Membership
By Pastor Dave Martin
Senior Pastor
Assuming that you must be somewhat interested in joining the membership of the Evangelical Free Church of Hershey or you wouldn’t be reading this, allow me to take a few minutes of your time to tell you what we believe is important about church membership.
First of all, “membership” probably isn’t the best word for what you’re thinking about and what we’d like you to consider. Becoming a “member” sounds like you’re joining a country club or a service organization – there are benefits to belonging, but it usually costs money to get in and stay in. There are only certain “classes” of people who can join. Joining is optional, a matter of personal inclination. And because “membership has its privileges,” the decision to join is often based on weighing the personal advantages against whatever responsibilities might be included.
That doesn’t sound like what the New Testament teaches about joining the church. It too often is seen that way, but we don’t believe that’s the way it should be. In the earliest days of the church, joining seemed to be a matter of saying “Yes!” to an irresistible, divine call upon one’s entire life. It often meant the loss of privileged status and acceptance by family and community. It often brought economic loss, social disdain and sometimes, physical persecution and even death. You didn’t have to pay anything to join, but once you joined, you might end up giving everything. Yes, it provided deep joy in fellowship and a security in knowing you were loved and cared about, but it often seemed to demand much more on an earthly level than it provided. Yet the church grew phenomenally in those early days when joining could mean dying.
Why?
Perhaps it was because joining the church was not so much like joining a club as it was joining a cause. It was more like enlisting in an army on the march. Those early Christians were not concerned about simply accruing a few earthly benefits for themselves. They were on the march, reconquering territory that had been subjugated by the Evil One. They were fighting a spiritual battle. They had enlisted in the cause of the gospel – the good news of the freedom given in Christ – and having been liberated themselves, they joined the cause of helping to liberate others who had also been captured and enslaved by their Adversary. They saw themselves, in other words, on a mission.
Joining the church, therefore, is not joining a club that exists primarily to benefit its own members. It’s not a club that, while it may be doing some nice things, is just there and not going anywhere. We believe God wants us to go somewhere. We want to go wherever Satan has been. We have a mission. If you feel compelled to join us, we’d love to have you with us so we can fulfill our divine mission more effectively because you’re fighting alongside us. We welcome you. Please join us.
Membership Classes
The first step to membership is to attend membership classes, which are offered two or three times a year. At the conclusion of the course, those choosing membership will have the opportunity to tell their faith journies to church leaders. Then the new members will be introduced to the congregation at Sunday services. Membership classes are announced in the Sunday bulletin and Hershey Free Happenings brochure.
