Membership

Membership is important to us at Lakeshore. God has given the pastors of this church the responsibility to shepherd the members with the understanding that one day they will give an account for them (Heb 13:17). 

If you are interested in becoming a member, here are the necessary steps you need to take. 

Step 1: Attend the Life at Lakeshore class. The class meets for an hour after the morning service and again for an hour before the evening service. This is where you get to ask us questions and we get to ask you questions. In this class Pastor Nate shares important truths about our doctrine, mission, and expectations for members. You will be given a church handbook that explains our doctrine in greater detail along with church procedures.

Step 2: Prayerfully read through and agree to the membership covenant.

Text

We, the members of this fellowship do solemnly covenant together, with the help of God, to give the Lord Jesus Christ the place of leadership among us. By His divine grace we have been saved and by the Holy Spirit we have been preserved.

We believe that God’s Word, the Bible, is authoritative and we will submit ourselves to it (2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Pet 1:3-4; Psalm 119). We will study God’s Word individually and expect our leaders to proclaim it regularly and truthfully (2 Tim 2:15; 4:2).

Community

We believe that God has assembled Christians together to reflect His wisdom and glory (Eph 3:9-10). We will therefore seek to preserve the unity of this church body by walking in brotherly love (John 13:34-35; Gal 6:2; James 2:14-17; Romans 14). We will exercise Christian care for one another by faithfully watching over each other, warning, rebuking, and admonishing one another as the case shall require (2 Tim 2:15; 1 Cor 5:1-2; Heb 3:12-14). We will not neglect the assembling of ourselves together. When we move from this place we will unite with another church where we can carry out this same covenant and the principles of God’s Word (Heb 10:25).

Missions

As Jesus has commanded us, we will seek to make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:19-20). We will participate with God in proclaiming Christ to those who are both local and global (Acts 1:8; Romans 10:14-15). We will seek, by God’s grace, to regularly pray for our missionaries and support them through the ministry of grace giving (2 Cor 8-9; Eph 6:19).

Prayer

We will not forsake the ministry of prayer (James 5:15-16). We will pray individually and corporately for one another and the ministries of this church body (1 Tim 2:8).

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen.

Step 3: Submit your membership application and testimony. You can download the membership covenant and bring it in to the church office. All testimonies need to be written down and submitted to Pastor Nate for review. 

Step 4: You will be brought before the church to share your testimony and to be voted into the membership by the church. 
 

What about baptism? 

A requirement for membership is that the individual has been baptized by immersion. We believe that baptism is important because it is the first step of obedience after someone comes to faith. If you haven't been baptized or you have questions about baptism, you can contact the church, and we will provide you with more information.