The New Testament scriptures are saturated with examples and stories of people committing to the local church. Today, we call this membership. To be a member of a church is to make a public promise to live according to God’s Word and to support the work of the congregation. The church body also promises to support and care for members as a unified local worshipping community. In the Bible this is called a covenant; an agreement in which both parties make commitments to one another.

A public promise, or covenant, is the basis for all society, according to the Bible: marriage, employment, citizenship, and church membership are all relationships of accountability. Membership in a church is not like membership in a social club or other organizations. Most organization members are consumers; the organization exists to serve them. The Church is a completely different community – membership means ministry and service, going from being a consumer to becoming a contributor: sharing God’s love and care to others through giving of your time, talents and resources.

At the Upper Room, membership is viewed as an active participation, a partnership, not just an addition to a church roll. Because of this, there are some things that the Church must do and there are some things that you must do. We want to communicate each of the requirements with you and help you understand the process that must be completed before you can be considered for membership. At the Upper Room we are committed to developing disciples who willingly submit their lives to the discipline of following Christ, loving God and His people, and to do the work of ministry by serving Jesus and others in love as commanded in Matthew 28. How do I become a member of Upper Room Ministries of Miami Gardens?

To become a member of Upper Room you must:

1. Personally trust Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord; Christ is the head of the Church. For this reason, it is imperative that only those who acknowledge Him as Savior are part of the membership.

2. Be baptized by immersion as a believer as a symbol of your salvation; The Bible is clear that baptism is the immersion of a believer in water. If you have not yet experienced the tremendous joy of being baptized as a believer, please speak with your Orientation Instructor or staff member for more information about baptism.

3. Fill out the Upper Room Ministries Membership Application. In the membership packet you will find a Membership Application form. This is the application for church membership. Please complete it carefully and completely. The information you provide will be shared with the Church staff and will be kept confidential.

4. Attend the Membership Orientation class. The Membership Orientation class is a basic introduction to our church. At the Upper Room we have people from many different church backgrounds, and we have found that this class plays an important role in introducing the specific dimensions of life at the Upper Room and helping us to continue to be a unified family of faith.

5. Sign the Upper Room Ministries Member Covenant. At the Upper Room, we only expect of our members what the Bible clearly expects of all believers. These expectations are summarized in our Membership Covenant. The most important part of a marriage ceremony is when the man and woman exchange vows. Before witnesses and God, they make certain promises to each other. In the same way, we believe the essence of church membership is contained in the willingness to commit to a membership covenant. It is the most important element of our membership class.