How to Add Members While Protecting the Church Fellowship

By Greg Penna

Why Add New Members It should be the goal of every New

Testament church. A larger membership means that the

church has a greater ability to work together in obedience to the Great Commission.

Welcoming New Members to the FellowshipThere are several steps that should be

followed in welcoming new members to the church body:

1. Open up membership by encouraging families to make a decision to join.

2. A letter from the pastor should be issued in order to explain the membership process. There should be no misunderstanding that the person is a part of the family, but not a member yet.

Enroll the prospective members in a Bible study group.

Give the prospective members any information they need about the church and its ministries.

Outline the membership process to avoid confusion.

Explain how to access the resources of the church.

Request a letter of recommendation from the prospective members’ former church. Inquire whether or not they were problem members. This will pay huge dividends in the future.

For Best Results, Be Sure To:

Becoming a Part of the Family Offering a new members’ class will help

new members understand the dynamics of the church, as well as ensuring that all prospects have a personal relationship with Christ.

Offer the new members’ class at a time other than Sunday morning. This will prevent delays in assimilation, allowing prospects to find their niche among the different Bible study groups.

Developing Special Relationships By developing a special relationship with another

member of the church, prospects will begin to feel at home rather than like guests.

Making friends with new members must be intentional on the part of current members.

Being an intentional friend means sitting with the prospect during services and in Bible study, inviting them to a meal or a community function.

Being an intentional friend is not a job, task, or responsibility.

Dealing with DifficultiesWhat does the church do when it discoversmoral issues encircling a prospectivemember? The new members’ class must outline the lifestyle

expected of members. In many cases, if the prospective member does not agree, they will withdraw their interest in the church and go elsewhere.

Most importantly, you must overwhelm the prospect with love. By loving the individual or family, you earn the right to address moral issues.

Finalizing Membership The last step in finalizing membership

rests upon the faith of the prospect in Jesus Christ.

Once the prospect’s faith has been affirmed, a vote of affirmation should be given by the church body at a regular business meeting.