Thank you for your interest in becoming a member of Community UMC!
Whether you are a lifelong United Methodist, looking to transfer to the United Methodist tradition, a brand new Christian, or even still exploring the Christian faith, we welcome conversation with you about membership in the United Methodist Church, and specifically at Community.
Please read all of the information below carefully, and fill out the form in its entirety. Once we have received it, we will be in touch with next steps!
————————
Membership in a local church is a unique privilege, but it should not be confused with your admittance into the Kingdom of God. There are people who are members of local churches who are not of the Kingdom of God. And likewise, there are some who do not belong to a local church who have "entered in through the narrow gate which leads to life eternal." We hope this will make sense to you as we examine your desire to join with this local congregation.
Ideally, your reception into the local church should be a visible sign of your acceptance into God's Kingdom. It is our hope that any who desire to join this local church has made, or will make during these lessons, a commitment to become a disciple (follower) of Jesus Christ.
There are two primary means to join this local church . . .
The first is by Confession of Faith. To enter the church by confession of faith is to make that first public pronouncement of your decision to follow Christ. In all likelihood, you have not been a member of any church, Methodist or otherwise. This is, in essence, your "kingdom" party.
The second avenue to enter into church membership is by Transfer. Some of you may currently be members of other local churches, United Methodist, Catholic, or others. In this case, Community UMC will need to request a letter of transfer from your previous church into our church. Some people attend and join other churches without the courtesy of requesting a transfer. In this case, records are duplicated and church membership cannot reflect a true count of members. Please, if you belong to another church, let us know so that we can respectfully request that they remove your name from their roles.
Baptism is also a pre-requisite for church membership. The United Methodist Church recognizes the Trinitarian baptism of any other denomination by any mode (immersion, sprinkling, pouring,) and at any age (infant or believer's baptism). We do not re-baptize as a means of entering into membership in the church. But if you have never been baptized, the church first asks that you be baptized prior to confessing your faith. In this case, baptism will be part of the covenant service.
