Membership at Redeemer
Membership Inquiries
Redeemer Lutheran Church welcomes all people—members and non-members—for worship services. Visitors who are interested in making Redeemer their church home are encouraged to talk to our pastor about the process of becoming a member. After speaking with our pastor, the next steps in the process depend on your current church affiliation.
New Members from Other Denominations or No Church Background
If you haven’t recently been an active church member or you belonged to a church of another denomination (e.g., Evangelical, Roman Catholic, ELCA), and you’re interested in joining our family, communing with us, or just getting a better understanding of what we believe, teach and confess, we’ll want to do a couple things first:
1) Are you baptized?
If you’re not baptized, we’ll want to address that as soon as possible. After a discussion of the nature of Baptism, if you desire, we will schedule a day for the Rite of Holy Baptism.
2) Enroll in “Basics of Christian Wisdom”
This covers the foundational teachings of the confessional Lutheran faith. After completing adult catechesis, (Basics of Christian Wisdom) those who wish to pursue membership will be confirmed at Redeemer in the faith of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.
If you’d still like to talk more about what we believe, teach, and confess after the class, our pastor would be more than happy to continue talking through whatever points of doctrine you’re still struggling with.
Transfers from Confessional Lutheran Congregations (LCMS, WELS, ELS, etc.)
Transfer: If you’ve recently been a member in good standing of an LCMS congregation outside the Lawrence area, you’ll need to obtain a transfer letter from your church.
If you’re currently attending an LCMS church in the Lawrence circuit and want to transfer, the pastor will ask if you’ve discussed your reasons for seeking a transfer with your current pastor; if not, he’ll encourage you to do so. Church members seek transfers for a variety of reasons, some of which may be problematic (e.g., avoiding reconciliation or church discipline). Approving a transfer too soon in these cases may short-circuit ongoing ministry efforts. If you’ve spoken with your pastor and he approves of the transfer, he’ll give you a letter of transfer. We encourage all new members, regardless of their previous church affiliation, to take adult instruction at Redeemer.
Profession of Faith: If you’re currently a member of a church in another confessional Lutheran synod (e.g., WELS, ELS, CLC), the pastor will talk to you about your beliefs and what, if any, differences there are in the beliefs confessed at Redeemer. After this consultation process (which may involve additional instruction), you should obtain a release from your last congregation.