Membership

Go all in with Central

When you go all in with us as a church, we go all in with you. The Christian life isn’t meant to be an isolated experience. Instead, the Bible shows the local church is God’s prescription for your growth. If you’re interested in committing to our spiritual family, it’s our joy to welcome those who have:

  • Confessed a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior;
  • Committed to Christ publicly in baptism by immersion following conversion;
  • Complete our membership class and process (learn more below);
  • Covenant to gather, grow, give, and go in pursuit of our mission together.

Want to learn more?
If you’d like to learn or take the first step toward membership, register below to join us for one of our membership classes. This class doesn’t commit you to membership, but it is a requirement for membership.

Membership Class

FAQ

Why should I consider church membership?

Because the local church is God’s prescription for your growth. The New Testament shows us that the local church is the primary instrument God uses to awaken faith in those who don’t know Christ and preserve and deepen faith in those who do.

We’re not designed to do the Christian life alone, and the church isn’t just an organization that provides spiritual services. It’s not an understatement to say that committing to a local church is nothing short of joining God’s mission on the earth. Covenanting with one another in membership provides a place for you to find community, grow in your faith, and join in the mission to take the gospel to the nations (Eph 4:11–16).

Bottom line: When you commit to local church membership, you’re stepping into the world God has designed to shape you into the person he wants you to be (Heb 10:23–25).

What is required for church membership?

Three things—all of them reflective of the reality of who we are and what our covenant community exists to be.

(1) Conversion. We believe church membership is for people who have received the message of the gospel and have trusted in Christ alone for salvation.

(2) Baptism: As a Baptist church we reserve church membership for those who have professed their faith publicly in baptism—by immersion following their conversion.

(3) Covenant. We ask as our members to commit to living in the world and with one another in way that brings honor to Christ and advances the mission of our church.

What is the process for church membership?

Step 1: Attend a membership class.
We want to show you how church membership benefits you. And this class provides a context for you to learn more about the mission, ministers, and ministries of Central. The class normally lasts two hours (childcare and lunch provided) and has plenty of time for questions.

Step 2: Have a membership conversation.
The goal of this conversation with one of our ministry staff is (1) for us to be able to welcome you, and (2) to make sure you are ready for membership. This meeting will be an opportunity for you to ask any questions you haven’t already, allow us to get more insight about you, and as much as anything help accelerate your experience finding community at Central.

Step 3: Signal your commitment.
Once you’re ready, your the last step is applying for membership and signing the church covenant. If you haven’t previously been baptized by immersion following conversion, you would complete this requirement also (sign up for baptism here).

Step 4: Be received into membership by the church.
On matters of membership we believe the final authority in the life of the church rests with the gathered congregation itself. So we gather several times a year at a Central Family Celebration to vote to receive people into membership formally.

Do I have to walk the aisle to join the church?

No. We have a response song following the sermon each week and love to welcome and recognize people during that time who come down to say that they want to join the church. But we do not require it.

What if I was baptized as an infant?

As a Baptist church, we think that baptism is going public with your faith, and it’s the front door you walk through to become a visibly-marked out member of God’s new covenant people.

So, if baptism is “going public” with your faith, we just don’t think it’s possible to do that as an infant. In other words, we don’t believe infant baptism is baptism. That’s why we ask any who have not followed Jesus in what we call believer’s baptism—baptism by immersion following coversion—to do so in obedience to his command.