The Bible doesn’t speak of “church membership” anywhere, but it does clearly lay out an example of committing oneself to a local expression of the larger body of Christ and also seeing that local church commit itself to the individual as “one of our own.”

At our church, we know people are at different places in their level of commitment to a local church and we also know there are a lot of different reasons for this!  That’s why we would never want to exclude folks who initially shy away from membership.

When the Holy Spirit leads you to choose membership at our church, you will be committing yourself to sharing in the building of a loving community of people who are like Christ in worship, edification and mission.

We believe that joining the church through membership is also an essential step in the process of discipleship. If you are considering taking a step out in faith and becoming a member of FUMC, we welcome you and seek to walk with you in this process. Below you will find information on the process of membership.

Becoming a Member of FUMC

We rejoice with each new person who enters the church through membership.  We believe that new members enliven the church and increase the gifts of the congregation through their presence and service.  In order to best welcome new members into the church, it is helpful to coordinate your membership join date with Rev. Mark M. Pedersen at the church office.   However, the doors of the church are open every Sunday for those who would like to join, whether membership has been coordinated in advance. We warmly welcome you into the family of God at our church.

There are three ways to be received join FUMC.

Transfer of Membership

If you currently hold membership at another church, we will request that your membership be transferred to this church.  The United Methodist Church honors baptisms from all denominations, so new members will not be baptized again. At the time of joining you will be asked the following question:

Will you be loyal to the United Methodist Church and uphold it by your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your service, and your witness for Jesus Christ?

Confession of Faith

If you have never previously held membership in the church but have been baptized, you will be joining on confession of faith.  At the time of joining you will be asked the following questions:

Do you here in the presence of God and of this congregation renew the solemn promise and vow that you made or that was made in your name at your baptism?

Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and pledge your allegiance to his kingdom?

Do you receive and profess the Christian faith as contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments?

Do you promise according to the grace given to you to live a Christian life and always remain a faithful member of Christ’s holy Church?

Baptism

If you have never previously held membership in the church and have not been baptized, you will be baptized as part of the worship service and then join on Confession of Faith (see questions above).