Membership classes (known as Nextsteps) are held the last day of every month except June and December. The class is after the 11:30 am service in the upper foyer and includes lunch. Nextsteps is a great way to learn more about the vision and values of Redeemer Christian Church. Register for Nextsteps by clicking here. Written below is an explanation of the views held by Redeemer Christian Church regarding membership.

One of the most important questions of church life is, “Who runs the church?” To be clear, we believe that Jesus runs the church. He is Redeemer’s Senior Pastor! But, we all realize that God has appointed people to lead the church on a practical level by living-out the Gospel in its specific context.

Why have leaders and covenant membership? This is a pressing question. The short answer is that, in addition to the fact that the Bible commands us to live out our faith together in community, we firmly believe that we can be more fruitful and happy together than we would be on our own. The reasons for membership are exactly the same as the reasons for getting married. Courtship is good, and necessary in both cases. However, regardless of the respective levels of commitment during the courtship process, there is an entirely new level of trust and accountability when vows are exchanged in a marriage ceremony. In the church, entering into a covenant membership means pledging one’s life to the other members for our fruitfulness and joy and the kingdom’s expansion. Covenantal membership makes sense and is Biblical. Many have a negative reaction to spiritual authority. Leadership and covenant membership go hand in hand. If you are not a member, you are not accountable to a leader, and you do not agree to follow their spiritual leadership. If you are a member, but don’t have leadership, you are not held accountable or led well.  Is it possible that the reason we move from church to church and have adopted more “organic” models of church life is because we are anti-authority and don’t want to be held accountable or led by other people? It is difficult to argue that this isn’t the case. In fact, it is the most probable reason that membership has evolved into something that doesn’t mean much for most churches and Christians.

Christians need leadership and care, and church leaders fill that need. Churches need members who are committed to one another. Leaders need accountability from the people they serve to maximize their fruitfulness. We need each other in a binding, obligating, covenantal sense.