Membership in the UMC

We offer a class seasonally during the year that is designed to answer the most important and fundamental questions about Baptism and Membership in the United Methodist tradition. It is called Start Here and you can find out more about it here. The following is an overview of what we believe...

Responsibilities of Membership

What do we expect from you?

Attend worship on Sundays unless you are out of town or ill.
Give financially in proportion to your income with the goal of tithing.
Nurture: Every year participate in at least one ministry, outside of worship, aimed at helping you to grow in faith (Sunday School, Bible study, retreats, short-term classes, Bible study at home or in the community, etc.).
Outreach: Service, in the name of Christ, at least once each year through a ministry in the church.
Witness: Live out your faith in the world.

But, you do not have to be a member to participate fully in the life of our church. You can attend worship, participate in outreach, and receive the care of our nurture ministries as a visitors. Membership is a special covenant you enter into with God through the church that signifies your desire to be held to higher expectations.

What is required to join a United Methodist Church?

When persons unite with a local United Methodist Church, they profess their faith in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ his only son, and in the Holy Spirit. They covenant together with God and with the members of the local church to keep the vows that are part of the order of confirmation and reception into the church.

To confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and pledge their allegiance to his kingdom,

To receive and profess the Christian faith as contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments,

To promise according to the grace given them to live a Christian life and always remain faithful members of Christ’s holy Church,

And to be loyal to the United Methodist Church and uphold it by their prayers, their presence, their gifts, and their service.

Faithful membership in the local church is essential for personal growth and for developing and increasing sensitivity to the will and grace of God. As members involve themselves in private and public prayer, worship, the Sacraments, study, Christian action, systematic giving, and holy discipline, they grow in their appreciation of Christ, understanding of God at work in history and the natural order, and an understanding of themselves.

Faithful participation in the corporate life of the congregation is an obligation of the Christian to fellow members of the Body of Christ. A member is bound in sacred covenant to shoulder the burdens, share the risks, and celebrate the joys of fellow members. A Christian is called to speak the truth in love, always ready to confront conflict in the spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation.

A member of the United Methodist Church is to be a servant of Christ on mission in the local and world-wide community. This servant-hood is performed in family life, daily work, recreations and social activities, responsible citizenship, the issues of corporate life, and all attitudes toward other persons. Participation in disciplined groups is an expected part of personal mission involvement. Each member is called upon to be a witness for the Christ in the world, a light and leaven in society, and a reconciler in a culture of conflict. Each member is to identify with the agony and suffering of the world and to radiate and exemplify the Christ of hope.

from “The book of Discipline” of the United Methodist Church