A membership interview is one of my favorite tasks as an elder. It is here that I get to hear people’s stories by asking them how the Lord has worked in their lives. In other words, how did the Lord draw them to Him.
I see the beauty of local church membership. Not all churches have formal membership. I believe that the Bible supports church membership, but that is not what this article is about. Perhaps we can address it at another time.
Our denomination, a conservative Presbyterian denomination, takes membership seriously. To become a member, you need to complete an interview with two elders. I have been an elder in our denomination for nearly thirty years. In short, elders shepherd and rule (or lead). Our other ordained office is deacon. Deacons focus on service and mercy.

To become a member, you don’t have to agree with every jot and tittle of doctrine of our church and denomination. Usually, those wanting to become members attend a membership class before agreeing to move forward with an interview. In the interview, to the best of our ability, we try to ascertain that the individual is a Christian, a true believer in Christ.
Our church has been blessed to see significant growth the past few years. This is due in no small part to a college ministry that has a presence on the campus of the two universities in our community. While not all of the recent membership interviews I’ve done recently can be connected to this college ministry, many can. It is amazing to hear how laborers in this ministry have impacted so many college students.
As I write this, I think of an interview I had yesterday. The young man’s brother, several years older than him, had been involved with the college ministry many years ago. When the younger brother reached out to his brother about groups to check out when he was new on campus last fall, his brother told him about the college ministry, and told him to look up a certain leader. The rest, as they say is history. The young man is now on fire for the Lord.
The man being interviewed mentioned another young man, who had been a good friend in his early days on campus. It turns out that I had interviewed his friend just two days earlier. That young man told us that he had met a leader from the college ministry his first day on campus.
What a joy it is to hear the stories of those who come seeking membership at our church. I always come away encouraged. And thank the Lord for those who are laboring for the Gospel on college campuses.

Take a minute to watch Voddie Baucham’s testimony:  https://www.youtube.com/shorts/CNQhDRNF2TY