Church Membership

We practice church membership at Vista because the Bible describes Christians as individual believers who are spiritually united to the body of Christ at the same time that we are united to Christ at the moment of our conversion (1 Cor. 12:13).

The Bible tells us that, in God’s plan, the universal, global Church is represented by local expressions called churches (1 Cor. 1:2). The New Testament describes our spiritual growth as depending in large part on the means of grace that God provides us through the local church. So, commitment to a local body of believers is important as we seek to glorify the Lord, fulfill His will, and grow in His grace.

Answering Objections to Church Membership

  1. Membership is a man-made idea
    As Hebrews 13:17 demonstrates, the Bible requires that we quantify who is leading a church and who are the ones following their leadership. Church membership is a helpful way to determine who church leadership is responsible for.

  2. Membership feels “exclusive”
    The appeal is for all believers to become members. We don’t want to exclude anyone who is a genuine Christian. If by exclusive a person means it creates boundaries that identify who’s “inside” the church and who’s “outside,” that is precisely what Paul does in 1 Corinthians 5:12-13.

  3. Membership feels too formal and structured
    S    ome degree of form and structure are necessary to prevent chaos and confusion. The issue is… where and in what areas of ministry does the Bible call for structure and in what areas does it encourage informality?

If you’re still struggling with the idea of church membership, or would like to study the subject more, here are some books we recommend on this topic: Church Membership by Jonathan Leeman, Why Should I Join a Church by Mark Dever, Committing to One Another by Bobby Jamieson.

How Can I Join The Church?

At Vista, we ask that people regularly attend for no less than six months before deciding to commit as members of the church. This gives you the opportunity to get to know us and determine if Vista is the right church home for you. If you’ve been coming six months or more and you would like to officially “join the church”, here are the steps to take for church membership:

Attend a Get to Know Vista

We hold these twice a year in March and in October. At this event, you’ll learn about our history, doctrine, vision, goals, and distinctives. You’ll get to meet our Elder team and ask questions, so come prepared with questions you have!

Fill out a New Member Form

After you’ve attended a Get to Know Vista, you can fill out our new member form HERE.

Meet with the Elders

Once we’ve received your new member form, we’ll schedule a time for you to meet with our Elder team.

Church Involvement

After our Elders have met with you, we’ll announce to the church your desire to become a member and wait two weeks to give the congregation involvement in who joins the church.

Receive you into Membership

After the two weeks have passed, assuming nothing has come up that prevents us from receiving you into our fellowship, we’ll announce you to the church as a new member and give God glory for bringing you to Vista!

 

Donald Whitney, “Why Join a Church?”

“Your body isn’t a casual collection of loosely related parts. You don’t keep your fingers in your pocket until you need them. They are joined. They are members of the body. The local body of Christ should be like this also – those joined to Christ, who are members of His body – should express that relationship through a visible membership. And in a household, a family, you’re either a member or you’re not. So if you are part of the family of God, show it by joining a local expression of God’s family.”