Membership Basics
Have you ever noticed how a lot of churches put a big link to MEMBERSHIP as the first thing on their website?
...Did you notice how we didn't do that?
You had to dig for a while before you found this page, didn't you? That's the point!Pleading with you to become a member of Lord of Life is NOT what we're about. Please, feel free to come and worship with us for as long as you want. Drink coffee (you can take it into the sanctuary with you during worship too), chat, sing in the choirs, make friends, volunteer in outreach ministires... and when you're ready, talk to one of the pastors about joining as a member. We receive members by baptism into Christ, affirmation of faith, and letter of transfer from other Christian congregations. New members are publicly received four times each year on “Welcome Sundays.” All new members are required to attend a seven week class called “Exploring Lord of Life.” Our goal is to connect all our members to the loving God we know, and to build initial relationships with one another. To be included in our next group of new members, read through the Expectations of Membership guide, and return the information sheet (in the guide document) to the church office.
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A Recent Group of New Members Being
Welcomed into the Lord of Life Community |
What Language is Spoken Here?
At Lord of Life, we do things a little bit differently, and some of the terms we use may be unfamiliar (even if you have been attending another church lately). When Pastor Fred Wiese joined Lord of Life as a member and as part of the Leadership Support Team, he thought the differences needed some explaining. We offer Pastor Fred's reflections on the language of Lord of Life, in the hopes that you will feel welcomed and more comfortable worshipping with us.Some Reflections from Pastor Fred Wiese
When Mary Beth and I travel to a new place, what makes it more enjoyable for us is to find a guide to restaurants and other places of interest, along with directions on how to find them. What’s even better is to find someone native to that place who can provide a few inside personal tips and suggestions.We have just welcomed 32 new members, a great thing! It speaks well of the health and vitality of our congregation. If you new members are feeling the hospitality Mary Beth and I did when we joined six months ago, it won’t take long for you to feel at home and part of the Lord of Life faith community.
Based on our experience, the sooner you learn the language spoken here, the better. You heard all this in your new member class, but it will also help those of us who could use a refresher. Clip the following translation guide and find a place for it with all the other stuff on your refrigerator door.
| Term used at Lord of Life | Traditional "Church" Term |
|---|---|
| Team | Committee |
| Fractal | Sub-committee |
| Ministry | Groups within sub-committees that require a leader |
| Experience Team | Umbrella team for all worship activities |
| Grow Team | Umbrella for all Christian Education activities |
| Connect Team | Umbrella for all fellowship/study activities |
| mRoad Team | Umbrella for all teen activities |
| crossCurrent | Contemporary worship (11:15) |
| CAST | Small study groups (Caring & Sharing Together) |
| Weekly Reader | Sunday morning bulletin of Lord of Life activities |
We do also use traditional self-explanatory names for many ministries, as you have noted by now, like “Golf Outing” and “Softball Team.”
The biggest tip: Start a ministry that will move the mission of our church forward, get approval from the church council, and you will get to choose your own creative name for it.
Serious tip: New members are a blessing to Lord of Life and vice versa. You are a potential leader of the church. You bring ideas and insight which we value. We are here to encourage you to use them and will support them to the best of our ability.
Pastor Fred Wiese
for the Leadership Support Team
