Becoming a Member
Grace Lutheran Church defines membership in two ways: baptized membership and communicant or confirmed membership.
Baptized Membership
Galatians 3:26-4:7 describes us as sons of God through faith in the Person & Work of Christ Jesus. When we are baptized we are clothed with Christ and are taken from slavery to sin and the devil into a loving relationship with God as our heavenly Father by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is described in other parts of Scripture as “the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (cf. Titus 3:3:5) and being “born of water and the Spirit.” (cf. John 3:5) We are commanded by Jesus to “make disciples of all nations” by “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19)
Thus, no one gets baptized “Lutheran” at Grace Lutheran Church. Rather, all who are baptized “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” are baptized Christian. We recognize all Christian baptisms according to Jesus’ command. When one becomes a member of our congregation one does not need to be re-baptized if one has already been baptized Christian. The baptism always belongs to God and is always defined by Him, just as the kind of life which one baptized into Christ should live is defined by Him through His written Word. Such a person is a member of Christ’s Church.
If one is baptized at Grace Lutheran Church pme is considered a baptized member of our congregation of believers. This means that the congregation has a responsibility for one's growth in the Christian faith and service to others for Christ. This is why the congregation keeps records of baptisms. If the person moves to a different Christian church those records are witness to their inclusion in the body of Christ, His Church universal.
Communicant or Confirmed Membership
Jesus’ command to “make disciples of all nations” also includes “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded.” (Matthew 28:20) This happens as we strive to define who we are in Christ according to His written Word, the Holy Bible, by reading His Word and worshiping together. Colossians 3:16 says: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” There are many ways to let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly!
One tradition which Grace practices is providing a period of classroom instruction in 6th, 7th and 8th grades leading to confirming one’s faith. It involves using the Holy Bible and Luther’s Small Catechism in order to learn all the basic articles of the Christian faith contained in the Scriptures. Following this period of instruction young men and women publicly confess their faith in the Triune God, make promises to remain faithful to Him, even to the point of suffering death for His Word and Will and striving to live as Christ’s disciples in every part of their lives. In Psalm 119:105-106 the psalmist prays to the LORD: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep Your righteous rules.”
Along with this public confession of the Christian faith our confirmands receive the Lord’s Supper for the first time. Part of their confirmation instruction includes extensive teaching from God’s Word about the proper understanding and reception of Communion. (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 11:23-28)
The confirmation rite also includes an expression of conviction that the teachings which we’ve learned from the Small Catechism are faithful and true to God’s written Word. Thus, confirmation is intended to bind us together in a covenant of love within which the individual members of our congregation believe the same concerning the teachings of God’s Word. Fellowship is based upon the common doctrine taken from God’s Word to which we bind ourselves by the power of the Holy Spirit.
All who have been confirmed in this manner are considered confirmed or communicant members of Grace Lutheran congregation. In our congregation first communion reception is connected with the rite of confirmation.
Adult also are taken through this confirmation instruction. However, it is not a three year course. Typically adult confirmation instruction at Grace is sixteen weeks of 1 1⁄2 to 2 hours sessions. While your confirmation vows remain with you your whole life, you need not take confirmation instruction classes only once in your life. In fact, members are encouraged to take confirmation instruction classes many times as they continue to grow through other devotional, Bible study and worship opportunities their whole life long.
Becoming a Communicant or Confirmed Member
Aside from going through confirmation instruction classes and the rite of confirmation, becoming a communicant member of the congregation happens in one of the following ways:
TRANSFER ➛ You can transfer your membership from another congregation with whom we are in fellowship because we hold to a common teaching in all the articles of the Christian faith. You simply request a transfer of your membership from the congregation in which your membership currently resides (or instruct us to request such transfer) and they will send a letter of transfer with pertinent spiritual information to our congregation. Some congregations may want to meet with you for a transfer interview before sending the transfer.
PROFESSION OF FAITH ➛ Receiving someone by profession of faith usually happens hen a person, who was confirmed in the Lutheran teaching, leaves his/her Lutheran congregation and joins one whose teachings are different, and with whom we are not in doctrinal fellowship. It is not necessary for him/her to go through confirmation instruction classes and be confirmed again although it is recommended that s/he take the classes as a review of the teachings. Having been confirmed in the Lutheran teachings at some point in your life you would request a release of your membership from the congregation in which your membership currently resides (or instruct us to request such release). They will usually send a letter releasing your membership with pertinent spiritual information to our congregation. Even if your congregation will not recognize our congregation and refuse to send a release of membership it is important to let them know you have joined a different fellowship. The difference between a transfer and a release is that a release means you are coming from a Christian congregation which has some teachings different than our own.
In each of these methods for becoming a member we accept you into membership during a worship service using a rite through which you have the privilege of publicly confessing your faith in the Triune God again and promise to serve Him together with our congregation. At this point you are considered a communicant member of our congregation. If you become a member with children their membership usually comes along with yours unless other directives are given the congregations involved.
Baptized Membership
Galatians 3:26-4:7 describes us as sons of God through faith in the Person & Work of Christ Jesus. When we are baptized we are clothed with Christ and are taken from slavery to sin and the devil into a loving relationship with God as our heavenly Father by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is described in other parts of Scripture as “the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (cf. Titus 3:3:5) and being “born of water and the Spirit.” (cf. John 3:5) We are commanded by Jesus to “make disciples of all nations” by “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19)
Thus, no one gets baptized “Lutheran” at Grace Lutheran Church. Rather, all who are baptized “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” are baptized Christian. We recognize all Christian baptisms according to Jesus’ command. When one becomes a member of our congregation one does not need to be re-baptized if one has already been baptized Christian. The baptism always belongs to God and is always defined by Him, just as the kind of life which one baptized into Christ should live is defined by Him through His written Word. Such a person is a member of Christ’s Church.
If one is baptized at Grace Lutheran Church pme is considered a baptized member of our congregation of believers. This means that the congregation has a responsibility for one's growth in the Christian faith and service to others for Christ. This is why the congregation keeps records of baptisms. If the person moves to a different Christian church those records are witness to their inclusion in the body of Christ, His Church universal.
Communicant or Confirmed Membership
Jesus’ command to “make disciples of all nations” also includes “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded.” (Matthew 28:20) This happens as we strive to define who we are in Christ according to His written Word, the Holy Bible, by reading His Word and worshiping together. Colossians 3:16 says: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” There are many ways to let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly!
One tradition which Grace practices is providing a period of classroom instruction in 6th, 7th and 8th grades leading to confirming one’s faith. It involves using the Holy Bible and Luther’s Small Catechism in order to learn all the basic articles of the Christian faith contained in the Scriptures. Following this period of instruction young men and women publicly confess their faith in the Triune God, make promises to remain faithful to Him, even to the point of suffering death for His Word and Will and striving to live as Christ’s disciples in every part of their lives. In Psalm 119:105-106 the psalmist prays to the LORD: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep Your righteous rules.”
Along with this public confession of the Christian faith our confirmands receive the Lord’s Supper for the first time. Part of their confirmation instruction includes extensive teaching from God’s Word about the proper understanding and reception of Communion. (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 11:23-28)
The confirmation rite also includes an expression of conviction that the teachings which we’ve learned from the Small Catechism are faithful and true to God’s written Word. Thus, confirmation is intended to bind us together in a covenant of love within which the individual members of our congregation believe the same concerning the teachings of God’s Word. Fellowship is based upon the common doctrine taken from God’s Word to which we bind ourselves by the power of the Holy Spirit.
All who have been confirmed in this manner are considered confirmed or communicant members of Grace Lutheran congregation. In our congregation first communion reception is connected with the rite of confirmation.
Adult also are taken through this confirmation instruction. However, it is not a three year course. Typically adult confirmation instruction at Grace is sixteen weeks of 1 1⁄2 to 2 hours sessions. While your confirmation vows remain with you your whole life, you need not take confirmation instruction classes only once in your life. In fact, members are encouraged to take confirmation instruction classes many times as they continue to grow through other devotional, Bible study and worship opportunities their whole life long.
Becoming a Communicant or Confirmed Member
Aside from going through confirmation instruction classes and the rite of confirmation, becoming a communicant member of the congregation happens in one of the following ways:
TRANSFER ➛ You can transfer your membership from another congregation with whom we are in fellowship because we hold to a common teaching in all the articles of the Christian faith. You simply request a transfer of your membership from the congregation in which your membership currently resides (or instruct us to request such transfer) and they will send a letter of transfer with pertinent spiritual information to our congregation. Some congregations may want to meet with you for a transfer interview before sending the transfer.
PROFESSION OF FAITH ➛ Receiving someone by profession of faith usually happens hen a person, who was confirmed in the Lutheran teaching, leaves his/her Lutheran congregation and joins one whose teachings are different, and with whom we are not in doctrinal fellowship. It is not necessary for him/her to go through confirmation instruction classes and be confirmed again although it is recommended that s/he take the classes as a review of the teachings. Having been confirmed in the Lutheran teachings at some point in your life you would request a release of your membership from the congregation in which your membership currently resides (or instruct us to request such release). They will usually send a letter releasing your membership with pertinent spiritual information to our congregation. Even if your congregation will not recognize our congregation and refuse to send a release of membership it is important to let them know you have joined a different fellowship. The difference between a transfer and a release is that a release means you are coming from a Christian congregation which has some teachings different than our own.
In each of these methods for becoming a member we accept you into membership during a worship service using a rite through which you have the privilege of publicly confessing your faith in the Triune God again and promise to serve Him together with our congregation. At this point you are considered a communicant member of our congregation. If you become a member with children their membership usually comes along with yours unless other directives are given the congregations involved.