Church Membership

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Curious to learn more about church membership and why it's important? Consider this article from Pastor Ben that dives into biblical basis and necessity of membership in the life of the church.

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Church membership is about being a part of the church. In one sense, every genuine Christian (whether on earth and in heaven) is a member of the church; this sense is sometimes called the "invisible" or "catholic/universal" church. But the Bible also speaks about church membership in another sense: being visibly and vocally joined to a local church body.

At Delta Oaks, we seek to honor God's call to church membership through a simple, 3-step process:

1. Inquirers' Class

We recommend folks take our 7-week Inquirers' Class. This course covers basic Christian doctrine, with the goal of preparing you to understand and profess your faith using the OPC's five membership statements (see Step 3). This class also offers an opportunity to learn about our church's distinctives and ask questions.

2. Interview with the Session

Following the class, you can set up a time to meet with our elders and pastor for a membership interview. This is your opportunity to share about what God has done/is doing in your life, and your resolve to follow Him. The Session will also ask you some basic questions about the Christian faith (which are covered the Inquirers' class).

3. Public Profession of Faith

Following the vote of the Session, you'll be invited to come forward on a Sunday of your choosing to publicly profess your faith by affirming five statements/vows:

1. Do you believe the Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments, to be the Word of God, and its doctrine of salvation to be the perfect and only true doctrine of salvation?
2. Do you believe in one living and true God, in whom eternally there are three distinct persons—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—who are the same in being and equal in power and glory, and that Jesus Christ is God the Son, come in the flesh?
3. Do you confess that because of your sinfulness you abhor and humble yourself before God, that you repent of your sin, and that you trust for salvation not in yourself but in Jesus Christ alone?
4. Do you acknowledge Jesus Christ as your sovereign Lord, and do you promise that, in reliance on the grace of God, you will serve him with all that is in you, forsake the world, resist the devil, put to death your sinful deeds and desires, and lead a godly life?
5. Do you promise to participate faithfully in this church's worship and service, to submit in the Lord to its government, and to heed its discipline, even in case you should be found delinquent in doctrine or life?

In addition, you are welcome to briefly tell the whole church your testimony and about your love for Jesus… but if public speaking isn’t your thing, you needn’t say anything more!

Note if you have not yet been baptized: Following your profession of faith, you will also receive baptism. We talk about baptism in the Inquirers' Class, but you can read a little more about it on our worship page.