We are excited about what God is doing and celebrate his grace in our lives at Light in the Desert. Lately, I’ve had many, deeply encouraging conversations with individuals pursuing membership. Many have asked what the membership process is and why it is a process? Please take a few minutes to read the answer to that question below.
Membership within a local body of believers is essential to help us grow into mature followers of Christ. The bible is vocal on these issues offering us insight on the who and what of the church. Here at LITD, we have worked hard to let scripture guide our understanding of church and then let it drive our practice in becoming a member. Therefore, we ask that an individual interested in membership would:
First, attend a Prospective Members Class. This class is designed to give a thorough look at what we believe, what is a church and why join, and lastly, cover all the nuts and bolts of LITD. This class usually runs once a quarter on a Saturday from 8-12. The class is an informative conversation about the Bible’s perspective on “all things church” and helps us understand how theology meets everyday life.
Second, someone pursuing membership would need to set up a Membership Talk with a leader. Though this might sound intimidating, it is one of the more fruitful things we do around here. This is a casual conversation designed to:
- Hear your conversion story and rejoice with you
- Answer any questions you have about the church
- State agreement with our Statement of Faith and Church Covenant
- Make you aware of service opportunities
- See how we can better serve you
Third, the individual would prepare their testimony to share at the next members’ meeting. This is designed to encourage the body by seeing God’s grace on display and help us serve each other better by understanding what each individual has endured throughout life. We deeply desire to be a local gathering that consistently practices the “one another’s” of scripture and sharing our testimonies is our best effort in accomplishing the ongoing help we all need from one another. Once the testimony is prepared, then it would be shared at a members’ meeting to be formally received into membership.
It is our desire that this process would reflect a biblical perspective of the local gathering and, most importantly, bring a body of believers together who glorify God by making disciples who love God supremely, love others sacrificially, and share hope through the gospel of Jesus Christ to all peoples.