Membership at MBC

At Maranatha Bible Church, we believe that the Bible presents the Christian life as inseparable from the corporate sphere of the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12–30).  Therefore, every believer is commanded by God to be committed to a local church, bound in mutual covenant with the members there (Gal. 6:1–2; Rom. 12:5; Eph. 4:1–3).

For this reason, our desire is for every believer who walks into our doors to find a local church to commit to, whether that’s here at MBC or another faithful, gospel-centered church.  And if you have been regularly attending MBC for some time now, and you are prayerfully convinced that this congregation is where God is leading you to join in the full commitment as a fellow member, then we are gratefully eager to have you undergo our membership process, as described below.

Becoming a Member of Maranatha Bible Church

  1. Be baptized as a born-again believer (if you haven’t already). Baptism is a prerequisite for church membership, and if you have any questions about that or want to learn more about the meaning and purpose of baptism, we offer a 1-hour Baptism Class.  Please contact one of the pastors/elders if you are interested.

  2. Fill out the Membership Application.  Here is the application form, which can be filled out and submitted as a hard copy or you can fill out the PDF on your computer. NOTE: Our membership process is currently offered twice a year, so please confirm the dates with the pastors/elders before submitting an application.

  3. Attend all sessions of the Membership Class.  The Membership Class consists of first learning about why church membership is essential and then learning more about the specifics of this local church, Maranatha Bible Church.  It is a 4-part class taught over three weeks. Below is the curriculum:

    Week 1 = Learning about the Church (~2 hrs)
    >> Part 1: What Is Church Membership and Is It Necessary?
    >> Part 2: What Is A Gospel-Centered Church?

    Week 2 = Learning about this church (~1.5 hrs)
    >> Part 3: MBC's Theology and Teaching (Doctrinal Statement)

    Week 3 = Learning about this church (~1.5 hrs)
    >> Part 4: MBC's Governance and Function (Constitution & Bylaws)

  4. Membership Interview.  Upon completion of all the sessions, the Elders will schedule a 30-minute interview with each applicant, at which the individual will be asked to articulate the gospel, share his or her personal testimony of salvation, get to know one another better, and answer any questions about our church. We hope this interview will be edifying and encouraging for the applicants as they prepare to commit to MBC as their local church.

  5. Elder and Congregational Affirmation.  At the next regularly scheduled Elders’ meeting, each applicant will be reviewed, and upon the approval of the Elders, the membership candidate will be invited to the next Members’ Meeting. Then with the congregation’s affirmation, the candidate will be joyfully admitted into the membership of Maranatha Bible Church.