Church Membership

WHY DO WE BRING PEOPLE IN AND OUT OF MEMBERSHIP THE WAY THAT WE DO?

We've all seen the phrases in bulletins and newsletters ... "received by Profession of Faith" ... "removed by self-exclusion" ... "transferred out." How do people join our congregation and how do people leave?

JOINING THE CHURCH:  There are several ways a person may join our congregation.

1. BAPTISM: Most children become members of our church through Holy Baptism. God washes away their sins, creates faith in their hearts, and makes them a member of our family, His Church. Unbaptized adults who wish to join our church are also baptized after a period of instruction.

2. TRANSFER: If an individual or family are members of another Missouri Synod Lutheran church, they may join our congregation by transfer. Since the bond of unity between our sister churches is strong, no formal instruction is necessary to relocate from one LCMS church to another.

3. PROFESSION OF FAITH: Individuals or families from a Luther-an church that is not Missouri Synod (Wisconsin Synod, for example), may join our congregation through profession of faith. Lengthy instruction is often not necessary in these cases, but time is spent discussing differences between the Missouri Synod and the Lutheran church they are leaving. The phrase "profession of faith" indicates that they are formally professing loyalty and obedience to all of the teachings of the Missouri Synod. Former LCMS members who have "fallen away" from the church and then return, may also be brought back into membership by profession of faith, though adult instruction is also encouraged so they don't lapse again.

4. ADULT INSTRUCTION: Adults from non-LCMS churches, especially those with no Lutheran background are required to attend a 10 week instruction class, designed to share with them the Christian faith, particularly as it relates to the teachings of the Lutheran Church. After this period of instruction, they are free to join to our church by professing loyalty to what they have been taught.

LEAVING THE CHURCH:  There are several ways a person may terminate his fellowship with our congregation.

1. DEATH: As a person moves from life on earth to life in heaven, their status as member of Christ's blessed Church never changes, however, for all practical purposes, their membership in this particular congregation ceases.

2. TRANSFER OUT: This occurs when a person leaves our church to join another Missouri Synod church. 

3. RELEASE: A release takes place when a person leaves our congregation to join a Lutheran church of another Synod or another Christian church (Methodist, Baptist, etc.).

4. SELF-EXCLUSION: This occurs when a person indicates that they no longer desire to be a member of this church. In essence, a person says, "I quit!" or shows that attitude by their absence from Word and Sacrament ministry. It is called "self-exclusion" because the church is not removing the person. They are, in effect, removing themselves. They simply sever their ties with our church. Having failed in our attempts to reach them with Law and Gospel, we acknowledge and regretfully accept their decision. We will not retain a person as a member against their wishes. In most of these instances the person who removes himself remains, either temporarily or permanently, with out a church.

5. EXCOMMUNICATION: This is truly the only case where a person is removed from membership against their wishes.  Living in an on-going state of open and unrepented sin is the cause. Willful, unrepented sin destroys faith. Christians have the Scriptural responsibility to confront fellow members who are destroying themselves spiritually by their unrepentant, sinful lifestyle (Matt. 18: 15-20). Though an uncomfortable task, Christians cannot look the other way but rather must "speak the truth in love" (Eph. 4:15) and warn others that on-going unrepented sin puts a quick end to saving faith. Should those warnings go unreceived, that person is excommunicated (removed) and reminded that in this case membership in Christ's Church and salvation have also been forfeited (Matt. 16:19). The goal is not to punish or "clear the church of undesirables" but to show the individual the grave consequences of this sin for which they have neither sorrow nor the desire to repent and change their ways out of obedience to Christ. Though removed from membership, we still love them and reach out to them with Law and Gospel in the hopes they will repent and be restored to God's family, the Church.