Membership Pathway

Membership Pathway

What is membership?

“Church Membership” is a concept that is a more familiar idea in some cultures and contexts than in others. We find it to be a useful model for thinking of people’s journey in participating in and contributing to our life together as a church.

People’s connection with Crossway Multinational Church ideally follows a journey from being an honored guest, to being a loved and valued part of our community, to being a treasured family member. Being a “member” of Crossway, as compared to being an ongoing and active participant in our community, is something like being adopted into a family, as compared to being a valued friend in a family.

“Membership” involves a higher expectation of commitment and care, both from the church to the member and from the member to the church. One way it is expressed is that members are allowed to vote on church matters (such as hiring a pastor and adopting a budget), and they are able to serve in certain roles in the church that would not be open to them otherwise (such as serving on the Board or Nominating Committee).

People who are not “members” are not necessarily less valued or less involved or less loved as compared to “members”. On the other hand, membership is a way to solidify and publicly express one’s participation in the church community.

How can I become a member?

The Membership Pathway is the process we use to help people become members of the church. This Pathway uses a “flipped curriculum.” That means that the content is available online for viewing/reading at your own time. Then we have gatherings to process that content together.

In order to join the church, it is required that you:

  1. View all of the following videos, or read all of the following documents, prior to the associated meeting times. You are encouraged to watch the videos with others, although that is optional.
  2. Participate in group conversations about the contents of these videos. The three areas are: Doctrine, Culture, and Church Practice. Because of their significance, both Doctrine and Culture are covered in 2 sessions, for a total of 5 sessions.
  3. Complete the Membership Request Form
  4. Meet individually or in small groups with the Pastor or Board Member/Elder

1: Doctrine

We have our doctrine information in 2 formats:

2: Culture & core values

Culture & Core Values will come in 3 parts, covering the following content:
(see the Playlist on YouTube)

** Please see the reflection questions at the bottom of each transcript below. We will use these to guide our time of conversation together **

3: Church practice

Following are resources that help identical some practical things about us as a church, including our connection with the Evangelical Free Church of America.

  • Evangelical Free Church
  • Crossway Multinational Church
    • Official Documents * Video
    • Congregational Governance * Video
    • Three Required Teams * Video
    • Church Board Members * Video
    • Current Teams * Video
    • Membership Qualifications * Video
    • Membership Process * Video
    • Membership Duties & Responsibilities
      • Be a part of the body * Video
      • Receive hospitality: care & oversight * Video
      • Give hospitality: serve & give as gifted * Video

4: Membership & interviews

Please complete this membership request form (Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat) and return to the pastor or one of the Board Member/Elders.

Contact John Bell (johnbell@crosswaymchurch.org) if you have other questions or input.