Membership

Our mission at Hillside is to make disciples of Jesus. If that’s the case, then why is membership important? “Membership” feels odd to many of us. The idea of membership can feel like we’re reducing the church to a club or a special group. But biblically speaking, membership is the exact opposite—it elevates the significance of the church to its proper place.  

Jesus said that all authority in heaven and on earth are His—and He is now the head of the church. And the church, according to Paul, is where the rule and reign of Jesus is experienced as a blessing.

Paul uses three metaphors to help us understand the significance of membership and its relationship to a local church body.  

 First, the church is like a body. We are all interconnected together and need each other. For Paul, an individual Christian is neither isolated nor independent. A Christian is like a hand, a foot, a toe, an artery, an adrenal gland, or any other body part—we’re only healthy and useful if we’re in the body. 

Secondly, the church is like a family. In the New Testament we see the church as God’s “household” or “family”. Families are made up of parts that constitute a whole through relationships and obligations. Families go through everything together.  

Lastly, the church is like a temple. Individually, we are bricks. But together we become a Temple! As Paul says, “we are the dwelling place of God!”  

Membership means we are committing to what God is doing locally. We are committing ourselves to the biblical vision of Jesus’ lordship exercised through the local church. This is how we know who’s a part of the family and who we can rely on for service, fellowship, and mission.  

God is making all things new through his family. And we want to welcome you into this family.