Membership has its privileges; at least that's what the old commercial said. The credit card company offers cash back to cardholders; the country club discounts rounds of golf for those paying dues; the coffee shop gives free beverages to loyal customers on their birthdays; and the gym lets members use all of the equipment as often as they like. The United Methodist Church, though, is a different kind of organization.
Why we're members
"We joined the church. 'Why?' you might ask. Because I love the love. You feel it every time you walk into the church, or a member calls you, or you are asked to help out… And at Grace they love everyone, even a 23-year-old with the challenge of Autism and his crazy parents. Come, join us. You will be loved just the way you are," writes Glenda Haley.
Glenda & Tim Haley are members of Grace United Methodist Church in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Photo courtesy of Glenda and Tim Haley.
When performing at its best, the church focuses its attention and resources more on non-members than members. The mission statement of The United Methodist Church is "to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world" (The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church ¶120). This reminds us that while we seek to make members, our ultimate purpose is for the benefit of the whole world.
Church membership, then, is not about privileges like assigned pews, having say in important church decisions, or getting to the front of the line at potluck suppers. Rather it is a call to participate as part of a fellowship of followers of Jesus Christ who seek to make the world more like the Kingdom of God.
The Rev. Wilfried Nausner, Superintendent of The United Methodist Church in Albania and Macedonia, expressed it this way, "The task of any particular church and its members is to form the body of Christ. But it is not our task to make good members… Nobody can love the church in general or the universal church. It has always to be our neighbor that comes first."
Our membership ritual, part of the Baptismal Covenant, reflects these values.
A commitment to Christ
Those desiring to become professing members of a United Methodist congregation respond to a series of questions. They are first asked to renounce wickedness, evil, and sin, and to accept the freedom and power of God to resist evil, injustice, and oppression. Then they are asked if they confess Jesus Christ as their Savior, and trust and serve him as their Lord. The next question asks each to promise to remain a faithful member of Christ's church, and to serve as his representative in the world. Then, together with the congregation, all profess the Christian faith as contained in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, based on the Apostles' Creed.
Then there are two questions about church membership.
Why I'm a member
"Saint John's has been there for me through everything. My grandmother passed away and it was a really tough time. But the church helped my whole family get through it. It's the stuff like that, not the sanctuary or the pipe organ or the fancy lights in the Family Life Center, that matter; it's the community of people that come together to learn about God and be there for each other," writes Shawn Kasik.
Shawn Kasik is a member of St. John's United Methodist Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Photo courtesy of Shawn Kasik.
- As a member of Christ's universal Church, will you be loyal to Christ through The United Methodist Church, and do all in your power to strengthen its ministries?
- As members of this congregation, will you faithfully participate in its ministries by your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your service and your witness?
Connected globally
Question 1 is about becoming a member of The United Methodist Church, a global web of local congregations. We describe this relationship as connectional. All members of every congregation are joined to all others across the globe, which is an exciting part of what it means to be the church.
Though we may never meet one another, nor each person who directly benefits from many United Methodist ministries around the world, we are making great things happen. Lives are being changed in ways no one of us, nor any single congregation, could do on our own. Being a connectional church makes ministry work possible, from global health to disaster recovery to missionaries to evangelism.
Connected locally
Question 2 asks new members to commit to the people with whom they worship every Sunday. We vow to be part of the body of Christ in our local community, and to support it well. We pledge to think less about our individual desires and more about the good of the whole.
We live into this vow when we teach a Sunday school class, serve as an acolyte or usher, or stand shoulder-to-shoulder working on a local mission project. We fulfill our promise by serving on committees, giving a portion of our income, and setting up tables and chairs. We are faithful when we support one who is struggling, visit another in the hospital, and support others in grief.
All in this together
When the new members finish their vows before the congregation, the worshipers then renew those same vows as a sign of our commitment to one another.
In this section of the service, the pastor asks the congregation to do all in their power to support the new members. When the members respond to this invitation, they renew their promise to faithfully participate in the ministries of the Church by our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness, that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ."
In some circles, it is popular to talk about church membership as optional. The Christian faith though, was never intended to be a solo journey. The first followers of Jesus came together for teaching, meals, prayers, and more (Acts 2:42).
The same is true today. We are better together as part of a local congregation. We are better together as part of a worldwide church.
Membership may have its privileges, but in The United Methodist Church, our commitment to Christ and one another is far more important.
Joe Iovino is Director of Member Communications at United Methodist Communications. He may be reached at jiovino@umcom.org.
This story was first published on June 9, 2015. It was updated February 28, 2023.
