Membership matters; commitment makes a difference. It shifts our relationships onto a different level, deepening our connections and sending a message to one another and the world that we are serious about growing and serving as Jesus’ disciples. While everyone is welcome at Salem, membership is a great step for those ready to take their commitment to Christ and His body, the Church, to the next level.
MEMBERSHIP
Connect more deeply at Salem Covenant Church
Ready for your next step of commitment, growth, and service at Salem?
If you’ve been attending Salem Covenant Church for a while and you’re ready to call Salem your church home, membership is a great next step! Membership is open to anyone who professes faith in Jesus Christ and has been baptized.
At its core, church membership is a simple, yet incredibly significant step of commitment to living as a part of Christ’s body—here and now, growing and serving together with others, helping each other celebrate God’s love and live out our call to share God’s love with the world.
The Membership Process
Step 1: Take the Salem 101 class
This four-week class is a great opportunity to learn about who we are and connect with pastors and others who are new to Salem. Attending the class is a prerequisite for membership and will cover our beliefs, history, structure, denomination, and vision for the future, as well as how to apply for membership.
Step 2: Apply for Membership
After completing Salem 101, you will be invited to submit a membership application and share your story of coming to faith in Christ with Leadership Team members. Salem’s Leadership Team then recommends those applying for membership to the congregation, which votes on membership applications at the next congregational meeting.
Step 3: Join our Community
After your approval by the congregation, you will be officially welcomed into membership during an upcoming Sunday morning worship service.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the privileges and responsibilities of a member at Salem?
Members commit to helping one another function as a faithful, fruitful body of believers. We:
- Make decisions together that guide our ministries into the future.
- Discern together how we should use our resources to best accomplish our mission.
- Elect leaders who will care for and guide our vision planning and ongoing operations.
- Pray and offer input, feedback, and support as Salem lives out its mission.
Do I have to be baptized to be a member?
Membership is open to anyone who professes faith in Jesus Christ and has been baptized.
Can I serve in ministries without being a member?
Yes! There are many ways to serve without being a member, though the opportunity to chair a Ministry Team or serve on Salem’s Leadership Team is limited to members.
Do I have to give financially to be a member?
While there is no financial requirement to be a member at Salem, supporting Salem’s ministries and mission is a part of the commitment we make to God and one another. Our financial giving is only one aspect of that and is something we leave to the prayerful discernment of each member.
Baptism
Baptism as a sacrament:
We understand baptism to be a sacrament, that is, an outward sign of an inward and invisible grace that signifies God’s love and the power of God’s grace that washes us clean of our sin, raises us to new life in Christ through the gift of the Holy Spirit, and welcomes us into the family of God.
Believer’s baptism:
For those who believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior, baptism is a welcoming and celebrating of the grace of God offered through the sacrament and a grateful public profession of one’s faith and commitment.
Baptism and dedication of children:
Understanding that faithful, biblically rooted Christians have disagreed through the centuries about whether baptism should be offered to infants and children, or whether it should be reserved until after a person has made a personal profession of faith, we seek to be a community in which parents with differing views on this issue can worship together and support one another in raising their children in faith and love. Therefore, we offer both infant/child baptism and infant/child dedication.
- Infant/child baptism: For young children presented for baptism by their parents or guardians, baptism is an acknowledgment of God’s grace reaching out to the child long before the child is conscious of such grace, welcoming the child into the care and nurture of the Church, and preparing the way for the day in which the child will fully awaken to the new life offered in Christ.
- Infant/child dedication: The rite of blessing a child, or dedication of a child, is a service for parents and guardians who want the blessing of God on their child but believe that baptism is to be reserved for those who make a conscious choice in confession of faith. The emphasis is on the personal pledge of parents and guardians together with the church community to nurture their child in the love and grace of God, promising with God’s help to raise the child to know Jesus Christ as Savior, be baptized in His name, and follow Him as Lord.
Who should get baptized?
We encourage all who believe in Jesus to be baptized. We further encourage parents of infants and young children to bring their children to the church for baptism or dedication as an important step in raising them to know and grow in the grace of God.
What’s my next step to be baptized or have one of my children baptized?
To schedule a baptism, please contact Pastor Alice Johnson. She will set up a meeting for you with one of our pastors to talk about baptism’s meaning and to schedule a date for the baptism.
