Question 1

What's the process for becoming a member?

Accepted Answer

Membership Process
At The Well our process for becoming a member involves 2 steps: 
 
1. Attend a Membership Class. We have this 2 part class 3 times/year (Spring / Summer / Fall) on a Sunday morning before our main service from 8:00-9:50am. During the interactive class we'll walk through our church's vision, strategy, philosophy, history, leadership, and beliefs in greater detail. There will be time for Q&A throughout and opportunities to get to know others who are going through the class with you. 
     *Get the Church Center App to find the date of the next class and register.
 
2. Meet with one of our pastors where you'll get to share your story and ask any further questions. It's here that you'll sign the membership covenant if you desire to call The Well home.

Question 2

Why should I become a member?

Accepted Answer

Great question! We'll unpack the reasons for becoming a member in greater detail in the membership class, but here's a brief preview:
 
1. Your Care - Becoming a member ensures you will have clearly designated spiritual care. Each member has an elder (pastor) specifically assigned to them who will be regularly praying for them by name, checking in with them, and meeting with them at least 1/year. They are joyfully committed (see #3) to your spiritual care and growth (discipleship) and will ensure you are not another person lost in a crowd. In addition, humbly and joyfully coming under qualified spiritual leadership is a safeguard to your soul. (Heb. 13:17) It's a wonderful death blow to your pride, a guardrail for error and sin, and ultimately demonstrates a trust in God, who designed us to function under the protective covering of good spiritual authority. 
 
2. Your Clarity - Becoming a member provides you with clarity in a few ways. 1) What you're called to - our membership covenant is essentially biblical commands for Christians put into succinct bullet points. This helps direct you towards what God has designed as best for your life & provides some loving accountability to walk it out. 2) Who you're called to - defining membership allows for you to know who the others in the church are that you're to walk out the one-anothers of Scripture with. 3) What you have a voice and vote on - as direction and decisions are made by our leaders, membership clearly defines your role to play in these. 4) What you can expect from your leaders - our elders covenant to certain things too, and this enables you to hold them to it. 
 
3. Our Clarity - While pastors can and should show love and concern to everyone they're around, they are specifically called to shepherd (care for) the flock God has entrusted to them (1 Pet. 5:2) and will be held acountable to God for that soul care (Heb. 13:17). Defining who our members are enables our pastors to know who they are specifically called to give their highest level of concern and devotion to. 
   
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Question 3

What do members actually commit to?

Accepted Answer

Yes, membership is a commitment, which is why we call it Covenant Membership. But what do our members (and pastors) actually commit to? While none of us will be able to walk these out perfectly, here's a succinct summary of what members say yes to pursuing: 
 
1. Repentance & Faith - combatting sin and growing in holiness through this ongoing rhythm of a life following Jesus
 
2. Spiritual Disciplines - personally communing with God, primarily through His Word and prayer
 
3. Sunday Gathering - regular attendance and engagement in both Sunday Mornings & Member Meetings
 
4. Gospel Community - regular attendance and engagement
 
5. Serving - tangibly helping & edifying the body through the use of time & abilities
 
6. Giving - regular, sacrificial, and joyful generosity to The Well
 
7. Sharing the Gospel - praying for and engaging non-Christians with the truth and love of Jesus
 
8. Church Discipline - humbly receiving formative & corrective discipleship
 
9. Following Leadership - praying for and submitting to the care of The Well’s spiritual leadership
 
10. Guarding Unity - actively working for the promotion and preservation of church unity
   
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Question 4

Are there any requirements for membership?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Here they are: 
 
1. Salvation - repentance of sin and declaration of faith in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior
 
2. Baptism - followed through in the public act of baptism as a Christian
 
3. Basic Beliefs - full agreement with The Well's basic beliefs
 
4. Unrepentant Sin - not walking defiantly in sin without repentance. This is not a call to perfection as none of us are sinless, but rather a call to not harden our hearts to sin by denying it as sin and persist in it willingly. A genuine mark of a Christian is to be quick to confess and repent of sin when seeing it. 
 
5. Age - is at least 16 years old
 
6. Process - Completes the membership process & signs the membership covenant. 
  
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MEMBERSHIP