Membership
Membership
When you become a member at Bethlehem, you are:
- making an investment in what happens next
- building connections between your faith and daily life
- sharing your curiosity and power within and through a community
- discovering new ways to share your gifts with the world God loves
Every journey into belonging at Bethlehem is different. There are lots of right ways to invest, connect, share and discover through membership in this congregation. Let’s figure it out together.
Become A New Member
Bethlehem is a much better community with you here. Whether you have recently started attending or you have been coming for years, consider this your invitation to take the leap and join Bethlehem!
Contact our Director of Member Engagement, Burke Hancer, to get connected to the new member process at Bethlehem. He can help you get involved, answer questions, and point you toward events and ministry opportunities even before the new member class begins!
We host a new member class twice a year at which you’ll get to know the pastoral staff, lay leaders, and other new members. You are welcome to attend the class as part of your discernment process. It’s a great way to learn more about our history, vision, mission, values, and ministries at Bethlehem.
Membership FAQ
Joining a congregation is a practical expression of your membership in the body of Christ and your investment in God’s healing work in the world. It’s also an antidote to the myth that your spiritual life is limited to a personal relationship with God. Faith is a team sport! Investing in a worship community reminds us that the church is always becoming together.
We do not require pre-work or classes prior before you can join, but we do want to get to know you and hear what brings you to Bethlehem. If you want to become a member at Bethlehem, you’re in! Contact Pastor Meta so we can get to know you and plan a time to welcome your membership during a worship service.
Since Bethlehem is a large, multi-site, hybrid congregation, it can be challenging to find ways to connect when you’re new to the community. If you’re looking for more guidance and support in finding a place at Bethlehem, we can connect you to a Field Guide. These are congregational leaders here to help you navigate Bethlehem’s communication, programming, and service opportunities. They’ll introduce you to others with similar interests and help you find ways to share your spiritual gifts. Your Field Guide is a familiar face while you explore life at Bethlehem and what your membership means. Pastor Meta is always available with creative ideas and support.
We are a community rooted in worship and sharing the work of God’s vision for a healed world. Members of Bethlehem are curious in faith, generous in spirit, and open to the ways the church is called to show up in the world God loves.
We welcome diverse thoughts and beliefs within a context that respects and honors the sacred value of people, places and our planet.
We practice disagreement and discern change while trusting our unity in Christ.
We hold healthy boundaries and communicate with honesty so that relationships in this community are trustworthy and the business of the church is transparent.
We give generously of our time, talent and financial resources in response to God’s grace and in support of the mission we share.
We celebrate a curious faith and a Spirit who calls us into the world to center the margins and serve with love.
Thanks to technology and our hybrid worship experience, you’ll be able to participate from one of Bethlehem’s sanctuaries or online. The blessing during worship acknowledges that community isn’t perfect. We’ll celebrate and grieve, make mistakes and seek forgiveness, learn and grow. We’ll share a photo or video of you and invite you to join a time of fellowship in person or online after the service so folks can welcome you in real time. We’ll rejoice because we’re already being blessed by your membership.
“For Belonging”
by John O’Donohue
May you listen to your longing to be free.
May the frames of your belonging be generous enough for your dreams.
May you arise each day with a voice of blessing whispering in your heart.
May you find a harmony between your soul and your life.
May the sanctuary of your soul never become haunted.
May you know the eternal longing that lives at the heart of time.
May there be kindness in your gaze when you look within.
May you never place walls between the light and yourself.
May you allow the wild beauty of the invisible world to gather you,
mind you, and embrace you in belonging.
The church is a living organism, always changing, because who you are and what you bring makes this community brand new. Welcome to Bethlehem, where we are never finished BECOMING TOGETHER, sharing in the work of God’s vision for a healed world.
Upcoming Events
See AllBlessed Minds: Breaking the Silence About Neurodiversity
Join us at Bethlehem Minneapolis Campus for lunch with Sarah Griffith Lund, author of Blessed Minds: Breaking the Silence About Neurodiversity.
Learn MoreStories of Hope Breakfast Fundraiser
Join us for the uplifting Stories of Hope breakfast, a heartwarming event hosted by Mental Health Connect. This year, our fundraiser shines a spotlight on youth mental health, showcasing real stories from young individuals and families facing mental health struggles.
Learn MoreBethlehem Music Series: Hymn Festival with David Cherwien and Bethlehem Chorale
As a renowned church organist, conductor, and composer, David Cherwien brings creativity to hymns of various traditions and styles. He has won national acclaim as a leader of congregational song with hymn festivals that transport us to an encounter with the sublime. Join the choir of voices as we sing some of the church’s beloved hymnody.
Learn More