Membership

At Riverside, we believe the Scriptures teach us it was God's intention for believers to be connected in the form of a local body known as the Church. Membership with that local body is a way to express your desire to be faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ and to be accountable to His Church under godly leadership. It is unfortunate that we live in a time where it is common for people to prefer to not be accountable to anything. Independence tends to be highly valued from the world's perspective. The Church, however, is a place where God's people can express and experience their desire for godly accountability and have the opportunity to live out the Gospel in the setting of a corporate group. Why Membership? Many believe Church membership is not that important - that it is simply a product of culture, not a biblical concept. We strongly encourage you to ask if that is the case, and to search the Scripture for guidance. We believe you will find several indications that point to a connection in the Body of Christ through membership.

Some key passages pointing to the importance of membership in the local Body:
1) If there is no membership it is difficult to be accountable to leadership. Hebrews 13:17
2)If there is no membership it is just about impossible to do Church discipline. Matthew 18:15-18
3) If there is no membership it makes it more difficult to live out the "one anothers" in the Body of Christ. Ephesians 4:32
4)If there is no membership how do we "join" the Church? In Acts 5:13, the word "join" communicates the idea of associating or uniting together. This implies that becoming a part of the early Church involved commitment and strong association.

At Riverside there are five steps to become a member:
1)It is required that one be a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. John 1:12
2) Follow in obedience to Jesus' call to be baptized. Matthew 28:18-20
3) Attend one of our Discovery classes to get acquainted with us and what Riverside is all about. This also allow us to get more acquainted with you.
4) Share your testimony with one of our Elders.Be presented to our Church Body at Riverside.