Church Membership
As a growing church, Glasgow Elim relies on members to support our ministry and to carry out much of the work required to help accomplish our purpose as a local church. It takes hard work, commitment but the rewards are worth all that.
The leadership of Glasgow Elim strives to love and care for its members well. In turn, we rely on our members to accomplish our collective work as the church. As a church, we have staff, budgets and programmes and throughout we trust the Holy Spirit to move through the transformed hearts of our members, mobilizing the collective body of Christ in humble ways to love the city, love our family, and glorify God on his terms.
If you’re desiring to make a deeper commitment to Glasgow Elim, we encourage you to become a member.
Find out more about our membership course DiscoverElim
Some frequently asked questions about Membership
Why does Glasgow Elim have “members”?
Glasgow is a church, and the Bible uses the metaphor of a body to describe the church: ‘‘For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ’‘ (1 Cor. 12:12). It’s a beautiful illustration of how we’re each created to serve different functions, we need everyone to function in order to be a healthy body, and all of us as separate parts find purpose and unity under Jesus, ‘‘the head of the body, the church’‘ (Col. 1:18). Members are the church (Eph. 2:19-22).
Why should I become a member?
The church of Glasgow Elim is a family, adopted by God (Gal. 4:6-7 Eph. 1:5). We care for each other, pray for each other, and serve together. If you’re already a Christian, if you’re already in some form of Glasgow Elim community, if you’re already giving of your finances and your time, then you’re already fulfilling some functions of a member. Without making an official commitment, however, we cannot provide the same level of pastoral care and community support, in part because we may not know who you are, and in part because the Bible requires that we take care of our family first (Eph. 2:19 cf. Gal. 6:10).
If you’re not a Christian, don’t worry about membership until you’ve been reconciled to God though Jesus. If you are a Christian who has spent a lot of time at Mars Hill, however, search your heart and identify your hesitation. There may be valid reasons to abstain from Glasgow Elim membership. If you bristle at the very idea of becoming a member, ask yourself why–and don’t hesitate to speak with a leader at Glasgow Elim.
What are the benefits of being a member?
Scripture calls us a body, a family, a household–being a Christian is not a solo effort. Jesus works through the church (Eph. 2:10), the church is Jesus’ body (1 Cor. 12:27), and apart from Jesus, you can do nothing (John 15).
This isn’t Blockbuster, it isn’t a country club, and it isn’t 24-Hour Fitness. Again, members are the church. ‘‘In love [God] predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ…So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God’‘ (Eph. 1:4-5 2:19).
You don’t join for the perks–although members do enjoy greater access to information, and certain volunteer opportunities are only available to members. The benefit is that we get to worship Jesus together, serve in His kingdom, and be children of God! We enjoy the guidance that his Word provides, and, when sin comes between us, we enjoy the reconciliation Jesus’ blood provides.
How do I become a member?
We recommend that you attend our DiscoverElim Course which is a 2 week course looking at 3 simple things: Where we have come from, Where we are and Where we are going. During this course we will talk about membership and some of the expectations.
Apply for next course
Do members have to be baptized?
Since Jesus commands that all of his disciples be baptized, baptism is a requirement for all Glasgow Elim members (Matt. 28:19 Acts 2:38 10:48 1 Peter 3:21). If you’ve already been baptized since you became a Christian, you don’t need to get re-baptized. Glasgow Elim performs believer baptisms only, which means we don’t baptize infants.
More information on baptism
| 
