I had the privilege of speaking to someone asking to join the church in membership yesterday. This always provides a fresh opportunity to think through what we are actually looking for when we interview somebody. Are we looking for absolute theological precision? Not really. Are we looking for full understanding of scripture? No. SO what are we looking for? I think three things.

Credible testimony

The emphasis here really is on ‘credible’. By credible, we don’t mean utterly, totally convincing without any questions whatsoever. We mean ‘credible’; that is, capable of being believed. Fundamentally, we are listening for a story that begins at a point of unbelief and ends with someone actively believing on Jesus. That is to say, we want to hear that there was an actual conversion at some point. We don’t necessarily need to pinpoint the exact date and time, there aren’t any particulars we necessarily expect, but we do want to hear that there was a time they didn’t believe, they now do and it is belief in Jesus specifically that is the point.

This means stories that begin ‘I have always been a Christian’ are going to raise concerns for us. We may iron that issue out and discover differences in meaning that are not concerning, but that would lead to questions from us. Similarly, stories that only ever focus on being more committed to church or centre around the church without mention of Christ will similarly raise some issues that will want exploring. Or else stories that centre more on our doings than our belief in Jesus will also raise concern. But stories that start from a state of unbelief, have a point at which thoughts begin to turn to Christ and end in a state of faith in him are ones that – although the colour and details may all be wildly different – are capable of being believed.

Basic understanding of the gospel

Once we have a story that is credible, we next press into a person’s understanding of the gospel. Very often, we will ask: ‘can you explain the gospel to me?’ and we see what happens. If we get a funny look, we might add: ‘gospel simply means good news. What is the good news about Jesus?’ Other times, we might say something to the effect: ‘imagine I am an unbeliever who has never heard of Jesus, never set foot in the church and know nothing of Christianity. What would you tell me about him and about me so that I can be sure of salvation?’ Sometimes we may just ask more pointed questions about the nature of sin, the realities of Heaven and Hell, the means of salvation, the point of the cross, the certainty of salvation and other such things. There are various ways to get to the same end.

Of course, when we ask these things, we’re not looking for PhD-level theological insight into these things. We are simply looking for some understanding of what sin is and its scope, why it is a problem, what God has done in Christ to resolve it, understanding of how a person may receive salvation and why this should secure our eternal future.

We expect to hear a person explain that sin separates us from God, puts us under his wrath and means we are heading for a lost eternity. But God send Jesus to die so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life. We receive this by faith in him and not through works. Based on what Christ achieved on the cross and appropriated by us through faith alone, our future salvation is secure. Of course, it may not be phrased in that way and we may get to it by all sorts of circuitous routes. It may not even be so long-winded or said in any sort of theological terms. But some basic understanding of these things would suggest a grasp of the gospel that is capable of saving a person who truly believes it.

Nothing undermining a profession

The third and final thing we look for is perhaps a more negative evidence. We don’t necessarily look for fruit of belief per se. Rather, we want to affirm there is nothing (to our knowledge) that undermines their profession.

I know there are different views about the baptism of children. We take the view that baptism is for those who profess faith, have a credible testimony and understanding of the gospel. There are, therefore, no real age barriers. We simply don’t see such in scripture. But what does fruit of repentance look like in a child of 10, for example? By the same token, what do we do with somebody transferring to us from another church who hasn’t been with us so long? Do we simply ask them to wait for ages to join so we can satisfy ourselves that they are living in line with their profession of faith or do we simply say there appears to be nothing (to our knowledge) that undermines their profession?

I take the view that if there is a credible testimony, there is clear understanding of the gospel and their is a profession of faith in line with it, we are really then asking whether there is anything that would cause us to question the credibility of those things. It is one of the reasons we believe the entire membership are involved in the welcome of new members. It is an extra check on the credibility of the candidate. The elders may not know about certain sins that undermine the credibility of the profession, but other members might and have the opportunity to say as much so that the church can act accordingly. But barring anything that would undermine a profession, we would welcome a person in.

Of course, such a position is only really tenable if it is coupled to meaningful church discipline. We may not know of serious sins that undermine a person’s profession when they enter into membership. These things may only become apparent over time. But a relatively low bar in is no issue if there is a similar standard set for remaining in membership and the church is willing to remove them should issues come to light. It is not a matter of once in always in, but so long as your life remains in tune with your profession, we will continue to affirm you as a believer and welcome you into membership.