Why Membership?

Typically in our consumer-oriented culture the idea of membership carries with it the idea of benefit – the organization exists to accommodate my preferences and serve my needs. The church is a completely different kind of community. Someone once said, “The church is the only organization that does not exist for itself, but for those who live outside of it.” At St. Andrew’s we take seriously that we are not called to be consumers of religious goods but providers of God’s love and grace. And we share a common understanding that we do not exist primarily for ourselves but for the benefit of others.

The New Testament assumes some form of committed, accountable belonging to a community of fellow Christians as the normative experience for every follower of Jesus Christ. This community provided each Christian with a place of belonging, service, care and accountability. To be a member of a church is to make a public promise to live our lives in accordance with the Scriptures and to support the mission and ministry of the local congregation. The Bible calls this commitment a covenant.

Learn more about our membership process.