What is Church Membership?

Church membership is about submitting to one another and representing Jesus Christ together in the local church. The Bible teaches that membership in a local church is one of the most basic ways that Christians follow Jesus. The New Testament points us toward a clearly defined church membership for our building up, accountability, and encouragement in faith. Membership in our church is a step by step process enumerated below.

Membership Process

  1. Membership Series: Anyone interested in joining with us in membership must first listen to our 13-week Wednesday night series called, "Church Defined." This will walk you through our understanding of the Bible's teaching on church membership. 
  2. Pastoral Interview: After you have listened to "Church Defined," if you are still interested in joining EBC, the candidate will schedule an interview with a pastor by filling out the Pastoral Interview Request form. Please don’t be intimidated by this. It’s simply an opportunity for us to get to know each other, and for us to hear about how you came to follow Jesus.
  3. Congregational Affirmation: After you have listened to "Church Defined," and met with a pastor, our congregation will gather at our regularly scheduled members’ meeting to evaluate each applicant on the recommendation of the pastor that conducted the interview. The reason we do this is that you’re not just making a commitment to a pastor; you’re committing to love, care for, and serve an entire church community, and that church community is making the same commitment to you. It is one way we remind ourselves of the amazing responsibility we have — and honor — to care for one another.
  4. Signing the Church Covenant: We believe membership in a local church body is meaningful, and it is different than joining a gym. The Bible places on the Christian certain responsibilities as part of Christ's body. As such, we are pledging to God and to each other to live in obedience to His commands by the power of the Holy Spirit at work within us. We have summed these responsibilities up in our church covenant that every new member is required to sign.