meaningful Membership

“A relationship between a church and a Christian that is characterized by the church’s affirmation and oversight of a Christian’s discipleship, as a church takes responsibility for the Christian, and the Christian for the church.”

The people who make up Grace Harbor Church are baptized believers who can in good conscience sign our church statement of faith and covenant. Membership within a local church body, however, is not simply about signing a piece of paper or being on a roll. It’s much more than that.

We join with one another as a community of believers because we believe that there are certain commands in scripture that we cannot fully obey without a body of believers that regularly gathers together to hear God’s word preached and that correctly practices baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

We also believe that the Bible doesn’t speak of an individualism in which a member of Christ’s body lives alone. As sheep we are a part of a flock (1 Peter 5:2). As adopted sons and daughters we are a part of a household of believers (1 Tim. 3:15). As members of Christ’s body we simply want to be attached to a local expression of His body. Living together in a biblical church community is the best way we know of to live out the Christian life personally, as well as to care for one another’s physical and spiritual needs.

Our desire as members of Grace Harbor Church is to follow Christ together in a way that is expressed in our church covenant. In doing so, we hope to be a display of God’s glory and plan to unite all things to Himself in Christ (Eph. 3:10), and to be an instrument in the Gospel being made clear and known (1 Cor. 5; John 13:34-35).