And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. ~ Acts 2:47

If I were to go around and ask everyone why you are a member at St. John's, I am certain that there would be a variety of answers. Maybe you have found a good, biblically based congregation. Maybe this is the closest church to where you live. Maybe this is where you grew up and what you like. Maybe you find this to be a nice place to raise children in the faith. The list could go on from there I am sure.
But, what does it mean to be a member of the church? What does membership require? Does one have to be a member of this church to partake of what is offered here? And, at this point you may be asking, "Pastor, why do you want to know?"

Before getting to some of that, let me tell you how things are normally done both here, and in many Lutheran Churches around the globe. As is always the case, membership in the church is connected to one's baptism. Washed in the Triune name of God, we are connected to Christ's death and resurrection and made to be partakers of eternal life. This happens regardless of what church (or hospital, or wherever) this happens. Baptism is God's action on us and as long as that baptism takes place with water and "In the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit," it is valid and certain in heaven. When this happens in church, you are at that moment considered to be a member of that particular church. Later, when either first communion or confirmation takes place, you then hold the title of communicant member.

However, what happens when you move, or decide to "church shop"? How do you become a member there if you aren't baptized there? At St. John's, there are a couple of options. If you are transferring in from another LC-MS congregation, then the pastor there can be contacted to ensure that you have been given a peaceful release, and he will ordinarily send over pertinent information about you such as birthday, anniversary, baptism date, confirmation date, etc. At that point, since you are basically moving between like-minded/confessing/worshiping congregations, that is the end of it and you are welcomed in. However, if you decide to join us from another tradition (Catholicism, Baptist, Episcopal, etc.) we ask that you sit through the Faith Renewal class which introduces the basic tenets of the faith and helps you understand why we do what we do at St. John's. Once the class is completed, you have the option to join us. Most Lutheran churches do this in some shape or form, and my guess is that non-Lutherans do this as well. Thus, baptism, transfer, or Faith Renewal are the ways to become a member.

But, what's the big deal? Some people have a reluctance to join a church formally because they were raised in another church and their parents would "roll over in their grave" if they became Lutheran, or they may not believe absolutely everything about the faith and thus don't want to be seen as two-faced. But there are wonderful privileges and joys of becoming an official member. You join a community that confesses the same things you believe, you join the fellowship of the saints who receive God's gifts in faith and are together gifted by the Holy Spirit to serve one another and the world with acts of mercy. You are able, primarily, to join the church in the support of local, national and worldwide efforts to show mercy and proclaim the Gospel to people in need. And, you have a place that you can call your church home and work side by side with fellow "family" members in service to Christ. What the church offers is something unique. Our church body's emphasis of Witness, Mercy, and Life Together is a wonderful model for what every church ought to be aiming at to receive the gifts of grace, to bear witness to the truth of Christ, to serve in acts of mercy, and to grow in our life together as the body of Christ. This is the kind of thing that social, political, or professional organizations cannot truly offer. Only the church can and does do this.

With this in mind, over the next several months, the Board of Church Life will be working on taking a census of our church members. For many years, the database which holds this information has become a bit unwieldy and we need to reign it in a bit. We would like to know precisely who our members are, who are those who are here regularly but are not members, who are prospective or potential members, and who may lay claim to membership but haven't been around for quite some time. I want to assure you that this is not an effort to police the membership rolls. This is about working to facilitate the relationships we have in our life together. This is about pastoral care as well. If I do not know who is a member or not, it is difficult for me to make sure that you are being cared for in your walk of faith and encouraged toward faithful attendance and support of the church's work.

Thus, later this month, every household will receive in the mail a letter from me, along with a printout of our current information on you and your family. If everything looks correct, then there is no action that you need to take. If changes need to be made, then there will be a way to make those changes. But most importantly, if it comes to you and indicates that you are not a member and you think you are already, or if you would like to become one officially, there will also be a way to contact me so that we can figure out how to correct things or formalize your membership at St. John's. Please do participate in this process. Again, this is not about policing things, but about attempting to offer better and more complete care for those who gather in St. John's to receive Christ's gifts and be a part of this family of faith.


Blest be the tie binds Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds Is like to that above. (LSB #649 st. 1)

~ Pastor Noack

Lent  Yes, Lent is already right around the corner. This year, throughout these Wednesdays, we will follow the One-Year lectionary readings, and explore the historic preparations in this penitential time.

Services at noon & 7:30pm
Ash Wednesday, February 22
Wednesday, February 29
Wednesday, March 7
Wednesday, March 14
Wednesday, March 21
Wednesday, March 28