1. Membership visibly identifies you with Christ. The majority of Paul’s letters were written to a body of believers - not individual Christians. Scripture supports the idea of those belonging to Christ as “inside” the church, versus those not in Christ as “outside” (Eph 2:19, 1 Cor 5:1-13, Matt 18:15-17). Church membership is a physical expression of the spiritual reality of new life in Christ. 
2. Membership acknowledges our place in God's Kingdom and identifies us with something much bigger than ourselves (1 Cor 12:12-31, Rom 12:3-8).
3. Membership reflects the biblical concept of covenant, and by extension, the idea of selfless commitment (Romans 12:1-2). Put another way, membership allows us to “stop dating the church and marry it.”
4. Membership reflects a desire to be held accountable in biblical community, as you live in submission to biblical leadership (Hebrews 3:13, Ephesians 4:11-16).
5. Membership helps church leaders be better shepherds (1 Peter 5:1-3, Hebrews 13:17, Acts 20:28). Membership allows pastors and elders to know who to shepherd - who they will give an account for - by knowing who is actually a part of the church.

We offer a membership class 2-3 times a year. During this class, we will describe in-depth our doctrine, vision, and values and what it looks like to be a member of Outward. After you have participated in a membership class, you will be given an opportunity to meet with a pastor/elder if you have further questions, and then be given an opportunity to sign our Membership Covenant. 

Keep an eye on our Events page, or Contact Us to find out when we will be offering our next membership class.