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One might wonder, as long as you profess faith in Christ, what is the need
for any further identification with a local church? Isn't is enough simply
to call yourself a Christian and attend services regularly? What is the point
of formal membership?
It is true that believers in Christ all over the world are united as full members
of the body of Christ. As such, we have an invisible, unbreakable bond that links
us to Christ and to each other. But participating membership is about making the invisible visible;
the abstract concrete. Here are three reasons why SHCC offers Participating Membership:
- Participating Membership is Biblical. Believers in the New Testament clearly identified themselves with
a specific local group of believers and were challenged to become committed participants.
(Romans 12:4-1; 1 Corinthians 12:25-31; 14:12, 26; 1 Timothy 3:14-15; Hebrews 10:24-25)
- Participating Membership Benefits the Church. At some point, it is important to identify
the core that can be counted on. Membership is one measure the leaders of our church use to determine
whether we're accomplishing the church's mission of helping seekers find and follow Christ.
- Participating Membership Grows the Individual. It's an important spiritual step that moves each of
us out of the vague clouds of our good intentions and into the clear light of committed participation.
The membership process can be a significant "defining moment" in a Christian's lifelong
discipleship journey.
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Membership Questions? Call (512) 288-8000 or e-mail Marcia Schott
to register for the next Discovering SHCC class.
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