Membership at Reclamation

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

- Ephesians 4:2

Why Membership Matters

Mark Devers in his book The Nine Marks of a Healthy Church says, “By identifying ourselves with a particular church, we let the pastors and other members know that we intend to be committed in attendance, giving, prayer, and service. We allow believers to have greater expectations of us in these areas, and we make it known that we are the responsibility of the local church.” Without membership it is hard for an elder to know who he is responsible to pastor and hard for a member to know what he is allowed to expect from an elder and from other church attendees. The ask and commitment on every side cannot be assumed but with membership it sets clear expectations of all in the community between one another.

Barna researchers observe strong correlations with positive feelings associated with attendance. “Members are more likely to say they connect with God or personally experience his presence during worship services (most of the time: 72% members vs. 52% non-members) and that they are challenged to change something in their life during worship services (every time: 31% vs. 22%). Members are more likely than non-members to attend worship services (75% vs. 52%) or read their Bible (71% vs. 53%) out of enjoyment. Further, members also report feeling more inspired (73% vs. 57%) and encouraged (74% vs. 59%) by their church services.”

Our Ecclesiology

At Reclamation, we believe that the Scriptures teach that there are three offices for the church: Elders, Deacons/Deaconesses, and Saints.

Elders must meet the prerequisites found in 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:6-9. Our Elders serve as oversight for the Doctrines, Discipleship, & Direction of the church. Those Doctrines are split into different categories: Essential Doctrines which are necessary for salvation, Distinctive Doctrines which must be believed to have a leadership role in the church, and Non-Essential Doctrines which our members and leaders are free to disagree on.

At Reclamation, our Deacons/Deaconesses lead various ministries of the church. Deacons are chosen by Elders, recognized by Members, and must meet the prerequisites found within 1 Timothy 3:8, 11. Deacons oversee and serve the volunteers within those ministries. Those ministries include Worship, Hospitality, Children’s Ministry, Security, Sound Engineering, Evangelism, and Ministry Teams.

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” At Reclamation Church we believe the work of the ministry is to be done by all of who are the covenant people of God. God has prepared more works for us than we can ever possibly fulfill and that it is the responsibility of each member to fulfill what God has created them to do and become.

What it Means to Be a Member

Membership at Reclamation comes with various expectations. We expect members to volunteer and contribute to the work of the ministry taking place both inside the sacramental gathering of the saints on the Lord’s day and outside of the church based on individual callings.

We expect each member to contribute their gifts to the gathering for the sake of building up one another in accordance with 1 Cor 14:26 in both the gathering on the Lord’s day and home groups. In order to fulfill each of these expectations regular attendance would be needed. We ask our members to tithe if they have the ability to do so and to live in accordance with holy living found in Scripture.

How to Become a Member

People seeking to become members at Reclamation can begin the process by going through the online membership course that we have created. The course covers the topics of why membership is important, the doctrines, values, and distinctives of our church, our ecclesiology, and what it means to be a member.

Once people have gone through the course, we create a time for them to meet with some of the elders to bring further clarity and to answer questions. After this meeting, we ask that those who are wanting to become members commit by signing a membership agreement. The final step is for new members to get plugged in by joining a small group, to begin serving, and to use their gifts in our community.

Request Access to Our Membership Course

Click the link below to request access to our online membership course. Once you’ve completed the course, you will have the option of scheduling a meeting with one of our elders to answer any questions you may have and to get to know each other better.