If the church is built brick by brick through weekly preaching the Word of God, then membership is the cement that holds us all together. Both Christ and Paul pointed us toward membership for our encouragement, our protection, and our instruction. We seek to carry out this vision through our five-step process by which to join Woodridge.
Membership Class – All prospective members must attend our Membership Matters class. The curriculum is composed of several classes with material from the book Church Membership: How The World Knows Who Represents Jesus (available here or at the church bookstall). See some of the material we will discuss below:
- Statement of Faith
- Church Covenant
- Why Join a Church?
- Church History
- Outreach & Missions
- Life as a Church
Courses are offered in a Sunday school format periodically throughout the year. Upon completion, those who attended all the classes are able but not obligated to sign up for a membership interview, the third step of the membership process.
Membership Interview – In a 45-minute meeting, the prospective member meets with two elders to provide basic biographical information and recount God’s converting work in his or her life. The prospective member would then sign the statement of faith and church covenant, and the application would go to the elders.
Elder Recommendation – At a regularly scheduled elders’ meeting, the elder will review the applicant’s testimony with the other elders. Upon receiving their collective approval, the candidate’s application proceeds to the next step: congregational affirmation.
Congregational Affirmation - During our members meetings, each applicant briefly describes how the Gospel of Jesus Christ saved them from their sin. Each prospective member must have attended Woodridge for a minimum of six months prior to being voted on. Questions are fielded, a vote is taken, and with a majority secured, candidates are admitted into membership.
“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.”
1 Corinthians 12:12
Sign Up For Our Membership Class
We value church membership and want you to as well. Our Membership Matters class will help you understand the biblical basis for church membership and will help you get to know who we are. The 8-week class is offered periodically throughout the year. It's important that you attend all 8 sessions. If you have to miss any, we will do our best to meet with you to go through the content outside of class. We also recommend purchasing the book Church Membership by Jonathan Leeman for a suggested donation of $6.