All people are welcome to gather with us for worship and participate in our programs. Membership opens the door to service on the local board and further service with denominational task forces. It also sends a message about commitment. The new congregations are reorganizing religious life to fill that void. The Next Church in its fully realized state can be the clearest approximation of community, and perhaps the most important civic structure, that a whole generation is likely to have known or likely to find anywhere in an impersonal, transient nation.
Membership is a statement about commitment to a gathered community of people.
It is an important value.