How long?

In some cases, the church would not have you (or anyone for that matter) for at least a year as you (or someone) proves their worth as a member.

That was the case with Sojourn in Louisville. It often took as long as a year to become a member. No going forward and taking the right hand of the pastor stuff there. Classes, covenant, ministry, understanding, interviews (two), and then the elders decide.

 

Our church has about 1800 in attendance each Sunday. It may be different between the smaller church and the larger churches. In our larger church, someone accepting Christ is encouraged to get baptized ASAP and to join the church after a short new member class. They kneel em, dunk em, and join em.

We joined after attending about one year only because my wife wanted to be a greeter and could not until she joined. Yet, some members who had not been there in years could get a job immediately upon returning when Christians who had faithfully attended for over a year could not get a job until they joined. Once a Member, Always a Member (OMAM). Hmmm.

 

I attended a church much like you describe -- Valley View in Louisville -- their problem was a revolving door out the back. They baptized 200+ new members a year but the church barely grew because they lost just as many.

Oh, and Sojourn is a 10-year old plant with a membership over 1200 and an average attendance over 2900 on four campuses with multiple services. And there is no "revolving door" problem. Way more people waiting for membership than leaving.

 

Emphasis above is mine----CTB----I like Cracker Barrel-----------and there is a China Buffet not far away-----YOU BUY????????:laugh::laugh:

 

IMHO.....

If I were in this situation... having to choose from 15 churches, this is what I'd do.

Choose the closest one to me and go to Sunday worship service. Why the closest? Because being a church member is much more than simply attending worship services. The more time taken with travel the less likely the member will be willing/available to fully participate in the church ministries.

Attend the service and just watch & listen. Not only to what happens in the church. Listen to the Holy Spirit, too. IMHO, by the time you sit in your car again you'll sense whether you should return next Sunday. No, not necessarily that you'll join that church next Sunday. Instead, the "sense" that you want to learn more. Or, that you already know that church body isn't one that you'll want to call home.

Either return next Sunday or chose the next closest one on your list. Take the time that you need to allow the Holy Spirit convict you that ABC church is the right one for you. Begin to participate in various church ministries where volunteers are requested and/or those where all are invited, regardless of membership status. Again, with the Holy Spirit leading. If your experience is anything like mine, it won't take long to learn the "character" of ABC church.

True, the hour of 11:00-12:00 Sunday morning may reveal enough to choose another on the list. Also true, that a few weeks of interaction with the church may reveal positives and negatives that just can't be learned any other way. By-laws and such often don't tell the whole story. Just as infomercials on TV don't reflect the reality of the product being sold.

Some shoes hurt your feet the minute you put them on. Some shoes appear to be comfortable until you wear them for a while to break them in. And, yet some that may not initially appear to be ideal turn out to be the best fitting shoes you've ever worn. Each pair of shoes has its own timeframe of what it will reveal to you. Your feet will tell you what you need to know.

Let the Holy Spirit do the same thing with your choice of the church you'll be attending. After being away from the church altogether for a number of years, we tried on several in our original demoninations and others before finding our Baptist home. I fully believe the Holy Spirit led us to this church, which turns out to be only 10 minutes from our house.

A for whatever it's worth. After we'd attended Sunday morning services for a few weeks, the pastor invited us to join. He included this in his invitation. "When you believe that you are ready. We'll invite you, but we won't pressure you to become members." They didn't and we did join a couple of months later.

 

Sound just like our church. They brag about how many Decisions and Baptisms each year. Looks good within the SBC organization. After one bragging session, I started keeping a weekly record of attendance from the weekly bulletin. The numbers have not increased.

Our older members also talk about the front door/back door effect.