12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
1 Corinthians 12:12-14
Christ taught through his actions that we do not live out our faith alone. Under our Book of Discipline, those who have professed their faith and have been baptized are considered members of the global church and thus, are open to participate in worship and the sacraments. However, we encourage those who want to serve Christ through Milton UMC to become professing members by making a vow to be held accountable and thus, encouraged to continue on their discipleship journey. Membership training is offered by the pastor and once the training is over, candidates may choose to be a professing member through a membership covenant service.
Membership Training Syllabus
Week 1 – Why do you want to be a member?
In this session, we share and talk about our spiritual journey by sharing how you have met Jesus, how Jesus has impacted your life, and what your expectations are for following Jesus. The Pastor will share his faith story as well.
Week 2 – What do we believe?
In this session, we go through our confession of faith. This confession is known as the Baptismal Covenant. We will go over the meaning behind what we confess and what we believe through the Apostle’s Creed.
Week 3 – What is church membership?
Church membership is considered important in some churches but not in others. We will go over why church membership is vital to the life of the local church by going over the biblical, historical, practical and accountable aspects of church membership.
Week 4 – What is Methodism?
We are part of the United Methodist Church. This session will dive into the basics of Wesleyan faith and how God’s word and life intersect. We will go over who John Wesley was and his theology of grace.
Week 5 – What is our mission?
Coming to church as a member for the right reason is critical. We will go over what to expect as members live out their faith.
Week 6 – What is expected of members?
Accountability is one of the most critical components of membership. The United Methodist Church has emphasized the following: prayer, presence, gifts, service and witness. We will go over what the church is trying to do to help you grow in these areas. We will go over to the next part of the discipleship journey to identify what gifts that you can bring to Christ.