When you become a Christian, a follower of Jesus, then God makes you his beloved child and you are adopted into his family, the church.
In becoming a Christian you already belong to this incredible world-wide family of faith, comprising over one billion different people from different backgrounds and life experiences, yet united in our love of God through his Son, Jesus. How that belonging is expressed is where membership comes in, because belonging to the family of God is expressed in two important ways:
1. Through commitment to a local church, as opposed to just attendance.
2. Through making a promise to continue your faith journey with other Christians in a loving community, as opposed to just having a private faith.
At Whetstone Baptist Church, becoming a member is how we express that desire to be committed to the family of God at the local level and to be in fellowship with one another, and to love and support one another.
A church member does no more than the Bible teaches every Christian should do, but by becoming a member you communicate to the local church family that you are committed to them through committing yourself to do these things:
1. Meet together to worship God and to receive teaching from God’s Word.
We all need a spiritual home and we all need each other to grow, and the way we do this is through coming together for times of worship, through celebrating communion together, through meeting in small groups midweek to grow in a more connected and relational way, and through taking part in church meetings to discover together what God would have us do for him, each other, and the community.
2. Serve Christ in the Church and in our community, using the gifts He has given us by His Spirit.
God blesses his children with spiritual gifts to build up his church and to extend his family, and every single Christian has at least one gift. Gifts can include teaching, prayer, prophecy, healing, encouragement, leadership, administration, giving, wisdom and mercy, amongst many others.
3. Show real love for brothers and sisters in Christ through practical care, prayerful support and by maintaining healthy, open relationships.
This is best expressed through being a part of a small group, where close relationships develop and pastoral care can be given and received for specific needs. In this way the genuine love of God is demonstrated and expressed to one another.
4. Support the ministries and activities of the local church by serving and giving.
Our Father God is generous and extravagant, as seen most emphatically in his Son, Jesus, who gave his own life for us so that we might live. As Christians, we give our time, spiritual gifts, and money, generously and joyfully to the activities and ministries of the local church in response to Jesus’ generosity and to help more people meet Jesus.
If you would like to become a church member, the process is very simple. Please contact the church office on 0116 2863145 or email office@wbconline.org.uk to make your application.
After we have received your application for membership you will be contacted to arrange a convenient time for you to meet with two of the church leaders to have an informal and friendly talk about your journey of faith, about what membership is, about how the church family can support you, and about how you can become more involved in the life of the church here at Whetstone.
The church leadership team will then prayerfully consider your application and typically you will hear the leadership’s decision from one of the leaders who met with you. If your application is successful (and the vast majority are), then we usually welcome you officially at the next communion service.