Why should I become a member?

There are many today who feel that church membership is not important.  God doesn't really care where I hang out does he?  Jesus Christ called his disciples to make a public proclamation of discipleship.  Jesus did not have a secret organization or a secret society.  He did not want disciples to serve him at one moment and then to go off and come back later.  The call he made was to "leave" and to "follow" (Matthew 4: 18-20).  We believe that it is important that people make a public profession of their faith in a community of faith so that you can find accountability and encouragement.  This church is God's covenant people.  One can be a Christian and not have a church membership, however, the New Testament had various churches organized.  The book of Acts, as well as the Epistles, reveals a means by which these members had accountability and support.

How can I become a member?

The first way is by confession of faith.  If you have never made public confession of your faith in any church, this is a means by which you can proclaim your desire to be obedient to Christ and to His call to discipleship.  If you have never been baptized, this is a time for you to proclaim your faith and be baptized into the convent family of God.

The second method is by letter of transfer from another evangelical church.  We will write a letter to your former church asking them to send us your membership in good standing.  Upon reception of this letter, we can accept you into our membership here.

The other method is reaffirmation of your faith.  It might be that you were active years ago and then dropped out of church membership and now wish to join a church again.  Or, you confessed your faith years ago, but that church may no longer have your membership records or may, for some reason, not be able to send your transfer.  You have already confessed your faith in Jesus once, so we will ask you to reaffirm that commitment.  This might be a wonderful time to celebrate a new beginning for you.

What about any classes I must take?

Periodically, we offer classes to our new attendees and members.  Not everyone can attend or wishes to, but we would encourage you to attend if you can.  Some take these classes who are checking us out.  These individuals don't know if they are ready to join yet or not.  Some take the class who are already members.  These people want to know more about the Reformed Church and ministry.  The classes are designed to be informational, and we try to keep them short and interesting.  You will cover the following:  1.  Your personal faith and testimony.  We call this, "Your story." We want to hear your story. 2.  Short history of the Reformed Church.  This is for those who might ask, "What is the Reformed Church?" 3.  Understanding our church government.  This is a quick explanation of who are the Elders, Deacons, what is Classis, Synod, and all this stuff.  4.  Getting to know our church better.  This session simply helps you understand the First Reformed Church of Sioux Falls.  There is NO TEST!  This is simply informational.

If you are interested in membership, please call the church office at (605) 338-1553 and talk to one of the staff members or myself.

Pastor Steve Anthes