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MEMBERSHIP
Membership- What is it and why?
It is true that the word “membership” is not in the New Testament (but then again, neither is “trinity” or “rapture”). But, the concept of participation is!! The Greek word is koinonia which means “fellowship” or perhaps “togetherness” (Acts 2:42; 1 Corinthians 1:9), “participation” (Philippians 1:5), “contribution” (Romans 15:26; 2 Corinthians 9:13) and “sharing” (Heb. 13:16). The idea in the New Testament is to belong to one another and the commitment of membership is exactly that- belonging to one another like a family.
So why a formal procedure for membership? It is vital to make sure that all “members” are, in fact, embracing the unified direction and beliefs of the church family. For the first three centuries, the early church was so careful that they spent a year examining the prospective member for beliefs and conduct to make sure there was true unity. The membership process is intended to help both the church and the person considering membership. We feel it is important for anyone seeking to join Far Hills to know what we believe and who we are so that all decisions are well-informed ones.
Membership- Where do I start?
We offer a membership class approximately every other month. The class goes from 9:00AM-Noon and covers who we are as a church (our overall Philosophy of Ministry), what we believe (a basic overview of our doctrine) and what membership means at Far Hills (expectations of a participant). At the end of the class, there is an interview and the opportunity to sign a Membership Form to become a member. Signing up is as easy as calling the church office at 434-3232, filling out a Guest Information card in the Sunday morning program or e-mailing Becky Torres at beckyt@farhills.org. |
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