Membership

Step #1: Read the Member Affirmation

All of our Members are expected to affirm the historic essentials of the Christian faith, as expressed in our Member Affirmation of Faith. Members are not required to agree with the Elders on every secondary point of doctrine.

Step #2: Read the Member Covenant

All of our Members are expected, with God’s help, to live by and seek to fulfill the Member Covenant. We want you to know what it is expected of you as you step into membership.

Step #3: Chat with a Pastor (optional)

If you want to chat with a Pastor about church membership (or anything else) before officially beginning the membership process, feel free to schedule a time here.

Step #4: Complete the Member Application

The Membership Application is a simple form that allows us to begin the process.

Step #5: Review Prerequisite Materials

We require potential Members to review these materials:

• Video: Vision and Mission of Horizon City Church (Kenny Ortiz)
• Article: What Is Church Membership? (Jonathan Leeman)
• Article: 10 Reasons Why We Are Southern Baptists (Kenny Ortiz)
• Article: The Case for Congregationalism (Andy Naselli)
• Article: We Want You to Be a Christian Hedonist! (John Piper)
• Article: The Best Day of the Week (Kenny Ortiz)

Step #6: Meet with a Pastor

Next, you’ll meet with one of our Pastors. Please don’t think of this meeting as an “Interview” for a job. Instead, think of this meeting as a “get to know you better” meeting.

We’ll ask you to share your story and we’ll discuss the content of the assigned materials. We’ll also review the answers you submitted on your Membership Application and discuss any pertinent items that you may want to discuss.

Note: If you’ve not been baptized in a manner that we believe is in accordance with Scripture, we may determine that you ought to be baptized prior to becoming a Member. We handle this on a case-by-case basis.

Step #7: Be presented to the congregation

After you’ve been endorsed by an Elder, you will be presented to the congregation at a Member’s Meeting. We believe that the congregation (not the Elders) has the power to officially admit Members into our church family.

Ready to Get Started?

Interested in pursuing Membership?

Start by reading the Membership Affirmation and the Member Covenant, then fill out the Membership Application form.

Resources

Want to dive deeper into understanding Membership and church structures? Check out these resources:

• Church Membership (Jonathan Leeman)
• Church Discipline (Jonathan Leeman)
• What is a Healthy Church? (Mark Dever)
• Biblical Eldership (Alexander Strauch)
• Don’t Fire Your Church Members (Jonathan Leeman)