Different ones of us have different financial resources and are able to
contribute to the financial support of the church at different levels. What's important is that we all do our part, in proportion to our resources, to support the church financially.
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